A Treatise of Death, Sermon · Section 2
SECT. II.
YOU have ſeen the ugly face of Death; you are next to ſee a little of the Love of our great Redeemer. You have heard what ſin hath done: you are next to hear what Grace hath done, and what it will do. You have ſeen the ſtrength of the Enemy: you are now to take notice of the victory of the Redeemer, and ſee how he conquereth all this ſtrength.
1. The Beginning of the conqueſt is in this world: 2. The perfection will not be till the day of Reſurrection, when this Laſt Enemy ſhall be deſtroyed.
1. Meritoriouſly Death is conquered by Death. The Death of ſinners, by the Mediators Death. Not that he intended in his Meritorious work, to ſave us from the ſtroke of death by a prevention; but to deliver us from it after by a Reſurrection. For ſince by man came death, by man alſo came the Reſurrection from the dead, I Cor. 15.21. Foraſmuch as the children were partakers of fleſh and blood, he alſo himſ…lf likewiſe took part with them; that he might deſtroy him through death, that had the power of death, that is the Devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their life time ſubject unto bondage, Heb. 2.14, 15. Satan as Gods Executioner, and as the proſperous tempter, is ſaid to have had the power of death: The fears of this dreadfull Executioner are a continuall bondage, which we are lyable to through all our lives, till we perceive the deliverance Which the Death of the Lord of Life hath purchaſed us. 1. By Death Chriſt hath ſatisfied the Juſtice that was armed by ſin againſt us. 2. By Death he hath ſhewed us, that Death is a tolerable Evil, and to be yielded to in hope of following life.
2. Actually he conquered Death by his Reſurrection. This was the day of Grace's triumph: This day he ſhewed to Heaven, to Hell, and to Earth, that Death was conquerable; yea that his perſonal Death was actually overcome. The bleſſed ſouls beheld it to their Joy, beholding in the Reſurrection of their Head, a virtual reſurrection of their own Bodies. The Devils ſaw it, and therefore ſaw that they had no hopes of holding the Bodies of the Saints in the power of the grave. The damned ſouls were acquainted with it, and therefore knew that their ſinfull bodies muſt be reſtored to bear their part in ſuffering. The Believing Saints on earth perceive it, and therefore ſee that their bonds are broken, and that to the righteous there is hope in death; and that our Head being actually riſen, aſſureth us that we ſhall alſo Riſe. For if we believe that Jeſus dyed and Roſe again; even ſo them alſo which ſteep in Jeſus, will God bring with him, 1 Theſ. 4.14. And as Chriſt being raiſed from the dead, dyeth no more, death hath no more dominion over him: So ſhall we Riſe and die no more. This was the beginning of the Churches Triumph. This is the day that the Lord hath made (even the day which the Church on Earth muſt celebrate, with joy and praiſe, till the day of our Reſurrection) We will be glad and rejoyce therein, Pſam 118.24. The Reſurrection of our Lord hath 1. Aſſured us of the conſummation of his ſatisfaction. 2. Of the truth of all his Word, and ſo of his promiſes of our Reſurrection. 3. That Death is actually conquered, and a Reſurrection poſſible. 4. That believers ſhall certainly Riſe, when their Head and Saviour is Riſen, to prepare them an everlaſting Kingdom, and to aſſure them, that thus he will Raiſe them at the laſt. A bare promiſe would not have been ſo ſtrong a help to faith, as the actual Riſing of Chriſt, as a pledge of the performance: But now Chriſt is Riſen and become the firſt fruits of them that ſleep. 1. Cor. 15.20. For becauſe he Liveth, we ſhall live alſo, John 14.19.
3. The next degree of deſtruction to this Enemy, was by the gift of his Juſtifying and Sanctifying grace. Four ſpecial benefits were then beſtowed on us, which are Antidotes againſt the Enmity of Death. 1. One is, the gift of Saving Faith, by which we look beyond the grave, as far as to eternity. And this doth moſt powerfully diſable Death to terrifie and diſcourage us; and raiſeth us above our Natural fears, and ſheweth us (though but in a glaſs) the exceeding eternal weight of glory which churliſh Death ſhall help us to. So that when the eye of the unb…liever looketh no further then the grave, believing ſouls can enter into Heaven, and ſee their glorified Lord, and thence fetch Love, and Hope, and Joy, notwithſtanding the terrors of interpoſing death. The eye of Faith foreſeeth the ſalvation ready to be revealed in the laſt time, and cauſeth us therein greatly to rejoyce, though now for a ſeaſon (if need be) we are in heavineſs through manifold temptations. And ſo vic…orious is this Faith againſt all the ſtorms that do aſſault us, that the tryal of it, though with fire, doth but diſcover that it is much more precious then Gold that periſheth, and it ſhall be found unto praiſe and hoour, and glory at the appearing of Jeſus Chriſt; whom having never ſeen in the fleſh we Love, and though now we ſee him not, yet believing we rejoyce with unſpeakable glorious joy, 1 Pet. 1.5, 6, 7, 8, 9. and ſhall ſhortly receive the end of our Faith, the ſalvation of our ſouls. Thus Faith, though it deſtroy not. Death it ſelf, deſtroyeth the malignity and enmity of death: while it ſeeth the things that are beyond it, and the time when death ſhall be deſtroyed, and the Life where death ſhall be no more. Faith is like Davids three mighty men, that brake through the hoſt of the Philiſtines, to fetch him the waters of Bethlehem, for which he longed, 2 Sam. 23.15, 16. When the thirſty ſoul ſaith, 0 that one would give me drink of the waters of Salvation! Faith breaks through death which ſtandeth in the way, and fetcheth theſe living waters to the ſoul. We may ſay of death, as it is ſaid of the world, 1. John 5.4, 5. Whatſoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our Faith: who is he that overcometh, but he that believeth? &c. For greater is he that is in us, then he that is in the world: 1 John 4.4. The believing Soul foreſeeing the day when Death ſhall be ſwallowed up in Victory, may ſing beforehand the triumphing ſong, O Death, where is thy ſting? O grave where is thy Victory? 1 Cor. 15.54, 55. For this cauſe we faint not; though our outward man periſh, our inward man is renewed day by day: For our light affliction (though it reach to death) which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding eternall weight of glory; while we look not at the things that are ſeen, but at the things which are not ſeen: for the things which are ſeen are temporall (and therefore not worthy to be looked at) but the things that are not ſeen are eternal, and therefore more prevalent with a believing Soul, then either the enticing pleaſures of ſin for a ſeaſon, or the light and ſhort afflictions, or the death that ſtandeth in our way, 2 Cor. 5.16, 17, 18. Heb. 11.24, 25, 26.
2. A ſecond Antidote againſt the Enmity of Death, that is given us at the time of our Converſion, is, The Pardon of our ſins, and Juſtification of our perſons, by the blood and merits of Jeſus Chriſt. When once we are forgiven, we are out of the reach of the greateſt terror, being ſaved from the ſecond death; Though we muſt feel the killing ſtroke, we are delivered from the damning ſtroke. Yea more then ſo, it ſhall ſave us by d…ſtroying us: It ſhall let us into the glorious preſence of our Lord, by taking us from the preſence of our mortal friends: It ſhall help us into Eternity, by cutting off our Time. For in the hour that we were juſtified, and made the Adopted ſ…ns of God, we were alſo made the Heirs of Heaven, even Coheirs with Chriſt, and ſhall be glorified with him, when we have ſuffered with him, Rom. 8.17. As Death was promoting the Life of the world, when it was killing the Lord of Life himſelf: So is it haſtening the deliverance of believers, when it ſeems to be undoing them. No wonder if Death be that mans terror, that muſt be conveyed by it into Hell, or that imagineth that he ſhall periſh as the beaſt: But to him that knows it will be his paſſage into Reſt, and that Angels ſhall convey his Soul to Chriſt, what an Antidote is there ready for his faith to uſe againſt the enmity and exceſs of fears? Hence faith proceedeth in its triumph, 1 Cor. 15.56, 57. The ſting of death is ſin, and the ſtrength of ſin is the Law: But thanks be to God that giveth us the victory through our Lord Jeſus Chriſt. Let him inordinately fear death, that is loth to be with Chriſt, or that is yet the heir of death eternall: Let him fear that is yet in the bondage of his ſin, and in the power of the prince of darkneſs, and is not by Juſtification delivered from the curſe: But joy and holy triumph are more ſeemly for the Juſtified.
3. A third Antidote againſt the Enmity of death, is the Holineſs of the ſoul: By this the Power of ſin is mortified; and therefore the fears of death cannot actuate and uſe it, as in others they may do: By this the Intereſt of the fleſh is caſt aſide as nothing, and the fleſh it ſelf is crucified with Chriſt: and therefore the deſtruction of the fleſh will ſeem the more tolerable, and the fears of it will be a leſs temptation to the Soul. By this we are already crucified to the world, and the world to us: and therefore we can more eaſily leave the world: We now live by another Life then we did before; being dead in our ſelves, our life is hid with Chriſt in God; and being crucified with Chriſt, we now ſo Live, as that it is not we, but Chriſt Liveth in us: the life which we Live in the fleſh is by the faith of the Son of God that hath loved us, Gal. 2.20. The things that made this life too dear to us, are now as it were annihilated to us; and when we ſee they are Nothing, they can do nothing with us. Sanctification alſo maketh us ſo weary of ſin, as being our hated enemy, that we are the more willing to die, that it may die that cauſeth us to die. And eſpecially, the Holy Ghoſt, which we then receive, is in us a Divine and heavenly Nature, and ſo inclineth us to God and Heaven. This Nature principally conſiſteth in the ſuperlative Love of God. And Love carryeth out the ſoul to the beloved. As the Nature of a priſoner in a dungeon carryeth him to deſire Liberty and light; ſo the Nature of a holy Soul in fleſh, inclineth it to deſire to be with Chriſt. As Love maketh huſband and wife, and deareſt friends to think the time long while they are aſunder; ſo doth the Love of the Soul to God. How fain would the holy loving Soul behold the pleaſed face of God, and be glorified in the beholding of his glory, and live under the fulleſt influences of his Love! This is our conqueſt over the Enmity of death. As ſtrong as Death is, Love is ſtronger, Eccleſ. 8.6, 7. Love is ſtrong as death — the coales thereof are coales of fire, a moſt vehement flame (which will not by the terrible face of death be hindered from aſcending up to God.) Many waters cannot quench Love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the ſubſtance of his houſe for Love (that is, to bribe it and divert it from its object) it would utterly be contemned. If the Love of David could carry Jonathan to hazzard his life and deny a Kingdom for him, and the Love of David to Abſalom made him wiſh that he had dyed for him, and the Love of friends, (yea luſtfull love) hath carryed many to caſt away their lives; no wonder if the Love of God in his Saints prevail againſt the fear of death. The power of holy Love made Moſes ſay, Elſe let my name be blotted out of the book of life. And it made Paul ſay, that he could wiſh that he were accurſed from Chriſt, for his brethren and kindred according to the fleſh.] Rom. 9.3. And doubtleſs he felt the fire burning in his breaſt, when he broke out into that triumphant challenge, Rom. 8.35, 36. to the end [Who ſhall ſeparate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation, or diſtreſs, or perſecution, or famine, or nakedneſs, or peril, or ſword? (As it is written, For thy ſake we are killed all the day long; we are counted as Sheep to the ſlaughter.) Nay in all this we are more then Conquerours through him that loved us: For I am perſwaded that neither death, nor life, nor Angels, nor Principalities, nor Powers, nor things preſent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other Creature, ſhall be able to ſeparate us from the love of God; which is in Chr…ſt Jeſus our Lord.] You ſee here what it is that conquereth the enmity of death, in our ſanctification; even that powerfull love of God that is then given us, which will go to him through the moſt cruel death.
4. A fourth Antidote that is given us by Chriſt, againſt the Enmity of Death, is the Holy Ghoſt, as he is the Comforter of the Saints. He made it his work to corroborate and confirm them: As ſin hath woven calamities into our lives, and filled us with troubles, and griefs, and fears; ſo Chriſt doth ſend his ſpirit to undo theſe works of Satan, and to be a Comforter as well as a Sanctifier to his members. As the Sanctifying Spirit ſtriveth againſt the enticing ſinfull fleſh, ſo the Comforting Spirit ſtriveth againſt the troubling fleſh; as alſo againſt the perſecuting, as well as the tempting world, and the vexing as well as the tempting Devil. And greater is he that is in us, then he that is in the world, 1 John 4.4. The Spirit of Chriſt overcomes the diſquieting as well as the tempting Spirit: But with ſome difference; becauſe our comforts are not in this life ſo neceſſary to us as our Holineſs: Joy being part of our Reward, is not to be expected certainly or conſtantly, in any high degree, till we come to the ſtate of our Reward: And therefore though the Holy Ghoſt will carry on the work of Sanctification, univerſally, conſtantly and certainly in the Elect; yet in many of them his Comforting work is more obſcure, and interrupted: And yet he is a Conquerour here. For his works muſt be judged of in reference to their ends: And our comfort on earth is given us for our encouragement in holy wayes, that we be not ſtopt or diverted by the fear of enemies; and alſo to help on ou… love to God, and to quicken us in thanks, and praiſe, and draw up our hearts to the life to come, and make us more ſerviceable to others: And ſuch a meaſure of comfort, we ſhall have as conduceth to theſe ends, and is ſuitable to our preſent ſtate, and the employment God hath for us in the world, if we do not wilfully grieve our Comforter, and quench our joyes.
So that when Death and the Grave appear before, and our fleſh is terrified with the ſight of theſe Anakims, and ſaith, [We are not able to overcome them] and ſo brings up an evil report upon the promiſed Land, and caſts us ſometime into murmuring, lamentation and weakning-diſcouragements, yet doth the Holy Ghoſt cauſe Faith and Hope (as Caleb and Joſhua) to ſtill the ſoul, (Numb. 13.) and cauſeth us to contemn theſe Gyants, and ſay [Let us go up and poſſeſs it, for we are well able to overcome it.] Ver. 30. The Comforting Spirit ſheweth us his death that conquered death, (Heb. 2.14, 15.) even the Croſs on which he triumphed openly, when he ſeemed to be conquered, Col. 2.15. He ſheweth us the glorious Reſurrection of our Head, and his promiſe of our own Reſurrection: He ſheweth us our glorified Lord, to whom we may boldly and confidently commend our departing ſouls, Acts 7.59. And he ſheweth us the Angels that are ready to be their Convoy: And he maketh all theſe Conſiderations effectual, and inwardly exciteth our Love and heavenly deſires, and giveth us a triumphing Courage and Conſolation: So that Death doth not encounter us alone, and in our own ſtrength, but finds us armed and led on by the Lord of life, who helps us by a ſling and ſtone to conquer this Goliah. If a draught of Wine, or ſome ſpiritfull reviving liquor can take off fears and make men bold; what then may the Spirit of Chriſt do by his powerfull encouragements and comforts on the ſoul? Did we but ſee Chriſt or an Angel ſtanding by our ſick-beds, and ſaying [Fear not: I will convey thy ſoul to God: this day ſhalt thou be with me in Paradiſe.] What an unſpeakable comfort would this be to a dying man? Why, the Spirit is Chriſts Agent here on earth: and what the Spirit ſpeaks, Chriſt ſpeaks: And therefore we may take its comforting words, as ſpoken to us by Chriſt himſelf; who ſpoke the like to the penitent Thief, to ſhew believers the virtue of his Croſs, and what they alſo may expect from him in their extremity. And our Phiſitian is moſt wiſe, and keeps his Cordials for a fainting time: The Spirit uſeth to ſuſtain and comfort us moſt, in our greateſt neceſſities. We need not comforts againſt death, ſo much in the time of proſperity and health, as when Death draws near. In health we have ordinarily more need of quickning then of comforting: and more need to be awakened from ſecurity to a due preparation for death, then to be freed from the terrible fore-thoughts of it: though inordinate fears of Death be hurtfull to us, ſecurity and deadneſs hurt us more. And therefore the ſpirit worketh according to our neceſſities: And when Death is neereſt, and like to be moſt dreadfull, he uſually giveth the livelieſt ſenſe of the Joyes beyond it, to abate the enmity, and encourage the departing ſoul. And if the comfort be but ſmall, it is precious, becauſe it is moſt pure, as being then mixed with no carnal joyes; and becauſe it is moſt ſeaſonable in ſo great a ſtrait. If we have no more but meer ſupport, it will be yet a pretious mercy. And thus I have done with the third degree of the deſtruction of Deaths Enmity, by theſe four Antidotes, which we receive at our Converſion, and the Conſequents thereof.
4. The fourth degree of this Enemies deſtruction is, by it ſelf, or rather by Chriſt at the time, and by the means of death, which contrary to its nature, ſhall advantage our felicity. When Death hath done its worſt, it hath half killed it ſelf in killing us: It hath then diſmiſſed our impriſoned ſouls, and ended even our fears of death, and our fears of all the evils of this life. It hath ended our cares, and griefs, and groans. It hath finiſhed our work, and ended all our wearineſs and trouble. And more then this, it ends our ſinning, and ſo deſtroyeth that which cauſed it, and that which the inordinate fears of it ſelf, had cauſed in us. It is the time when ſin ſhall gaſp its laſt, and ſo far our Phyſitian will perfect the cure; and our greateſt enemy ſhall follow us no further. It is the door by which the ſoul muſt paſs to Chriſt in Paradiſe.
If any Papiſt ſhall hence plead that therefore all men muſt be perfect without ſin before death, or elſe go to Purgatory to be cleanſed, becauſe as we die, ſo Chriſt will find us: or if they ask, How death can perfect us? I anſwer them: It is Chriſt our Phyſitian that finiſheth the cure, and Death is the time in which he doth it. And if he undertake then to do it, it concerns not us to be too inquiſitive, how he doth it. What if the patient underſtand not how blood letting cureth the infected blood that is left behind? muſt he therefore plead againſt his Phyſitian, and ſay, It will not be done, becauſe he knoweth not how its done? We feel that here we have our ſinfull imperfections: we have for all that a promiſe that we ſhall be with Chriſt, when death hath made its ſeparation; and we are aſſured that no ſin doth enter there. And is not this enough for us to know?
But yet I ſee not why the difficulty of the Objection ſhould trouble us at all. Death doth remove us from this ſinfull fleſh, and admits the ſoul into the ſight of God. And in the very inſtant of its remove, it muſt needs be perfected, even by that remove, and by the firſt appearance of his bleſſed face. If you bring a candle into a dark room, the acceſs of the light expelleth the darkneſs, at the ſame inſtant: And you cannot ſay that they conſiſt together one moment of time. So cold is expelled by the approach of heat. And thus when death hath opened the door, and let us into the immortal light, neither before nor after, but in that inſtant all the darkneſs & ſinful imperfections of our ſouls are diſſipated. Throw an empty Bottle into the Sea, and the emptineſs ceaſeth by the filling of the water; neither before nor after, but in that inſtant.
If this ſhould not ſatiſfie any, let it ſatiſfie them, that the Holy Ghoſt in the inſtant of death can perfect his work.
So that we need not aſſert a perfection on earth, (which on their grounds, muſt be the caſe of all that will eſcape Hell and Purgatory;) nor yet any Purgatory torments after death, for the deliverance of the ſoul from the relicts of ſin; ſeeing at the inſtant of death, by the the ſpirit, or by the depoſition of the fleſh, or by the ſight of God, or by the ſight of our glorified Redeemer, or by all, this work will be eaſily and infallibly accompliſhed.
5. The laſt degree and perfect conqueſt will be at the Reſurrection. And this is the victory that is mentioned in my Text. All that is fore-mentioned doth abate the enmity, and conquer death in ſome degree: But the enmity, and the enemy it ſelf is conquered at the Reſurrection, and not till then. And therefore Death is the laſt enemy to be deſtroyed. The Body lieth under the penal effects of ſin, till the Reſurrection. And it is penal to the ſoul to be in a ſtate of ſeparation from the Body, though it be a ſtate of glory that its in with Chriſt: For it is deprived of the fulneſs of glory, which it ſhall attain at the Reſurrection, when the whole man ſhall be perfected and glorified together. Then it is that the Mediators work will be accompliſhed; and all things ſhall be reſtored; All that are in the graves ſhall hear the voice of the Son of God and ſhall come forth, John 5.28. For this is the Fathers will that ſent him, that of all that he hath given him; he ſhould loſe nothing, but ſhould raiſe it up at the laſt day; John 6.39, 40. We have hope towards God, that there ſhall be a Reſurrection of the dead, both of the juſt and unjuſt, Acts 24.15. As by man came death, ſo by man came alſo the Reſurrection from the dead, I Cor. 15.21. Then ſhall there be no more death, nor ſorrow, nor crying, nor pain, Rev. 21.4. No more diſeaſes, or fears of death, or grave, or of corruption. No terrible enemy ſhall ſtand betwixt us and our Lord, to frighten our hearts from looking towards him. O what a birth-day will that be! when Graves ſhall bring forth ſo many millions of ſons for Glory! How joyfully will the ſoul & body meet, that were ſeparated ſo long? Then ſin hath done its worſt and can do no more! Then Chriſt hath done all, and hath no more to do, as our Redeemer, but to juſtifie us in judgement, and give us poſſeſſion of the joy that he is preparing. And then he will deliver up the Kingdom to the Father.
If you expect now that I ſhould give you Reaſons why Death is the laſt Enemy to be deſtroyed, though much might be ſaid from the nature of the matter, the Wiſdom and Will of God ſhall be to me inſtead of all other Reaſons, being the fountain and the ſum of all. He knows beſt the Order that is agreeable to his Works and Ends, to his honour, and to our good: and therefore to his Wiſdom we ſubmit, in the patient expectance of the accompliſhment of his promiſes.