Serious Reflections on Time and Eternity, Tract · Chapter 12
XII. The conſideration of the Death of others, eſpecially of Relations, Friends, and Acquaintance, how to be improved. What inſtructions we may learn by the ſight of a dead Carkaſs, or a Deaths Head, and the uſual Motto on it: and what by the Death of Holy Perſons, to quicken our deſires to be as they.
HAth divine Patience added one year more to the number of my Days, when ſo many others were removed by Death the laſt Year? Others, whom a few Months ſince I knew in vigorous health; wiſer, ſtronger, more likely to live, and to anſwer the ends of Life than me; ſome of them, my near Relations, and uſeful Friends; in whoſe converſe I took delight, and promiſed my ſelf advantage by their Company and Examples; But they are taken, and I am left. Thy Holy Will, O Lord! is done: and they, who were prepared, are infinite Gainers by this my loſs. Quicken my preparations by following their Piety, to meet them in thy Heavenly Kingdom. Let thy long-ſuffering lead me to Repentance; and ſuffer me not to ſlight thy warning by the Death of others, to expect my own. Lord! cure my Earthlymindedneſs, and practical unbelief; and by all ſuch admonitions of thy Providence, teach me to poſſeſs, and uſe this World, as knowing I muſt ſhortly leave it; and let not the thoughts of my Mortality wear off, aſſoon as the Funeral of my Friends is over.
Every year ſome or other of our Acquaintance drop into the Grave, we attend them thither, and lament, it may be, for a few days, their departure and removal; but conſider not, that others will e're be long do the ſame for us; it may before this year is ended. Oh how ſoon do we forget our deceaſed Friends, and our ſelves, who are likewiſe dying! and count upon a long Life, which we cannot reaſonably expect; and hug the enjoyments of this tranſitory World, as if our preſent ſtate would laſt for ever! Will nothing but our own diſſolution effectually convince us of our miſtake, and folly, in this particular?
Though the Arrows of Death flye continually round about us; ſometimes over our Heads, when Superiours are taken away; ſometimes fall at our Feet, when Children and Servants, and Inferiours die; ſometimes on our Left hand, when an Enemy is cut off; and while I am pleaſed with that, in that very hour, it may be, another Arrow on our Right hand ſtrikes the Friend of our Boſom and Delight. And can we ſee all this, that great and ſmall, high and low, friends and foes are all Vanity, and drop down dead round about us; and ſhall we not conſider, that we are as Vain as they, and muſt ſhortly follow? Shall we not by a Chriſtian Chymiſtry extract Spirits out of theſe dead Bones? and by theſe Examples learn the End of all Men, and lay it to Heart?
Whenever I ſee the Funeral of another, let me think thus with my ſelf; why might not I have been that Man or Woman, that is now carried to the Grave? If we had been compared a few days ſince, 'tis probable I ſhould have been thought as likely to have been his Monitor, by dying firſt, as he mine. By ſuch an improvement of theſe warnings, the requeſt of the rich Man to Abraham were in great meaſure granted; for 'tis a call from the dead that ſpeaks loudly to us, to conſider our ſelves, and prepare in time for ſo great a change: and ſay, as the Prophet to Hezekiah, Set thine houſe in order, for thou ſhalt dye.
Can we look upon a Deaths Head, and not remember what we ſhall ſhortly be? may not much be learnt from its common Motto? Sum quod Eris, Fueramque quod Es. I am that which thou ſhalt ſhortly be, and have been that which thou art now: that is, I have been as gay and jocund, as brisk and merry, as proud and vain, as rich and great, as careleſs and ſecure, as honourable and as much eſteemed, as beautifull and as well beloved, as witty and as learned, as Thou art or canſt be now. I valued my ſelf as much upon my Eſtate and Trade, and health, and beauty; upon my Education, Profeſſion, Imployments, Parts, Friends, Family &c. as thou haſt ever done, or canſt do: I lived in eaſe and pleaſure, in mirth and jollity; I minded the World as much, and indulged my ſelf as much in ſenſuality; and was as careful of my Body, pampered and pleaſed my Fleſh as much as thou, and thought as little of a ſudden Death, and prepared as little for ſuch a change, as thou doſt: but now my dry Bones are lookt upon with contempt and ſcorn, but thou ſhalt ſhortly return to duſt, and be as vile as I am.
It cannot but affect us, did we conſider it, to ſee divers ſnatch'd away in their Youth, and outward Proſperity; and in the midſt of their Sin and Folly, without any viſible ſigns of true Repentance: Or in terrible anguiſh and horror for their paſt crimes: And yet how few do take the warning, carefully to prevent the like unhappineſs? O Lord! preſerve thoſe ſtrong Convictions, thoſe ſerious Thoughts, thoſe holy Reſolutions, thoſe lively Apprehenſions of the Life to come, of the Evil of ſin, and the Terrors of thy wrath, which the Sight of dying perſons hath at any time awakened in my ſoul! O the Eloquence of a dying Sinner, to perſuade to Repentance! Even when he hath loſt his Speech, and lies gaſping, and trembling, on a bed of ſickneſs; breathing out his laſt faint breath, and paſſing into the other world, to anſwer for the crimes and follies of a wicked Life! Lord! revive theſe thoughts upon my ſoul, and let me feel the power and influence of them, in the hour of Temptation, and in every time of need! And let the conſideration of the death of Believers, the Bleſſedneſs they are thereby entred into, and the Holineſs they are poſſeſſed of, quicken my deſires and diligence to prepare to follow. When I think where they are, and what they are doing, what is their work, and what their ſtate, what their continual imployment, and what their Injoyments; and how different from ours: I cannot but wiſh to be with them; to be as they are, and do as they do, to know and love and praiſe God as they. They are not hindred by ſuch a clog as this Body is to us; or tempted by their ſenſes, appetite and fancy, to ſin againſt him: they complain not of a ſeducing fleſh, unruly paſſions, low and diſordered thoughts, of Temporal Afflictions, ſpiritual Deſertions, the ſnares of the World, and the malice and ſubtility of the Devil: We who are Pilgrims and Travellers are expoſed to theſe difficulties, and ſtorms which they are freed from. They are now rejoycing in the light of Gods countenance, and ſhall never queſtion his love more, while we are in Tears and Sorrows, groaning to be delivered.
But think, O my ſoul! that They were lately ſuch as We are now. They were members of the militant Church, before they entred into Joy and Triumph. They had their conflicts and difficulties, their hour of Temptation, and time of trial, as we have ours. They were ſlandered, and perſecuted, and ſadned, and diſappointed, as their Followers are: They went to Heaven the ſame way, and got the victory after the ſame manner, by Repentance, and Faith, and humble perſevering Obedience. They were once imperfect as we are now; and complained of the Body of Sin and Death, and ſtruglings of unmortified luſt, as we do: And were ſometimes in the dark about their intereſt in the promiſe, and walked heavily by the hiding of Gods face, and indured Temptation, even as we. And as we have nothing to do, or ſuffer, but what they met with; we have the ſame encouragement, that adminiſtred to their ſupport; the ſame God and Saviour, the ſame way and rule, the ſame aſſiſtance, by the aids of his H. Spirit, offered to us; the ſame promiſes, and the ſame rewards propoſed, which they enjoyed, firſt in faith and hope, and afterwards in fruition. Yea they paſſed through the dark valley, and ſo muſt we: Their Earthly tabernacle was diſſolved, and ſo muſt ours be. We muſt expect to go the ſame way to Reſt and Glory; and wait Gods Time for our admiſſion. We muſt finiſh firſt the work which God hath for us to do and ſuffer, and then all Tears ſhall be wiped from our eyes, we ſhall grieve no more, we ſhall ſin no more, but be as the Angels in Heaven, or as the Spirits of the Juſt made Perfect.