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When Jonathan Edwards lay dying, he gave instructions

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for his funeral to his daughter Lucy, and

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after settling his affairs, he remarked, and asked

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to my children, you are now like to

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be left fatherless, which I hope will be

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an inducement to you all to seek a

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father who will never fail you.

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Then, after leaving more messages for his absent

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members of the family, he looked about and

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said, now, where is Jesus of Nazareth, my

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true and never failing friend?

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And on March 22, 1758, Edwards left this

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world at the age of 54 to go

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be with his faithful friend, Jesus.

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In John's Gospel in chapter 15 and verse

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15, we read, henceforth, I call you not

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servants, for the servant knoweth not what his

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Lord doeth, but I have called you friends

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for all things that I have heard of

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my father I have made known unto you.

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Jesus is a friend who can be counted

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on.

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He has never failed me, though other friends

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have.

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Jesus is a faithful friend who can be

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relied upon in sunshine and in sorrow, in

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prosperity and adversity.

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No matter the trial you are under, he

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will get you through.

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Jesus is a faithful friend all the way

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to the end.

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We may disappoint him, but he won't ever

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disappoint us.

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I am reminded of a story about a

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farmer and his dog.

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The dog had been very useful to him,

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but now it was getting old.

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His master decided to get rid of him

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by drowning him, taking the dog with him

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to a large river near his farm.

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He got to a boat and rowed out

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to the deepest part.

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Around the dog's neck he tied a cord

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attached to a heavy stone.

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Then he threw it into the water, and

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the poor dog sank.

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But the cord broke and rising to the

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surface with a whine, he tried to get

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into the boat again.

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Unmoved, his master pushed him off a number

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of times with an oar.

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Finally, the farmer stood up in the boat,

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intending to strike the dog a blow with

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the oar that would send it to the

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bottom of that cold river.

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As he swung the oar, he lost his

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footing, and he fell over into the water.

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He could not swim and would have drowned.

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But when the dog saw his master struggling

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in the water, in spite of the cruel

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treatment it had just received from him, it

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swam up to him, caught hold of his

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clothes, and brought him safe to land.

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We can only hope that that farmer had

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a change of heart and repaid his faithful

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friend for saving his life by caring for

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it the rest of its days.

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I know the feeling.

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I have a little dog, a little chihuahua,

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and she loves to sit in my lap

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and go wherever I go.

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When there is someone at the door, she

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barks to protect me.

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She knows when I am sad and lonely,

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and she comforts me.

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She is a faithful friend.

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But that little dog pales in comparison to

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my true faithful friend Jesus.

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He has never let me down, and he

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will never, ever let me go.

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He hung naked on a bloody cross for

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sin, because he loved me and gave himself

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for me.

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He's been with me in my deepest griefs

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and darkest hours.

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His presence has always pulled me through.

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He wants to be with me when no

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one else does.

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He comforts me when nobody else can.

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Like the hymn says, he walks with me,

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and he talks with me, and tells me

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I'm his own.

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And the joy we share as I tarry

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there, no other I've ever known.