A Word to Sinners and a Word to Saints, Part 1 · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. Sheweth the miserable and dreadfull condition of the Vnregenerate at their death.
IF the life of an unregenerate man be so miserable, as hath been shewed. How dolefull think you, will be his death? surely his misery then will be much increased, As will appear from the consideration of these particulars.
I. When death shall appear unto thee, and tell thee, it hath a message from the Lord, who hath sent an habeas corpus for thy body: Then comes in Conscience, if a little awakened, with her books of accounts, her black and bitter roul, and shews thee thy old reckonings and arrears, setting before thee the follies of thy youth, the sins of thy riper years, and the iniquities of thy whole life.
Ah sinners, thou who goest on impenitently in thy wicked and ungodly course of life, consider with what a ghastly countenance thou wilt look upon that black and hellish Catalogue of all thy sins: thy lyes and oaths, thy railing and rotten speeches, thy scoffings at Gods people, thy goods ill gotten, thy time ill spent, thy profanation of Sabbaths, thy speculative wantonness, yea thy many actual filthinesses, and uncleannesses, thy pride, worldliness, and covetousness, thy sensual revellings, and jovial meetings.
Ah sinner, sinner; what horrour will then possess thy soul, no heart of man can conceive, nor tongue of men and angells can express. Indeed many there are, who upon their death-beds have little right or sense of their sins, neither do they think of judgement, or eternity, but drop into hell before they consider any thing. But yet upon the approach of death, commonly there is some terrour and trembling upon the consciences of carnal men: and if ever any sin did formerly sting, it will then especially. Oh, methinks a serious apprehension, and sensible fore-thought of these things, even at hand, for ought any man knows, should make the hardest heart to tremble, and melt into tears of unfained sorrow.
II. The Devil will not be then wanting to aggravate thy sins, and to set before thee the curses and the judgements due unto thee for the same, thereby to drive thee to despair, For when death layeth siege to the body, then doth he most violently assault the soul. And the shorter he perceiveth his time to be, the more eagerly doth he bestir himself. And when through pain of body, and perplexity of mind, thou art least able to make resistance, then will he most fiercely assault thee. Whereas formerly his great design was to …ull thee fast asleep in a presumptuous security, by perswading thee that thy state and condition was as good as the best, and thy salvation sure enough: at thy death (if he be not then also pursuing the same design) if he can no longer hold thee under thy sleep, it will be his great work to perswade thee, that thy sins are greater than can be forgiven, that there is no place for thee in Heaven, and that it is impossible thou shouldst be saved. He that hath made the way to Heaven so broad, and the entrance so easie all thy life long, will at thy death do his utmost to shut the door against thee.
III. Death puts an end to all thy Worldly comforts, and contentm…nts, which must all die with thee, as to thy use and comfort; It salutes thee with this sad word, Thou hast received thy good things, Now an end of thy Heaven and joy. Particularly,
1. Then thou must part with all thy carnal pleasures and delights, which thou hast loved so dearly. Yea then thou wilt find little comfort remaining of all thy former pleasures, wherein thou tookest so much content and delight: and for the enjoyment whereof thou dispensedst not only with the duties of thy calling, but likewise with the duties of piety. Yea it will be a very hell unto thee upon earth to consider what eternal torments thou art like to endure, for those poor and perishing pleasures which thou enjoyedst here for a season. Are these the things for which I dye? Are these the price of my soul, of my blood, of my peace?
Ah sinner! the remembrance of thy past pleasures will then possess thee with a double passion. First, with grief, because thou art parting with them: And then with d…t…station, because they have brought upon thee such bitter sorrows and torments in hell with the Devils and damned to all eternity. O the tayle of these Locusts, whose fair faces have heretofore bewitched thee! O the sting, the sting that they carry in their tayles, which is now all that remains to thee!
2. Thou must part with thy nearest and dearest relations, as thy dear Wife, or dear Husband, with thy beloved Children. Death will separate thee from them all. Ah sinners, sad will it be to part with these here, to live for ever with the Devils and damned in hell. And how will it torment thee when you must part, to remember to how little good purpose you lived together!
3. Thou must part with thy wealth and riches, carrying nothing away with thee of all thy enjoyments. We brought nothing into the World, 1 Tim. 6.7.and it is certain, we can carry nothing out, as the Apostle speaketh. But as we came naked into the World, Job 1.21.so we shall go naked out of the World. And therefore when rich men dye, they are said to leave a good estate behind them. And indeed they may well be said to leave it, because they cannot carry it away with them. Ah sinner! I know it will be a death to thee to part with thy wealth, which was thy life; but to consider how thou hast damned thy soul for the getting thereof; this will be an hell to thee.
4. Thou must part with all the means and opportunities of grace. Now thou enjoyest the ordinances of Christ, as the Word, Prayer, and Sacraments, which whilest thou enjoyedst thou hadst hope: But death puts an end to these, and thy hopes must give up their Ghost. Now Christ calls upon thee, Sabbath after Sabbath, by his Ministers and Ambassadours, woing and beseeching thee to abandon thy lusts, to cast away thy sins, and to cast thy self into his arms, to accept of the reconciliation purchased by his blood. But ere long thou shalt hear no more of these things, not a Sabbath more, not a Sermon more, not a promise, not one word more of grace, of mercy, of hope for ever. When thou wouldst give, if thou hadst them, ten thousand Worlds, for one moment of that mercifull time of grace, which thou hast so long abused; for a drop of that precious blood, which thou hast so long trampled under thy feet: yea for one Sabbath more, to have Christ once more tendred to thee in the Ministry of the Gospel; but alas it will not be granted.
Ah sinner! Then wilt thou cry out of thy sins, and cry for mercy: mercy, mercy Lord to a dying soul, that am just sinking, perishing under the load of mine iniquities. Then wilt thou begin to wish; when it is too late, that thou hadst spent thy precious time to better purpose; that thou hadst minded more the things of Eternity: that thou hadst closed with the tenders and offers of Jesus Christ, and that thou hadst better improved the means and opportunities of grace, which thou didst once enjoy.
Thou wilt then say, Oh if the Lord would be pleased to add a few years more to my life! How would I contemn the World and the vanities thereof? How exactly would I order my conversation? How carefull would I be of duty, how watchfull against sin? How would I bestir my self to work out mine own salvation? But ah sinner! the time of thy departure is at hand, and there is no hope of a reprieve for one day longer; and therefore all these good wishes and purposes come too late.
There are two things especially which will aggravate a sinners misery at his death.
1. To think what possibility of making his peace with God he hath had all his life time; to remember how often he hath been invited to accept of Jesus Christ, and yet would not.
2. To think that now there is no hope of mercy, having by his sins shut Heaven-gate, and hardened Gods heart against him. Ah sinner! then wilt thou in the bitterness of thy soul cry out, and say, The God of mercy hath utterly forsaken me; and the Devil, who knows no mercy, waites for to take me. Ah! then which way soever thou lookest, thou wilt find nothing but matter of bitter weeping and lamentation. If thou look backward, what canst thou behold but all the filthy and abominable lusts of thy youth unrepented of? yea multitudes of horrid sins which thou hast committed in the whole course of thy life; for which thou never hast been humbled, nor shed one penitential tear: the guilt of the least of them is enough to sink thee body and soul into everlasting burnings.
If thou look forward, what canst thou behold but sudden destruction ready to seize upon thee? Yea Gods strict Tribunal, before which thou art just making thy appearance, there immediately to be sentenced to endless torments and miseries of the other world; the sting and terrours of which thou shalt never be able either to avoid, or abide.
If thou look within thee, what canst thou behold, but thy conscience polluted and defiled, yea accusing and condemning thee? If without thee, what canst thou behold, but the wicked World which thou hast too much loved? and thy relations which stand weeping about thee? a company of miserable comforters, that cannot delay the separating stroak of death one day or hour: neither can they afford thee the least dram of true comfort.
If thou look downward, what canst thou behold, but hell deserved? with her mouth open ready to swallow thee up quick; and the Devils ready to receive thy soul, and carry it to that dungeon of darkness. If upward, what canst thou behold but a provoked, enraged God? whom because thou refusedst to hear in the day of his merciful visitation, he will now laugh at thy calamity, and mock when thy fear cometh upon thee, as himself threatneth, Prov. 1.24, 26. and in verse 28. saith the Lord, Then shalt thou call upon me, but I will not answer, thou shalt seek me, but thou shalt not find me, for that thou hatedst knowledge, and didst not choose the fear of the Lord. And verse 30. Thou wouldst none of my counsell, but despisedst all my reproofs. Ther…fore shalt thou eat the fruit of thine own way, and be filled with thine own desires; that is, the wickedness which thou hast sown, shalt thou reap with all fullness. Thus thou wilt look every where for help, yet findest thy self every way helpless, and hopeless.
Haply thou wilt then look unto Jesus Christ, in hope that he will appear for thee, and his blood make thy Attonement: But sinner know, that though his blood be a fountain opened to all poor penitent believers, to wash away the filthy spots and stains of their sins; Yet to thee, who hast all thy life long, suffered Christ to stand knocking at the door of thine heart, by the Ministery of his Word, by the motions of his Spirit, and by the checks of thine own conscience, and wouldst not open unto him: to thee his blood will be then a fountain sealed; so that thou shalt not partake of the least benefit thereof, because in thy life time thou hast so often slighted it, yea and crucified him afresh by thy bloody sins.
Ah sinner, sinner, whither wilt thou flee for comfort in the midst of thy distress? It will then be too late to cry out, Oh that the time I have spent in Taverns and Ale-houses, in sports and pastimes, in carnal pleasures and sensual delights, I had spent in Prayer and fasting, in humbling and repenting! It will then be too late to cry with Balaam, Oh that I might dye the death of the righteous, when thou hast, neglected to live the life of the righteous. For look as the life is, so commonly is the death; and as death leaves a man, so the last judgement shall find him.
And now, sinner, thy last sand being run out, thy day past, and the Devills long looked for day being come, who waits for thy soul, so soon as it goeth out of thy body. Oh what a direfull screech will thy soul give when it passeth out of thy body into the Devils clutches, to be carryed by him into the bottomless burning lake!
Oh how should the consideration of these unspeakable miseries, which are the portion of natural and unregenerate men at their deaths, startle and waken all such worldlings and sensualists, who so they may encrease their wealth, and satiate themselves with worldly pleasures and delights, take no thought now, nor make any provision against this dreadfull day of reckoning, I mean, the day of their deaths. Surely did they know and feelingly apprehend, or would they be brought to believe what horrour and astonishment, what terrour and anguish is like then to seize upon them; they would count it the greatest point of wisdom in the World speedily to labour for an interest in Jesus Christ, who alone can free them, as from the sting of death, so from these horrours and astonishments which accompany the same; and would now ply all the blessed means of salvation, as reading, hearing, praying, fasting, and the like; which are now their burden and bondage; yea the matter of their mocks and scorns, would then be their daily delight and exercise.