The Blessedness of the Death of These that Die in the Lord, Sermon 3
SERMON III.
Revel. 14: 13.
Blessed are the Dead which die in the Lord, &c.
THere are some things of such concernment to us that if we goe suteablie, seriously & singly about them, we can be hardly too much in them, and therefore these four things that are called mans last things, Death, Iudgment, Heaven and Hell, have been so frequently recommended to Christians as the most constant subjects of their Meditation; and among them all, death ought to have the first place in order at least, it being the door whereby we enter into Judgment, and as men die so they shall rise and may expect a final decision and sentence from the Judge about their eternal state, & the Spirits casting in this to divert Iohn and the Reader a litle from following the series of the Historie, does put a commendation on it, and sayes that it is no digression, for his People to bestow some serious thoughts on it.
The last thing we spoke to was a Doctrine from the words as they lye, that they and they only are blessed who die in the Lord; now ere we further prosecut the main uses of the Doctrine we shall speak a word to that which is manifestly implyed here, and it is this, that as they are blessed who die in the Lord, so they are exceedingly miserable that die out of him in their sinnes; for the affirming of the one implyes and supposes the other; and it might follow on the former Doctrine as ane use, however its cleirly in the words and commends dieing in Christ to you all, and serves to stirr you up to be serious to make that sure, and therefore we exhort, beseech, and obtest you to count it of concernment even of the greatest concernment unto you, it is to you Men and Women that we speak and not to walls, to timber and stones, sleep not neither let your minds vaig and wander, for we are speaking the words of truth, that many of you may be made to find the truth of too late.
In prosecuting this Doctrine, we shall speak a litle to the cleiring of both the branches of it, and then come to the use. The first branch is, that there are many that die not in Christ, this is cleirly implyed in the words; Its looked on as a rare thing in the spreading of the Gospel after the reigne of Antichrist to find People dieing in the Lord, he is a rare so a happie man that dies in him. The second branch of it is, that be who they will that die not in him but die out of him in their sinnes, they die exceeding miserably; we shall confirme the first, and then speak a litle to the explication of the second.
For the first, that there are many that die not in Christ, it appears from Matth. 7. vers. 22. and from Luke 13. vers, 24. These three will confirme it aboundantly; 1. the plaine words of Scripture where Christ speaketh of Heaven as having, for coming to it, a narrow way & a strait gate so that few enter in thereat, and of Hell and Destruction as having a wide gate and a broad way into which many enter, and when he speaks of the day of Judgment, he sayes, many shall come to him in that day and say, Lord, Lord, open to us, to whom he will say depart from me I never knew you, and he will sett the goats on his left hand and send them thence into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels; these Scriptures speak not only of such as are without the Church, but also if not mainly of many visible Professours, yea even of such as preached in his name, and yet say of them that they die not in Christ. 2. If ye will look to the ordinary connexion that is betwixt mens living and dieing, ye will find that the way of the most part of men declares plainly that they die not in the Lord; for as we shew, mens being and living in Christ must preceid their dieing in him, before they can die in him they must needs be in him; we doe not say that all must be and live so many years in him before they can die in him, but that they must be sometime in him before they can die in him, and that they must live and put forth some acts and breathings of a spiritual life, of the life of Faith in him, if it wer but a few words to Gods glorie and for others edification, or a few sighs, groans, and looks to him; as we may see in the theife on the Crosse though his time was verie short; And if this being and living in Christ must preceid dieing in him, if ye compare it with the most part of your lives, Ah! how sad a prognostick gives it, of what is like to be your way of dieing? How many are there of you that live still in black nature and wer never borne againe? If I could classe the lives of the most part I would essay it. 1. How many are living like Atheists not calling upon God at all, casting off fear and restraining Prayer before him? And as these live so they die for the most part either securely or desperatly. 2. How many live in formalitie and never knew what it was to mortifie the Flesh, or sincerely to aime at the power of godlinesse, and yet sayeth the Holie Ghost Rom. 8: 13. If ye live after the flesh ye shall die, but if ye through the Spirit mortifie the deads of the body ye shall live; if grace be not in the heart and Kyth not at all in the conversation, ye cannot warrantablie expect to die in Christ; except a man be borne againe he cannot enter into the Kingdome of Heaven, this is a large and great classe and takes in all that live and die as they wer borne, and seek not after another life then that which they brought with them into the World. 3. How many are there that have some outward fairding and paint and yet have no realitie of Religion within? Whereby they mock God and dissemble with Men: It is to such that Christ speakes John 8. 21. and tells them that they shall die in their sinnes, and against this sort of men he denounceth many woes. 4. Are there not many that live without Faith in Christ? Without which they cannot possiblie please God neither living nor dieing, and shall be damned if they continue so, for sayeth the Lord John 3. v. 18. he that beleives not is condemned alreadie: Now when all these Classes are laid aside, there will be but few behind; all which proves aboundantly the truth of the thing, and that there is but too good ground to think that there are manie, verie manie who die not in Christ. A third ground of confirmation of this sad truth may be drawn from the ordinary way that the most part die in, and passe out of time into eternitie; O! how many die securely, stupidly and (as we said before) senselesly, and are no more affected with the thoughts of the immortalitie of their souls then if they had none at all? How many die presumptously confident? how many found their faith of dieing well on wrong grounds? how many die doubtinglie not knowing what shall become of them? And how many die desperatly? So that (alace) there are but few among us that close their eyes like dieing Persons in Christ; and though we will not be peremptour in passing Judgment upon, or in censureing of particular persons as to their final state, yet all this shews that it is no very common nor ordinary thing to die in the Lord.
As for the second branch of the Doctrine, to witt, that these who die out of Christ in their sinnes, die in exceeding great miserie, It is also very clear, for as the happinesse of them that die in Christ is unexpressiblie great, so the miserie and unhappinesse of them that die not in him is also inexpressible, for they are excluded and shut out from God and from all good, and have his wrath, his furious indignation, and his most sever Justice persueing them for ever and ever; we shall onlie consider it brieflie in these two generals; 1. They are put out and secluded from the greatest happinesse that can be Imagined, and that in all the degrees of it. 2. They are concluded and put under the greatest miserie that can be conceaved, and that in all the degrees of it. 1. I say they are shutt out from the greatest happinesse, and that is, from the fellowship of God who is the chief good, from converseing with the Lamb, glorious Angels and Saints, they shall not have one Saint in all their Companie, there is not nor shall be the least evidence of the love of God among all the thousands in Hell, not one drop of cold water to coole the tongue of any of them who are tormented in these fiames, they have Iudgment without the least mixture of mercy, Iam. 1. 13. and that for ever without intermission; they shall never have the least glimmering of light nor the least slaiking or mitigation of their paine, they shall have no rest night nor day; and which aggreageth all even to the verie hight and extremitie, they have no outgate nor hope of it, but lye in utter desperatione under that felt eternal torment; it would be some lightening to the damned in Hell if their torment wer to continue but for some thousands of years, yea or but for some millions of thousands of years, as poor Spira said, that it would have been a comfort to him if Hell had been but for twentie thousand years; but it is for ever. And 2. If we look to the other part of it, they are in this hopelesse condition under the greatest miserie drinking for ever of the Wyne of the wrath of God without mixture in the cup of his indignation, which shall be both their meat and their drink; and their companie shall be the Devil and his Angels; O! that we wer serious in speaking and hearing and thinking of these things; the Ods and Difference is both great and strange, in stead of shareing in the Glorie of God, of Christ, and of his Angels, to be shareing of the Torment of the Devil and his Angels; If it be a verie evil, nay the verie worst condition, for a Person to have enimitie at God in the hight, and to have God ane everlastingly irreconciliable enemie furiously persueing his quarrel, though without all passion in him, yet with wonderful horrour in the person that is thus plagued, It cannot sure be told to the full, how inconceavably evil and miserable their condition is that die out of Christ, nor what the hazard is that many of you are in, in reference to it.
The first use of this is, for exhorting you not to think it of light or litle concernment how ye die, nor a thing unworthie of your most serious and painefull endeavours to be made sure on good grounds that ye shall die in him; if it be of great concernment to get heaven and to escape hell, to be … Gods companie and not in the devills for ever, to have love and not hatred to God for ever, and to have Gods love to you & not his hatred for ever (for death casts the ballance); sett, O! Sett yourselves seriouslie to obtaine the one and eshew the other; and there is no way to win at it but by being, living, and dieing in Christ.
A 2d use, serves wonderfullie to check and reprove the senselesse secure multitude that have the common profession of the faith of these things, and yet are utterly carelesse to have this most concerning question clearly, distinctly, convincingly, and satisfieingly answered, whither they shall die in the Lord? Certainly there are many of you when your souls shall dislodge that will find yourselves exceedingly mistaken in this matter; O! If we could pitie and lament over the lamentable condition of many of you who are so senselesse, stupid, and unconcerned, that what ever is spoken of the life to come and of the necessitie of making your peace with God thrugh Jesus Christ, it is as if it wer spoken to so many stocks or stones as to any suteable effect it hath upon you, for who of many of you quit their prophannesse, formalitie, hypocrisie, and securitie? Who thrugh grace mends any thing faultie and amisse? Or setts more timeously and seriously about the learning of this great lesson of dieing in the Lord? The supine, lasie, and grosse neglect of all which, bids you look for and lay your account to meet with the deeper, sorer, and sader challenges at your death and appearance before Gods terrible tribunall.
But it may be asked here, what is the reason that so many die out of Christ? How can this be, seeing they have no happinesse, but so much and so great miserie by it? How cometh it to passe that so many take the one way of living and dieing out of him, and so few choise the other way of living to him and of dieing in him? To insist longe and at large in answering of this question would lead us to give reasons why men shun and decline the studie of holinesse and will be prophane, why they despyse the Gospel and embrace the world and their lusts; but to leave such generalls we shall speak a word or two more particularly and clossly to this, why it is that so few die in the Lord? And the 1 Reason is this, because the faith of these generall truths that there is a heaven and a hell, a life eternall and a Judgment to come, is scarcely receaved by the multitude of the hearers of the Gospell, yea the very faith of their own dieing in particular (though they know they will die and though experience may teach them the same daylie) sincks not into their hearts; who are they that believe practically and with particular application that they will die and come to Judgment, and that they shall be put into ane eternallie unchangeable condition after death? And if this be not indeed beleived then to allude to the Apostles words 1 Cor. 15. our preaching is in vaine and your faith is but vaine; that these things are not reallie beleived we hinted before when we began to speak on thir words, and the practice of most undenyablie proves it; for though all in word professe they beleive that they will die, yet who are they that on the matter mind not to outlive this day, and the next day, and the day following and so on? So that in effect it turnes to this, they would live eternallie here; and this is a root-evil or ane evil root that destroyes many soules; most people are like to these spoken of in the dayes of Noah, Math. 24. eating and drinking, marying and giving in mariage, suffering one day to come and another to goe till death come and surprise them er they be awar, and then are they confounded and put thrugh other, to say so, with the very first thoughts and appearances of it: if men wer seriously thinking on death and Judgment and a particular reckoning with God and wer reallie beleiving these things, is it possible they would thus delyt themselves in their sinfull lusts and pleasures and have their affections so glued to a present world? No certainly, the thoughts of death and Judgment would putt gall and wormewood in these things and imbitter them. A 2d reason may be drawn from peoples grosse mistakes about the right way of dieing, they take dieing in the Lord to be quite another thing then indeed it is, for even as folke mistake all other duties, so they mistake this, they take that for repentance, for faith, and for holinesse, which is not repentance, nor faith, nor holinesse indeed; so they take that to be dieing in the Lord which is not dieing in him: and here we shall touch on two or three things which we conceave many take for dieing in the Lord wherein yet they are exceedingly mistaken. 1. They think if they can die without any publick scandal or known sin▪ or without challenges, and if they can gett their presumptuous conceit and good opinion of themselves keept up to their grave (as if it were eneugh to say Lord Lord open to us) and if they can goe away calmly and quietly like these spoken of, Psal. 73. vers. 4. Who have no bands in their death; that then they are well eneugh and die well, but this is a great mistake. 2. They trow they die well if they die with a sort of hope that it shall be well with them, and for this they will toughly debeat, and when Christ comes and tells them they are beguiled they will hardly trow him, but rather as it wer alleadge that he is mistaken and they are not the men, what? Have we not eaten and drunken in thy presence, have we not heard thee preach in our streets, have we not been at many preachings and communions? We have alwayes had a good hope towards God and why should we now fear death? O! The strong presumption that some die with? And this is another great mistake. 3. Some think if they can die after some prayers and convictions and that which they think to be repentance, all will be well, these things indeed if they wer reall, wer good; but how many play the hypocritegregiously in them? There are not a few that fancy they have the grace of repentance because they have some sadnesse for sin, or some litle anxietie or a few challenges, who yet never tooke seriously with the corruption of their nature, and the quarrell that God hath with them on that account, Nor ever fled to Christ for refuge, but goe away in their fit of carnall sorrow, and this is another great mistake. 4. Some lay downe a mould of religion of their own, and if they have a civil life with men, and some formalitie of Religion towards God, they think themselves well enough; how many such are there who thus breck their neck at death? O! sad mistake.
A third cause of folkes not dieing in Christ may be this, that there are many who have some right thoughts and apprehensions of dieing well, but they never seriously endeavour to bring them to practice, they seek not to have their practice answerable to their light, they in effect make a prisoner of their light, by putting a guard of corrupt affections about it; for either they take ane absolute dispensation to themselves, as to some particular lust or sin, or a libertie for such a time, & when that time is by they intend to quite & abandon such a lust and to think on death, but they will not quite it yet, nor prepare themselves for dieing; they must needs first have their families in such a postour, they must have their children, or such a child provided for & disposed of, they must have such or such a bussinesse put by their hand first; not knowing or not considering that this hardens them and that they dayly become further slaves to such things, and that Judgment may suprize them unawares, before their time come; there are manie that will not denie but a strict way of holinesse is requisite, but they dow not, they cannot prevail with themselves to fall about it yet; and are like that ill and sloathful servant who because the Lord delayed his comeing, went to eat and drink and to take his pastime, but his Master comes in ane hour when he is not looked for, nor the servant awar, & on the sudden appoints him his portion with Hypocrites; Ah! is it not thus with the most part, who if they get such a sicknesse put by or such a crosse dispensation over, they think that Christ will byd a while longer, and so still they putt off till it becomes too late.
A fourth cause may be this, that few are serious in goeing about these things that concerne death, or in minding what will be their own case at death, few verie few make conscience to examine themselves and to search their bygone wayes, and therefore they know not their hazard; and among the many advantages of selfe-examinatione this is a special one, that it notablie fitts, thrugh Gods blessing, for dieing in the Lord, whereas when it is neglected, souls are keeped still securely sleeping and accounts lye over uncleared and unadjusted, they neither distinctly know their danger nor their need of the remedie; all their Prayers are by guesse and at hap hasard, as it wer, neither can they comfort themselves in any duty they goe about; we name these things not only that ye may know them, but that ye may shun them, and that ye may withall learne to draw some directions and duties out of them for your practice.
We come now to a third and main use of the general Doctrine, seeing it is of such concernment to die in the Lord, as it hath eternal happinesse depending upon it, let all of you seriously sett yourselves to fall about such a way of living, as when death comes ye may die in him; As ever ye would attaine to this happinesse and eshew this miserie whereof ye have been hearing, take I say, such a way of living as death may find you in him.
To cleir and presse this a little I shall speak a word to these three things; 1. Somewhat further to what dieing in the Lord is; 2. To some rules or directions that all, who would solidly comfort themselves in the hope of dieing in the Lord, would make use of, and walk by, in their life. 3. To the necessitie of takeing these directions and walking according to them, even as ye would have the comfort of these that die in the Lord; and of doeing this speedily without delay or dallieing.
For the First, we shall not insist in it haveing touched on it a little before; what we would say of it now, we shall briefly summ up in these two; 1. To some things that are in the affections that accompanie a person that dies in the Lord, or in some propperties that goe alonge with it. 2. In something of the grounds that these flow from.
For the first, there are these three things or propperties that goe alonge with dieing in the Lord, or with them that die in him, that are exceedingly desyrable; 1. A dieing willinglie and chearfullie, not goeing to death as to a prison, but as through a trance to a palace, Its a dieing as old Simeon died, Luke 2, Now (saith he) lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for myne eyes have seen thy Salvation; though death be the King of terrors, he heasteneth to it; or it is a dieing as Paul died, who desired to be dissolved and to be with Christ, as being best of all, 2. It is a dieing with holie confidence and boldnesse, not with fear and terrour or anxietie, doubtfullie disputing what will become of them, but being confidently assured of a mansion in Heaven; We know, saith the Apostle, 2 Cor. 5. v. 1, 2. if the earthlie house of this tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building of God ane house not made with hands eternal in the Heavens; for in this we groan earnestlie, desyreing to be cloathed upon with our house which is from above; being confident that at death his happie condition was but as it wer beginning; to die in Christ makes a man to sett himselfe boldlie against death and all its terrors. 3. Its a dieing not only with peace and quietnesse but with complacency and satisfaction, and even so that if the soul had its wish it desyres no more, the man does not frett nor complaine that he is taken from a good and plentiful estate, from a fine and commodious dwelling, from friends & relations, from honour and repute in the world &c. but he dies with contentment being fullie satisfied with his right and tolooke to the fair inheritance above, this we may see in David, who sweetly sayes & sings, 2 Sam. 23. 5. This is all my salvation and all my desyre, although he make not my house to grow: and therefore he will Ps. 23. walk resolutlie through the Valley of the shadow of death and fear none evil, because the Lord is with him: and indeed it is no smal matter to die these three wayes, willingly, cheerfully, confidently & boldlie, and with quietnesse, contentment, and satisfaction. But secondlie, the grounds that these three flow from doe mainlie answer and determine the questione, for its not a counterfit willingnesse, nor a natural boldnesse or manlinesse of Spirit, nor a carnallie secure peace and quietnesse flowing from senselessnes, but such willingnesse, boldnesse, & quietnesse as come and flow from these 3 pregnant grounds: 1. From peace with God through Jesus Christ, the soul having reallie fled for refuge to Jesus Christ and committed it selfe to him; faith sayes, that is a good, sure, thorow, and everlasting bargane, & so the man rests on it and hath peace. 2, From a good conscience giving a good testimonie, which is ane excellent ground to come before Gods Judgment with; the testimonie of a good conscience either in respect of ane endeavoured blamelesse life, or if the man have not so a good conscience in that respect, but many failings and so many challenges, yet he hath a good conscience in respect of its being sprinkled with the blood of Jesus, thrugh whom all his failings and transgressions are pardoned, which also takes in a good conscience of sincere endeavour to studie holinesse. The third ground is, a livlie and distinct frame of Spirit, whereby faith hath some present acting on Christ, and on the everlasting Covenant even in death, that the soul is by and by to meet with; we will not say but there is a difference amongst thir three; the first of them is simplie and absolutlie necessarie; and the second is necessarie also in one of the two forementioned respects; the third may not be alwayes necessarie (for a beleiver may die in the rage of a fever, in a fitt of high distemper, or in a stupifieing palsie) yet it is alwayes to be pursued and sought after, with submission to Gods blessed will, and it conduceth much to the beleivers confidence and comfort, to have some present actings of faith in a distinct way on Christ and on the Covenant of grace.
I suppose now that this is such a sweet condition to die in, as there is none of you but would desyre to be in it at your death; but let me say it, the most part takes not the right way to attaine it; Therefor in the second place let me speake a little to these rules and directions that ye must needs seriously, and in the strength of grace endeavour to live by, without which ye cannot with well grounded confidence promise to yourselves these comforts at death, and the blessednesse that followes it.
And for the more cleir prosecuting of this, I shall first, in a word put by that which is not the way of dieing in the Lord. And then secondly, I shall at greater length propose to you the way wherein ye should walk, in order to the attaining of this desyreable end.
First then, it is not the way of dieing in the Lord, to die in external quietnesse, and with all our friends about us, or in a sort of calmenesse with litle paine or sicknesse, manie heathens, manie carnal and civil men, and manie hypocrites, have died that way; Its but a common outward thing, and manie may, and doe slip quietly into the pitt. Nor 2. Is it to be much taken up with bare wishings and desyreings to die so, nay nor with some esteime of dieing in the Lord, it is good indeed in so far, to wish and desyre it, and to esteime of it, but Balaam who had a most miserable exit, and made a verie wretched end, came that length, Numb. 24. and yet this is a great part of many folks Religion, yea, the almost all of it, who it may be will now and then commend it when in a good moode. Nor 3. is this the way of dieing in the Lord, to have some coldrife Prayers to die so, and to be good friends with God, as we use to speake, there are none so gracelesse but seeing that they must needs leave the world, would rather be in Heaven then in Hell, and will readilie have some general desyres after it, and words of Prayer for it, but that will not doe the turne, for manie will seek to enter, that shall not be able; Luke 13. v. 24, many will pray to be taken to Heaven that neve… walked, neither loved to walk, in the right way to it; Nor 4. Is this the way of dieing in the Lord, to be takeing some paines in the externals of holinesse, to be hearing preachings, and frequenting Communions, if that be all, it will not doe the turne neither: It will not be sufficient that ye heard Christ preach and satt at one table with him; halfeing of holinesse is no holinesse, to be almost a Christian will not make a Christian indeed, there is a necessitie of being a Christian altogither; to have halfe holinesse, and to be almost a Christian onlie, will be but to be halfe saved, and that will be indeed no salvation, but will period in eternal damnation, and so cannot be dieing in the Lord. Nor 5. Is it to die with a perswasion in our own mind, but ill grounded, that we are in him and that all shall be well, manie take themselves to be well and in a good and safe condition, because they trow it, and fancie that they are so, and they are verie unwilling and loath to let themselves think ill of themselves: When we speak then of dieing in the Lord, it must be such as will abide Gods tryall, and it is not he that commends himselfe, but he whom God Commends, that will abyd his tryal and be approven.
But secondly, what then will doe it? may you say; we shall (as we promised) commend to you some rules to walk by, for attaining this end of dieing in the Lord; and ye shall take them in several directions, but we will not now in the close of this discourse enter on the particulars, onlie take this word in the general; that all these who propose this end to themselves, would previously take along with them thir three necessarie antecedents; 1. That they have their peace made with God thrugh faith in Christ, and that they see well they be not living with a standing quar…el betwixt God and them, for its by faith that we are united to him, and without faith we cannot be in him, and so cannot possiblie die in him. 2. This would be taken alonge, not onlie to have faith in Christ, and our peace made with God thrugh him, but to know that we have it, to know in whom we have beleived; It is true this is not essential as the former, yet it is hardly possible to die comfortably and confidently without it, therefor Christians are exhorted, 2 Pet. 1. Give diligence to make your calling and election sure. 3. That they be exercised to keep a good conscience in all things, and alwayes towards God and towards men, Its impossible in ane ordinary way to die well except folkes endeavour seriously and singly to keep a good conscience along their life, and to squair the same according to the rule of the word, and walk suteablie to their profession; All these three are put togither by the Apostle Peter, 2 Pet. 1. v. 5. He wills them to whom he writes, to adde to their faith the exercises of the other graces of the Spirit, then, v. 10. he exhorts them to give diligence to make their calling and election sure; and then by so doeing, he assures that ane entrance shall be ministred to them to the everlasting Kingdome, which is as if he had said, by fastening your faith on Christ, by the exercise of grace, and by studieing to make your calling and election sure by well doeing, a wide doore shall be made to you at death to enter into Heaven, and ye shall have the greater comfort and confidence to lay downe your life; whereas on the contrarie when Christians doe much neglect the fastening and fixing of their faith, the exercise of grace, and the makeing of their calling and election sure, the entrie is strait and difficult, and others that altogither neglect these things, doe find the doore quitte shutt and no entrie at all: If there wer no more spoken but these three words, to be in Christ by faith, to live in him by the exercise of faith and other graces, keeping a good conscience towards God and men, and to make your calling and election sure, they might furnish you with work and dutie to take you up all your dayes; and they may also serve to convince and reprove manie who vainely intertaine themselves with the hope and expectation of dieing in Christ, but doe not at all be-take themselves to this way of being, and living in him, even to goe with a blecked face & a stoped mouth to the throne of grace, and cordially close with Christs Offer, being content to adhere to him for righteousnesse, and utterly to renounce their own, and then in a way of diligence in dutie, and by the fruits of a new nature and life, to evidence their union with him; this is the verie marrow and substance of what we would be at, and that which is the hinge of our salvation, even the right exercise of faith for righteousnes, the right exercise of grace for sanctification, and the right setting of ourselves ere death come, to have the grounds of our interest sure and clear; But such of you as have taken no paines to walk in this way, but still walk on, and continue in, your own old …arnal way, ye cannot warrantably expect the benefites and comforts that flow from faith in Christ, and from walking in him, and these are, to die in him and to reigne with him; now God himselfe blesse this word and make it useful to you.