The Blessedness of the Death of These that Die in the Lord, Sermon 7
SERMON VII.
Revel. 14: 13.
Blessed are the dead, which die in the Lord, &c.
SInce sin entered into the world, death hath been one of the most terrible things that the children of men have to meet with, even the most terrible of all terrible things; and indeed it is no wonder that they who know not of ane other and better life to come, nor of the way how to come at it, esteime so of it; It is called by Iob cap. 18: 19. The King of terrors, all other terrors are but petty and inconsiderable in respect of this; and it is one of the beleiving-Christian his great Priviledges, that he is armed for death, and that death is disarmed as to him; Death is made a kindly friend to the beleiver, and the terror of it is taken away; & that which the stoutest dar not, dow not, composedly look in the face (though in a fitt of manlinesse as they call it, or rather of desperatnesse indeed, some will endeavour to brave it out against death and to bear downe the terror of it) the true Christian only thrugh faith in Christ is a victor over even over this enemie death: The scope of these words as we shew, is, that the Lord knowing how in these calamities & troubles that wer comeing, death would be frequent, and that many of the bodies of his Saints would goe among the rest, though their death be very precious in his sight; And knowing also how despicable their death would be in the eyes of the prophane world; and how that they would be accounted the only wise and happy men that could best shift suffering for Christ and for his truth; and knowing withal how tempting this would be unto them, he premits this seasonable and sweet word of comfort, Blessed are the dead, which die in the Lord, &c. as if he had said, let not beleivers in Christ think much of death, it will not marr their happinesse but shall rather further and hasten it: So that this word is given to strengthen and comfort the godly against such ane evil time.
From which ground we propose this second doctrine: That God hath fully furnished the beleiver in him with comfort and encouradgment against the terriblnesse of death, so that though death be terrible in itselfe, yet the beleiver hes good and sufficient ground of encouradgment against it, and may quietly and comfortably die when God calls him, where and however it shall be; there is nothing in death that needs to fear him, the Word of God hath given him notable grounds of comfort and encouragment to bear him through it most heartsomely, and in the faith of that word he should walk confidently and comfortably throw the valey of the shaddow of death and fear none ill; There are two things in this doctrine much to the same purpose: 1. That the Lord allowes the beleiver to be comforted in his death, and therefore hes allowed him grounds of strong consolation. 2. That the beleiver who hath these grounds, should make use of them to bear him chearfully and comfortably thrugh death; so the Lord speaking of Death and Judgment, Luke 21. 28. sayes to, and commands, beleivers in him, When ye shall see these things come to passe, then looke up and lift up your heads for the day of your redemption draweth nigh, beside many other commands t…at are frequent in the Scriptures to this purpose; and how many of the Saints resting on and improveing these grounds have died most willingly, pleasantly, comfortably, and joyfully? Take for instance old Simeon, who sweetly sayes, Luke 2. Now lettest thou thy Servant depart in peace, &c. He begs leave to be gone; And if ye look to Paul, O! how earnestly does he long for his passe and dimission, and how heartily does he welcome the thoughts of it? Philip. 1: 21. To clear the doctrine a litle, we shall speake somewhat to these two things. 1 What are the things that ordinarly make death terrible. 2. What are the grounds of comfort and refreshing, or the refreshful considerations that beleivers have in the way of grace against these grounds of terrour, and the latter will be found very far greater then the former; only take this word of caution or warning, that we speak not of death so, as if it wer comfortable to die simply, or as if it wer so to all; no not so, for its terrible to all them that die in sin and out of Christ; but to them that beleive in him, and take his own way to this blessed end of dieing in him, to all them and to them only, is death comfortable and refreshing, and to none others.
But 1. As to these things that make death terrible and so much to be feared, they are especially these five. 1. There is something natural in death that makes it terrible, and that is, the dissolution of that intime, closse, and strait union, which is betwixt the soul and the body; which separation of these two great intimates being contrarie to nature, cannot but be abhorrent and terrible to it; and death withal, in its large extent, being a part and fruit of the curse, and a bitter fruit of mans departure from God, its no wonder it be terrible. 2ly, There is something in death that is penal; as it is the wages of sin (just now hinted) it hath challenges flowing from the law with it, which speake in the conscience; this is the fruit of sin, and hath a right with it to dominion over the sinner flowing from the breach of the Law of God; and wer there no more then this in death it might make it terrible to all; Hence its said, 1 Cor. 15: 20. that the sting of death is sin, because it wer nothing to die if there wer no challenge for sin in it; and the strength of sin is the Law, because the Law curseth every one that continues not in all things that are written in it to doe them, Gal. 3. 10. So that by this meanes death hath dominion over all, and brings all as in their natural condition under wrath. 3ly, There is something that is accidental (if we may so speak) in death, and that is, the greatnesse and greivousnesse of paine that ordinarly takes hold of men and women when death as a King of terrors draws near; and sometimes some other circumstances concurre to make it terrible, as namely, that it comes at such a time, very surpriseingly, that it comes by such a sort of sicknesse that it may be is loathsome and somewhat thought shame of, that it trysts the person in such a place and among such a company, and it may be at distance from all friends and familiars. 4ly, There is a…e uncowthnesse and strangenesse in the thing, that makes it terrible; the man that now is a dieing never died before, and none can tell him to the full and to the life what and how great a thing it is to lay downe his life; a thing which he never experienced before; for his thoughts, affections, delights, desires, and designes are all much changed and altered from what they wer; Yea, that wherein he had pleasure is possibly his bane and torment; his thoughts of the world are quite another thing then sometime they wer; It is then no wonder that folkes scar and be very fearful to adventure on a voyage, whereof none can give them a particular and exact account as having sailed it before them, and with which they themselves have never been acquainted, and which hath such terrible effects, especially where faith in Christ is wanting. 5ly, That which accompanies and followes death makes it terrible, if it wer to goe to the dust as the beast doeth, it wer nothing so terrible, but to have ane immortal soul that must appear befor the tribunal of the great God, and must goe through the hands of his holy severe Justice, where the least sin will draw on damnation, and where the sentence thats once past is never to be revocked; O! what a concerning and terrible thing is that? And however while men are in health they think but litle of it, yet it hath a broad look at death: Nay if you will consider men as men, much more as having some light of the Gospel, ye would think it matter of admiration, that the serious thoughts of what followeth after death, doeth not putt them quite beside themselves, and fright them out of their witts; However, to die carelesly and without satisfaction anent ane interest in Christ, is doubtlesse a most terrible thing.
In the 2d place, If ye look to the allowance that beleivers have, and to their grounds of comfort against these things that are terrible in death, ye will see them to be far greater and stronger then they are terrible; For clearing whereof, Consider, 1. The grounds of the beleivers peace and comfort in dieing. 2. The fruits that flow from these grounds, which are exceeding refreshing and encouradging, and which ye would carefully gather and lay up against the time of dieing, and take such a way of living as ye may have right to them when ye come to die.
First then for the grounds of beleivers peace and comfort, consider these, 1. Gods over-ruleing providence in the least circumstance that concernes a beleivers death, Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints, Psal. 116. v. 15. He lookes to their death as a matter of special concernment, the time, the sicknesse, the kind of death, whither a violent or natural, a lingring or sudden death, are all determined & concluded with him. I said, sayes David, thou art my God, my times are in thy hand, deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, Psal. 31. 15. his interest in God sweetneth all to him, and it also comforts him against the persecution of enemies, that it was not in mens hand to putt ane end to his life when they pleased, but in Gods. 2ly, Consider our Lord Jesus his special commission in reference to death as he is Mediator, whom God hath furnished with all power in Heaven and Earth; Therefore when Iohn is affrayed to die Revel. 1. v. 18. He laid his hand on him, and said unto him fear not, I have the keyes of Hell and of Death: The godly need not be surprised with it, as if it could seaze or take hold of them without commission, for death hath not the keyes of itselfe in keeping, but he beares them all; the world cannot take the bodily life of a Saint from him, till he grant a commission for that effect: Is it not then very comfortable to be in such a blessed estate about which he doeth in a special manner order and command all? Most certainly it is. A 3d ground of consolation, is taken from our Lords satisfaction and death; and this is a maine one which hath many grounds of comfort in it, he died and was laid in the grave; Hence 1, He hath satisfied the Law and taken away the curse, 2 Cor. 5. v. last. He was made sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him: Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. Gal. 3. 13. Blotting out the hand-writing of ordinances that was against us, and that was contrary to us, taking it out of the way and nailing it to his crosse, and haveing spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly triumphing over them in it, Col. 2: 14, 15. his death is our victory over death, he disarmed the Devil by his dieing, and became the death of death, as it is, Hosea 13. O death I will be thy plagues, O grave I will be thy destruction; He by lyeing in the grave hath sweetned it to beleivers, so that they need not fear to lye where he lay. 2. His resurrection compleats the consolation, it shewes that death is his captive, that it prevailed not over him, but that he prevailed over it and spoiled it of its power; so that beleivers may sweetly sing, O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory? Thanks be to God who hath given us the victory, th…ugh Christs resurrection, he having satisfied for them and in their roome; this is the ground of the Apostles triumph, Rom. 8. 33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect? It is God that justifies, who shall condemne? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen againe; Let the Law, Justice, the Devil, and sin come forth, they have no just ground of challenge or plea against the beleiver, for the debt is payed, Christ is dead and risen and hath gote a discharge; this is the fundation of a beleivers comfort, considering that Christ died to prevent all right in any party or person to challenge or implead him. 3. His intercession yet further compleats the consolation, for he hath not left the beleiver to die his alone nor to live his alone, but the benefits of his purchase are made forth-comeing for him, according to his prayer, John 17. 24. (& he is the same now in Heaven that he was on earth) where he sayeth, Father, I will that these whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory: The summe of his intercession, is to ge…t beleivers made conquerours, and it is not fully satisfied …ill they be compleatly so; This is a very great ground of comfort, that when the beleiver cannot pray for himselfe, and possibly his senses fail and are gone, and the prayers of others can be but litle refreshing, that even then he is reached by the benefite of Christs intercession. A 4th ground, is the consideration of Gods Covenant, and of his love and faithfulnesse in keeping Covenant, even in and through death, when David 2 Sam. 23: 5. is about to comfort himselfe against death (which seems to be his scope in these words) he draws his comfort from this ground, that God hath made with him ane everlasting Covenant, ordered in all things and sure: And the Covenant holds forth five propperties in God, that doe most strongly comfort against death: 1. The Love of God, that is stronger then death, for death will never overcome it, but it overcomes death; Who shall separat us from the Love of God, saveth the Apostle, Rom. 8: 37 shall tribulation, or distresse, or persecution &c? Nay in all these things, we are more then conquerours through him that loved us: The love of God getts the victory, and gives the beleiver the victory over all not only in life but in death, it being of infinitly broad extent and of everlasting duration. 2. His Faithfulnesse in this Covenant is plighted to the beleiver, which death takes not away, hence God is said to be the God not of the dead, but of the living; Though Abraham be dead yet is he his God still, the covenant-relation is not dissolved, but as he is faithful in keeping Covenant to him while he is alive, so is he at death, which is the prefixed terme for makeing all the promises of the Covenant fully forthcomeing, and for entring beleivers in possession of them. A 3d propperty, is Gods Wisedome in frameing the Covenant so suteably, that it comforts not only in life but at death, therefore its said to be ordered in all things, the promises of grace and mercy in the Covenant, are not only to give pardon here alonge the beleivers life, but assured quietnesse at death, even though sense and feiling be gone. A 4th propperty, is the Iustice of God, which though it seem to be most terrible, yet is it comfortable to beleivers against death, Henceforth is laid up for me, sai…h the Apostle, 2 Tim. 4. 8. a crowne of righteousnesse, which God the righteous judge shall give to me at that day: For it is just with God to give to beleivers what Christ hath bought and purchased at so dear a rate for them, to give them comfort who have betaken themselves to him for it; for though he gives nothing to beleivers on the accompt of their merit, yet there is a su…eablenesse and proportionablenesse by which he walks towards them, and without all doubt Christ hath merited these great things for them, which God in Justice is oblidged to him to bestow on them The 5th and last propperty, is the Power of God, which is engadged for the keeping beleivers to salvation, 1 Pet. 1: 5. he hath spoken the word and he can and will make it good, and there is nothing wherein his power shines forth more conspicuously, then in their supportance and through-bearing in their death, when tentations are readily strongest. A 5th ground, is the begun operation and work of the Spirit of God, considered either as his comfortable work, as he is the Spirit of adoption bearing witnesse with their Spirits, or as it is his sanctifieing and mortifieing work, killing inward lusts, or as it is his strengthning or quickning work, whereby he keeps life in the beleiver, and gives him ane earnest of that which is comeing; the more of these he hath he may the more quietly and comfortably die, the seed of God is in him and is keept still alive in him; And now since God in his providence, Christ in his death, resurrection, intercession, and administration of his offices, Gods Covenant and all his propperties, with the work of his Spirit, are all ingadged for the beleiver; what more can be required for his comfortable through-bearing in death? And yet all these are Gods allowance on him, even on every one that hath made his peace with God through Jesus Christ; are they not then, O! are they not blessed that die in the Lord?
In the 2d place, take some comfortable considerations as so many fruits that spring from these grounds, or as so many fruits of Gods love and everlasting Covenant. 1. God gives charge to his Angels to attend on beleivers at death, for convoying their soules to the bosome of Abraham, Luk. 16. for if Angels be ministring Spirits to page and wait on them in their life, they are much more so at their death; God is so tender of them that he hath Angels moe then one waiting on them; And though this come not up the length of the former grounds of comfort, springing more immediatly from the Father, the Sone, and the Holy Spirit, yet its exceeding comfortable when neither Minister nor Friend can comfort, that they have glorious Angels to be with them for ever, to convoy them to Heaven, which is by them accounted ane honourable peice of service. 2. The present happinesse wherewith the soul is possessed on the back of death, (for its immediatly caried as I said, to the bosome of Abraham, or rather to the bosome of Jesus Christ) Take a word of it in these two (which we spoke to more largely before,) 1. They have a perfect freedome from all ills of this life, no sin, no challenge, no accusation, no crosse, no difficulty, no weight, all …ears are wiped from their eyes, sorrow and sighing flee away, they have absolute freedome from all the disquietnesse that is here: 2. They are brought to the possession of their hope, they are brought to the immediat injoyment of God and of Christ as man visible, they are furnished with all desyreable perfections, nothing is now in part, all is perfect, they are perfect in knowledge, they have a clear resolution to all their doubts anent things which we disput long about here with much contention, and seldome come to a clearly satisfieing close; a glance of God and of Christ fully satisfieth as to all these; There is ane admission to all the priviledges of Heaven, a place given among them that stand by, a sitting on Thrones with Abraham, Isaac, Iacob▪ M…ses, Samuel, David, and with the rest of the Prophets; with Paul, Iames▪ Iohn, and the rest of the Apostles, where they behold the face of God and of the Lamb, and are amongst his attendants serveing him alwayes without any the least wearinesse, weight, or burden, without any difficulty or indisposition, and blessing and praising him for ever and ever; And is not this a most heartsome and comfortable life and lot? May not a beleiver then yeild to death, yea and make it very welcome on this ground? Considering what a miserable world he lives in, and how eminently, aboundantly, and superexcellently all the vaine and evanishing shaddowes and shews here away are made up, by what is most real, solid, substantial, satisfieing, and abiding there. There is 3ly, the resurrection of beleivers bodies; though this tabernacle be dissolved and goe to the dust, yet up again it must; and that part of Isaias his songe, Cap. 26. is then eminently verified, Thy dead men shall live, togither with my dead body shall they arise; awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust, for their dew is as the dew of herbes, and the earth shall cast out the dead: As in winter the herbes are not seen, yet the roots remaine in the ground and they rise againe in the spring, so (sayeth faith resting on the word of promise) shall the bodies of the godly and these that lye downe mortal rise immortal, having agility and aptitude to follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes; these bodies that wer sown in cor…uption & dishonour, and which after a while lyeing in the ground become very loathsome, shall be raised in incorruption and glory, even conforme to the glorious body of Jesus Christ; these bodies that wer sown in weaknesse, even such weaknesse that they could not goe on their own feet to the grave, nay that wer without all life, motion, sense, and feiling, shall be raised in power, as you may see at greater length in these excellently sweet and comfortable words of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 15. wherein not only he clears the great truth of the resurrection, but also shewes what grounds of comfort himselfe and other beleivers had against death in it. 4ly and lastly, Consider what will be the souls and the bodies case when that desyreable day of the resurrection comes, when these two old intimats shall meet togither, and as it wer renew their acquaintance againe in much better condition then they parted, there will be no more a wrestling thenceforth betwixt flesh and spirit, but a holy harmony in ane unit and joint enjoying of God, in ane unit and joint delighting in, and serving of God, and in ane unit and joint satisfaction in God and in being with God for evermore, for we shall be for ever wi…h the Lord, saith the Apostle, 1 Thess. 4. Wherefore, sayeth he, comfort one another with these words; As indeed there is good and non-such ground to doe: Consider withall the great honour they will have at Judgment, and the happinesse following it. To returne then to what we proposed, seeing beleivers in Christ have such pregnant and impregnable grounds to comfort them against death, and seeing such sweet and passing-excellent fruits flow from these grounds, and since there is such a begun good at death that hath no end, may they not be very quiet in their life and at their death, and be exceedingly comforted, whatever be the time, the place, or manner, that God in his wisedome shall think fitt to call them by death out of this present evil world?
We come now to the Uses of this sweet point of doctrine; And the first use is of exhortation to beleivers: 1. To lay up this comfort, and 2ly, To blesse God for this comfort, that he hath provided so very well for you both in this life, and at and after your death; 3ly, Blesse him that ever he was graciously pleased to bring you to this happy condition, when he might have left you altogither comfortlesse both in life and death, O! blesse him that he hath given his Sonne Jesus Christ, that he is come, and that grace is through him extended that broad as to take you in: It should make you cry with holy David in a transport of admiration, what am I, and what is my fathers house, that thou hast brought me hitherto: 2 Sam. 7. and with him to say, I blesse the Lord that hath given me counsel, Psal 16,
But 2ly, There are two uses we would speak a litle more particularly to, the first whereof, is to exhort you to that which is the summe of all we have spoken to you from these words, even to study to live so as ye may die in Christ, which death, hath so many and so strong grounds of consolation waiting it, that all the world cannot possibly parallel or equal them; If here wer not another motive to presse you to faith in Christ, and to mortification, and to the makeing of your calling and election sure, this is sufficient, that these things have such comforts at death and against it, which are the most uncontravertibly sure, stable, and lasting grounds of comfort; other grounds of comfort that goe quite dry and evanish at death, are but miserable comforters, and like Iob's winter-brookes of water, that in summer disappoint the weary traveller, and send him away ashamed; but these comforts can guard the heart against the law, against challenges for sin, and against the Devil; nay let us suppose, that there wer millions of Devils, and of challenges for sin, and of laws transgressed thereby, to speak and passe sentence against the beleiver in Christ, there is mighty and mervelous ground of comfort for him against them all here, he may appear and appeal and confidently say, there are moe with me then against me; death to him wants its sting, and …in its strength, and he may stop over the bound-rode (to say so) and border of time into eternity, with a song of praise and triumph in his mouth, and die as quietly and confidently as if he wer to lye downe in his bed, as it is Isa. 57. v. 1, 2. yea, with a great deal more quietnesse, confidence, and chearfulnesse: Therefore wer ye to choise a way of living, let it be this, even to live so as ye may die in Christ; This is, as I said, the great scope of all that we have spoken from these words, even to stirr you up to live so as ye may be happy at your death, and that is to die in him: I shall propose but one consideration to inforce this upon you, and its this, that way of living and dieing hath with it ane alteration of the nature of all things; when a man is ane enemy to God, all things are accursed to him, but when he is befreinded to God and in good termes with him, all things are blessed to him, and work togither for his good, Rom. 8. v. 28 and death comes in amongst these all things; All things are yours, saith the Apostle, 1 Cor. 3. at the close, whither Paul, or Cephas, life, or death, things present, or things to come, they are all at your service, they are all yours as to the blest use of them; they work togither for your good, and prove all contributive and subservient to your bringing to glory.
The 2d Use on the other hand, is to lett all of you see what great prejudice ye suffer, and what disadvantage ye lye under, that live not so as ye may die in Christ; ye have nothing to doe with any the least of all these consolations, and therefore in the name of the Lord ye are inhibited and discharged to medle with them; See that none of you who resolve not to rest on Christ by faith, to live holily, and to shew forth his praise, by a shineing and exemplary conversation, dar to prefume to put forth your hand to touch these consolations; that terrible word in the 7. of Ieremie, calls for your consideration, Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsly, and come and stand before me in this House, and say we are delivered to doe all these abominations? Will ye take your own way of prophane living, and yet expect any benefite of my Covenant, or any saveing fruit of my grace; As God reckoned with profaine Israel, so shall he reckon with you, and shall separat you from his people unto a curse, and the anger of God shall smoak against you; not one gracelesse sinner shall be permitted to joine himselfe with, or to lurke amongst, the great company and congregation of these godly; Angels shall separat you from them, and the sentence of the judge shall separat you from him and them with that doolful, depart from me, ye workers of iniquity; and that sentence will be as terrible to you as the godlies sentence will be comfortable to them, Come ye blessed of my Father &c. Take notice of this all ye that think ye would faine die well, (and no mervel, for so did prophane Balaam desyre to die the death of the righteous) but have no care to live well; when all t…is doctrine is summed up, it will draw your happinesse on this very hinge and bring it to this issue, whither ye will indeed in the Lords strength se…t yourselves to live so as ye may die in Christ, then in this case all these consolations, even all the consolations of the Gospel, shall be yours, but not one of them all is yours otherwayes; To them that die in the Lord and to them only, is happinesse promised, but on the contrary to all them that live not to him, and die not in him, God is ane enemy in life and in death, his curse followes them here, and cleaves closse to them as a girdle doeth to the loines of a man in the grave, so that they shall never be able to shake it off; sins and challenges shall then be multiplied, death shall then putt forth its stinge and sin its strength; the grave shall then obtaine full victory over them, it shall feed on them; but it shall not be so with the godly, it shall have no dominion over them as it hath over the wicked that die in their sinnes and out of Christ, death and the curse make a morsal, as it wer, of all that live and die out of Christ, it eats them up & consumes them for evermore; when the first death is over and gone, the second death takes hold of them and never lets goe its hold; so that death will still, even through all eternity pursue the quarrel against them, And therefore let me shut up all with two words; The 1st whereof is to you who make conscience of being and living in Christ, though ye come short of that which ye much covet and long to be at, and is called for from you, which is your burden and affliction; yet consider what a comfortable allowance ye have from God, who is the God of all consolation, and be comforted in it; what ever be your lot and condition in the world, be what it will or may be, a litle time will put it by and to ane end; Therefore I say, take encouragment from these grounds of consolation that God hath given you against the terriblenesse of death, and walk so as ye may not marr your own comfort; and withall, blesse God who hath given you such good ground of hope, ye have more to make a truely comfortable life to you, then all the Kings and great men in the earth have that are out of Christ; ye may be very sinfully defective in this much called-for duty of blessing God, who hath provided so notably well for you, and may robe him of the glory that is infinitly due to him from you, on many O! very many accounts, if ye looke not to it.
The 2d word, is to all of you whom we would earnestly beseech, for the Lords sake, and as ye prize these mercies, to take the way that God hath shalked out to come by them; dieing in the Lord is the great qualification that hath all these comforts annexed to it, and living in, and to him, is the indispensably requisit qualification of all that would die in him, and this is to live by faith in the Sone of God, and to live Christ-like, to live so as Christ may live in you and ye may live in him, that the truth and the straitnesse of your union with him may be evident and apparent by the fruits of it; In a word, to live in continual communion with him, and in the closse and constant pursute of conformity to him; We will dar to say to you that live so, yea, to all of you on condition ye will through grace choise this way of living, that ye shall die happie, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it, and will make it good, Blessed are they which die in the Lord, he hath pronounced blessednesse on such, in death and after death; And upon the other hand, if ye will betake yourselves to the way of the most part, and live carnally and carelesly, and will not think more on death, and will doe no more to prepare and make ready for it, alace! we must say to you, and dar not but say to you, and the Lord will ratifie and confirme it, that ye have nothing to doe with these comforts of his people, nor have any part or portion in them; And if so, what have ye to comfort yourselves in, though ye were all Kings and Queens, of the most opulent, potent, and floorishing Kingdoms in the World? God will say to you, that ye had nothing to doe, to take his Covenant in your mouths, since ye hated to be reformed: And though poor wretches, ye now live in carnal mirth and jollity, yet your laughter and joy, your singing and dancing, shall by and by be turned into mourning, into weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, as your mirth and laughter end, your weeping and houling shall begin but never end: Is there not then, O! is there not great, vastly great difference betwixt dieing in sin and dieing in Christ? And all this depends on your way of living, And is there not a necessity, a most absolute and indispensible necessity of your being in him, and of your living in him and to him, as ye would not to your eternal prejudice and losse, be found mistaking or not duely considering these things that belonge to your peace, till this your day be over and gone, and matters betwixt him and you be past all ridding and remedy? Now the Lord himselfe who only can doe it, powerfully perswade and prevail with you, so to live that ye may have the well-grounded hope of dying in Christ, since blessed and only blessed are they who die in the Lord, who rest from their lábours and whose works follow them.
FINIS.