Sermons Preached Upon Several Occasions, Sermon 13
SERMON XIII.
GEN. 5. the latter end of the 24 Verſe. —For God took him.
I Deſire you with patience one hour longer, then I hope through Gods aſſiſtance to finiſh that which I have been ſo long inſiſting upon, from this Text. The laſt day we enquired wherefore God took Enoch in that extraordinary manner, why was he tranſlated that he ſhould not ſee death: I gave three Anſwers then. I ſhall proceed to a further Anſwer to this Queſtion.
Queſt. Wherefore Enoch was thus Tranſlated that he ſhould not ſee Death?
Anſw. It was, That ſo the Lord might be a defence to that great Myſterie, even in that Generation, that he might give them a taſte, and ſo ſee of that wonderful good that God ſhould work towards the end of the world, when Chriſt ſhall come in his glory, when the bodies of all the Saints that are alive ſhall be changed, when they ſhall not ſee Death (as Enoch was tranſlated that he ſaw not death) I ſay, here God gave ſome firſt-fruits of that wonderful work that he ſhould do for his people at his next coming, when the Saints that are alive ſhall not die, but ſhall all have their living upon the face of the Earth, and be taken up as Enoch was, and as Elias was, even ſo ſhall they be taken up, and lifted up to meet the Lord in the Air: and here is a Myſterie which is more fully made known to us by our Lord Jeſus, ſince the coming of Chriſt in the fleſh; ſee what the Apoſtle ſpeaks concerning this great myſterie of the change of thoſe at Chriſts coming, in 1 Cor. 15. 51. Behold, I ſhew you a myſterie, we ſhall not all ſleep, but we ſhall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the laſt Trump (for the Trumpet ſhall ſound, and the dead ſhall be raiſed incorruptible, and we ſhall be changed:) Again the ſame Apoſtle doth plainly declare this myſterie to the Theſſalonians, 1 Theſ. 4. 15, 16. For this we ſay unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive, and remain unto the coming of the Lord, ſhall not prevent them which are aſleep. For the Lord himſelf ſhall deſcend from Heaven with a ſhout, with the voice of the Arch-Angel, and with the Trump of God: and the dead in Chriſt ſhall riſe firſt: then we which are alive and remain, ſhall be caught up together with them in the Clouds, to meet the Lord in the Air: and ſo ſhall we ever be with the Lord. He doth reveal this myſterie in all the parts of it; we that are alive ſhall not prevent them that ſleep: Chriſt ſhall firſt deſcend, and the Trumpet ſhall blow, and they ſhall be raiſed, and then ſhall we be changed.
But you will ſay, Doth not this croſs other Scriptures? Is it not ſaid, that it is appointed for all men once to die? Why then doth the Apoſtle ſay, We ſhall not all die, we ſhall not all ſleep?
I Anſwer, Firſt of all, That this Word of the Lord is not croſt, though the Lord is pleaſed to mitigate the ſentence: there ſhall be a kind of death to the Saints that are then alive when Chriſt ſhall come, they ſhall not die properly, there ſhall not be a ſeparation of body and ſoul: yet there ſhall be a metaphorical death, there ſhall be a change, and ſo great a change, even as death is (the change of the Reſurrection meeting together) which certainly is very great: and this cannot be without ſome fear, and ſome horror, which ſhall be even as the horror of death unto the Saints: for though there ſhall be no harm, they ſhall not be harmed when the firſt Trumpet ſhall blow, no harm to the Saints, all the woe ſhall be paſt; but yet I ſay, there may be a great deal of cauſe of fear of death, for Chriſt ſhall firſt deſcend before they be changed; and therefore there is room left for fear and horror, the Text ſaies Chriſt ſhall firſt come with thouſands, and ten thouſands of Angels, and the Trump ſhall blow, and the dead ſhall be raiſed, and all this before thoſe that are alive ſhall be changed; and then, ſaies he, we that are alive ſhall be changed, and be caught up even with them. Now Brethren, ſeeing God hath ſeen this needful, that this myſterie ſhould be revealed in all Ages, therefore a glimpſe of it muſt be given out to thoſe Generations in which Enoch lived when he was taken up: and ſo afterward the ſame was thought of Elias when he was taken up into Heaven; The Lord hath ſeen it needful, I ſay, that this myſterie ſhould be known, and if it were needful for them, then it is much more needful for us; it is needful for us upon whom the ends of the earth are come, that we ſhould know this myſterie, and that being in a continual expectation of the fulfilling of it; it is needful both for the conſolation, and for the inſtruction of the Saints that this myſterie ſhould be made known.
For their conſolation, Why, the time is coming, when Death ſhall be ſwallowed up, when the Saints ſhall not die, but they ſhall be changed: this change is more deſirable than death; Gods people in all Ages have longed after it, and therefore God hath revealed that there is ſuch a change to be, and that all his people might take in the comfort of it before-hand: God hath in all Ages given warning, as if it might be in that very Age; that his people might before-hand take in the comfort of it: the Apoſtle Paul declares that he and the reſt of the Saints were more deſirous to live to this time than to be diſſolved by death, 2 Cor. 5. 2. We groan earneſtly, deſiring to be cloathed upon with our houſe which is from Heaven: we would not be uncloathed, ſaies he, there is a kind of reluctancy in Nature to be uncloathed, to put off from the body, we had rather be cloathed upon with our houſe which is from Heaven: we had rather, if the Lord pleaſe, that a change of raiment might be given out that ſhall endure for ever, that Mortality might be ſwallowed up of life, and that this corruptible body might put on incorruption; Now, I ſay, it being ſo deſirable, and the Saints had rather, and are very deſirous to ſee this change, God therefore in all Ages will not conceal it but make it known (as not impoſſible it might come in that very Age in which they live) that ſo poſſibly they may take in the comfort of it before-hand: at leaſt the Saints, though they don't ſee to this day, you ſhall not be any loſers, you may die in the Faith of it, and take in the ſweetneſs of this promiſe, you ſhall be no loſers, you ſhall not be prevented, they ſhall not be in Heaven before you, with Chriſt before you, but even you that lie in the Grave ſhall be firſt raiſed, and then thoſe that are alive ſhall be changed.
The Lord would alſo have you be inſtructed by this myſterie; he ſees it needful to be declared, that his people, his Saints might live in a continual expectation of this change, this great change that ſhall be when Chriſt ſhall come again, and therefore the time was concealed that the Saints might live in a continual expectation of it, and the Apoſtle ſpeaks it as to his age, Even we that are alive ſhall be changed; becauſe the Lord would have his people in every Age to live as thoſe that do expect the coming of Jeſus Chriſt, when this great and wonderful change ſhall be: you had need alwaies ſtand upon your watch, you know not when your Lord will come, at what hour he will return from the Wedding, and therefore we had need be alwaies prepared, and ſtand with our loyns girt, and Lamps trimmed, for there is ſome dread (for a moment at leaſt) to the Saints when Chriſt ſhall come, it will be worſe if you ſhall be found ſlumbering and ſleeping in carnal ſecurity, it will be a great amazement when Chriſt ſhall come, and thouſand of thouſands of Angels ſhall come with him and proclaim his glory, when there ſhall be a great cry at midnight, The Bridegroom is come, certainly it will be a great amazement even to the Saints themſelves that ſhall be in carnal ſecurity; therefore it concerns us every moment to be upon our Watch-Tower. You ſee wherefore it was that God took Enoch away in an extraordinary way that he ſhould not ſee death: there is one Queſtion yet behind.
Queſt. Why did God take Enoch away at this time?
The main Anſwer which I ſhall give, is this,
Anſw. The Lord when he takes his people away doth thereby give warning; by taking Enoch away, That there was a deluge of wrath coming upon the old World: the Lord would put them upon it to conſider what his event ſhould be in this providence, that ſo if poſſible they might prevent that deluge of wrath, that Flood of water that came and ſwept them away. When the Lord doth ſuddenly take away thoſe that are found faithful in their Generation, it is a warning of wrath to come: I ſay, when God doth ſuddenly ſnatch away thoſe that are found faithful in their Generation, it doth often preſage ſome great wrath to come; you have an expreſs Scripture for it, in Iſa. 57. 1. The righteous periſheth, and no may layeth it to heart, and merciful men are taken away, none conſidering that the righteous are taken from the evil to come: When God takes away righteous and merciful men, and thoſe that are left behind, do not lay it to heart, if they don't conſider it, and make uſe of it, it is a certain ſign of evil that is to come upon them. God took away Enoch in his Generation, and he took away all the reſt of the Patriarchs that are ſpoken of in this Chapter, they were all taken away before the Flood of waters came upon the world; Methuſalah (he that was Enoch's ſon) lived the longeſt, and it is thought he was taken away either that very year, or the year before the Flood came upon the old World, God ſwept away them all, even thoſe that were remarkable in their Generation, and then wrath comes upon the world: O that thou wouldſt hide me in the Grave, ſaies Job, in Job 14. 13. O that thou wouldſt hide me in the Grave, and keep me ſecret until thy wrath be paſt; God hath ſome hiding places or other for his people, and ſometimes the Grave is a hiding place: though ſometimes Job doth not beſpeak the Grave, yet here ſometimes God hideth in the Grave till ſuch time as wrath be over. Such as walk with God in their Generation, they are Chriſts Flock, though they be Pilgrims and Strangers upon the earth, Sojourners, Travellers, yet they are Chriſts Flock, here they reſt, and many times Chriſt will Fold his Flock; before a Storm comes the Shepherd gathers his Flock together: When a great Storm of Hail and Fire came upon the Egyptians, the Iſraelites that were in Goſhen gathered all their Flocks together, and then they were ſafe; Chriſt ſhrouds the moſt of his Flock, the chief of his Flock from ſome approaching wrath that draws near.
2. Secondly, They are the Lords Houſhold-ſtuff; I ſay, his people are his choice Houſhold-ſtuff, they are my Jewels, In the day that I make up my Jewels. When a man removes away all his beſt Houſhold-ſtuff, and carries away his Jewels, you may gueſs that man doth not intend to be robb'd: and ſo when the Lord doth remove his Jewels, his choice Houſhold-ſtuff, it is a ſure ſign of his departure, at leaſt God gives warning to that people, and if they won't take warning, and cry unto the Lord as they did, O why goeſt thou away and ſtayeſt for a night? And if God depart from a place, what follows, your place is left to you deſolate, and woe be to you: What a woe doth he threaten by the Prophet Hoſea, Hoſ. 9. 12. Woe alſo to them when I depart from them: Woe, deſolation, and ruine certainly comes upon a people when God departs from them.
3. Thirdly, Again, The righteous they are the Pillars of the place: ſuch as walk with God in their Generation, they are the Pillars of Families, the Pillars of Cities, and the Pillars of Kingdoms, nay, they are the Pillars of the whole World: ſo ſaies the Pſalmiſt, The earth ſhook, O Lord, and I will bear up the Pillars of it; If the Pillars of the Houſe be pluckt down, how can the Houſe ſtand? If you ſee one Pillar after another fall, you will conclude certainly that Houſe won't hold long; Why, the Saints are the Pillars of the World, and if it were not for their ſakes, the earth would mingle together preſently; but you muſt know this is not from any merit, worth, or righteouſneſs of theirs, though they are thus called Pillars, I ſay, it is not for any worth or righteouſneſs of the Saints, or the beſt on earth: but they are called Pillars, and they bear up Kingdoms, and they bear up the Earth,
1. Firſt, Becauſe God is intreated by their ſupplications; I ſay, they prevail, they ſtand at the gap, they prevail with God to keep out wrath and Judgement, that it may not break in: and ſo you know Moſes pleads with God, and ſo long as Moſes pleaded with God, God could do nothing againſt Iſrael, Let me alone that I may deſtroy them: and ſo Abraham pleads for Sodom that God would ſpare that City for ten righteous mens ſakes, and God grants that requeſt: and it is very obſervable that Abraham gave over firſt, God did not give over firſt, it is like if he had gone lower he might have prevailed; but there was a holy ingenuity and faithfulneſs in him, when he conſidered, that in ſo many Cities there ſhould not be ten righteous men there, why, he could not in ingenuity ask any leſs: and ſo by their ſupplication they bear up Kingdoms and Nations.
2. Secondly, And then again, The Lord doth ſpare places and people many times, from the care that God hath of them, for the care that the Lord hath of his own people, Wilt thou deſtroy the righteous with the wicked? Rather ſpare the wicked for the righteous ſake: and God doth chooſe this way, this is Gods way, he will rather ſpare the wicked for the righteous ſake, becauſe God is exceeding careful of his own people, he fears leſt they ſhould ſuffer, he will rather have the tares grow with the Corn together, than the good Corn ſhould be in danger of being pluckt up; and therefore he tells Lot of making haſte, in Gen. 19. when God was about to deſtroy Sodom, Haſte thee, eſcape thither: for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither; I am ſo careful of my Lot, that I can do nothing in way of Judgement till Lot be out of fear and danger; this was not for deſert of Lot's righteouſneſs, but the free-grace of God towards him, for it is ſaid in that Chapter, When the Lord delivered him, he was merciful to him.
3. Thirdly, The Lord ſpares (many times) evil wicked men, for the love that he bears to his own: he gives to his people the lives of others, becauſe he loves them ſo dear; ſo God gave Paul, in Acts 27. 24. he gave him the lives of a great many, the lives of all that were in the Ship, which were two hundred threeſcore and ſixteen ſouls, becauſe the Lord loved him dearly: O how good is it to be with the righteous? It is good to be in their very company; one righteous man, one Paul ſaves a Ship-ful: ten righteous men may ſave Sodom, and four Cities more; and a conſiderable number of righteous men may ſave a Kingdom; for a few righteous mens ſakes the whole world is preſerved, that fire and wrath is not mingled in a moment, heaven and earth mingled in a moment, it is for their ſakes. And therefore I beſeech you, conſider and take notice of the infinite goodneſs and patience of God even to the worſt of ſinners, that he ſhould be pleaſed thus to give warning before he ſtrikes, to give warning to a ſinful Generation, by his own people before he deſtroy the world; O the abundance of the good patience of God! God ſeldom ſmites by a remarkable Judgement till he gives warning, it is ſad warning, and of all warnings this is a warning when God is a taking away his own people, to take them away from the evil to come: it is a ſad warning unto a people in that condition, that takes not this warning, when God is at ſo much pains and coſt with them. Therefore in the ſecond place,
I beſeech you, when God gives this warning, O let us be careful to take it; it is the greateſt provocation to God when he gives warning, and we take it not: in this regard Chriſt upbraids the Scribes and Phariſees, and ſaies to them, Can you diſcern the face of the Skies, and cannot you ſee theſe ſigns? Do you ſee the ſigns there, and cannot you diſcern the ſigns of the times? Cannot you diſcern when full wrath is coming, when Judgement is a coming? Cannot you diſcern it by Gods ſigns? O how many ſigns hath God ſhewn, what abundance of his Noahs hath he Shipt? How many Enochs have been tranſlated by death? How much blood hath been ſpilt, precious blood? O that God would make it to be a warning to this Generation, that the Lord would ſtir us up too, to revive and run after him; that God ſhould give us warning, O that we could ſay, Thou hope of Iſrael, why ſhouldſt thou be as a ſtranger, and as a wayfaring man, that ſtaies but for a night, and is gone in the morning? But,
Again, This upbraids the World for their former Ingratitude to the Saints, it is for their ſakes that you wicked have your lives continued, and all your comforts continued, and how is the enmity of the world let forth againſt thoſe for whoſe ſakes they are preſerved? What folly is it that men ſhould go about to pull down the Pillars of that houſe in which they dwell? It was an extream deſperate action that Sampſon did, when that he ſhould pull down the Pillars of the Houſe, and it coſt him his own life? O this is the folly of the wicked in the world that rage againſt the Saints, that pull down the Pillars; well, know of a truth, when thoſe Pillars are down, the Houſe will fall upon your head, and to pull down theſe Pillars, will be to pull down the houſe to your own deſtruction.
Again, This may teach the people of God to ſubmit willingly, to lie down willingly in the duſt, when God ſhall call them: it is poſſible they may be taken away from a great deal of evil to come, it ſhould make them willing to lie down in the duſt when God calls; God may take you away from many an evil day that is coming, many an evil day of perſecution, and many an evil day of old age; Remember thy Creator in the daies of thy youth; through the infirmities that do accompany old age, it becomes an evil day.
Again, There's danger then of declining: O David prayed, and prayed heartily, that God would not leave him to his own will, and that he would take him from the evil to come.
Object. But you will ſay, There may be hopes of good daies, and that might make us unwilling to die, in hopes of good daies.
Anſw. Why, God may make you willing as Moſes was; though at the Borders of Canaan, yet God would have him die, and he goes up to the Mountain and dies very willingly: there may be a great deal of evil before the good come, a great deal of ſhakings, ſore ſhakings before the good day come; the paſſage to the Land may be very ſtrait, yet Chriſt will bring thee along with him when he comes; I ſay, when ever Chriſt comes he will bring the Saints along with him, We that are alive, ſhall not prevent thoſe that are dead; No, they ſhall riſe firſt, and then ſhall we be changed. Therefore God took away Enoch at this time, that he may give warning to the World that wrath was a coming.
2. Secondly, Again, God took away Enoch at this time, that he might declare, that he had reſpect unto his people, though the World was never ſo wicked, though they are never ſo cruel, yet they ſhall not be forgotten, but the Lord remembers, the Lord takes notice of them, If I find ten righteous men in Sodom, ſaies God, I will not deſtroy that City for tens ſake; God ſeeks his own people, and if he finds but ten righteous ſouls in a City, for their ſakes it ſhall not be deſtroyed, not an Enoch ſhall be forgotten: Men may caſt away much chaff, and though there be two or three Corns or more of Wheat, they won't look for them; but God won't do ſo; if a heap of chaff be never ſo great God will look over it, and he will not loſe one Corn though in abundance of Chaff; his people do glorifie him much in an evil time, and grace is remarkable then, when it ſhines bright in the midſt of a dark night, the Lord will remember you: and therefore if the Lord will find you out, and remember you in an evil World, Oh! how ſhould you remember him? He will do the more for you, and deal the more remarkably with you, becauſe you are found faithful in an evil time, in an evil World, even as Enoch: therefore be ye careful to walk with God. Again,
3. Thirdly and laſtly, God will declare hereby that the perfection and happineſs of his people is not here below, and therefore he would have them, and all the world to know that the perfection and happineſs of the Saints is not below: Enoch enjoyed as much of God as ever man did, and yet Enoch muſt be tranſlated before he comes to perfection; God witneſſes to this in the lives of the beſt of the Saints in that Generation: there is none that lived a thouſand years, though there came many nigh to a thouſand years, which is the perfect number, the perfect account. The Lord would teach that perfection is not here, but he would have us to know where we ſhall enjoy it: therefore let us ſee what neceſſity there is to live upon Jeſus Chriſt by Faith in the worſt of our daies; if perfection be not here, O what need then have you to live in Chriſt? You are perfect in him, ſaies the Apoſtle, compleat in him, and therefore in the ſenſe and greatneſs of your Imperfections, you had need live upon that fulneſs, and breath after that fulneſs of time and perfection whither Enoch was tranſlated unto. So much ſhall ſerve for this time.