The Saints Sacrifice, Section 62
§. 62. Of the land of the living here on earth.
IIII. *§ 58.THis world is a place and time of life. Thus he that expected ſuccour from the Lord in this world, ſaith, aPſal. 27. 13.I beleeved to ſee the goodneſſe of the Lord in the land of the living: and in the very ſame ſenſe ſaid to God, b—142. 5.Thou art my portion in the land of the living. And where it is ſaid to the wicked man whoſe memory God would deſtroy in this world, c—…2. 5.God ſhall plucke thee out of thy dwelling place, by way of exaggeration of the ſ…me judgement it is added, and root thee out of the land of the living. When Hezekiah expected nothing but death, he ſaid, I ſhall ſee the Lord no more in the land of the living, (Iſa. 38. 11.) and to A ſ…ſſus est d… terrâ viventium, ut poſt vitam quam vixit in terrâ, mortuus terr…, coelis viv…ret in aeternum Hier. Cō ment. l. 14. in Eſa. 53.ſhew what he meant thereby he addeth, I ſhall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world. Thus alſo is Chriſts death ſet out, He was cut off out of the land of the living, (Iſa. 53. 8.) that being dead in earth after that life which he had there lived, he might for ever live in heaven. In this ſenſe the time while we live in this world is called the day; and the light of the living. Ioh. 9. 4. Pſal. 56. 13.
Fitly is this world ſo called in relation to all kind of lives, naturall, ſpirituall, eternall.
1 Naturall life, which is ſubject to mortality, corruption, and all manner of infirmities, is here onelyonly in this world lived. After this life, corruptible muſt put on incorruption, and mortall muſt put on immortality, (1 Cor. 15. 53.) This life was meant, when Hezekiahs departure out of this world was thus threatned, thou ſhalt not live, Iſa. 38. 1.
2 Spirituall life, which is the life of grace, is alſo lived in this world. For, the Apoſtle ſpeaking of it thus ſaith, iGal. 2. 20.The life which J now live in the fleſh, I live by faith, &c.
3 In this world we firſt k1 Tim. 6. 12.lay hold on eternall life. They that doe not here get a right unto it, ſhall not hereafter attaine to the poſſeſſion thereof.
Reprehenſion of ſuch as living are dead.How unmeet, how ſhamefull, how odious a thing is it that dead men ſhould be here on the face of the earth, which is the land of the living? That there are ſuch, is too true. l1 Tim. 5. 6.She that liveth in pleaſure is dead while ſhe liveth. mRev. 3. 1.Sardis had a name that ſhe lived, but was dead. nMat. 8. 22.The dead bury their dead. oEph 2. 1. 2 Cor. 5. 14.All naturall men are dead in ſinnes. Much more they that unto their naturall corruption adde prophaneneſſe, uncleanneſſe, all manner of riotouſneſſe. Theſe are as dead and putrified carions that infect the aire round about them. To prevent noyſome ſavours which might ariſe from dead corps, we uſe to bury them under the ground. Though Sarah was a deare wife to Abraham, yet when ſhe was dead, he pGen. 23 4.took order to bury her corps o… of his ſight. qEzek. 39. 11, &c.Note the care that was taken to bury Gog with his multitude, becauſe the ſtinking ſavour was ſo great, as it cauſed them that paſſed by to ſtop their noſes. Aſſuredly, if the ſpirituall ſenſe of our ſoules were as quicke in ſpirituall matters, as the ſenſes of our body are in earthly things, we ſhould feele a more noiſome and loathſome ſavour to ariſe from ſuch as in relation to ſpirituall life, are dead, then from ſuch as are dead in relation to naturall life. God, that is moſt ſenſible of this ſpirituall ſtanche, is oft moved to ſweep the land of the living with the broome of his judgements, and to remove noyſome dead perſons, eſpecially when by their multitude they …auſe the ſtanche to be too too intolerable. rIſa. 14. 23.I will ſweepe Babel with the beſome of deſtruction, ſaith the Lord of hoſts. Thus the Lord ſwept away the ſtinking carions of ſGen. 6. 7.the old world, and of *—19. 25.Sodom and Gomorrah, the rebellious tHebr 3. 17.carkaſſes of the Iſraelites in the wilderneſſe: uLev. 18. 28.the foule corps of the nations: yea and the unſavoury bodies of all x2 King. 17. 6.Iſrael and y2 Chro. 36. 16Iudah. Of Ieruſalem in another metaphor thus ſaith the Lord, *2 King. 21. 13I will wipe it as a man wipeth a diſh, wiping it, and turning it up▪ſide downe. There is juſt cauſe to feare that the ſtanche of the ſinnes of this City, and other places in this Land was ſo ranke in the noſtrels of the Almighty, as thereby he was provoked to ſweepe away ſo many as he did with the broome of the peſtilence. If it be ſaid, that many righteous ones were ſwept away, who have preſented even their bodies as well as their ſoules, a ſacrifice living, holy, acceptable, and of a ſweet ſmelling ſavour unto God: and many wicked ones left; I anſwer, that God may take away in a common judgement many righteous ones, the more to aggravate the judgement, and yet therein ſhew mercy to thoſe righteous ones, by tranſlating them to eternall bliſſe, and reſerve wicked ones, to bring them by that judgement executed on others, to repentance, or els to make them the more inexcuſable. The day of thorow cleanſing the Lords floore is not till the day of judgement. aMat. 13. 39, 41, 42.The harveſt is the end of the world. Then ſhall the Sonne of man ſend forth his Angels, and they ſhall gather out of his kingdome all things that offend, and them which do iniquity: and ſhall caſt them into a fornace of fire. Yet leaſt the ſtanch of ſin even in this Land of the living ſhould be too great, as in former ages, ſo now page missing ſcience void of offence toward God and toward men.
2 The things which God by vertue of the Goſpell requireth of us, he hath promiſed to worke in us. The ſumme of his promiſe is this, gEzek. 36. 27.I will put my ſpirit within you, and cauſe you to walke in my ſtatutes, and ye ſhall keepe my judgements and doe them. Now Saints reſting in aſſurance of faith on God for accompliſhing of this, and hIer. 31. 33, 34.—3…. 39. 40.other like promiſes, are emboldened to promiſe that to God which God hath promiſed to enable them to do.
3 All the promiſes of obedience which Saints make to God, they make with reference to the aſſiſtance of Gods Spirit, whereof they aſſure themſelves. As when they promiſe any temporall civill matter, they do it, either expreſly or implicitly, with relation to Gods will and leave (as they ought, Iam. 4. 15.) ſo in holy duties, to the worke of Gods Attende quod non dixerit, ſperavi▪ aut ſpero, ſed ſperabo. Hoc, inquit, eſt votum meum, hoc propoſitum meum, haec intentio cordis mei. Bern. in Pſal. Qui habit. Ser. 2.Spirit in them.
Thus in the abſolute promiſes which Saints make, they arrogate nothing to themſelves above their ability, and yet manifeſt an unfained heart, and unalterable reſolution to God wards. So as where they ſay I will walke, I will hope, I will do this and that, it is as if they had ſaid, this is my deſire, this is my purpoſe, this is the intention of my heart.
By theſe meanes, as true intention, earneſt deſire, prudent jealouſie, and holy zeale are manifeſted, ſo is a dull ſpirit much quickned, and the weake, waiward, revoulting fleſh bridled and curbed: yea and bound to her good behaviour.