The Christians Defense Against the Fears of Death, Chapter 3
CHAP. 3.
Of divers ſorts of Death, with which we muſt encounter.
WHen David had a deſign to fight with Goliah, he could not make uſe of the Armor of King Saul, therefore he took a ſmooth ſtone out of his Bag, caſt it with his Sling, ſtruck the Philiſtine in the Forehead, and brought down this proud Giant, who had defied the Armies of Iſrael. We have already examined, and tried all the Armor of humane Wiſdom and Learning, laid up in the Storehouſes of the greateſt wits of former Ages, and we have found that they are not able to yield us any benefit, when we ſhall encounter with Death. Let us therefore now ſee whither we may overcome this Proud Enemy, with the Sling of our myſtical David, with the weapons of our Divine Shepheard; but before we begin the Encounter, let us look and behold it in the face. The enemy that I intend that you ſhould overcome, is a Monſter with three Heads, for there are three ſorts of death, the Corporal, the Spiritual, and the Eternal.
The Corporal Death is a ſeparation of the Soul from the Body; although our Body hath been faſhioned with the Finger of God, it is but a weak and frail Veſſel made with the ſlime of the Earth; but our Soul is of an Heavenly, Spiritual, and Immortal Subſtance; it is a Sparkle and a Raie of the Godhead, and the lively Image of our great Creator; for when God had made our firſt Parent, He breathed into his Noſtrils the breath of Life, Gen. 2.7. that we might thereby underſtand, that our Souls do proceed from his immediate hand, therefore he is named the Father of ſpirits, Heb. 12. and The faithful Creator of Souls, 1 Pet. 4. This Soul doth raiſe us a degree above all the Animals, and above the Celeſtial Bodies and renders us like to the Angels of Heaven: It is the Light that enlightens us, the Salt that preſerves us from Corruption; In one word, by this Soul we live, enjoy our Sences, move, and underſtand; as ſoon as this Angelical Gueſt leaves its Lodging and Earthly abode, it looſeth all Beauty, and falls of it ſelf into an inevitable ruine: For this Fleſh that we entertain with care, and pamper with all manner of Dainties, doth then corrupt and rot; after that, it hath been ſtretcht awhile upon Beds of Gold, and richly attired in Purple and Scarlet, it is caſt upon a Bed of Worms, and covered with the vileſt inſects of the Earth; notwithſtanding all its former perfumes, it yields then a moſt horrid ſtink; before it did raviſh the eyes of the Beholders with its admirable Beauty, but now it becomes ſo odious and horrible, that the living care not to ſee it; at laſt it is reduc'd to aſhes, according to the Sentence that was pronounc'd in the Earthly Paradiſe, Duſt thou art, and to Duſt thou ſhalt return. The Spiritual Death is the ſeparation of the Soul from God our Creator, for he being the Soul of our Souls, and the Light of our Life; aſſoon as we depart from this ſource of Light and Life, we fall into an Abyſſe of Darkneſs and Death, For all thoſe that depart from God ſhall periſh, Pſal. 73. As the Members when they are cut off from the Body, do commonly rot, and as the Twig withers when it is ſeparated from the Vine, ſo in a ſeparation from God, we can neither live, move, nor have a Being; and as it is with the Body ſeparated from the Soul, it nouriſheth a neſt of Worms that devour it, and ſends forth a moſt inſufferable ſtench: ſo it is with our Soul, when it is at a diſtance from God, it brings forth a multitude of evil affections, that torment and conſume it, and the ill ſcent of its crimes are odious to Heaven and Earth; of this kind of death our Saviour ſpeaks to the Jews in this manner; If you do not believe that I am he, you ſhall dye in your ſins, John 8. And to the Angel of the Church of Sardis, Thou haſt a name that thou liveſt and art dead, Rev. 3. This ſame Death St. Paul mentions in the 2 Chap. of the Coloſſ. and 2 of the Epheſ. When you were dead in your treſpaſſes and ſins, God hath quickened us together with Chriſt, and elſewhere he exhorts a ſinfull man, Awake thou that ſleepeſt, and ariſe from the dead and Chriſt ſhall give thee Light, Eph. 5. And it is of the ſame kind of Death that St. Paul ſpeaks of concerning the Lecherous Widow, that She is dead while ſhe liveth, 1 Tim. 5.
It was this kind of Death that Adam ſuffered aſſoon as he had taſted of the forbidden Fruit, according to Gods threatening; In the day that thou eateſt thereof, thou ſhalt dye the death: For not only his body became ſubject to Death and Corruption, but his Soul alſo was caſt into the death of Sin, and enſlaved to corruption. It happened to him as to a Lamp newly put out, the ſnuff yields a moſt ill-favour'd ſcent.
As the life of Grace is a preparation to the life of Glory, as it furniſheth us with a fore-taſt of the Heavenly joys; ſo on the contrary, the Spiritual Life is, as it were, the Suburbs of Hell; it is the firſt beginning of an Eternal death, and the mouth of the infernal Pit. The Eternal Death is nothing elſe but an entire and irrecoverable ſeparation of the Soul and Body from God, accompanied with infinite Torments; Torments indeed, unto which all the ſufferings of this mortal life are but light and inconſiderable ſcratches; nevertheleſs as the ſpirit of God doth repreſent the Heavenly joys and felicities by the things that are moſt pleaſant and delightful; thus to expreſs unto us Hells Torments, it borrows the things that are the moſt dreadful and painful in this life. We are told of an Abyſſe, or Furnace full of flames, a bottomleſs pit, burning with fire and brimſtone. The Scripture mentions, Chaines of darkneſs; an Eternal night, and an Hell fire, where there are weeping and knaſhing of Teeth; it tels us that Tophet is ordained of old, yea for the King it is prepared, he hath made it deep and large, the pile thereof is fire and much wood, the breath of the Lord like a ſtream of Brimſtone doth kindle it. Iſai. 30.33.
Fancy to your ſelves a Man devoured with Worms, burning in hot Flames, who is broken and tortured continually, in whoſe wounds kindled Brimſtone is poured without intermiſſion, with boyling Lead and burning Pitch, and if there be any other Torment more grievous and horrid, fancy it alſo; All this will give us but a light, and an imperfect image of Hell torments, for all the pangs of the Body are nothing in compariſon to the horrors, troubles, and incredible griefs that ſhall, for ever, rack and torture the damned Souls in Hell.
As ſname doth aggravate our ſufferings, and render them more terrible, the damned ſhall be loaden with Shame and Infamy for all Eternity, their names ſhall be hateful to God, and his Holy Angels and they, ſhall be curſed with an endleſs Curſe. And as it is an increaſe to our Torment to ſuffer in the company of abominable Varlets, and to become a companion of the moſt infamons Executioner; they ſhall ſuffer with Hells Executioner, and ſhall be ſent to the fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels: All their ſenſes ſhall ſhare in theſe horrid Torments, they ſhall be cruſht in the Wine-preſs of Gods Eternal Wrath, and they ſhall feel for ever and ever, the ſtroaks of Gods vengeance, and of his Almighty hand; They ſhall then learn by experience what a terrible thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God, and how unſufferable that fire is that ſhall conſume his Enemies; their Eyes ſhall perceive nothing but the bottomleſs pit, the Devils image, and the Furies of Hell: their Ears ſhall hear nothing but the horrible outcries and fearful roarings of the Tormented Devils, and damn'd ſouls. They ſhall be choakt with the noiſome ſmell and fumes of the bottomleſs pit; they ſhall then drink the very Dregs and the bottom of Gods anger and indignation, and they ſhall ſuck the venom of his Arrows, Fire and Brimſtone ſhall be the portion of their Cup. Pſal. 11.
The ſufferings of this life are but ſhort, and for a moment, but the Torments of the damned ſhall never end, Their Worm dieth not, and their fire ſhall never be quenched, Mar. 9. Revel. 20. They ſhall be tormented day and night for all Eternity; when they ſhall have ſuffer'd as many thouſand Ages as there be drops of water in the Sea, or grains of Sand on the ſhore; it ſhall be but the beginning of their grief; they ſhall live for ever to dye continually, and they ſhall dye and never be conſum'd; in the midſt of thoſe hot flames, they ſhall beg a drop of water to cool their tongue, Luk. 16. but we may ſay of this Fire that ſhall torture the damned, what the Spouſe in the Canticles ſaith of the Divine love that had enflamed her Soul, Many waters cannot quench it, neither can the flouds drown it, Cant. 8. And St. Paul tels us, that the things that God hath prepared for them that love him; eye hath not ſeen, ear hath not heard, nor did it ever enter into the heart of man, 1 Cor. 2. So on the contrary we may ſay, that thoſe things that God hath prepared for them that hate him, Eye hath not ſeen, Ear hath not heard, nor did never enter into the Heart of man. From hence ſhall proceed their Rage, Madneſs, and deſpair; they ſhall cry in Cains Language, My puniſhment is greater then I can bear, Gen. 4. when they ſhall ſee nothing but an extream miſery, and woful darkneſs, they will curſe God the King of all Creatures, Iſai. 8. In their fury and rage they will eat their Tongues, and blaſpheme the great God of Heaven and Earth. It had been far better for ſuch perſons, that they had never been born, therefore they ſhall ſeek death and ſhall not find it, Mat. 26. They ſhall deſire to dye, that is, to be reduc'd to nothing, Revel. 9. but this death ſhall fly from them, who of you can dwell in everlaſting burning? Iſ. 33. who of us can dwell in Eternal Flames? Revel. 6. If the viols, and little cups full of Gods wrath, do force the wicked to cry out, how much more ſhall the Rivers and the Ocean of Gods vengeance force from them; O mountains fall upon us, O rocks cover us, and hide us from the face of him that ſits upon the Throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the day of his anger is come, and who may abide it? Prov. 1. But as they have ſtopt their ears to Gods gracious calls, and hardned their hearts to his invitations to repentance, then God ſhall alſo ſtop his ears to their outcries, and his eyes to their horrid ſufferings, and when they ſhall be overwhelmed with fear and deſpair, God will ſcorn and mock at their inſufferable miſery.