The Blessedness of the Death of These that Die in the Lord, Sermon 4
SERMON IV.
Revel. 14: 13.
Blessed are the Dead which die in the Lord, &c.
IT is ane easie matter to speak and hear of the most spiritual and highly concerning truthes, in comparison of what it is to make them practicable, and hence it cometh to passe, that so many speake and hear of them, and that so few practise them, and the neirer that truthes or duties come to presse upon us the mortification of our lusts, and to abstract us from the world, or to prepare us for dieing, we are the loather and the more reluctant to engadge in the practice of them, and to keep closse at it; Its a hard and difficult businesse to be both living and dieing at once; though everie man living may be said to be dieing daylie in so far as he is hastening to it: And therefor seeing what followes concernes your practice, and is the maine and most material use of this great doctrine, let one and other hearken diligently and give ear to what we are to say from God on this important subject, with a serious purpose and resolution to practise, for it will not otherwayes be of advantage to you, and ye would so prepare yourselves though grace to hear, as ye may firmely resolve to keep that which is of so great and everlasting concernment to you.
We … last occasion at ane use of exhortation, commending to you the right way of living so as when death comes, ye may have some well grounded hope of dieing in the Lord; And we proposed three things in prosecuting this use to be spoken of. 1. What we called dieing in him, and we shew it was to have solid faith and cleirnesse of Interest in Christ, cheirfulnesse and comfort, quietnesse and satisfaction in dieing, a most desyreable and comfortable condition when we enter the lists with death, even to have this confidence that we are in him and shall die in him.
We come secondly, to some directions that are so many steps in the way to the attaining of this comfortable end of dieing in the Lord, we entred on them in General, and now are to prosecute them a litle further, thrugh the help of Gods grace; Before we could be particular in directions, we shew that these three things behoved to preceed; 1. There would be flieing to Christ by faith, and makeing peace with God thrugh him; 2. There would be endeavouring to make our calling and election sure by well doeing, for though our Justification before God depend not on our cleirnesse in this, yet much of our comfort and confidence depends on it, and it is no doubt our dutie to labour to make it sure. 3. There would be a holie walk whereby we may have a good conscience at Christs appearing, for there can never be boldnesse and confidence where there is a stinging conscience within, and challenges for sinning against light.
To proceed then more particularlie to these directions, how to live as ye may die well, wherein if we should be large and say all that might be said to this purpose, it would lead us to speake of all the duties of holinesse, and that with respect to all the conditions of our life, sicknesse and health, prosperitie and adversitie to our particular and general callings, and to all events; for as we carie in these, so we may expect to die, but these being general we shall passe them, and onlie propose some five or six directions in order to mens dieing in Christ, as the great scope of this doctrine.
The first direction is, seek to establish yourselves in the faith of these general truths that concerne your dieing, especially to be established and confirmed in the faith of death, judgment and eternitie, wherein it will be either well or ill with you for evermore; And this is not only to have a general conviction of the truth of these, but by meditation to draw them downe to particular application to yourselves, that ye will die, that after death ye will come to Judgment and be eternallie happie or miserable; for as we said before, one of the great evils that cherisheth Atheisme, is mens living as if they wer never to die; so then it is a fundation of well doeing, solidlie to beleive death, judgment, and eternitie, and they can never live well who lay not this for a ground, that they will die and come to Judgment, and who consider not what will readily be their challenges at death, that they may seek to answer them now, and what may be their tentations, that they may be guarded against them; Therefor ye would be established in the faith of these generals, and endeavour to draw death and judgment neir to you, you would persue them closse in your meditation; Suppose that death wer this verie night approaching you, consider with yourselves if ye durst appear before Gods tribunal to be judged; more of this in our thoughts would help us, thrugh Gods blessing, to mortifie lusts, and to give death litle to doe when it comes; But the truth is, the most part never think seriously on death, and because they desire not another life then the present, they shun to think of death; I commend the necessitie of this to you from the great aversenesse that your carnal hearts and humours have from the serious and stayed thoughts of it, I pose you that are given to pleasure, can ye indure to think on dieing? And you that are glutting and surffetting yourselves with the world, Dow ye abyd to think on that word, Thou fool this night thy soul shall be taken from thee, and whose shall these things be? And you that are prophane, dow ve think on that sad sound of the trumpet, arise dead and come into Iudgment; that word of Iob is meet to be caried along with you, I know thou wilt bring me unto death, though the good man was mistaken in thinking he would die at that time, yet he knew he would die ere long, and be brought unto Iudgment after death, and caried along with him the thoughts of it: And if we would be induced to try our prepareing for death by these thoughts, how few of us would be found to mind it, though it be of everlasting concernment? Ah! how few hours are taken to think upon it? if ye were to come before men or ane humane court with a cause that much concerned you in the world, how would ye think of it before hand, and think of it againe? and yet the most momentuous of these are but verie triffles, being compared with this great cause and case of conscience, how you shall die, and appear before the great God his Judgment seat.
The second direction is, that though all duties of holinesse be requisit, yet there are some particular duties that ye would in a special manner make conscience of (without neglecting any other called▪for dutie) as having a special influence on preparation for dieing, and as comeing neirest (to say so) to death, though much slighted. As 1. the dutie of selfe-searching and examination, we would be verie impartial in selfe-examination and in comp…ing with God; If men (as Solomon exhorts) should see to the state of their herds and of their flocks, much more should they see to the condition of their souls: Is it possible, think ye, to die confidentlie and comfortablie if ye be not acquainted with the state of your spiritual affaires, and endeavour not to have your accounts with God stated and adjusted? If there be a plague on men it is the neglect of this; and if there be ane aw-band and restraint on their Spirits from unsuteable latituds and lousnesse, its the conscionable practice of this dutie; that which makes death so terrible to many, is their living, some 30, some 40, some 50, some 60, years; without having ever endeavoured to fitt their accompts with God, let be to have them discharged. 2. The exercise of repentance (which is alace…a rare thing even among Christians in these dayes) is a special dutie to be gone about in order to our dieing in Christ, that when we see ourselves wrong in anie thing (as manie wrongs may be easilie found in the forementioned search) we lett them not lye over, but be earnest with God till we get a discharge, and that cannot be gotten till repentance be exercised; where this grace of repentance is, it hath faith alwayes with it, and it makes the heart tender, and removes challenges which make death terrible, it is also a great enemie to securitie, presumption, and pryd, and keeps the heart withall melting, and much in pouring out itselfe before God; the want whereof in these dayes Kythes in the coldnesse of our duties of avorship, and in the carnalnesse of our walk; however they that would die in the Lord, would studie to be found much in the exercise of this grace (we doe here indifferently designe these, duties or graces,) for if repentance be called for when the Kingdome of Heaven is neir, then sure it is called for, when death is neir, and there is nothing more requisit then a kindlie penitent heart as a spurr to chace to Jesus Christ, when we are to meet with him at death. 3. A third dutie, is the exercise of mortification, it is a painfull but a profitable dutie, to be crucified to the world, to die to our lusts and carnal delights; by mortification we mean not onlie that which takes away the dominion of sin, and setts on to the studie of holinesse, but that which plucks up the roots and tapouns of sin, and slayes the motions of it, and as it were, weids it out of the heart, that which puts you to mortifie your distempers and passions of invye, anger, pryd, inordinat desyres &c. And to seek to have your affections heavenlie, which notablie fits for dieing in the Lord. A 4. dutie that would be carefullie practised, is sobrietie, let your moderation, sayeth the Apostle, be known to all men, the Lord is at hand, mortification lookes much to things in themselves sinful and unlawful, I say much, though I will not say onlie, and sobrietie looks to things lawful in themselves, wherein insobrietie is the bain and plague of manie, who being so glued to the things of a world, and to these delyts and pleasures which are lawful in themselves, and whereof a moderat use is allowed, that they are entangled and fettered with them and made as unfitt for dieing, by their insobrietie in them, as by their doeing of some things that are in themselves sinful, O! how doeth inordinat love to children, friends, lands, houses, farmes, oxen, and to the married wife, unfitt them for dieing, therefor the Apostle exhorts Christians, 1 Pet. 1. To gird up the loins of their mind, to be sober … hope to the end; for when men are unsober in the use of the creatures, they are like to these that have long garments which take the feet from them, as it wer, and impede them in their walking and at their work, when the affections hang loose and drag on the earth and the things that are in it, and the mind takes libertie to vaig and roave after these things, the man cannot be bussie at his main work, or make progresse in his Journey to Heaven; but sobrietie fitts him for his work and makes the way easie to him, makes him well content with his house or place and station and with whatever is his condition and lot in the world, it suffers not his affections to be entangled with them, it makes him so to use this world as not abuseing it; As the Apostle exhorts, 1 Cor. 7. to have a sort of sanctified denyednesse to a lawful use of the creature-comforts, that the heart be not glutted and surffetted with them, from which, our blessed Lord Jesus doeth most powerfully diswade, Luke 21. v. 34. where he sayes, Take head least at anie time your hearts be overcharged with surffetting and drunkennesse and the cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares; where he plainlie insinuats (which is strange and little beleived and considered) that there is ane overcharge by cares about the things of this life lawful in themselves, as well indisposeing and unfitting for death and Judgment, as ane overcharge with surffetting & drunkennesse is. This sobrietie prepares for dieing in the Lord, to which preparation on the contrarie, ane overcharge with worldlie cares is a mightie impediment, as these words of our Lord put beyond all debeat; especiallie when these two are trysted togither, a distempered mind with such worldlie cares within, & manie tentations and stumbling blocks from without.
A third direction is, they that would die in the Lord would carie the thoughts of death along with them, as if every day and moment wer their last, and as if they wer just now to appear before God, and as if they wer holily indifferent what hour or moment he would call upon them, for God hath sett (as to our knowledge of it) no time precisly to our living here; it is observed by some on Eccles. 3. that there is a time for everie thing, a time to be borne, a time to die, a time to laugh, and a time to weep, but there is none for living, for none can say I must or I shall live till to morrow, therefore he bids the porter watch, and would have all standing with their Armour on them in a watchfull posture, waiting for their Lords coming that he come not on them unawarse; nunc age quod moriturus agas, doe that now which thou wouldest be found doeing when death comes, hath been ane old and excellent saying.
It may be objected or queried here, is it possible that a beleiver can alwayes actually remember Christs coming and carie the thoughts of death along with him? Answ. It is in this dutie as in others, as when it is said doe all to the Glorie of God, it is not so to be understood as if we could actuallie mind it all-alonge in everie thing we doe, our minds being but finit, and so unable actually to mind many things or different things in the same instant of time or at once, that is impossible, but as there is a habituall minding of the glorie of God, so there is a habituall minding of Christs appearance, which implyes these three things. 1. That when in cold blood (to say so) and at ourselves, we resolve to wait for, and carie ourselves sutablie to the expectation of his appearing, and to doe nothing that we would shun or think shame of, or would not desire to be found doeing, if he wer appearing; which is in effect to be continuallie on our watch. 2. That when ever we take ourselves napping, we stirr up ourselves to ane actuall minding of it, and endeavour to squair the actions of our life accordingly, asking our own hearts, if we durst doe this or that if he wer to appear, and accordingly to be sweyed with the aw of his appearing. 3. That in our ordinary walk, we be often reviveing the thoughts of Christs appearing, putting ourselves often in mind of this rule, even to walk so as if he wer immediatly to appear; hence beleivers are often stiled in the Scripture, waiters for, and lovers of, his appearing; and hence also the dutie of watching is so frequently commended to them: so then we would not have this so universallie to be understood, as if beleivers wer to doe nothing more, nor if it wer spoken by a voice from heaven that they would presently die, or that Christ wer presently to appear, for then they would leave many actions undone, and leave off lawfull Journeys and Voiadges, and other actions they are called to, but the meaning is, that we endeavour to be found in, or at, nothing, we will think shame of when he appears, and in all things alwayes to keep a good conscience, a conscience void of offence towards God and towards man.
A fourth direction is this, these that would die in the Lord would be timeously acquainting themselves with the crosse of Christ and not seeking after a pampered life, or to have the world at their will, but learning to fold, bow, and stoup to difficulties and straits; not that I would have anie procureing crosses to themselves, but as they would not procure them, so they would not peremptorly determine to eshew them when the Lord calls to take them on, and bear them; but 1. they would carie along a resolution to fold to crosses when they come. 2. When they come, they would neither with sinful anxietie, seek to shun them, nor would they lye downe discouradged under them, but denie themselves, take up their crosse pleasantlie, and cheerfullie, and follow Christ. 3. They that have personal freedome from crosses would kindlie sympathise with them that are under the crosse, Hence Solomon sayes, that it is better to be in the house of … then in the house of feasting, Eccles. 7. v. 2. there is a greater good to be had there nor in the house where there is banquetting, revelling, and carrousing; The reason is, because few living in prosperitie are content and disposed to die, and adversitie doeth best loose folks grips from the world; O! it is hard to be glutting in the things of the world, and to live in a prosperous and plentiful condition, and not to be withdrawn thereby from spiritual things; Therefor is the crosse and dieing to the world so much commended, for litle crosses are, as it wer, bitts of death or litle deaths and peices of the curse, as well as death itselfe is (though by the death of Christ they are turned into blessings to beleivers) and if we be habituat to these litle deaths, there will be a much easier yeilding to the great▪death, and lesse to doe when it comes.
A fifth direction is, that we studie to die dayly, and it is drawn from the Apostles words, 1 Cor. 15 31. I protest by your rejoyceing, which I have in Christ Iesus our Lord, I die daily; which not onlie setts out his hazard daylie, but his seeking to prevent death, in dieing while he was living and ere death came, and it implyes, 1. a conviction caried along with him of the necessitie of dieing. 2. A looking on the continual hazard of dieing; 3. A preparation for, and continual readinesse to die; and 4. Ane activenesse in essaying to die, or ane acting of death, in a manner, before death come: We would follow the same way and be frequentlie putting ourselves before Gods barr, and considering how we will answer deaths call, bowing our stubborne humour that it may not be found untractable at death, doeing that everie day that we would be found doeing when death comes, studieing to have all things in that order that we would desyre to have them in then, and habituating ourselves (as I said) to dieing; when going to our Prayers in the morning, to put ourselves in such a postour as if we wer no more to goe abroad in the world, and lyeing down at night, as if we wer not to rise againe in the morning, and when we speak or doe, to speak and doe like men that have not long time to live after our speaking or doeing.
The sixth and last direction shall be this, that ye would put in practice what your own conscience, your light according to the Scriptures, and the meanes ye have, hold out as necessarie for makeing and keeping of your peace with God, and the keeping off of a quarrel betwixt him and you; This ordinarly is one of the main challenges that meets folkes at death, that they have suspended the practice of manie things they wer convinced of, that they have shifted, delayed, and putt off seasons and opportunities of called▪for duties, and have sitten down on this side of them; that they have not reformed such faults as they wer convinced of &c. it is commonly said of lawes, that we had need of one law to make other good lawes be put in execution, and so have we need of some one direction to help us to make other directions practicable, according to that word, Eccles. 9: 10. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to doe, doe it with all thy might, for there is no work, nor knowledge, nor wisedome, nor devyce in the grave whither thou goest; we are all posting on towards our grave, and there is no doeing of duties nor mending of faults there; therefore what ever the light of the word, and of our conscience well informed thereby, cleirs to be dutie we would be serious and diligent in the doeing of it, and in the doeing of it without delay: and if this one thing wer made conscience of, it would doe more, thrugh Gods blessing, then many: your consciences are convinced I suppose, that the former directions are verie helpfull, and that such as live thus will die the better, but alace! Many of you doe not so much as think on them let be practise them; it may be they shall not be in your thoughts till this day eight dayes, and when it is so to what purpose are all directions, for what use serve they? Are they not, think ye, uselesse unlesse they be put in practice? Therefor put not by this as a thing of litle concernment; death is the door to heaven, and death is at the door; and living well is the way to dieing well, and as ye would live and die in the Lord, ye would lay weight on these directions, and fall about the practice of them in the strength of his own grace.
But before we proceed any further, though there may be a conviction that what hath been said is all true, yet there will be ane inward murmuring against it with many profain persons & readily two objectiones will be started by such.
The first objection will probablie be this, if none die well but such as be-take themselves to such a way of living, who will or can die well? Such a life is impossible to us, therefore we will hold on in our own way and hope well; many when they hear such doctrine are ready to think and say as they did, Iohn. 6. Who after they had murmured at Christs discourse, said vers. 41. This is a hard saying who can bear it? We shall by this means, will they say, be restrained in our libertie, we shall thus be putt to haunt alwayes the house of mourning, and never suffered once to laugh or smile (although that be not our meaning, to keep men from being mirry and cheirfull when called to be so, but to keep from being carnall, and to sett just bounds to them in their mirth); But for answer to these mens question, we would; 1. Ask them this Question, is this the truth of God, that such as would die in him must aime and endeavour to live as we have said? Is living well the way to dieing well, and dieing well the gate to Glorie? If so, will it then, think ye, be a satisfieing answer to God to tell him, that though this way of living is the way chalked out by thee for dieing well, yet we cannot close with it, we cannot walk in it, its so uneasie and so narrow a way? If it be Gods way will ye putt it off so? Or will ye carve out another way then God hes carved out to you? 2. Let me ask such, is not the gate strait and the way narrow that leads to heaven and eternall life? Will ye not therefor goe to heaven thrugh such a gate and way? And is not the way of living so as to die well and in the Lord the way to heaven, and must it not have difficultie in it? And yet thirdly let me say to such, that this way is but difficult and uneasie to corrupt nature, to a proud and carnally delicate heart that cannot indure in the least to be disquieted in the enjoyment of its sensuall pleasures and delyts, and to a sinfull selfish humour that will not stoup to God, yet to such as love to walk in this way, all the duties are possible and the difficulties superable thrugh grace, yea it is thorrow-out a most pleasant path and way, Philip. 4. vers. 13. Prov. 3. vers. 17.
They will secondly object, all yonder things the man speaks of may be true, nay we cannot deny but they are true, yet we may be doeing and yet hope thrugh Gods merciemercy to win to heaven; have not many who have lived even as we doe died well and been saved? And such will readily have the thiefe on the crosse to cast up, which would in reason speak to them for their reclaiming, and from this they profainly conclude that they may hold on their own way, and yet hope to mend and grow better at length and so to gett merciemercy when they die; but for answer; 1. O! Thou gracelesse and profaine wretch is that the use thou makes of mercy, even to sin because God is mercifull, and to sin that grace may abound? Is that the end of Gods revealing his grace and merciemercy, to make him a minister of sin? How can ye look merciemercy in the face that so abuse merciemercy? And yet O! How ryfe is this among profain soules, to sin because God is mercifull, to abuse his grace and make him, as I said, a minister of sin? Consider of it, if ye will dar to look grace and merciemercy in the face that have thus stumbled and brocken your necks on them. Secondly though there be some that God hath given mercy to at their death, yet how many are they who have sinned presumptously and have gotten merciemercy? The theife on the crosse, it is true, gott merciemercy, but did he ever despise and abuse Gods grace and merciemercy as ye doe? It is one thing to sin out of infirmitie and humblie to pray for, and to expect merciemercy, and another thing to sitt warneings, and profainly to turne the grace of God into wantonnesse, and yet to have a presumptuous hope of merciemercy. Thirdly how many are there in hell, and how few are there in heaven who have lived as ye doe? Gods Judgment hath come upon them and surprised them, so that they gott never leave to repent nor seek after Gods merciemercy, and they are now smarteing for delaying to imbrace the offer of merciemercy, and for their despiseing of it, and cannot mend it? How manie are like the rich glutton crying in the place of torment, who if they were permitted to speak to you would say, goe tell these our Brethren that they put not off time, and that they dallie not in their day with the offers of grace and merciemercy as we did, least they come into this place of torment with us. Fourthlie, Who ever gott merciemercy to whom their sin hath not been bitter to them? And will ye continue in that which hath been so bitter to others? If ever ye gett merciemercy ye must come to it, thorrow the way of repentance, and by weeping-crosse, to say so, and it shall be more bitter to you soone or syne, then all the pleasure ye had in sin was sweet to you.
The third and last thing to be spoken to, is some few Considerations to presse the necessitie of takeing these directions, and of walking according to these rules, that ye may not be unfruitful hearers but doers of this truth; for it is practice▪ that is the life of Religion, and if anie thing ought to be practised, sure this is it, even to learne the right airt of dieing in the Lord; And therefor that ye may not decline it; Consider, 1. Whither or not the authoritie of God and of his Son Jesus Christ layes on this doctrine, if there be a command for it, that all that expect a dieing in Christ should live in him, and if to die in him be a dutie, then to make use of these meanes and directions that conduce to it, must lykewayes be a commanded dutie, and these must be the true and faithful sayings of God; it is a wonder that ye can have anie thing to say against them, for ye cannot denie them to be the truths of God, and yet as it is Psal. 50. ye (manie of you I mean) cast them behind your backs, ye will not it may be bow a knee to God in prayer when ye goe home, ye will not so much as ask yourselves what postour your soule is in for all that hath been or can be said; remember that ye will have God and not us to make ane accompt unto; and therefor anie of you that have consciences and any the least measure of rendernesse in them, mind these duties, or know that ye shall, will ye nill ye, be the more unexcuseable; if we darr confidentlie presse any truth upon you, Its this anent dieing in Christ, and holinesse as the way to it, as the summe and scope of all our preaching, which will onlie doe you good as it workes to this end; And therefore let us with all earnestnesse obtest you to think more seriouslie on your dieing in Christ, and in order to that, on your living in him and to him that ye may have boldnesse at his appearing, otherwayes we doe seriouslie and solemnlie protest unto you in the Name of God, that you shall never see his blessed face, nor enjoy his blessed followship.
The second consideration is taken from your own great advantage, and the mightie concernment that is in giving obedience to these directions, though there be a second death to them who make not readie for the first, yet there is but one death to all of you as to the final sentence, & upon this depends Heaven & Hell & the eternal condition of your immortal soules, whither they shall be under the curse of God drinking of the cupe of his Wrath for ever, or under his blessing drinking the cup of his love for ever, whither they shall be in the case of enemies, or in the case of friends, whither they shall enjoy Gods companie or have the companie of Devils; And think ye the…e is no ods or difference betwixt these two, blessednesse and miserie? and are ye not concerned which of these two shall befall you and be your lote for ever more, are ye beasts that have no immortal soules? or are ye Heathens that never heard of the right way to Heaven and happinesse, that ye should thus walk on in the broad way that leads to Hell and destruction, and turne your backs upon the narrow way because it is narrow, and so willfullie precipitat yourselves into the bottomlesse pitt, and into the deep gulfe of Gods curse and wrath for ever? How litle soever ye may think of these things now, yet ye shall, if ye look not to it, to your eternal cost find the certaine and sad truth of them one day.
A third Consideration is drawn from the great work that there is about death, and when it comes to dieing, & when the immortal soul must be dislodged & leave the bodie, and will not possiblie be gott keeped any longer in it; ye never made such a voyadge, ye never had such a peece of work in hand as this will be found to be, when infirmities of the bodie grow on you a-pace, and at a great height, when the encumberance and fashrie (to say so) of the things of the world, when the affection of relations and friends, when eternitie stareing you in the face, when the Devil the great accuser, not onlie of the brethren but of all other men, with his libels waiting on, when the Law in its passing the sentence and curseing everie transgressor, when Christs dreadful sentence, depart from me ye cursed &c. are all to be mett with and encountered at once; and when the conscience within will be clamouring to you that ye wer not at all sollicitous and careful to eshew that sad sentence; and beside all these ye will yet have a greater partie to deal with then your conscience, even the great God the just and righteous Judge of all the earth, and O! but it be a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, and when withal ye shall have a multitude of challenges and tentations to enter the lists with, this will be found another sort of thing then a Journey to London, or a voiadge to Holland, France or Spaine, or to the east or west Indies; and think ye who have put by and spent all your life in vanitie, that ane hour or two, or a litle time at death will be enough for prepareing you to encounter with it? O! sad and soul-ruining mistake, are there not manie poor wretched souls when death comes, who are forced to wish, Oh! if we had another lifetime to live, we would spend it better, and with such a wish as that, poor souls, they slip away.
Consider fourthlie, the connexion that God hath established betwixt your dieing in the Lord and the following of these directions, betwixt holinesse and happinesse, now holinesse is not the speaking of some good words when ye come to die, otherwayes why should it be so much pressed in your life? the end of holinesse is Heaven and happinesse, and the end of the broad way of profanitie and formalitie, is Hell and destruction; It is true, as I have often said, that God may pluck some by a miracle of his grace out of the broad way at their death, but they are verie few with whom he deals so; the way to destruction is broad and easie, and manie walk in it; O! how is this roade beaten by multitudes of passengers, and usuallie as men live so they die, if they live wickedlie they die accursedlie and fall into perdition, hence is that proverb, such a life such ane end; a man that is worldlieminded, or presumptuous and selfe-conceated in his life, ordinarlie dies so; And can ye promise to yourselves a comfortable death if ye live profainlie or hypocriticallie? be not deceaved God will not be mocked, for if ye sow to the flesh alonge your life, ye shall most certainlie of the flesh reap corruption at your death; O! know therefore and beleive the absolute necessitie of living well, of living in, and to the Lord, if ye would die well and in the Lord.
Fifthlie, Consider and think seriouslie upon the great hazard ye are in of spiritual Judgments, if so be ye neglect holinesse and the following of these directions in your life, be affrayed of blindning, hardning, of delusion, of a reprobat mind &c, be affrayed that though ye should gett a long time before death, that yet ye may never gett grace to repent who thus delay and put it off so long; if ye then would die well and prevent such plagues, live holily, or if ye care not to die miserably, goe on in your profanitie or in your presumption notwithstanding of the hazard of being thus plagued, and of perishing at the last, on the fancied hope of merciemercy, for one of these wayes ye must live and die; but we say againe, consider what spiritual Judgments ye may fall under in your delaying, ye know not but a commission may come forth from God to his word and messengers, to make your heart fatt, your eyes blind, and your ears heavie &c. such a sad commission as the Prophet Isaiah get…s in the sixth Chapter of his prophesie to many of his then-hearers; It may be a challenge hath been resisted, or a motion of the Spirit quenched at this verie time, and who knows but ye may never henceforth meet with another that shall doe you good? are there not manie Judgments of this kind rained on sinners dailie? are not manie preached blind, deaff, and hard, so that the plainest, clearest, and most home-pressed truths have no more influence on them then upon as manie stockes or stones? and whence is this I pray? Is it not from your not makeing use of the light holden forth to you from this Word of God, and from your resisting, stiffling, and smothering of challenges and motions of the Spirit ye have had? because of which God smites you with senselessnesse.
Sixtlie, Consider what possible advantage there is or can be in delaying this so necessarie a work, and what certaine prejudice there is in it, 1. There is no advantage, for the longer ye continue to delay ye are still the further behind, and the further out of the way, and the greater will be the difficultie to gett yourselves recovered, there will still be more guilt contracted, and moe challenges to deal with, and the greater labour to gett your Spirits put into a good frame which ye have so much and so long distempered; yea, it will be a peice of a begun hell to you, when ye consider how ye have brought yourselves to such a woeful necessitie of hastering, mangleing, and spoyling all that work and bussinesse that ye should have gone about so deliberatlie, orderlie, timeouslie, and carefullie in the time of your health; so that all your advantage will be but more sin, and that will bring on a greater heap of desperat sorrow and wrath. Secondlie, ye will not onlie have no advantage but ye will have much prejudice by it, for beside what hath been said, ye cannot comfortablie answer deaths call and summonds to appear before the tribunal of the great Judge; How manie of you if ye wer to die just now and never to goe out of this Church alive, how manie are there, I say, of you that could not have peace and comfort at your death? If the walls of this house wer shaking, would not horrour take hold on you, as pangs of a woman in travel? It may be some that are beleivers in Christ would be somewhat disquieted and a litle surprised, yet they would soone thrugh grace recollect themselves and be composed, but could the most part of you lay down your life with peace, calmenesse, and comfort if death should thus come upon you now or before to morrow? and you are not sure but it may, for you know not what may befal you ere ye goe home, nor when ye lye downe if ever ye shall rise againe; And is it possible that ye can have peace or comfort on solid grounds when death comes, if ye be not found haveing your peace made with God through Jesus Christ, and walking in the way of holinesse? It will be put poor and cold comfort then, to think that you have made such ane advantagious bargaine in the world, that you have such a land-estate or so much mony, such a commodious dwellinghouse, so fine orchards or gardings, or such a well furnished shope &c. that one word will marr all that comfort, fool this night they shall require thy soul, and whose then shall all these things be?
Seventhlie, Consider the particular crosses, infirmities, and afflictions ye are under and may be shortlie under, which may put you in mind of dieing, and invite you to make for a change to the better; now ye are in health, within a litle ye may fall sick; now ye are in saftie, and by and by ye may be in hazard; doe not so many changes call on you aloud to make for ane unchangeable estate, and to endeavour to make sure that it may be a happie one?
And now when we have spoken both to directions, and considerations pressing and enforceing the practice of them, for ordering our life and walk with a due regaird to dieing, and to dieing in the Lord; we are affrayed that it shall be but as water spilt on the ground, and but litle further the conviction and edification of manie of us, which God onlie can prevent; and therefore we shall shutt up all with a word to two sorts of you; The 1. is to you that are stricken deaff and dead with the spiritual Judgments of God, who no more regaird or mind your immortal soules then if ye had none at all, who live rather like beasts then like reasonable men and women, or like pagans rather then like Christians, what through carnal joveltie and mirth in some, what thrugh prophanitie & mocking of pietie in other some, what through idlenesse in a third sort, what thrugh the earthlie mindednesse & groveling in the world that is in a fourth sort, and what through securitie, formalitie, and hypocrisie that reignes in the greatest part; I assure you in the name of the Lord, that death is comeing and God will not be mocked, as ye sow so ye shall reap; think ye it sufficient preparation for death, or a suteable readinesse to die, to laugh and sport and play over your time, or to have your buildings goeing up, and your bargains goeing on? beguile not yourselves there is a reckoning quicklie coming which will be verie sad, and manie of you will find yourselves behind and at a losse in the maine businesse: doe not think, Sirs, that we speak thir words for the fashion, your case requires them all, and therefore yet againe as ye would eshew the evil and miserie that followes the slighting of such a warning, doe not put it easilie and lightlie by you, for the Lords sake, for it is hugelie above all your greatest concernes in the world, to look for death and to provyde for it. The second word shall be to you that thorrow grace have begun to provide for it and are fallen slack, remisse and negligent, O! be alarmed and roused up to diligence; Alace! but few carefullie and conscionablie studie the airt of dieing well and in the Lord, and make in anie tollerable measure as they ought, for their appearing before Christs tribunal; look Christians to the tract of the best of your lives, and how unsuteable it is and how short of that it should be, there is (alace!) much carnalnesse, ruggednesse, and untendernesse amongst us, much formalitie and overlinesse in duties of worship, much earthlie-mindednesse, much passion, much pryd and vanitie; It is a wonder that anie, who have the faith of their appearing before God, should dar to play such untender pranks (to say so) and to take such unsuteable latitudes to themselves beside the rule, and to have so groffe, so carnal, and so uncircumspect a walk as manie of us have; Studie more tendernesse Christians, for the Lords sake, otherwayes though you will gett your soules for a prey, and will arrive at last safe at that harbour of rest prepared for the people of God, yet ye may and will probablie have a verie unpleasant and uncomfortable voyage not without several tempests and stormes sometimes threatning utter shipwrak, and find a verie strait and difficult entring into the port; when death cometh to look you in the face, and when you begin to think of your being so near to ane appearance before God, you may be in considerable fear; now the Lord himselfe▪ whose word this is, make it effectual for your edification and advantage through Jesus Christ.