Heaven Opened, Treatise · Chapter 7 – Chapter 8
CHAP. VII. Death in the Covenant.
7. GOd hath put Death into the Covenant, 1 Cor. 3.21. Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the World, or Life, or DEATH, all are yours. Death, there is a great purchaſe you'l ſay; what advantage is that? yes, death is advantage: To dye is gain; For,
1. The Commiſſion of Death is changed. 'Twas once, take him Jaylour; away with him, carry him down, to Priſon with him, there to bee reſerved to the Judgement, of the great day; It is now, take him Janitour; take him Porter; take him in, give him an entrance into his Maſter's joy: Death doth but take the Bride when ſhee is ready, and lodges her in the Chamber of the Bride-groom; this made death the Apoſtles deſire, Philip. 1.23. I deſire to depart, and to bee with Chriſt, which is far better.
2. Death is conquered. What does this mean, Your enemie is yours? other than this, your enemy is conquered to you, a conquered enemy, is made a Tributary, death is diſ-armed; it hath loſt its ſting; when a Serpent hath loſt its ſting, you may take it into your boſome.
Hee that can ſay: Death where is thy ſting? may go on, and add, Thankes bee to God, which hath given me the victory. A Signet ſent from Heaven, with a Death's head, is a precious token; Come Chriſtians, bee of good courage, ſet your feet on the neck of this King of terrours.
3. Death is at once, The deſtruction of all their enemies, when once death hath done its office upon them, then farewel Edom, and Ammon, and Amaleck, and Aegypt; fare-well the pricking bryer, and the grieving thorne; then farewel ſin and ſorrow for ever; the Egyptians they have ſeen, and fear'd, and felt, to day, they ſhall never ſee again for ever. It deſtroys it ſelf, their laſt enemy by deſtroying them, it hath its welcome, and farewell the ſame moment; it is but welcome death and farewel death for ever. Death dies with them; once dead, they dye no more for ever; mortality is ſwallowed up of life, death is caſt into the lake of fire; that is its Region; there, there they die, and dye, and dye again; over, and over, for ever, and ever; but for the Saints it doth but ſet them on the banks of that good Land, whether it cannot follow them; our Lord by death [by ours as well as his own] hath delivered thoſe who for fear of death, were all their life time ſubject to bondage.
Chriſtians, you may now not onelyonly with patience, but with deſire, expect the aſſault of this King of terrours. What, ſhall tribulation, and perſecution, and famine, and nakedneſs, and peril, and ſword? ſhall ſorrows, and fears, and mortality dye with mee? yea, ſhall ſin dye with mee? then welcome death, Lord ſtrengthen me this once, let mee dye with the Philiſtines. Would it bee good for thee to bee with thy Father? in the boſome of thy bridegroom? the preſence chamber of thy Lord and Love? would it bee a mercy to thee, to weep no more, fear no more, ſuffer no more, bee tempted no more, ſin no more? to bee uncloathed of corruption, and be cloathed upon with immortality and incorruption, then bid death welcome.
Bleſſed ſouls, when you come a ſhoare, and ſee the light, the love, the joy, the reſt, the glory, that is on the other ſide; you will then more fully underſtand, what this meaneth; Death is yours. Hee knew ſomething, who ſaid: I cannot tell you what ſweet pain, and delightſome torments, are in Chriſts love; I often challenge time, that holdeth us aſunder, I have for the preſent a ſick life, much pain, and much love-ſickneſs for Chriſt; O what would I give, to have a bed made to my wearied ſoul, in his boſome! O when ſhall wee meet! O how long is it to the dawning of the Marriage-day, O ſweet Lord Jeſus take wide ſteps; Come over the Mountains at one ſtride, O my Beloved, flee as a Roe, or a young Hart upon the Mountains of ſeparation! O if hee would fold the Heavens together like an old Cloak, and ſhovel time and daies out of the way, and come away.
CHAP. VIII. The Kingdome in the Covenant.
8. GOd hath put the Kingdome into this Covenant Matth. 5.3. Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven, Luke 12.32. It is your Fathers pleaſure to give you the Kingdome; Glorious things are ſpoken of thee, O thou City of God. I might here enlarge in deſcribing the glory of this Kingdome, but when I had ſaid all, I muſt at laſt leave it within the Vail; and therefore ſhall only tell you, from the Apoſtle, 1 Cor. 2.9. Eye hath not ſeen, nor ear heard, neither have entred into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him, &c. Epheſ. 1.18. When by the Spirit of Wiſdome, and Revelation, the eyes of your underſtandings are opened, yee ſhall know, what is the hope of his calling, and what is the riches of the glory, of his Inheritance in the Saints.