A Manual of Practical Divinity, Treatise · Chapter 14
CHAP. XIV. The Saints Comfort againſt Death.
DEath in it ſelf is the King of Terrours, a very terrible thing, (1.) In it ſelf it is part of the curſe, in the day thou eateſt thereof thou ſhalt die: thou ſhalt be lyable to temporal and eternal death when I pleaſe to execute it; but indeed death is not kept up to the Saints as a curſe, but as a ſervant to carry them home to their Fathers Houſe. (2.) Death is an abhorrency to Nature, that nature dreads it exceedingly: it parts the ſoul and body that have been ſuch intimate acquaintance, it leaves the body to be a dead carcaſs fit for nothing but to be laid among the clods of the earth. (3.) Its terrible to fleſh and blood, as it depriveth men of the comforts of this preſent life; it carrieth us from all the comforts of wife, children, friends, eſtate. Sigiſmund the Emperour when he was near death, charged them that were about him that they ſhould not name death in his hearing; belike the thoughts of it were very terrible to him. (4.) Death is terrible to many mens thoughts in reſpect of the ſuddeneſs of it: ſudden death comes ſometimes, (1.) by a ſudden decay of nature, ſuch diſeaſes as the Apoplexy may be breeding in the body that ſhall pluck down this earthly Tabernacle in one moment. (2.) Sometimes by Accidents from without, as fire, enemies, falls, and the like. (3.) Sometimes by a ſudden ſtroak of Gods hand when there is no natural cauſe, but men might live a great while: Thus God cuts off many in the midſt of their dayes; not but that all men live to the time appointed and ſet down by God; but that the Lord cuts them off from that time, when they might according to the courſe of nature live a great while-longer: Thus the Lord ſmote Herod ſuddenly with death; the hundred and fourſcore and five thouſand of the Aſſyrians in one night, Eſay 37.36. (5.) The unavoidableneſs of death makes it terrible to the thoughts, that the ſtouteſt ſpirits ſee they cannot grapple with it; what man is he that liveth and ſhall not ſee death? who can deliver himſelf from the power of the grave? Pſalm 89.48. Death fetches a General out of his Tent when he lyeth environed with armed men; Death fetches the Prince out of his Palace, goes through all his Life-guard, and none can withſtand him: ſo that men of brave and ſtout ſpirits have no courage to deal with death, but their valour is turned into fear and amazement. (6.) The pains and pangs of death make it terrible to the thoughts of fleſh and blood: to think what a ſtrange confuſion then will be in the ſpirits, when the eye-ſtrings and heart-ſtrings crack, and man can exerciſe no more his ſpirit and underſtanding. (7.) That which above all makes death terrible unto many, is the conſequence of it, that after death comes the Judgement, the particular day of Judgement preſently; O ſaith many an unwakened conſcience, O what ſhall I do to appear before God to make up my accounts to him! ſo that the Apoſtle ſaith, 1 Cor. 15. that the ſting of death is ſin, and the ſtrength of ſin is the Law; that is, that the greateſt ſting of death is for a mans ſins to be unpardoned, & unforgiven, & the ſtrength and power that ſin hath to damn is from the Law, that it is the breach of Gods holy Law; but he tels us that Believers are freed from the damning power of ſin, and from the curſes of the Law through Chriſt Jeſus; as terrible as death is to nature, fleſh and blood, and to a man that fears hell, becauſe it is the day of execution to all that are out of Chriſt; yet a Saint may look upon death with comfort; for though it be a dark entry, yet it leads to our Fathers Houſe where are many Manſions, though it be a rough paſſage, yet it lands us ſafe in Heaven; infinite advantage comes to a Believer by death. (1.) Perfect enjoyment of God the Father, Son and Holy Ghoſt, the ſight of whoſe bleſſed face ſhall fill us in Heaven with unconceivable joy for ever. (2.) Clear underſtanding of God, his Grace and the myſterie of all his dealings with us in the world; now we ſee all theſe darkly, but the Apoſtle ſaith, then we ſhall ſee face to face; now how poor and confuſed is our knowledge; how little a portion know we of the Almighty, and of his Grace to us! then all will be clear. (3.) Freedom from ſin, which though it doth not raign in Believers now, yet then it ſhall not in the leaſt remain, but they ſhall be Holy throughout. (4.) Freedom from afflictions whereof all Gods children are partakers more or leſs in their Pilgrimage. (5.) Freedom from all Temptations either to ſin or for ſin. (6.) Spiritual and full enjoyment of the Saints, and not of Saints in their weakneſſes and miſtakes, which yet we in our Pilgrimage do rightly judge to be a great mercy; but then we ſhall enjoy communion with Saints, full of the Spirit, Saints made perfect; Many particulars might be added to theſe, which ſhall be omitted for brevities ſake, but two queſtions muſt here be briefly reſolved.
Queſt. 1. How comes it to paſs that many natural men will often wiſh they were dead, and many time die like lambs, and others murder themſelves?
Anſw. 1. Its ſeldom a real deſire that ignorant people have to die, but a ſinful cuſtomary expreſſion. (2.) If they be in good earneſt, it ariſeth from ignorance. (1) Ignorance, what a ſerious thing it is to die. (2) Ignorance of their own condition; they think they are in Chriſt, and that ſo death will be an end of all troubles to them. (3) Ignorance of the torments of hell, as if they were not greater then the troubles they have here for which they wiſh themſelves dead. (3) Thoſe that murder themſelves, are either ſo diſtracted by exceſs of Melancholy, or ſo dejected by ſome outward croſſes, or ſo overwhelmed with deſpair, or ſo confounded in their underſtandings by Satan, that they are not able to put forth ſcarce a ſerious or rational thought, but are carried with a ſtrange confuſion, and hurry of thoughts into any thing.
2. But then it will be asked. Why many gratious perſons ſeem to be wonderfully a fraid of death before it come, and die with very little Comfort ſeemingly upon their ſpirits, but rather trouble?
Anſw. 1. So far as a Saint is fleſh and blood, and ſo far as there is corruption in him, ſo far death will be terrible to him; yet in the mean while the regenerate part in him deſires to be diſſolved, and to be with Chriſt, as that which is beſt of all; but as Ridley ſaid when he came to die, I am not afraid, but the fleſh will have its courſe. (2) A Saint knoweth more then other men what a ſerious thing it is to die, he conſidereth the account that is to be given to God, and the ſtraitneſs of the way that leadeth to eternal Life, and many times is not ſo aſſured of Gods love in Chriſt, and this damps his ſpirit as to death. (3) Though a Saint ſometime ſeems to be unwilling to die, yet before the Lord takes them away he uſually makes them not only willing but deſirous to die, to be with Chriſt, and that is a wonderful thing how God can in one moment turn the ſcales in theſe things, and make that Saint that even now trembled at the thoughts of death, now to ſay, Lord, here am I, When wilt thou ſend for me home? This the Saints have ſometimes experience of. (4) Their Comfort at death may be damped much, and ſeeming trouble appear to ſtanders by through ſome ſecret ſtrong temptations of Satan, or through violence of their diſeaſe.