Sermons Preached Upon Several Occasions, Sermon 5
SERMON V.
PHILIP. 1. 21. For to me to live is Chriſt, and to die is gain.
I Have concluded the firſt of theſe Propoſitions, That Jeſus Chriſt is a Believers life. But I ſhall proceed to a ſecond Propoſition in the Text.
For to me to live is Chriſt, and to die is gain. I ſhall propound it as exemplary unto all the Saints.
DOCT. That it is worthy your imitation to converſe with Death at a diſtance; to prepare for Death before Death comes.
You ſhall find it the practice of the Saints in Scripture: ſo did Moſes, and ſo did David; Moſes as you have it recorded in Pſal. 90. 12. which is a Pſalm of Moſes, So teach us to number our daies, that we may apply our hearts unto wiſdom. Teach us ſo to number them as we may know our own frailty; ſo as we may have the impreſſions upon our hearts that we are but Graſs, and as the Flower in the Field that withers in a moment; and David puts up the like Petition, in Pſal. 39. 4. Lord make me to know my end, and the meaſure of my daies, what it is, that I may know how frail I am: Teach me to know my end, that I may know how frail I am: He doth not deſire to know how many daies he ſhall live, or when his end ſhall be, but to know how frail a creature he was, that it may take impreſſion on his heart. And truly theſe teachings are ſuch as none but God can teach, to teach a man to know how frail he is, and every day to look upon himſelf as a Spire of Graſs, or as a Flower in the Field, that is in a withering and decaying condition every moment. The Apoſtle Paul alſo tells what his practice was, in 1 Cor. 15. 31. I proteſt by your rejoicing, which I have in Chriſt Jeſus our Lord, I die daily. He died in affection to the World: I fit looſe to the World, I die to it in affection, but I alſo die daily, I put my ſelf into a dying condition, I know that I walk in the midſt of Jeopardies, and therefore I fit looſe from all, yea from life it ſelf, I proteſt I die daily. The Prophet ſpeaks of ſome that put the evil day far from them, it is a ſign that the day of Death is an evil day when men put it far from them; it is a good day to the ſoul that hath intereſt in Chriſt, it is the beſt day that ever came to him, Eccleſ. 7. 1. you ſhall ſee what the wiſe man ſays there, A good name is better than a precious Oyntment: and the day of death than the day of ones birth: It is not ſo to every one, but to the righteous it is, to him that hath a good name, a name that is better than precious oyntment; to him that hath the new name better than that of ſons and daughters, to him the day of death is better than the day of his birth; therefore ſaith the Apoſtle, For to me to die is gain; and therefore it is good for Chriſtians to look upon death at a diſtance, for death in it ſelf is an enemy: The laſt enemy that ſhall be deſtroyed, ſaid the Apoſtle, is Death; it is an enemy, ſuch an enemy as hath a terrible viſage; and therefore let's look death in the face often, that ſo we may be acquainted with the viſage of death, that the terror of this enemy may be taken away: it is an enemy, and ſuch an enemy as is armed, ſuch an enemy as hath a ſting with him, The ſting of death is ſin; and therefore it is a great deal of wiſdom to combate with this enemy at a diſtance, to diſarm him, to take away the ſting before he comes upon you, that you may be the better able to grapple with him when he draws nigh; it is good therefore for men to conſider whether they be able to grapple with and meet this enemy or no, whether they be able to look him in the face, to put themſelves in a poſture of combating, and how you may meet with him without fear, how you may overcome him by the blood of the Lamb, to exerciſe faith and to eye the conqueſt that Chriſt hath gotten over death, to ſee how he hath taken away the ſting and horror, and to ſanctifie the Grave, this is a great mercy.
1. Firſt, And therefore let me ſpeak to you one word, you whoſe life is thus to die, do it daily with the Apoſtle: it is exceeding beneficial to the Saints this kind of exerciſe; the Lord himſelf doth commend it as a point of high wiſdom by Moſes, O how doth he wiſh his people, that all his people were thus wiſe, in Deut. 32. 29. O that they were wiſe, that they underſtood this, that they would conſider their latterend: it is a point of high wiſdom for men to conſider their latter end, and through grace it proves a great help, even unto the people of God, it proves a ſpur to them; I ſay it is a ſpur to the works and ſervices of their Generation, when they conſider their latter end: I muſt work the work of him that ſent me, ſaies Chriſt, the night comes when no man can work; and ſo again ſaies Solomon, Whatſoever thy hand finds to do, do it with all thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor counſel, nor knowledge in the Grave whither thou art going: If therefore it lieth before thee, neglect not the work of thy Generation; if he ſay, This is the way, walk in it; if he ſay, By this or by that thou ſhalt be for my Glory in the World, take heed you neglect it not, no, not a minute, for how ſoon maiſt thou go to thy home, thy long-home! and there is no work in the Grave; this, through grace I ſay, proves a ſpur to God's people, the conſideration of their latter end; I have but a little time in which I can gain glory to God's name, O take it, O ſoul improve it for God's glory; this I ſay puts a man to conſider his latter end.
2. Secondly, Again, It is that which will make the ſoul truly Magnanimous, truly valiant for God, it will beget a mighty Heroick ſpirit, this converſing with death at a diſtance, this conſidering of a mans latter end; ſee what God ſaies in that pathetical wiſh I before ſpake of in Deut. 32. 29, 30. If they did but conſider their latter end, how ſhould one chaſe a thouſand, and two put ten thouſand to flight: the conſideration of this would make a man Magnanimous for God, it would make a man to carry his life in his hand, and venture it freely if God ſhould call him forth: ſuch a righteous man hath converſed with death at a diſtance, and hath ſeen and knows that it will be gain; he fears not a thouſand, he is truly Magnanimous, he only looks at the cauſe, and goes forth willingly; for though there be a thouſand to one, he fears not, for he hath conſidered his latter end. Whereas on the contrary, the neglect of this, the neglect of converſing with death daily, makes men liable to the ſnares and temptations of the world; I ſay, the neglect of this doth expoſe men to a thouſand ſnares in the world: how doth this world keep many from ſeeking after the life of Chriſt? Houſe, Land, Friends, Riches, Honours and Pleaſure, what ſnares are theſe to thouſands? What's the cauſe of this? It is becauſe men do not conſider their latter end, it is becauſe that men have a kind of phancy, or dream that they ſhall alwaies poſſeſs theſe things below: men dream of an Eternity here, and they are not indeed perſwaded of parting, that they are a parting from them, and ſo prove woeful ſnares: they are neglecting the great things of God, and the great things of Eternity, becauſe they do not look upon all as Graſs, as withering Graſs, themſelves alſo as fading Flowers, therefore they are expoſed to theſe temptations; yea, therefore it is that many a poor creature is brought down wonderfully, becauſe they do not converſe with death at a diſtance, they do not conſider their latter end, in Lam. 1. 9. She remembred not her latter end, therefore ſhe came down wonderfully; becauſe men do not converſe with death at a diſtance, they do not conſider their latter end: the rich Fool in the Goſpel remembred not his latter end, & therefore he came down wonderfully; men are brought… down wonderfully, ſuddenly they are cut off e're they are aware of it, and all becauſe they do not converſe with death at a diſtance; and therefore when it comes, it is wonderful ſtrange to them, becauſe they do not die daily, they do not conſider their latter end.
Object. But you will ſay, there are many that converſe with death, and look death in the face every day, and yet we ſee they are not the better for it: as many that carry their lives in their hands when they go upon the Sea, and ſee the wonders of God in the deeps; and when they go into the high places in the Field, to engage and venture their lives, ſuch men look death in the face, yet we ſee not that they are the better for it.
Anſw. I Anſwer, It is true, there is a converſing with death, which makes not men the better but the worſe: for there are many men, as Solomon ſaies, It is better to go into the houſe of mourning than into the houſe of feaſting, for in the houſe of mourning the living they will lay it to heart; but it is poſſible for men to go ſo long in the houſe of mourning, to be hardened ſo as they cannot lay death to heart, that they look upon it as a matter of cuſtom to die, and to be buried, and there is an end: it is poſſible for ſuch, the Prophet ſpeaks of, who have made a league with Hell and Death; but Paul's converſing with death at a diſtance, was of another ſtamp, for his converſing with death was from an impreſſion that God had made upon his ſpirit of the frailty of the creature, it was the Lord that taught him for to number his daies: till God teach this leſſon, no man can converſe with death daily from an inward real apprehenſion of the vanity of the creature, with the periſhing condition of this Tabernacle of Clay, this was Paul's converſing. The wicked man converſeth with death, when he is bold to die (as it is poſſible he may) his familiarity with death, it ariſeth it may be from ſome ignorance or hardneſs, he takes his leap, as a blind man may do, when he skips down a Hill; he knows not how far it is to the bottom; through ignorance men know not what death is, know not what the condition is that death leads to, they do not conſider of the conſequence of it, and of that Eternity that follows death, and therefore it is ignorance of this that makes the wicked man deſperate: but when the righteous man is bold as a Lion, and death is familiar to him, it is from a principle of knowledge, and not from ignorance; he knows what death is, he knows that in it ſelf it is an enemy, it is an enemy to nature, and it is deſtructive to all outward comforts, but he knows alſo that death hath loſt his ſting, he knows it is conquered, it is an enemy, but it is a conquered enemy, he knows that Chriſt was the death of it: O Death, I will be thy death, it is Chriſt that hath fulfilled and made good that challenge, he knows there is an Eternity beyond the Grave, and can look upon it as gainful, he knows it is gain that is laid up in Heaven, and it is death that makes him ſo gainful, and it is this that makes him ſo bold as a Lion. This leads me more particularly to conſider the Propoſition as it is in it ſelf.
To die is gain. It is a ſtrange Paradox, that none can reveal but Chriſt, and ſuch as have Chriſt for their life, that death ſhould be gain to: that that ſhould be gain that ſeems to be the greateſt loſs, that ſtrips a man naked of all his comforts, that doth at once take away the deſire of the eye, and the delight of the heart, this is that which a natural man cannot underſtand, or he cannot believe it at leaſt: but it is made good unto all the Saints, and therefore I ſhall lay down this as the Poſition which I ſhall inſiſt upon.
That where Chriſt is Life, there Death is gain. You ſee there is a connexion betwixt this and the former part of the Text: and therefore Solomon ſaies (as I told you before) That the day of Death to the righteous, is better than the day of ones birth; and ſaies the Apoſtle, We groan to be cloathed upon with our houſe which is from Heaven, 2 Cor. 5. 4. There is a groaning in all the Saints to be cloathed upon with that Houſe which is from Heaven, that ſo mortality may be ſwallowed up in life. Now death is gain to every Believer, whether by Death you underſtand leſſer Death, afflictions, loſſes, croſſes, bonds and impriſonments, perſecution; bonds for the Goſpel as the Apoſte was in; here I ſay, if you underſtand by Death theſe leſſer deaths, it is true, that all theſe deaths are gain, the Lord makes his people gainers by all their loſſes: they gain by every condition that they are brought into; though the outward man loſe, the inward man gains. The Prophet Habkakuk, if you look upon him in his great diſtreſs, you ſhall ſee what a gainer he was by it: he was in ſore affliction, he ſaies, his very belly trembled, his very bowels trembled within him, but he was a gainer by this, he gains in faith, his faith broke out gloriouſly, Hab. 3. 17, 18. he gained faith, and faith is precious, The tryal of your faith is more precious than that of Gold; ſo did David, he was in great diſtreſs, in Pſal. 46. 2. but he was a gainer by it, he gained in faith and confidence, Though the earth be removed, ſaies he, and though the Mountains be thrown into the Sea, though the Waves thereof roar, yet there be profeſſes that he will hold faſt his confidence in God. If you look upon Job, you ſhall ſee what a gainer he was by all his loſſes, and thoſe ſore afflictions and trials that he met withal, he gained abundance of experience of God, experience of his wiſdom, experience of his power, and experience of his faithfulneſs, experience of his goodneſs and kindneſs: he gained the knowledge of God, and he gained the knowledge of himſelf, that when he came out of his affliction, he throws himſelf at the foot-ſtool of God, in Job 42. 6. Now, ſaies he, I abhor my ſelf in duſt and aſhes. The Apoſtle Paul was a man of great affliction, there were bonds that did attend him in every place almoſt where he came, yet he was a gainer by all; he gained in confidence, in holy boldneſs, The Lord hath delivered, and he doth deliver, and he will deliver; he gained abundance of ſubmiſſion to the Will of God, by contemplation on his condition, and by this he knew how to want as well as how to abound, and he could do all things through Chriſt that ſtrengthened him, and it was his obedience to the Will of Chriſt which ſtrengthened him; and I believe there is none of Gods people that will bring in their experiences, if they will truly and impartially caſt up their accounts, but they will and ſhall find that God hath made them gainers by their loſſes, and by their ſeveral afflictions that God hath laid upon them, they have gained at leaſt this, to know that they are nothing, they ſee themſelves what fruitleſs unprofitable creatures they are, and they have known what the creature is when God is at a diſtance, they have ſeen ſomething of themſelves, and ſomething of God, and if there be no more than this, this is a great deal of gain; and that it is true of all theſe Deaths, the Lord makes his people gainers by them, and he leads them through theſe conditions, becauſe he intends to make them gainers by them; every affliction that he ſends, is a ſervant of Chriſt, every afflicted condition is a ſervant of Chriſt, and is ſent with a good meſſage, is ſent to communicate ſome good thing to the ſoul of every Believer: God ſtands up and ſaies, as in another caſe, Who will go and perſwade Ahab? And the Spirit anſwers, I; God ſaies, Who will go and carry tidings of love from Heaven to ſuch a ſoul, ſomething of himſelf, ſomething of the Divine nature? God hath ſtore of Meſſengers; That will I, ſaies one mercy: and that will I, ſaies another; afflictions are all ready to communicate ſome good thing to thoſe that love the Lord Chriſt; and indeed they are narrow Pipes, all theſe conditions that the Saints are brought into, they are narrow Pipes, they can convey but a little, a very little of God by them; now God is an infinite fountain, and he can convey much of himſelf, one condition is too little, too narrow for God to work in, too narrow a Pipe for God to pour in all that good which he intends for his ſervants, therefore he chooſeth variety of works, great mercies and variety of afflictions, they are all the ſervants of God, and they have commiſſion to go and work for ſuch a man, to work for ſuch a mans good, the promiſe is given to the Believer, That all ſhall work together for good, ſo that all are his ſervants, all deaths, afflictions, perſecutions, whatſoever diſtreſſes his people ſhall meet withal, ſhall work together for good, they muſt needs gain: a man that hath a multitude of ſervants that work for him, it's all for their good as well as his; why, Believers have a multitude of ſervants, all is yours; all, Chriſt is yours, every condition that God hath brought you into, ſhall work for your good, for they are Chriſts ſervants, and you muſt needs be gainers; and truly, God knows that their gain is his gain, he will gain by their gain, and therefore will make their deaths to be gain to them, for it comes back again to his Treaſury, he knows that his people will not purſe his glory, will not put up that which is Gods: if God doth come in and make them gainers by their afflictions; if God doth inlarge their hearts, and ſet them free, they won't ſay, By my own hand have I made my ſelf rich, by my own induſtry I have gotten this wealth, this ſtrength, this peace, this liberty; for what are we, that we ſhould be able to walk anſwerably to any meaſure that God gives out unto us? But,
Again, God will make Death it ſelf gain unto us, not only leſſer deaths but the greater death, it ſhall be gain, even that ſeparation of ſoul from body, which to the wicked man is the worſt of deaths, Chriſt becomes gain to that ſoul whoſe life Chriſt is. I will tell you in one particular (and leave the reſt) wherein death is gain to that ſoul, whoſe life Chriſt is, and that is this:
He ſhall gain Reſt: Bleſſed are thoſe that die in the Lord, in Rev. 14. 13. Bleſſed are the dead which die in the Lord, from henceforth, yea, ſaith the Spirit, that they may reſt from their labours, and their works do follow them: that's their nature; he ſpeaks in a time of perſecution, when the Beaſt came out of the bottomleſs pit, to make war againſt the Saints, the Lord gives encouragement from hence, they are bleſſed though Anti-Chriſt curſe them as Hereticks, but from henceforth they are bleſſed that die in the Lord, eſpecially that die in the Lord as theſe did: but wherein are they bleſſed? In this, That they reſt from their labours, there's a part of their bleſſedneſs: ſee what the Prophet Iſaiah ſaies of the righteous man; he ſpeaks of this bleſſedneſs, they ſhall gain reſt, in Iſa. 57. 1, 2. He ſhall enter into peace: they ſhall reſt in their Beds, each one walking in his uprightneſs; they ſhall reſt as a man reſts in his bed, ſo ſhall the righteous man reſt in his Grave: the Grave ſhall be as a bed to them, upon which, they that die in the Lord, ſhall reſt ſweetly from theſe their labours; this World is a troubleſome World, a very turmoiling World, full of troubles and labours both to fleſh and ſpirit, and they that die in the Lord reſt from their labours. This World is a place to work in, When the Sun ariſes, man goes forth to his labour till the evening comes. But you will ſay,
This is no great matter, what gain is here? The gain of Reſt, reſt to the fleſh, is this any great gain? Job ſaies, in Job 3. 13. For now ſhould I have lien ſtill and been quiet, I ſhould have ſlept; then had I been at reſt. Wicked men reſt in their Graves, they that could never reſt well but in wickedneſs, they reſt in their Graves; but what then, where is the gain that the righteous man reſts in? For they both reſt in their Graves.
1. Firſt, There is a difference in their reſt, the wicked mans reſt is partial, it is but the reſt of the body, the fleſh only, it is not the reſt of the ſpirit. It is an imperfect reſt, they do not lie down to reſt ſweetly on their beds with thoſe peaceful thoughts that the righteous man hath in his going to bed, to the Grave, O their reſt is a troubleſome reſt; It is ſaid in Pſal. 16. there in the perſon of Chriſt, My fleſh reſts in hope, and ſhall not ſee corruption; his very fleſh ſhould reſt in hope, the very fleſh of the righteous man, when it is in the Grave reſts in hope; his very bones when dry and ſcattered, ſtill they reſt in hope, hope of a Reſurrection: But now we may ſay on the contrary, that the very fleſh of the wicked man reſts in fear, his very fleſh reſts in fear, he fears the Reſurrection, that which is the righteous mans hope, is the wicked mans fear, he fears to ſee the morning; he was loth to go to bed, but will be more loth to riſe, for his fleſh reſts in fear; he rather ſaies, Lord let me lie here alway, let me never go out of this Dungeon, better lying here alway than going to Execution.
2. But again, Beſides, the reſt of the righteous man is not only the reſt of the fleſh, but the reſt of the Spirit; he ceaſes from all the aſſaults of Satan, from his own crooked nature, burdens of ſin and corruption, whilſt he was in the Land of the living, and thoſe out-cries, O wretched man that I am, who ſhall deliver me from this body of ſin and death; the burden of death and ſin is taken away, it ſhall be put under his feet for ever; he ſhall not ſee any more any of the motions of ſin, any of thoſe luſts and corruptions that formerly did war in any of his members, he ſhall no more cry, O Lord deliver me from a hard heart, a corrupt ſpirit, a paſſionate heart; O, ſaies he, my life is a burden to me, to ſee theſe daughters of Heth, theſe Canaanites, becauſe of theſe corruptions of mine, my life is a burden to me. Well, there ſhall be no ſuch complaints beyond the Grave, and therefore, ſaies he, death ſhall make the Saints gainers.
But again, They ſhall gain freedom from all the temptations of Satan; this is great gain, if well conſidered, they ſhall no more be aſſaulted, no more fiery darts thrown at them: Here they are battered with temptations, that through temptations their lives many times become a burden to them; Ay, but death ſhall ſet them free out of Gun-ſhot; here they are toſſed up and down, turmoiled by Satan, as Chriſt was carryed up to the Mountain, and then to the Pinacle, toſſed up and down from Mountain to Pinacle; Ay, but then there ſhall be no tempter, no temptation ſhall enter any place of that Jeruſalem that is above in Heaven, and therefore to the godly man death is gain.
Beſides, They ſhall gain freedom from all the oppoſitions and oppreſſions of the World; I ſay freedom, they ſhall reſt from the oppreſſions of men; and Job did account that, and look upon that as a great mercy; he did envy men in their Graves, ſaies he, They are at reſt: the poor man is freed from the Oppreſſor, from all perſecutions of men, and from all the ſlaveries and bondages, and tyrannizing of them; why, death ſhall ſet them free from the oppreſſions of men, from all evil of men, from all wars, and rumours of wars, and ſad effects of wars, death ſets them free from theſe. O, ſay you, I have loſt a friend, but you know not what he gained, he is taken from the evil to come in the Generations after him; he ſhall reſt from all ſorrows, from all afflictions, from all paſſions: the Lord God ſhall wipe away all tears from their eyes, there ſhall be no mourning beyond the Grave, no complaining in the ſtreets of the new Jeruſalem.
Brethren, Lay all theſe together, and ſee if this be not gain to thoſe in whom the life of Chriſt is: to gain nothing but this; Reſt from their labours, and reſt from oppreſſion and tyranny, to reſt from ſorrows, paſſions, tears and mournings, this is a mercy; but to reſt from temptations, to reſt from ſin, and from all thoſe luſts and corruptions that did war in their members and in their minds, this is a great mercy, if there were no more; ſee how you are beholding to Chriſt for theſe, if you find no more gain that death brings you in that are in Chriſt, how are you beholding unto Chriſt for it? Death is not gain in it ſelf, but you are beholding to Chriſt that hath made it ſo. It is ſaid of Noah in Gen. 5. 29. when Noah was born, it is ſaid, this ſame ſhall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands; This man ſhall comfort us, for he ſhall be a Preacher of righteouſneſs, he was a Type of Chriſt, and a Preacher of righteouſneſs through faith, and therefore Noah did comfort them through Preaching of Chriſt the righteouſneſs of Faith, an object of reſt, a place to take up in, in the midſt of their toil and labour; they were beholding to Chriſt, o whom Noah was a Type, who is this reſt: and to you death would not be thus gain, if Chriſt had not made it ſo; no, this man, this Lord Jeſus hath brought in comfort concerning that eſtate of ſeparation of ſoul from body; it is not gain in it ſelf, but Chriſt hath made it ſo unto his people. O how are you engaged unto Chriſt! ſay even for this, if you ſhould hear no more of this reſt, I will bleſs his great name for it.