A Sovereign Antidote Against the Fear of Death, Tract · Meditation 6
MEDITAT. VI. What hurt can Death do a Believer?
OH my Soul, what makes thee yet draw back? are not all theſe foregoing conſiderations enough to ſatisfie thee, but yet the thoughts of Death do appale thee, and the thoughts of the Grave make thee to ſhiver? heretofore thou haſt even courted Death, and ſolaced thy ſelf with the Meditation of the Grave, and the forethought of the time when Sin and Sorrow ſhould be no more; and now doſt quake at the apprehenſion of it, and art frighted at his grim countenance? Conſider a little, what he is, whence he comes, and what meſſage he brings, and then ſee if he be ſo formidable as he ſeems: he is but a Meſſenger, and comes not upon his own errand, neither runs he before he be ſent; he comes not from an Enemy, but a friend, yea, from one that loves thee, yea from that friend that ſent Jeſus Chriſt to dye for thee; and the ſame love is exerciſed in the one as in the other; he ſent firſt to purchaſe an Inheritance for thee, and now ſends to thee to receive it: He comes to tell thee, the Great King of Heaven and Earth Greets thee, and invites thee to the Marriage Feaſt, to the Wedding Supper, to drink Wine with Chriſt in his Fathers Court; he comes to tell thee, thou haſt fought the good fight, thou haſt finiſht thy courſe, and from henceforth is laid up for thee a Crown of righteouſneſs, which Chriſt the Righteous Judge ſhall give thee at the laſt day; that thou haſt been faithfull over a few things, and ſhalt be Ruler over many things; and ſhalt enter into thy Maſters Joy: He comes to tell thee thou art at Age, and muſt receive thine Inheritance; that thou haſt been long enough toſſed to and fro upon the Waves of trouble, and now muſt enter into the deſired Port; that thou haſt long enough fed upon husks, and now muſt come to thy Fathers houſe, where there is bread enough and to ſpare; he comes to tell thee, thy Warfare is accompliſhed, the race is run, the prize is won, and from henceforth the Crown of Glory is thine own; and what hurt is in all this? or why is ſuch a Meſſenger to be feared? he comes not, as haply thou mayſt ſuppoſe, to break thy peace with thy God; no, but to make an everlaſting peace, which ſhall never be broken; to aſſure thee, God and thy departing Soul are at peace, and all controverſies are ended, and that thou ſhalt never more ſee one frown in the face of God, nor one wrinkle in his forehead; he comes not for thy hurt, but thy good; not to hinder thy promotion, but to promote it; not to deſtroy thy body, but only ſow it in the Earth, that it may ſpring forth a glorious body; that corruption may put on incorruption, 1 Cor. 15.55.and the mortal may put on immortality, that Death may be ſwallowed up of Victory. He comes not to make thee miſerable, Rev. 14.13.but happy; Bl…ſſed are the Dead which dye in the Lord, even ſo ſaith the Spirit, for they reſt from their labours, and their works follow them. He comes not to ſeparate thee from God, this he cannot do; For neither Death, Rom. 8.28.29.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 Chriſt Jeſus our Lord. No, Death brings us into a nearer Union, and more cloſe Communion. 'Tis not come to make void the Covenant with God, but to make it good, for God hath promiſed in the Covenant to give Chriſt, and Heaven, and Glory to thee, and how can this be made good till Death? and though the body lye for a ſeaſon in the Grave, as Iſrael did in Egypt, after Gods Covenant with Abraham, yet ſhortly Death, like Moſes, ſhall come and bring it into the Heavenly Canaan: and though Death in it ſelf be a Puniſhment, yea, a curſe threatned upon the fall, and remains ſo ſtill to wicked men, to whom it is an inlet into eternal miſery, yet to the godly the curſe is taken away by the death of Chriſt; who for us was made a Curſe, and dyed that curſed death upon the Croſs, to take away the Malignity of it; who by his death diſarmed Death, and took away his weapons wherein he truſted; yea took away his ſting, that now thou maiſt put the Serpent into thy boſom; and now Death is ſo far from putting an end to Believers happineſs, that it puts an end to their ſorrows, and is the very Gate to eternal Life; and at the very ſtroak of Death, in that moment of time their Joyes commence, and their ſorrows end; death to the Wicked is a Purſivant ſent from Hell, to fetch them thither; to the Godly, a Meſſenger ſent from their Father to bring them home: 'tis to the body but a quiet ſleep, free from hurtful dreams or fearful Viſions. The Grave is but a Bed of Roſes, perfumed by the Body of Chriſt, a reſting Chamber, a Repoſitory where God lays up his Jewels, wherein thy duſt will be kept as in a Cabinet, and not one grain of it ſhall be loſt, Rev. 20.13.but the Earth, the Sea, the Grave and Hell ſhall then give up their dead; and then both Body and Soul ſhall be received into the City of Pearl, where no dirty Dog ſhall trample upon the Pavement; when that Death hath done his Office, the Angels ſhall do theirs, and carry the Soul into Abrahams boſom, and lodge it for ever in the arms of Chriſt; and at the Reſurrection when the Soul and Body ſhall be reunited, they ſhall both be glorified for ever; and freed from all mutation, and change, and all things elſe that may be called Evil: when Death hath broken the Cage, the Bird will be at liberty, and ſing ſweetly; when the priſon Walls are pull'd down, the priſoner will be free; and is this that which thou feareſt? how many thouſand deaths would a miſcarrying Soul endure for Heaven at laſt? yea, if Eternity were ſpent in the continual feeling the very pangs of Death, it would be much eaſier for a damned Soul if it felt no more, than now it is; and art thou ſo nice that thou canſt not endure it for one Hour, for one moment, upon the promiſe of Eternal life? Death brings in the Harveſt of thy hopes, the fruit of thy Prayers, the reward of thy pains, and of all the loſſes and ſufferings thou haſt had for Chriſt: God is now ſending for thee to make thee a King, and wilt thou now withdraw thy ſelf like Saul, and hide thy ſelf as he did, when they ſought him to make him King? here lyes the perfection and end of thy Faith, and of thy Hope, the Salvation of thy Soul; for theſe Graces as well as others are imperfect here; here is the only place where happineſs is to be had, the only ſoil where hearts-eaſe grows, and yet muſt God needs whip thee home, or thou wilt not matter it? well, if now thou refuſe to come at his call, when thou call'ſt he may give thee no anſwer, and when thou knockeſt he may not open: but ſure ſome root of bitterneſs lyes at the bottom, either thou doſt not believe there is ſuch a happineſs, or that it is not thine, or haſt placed thine affections elſewhere, and canſt not remove them, and made ſome other choice which thou wilt not leave. Didſt thou ſtedfaſtly believe that there was a reward for the Righteous, and that thou art one of thoſe that ſhall receive it, how can this be reconciled with thy fears? would any wiſe man take a great deal of pains for an Inheritance, and then loſe it all for want of taking poſſeſſion? thou haſt in thy life-time, 'tis very like, ſuffered a hundred times as much pain as thou art like to do at thy death, and ſhall this diſmay thee more than all the reſt? the day of Death is not ſo gloomy as 'tis thought to be. Solomon when he was upon his Throne, in the midſt of his Jollity, commends his Coſfin; Better (ſaith he) is the day of Death than the day wherein a man is born. Eccleſ. 7.1.Many of the wiſer Heathens were of the ſame mind; they wept and mourned at the birth of their Children, to conſider the troubles they were like to meet with in this troubleſome World; when they feaſted and rejoyced at the death of their friends, becauſe their troubles were over, and their reſt was come; and ſurely Believers have better ground of rejoycing than they had, a more ſure foundation for Faith and Hope to build upon. Oh Death, how pleaſant is thy face, to thoſe acquainted with thee! thou art black, but comely to thoſe that know thee; thou art indeed attended with a little pain, but with endleſs bliſs; the one makes makes thee feared, the other beloved. Oh my Soul, let us draw a little nearer, and take a more exact view of Death, and ſee what is the worſt hurt he can do us, the beſt good he will bring us; and compare the one with the other, and compute the odds, and ſee whether we can make a ſavers bargain of it; and if ſo, how little cauſe of fear we have. It may be thou thinkeſt thou muſt part with all thy carnal Joys and worldly delights, thy ſenſual pleaſures, thy merry Company, and bid farewell to all thy merry meetings, and pleaſant Jokes; with all thy Recreations, Paſtimes, and pleaſant Sports, and be Buried in ſilence, and laid in the duſt, and muſt bid thy pleaſures adieu; and poor Soul is this thy trouble, and the cauſe of thy fear? haſt thou not better in exchange for them? are there not more, and more laſting Joyes in the preſence of God; Pſal. 16.11.Rivers of pleaſures, without bank or bottom, at the right hand of God for evermore; unknown Pleaſures, unſeen Delights, which no eye hath ſeen, nor ear hath heard of, neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive of; ſuch as no ſtranger ſhall ever meddle with; Pro. 5.14.and will not thoſe make thee amends? Let the Epicures of the Age, that chooſe pleaſures for their portion, plead this argument; let the Drunkard howl when the new Wine faileth, Joel 1.5.or when the Cup is ſnatched from his mouth: Alas, thou haſt met with little Joyes, and thoſe mixed, and the greateſt part Wormwood and Gall; a litttle Honey and many Stings, a little bitter-ſweet pleaſure that ends in pain; yea ſhort and tranſitory, in the midſt of laughter the heart is ſorrowful, and the end of that mirth is Heavineſs; but what are thoſe to the Joyes unſpeakable and full of Glory, that is in Heaven: 'Tis true, there are ſome that are the Sons and Daughters of pleaſure, Pſal. 73.5.That are not in trouble as other men, neither are plagued as other men. Amos 6.4, 5, 6.They lye upon their Beds of Ivory, and ſtretch themſelves upon their Couches, they eat the Lambs out of the flock, and the Calves out of the midſt of the Stall: They chaunt to the ſound of the Viol, and invent to themſelves Inſtruments of Muſick like David: They drink Wine in Boles, and anoint themſelves with chief Ointment: But they are not grieved for the afflictions of Joſeph, &c. Theſe may indeed fear a Change, and dread the time, when ſuddenly they ſhall go down to Hell; but this is not thy condition; Pſal. 73.14.for all the day long haſt thou been plagued, and chaſtened every Morning; and thy drink hath been mixt with thy Tears: The pleaſures thou haſt had, have but tickled the Senſes, but reach not the Soul, and true content thou never foundeſt in them: If thou look back to thy youthful delights and childiſh vanities, as they are paſſed away, and have left nothing but a ſting behind them, ſo they ſhould not be call'd to mind without ſorrow and compunction of Spirit; for many of them were the pleaſures of ſin, yea the pleaſure in ſin, ſinfull pleaſures, which have waſted thy precious time, and ſtole away thy heart from God, and hindred thee from making uſefull imployment of it, and from more neceſſary buſineſs; but in Heaven thou ſhalt have pleaſure without ſatiety; here thou art fain to uſe various pleaſures to patch up a little of that which thou calleſt delight; the pleaſure of any one, yea of the moſt delightful Recreations ſoon paſſeth away, and becomes nauſeous, and leaves a ſting behind; but in Heaven thou wilt ſolace thy ſelf with Eternal delight: thoſe pleaſures which thou here calleſt by that name, bear no more proportion to Heavenly Joyes, than fire upon the Wall to true fire; the former gives neither light nor hear, though it have ſome dark reſemblance of it. But haply this may not be it that troubles thee; 'tis thy Eſtate which thou art to leave behind, which ſticks upon thy ſtomach, for when thou dyeſt thou muſt leave all behind thee; a great All ſure, and this alſo in exchange; when for a handfull of Muck, thou art like to have a handful of Angels, Heaven for Earth, and God for the Creature, and doſt repine at the bargain? let thoſe that have great Eſtates plead this argument, not one that exchangeth Penury for Plenty, and a Cottage for a Kingdom; but doth not God ſeem to ſay to thee as ſometime Pharaoh to Jacob, Gen. 45.20.As for your ſtuff regard it not, for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours? Doth it grieve thee to leave this houſe of clay, which will doubtleſs ere long moulder and fall about thy ears, for a Manſion in Glory, a Houſe made without hands, whoſe builder and maker is God, Eternal in the Heavens, Pebbles for Pearls, Earth for Heaven, and the Creature for God? and is this the wrong Death hath done thee? yea this is not all, Death will put thee in poſſeſſion of thy own: here thou haſt nothing thou canſt call thy own, but maiſt ſay of it, as the Prophet of his Axe, Alas Maſter, 2 King. 6.5.for it was borrowed; here thou art a Tenant at will, not only at thy Fathers will, but at anothers will alſo, and knoweſt not but thou maiſt be diſpoſſeſſed before the years end; but that is thine Inheritance; here thou art a rack Tenant, and haſt much ado to pay thy Rent, but there thou art a Free-holder, and payeſt neither Rent nor Taxes: what here thou haſt is lent thee, and for every Talent thou haſt thou muſt give an account; what there thou haſt is given thee, and thou haſt ten thouſand times as much under thy hands, yet an account ſhall never be required: Beſides, when thou art gone thou ſhalt have no need of the things here left behind, for thou goeſt to a houſe ready furniſht: what need wooden Veſſels, or earthen Utenſils, when the Walls of the City and the Streets thereof are of pure Gold? and as there is no need, ſo there is no uſe of theſe earthly things: what good will food do when thou art not hungry? or cloaths when thou art not cold? there is the Tree of Life in the midſt of the Garden; there is the Fountain of Life to ſtench thy thirſt; there is neither uſe nor need of theſe things: thy Silver and thy Gold ſignifie nothing here; they trample upon better mettal: thy coin will not paſs in this Country; theſe things ſhould not be thy trouble to part with them, which have proved ſnares to thee, both in the getting, and in the keeping; and like a buſh of thorns, when thou haſt graſpt them too hard they have pricked thy fingers; yea, and prickt and pierced many to the heart; they are not ſatisfactory, and if they were, they are not durable, but like a bird upon the Wing, now in one mans Cloſe, and then in anothers, and no one can ſay, She is mine; and if thou dye not from them, 'tis odds they will dye from thee, as the Example of two hundred thouſand in Ireland in our dayes may ſadly witneſs; they are like unto Jonah's Gourd, they ſpring up in one Night, and wither in another: I have read of a Heathen Philoſopher, when the City he lived in was taken, ſackt and Burnt by the Enemy, and his Wife and Children captivated, and all his earthly Subſtance gone, being demanded by Demetrius, what he had loſt, anſwered, Nothing, Omnia mea mecum porto; I carry all along with me; his vertue, which could not be loſt, was only his own; and mayſt thou not better ſay ſo, if thou be demanded, what thou loſeſt by Death? for if thou canſt carry thy Graces, which are thy Evidences for Heaven, ſafe thither, this is thy All; for the reſt was but lent thee for thy Journey, as a bed in an Inne to a Traveller, which he muſt leave behind him, and not carry it away in the morning; for if thy Evidences be ſafe, thine Inheritance is ſure; theſe outward things thou haſt as long as they will do thee good, and when they will do thee none, why wilt deſire them? and Death will not deprive thee of any good thing; the lading is ſafe, though the Ship ſink; the Jewel is ſafe, though the Box be broken; though the Body dye, the Soul will live; and thou maiſt therefore ſay as Jacob, I have enough, Joſeph my ſon is yet alive, my Soul is yet ſafe; or as Mophiboſheth, Seeing the King is returned ſafe, let Zibah take all: Seeing mine Inheritance is ſecured, my chiefeſt Jewel ſafe, let who will take the reſt. But haply it may be thy Relations that thou art ſo unwilling to leave, thy dear Wife, thy beloved Children, thoſe that depend upon thee for their livelihood; and other Relations that thou haſt let out thy affection upon, and other intimate acquaintance and Chriſtian Friends, which have been all that little comfort thou haſt had in the world; and now to leave theſe behind thee, and expoſe thy own to the wide world, and know not what will become of them when thou art dead, this makes thee loth to dye and leave them; this doth make thee like unto the Servant that loved his Wife and his Children, Exo. 21.6.willing to have thy ears boared, and to be a Slave for ever: but conſider a little, is not this inordinate love, to love the Creature more than the Creator, and rather obey man than God? when thou tookeſt upon thee the profeſſion of Religion, was it not upon thoſe terms, Luk. 14.26. &c.to hate thy Father and Mother, thy Wife, thy Children, thy Brethren and Siſters, and thy own life for his ſake; that is, to leave any or all of theſe if he required it; and now art breaking with Chriſt, and wilt rather deny him, loſe thy Soul, thy God, thy Heaven, thy Happineſs, than leave thy Wife and Children, and other Relations? Joh. 15.13.Greater love than this hath no man, than that a man lay down his life for his friend: But is not this more, to loſe his Soul, to part with his intereſt in Heaven, and endure Helliſh torments to Eternity for their ſake, or for their company? But they live upon thee, and if they were dead, thou knoweſt not how they will be maintained: And doſt know how they will be maintained, if thou live? doſt know how the World will be Governed, and all the Family in Heaven and Earth maintained if thou were dead? doſt thou bear up the Pillars of it? or do all things ſeek their meet at thy hand? is it Gods Providence or thine that maintains thy Family? or at whoſe charge are they kept? 'tis true, thou art his ſervant, to give them meat and drink in due Seaſon, but thou haſt it out of his Store-houſe, and if thou wert removed cannot he put another into the Office? cannot he that feeds the Fowls, the young Ravens when they cry, yea the Lions ſeek their meat at his hand, and he cloaths the Lillies, and the Graſs of the field, and cannot he maintain thy Wife and Children if thou wert dead? if the Pipe be cut, is there no water in the Fountain? Pſal. 78.20.this is thy unbelief; can God provide a Table in the Wilderneſs? Nay, but thou doſt not queſtion ſo much his Power, as his Will; why how doſt know he will provide for them if thou doſt live? many a Wife and Children have ſuffered want in the Husbands life time, and God may let thee live to be a burden and a grief to them, an hinderance and not an help; Nay, hath not God more ingagements upon him to provide for the Fatherleſs and Widdows, the poor and the needy, than any other, Pſal 68.5.having made ſo many promiſes on that behalf? A Father of the Fatherleſs, and a Judge of the Widow, is God in his holy Habitation; Hoſ. 14.3. Pſal. 146.9.and it is in him that the Fatherleſs find Mercy; He preſerveth the Stranger, he relieveth the Fatherleſs and the Widow: Jer. 49.11.Leave thy Fatherleſs Children (ſaith God) to me, and I will keep them alive, and let thy Widows truſt in me; and many a command hath he given upon their account, that they ſhall not be wronged; Nay, are they not in the ſame Relation to God as thou art? are they not his Children alſo? and will he that feeds all his Enemies, ſtarve his Children? Nay, he feeds the Fowls of Heaven, Pſal. 34.9, 10.and hath not he promiſed that thoſe that fear the Lord ſhall want nothing that is good; Nay, if thou ſhouldſt loſe thy life for his ſake, thou wouldſt yet more deeply engage him to look to thine in thy abſence. But ſuppoſe thou ſhouldſt for the ſake of Chriſt loſe thy Relations, or rather leave them behind, what wrong is done thee? you came not into the World together, and 'tis not like you will go together; but if thou go firſt, haſt no ſatisfaction for this piece of ſelf-denial? God is not wont to be behind hand with thee; ſhalt not thou enjoy more and better Relations in Heaven whither thou art going? Is not the God and Father of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt there, whom thou calleſt thy Father, and Chriſt which thou calleſt thy Husband and thy head, and the Holy Ghoſt which thou calleſt thy Paracletus, thy comforter? and is not Jeruſalem which is above the Mother of us all? Gal. 4.26.are not the Angels thy Guardians, and the departed Saints many of them thou kneweſt in the fleſh, thy fellow-Brethren, and thy companions? and do not theſe better deſerve thy love than any in the world, being altogether lovely, and without Spot or wrinkle, glorious in holineſs? yea are not many of thy Relations in the fleſh gone before thee? Thy Father, Mother, Wife, and ſeveral Children, thoſe thou lovedſt in the dayes of their fleſh, thoſe thou Lamentedſt at the time of their Death; and will not their Society rejoice thee in Heaven, when they ſhall be made perfect in holineſs? here is Abraham, Iſaac and Jacob, and all the Prophets; here are the Apoſtles, and the Noble Army of Martyrs, and here are the Spirits of juſt men made perfect; and thoſe faithful perſons thou haſt left behind thee, will ſhortly follow, and is there yet ſufficient matter of complaint? what if thou doſt become a ſtranger to what is done upon the Earth; this is thy happineſs: for if thou know no good, thou wilt know no evil; and for an ounce of good there is a pound of evil done there; there is much that may wring tears from the eyes, little that will remove ſorrow from the heart; much ſin and debauchery, much Idolatry and ſuperſtition, much ſwearing and curſing, much drinking and drabbing, and of all manner of wickedneſs, but little holineſs and true Godlineſs; this may bring tears from the eyes, and ſobs from the heart; but in Heaven thou ſhalt never be troubled more with the Unclean converſations of the wicked, for there will be nothing there to diſcompoſe thee. And if thou ſhalt in Heaven know the things done upon the Earth, which is a ſecret which God hath not revealed, doubtleſs it is not to leſſen thy comforts but increaſe them; for as ſin, ſo ſorrow ſhall never enter there. Thou maiſt haply think, that when death hath paſſed upon thee, thy name will be forgotten; and what then? if thy good deeds are not remembred, no more will thy ſin, and thy folly, and this far exceeds the other: but there may be a reſurrection of Names, as well as of Bodies; Pro. 12.7.The memory of the juſt ſhall be bleſſed, but the name of the wicked ſhall rot; Pſa. 112.6the righteous ſhall be had in everlaſting remembrance. If honour be not founded on grace, 'tis the emptieſt of bubbles, which time will prick, and the moſt laſting Marble cannot preſerve: The Aſperſions which are caſt in the face of the Righteous, time will wipe off, and the paint and luſtre beſtowed upon wicked men will off alſo: If thy Name be written in the Book of Life, it matters not much if it be blotted out of the world; if God remember thee, it matters not much though the world forget thee. What though the Habitation wherein thou liveſt know thee no more, if thou art acquainted in Heaven it matters not much, though haply the place may be recorded for thy ſake; Pſal. 87.4, 5, 6.For of Zion it ſhall be ſaid, this or that man was born in her, and the Higheſt himſelf ſhall eſtabliſh her; the Lord ſhall count when he writeth up his people that this man was born there. What matter is it to thee where thou waſt born, if now thou haſt a better habitation? thou haſt never had any abiding place ſince thou waſt born, but poſted from one place to another by an over-ruling Providence, and never in any long ſettled Habitation, having above twenty times changed thy dwelling, many times againſt thy will, and moſt times by an unexpected Providence: And ſometimes when thou haſt pitcht thy Tent, and ſaid, Surely I ſhall dye here, Numb. 10.12.the Cloud hath removed, and thou haſt been forced to march; ſome Providence or other gave a check to thy conceits; and if thou live longer, thy future condition is not like to be more ſettled: thou haſt been a wayfaring man all thy dayes, even from the Morning of thy Life, and ſo thou art like to be till thy Sun be ſet: And for ſome ſeaſon thy own houſe would not own thee, thy own doors were ſhut againſt thee, and thy neareſt Relations durſt not entertain thee, though no flagitious crime was charged upon thee: Many a place that did know thee, is now ſtrange to thee, and thou art a ſtranger to it, and if this become ſtrange alſo, 'tis no great matter. If thou art of a Peaſant made a Prince, and from a Countrey Cottage brought into the poſſeſſion of a Kingdom, never complain what wrong death hath done thee: Or is it thy work thou art ſo unwilling to leave? or art thou ready to ſay, Alas! what will become of theſe poor Sheep in the Wilderneſs? 1 Sam. 17.28.if the Shepherd be ſmitten, they will be ſcattered; 'tis well if there be ſo much care of them. Paul indeed having the care of all the Churches upon him, was driven into a ſtreight, whether to chooſe, Life or Death; yet to dye he knew was beſt for him, but to live for them; but I fear there are few like-minded, that naturally care for the Church: for all ſeek their own, not one anothers welfare; but the argument may be retorted, If thou which haſt been a Shepherd fly when thou ſeeſt the Wolf coming, how ſhall the Sheep ſtand? if thou turn thy back upon Chriſt, and rather deny him than ſuffer for him, what woful work will this make among the Sheep! if thou refuſe to ſeal thy Doctrine with thy blood, what encouragement ſhall they have to own their profeſſion to the Death? when the Captains run, what havock will the enemy make among the Souldiers? but what will thy Life add to any mans happineſs, or thy Death diminiſh from thy own? If the chief Husbandman take thee out of the Vineyard, 'tis but to make room for other Labourers, for his work ſhall not ſtand; if he ſtop thy mouth, he will open the mouths of others; his work ſhall be done whether thou live or dye: Thou art almoſt laid aſide as a broken Veſſel, and if he break thee quite, the matter is not much, there will be little loſs: And if thou live, thou art in a capacity of doing little good; but if thy Sun ſet at Noon, God will not diminiſh thy wages; Luk. 9.62.if he take the Plough out of thy hand, he will not blame thee for looking back; thoſe that workt but one hour in the Vineyard had their penny; but thy Sun is almoſt ſet, the ſhadows of the Evening are ſtretched out, Jer. 6.4.and Nature it ſelf will ſhortly end thy dayes, and cut off the thred of thy life, if thou ſhouldſt ſpin it to the utmoſt extent, and yet art ſo loth to have it broke off a little before the time? if thou haſt imployed thy Talent well, God will not chide thee that thou hadſt it no longer; he doth not require ſo much uſe for the half-year as for the whole, nor ſo much work to be done in the half as in the whole day, in the Vineyard. If he call thee hence, to ſerve him elſewhere, he expects thou ſhouldſt obey; for thy praiſes in Heaven are as pleaſant to him as thy Preaching upon Earth; and for the Church of God take no care, he that hath made proviſion for it this five thouſand years, he will not leave it now, and can do his work without thee; and if God take away thy life, he will take away thy work, and lay thy burden upon others ſhoulders: The ſame ſtroak that lets out thy life, lets out thy ſin; and ſin being gone, the conſequents, fruits and effects of it ceaſe alſo, which are labour and ſorrow; Job. 3.17, 18.and in the grave the wicked ceaſe from troubling, and there the weary are at reſt. Death may be ſweet to thoſe to whom Life hath been bitter, and though death may deſtroy thy Body, yet ſhall it have no dominion over thy Soul; Eccleſ. 12.7.the Spirit returns to God that gave it: The body is but a crazie Pitcher, and no wonder if it break, nay 'tis a wonder it hath run through ſo many dangers and is not yet broken; and when it is broken, 'tis but of the ſame Clay to make a better by the ſame Potter: Thy life is precious indeed, and ſhould not be ſold, but not ſo precious as to be bought at ſuch a rate as the loſs of the Soul: What wiſe man will ſell the Jewel to redeem the Box? Chriſt loſt his life for thy Souls redemption, and wilt thou not loſe thine for its preſervation? Temporal death is the only in-let to Eternal Life; but to ſeek to ſave thy Life when Chriſt and his Cauſe require it, is the ready way to eternal death; to loſe it in this caſe is to ſave it, and the way to get the greateſt gain, and to prevent the everlaſting ſeparation of ſoul and body from God, which is the ſecond Death: But Death of it ſelf cannot ſeperate from God, Rom. 8.28, 29.and however it may make the body loathſom in the eyes of men, and undeſirable to near Relations, yet it cannot make it unlovely in Gods eyes, or move him to forſake it; and though it do fall into the earth and rot there, 'tis but as ſeed ſown into the ground to ſpring up with more advantage; it is a part of Chriſts Purchaſe, and ſhall not be loſt; 1 Cor. 6.19.'tis the Temple of the Holy Ghoſt, and though it be ruined, 'tis but to be rebuilt, and not one pin of it ſhall be wanting, for the Grave, the Sea, and Hell muſt give up their dead; and though worms may feed upon thy body, yet thou ſhalt neither feel nor fear them; Pſal. 22.6.and why ſhouldſt thou diſdain thy fellow-creatures, ſeeing man in Scripture account is but a Worm? Job 25.6.thoſe cannot devour the body ſo as to hide it from God, neither can they make it loathſom to God. When a houſe is pull'd down, it ſeems a ruinous heap, but many times 'tis in order to rebuilding, and then 'tis more glorious. But if it be the pain of dying that doth affright thee, (and I know not what elſe it can be) conſider, there is very little cauſe for it; for we may daily ſee that many die and depart the world without any ſhew of ſenſible pain, and depart in peace, nay, as in a ſleep, ſometimes in a ſwoun, without motion or appearance of pain; and art afraid of that which even ſucking Children undergoe, and which all the world have or muſt endure? and were it painfull, wouldſt thou grutch to bear an hours pain for Eternal Glory, who uſually ſuffereſt as much pain for a meaner reward? If thy dinner be ſharp, thy Supper will be ſweet: Thou wilt take pains for profit, and ſuffer much for eaſe. Oh my God, did my dear Redeemer ſuffer ſuch a ſhameful death for me, to make me happy, and ſhall I loſe this happineſs, rather than go to enjoy it? God forbid. Lord, give me in requiſite qualifications, and then call for me when and how thou pleaſeſt; yet Lord let me not dye unprepared, and loſe both my Life and Soul together.