A Treatise of Self-Denial, Treatise · Chapter 40
CHAP. XL. Directions to be willing to die.
Direct. 1. BY all means endeavour the ſtrengthening of your Belief of the Reality of eternal life, and the truth of the promiſe of Chriſt concerning it. For if you Believe it not, you cannot die for it; nor chearfully ſubmit to a natural death, through the hopes of it. This is the ſum or principal work of the Chriſtian faith, to Believe the everlaſting life as procured for us by the love of the Father, the Obedience, Death, Reſurrection and Interceſſion of the Son, and the Sanctification of the Holy Ghoſt. It is the unſoundneſs or the weakneſs of this Belief, that is the principal cauſe of our unwillingneſs to die.
Direct. 2. By all means endeavour to get and maintain the Aſſurance of your Title to this Promiſe and Felicity. Get ſound evidence, and keep it clear: Expunge all blots without delay. Take heed of ſuch ſin as woundeth Conſcience, and waſteth comfort, and grieveth the ſpirit of Adoption by which you are ſealed to the day of Redemption, and by which you have your peace and comforts. If by ſuch ſin your ſouls are clouded and eſtranged from God, be diligent in ſeeking for healing and reconciliation; and reſt not till your peace be made with God. For while you think of him as diſpleaſed, you will be afraid of coming to him, and this will double the fears of Death.
Direct. 3. Deny your ſelves firſt in the carnal and worldly comforts of this life, or elſe you are unlikely to deny your ſelves in the matter of Life it ſelf. Diſuſe your ſelves from unneceſſary pleaſures of the fleſh: And learn to endure diſhonour, contempt and reproach from the world, and ſickneſs and poverty when it's inflicted on you by the hand of God. Till you can deny your eaſe, and profit, and appetite, and honour, and all the delight of this preſent world, you are never likely to deny your lives ſincerely. To deny your lives doth contain the denying of all theſe and more; and therefore you muſt learn the leſſer, if you would do the greater. Theſe are the parts of life as it were; and it's eaſier thus to overcome it in its parts than in the whole; when particular Souldiers are deſtroyed, the Army is the weaker.
And the uſe of ſuffering the Afflictions of this life, will make you hardy, and make death ſeem a ſmaller matter. For when you thus Die Daily, you will the more eaſily die once.
Beſides, Death is half diſarmed when the Pleaſures & Intereſts of the fleſh are firſt denied. For the leaving of fleſhly contents and pleaſures, is much of the reaſon of mens unwillingneſs to die. And therefore when theſe are denied before-hand, the Reaſons of your unwillingneſs are taken away. If you pull down the Neſt, the Birds will be gone. Men that are loth to leave their Country, would willingly be gone, if their houſes were fired, or they were turned out of doors, and their friends and goods were all ſent away. This is it that makes men ſo unwilling to die, becauſe they practiſe not Mortification in their health, but contrarily ſtudy to live as Pleaſingly as may be to the fleſh, and think it part of their Chriſtian Liberty, thus making Chriſt a carnal Saviour as the Jews conceive of their expected Meſſiah; and taking up with a carnal falſe ſalvation, not purchaſed by Chriſt, but given by Satan in the name of Chriſt, and aſſumed by themſelves. They make it their buſineſs to have buildings, and lands, and meats, and drinks, and honours, and all things as pleaſing as may be to the fleſh, and then they complain that they are unwilling to die: and I eaſily believe him: it is no wonder! They make it the work of their lives to feather their neſts, and make Proviſion for the fleſh; and then complain, that they are loth to leave thoſe neſts that they have been feathering ſo long, and loth to ſcatter all the heap and treaſure which they have been gathering. And did you think that gathering it was the way to make you willing to leave it? Men load themſelves with the lumber and baggage of the world, and then complain that they cannot travel on their journey, but had rather ſit down. They fall a building them habitations in their way, when they ſhould have none but Inns or Tents; and when they have beſtowed all their time, and coſt, and charges on them, they complain of their hearts for being loth to leave them. Such mad doings as theſe are not the way to be willing to die: To provide for ſelf and fleſh in your Life-time, is not the way to Deny your Lives. Sirs, the way is this, if you will learn it, and ſtick not at the coſt and trouble: Self muſt be here ſtript naked of all its carnal comforts, ſo that it ſhall have nothing left o fly to or truſt upon, nor nothing leſt t…at it can take delight in, & then it will away. If you would drive ou… …n ill Tenant, you will caſt out all their goods, and leave them nothing but the bare walls, and not ſo much as a bed to lie on, and uncover the houſe over their heads, and then they will be gone. So if you caſt out all your ſenſual commodities and delights, that when the fleſh looks about, it ſhall ſee nothing but the bare walls, and cannot find a reſting place, then death will be leſs grievous and leſs unwelcome. Or rather indeed even the fleſh and ſelf muſt be mortified; and in the ſenſe in which it muſt be denied, it muſt have no being or life, (that is, as it is withdrawn from its ſubordination to God) And then there will be nothing to riſe up againſt your ſubmiſſion to Death. Though nature as nature will keep you from Loving death as death, yet were but ſelf-denial perfect, there would be nothing to keep you from ſubmitting to it, and deſiring to paſs through it to immortality. O that you would but try ſuch a ſelf-denying life, and you would certainly die an eaſie, comfortable Death.
Direct. 4. Suffer not unworthy thoughts of God to abide in your ſoul. Think not of his Infinite Love and Goodneſs with doubtfulneſs or diminution. You will never be willing to come to God, while you think of him as cruel, or as a deſpiſer of his creatures, or unwilling to do Good. But when once you think of him as the ſureſt greateſt Good, and your faſteſt friend, and the moſt lovely object that can be conceived of, and theſe thoughts are deep and wrought into the very nature of your ſoul, then you will be ready more chearfully to die. No man can love the preſence of a tyrant or an enemy, or of him that is ſo far above him, that there is no communion with him to be had. If you entertain ſuch blaſphemous thoughts of God, you are unlikely ever to deſire his preſence. See you think as honourably and magnificently of the Goodneſs and Love of God, as you do of his Knowledge or his Power; and as you would abhor any extenuating conceptions of the one, ſo do of the other; And then the Lovelineſs and glory of his face, will draw out your deſires and make you long to be with God.
Direct. 5. And by ſuch means as this aforeſaid, Labour to bring up your ſouls to live in the Love of God. It is love that is the Divine and heavenly nature in us: and therefore muſt needs incline us heaven-wards. The nature of love is to long after communion with him that we love. The more Love, the more of God in the ſoul, and the more deſire after God. This is the grace that muſt live for ever, and therefore bendeth towards the place of its perfection. It's want of Love to God, that maketh moſt of us ſo contented to be from him. Strengthen and exerciſe all other graces, as far as in you lieth: but above all live in the exerciſe of this enjoying, heavenly grace.
Direct. 6. Conſider of all the burdens that are here upon you, which ſhould make you long to be with God. One would think the feeling of them ſhould force you to conſideration and wearineſs of them, and make the thoughts of reſt to be ſweet to you. Have you yet not ſin enough, and ſorrow, and fear, and trouble enough? Or muſt God lay a greater load on you, to make you deſire to be disburdened? Every hour you ſpend, and every creature you have to do with, afford you ſome occaſion of renewing your deſires to depart from theſe and be with Chriſt.
Direct. 7. Obſerve and magnifie that of God which is here revealed to you in his word and works. Study him and admire him in Scripture, ſtudy and admire him in the frame of nature; And when you look towards Sun, or Moon, or Sea, or Land, and perceive how little it is that you know, and how deſirable it is to know them perfectly, think then of that eſtate, where you ſhall know them all, in God himſelf who is more than all. Study and admire him in the courſe of Providences: ſtudy and admire him in the perſon of Chriſt; in the frame of his holy life; in the work of Redemption; in the holy frame of his Laws and Covenants; ſtudy and admire him in his Saints and the frame of his holy Image on their ſouls. This life of ſtudying and admiring God, and dwelling upon him with all our ſouls, will exceedingly diſpoſe us to be willing to come to him, and to ſubmit to death.
Direct. 8. Live alſo in the daily exerciſe of holy Joy and Praiſe to God; which is the heavenly Employment. For if you uſe your ſelves to this heavenly life, it will much incline you to deſire to be there. Exerciſe fear, and godly ſorrow, and care in their places: but eſpecially after Faith and Love, be ſure to live in holy Joy and Praiſe. Be much in the conſideration of all that Riches of grace in Chriſt, communicated and to be communicated to you. And be much in Thanks to God for his mercies; and chearing and comforting your ſoul, in the Lord your God: And thus the Joy of Grace will much diſpoſe you to the Joys of glory; & the Peace which the Kingdom of God conſiſteth in, will incline you to the peace of the everlaſting Kingdom: and the chearful Praiſing of God on Earth, in Pſalms or other ways of Praiſe, will prepare and diſpoſe you to the heavenly Praiſes. And therefore, Chriſtians exceedingly wrong their ſouls, and hinder themſelves from a willingneſs to be with God in ſpending all their days in drooping, or doubting, or worldly dulneſs, and laying by ſo much the Joy of the Saints, and the Praiſes of God.
Direct. 9. Dwell on the believing fore-thoughts of the everlaſting glory which you muſt poſſeſs. Think what it is that others are enjoying while you are here; and what you muſt be, and poſſeſs, and do for ever. Daily think of the Certainty, Perfection, and Perperuity of your Bleſſedneſs. What a life it will be, to ſee the bleſſed God in his Glory, and taſte of the fulneſs of his love, and to ſee the glorified Son of God, and with a perfected ſoul and body to be perfectly taken up in the Love, and Joy, and Praiſes of the Lord, among all his holy Saints and Angels, in the heavenly Jeruſalem. You muſt by the exerciſe of Faith and Love, in holy Meditation and Prayer even dwell in the Spirit, and converſe in Heaven, while your bodies are on earth, if you would entertain the news of death as beſeems a Chriſtian. But of this at large elſewhere.
Direct. 10. Laſtly, if you would be willing to ſubmit to death, reſign up your own underſtandings and wills to the wiſdom and the will of God; and Know not good and evil for your carnal ſelves: but wholly truſt your lives and ſouls to the Wiſdom and Love of your deareſt Lord. Muſt you be carking and caring for your ſelves when you have an Infinite God engaged to care for you? O ſaith ſelf, I am not able to bear the terrors and pangs of death. O ſaith Faith, My Lord is eaſily able to ſupport me, and it is his undertaken work to do it: My work is but to Pleaſe him; and it's his work to take care of me in life and death; and therefore though I walk through the valley of the ſhadow of death, yet will I fear no evil. O ſaith Self, I am utterly a ſtranger to another world! I know not what I ſhall ſee, nor what I ſhall be, nor whither I ſhall go the next minute after death: None come from the dead to ſatisfie us of theſe things! O but ſaith Faith, My bleſſed Father and Redeemer is not a ſtranger to the place that I muſt go to! He knows it, though I do not! He knows what I ſhall be and do, and whither I ſhall go; and all is in his power: And ſeeing it belongs not to me but to him to diſpoſe of me, and give me the promiſed reward, it is meet that I reſt in his underſtanding; And it is better for me, that his Infinite Wiſdom diſpoſe of my departing ſoul, than my ſhallow inſufficient knowledge. I may much more acquieſce in his knowledge than my own. O but ſaith ſelf, I fear it may prove a change of darkneſs and confuſion to my ſoul! what will become of me, I cannot tell. O but ſaith Faith, I am ſure I am in the hands of Love! and ſuch Love as is Omnipotent and engaged for my good! and how can it then go ill with me! If I had my own will, I ſhould not fear: And how much leſs ſhould I fear when I am at the will of God, even of moſt Wiſe, Almighty Love.
There is no true Centre for the ſoul to Reſt in but the Will of God. It is our buſineſs to Obey and Pleaſe his Will, as dutiful Children; and to commit our ſelves contentedly to his Will for the abſolute diſpoſal of us. It is not poſſible that the Will of an Heavenly Father ſhould be againſt his Children, whoſe deſire and ſincere endeavour hath been to Obey and Pleaſe his Will. And therefore learn this as your great and neceſſary Leſſon, with Joyful Confidence to Commit your ſelves, and your departing ſouls to your Fathers Will, as knowing that your Death is but the execution of that Will, which is engaged to cauſe all things to work together for your good, Rom. 8. 28. And ſay with Paul, I ſuffer, but am not aſhamed [for I know whom I have believed, and I am perſwaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him againſt that day, 2 Tim. 1. 12. & 1 Tim. 4. 10. [Therefore we labour and ſuffer—becauſe we truſt in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, eſpecially of thoſe that believe] ſay therefore as Job, [Though he kill me, yet will I truſt in him] Or rather as Chriſt, [Father, into thy hands I commend my Spirit] Luke 23. 46. If the hands and Will of the Father was the Rock and comfort of Chriſt in his ſuffering and death, ſo alſo it muſt be to us. See therefore that in your health you Kill your own wills, that when Death comes, ſelf may have no will to ſtrive againſt the Will of God; but as your Heaven it ſelf will be your Reſt in the Will of God; ſo Reſt in it in death, that you may have a taſte of Heaven in Death, and ſure that will ſweeten it, if any thing will.
II. I Have hitherto ſhewed you wherein ſelf-denial doth conſiſt, firſt as to the heart and root of it, which is the Mortification of the ſelfiſh Inclination or Diſpoſition: and then, as to the firſt of the three parts of its Objective Intereſt, which is ſenſitive Pleaſure: I ſhould now proceed to the other two parts of its objective Intereſt: And the ſecond is, Worldly Gain or Profit, which the Apoſtle John calleth [the Luſt of the Eyes] and puts next to the [Luſt of the Fleſh.] But I have already written a Treatiſe of this by it ſelf, viz. Of our Crucifixion of the World; and therefore I may well forbear it here.