Gods Husbandry, Sermon 2 · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. Containing a ſecond vſe of the poynt, ſtirring vp the ſeruants of God to an holy longing for death.
Vſe 2 SEE heere … how great cauſe wee hauehave to follow the Apoſtle Paul, We ſhould long for the time of our diſſolution, when we ſhall be perfectly freed from ſinne.and to long that wee were once diſſolned, and perfectly vnited vntounto Chriſt, that (as hee prayes for vsus) being where he is, and ſeeing his glory, we might be perfectly like him, in a ſpotleſſe purity and holineſſe. Impatient folkes are many times ſo tormented with worldly croſſes, (made ſo troubleſome vntounto them alone by their owne folly and pride, whereby they neglect to ſee God, and to ſtoope vntounto him in croſſes) that they are euen altogether weary of their liues becauſe of them, and our of a kind of ſtomackfull ſullenneſſe againſt God, as once Ionas, or elſe a feeble ſinking vnderunder the burthen of miſery, as once Eliah; they euen thinke with themſelues, I would I were dead, and are bold to trouble God with that vnſauoury petition of making an end of their daies, that they may be rid of their croſſes: which they hauehave neither patience enough to beare for the preſent, nor hope enough to looke for a good iſſue out of, for the time to come.
But (my brethren) conſider, HaueHave you not other and worſe things to be weary of, then croſſes, and for which, if for any thing, to be weary of life alſo, as of a burthen, which you long to be remoued from off your ſhoulders? Haſt thou not pride, paſſion, worldlineſſe, ambition, luſt, enuie, vaine-glory, blindneſſe, hollowneſſe, deadneſſe of heart, and a thouſand more, beſides theſe corruptions within thee, which giuegive thee farre iuſter cauſe of panting for the period of thy dayes, and wiſhing that thy life heere might bee but ſhort, then the frowardneſſe of a yoke fellow, the ſtubbornneſſe of a child, the meanneſſe of thine eſtate, the falſeneſſe of thy friends, the power and fury of thine enemies, or any other croſſe (if any be) worſe then theſe? Ah, wee hauehave not ſufficiently informed our ſelues of the loathſomneſſe of ſin, neither are we ſufficiently heauie laden with the ſenſe thereof, if the cumberſomneſſe of this doe not cauſe vsus, euen in the time of our greateſt immunity from other miſeries, to couet our departure hence. If ſickneſſes make men cry for death, becauſe they be terrible to the body; how ſhould not the ſickneſſes of the ſoule make vsus much rather to ſeeke for it, ſeeing wee ſhall not ceaſe to ſuffer the fits of this diſeaſe, till death be ſent to ſeuer our ſoules from our bodies, and both from our corruptions? But death at once with a moſt happy paricide (as I may terme it) kils both it ſelfe, our laſt foe, and ſinne its mother, our firſt foe, and ſorrow its ſiſter, our daily foe. That one pang which puls away the ſoule from the body, doth alſo pull away ſinne both from the ſoule and the body. O moſt deſireable pang, and worthy to be thirſted after, more then any earthly thing. Iob, when his body was full of botches, could ſay with much vehemency of paſſion, Why dyed I not from the wombe? why gaue I not vp the ghoſt when I came out of the belly? then ſhould I hauehave lyen ſtill and beene quiet, I ſhould hauehave ſlept, then had I been at reſt. Hee could in elegancy of ſpeech commend death, and ſay, There the wicked ceaſe from troubling, and there the weary be at reſt; there the priſoners reſt together, and heare not the voyce of the oppreſſour; yea hee ſaith, that a miſerable man would long for it, and dig for it more then for hid treaſures, and would reioyce exceedingly, and be glad if he could find it.
This impatiency of life is no way worthy commendation: it ſauours too much of ſelfe louelove, to be good and allowable. But if, out of an holy impatiency of ſinne, wee could as feelingly take vp ſpeeches of a like nature, O how truly might it witneſſe with vsus, that we did hate ſinne, that we were enemies to the luſts of our hearts, that our corruptions were to vsus as impriſonment, ſickneſſe, paine, captiuity, and ſo that wee were ſure of our part in Chriſts goodneſſe, who comes to preach liberty vntounto the captiues! Verily our ſoules are as full of hotches, many of them, as Iobs body; and it will hardly bee better with many of vsus, ſo long as we abide in theſe earthly tabernacles; were we as full of ſpirituall life, as hee of naturall, and our ſoules as truly indued with holineſſe, as his body with ſenſe, we ſhould complaine of this burthen with much bitterneſſe, and ſay, O that I could tell where to ſeeke death! O that I might finde the graue, and come to thoſe quiet regions, where worldlineſſe and pride, and wrath ſhall no more torment mee, and where my will ſhall be no more carryed away with any fleſhly perturbation! I confeſſe, that this is the leaſt part of the good that death bringeth vntounto the Saints, that it doth vtterly diſmiſſe them from the ſeruitude of the fleſh; but were we ſo thorowly ſpirituall as we ſhould be, this would ſeeme of ſo great worth with vsus, as wee would preferre it before all that the world counts delightfull. The Bridegroome would rather go to his graue, then to his bride-chamber; the traueller would rather lye downe in his bed of earth, then in a bed of downe; and eueryevery man would bee of Salomons minde, and count the day of death better then the day of birth. I confeſſe that wee muſt ſo farre reſigne our willes to Gods will, as with all contentedneſſe of minde to weare out the dayes of our apprentiſhip and pilgrimage. For ſo long as God hath any ſeruice for vsus to doe any where, though the place and company be full of troubleſomneſſe, yet ſhould wee force our willes to doe him ſeruice, with our owne diſquietment; but yet a vertuous deſire of being ſeparated from this vnhappy condition of life (wherein wee ſhall neuer fully be ſeparated from the ſinne that cleaueth ſo faſt) would be very commendable, and very profitable. The gavvdes of this vvorld vvould not ſo eaſily beguile vsus, the cumbers of this vvorld vvould not ſo frettingly gawle vsus, if wee did diſ-ſweeten the one, with making our ſelues to taſte the bitterneſſe of our ſinne, and diſ-imbitter the other, with feeling the far greater bitterneſſe of that which is as farre more harmefull then it, as lead is heauier then corke. Then ſhould wee proue our ſelues to bee men and women of a diſcerning ſpirit, that can know, of things, what is good, what is bad; and of bad things, what is more, what is leſſe bad. Then ſhould we ſhew our ſelues to approch neere that height of grace which the bleſſed Apoſtle had, who in relating of bonds, impriſonment, hunger, thirſt, nakedneſſe, whipping, ſtocking, ſhipwrack, and daily dying, neuer burſts forth into lamentations; but rather recounts with ioy, that which was ſo painfull to ſuffer; and ſeemeth to bee glad of life, for nothing elſe, but that (by ſuffering more of thoſe troubles) hee might doe more ſeruice to the Church, and honour to Chriſt: but when he hath occaſion to declare his ſinfulneſſe, the body of death, the law of his members, the rebellion of his fleſh, then onelyonly is heard bewailing and crying out, O miſerable man that I am, who ſhall deliuer me from this body?
Let therefore the feeling of ſinne make our deſires ſo earneſt after full freedome from it, that we may for this cauſe euen breathe after death, (when there are none other aduerſities to diſtaſte the comforts of this life vntounto vsus) that by it wee ſhall be ſet at liberty from the diuels tentations, the worlds affrightments & allurements, but ſpecially from the corrupt luſts which we both doe, and whileſt we lodge in this dungeon, ſhall carry about with vsus. And let each of vsus ſay often to himſelfe, O that I were parted from husband and wife, from children, from friends, from lands and goods, and from this world, and all that in this world is counted worth hauing, ſo that I might alſo bee parted from my corruptions, and neuer more hereafter ſtand in need of pruning! Faſting and prayer will purge, the Word and Sacraments will cleanſe, and all Gods ordinances, and all our Chriſtian indeuours will helpe to lop off theſe diſordered paſſions that are within vsus. But this is alone a cleanſing in part, a paring off ſome euill, and leauing much behind: onelyonly the laſt blow of death will make a full riddance of all that is euill in vsus; and after that blow giuen, there ſhall nothing remaine behinde that may call for any more purging. This is the ſoueraigne medicine that will conſummate the cure of our diſeaſed ſoules, which, till then, ſhall neuer bee deliuered from all diſeaſes, though wee bee in Chriſt as the Vine, and hauehave God the Father for our Husbandman. O then, Lord, ſend thou this laſt enemy, which may doe mee more good, then all the former friends I meet with can doe, euen worke a diſſolution of my ſoule from my body, and of my ſinne from them both. Let it come, Lord, let it come ſpeedily, doe thou haſten it in due ſeaſon, and take away all ſinne, by taking away this life of nature, to make way for a farre more excellent life of glory. Deſire of death is then only warrantable, when a deſire of Gods full preſence, and of ſinnes perfect abſence, be the cauſes mouing that deſire.