The Fading of the Flesh and Flourishing of Faith, Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. The Second Exhortation To the ſerious Chriſtian, ſhewing how a Saint may come to dye with courage.
I Shall now ſpeak in this Uſe of Exhortation to the Serious Chriſtian.
If thy fleſh will fail thee ſo, fortifie thy Spirit, 2. Exhortation To the ſerious Chriſtian to be valiant in Death.that thou mayſt give the fleſh a chearful farewel. Thy care muſt be to dye with courage. A good Souldier in all his Armour may be daunted at the ſight of that Enemy whom he meeteth on a ſudden. Mary was troubled at the ſight and ſayings of that Angel which brought the beſt news that ever the world heard, Luk. 1. Tis true, thou canſt never dye before thou art ripe for Heaven, but thou mayſt dye (in ſome ſence) before thou art ready (in thy own apprehenſions) to leave the earth. Many go to Heaven certainly, who go not to Heaven comfortably.
Tertul. de Spectat. cap. 1.It was Tertullians character of the Chriſtians in his time, that they were Expiditum morti genus, A ſort of people prepared for death. When a ſon hath loytered in the day, he may well be affraid to look his Father in the face at night; but when he hath laboured faithfully, he may come into his preſence without fear.
Though he that is ſober at home be more ready to put off his cloaths, and go to ſleep, then he that is drinking and vomiting in a Tavern, yet even this man may think of ſome buſineſs which he neglected in the day time that may make him unwilling to lye down. Surely ſomewhat is the cauſe that the children of God are ſo unquiet when night cometh, and ſo many of them go wrangling to bed.
Chriſtian, I would in a few words direct thee how thou mayſt put off thy earthly Tabernacle as chearfully as thy cloaths, and lye down in thy grave as comfortably as ever thou didſt in a bed of Down. It is thy own fault, if thou doſt not keep ſuch a good fire all day (I mean Grace ſo flaming on the hearth of thy heart) that thou mayſt encreaſe it at night, and ſo go warm to bed, even to thy Eternal Reſt.
The firſt Means.
Take heed of blotting thy Evidences for Heaven: Darkneſs we know is very dreadful,1 Blot not thy evidences for Heaven. when men by great or willful, ſins have ſo blurred the deeds which ſpeak their right to Heaven, that they cannot read them; no wonder if being thus in the dark they are affraid to leave the earth.
It is reported of good Agathon, Doroth Doct. 2.that when death approached he was much troubled, whereupon his friends ſaid unto him, What doſt thou fear? He anſwered, I have endeavoured to keep the commandments of God; but I am a man, and how do I know whether my works pleaſe God or no? for other is the judgement of God, and other is the judgement of men. He muſt needs be troubled to be removed from preſent pleaſures, who knoweth not that he ſhall go to a better place. Twenty pounds a year certain is counted better then (and a man will be unwilling to part with it for) forty pounds a year that is doubtful. It is aſſurance onelyonly of a better life which will carry the ſoul with comfort through the bitter pangs of death. Hence it was that Job called ſo frequently, and cried ſo earneſtly to be laid to bed; O that I might have my requeſt, that God would grant me the thing that I long for, even that it would pleaſe God to deſtroy me; that he would let looſe his hand and cut me off, then ſhould I yet have comfort. Let him not ſpare, for I have not concealed the words of the holy one, Job 6.8, 9, 10. Job had lived with a good conſcience, and therefore feared not to dye with great comfort. His fidelity to God, encouraged him to expect mercy from God; He had not concealed nor ſhut up Gods faithfulneſs from men, and therefore knew that God would not conceal his loving kindneſs from him. But David on the other hand, when night (in his own thoughts) drew near, was as importunate to fit up longer; God ſeemed to call him to bed, but he begs hard, O ſpare me that I may recover ſtrength, before I go hence, and be no more, Pſa. 39. ult.
Now mark the reaſon of this petition. David as tis generally conceived, was now perſecuted by Abſolom; the unnatural Son forced his Father to flie; He in his ſuffering reads his own ſin, and Gods indignation, and ſo dreads an appearance in the other World in ſuch a condition. He, who when things were clear betwixt God and his ſoul, could walk in the valley of the ſhadow of Death and fear none ill, could even give Death a challenge; now when things are cloudy and dubious runs back like a Coward; He had loſt the ſenſe of Gods favour, and therefore could not think of venturing into his preſence without much fear. The train of his corruptions threatned to wait on him to the higheſt Court, and he durſt not appear before the Lord with ſuch company. He had been declining in his grace under a ſad diſtemper, and as a weak conſumptionate man, he was affraid to travail ſo great a journey, as the way whence he ſhould never return. The Tenant who wants his rent, loves not to hear of the Quarter day.
Friend, If thou wouldſt leave the World chearfully, live in the World conſcienciouſly, take heed of thoſe fiends which will fright thee in the night of Death; chuſe ſuffering before ſin; and puniſh thy body to keep thy ſoul pure. The Ermin ſome ſay will die before ſhe will go into the Dirt to defile her beautiful skin; and the Mouſe of Armenia will rather be taken and ſlain, then preſerve and pollute her ſelf in a filthy Hole. As the white is always in the Archers eye, ſo let thy Death be in thine, that it may quicken thee to diligence and exactneſs in thy life.
Logicians who regard not the premiſes, infer wilde concluſions; ſo if thou art careleſs of thy converſation, expect but an uncomfortable diſſolution. As when God looked on all his works, and ſaw that they were good, then followed his Sabbath of reſt; ſo when thou canſt reflect upon the ſeveral paſſages of thy life, and ſee that through Chriſt they are good, and thou haſt not been guilty of enormities, though of infirmities; after this thou wilt joyfully by Death, enter into thy everlaſting Sabbath. Thy evidence will be clear, if thy conſcience be kept clean; but the truth is, many, even amongſt Chriſtians, wound their ſouls by venturing on ſin, and thence flinch and ſtart back, when they come to be ſearcht; beſides they neglect caſting up their accounts ſo long, that they know not whether they are worth any thing or nothing, and ſo may well be unwilling to have their eſtates ranſackt into.
If thou ſhouldſt fall; (I would not ſad any Saint) take heed of lying there, but be as ſpeedy as is poſſible in calling to Chriſt to raiſe thee up. If thy conſcience be raw with the guilt of any ſin, a light affliction (much more Death) will make thee kick and fling and unwilling to bear it. But when thy fleſh is ſound (thy ſpirit healed by the blood of Chriſt) Death it ſelf will be but a light burden on thy back. How merrily mayſt thou (though thou haſt not a penny in thine own purſe) go the way of all the Earth, travel into the other World, when thou art ſure of Chriſt in thy company, who will bear thy charges all the way.
The ſecond Means.
2 Wean thy heart from the World.Secondly, Mortifie thy affections more to the World and all its comforts. They who love the World moſt, leave it worſt. Lots Wife lingered in Sodom ſo much, and was ſo loth to depart, becauſe ſhe loved it overmuch. When boards lye cloſe one upon another they are eaſily parted, but when they are glewed one to another twill coſt ſome trouble and pains. If thy heart be looſe to the World, twill be a ſmall matter to thee to leave it, but if thou art faſtened to it in thy affections, twill not be done without much reluctancy and oppoſition.
The Wife who hath been ſo faithful to her Husband, as to keep her heart wholly for him, is ready always to open the Door to him; when ſhe that entertaineth other Lovers, though her Husband knock at the Door, dares not run preſently to open it, but firſt makes a ſhuffling and buſling up and down to hide, or get them out of the way. The more thy affections are ſet on Chriſt, thy true Husband, the more the World is taken out of thee; and ſo the more eaſily wilt thou be taken out of the World. He who hath laid up his heart in Heaven will comfortably think of laying down his head in the Earth. When the pins of the Watch are taken out (which held it together) how eaſily doth it fall in peices? When thy affections from theſe things below are removed, how quickly, how quietly will thy ſoul and body fall aſunder? If the World be as looſe to thee as thy Cloak, thou canſt put it off at pleaſure, but if it be as cloſe to thee as thy skin, they ſhall have ſomwhat to do who ſhall perſwade thee to part with it. We read of ſome unwilling to dye, for they had treaſure in the field, Jer. 41.8. Where their treaſure was their hearts were alſo.
Make it thy work therefore by conſidering the Worlds vanity and deceitfulneſs, and by pondering Heavens glory and happineſs, to wean thy heart from ſublunary things, hereby thou wilt as willingly leave them as ever infant did thoſe breaſts which long ago twas weaned from.
The third Means.
3. Familiarize the thoughts of Death.Ʋſe thy heart to the frequent thoughts of Death. When Children are frighted at a Dog or a Cat, we do not give way to their fooliſh fears, but bring the brute to them, and get them to touch and handle it, and ſhew them that it is not ſuch a frightful thing as they imagine; and hereby in time they are ſo far from being frighted, that they can play with it familiarly. Doſt thou dread this King of Terrors, Death, give not way to this fear, but bring death up to thy ſpirit, handle it, feel it, there is no ſuch hurt in it as thou imagineſt, nothing which ſhould terrifie thee, hereby at laſt thou mayſt come to play upon the hole of this Aſp.
One ground I ſuppoſe why Job made no more of dying, was, becauſe he was ſo well acquainted with Death. Strangers are ſtartled at many things in a place, which they that are home-born and uſed to, can delight in. I have ſaid to corruption Thou art my Father, and to the Worms thou art my Brother and Siſter, Job 17.14. Job was as familiar with Death, as if it had been his Father; and made no more of dying, then of falling into the Armes and embraces of his Mother or Siſter Moſes at firſt ſtarted back at the ſight of the Serpent, but when he had handled it a little, twas turned into a rod and nothing frightful to him.
There is a ſtory of an Aſs, called Cumanus Aſs, which jetting up and down in a Lyons skin, did for a time much terrifie his Maſter, but afterwards being deſcried, did much benefit him. Thou art fearful poſſibly Reader, of this beaſt, ſuppoſing it to be a roaring Lyon, but come up to it, and thou wilt find it but an Aſs in the skin of a Lyon, and ſuch a one as will be no way hurtful, but many ways helpful to thee. What is this Bugbear Death which thus frights thee? Is it not the Paranymphus, which preſenteth thy faithful ſoul to thy beloved Husband? Is it not a leaving the World and a going to thy Father? Is it leſs then a kiſs of Gods lips? The indulgent parent will take the babe into her Arms, and with many kiſſes lay it in her lap, when its falling aſleep.
The Chaldee Paraphraſe tell us, Moſes dyed with a kiſs of the Lords mouth, Deut. 34.5. Will it not be the funeral of all thy corruptions and croſſes, and the reſurrection of all imagiable delights and comforts? Didſt thou but know this, friend, more, thou wouldſt not be ſo ſhie of its company.
The Roman uſed their youth to gladiatory fights, and bloody ſpectacles, that acquaintance with them before-hand might make them leſs troubled in Wars with their enemies▪ Philoſtrates lived ſeven years in his Tomb before his death, that his bones might be the better known to his Grave: Accuſtom thy ſelf to the thoughts of death, thy change, thy tranſlation to bliſs, thy entrance into Heaven, and when it comes (his Errand being known ſo well before) he will be welcome.
Mithridates by accuſtoming his body to poiſon, turned it into good nouriſhment; Uſe thy ſoul to the thoughts of Death, and though it be worſe then poiſon to others, twill be pleaſant and profitable to thee.