The Happiness of Those Who Sleep in Jesus, Application 3
Use 3.
The woful and miserable condition of those, who die in an unregenerate condition, in their sins unrepented on, and whose bodies lye in the grave … not asleep in Iesus, but asleep in sin; to these men death is of all formidable things most formidable. It is a most cruel, biting, and devouring Serpent with eight Stings.
1. To a man out of Christ, death puts an end to all his outward contentments, to all his riches, honours, and pleasures, to whatsoever a wicked man accounts his Heaven, and his happiness; and this must needs be as a stinging Serpent to him. Judg. 18.23, 24.We read of Micah, that when the men of Dan stole away his Gods, he followed them crying, and they turned back, and asked him what aileth thee? he answered, ye have taken away my gods, &c. and do you say to me, what aileth thee? When a wicked man dies he looseth all his Gods, For he maketh his riches, honours and pleasures his gods, and no wonder the memory of death is so bitter to him.
2. It deprives him of all his hopes. Job 11.7.For when a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish, and the hope of unjust men perisheth. The righteous hath hope in death. His Motto is, Dum expiro, spero. But a wicked mans hope perisheth at death, and gives up the Ghost, Job 11.20. His Motto is Dum expiro, despero Death puts an end both to his
Hopes.
Earthly and Heavenly
1. To his earthly hopes A wicked man builds Castles in the air, and promiseth great matters to himself, and saith, as the Rich man, Luke 12.19.20.Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God saith to him. Thou fool, this night thy Soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided. Death dasheth all his earthly hopes; and that which is worse,
2. Death dasheth all his Spiritual and supernatural hopes. A wicked man is ready to nourish in himself a presumptuous hope of Heaven, and doubts not but that he shall be saved; but when he comes to die, all his hopes of Heaven perish, and are as a Spiders web, easily swept away, Iob 8.14. The Lord rejecteth his vain confidence, Jer. 2.37. Now this is a misery above expression, for a man to be disappointed of his eternal hopes.
3. Death puts an end to all the sweetness, pleasure and profit that is in sin. There are two things in the Serpent, sin. The speckled black, and the sting in the tail of it. The pleasures of sin for a season, and the eternal pains attending it. A man out of Christ while he is alive and in health, sucks out the carnal sweetness that is in sin, it is as honey to his mouth. But when death comes, the sweetness of sin vanisheth, and nothing remains but the sting and torment of it. Even as a Thief, as long as he is unfound out, lives merrily upon what he hath stolen, but when he is found, and cast into Prison and condemned to be hanged, then he feels nothing but bitterness and sorrow. So it is with a wicked man; As long as he is in health and in prosperity, he takes great delight and content in sinning, but when he comes to be attached and arrested with Death, then the misery and cursedness of sin appears before him. Then he begins to say, Where is all the carnal pleasure I once took in my sinfull courses? Nothing now remains but the Sting. Momentaneum quod delectat, aternum quod cruciat. That which delighted me was but momentany, but that which will torment me, is eternal.
4. Death must needs be a stinging Serpent to a man out of Christ, because it puts Conscience into office to wound and torture him. The great design of a wicked man in health is to blind, or bribe his Conscience; but death puts it into office, and sets it on his proper Throne; and Conscience once awakened becomes a biting Serpent, and a gnawing worm, never suffering him to be at rest night nor day. Sin is like a piece of wood, which while it is in the water seems very light, floating on the top of it, but when it comes to the shoar, ten men can hardly stir that, which one man before might have carried which way he lifted. While a wicked man is in health and in prosperity, his sins seem light to him, but when he comes to the shoar of Death, then they begin to be heavy, then Conscience, like a Mastive Dog, flies in his face, and his sins appear in their ugly colours, with all the aggravating circumstances, and sting him exceedingly.
5. Death puts an end to Gods patience, to the day of grace and mercy, and to all the means of Salvation. For there is no repenting in the grave whither we are going. This life is a day of grace and Salvation. Now Ahashuerosh holds forth his golden Scepter. Now the Hour-glass of patience is running, the drawbridge is let down, and the white Flag of mercy is hanged out; but when Death comes, the white Flag is taken down, the Hourglass run out, the Draw-bridge taken up, the day of grace and patience at an end. Et qui fluvios sanguinis nunc dabit guttam aqua in Inferno negabit. And he that will now give us rivers of his blood to wash away our sins, will not in Hell give us a drop of water.
6. A man out of Christ hath also this unhappiness, that whensoever he dieth, he dieth suddenly, though he die never so leasurely; Suddenly in regard of preparation, though not in regard of time, For he dieth like the Foolish Virgins, having his Oyl to buy, his graces and evidences for Heaven to get, which is no little misery. For Death is a time of spending, not geting, whether you consider the Soul, or the Body. And as that man is in a sad condition, as to his outward estate, that hath laid up nothing in health to maintain him in sickness; So he is in a sadder, as to his eternal estate, that is unprovided at Death of a Stock of Grace, and Scripture Cordials. This man dieth suddenly though he die never so leasurely.
7. He dieth miserably, though he die never so happily; though in his bed, and in his old age; though buried in great pomp, yet dying in his sins he is cursed at death, and cursed after death.
8. Lastly, and especially, because Death opens a Door to endless and easeless miseries. It is gaudiorum finis & malorum omnium principium, The end of all his joy, and the beginning of all his misery. If Death were an utter extinction, and annihilation it were not so terrible; but herein is the terrour of it, because it lets the Soul out of the Prison of the body, to go to the everlasting Prison of Hell. Death is Gods Sergeant to arrest a wicked man, and after arrest to carry him to the Iudge, there to receive the sentence of Condemnation, and after that to be delivered over to the Gaoler, to be carried to the fiery Prison of Hell, there to remain for ever. It deals with every wicked man as it did with Dives, it carrieth him a Tenebris ad Tenebras, from the darkness of sin, to the darkness of Hell. All these particulars shew unto us the woful and miserable condition of those who die out of Christ.