"The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by
force" (Matt. 11:12).
The more violence we have
used for heaven, the sweeter heaven will be when we come there. As when a
man has been grafting trees or setting flowers in his garden, it is
pleasant to review and look over his labours, so it shall be in heaven
when we shall remember our former zeal and activity for the kingdom. It
will enhance heaven and add to the joy of it. For a Christian to think,
"Such a day I spent in examining my heart; such a day I was weeping for
sin; when others were at their sport, I was at my prayers; and now, have I
lost anything by this violence? My tears are wiped away and the wine of
Paradise cheers my heart. I now enjoy Him whom my soul loves; I now have
the crown and white robes I so longed for." Oh, how pleasant will it be to
think, "This is the heaven my Saviour bled for and I sweat for"!
The more violence we put
forth in religion, the greater measure of glory we shall have. That there
are degrees in glory in heaven seems to me beyond dispute. There are
degrees of torment in hell; therefore, by the rule of contraries, there
are degrees of glory in heaven. The Scripture speaks of a prophet's reward
(Matt. 10:41), which is a degree above others. The saints are said to
shine as the stars (Dan. 12). Now one star differs from another in glory,
so that there are gradations of happiness; and of this judgment is Calvin
as well as many of the ancient fathers. Consider then seriously, the more
violent we are for heaven and the more work we do for God, the greater
will be our reward. The hotter our zeal, the brighter our crown. Could we
hear the blessed souls departed speaking to us from heaven, surely they
would say, "Were we to leave heaven awhile and to dwell on the earth
again, we would do God a thousand times more service than we have ever
done; we would pray with more life, act with more zeal; for now we see
that the more we have laboured, the more astonishing is our joy and the
more flourishing our crown."
Upon our violence for the
kingdom God hath promised mercy. "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek,
and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Matt. 7:7).
Reference
An extract from Heaven Taken by Storm (Thomas
Watson, Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 2000),
pp78-79.
A London-based Presbyterian,
Thomas
Watson
(1620-1686)
was a learned and highly popular preacher and writer, especially
renowned for his gift of extemporaneous prayer. His exposition of
the Westminster Assembly's Shorter Catechism is still highly prized and is an
excellent introduction to Puritan teaching.
