Sermons Preached Upon Several Occasions, Sermon 8
SERMON VIII.
PHILIP. 1. 21. For to me to live is Chriſt, and to die is gain.
THE Subject in hand is Gain, and therefore I hope you that are wiſe Merchants will not be weary of it: the whole World is for gain; every man ſaies, Who will ſhew us any good? I have ſhewed you a great deal of gain that is by death, for thoſe that have intereſt in Chriſt: and O that the Lord would make your hearts deſirous to know how you ſhall get this gain, how you may ſo live as that the great venture you make of death may be gain unto you. But I ſhall proſecute that in its time. You may remember the laſt day we ſpent moſt of the time in Anſwering a Queſtion.
Whether it be lawful to deſire death or no? I told you there is a good deſire, and there is a ſinful deſire of death, and I ſhewed you the differences. But I ſhall wave repetition, and come to the Application of the Point.
Ʋſe 1. It lets us ſee what a fancy or conceit that is that men have taken up, That the ſoul hath no exiſtence without the body, but that it ceaſes to be, whenas the body is laid in the duſt: there is ſuch a conceit that the ſoul ſleeps, or that it ceaſes to be until the day of Reſurrection, that God ſhould give life again to the body.
This Text doth confute that opinion; though it may be matter of temptation, even to Gods own people: if it were ſo, then it ſhould not be gain to die, if the ſoul ceaſe to be, when ſeparated from the body, it ſhould not be gain to die. I might bring many places to confute this: what think you of that in Luk. 23. 43. where Chriſt ſaies unto the good Thief, This day ſhalt thou be with me in Paradiſe; ſurely Chriſt ſpeaks not of the body, it could not be underſtood of the Grave that his body ſhould reſt in, for to be with Chriſt in Paradiſe implies more: Paradiſe was a place of pleaſure, it was a place in which Adam did enjoy the preſence of God: therefore certainly the ſoul hath exiſtence when ſeparated from the body, the ſouls of the righteous are where they do enjoy the preſence of God. Again, that in Rev. 6. 9, 10. where it is ſaid of them that are under the Altar, they cryed out, How long Lord, holy and true, will it be, e're thou avenge our blood on them that dwell on the Earth? Then the ſoul hath exiſtence when it is out of the body, for theſe ſouls cryed, How long Lord? It is true, there are divers operations of the ſoul which do ceaſe, which do depend upon the operation of the body; but there are many operations in the ſoul which the ſoul doth moſt excellently exerciſe, notwithſtanding its ſeparation from the body: the Apoſtle Paul was in a holy, ecſtaſie as out of the body, and when he was in the body it's ſaid, His ſoul ſaw ſuch things as were unutterable, not to be ſeen nor heard. But I ſhall not need to go any further to ſtrengthen you againſt this temptation; the Apoſtle in this Chapter ſaith, I am in a ſtrait between two, having a deſire to depart, and to be with Chriſt, which is far better. Where you may ſee, firſt, That the ſoul when it is ſeparated from the body, it doth not ceaſe to be, for it is only departed: I deſire to depart, an active expreſſion; ſome Tranſlate it, to flinch, or move, to remove from one houſe to another; or to be looſed, or diſſolved, ſo ſome Tranſlate it: I deſire to be ſet free from this my priſon; my ſoul is in priſon while I am in the body, now I deſire to depart from this houſe, to be fetch'd from this houſe, to depart from, this Priſon, and to be with Chriſt, to depart and to be with Chriſt: ſo then there is a being with Chriſt in a ſtate of diſſolution, for the Apoſtle doth deſire to be diſſolved for this very end, that when he was diſſolved, he might be with Chriſt; there is a being with Chriſt, there is an enjoyment of Chriſt in a ſtate of diſſolution. Nay, he ſaith, It is far better: he knew that he ſhould enjoy more of Chriſt when he was gone, he ſhould have more intimate communion with the Lord Jeſus in a ſtate of ſeparation, than when he was in the body, that condition was far better; now I ſay, if the ſoul do ſleep, if it ceaſes to be, or to act or to enjoy Chriſt, when it is ſeparated from the body till the day of Reſurrection; why, then he could not have ſaid, it is far better to die, and to be with Chriſt. But it may be ſaid, it is better to die, becauſe death frees from the miſeries of life, and ſo the Apoſtle might ſay, It is better to die, becauſe death frees from the miſeries of life, becauſe there is a reſt and a ceſſation from the preſent troubles and turmoils in the world. If there had been nothing elſe, he could not have ſaid, It is better to die; for I ſay, to live, to live the moſt afflicted life, and the moſt troubleſom life in the world is better than to die, and to ceaſe to be, if there be not an enjoyment of life after that departure. Yea, it had been better for the Apoſtle to have lived, if there had been no exiſtence of the ſoul, for then all knowledge of God and of Chriſt ceaſe, and no actings for God, no lifting up of the name of God, it had been better for him to have lived to have been ſerviceable to God in his generation, to have lived to have known Chriſt, for all knowledge of God, upon that ſuppoſition, is to be loſt and gone; to reſt thus, his gain is no better than the beaſts gain, the very beaſts gain reſt to the fleſh: If there had been no more gain by death, he could not have ſaid, It had been better to die than to live; and to live, it had been far better than to die and reſt, if there had not been a further enjoyment of God in Chriſt, in that eſtate of ſeparation and diſſolution. And therefore I beſeech you that you would hold this faſt, that you may be ſtrengthened againſt this temptation, that there is no enjoyment of God and Chriſt in a ſtate of ſeparation, when the ſoul is looſened from the body: though it is true, the full enjoyment, the full revelation of heaven is not until the Reſurrection, when ſoul and body ſhall both enjoy the glory of heaven. But ſo much for the firſt Uſe.
Ʋſe 2. Secondly, If death be gain where Chriſt is life: then this may comfort you in the loſs of your friends, you ſhould not mourn inordinately for the loſs of your friends, when you have hopes of their death. It is true, it is not only lawful, but it is a duty to mourn. I ſhall ſhew you how far it is lawful to mourn in the loſs of friends.
1. Firſt of all, As ſeeing that the hand of God is gone out againſt you: If the Lord comes and makes any breach in a Family, and the hand of God is gone out againſt you, the Lord would that men ſhould lay it to heart, in Heb. 12. 5. My ſon deſpiſe not the chaſtening of the Lord, neither faint when thou art rebuked: there are two great extreams, either to deſpiſe the chaſtening of the Lord, or elſe to faint under it; the Lord would that we ſhould lay his hand to heart when it is upon us; to conſider what is the voice of the Rod, what is the meſſage that is in its mouth, and what it is that the Lord ſpeaks by ſuch and ſuch an affliction. Again,
2. Secondly, Our mourning ought to be either more or leſs according as thoſe that we part with are more or leſs uſeful and ſerviceable in their Generation; when God plucks away thoſe that are Pillars, thoſe that ſhould ſtand in the gap, thoſe that ſhould prevent Judgements, that ſhould hold his hand from ſtriking a Nation; in ſuch a caſe the Lord allows, nay, he calls for a great deal of ſorrow: and it is made a ſign of a hardhearted people, and a people that are fit for deſtruction, and nigh to ruine, when the Lord ſhall take away ſuch Inſtruments, and it is not laid to heart, in Iſa. 57. 1. The righteous periſh, ſaith he, no man lay it to heart, none conſidereth that they are taken away from the evil to come; It is a ſign that there was evil a coming to that people, when the righteous are taken away, and they do not lay it to heart. But I ſay, when that we have no hopes in the death of Friends, when we ſee the hand of the Lord is gone out to cut off men in ſin, when God ſhall meet them in a way of rebellion, I confeſs there is more cauſe of raking up a ſad lamentation. You know what was David's carriage in this caſe, when God ſmote his ſon Abſalom, he was ſmitten in his rebellion, he died in his ſin, and therefore David takes up a ſad lamentation, O Abſalom, my ſon, my ſon, would God I had died for thee; but in another caſe, in the caſe of another Child, when his Child died, in whoſe death he had hopes, David did not mourn with bitterneſs then, he rather was comforted: ſeeing it is the Will of God, I ſhall go to him, ſaies he, he ſhall not return to me. Thus you ſee how far it is lawful to mourn, whenas God takes away a friend by death; but when we have hopes in their death, that death is gain unto them, this ſhould exceedingly compoſe and calm and quiet our ſpirits.
Object. But you will ſay, Your loſs is great, your loſs is exceeding great, ſuch a dear Husband, ſuch a loving Wife, ſuch a beloved Child, there's none knowe how great my loſs is, and therefore do not condemn me in my mourning.
Anſw. I Anſwer, How dear ſo ever thy friend, and how great ſo ever thy loſs be, if thou haſt intereſt in Chriſt, thy loſs cannot undo thee; if the Lord be thy portion, thy loſs cannot undo thee: Baruch was reproved becauſe he took up ſo ſad a lamentation in Iſa. 45. 3. Woe is me, for the Lord hath added grief to my ſorrow, I fainted in my ſighing, and I find no reſt: woe is me, &c. he had intereſt in God, and therefore he did not well ſo to complain, becauſe his loſs could not un▪ do him; yea, thy loſs is not ſo great but God can make it up in himſelf, and if God give thee more of himſelf, though leſs of the creature, thou ſhalt have no cauſe to complain.
3. Thirdly, But again, Conſider, and look upon not only thy loſs, but look upon the gain of thy friend: if thou haſt hopes in his death, look upon his gain, and let that quiet thy ſpirit; why, he gains reſt, he is laid down to ſleep, will you mourn when your friends lie down in their beds to ſleep? The righteous when death comes, it laies them upon their beds to ſleep; if thy friend gain reſt, why then ſhouldſt thou diſquiet thy ſelf by inordinate mourning? He gains peace and joy: the righteous enter into peace, and therefore why ſhouldſt thou ſo mourn, as to diſturb thy peace, or to quench and damp the joy of the Lord in thee? Why, it is thy friend that dies in the Lord, it is the time of his advancement, he is advanced, it is his Marriage-day, or a day of Coronation, and therefore there is no cauſe of inordinate mourning. And you that are Parents, that love your Children never ſo dearly, you will be willing to part with them for their preferment, though you marry them, when it may be you ſhall enjoy little of them, when they ſhall go hundreds of Miles from you, you ſhall enjoy little of them; But you will ſay, it is to a man that hath a great Eſtate, and why ſhould I hinder them? Now are you willing to part with your Children for preferment when you ſee they may enjoy a little of earth, and ſhall you be unwilling to part with them, when they may enjoy the fulneſs of Heaven? Will you truſt a man, a creature with them, and will not you truſt the Lord with them, who hath more right to them than you, and hath more bowels towards them, and more power to do them good, infinitely more than you? Why, you are willing to part with your friends for their ſafety; if dangers are coming, you are content that your friends ſhould be hidden in places of ſafety, and ſhall you mourn, if the Lord ſhall take your friends to hide them? for if God do take away the righteous, it is but to hide them, he will hide them from the evils to come, he will take them and hold them in the Grave, that they ſhall not ſee the evil that is coming, he will hide them till all calamities be paſt and gone, and they ſhall then come again in the time of the Reſurrection. If you love me, ſaies Chriſt, you would rejoice becauſe I ſay I go to the Father: Do you love your friends, and will you mourn inordinately becauſe they go to their Father, when they go to lie in the boſom of their Father?
But you will ſay, Did not Chriſt weep when Lazarus was dead? Chriſt wept and mourned. It is lawful to mourn, I told you before, and how far you may mourn; But it is conceived, our Lord did no mourn nor weep ſo much becauſe Lazarus was de at as becauſe Lazarus was to live again; our friend Lazarus ſleepeth: Chriſt did not weep becauſe of that, Chriſt knew what he intended to do, that Lazarus ſhould be raiſed again, therefore he did not weep for the loſs of Lazarus, but rather he wept that Lazarus was coming into a troubleſome World, for he knew that his friend Lazarus ſhould be a loſer by it, though Lazarus was content that Chriſt might be glorified to come again; even as Chriſt was content to leave the glory of Heaven to do his Father ſervice. Chriſt knew Lazarus ſhould be a loſer, and therefore he was very loth to awake him, to ſtir him; his friend was now lain down to ſleep, and ſhall he awake him before the morning? Therefore was it that Chriſt wept. Still, I ſay, retain this as a ground of Conſolation, in the parting with your friends, when ever you have hopes in their death, know that it is a time of their advancement, and therefore whilſt you have your friends; do all the good to them you can, and get all the good from them you can, ſo that that neglect of yours may not be a burden to you, and be a gaul to you in the loſs of friends, but when God ſhall call for them, when you have hopes in their death, do not grieve inordinately, but know and reſt in this, and rejoice in it that it is their gain, and their greateſt advantage. So much for the ſecond Uſe.
Ʋſe 3. Let this ſtir up every one to be inquiſitive, how death ſhall be made gain to them; I ſay, let every one ſeek after this, it is a point of as great concernment as you have met with, and therefore you ſhould ſpend many thoughts upon it; how ſhall you know, and how ſhall you get aſſurance of this, That when death comes it ſhall be gain unto you? Let me ſtir you up to ſeek after this, to get the knowledge and aſſurance of it. Why Conſider,
1. Firſt of all, That you cannot withſtand the ſtroke of death, you had need make haſt in this work, I ſay, you cannot out-ſtand the ſtroke of death when it comes; the ſtroke is unavoidable. Poor man! he is cruſh'd before the very Moth, there is a decree, and an appointment of God concerning it, and therefore it cannot be withſtood. O how little do men exerciſe themſelves in the thoughts of this? That man doth not only die, becauſe he is made of duſt, and ſo muſt return to duſt, all creatures muſt be diſſolved into their principle; but he dies by his Statute Law, he dies by the decree and appointment of God, which was inflicted by way of puniſhment, and this ſtill makes it more certain: In the day thou eateſt thereof, thou ſhalt die the death, which was appointed for all men once to die; there is no man can redeem his ſoul from going down to the Grave; what man is it that lives and ſhall not ſee death? It is every one of your conditions, every fool that is here: and therefore what need of looking out to get aſſurance that death ſhall be gain!
2. Secondly, Nay let me tell you further, that you may make the more haſt in this work, This time is like to be a time of great Mortality, Judgements will ſweep away many, Plagues ſhall be poured out upon the World, till the World be reconciled to God and his Truth; and now in this latter time, there ſhall be greater oppoſition than ever, and ſo greater Plagues than ever; now that Chriſt is making way for his Kingdom, he will bear down thouſands before him. Look to your ſelves, you had need get aſſurance that death ſhall be gain: If his wrath be kindled but a little: bleſſed are they that truſt in him; bleſſed are they that know death is gain; I tell you Chriſt ſhall go forth in a great deal of wrath now to ſmite and bring down his enemies to make his way to his Kingdom; and certainly the appearances of Jeſus Chriſt ſhall be exceeding glorious, and terrible to the World; in Rev. 6. 16, 17. ſee how terrible Chriſts coming ſhall be, which certainly is at hand! even the Kings and Counſellours, and the great men in the World ſhall cry; when the appearances of the wrath of God do come even amongſt the Saints, what flinching ſhall there be of great men, to be hid from the wrath of the Lamb? Still this calls upon us to get aſſurance that death ſhall be gain. Nay, let me tell you, that many of Gods own people may be born down in the brunt, for Anti-Chriſt will coſt ſomething in his fall; as he coſt a great deal in his riſe, ſo he falls by violence, and by the ſword, and it is poſſible his fall may cruſh many of Gods own people.
Nay, let me propound this to your Conſideration, That it is the greateſt adventure that ever ſoul can make, this of death; and let that be another ſpur to you where death ſhall be gain: you do not venture your Eſtate, but you venture your ſouls, and a greater venture cannot be made; it is the venture of the ſoul, and it is a venture made for Eternity; that, that can be but once done, had need be well done: It is appointed for all men once to die, and but once, they cannot die it over again, they had need learn to die well when death comes, that you that are Believers may truſt God in the venture, you may ſhut your eyes and follow God, as Abraham did, when as God led him forth from his Kindred, from his Fathers houſe, he follows God no man knows whither: and ſo muſt you do when death comes, ſhut your eyes, and believe, and venture, and follow God whither he will lead you, though from your Kindred, and from your Fathers houſe to a Land you know not: and therefore before death comes, your eyes had need be opened. Look about you and conſider ſeriouſly of the venture that you make of death, and how it is that you ſhall be able to go through. What is it that ſhall carry you through this venture? you had need take a great deal of pains in ſearching after this, you had need learn to get aſſurance that death ſhall be gain, how elſe ſhall you be carried through this venture?
And let me tell you, It is ſtrange to conſider that rational men that have rational ſouls, ſhould be no more moved in ſuch a point as this is; when a man ſhall know that it is appointed for him to die, and that in death he doth make an adventure, the greateſt venture that he can make, he ventures for Eternity, the greateſt venture that ever was, and yet whilſt it is high time, that he doth make no more inquiſition after the knowledge of this one thing, that death might be his gain. And let me ſpeak a word to you who are in Chriſt, that I may preſs it upon you. Labour to get the knowledge of this, that death may be your gain; you that do walk in the dark, and at uncertainties concerning this, you that fear the Lord and have given up your names to him, and now walk in the dark, and at uncertainties, and know not whether death ſhall be your gain; No, my Brethren, this is a ſad condition, next to the condition of the unregenerate, this is the ſaddeſt; O that the Lord would cauſe you to wait upon him till he clear up this truth to you; why, how mightily are your ſpirits diſinabled! the want of the knowledge of this, that death ſhall be gain, it keeps you in bonds; in Heb. 2. 14. Who through fear of death, were all their life-time ſubject to bondage: you are kept all your life-long in bondage, through the fear of death, becauſe you know not whether it will be your gain or no; O it is a ſad condition that Gods own people ſhould be all their life-long ſubject to bondage. Nay, if you have not this knowledge, that death ſhall be made gain, your ſpirits will be weak and feeble, it will weaken your hands and knees, and make you unable to do for God; the want of this knowledge will make a Chriſtian to walk baſely and cowardly, it will make him ſervile, and make him ſlaviſh in what he doth for God, and make him fearful to ſtand for God, and to hold up the name of God in evil times, and in ſuffering times, it will make a man be baſe, and betray his truſt, the want of this knowledge will make a Chriſtian betray his truſt, it will make him deny Chriſt and his truth many times, as Peter did, when he was preſſed with this fear.
And therefore to ſay no more, As you deſire to have your ſpirits raiſed mightily for God, and for the ſervice of your Generation; would you do great things for God, (and truly God hath great things to do for his people, even in theſe laſt and latter daies, even ſuch things as eyes have not ſeen, nor ears heard, God will work in theſe latter daies, and his people ſhall be his Inſtruments.) What ſhall raiſe up your ſpirits, make them noble and ſuitable to the great work and enterprizes that God hath now in hand? If any thing in the World will do it, it is this, the knowledge and aſſurance that death cannot hurt you, when it comes nigh: death ſhall be an advantage to you, you ſhall find gain in death, and whatſoever you ſhall loſe, you ſhall find it infinitely made up in God; the knowledge of this that death ſhall be gain, it heightens your ſpirits, and raiſes up your ſpirits in the great things of God, in the ſervice of your Generation. But you will ſay, How ſhall we come by this knowledge, by the aſſurance of this, that death ſhall be gain? It is a great Queſtion which will take up much time, therefore I ſhall not enter into it. So much for this time.