A Glimpse of Eternity, Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. Of Lamentation for thoſe at eaſe and careleſs of Eternity, from three ſeveral Aggravations: with Expoſtulations.
1. THe Doctrinal▪ part being handled, the Application follows, which I mainly intend. Socrates is ſaid to bring down Philoſophy from Heaven, becauſe he firſt reduced it unto practice; and certainly, that preaching is beſt, which cometh neareſt to the end of preaching, which is to excite men to a practical improvement of divine Truths, and I know no one truth more capable of a more cloſe Application, than this of Eternity: That therefore, I now come to.
1. Hence have we ground, I know not whether of reprehenſion, or lamentation; or whether of lamentation, or aſtoniſhment: If this be a certain truth, that there is an eternal condition of every man after this life: that every man, muſt after a ſhort time enter upon an eternity, either of happineſs or miſery: Then behold ye deſpiſers, and wonder, and periſh; tremble ye men and women that are at eaſe in Sion, who live as if you had no Souls to look after, as if there were neither a Heaven to be cared for; nor a Hell to be feared, nor any being of man after this life; yea all ye that paſs by, behold, and ſee, and ſtand aſtoniſhed at the deſperate ſottiſhneſs of the Sons of men: when our Saviour told the Woman of the Water he gave, of which, whoſoever drinketh ſhall never thirſt; ſhe beggs, Sir, give me this water (a)Joh. 4., when he ſpeaks of the bread that comes down from Heaven, and giveth life to the world; the Jews cried, Lord evermore give us this bread (b)Joh. 6.: and truly it might be expected, that when men hear of the eternity of happineſs in Heaven, they ſhould be ſo affected with it, that ſome, as conſcious of their former careleſneſs, ſhould with Ephraim, ſmite upon the Thigh, and paſſionately bewail their neglect of ſo great Salvation; that others, with thoſe Goſpel-Converts, ſhould ask, What ſhall we do that we might inherit eternal life? that others, as full of Heavenly admiration, ſhould ſtand like the Cherubins with bowed faces, as deſiring to pry further into this myſtery; that others, as Naaman, when he was cured, went away reſolving to ſerve no other God, but the God of Iſrael; ſo they ſhould take up peremptory reſolutions, to make it their great buſineſs to get intereſt in this happineſs. On the other ſide, one would think, that when men hear of the eternity of Hell-torments, they ſhould almoſt think, and ſpeak, and enquire after nothing elſe, but how they ſhould flee from the Wrath to come, that they would run up and down, from one Miniſter to another: and from one Chriſtian to another, enquiring what they ſhould do to eſcape the damnation of Hell; all this might be expected: But alas, who hath believed our report? or, to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
Oh fools and ſlow of heart, to believe what the Scripture hath ſpoken, and what Miniſters preach(c)Iſidor.! It was the complaint of one, That eternal happineſs in Heaven is every way unſpeakably great, and is freely offered to us; and yet, who ſpends ſo much as one hour in the meditation and purſuit of it? Who is it that talketh of it to his Wife, and Children, and Family? We can riot in the praiſes of our Native ſoil, but are aſhamed to ſpeak of our Heavenly Country, our everlaſting Home; in the things of this life, our Underſtandings are quick enough to conceive them; our hearts to embrace them; our tongues to ſpeak of them: but in the things of Eternity, how deep is our ſilence? how ſlow our ſpeech? How ſeldome our Meditations? and as the ſame Author addeth: we forſake the eternal happineſs in Heaven, for earthly things, which will ſoon forſake us; and though this, as barely conſidered in it ſelf, be ſo great a ſottiſhneſs, as can never be enough lamented, yet it may be further aggravated from theſe following Conſiderations:
1. If we conſider how frequently and earneſtly, men are called upon, to make proviſion for Eternity: It was John Baptiſt's pathetical expoſtulation, O Generation of Vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come (d)Mat. 3.7.; I would ask, who hath not warned you? which of Gods faithful Miniſters, or what Sermon almoſt is it, in which they do not either directly or conſequentially, make this the great buſineſs they preach, and preſs upon you? and when they Preach, they deſire to do it in the moſt powerful and moving way they are able: when they preach of Heaven and eternal happineſs, they ſtrive to ſpeak in a ſilken dialect, cloathing their ſpeech with the ſoft raiment of the moſt pleaſing, and winning Expreſſions, ſo as the Pulpit ſeems to be another Mount Olivet, full of delight and ſweetneſs: when they Preach the terrors of the Lord, the damnation of Hell; they ſtrive (if poſſible) not to ſpeak Stone only, (as he ſaid) but Thunder-bolts; deſiring, that every ſentence might fall like a clap of Thunder, rending in pieces the adamantine hearts of men. The Philoſopher ſaith, that men continually breathe fire, though it be not ſeen: and when they preach of Hell, they deſire (if poſſible) to breathe flames, that they might thaw a frozen Generation, and ſcare men out of their ſins, by throwing ſome flaſhes of Hell into their Conſciences: ſo as the Pulpit ſeems to be as another Sinai, where there is nothing but fire, and lightning, and thunder: When they go about to perſwade men to flee from the Wrath to come; and lay up treaſure in Heaven; they bring Line upon Line, and Precept upon Precept: ſtudying what Arguments, and Motives to uſe, making choice of ſuch as are moſt taking and prevailing with their hearts: to Arguments they add Intreaties, beſeeching men by the love of God, and love to their own Souls, and whatſoever may be dear, and precious to men: that they would not neglect ſo great Salvation: they leave no imaginable means unattempted, become all to all men, if they may by any means ſave ſome: deſiring nothing more, than to ſee of the Travel of their Souls: when they ſee they cannot prevail, that Iſrael is not gathered, they go away diſcouraged, crying with the Prophet, My leanneſs, my leanneſs, wo is me; I can do no more good (e)Iſa. 24.16.: and are ſometimes ready to reſolve with the Prophet Jeremy, I will Propheſie no more in the name of the Lord, as fearing leſt God hath ſent them, as he did the Prophet Iſaiah, to make the hearts of people fat, and their ears heavy, and ſhut their eyes; leſt they ſhould hear, and ſee, and underſtand, and convert, and be healed; for alas, whereunto may I liken the men of this Generation? they are like unto Children, crying one to another: we have piped to you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned, and ye have not wept: Miniſters may be then ſaid to pipe, when they ſound the Silver Trumpet of the Goſpel, publiſhing the glad tydings of peace, and Eternal Salvation, then to mourn, when they are conſtrained to ring in mens ears, the doleful knell of their everlaſting miſery; but people generally, are as little affected either with the one, or the other, as if they were but meer fantaſies: as if Heaven were but an Idea, like Plato's Agathopolis, or Mahomet's Paradiſe, or Moore's Utopia; as if Hell were but a ſcare-crow, ſet up to put an awe upon more credulous ſpirits. Miniſters out of their ſeveral Pulpits, cry out: Eternity, Eternity, Eternity; and yet cannot prevail with men, to take the leaſt care about their eternal condition
How many be there, who have lived thirty, or forty years, under the powerful preaching of the word, and have heard many hundred Sermons; the main drift of which hath been to exhort them to this one thing neceſſary; and yet it is to be feared, the time is yet to come, with a great many, that ever they ſpent one ſerious hour in making proviſion for their everlaſting eſtate; like thoſe, They come, and ſit, and bear the word, and ſeem to be affected with it, as if they heard ſome pleaſant ſong (f)Ezek. 33.31.: but they do it not; they are no more prevailed upon, as to any ſerious care, and endeavour after things Eternal, than the very ſtones they ſtand on. When Bede was old and blind, yet he would take all occaſions to preach: the unhappy boy that led him, on a time, led him amongſt a Company of Stones, telling him, there were a company of men aſſembled, and he preached to them; and indeed as good preach to Stones, as to ſtony-hearts; there is almoſt as much hope to prevail upon hard ſtones, as upon hard hearts; it was a ſtrange expreſſion Bonaventure uſed upon that promiſe of God, I will take away the heart of ſtone, and give you a heart of fleſh: Lord, ſaith he, I will none of this promiſe, none of this heart of fleſh, let me have my heart of ſtone ſtill.
I read the Altar at Bethel clave aſunder at the words of the Prophet: when Jeroboams heart continued hard; the ſtones rent in pieces at the death of Chriſt: when the hard-hearted Jews were not affected, let me rather have a heart of ſtone than ſuch a heart of fleſh: and indeed it is true in his ſenſe, no ſtone ſo hard and unmalleable as the ſtupid heart of man, and that is the reaſon of thoſe frequent Apoſtrophes in Scripture, whereby God turning from a ſtubborn people, applyeth his ſpeech to the ſenſleſs creatures: Hear, O Heavens, and give ear O earth; Hear O mountains the Lords controverſie, and ye ſtrong foundations of the earth (g)Iſa. 1.12. Micah 6.2.: implying, that as ſoon may the heavens, and earth hear, as ſoon may the mountains, and foundations of the earth tremble, as a ſtupid, ſottiſh people, whom it moſt concerneth. And that men that are ſo often, and earneſtly called upon, ſhould be ſo little affected and wrought upon; this is a lamentation, and ſhall be for a lamentation: this is one aggravation of that ſtupidity which is in men.
2. If we conſider how ſoon men may enter upon their eternal condition, though at preſent we be in health and ſtrength, yet our ſtrength is not the ſtrength of ſtones, nor our fleſh of braſs: we are frail mortal creatures, our foundation is in the duſt, our life is in our hand, our breath in our noſtrils, we carry about in our bodies the matter of a thouſand deaths and may die (ſaith Calvin) a thouſand ſeveral ways each ſeveral hour: as many ſenſes, as many members, nay, as many pores as there are in the body, ſo many Windows for death to enter in at: Death needs not ſpend all is arrows upon us, a Worm, a Gnat, a Flie, a Hair, a Stone of a Raiſin, a Kernel of a Grape, the fall of a Horſe, the ſtumbling of a Foot, the prick of a Pin, the pairing of a Nail, the cutting of a Corn: all theſe have been to others, and any one of them may be to us the means of our death, within the ſpace of a few days, nay, of a few hours; we may be well, and ſicken, and die, and forthwith enter upon our Eternal eſtate: Death being the Door of Eternity, forthwith tranſmitting us to an eternity either of joy, or torment: and truly one would think that this conſideration ſhould prevail with men, to make ſome timely proviſion for their future eſtate. Cato had many times moved in the Senate, that Carthage which had been ſo offenſive to them might be deſtroyed, but could not prevail, being ſtill oppoſed by Scipio; On a time he brought a Fig with him into the Senate, telling them, that that Fig was three days before growing in Carthage, and that for ought they knew, an Army from Carthage in as ſhort a time might arrive at their Gates; upon which, the Senate conſidering the ſuddenneſs of the danger they might be in, gave order for the demoliſhing of it. Though we ſeem at preſent to be freſh, and flouriſhing, like fruit growing in a fruitful ground, yet we do not know but in a ſhort time, perhaps within the ſpace of three days, we may be cropt off by death, and tranſmitted into another world; and therefore ſhould be ſo wiſe as to make proviſion for our future eſtate, both by dying to ſin, which otherwiſe will be the death of our Souls, and by the uſe of all other means conducing thereunto: but that notwithſtanding this great uncertainty, men ſhould live as if they were to live always, ſhould put off the thoughts of death, as if they ſhould never die, ſhould content themſelves to live in that condition in which they dare not die, or in which if they ſhould die, they ſhould be eternally miſerable; this argues as great a folly and ſtupidity, as the nature of man is capable of.
Thou wouldeſt be troubled, if thou certainly kneweſt thou wert to live but one month longer; and art thou not affected, when perhaps thou ſhalt not cut-live one day (h)Fleres, ſi ſcires unum tua tempora menſem, Rides, cum non ſit forſitan una dies?? Eliphaz ſpeaking of a Viſion he had, ſaith; A thing was ſecretly brought me, and mine ear received a little of it (i)Job 4.12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20, 21.: He ſets it out by the time when it was made known to him; in thoughts from Viſions of the night, when deep ſleep falleth upon upon: It is further deſcribed by the ſtrange effects of it; fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to ſhake: He goeth on to ſhew the terror this Viſion brought upon him; A Spirit paſſed before my face, the hair of my fleſh ſtood up. Hitherto is deſcribed in what manner this ſecret was made known to him; but, what was this great ſecret which made ſuch an impreſſion of fear upon him? that is partly laid down, and proved by the fall of Angels, that much more man, whoſe foundation is in the duſt, muſt conſume by little and little, and muſt at laſt in a ſhort time, perhaps leſs than from morning to evening, be cut off by the ſtroak of death: but wherein (as one deſcants upon it) lyeth this high point of ſecrecy? for man to die, and that oftentimes ſuddenly, is no ſuch rare thing as ſeemeth here to be pointed at: ſurely that wherein that great myſtery chiefly conſiſted, lyeth in this: that though man muſt die, and many times dyeth ſuddenly, yet all this is little laid to heart, either by others: They are deſtroyed from morning to evening, they periſh for ever without any regarding it; nor yet by themſelves: doth no… their excellency go away? they dye even without wiſdom: and that mens time ſhould be ſo ſhort, their life ſo uncertain, as many times to be taken away in the ſpace of one day: and that neither others ſhould lay it to heart, nor men themſelves ſhould learn wiſdom to make any ſuitable preparation; this is ſpoken of as a ſtrange remarkable thing: a thing to be juſtly wondred at, that there ſhould be ſuch prodigious ſottiſhneſs in the hearts of men.
3. If we conſider how many things there are that ſeem to mind us of death, and of making proviſion for another world. Are not our boots, ſhoes, gloves, made of the skins of dead Beaſts? Our hats, cloathes, ſtockings, of the hair, or wool of dead creatures? Is not our food chiefly upon thoſe creatures that firſt die, before they become our nouriſhment; and yet, behold another enſuing death; theſe cloaths we wear, ſoon wear out; theſe meats we eat, are ſoon caſt into the draught, and nature calls for a freſh ſupply: If from hence we look upon things about us; the Vine feels as many deaths as winters; and notwithſtanding all our pruning and care, ſeldom laſts above ſixty or ſeventy years: The like may be ſaid of the Trees of Pears, Apples, Plumbs, and other fruits; which though carefully looked after, do not uſually continue above fifty or ſixty years; whereas Oakes, and other Trees, which laſt long, commonly grow further off from our Habitations: The ſenſitive creatures, that live amongſt us, do not long continue with us; the Horſe ſeldom out-lives twenty years: it is much if the Dog liveth ſo long: the Oxe, if not ſlain before, uſually dies by fifteen, or ſixteen: the Sheep by nine or ten; many other Creatures in a ſhorter time: And how many Creatures are there, which are but of one daies continuance? the ſame days Sun, which gave them life at its upriſing, takes it away at its ſetting: And when there are ſo many things to mind us of our latter end, think what a ſtupidity it is, to make no preparation for it; as Seneca excellently, Whence is it we ſhould no more think of Death, when there are ſo many Deaths about us? Or, if from other Creatures, we caſt our eyes upon other Men; Job ſaith of the wicked man(l)Job 21.32, 33., He ſhall be brought to the grave, and ſhall remain in the Tomb, and every man ſhall draw after him, as there are innumerable before him: Death is the end of all fleſh, the Grave the houſe appointed for all living; there are few weeks paſs over our heads, but we either hear the knell of Death ringing in our Ears, or have ſome ſpectacle of Death preſented to our eyes; and when others ars ſnatch'd away by Death, the living ſhould lay it to heart (m)Eccl. 7.2., when Amaſa's dead body lay in the way, the people made a ſtop at it; in like manner, when we ſee, or hear of the death of any, we ſhould conſider what befalleth them, and muſt e're long befall us; Jonathan ſhot Arrows to admoniſh David of Sauls intent to kill him; when God cauſeth the Arrows of death to fall on the right hand, and on the left, we ſhould look at them, as ſo many Arrows ſhot from Heaven to warn us. But how few be there that conſider the works of the Lord; the Pſalmiſt ſaith of wicked men, like ſheep they are laid in the Grave (n)Pſal. 49.14.; the old Tranſlation reads it, they lye in Hell like ſheep; Sheep that are put into a fat paſture, though the Butcher comes, and taketh out, firſt one, then a ſecond, after, a third, and fourth, and carrieth to the ſhambles, yet the reſt not knowing what is become of their fellows, feed ſecurely; and with much delight skip up and down in the green paſtures, till they alſo are fetched away, and carried to the ſlaughter. There is a bird in Ireland they call the Cock of the Wood, they fly together in thick Woods, ſo as it is hard to find them, but being once found, they are eaſily killed, if one or two be ſhot, the reſt fly no further than to the next tree; where they ſit ſtaring upon the ſhooter, till the whole Covey be deſtroyed: in like manner, it is with the ſecure, beſotted ſinners; the Arrows of Death light on this, and that ſide, now one is ſnatch'd away, and goeth to his long home, ſoon after, a ſecond, a third; ſome perhaps are take… away in the midſt of their ſins, and go to their ow… place, having ſcarce time to call upon God for mercy; yet the ſurvivours are little affected with theſe examples, but do as they uſed to do; Dine, and Sup… at their aceuſtomed times; go to Bed, and Riſe after their wonted manner; Sleep according to their old compaſs; ſuffer life to ſlip from them, and death to ſteal upon them, and Judgment to overtake them, without taking any care to make proviſion for their future eſtate: and that Gods hand ſhould be lifted up, and men not ſee; that the rod ſhould ſpeak, and they not hear, but continue deaf amongſt ſo many Alarms of Death; this is another thing, that much aggravates the deſperate ſottiſhneſs of theſe perſons.
Having thus ſhewed the lamentable blockiſhneſs o… the greateſt part of men, and the ſeveral aggravations which render it more lamentably lamentable; I ſhall now deſire from this truth we are treating on to expoſtulate a while, and reaſon the caſe with theſe Sons of ſlumber, and confuſion: Either this is ſo, that mans condition after this life is eternal, or it is not ſo; If not ſo, beſide former arguments brought to prove it, what end was there of Chriſts coming into the world? what Ʋſe of Scripture? to what purpoſe all we call Religion? What mean thoſe workings of conſcience, even for thoſe ſecret ſins unknown to the world? what mean thoſe out-cries, and lamentations of men upon their death-beds, and that of the greateſt Atheiſts; as Bion of Boriſtenes, who all his life time had denied the Gods, deſpiſed their Temples, derided their worſhip; yet when death came, he would rather have endured the greateſt torment, than to have dyed; and that not ſo much for fear of a natural death, but for fear of what followed after; leſt God whom he had denied, ſhould give him into the hand of the Devil, whom he had ſerved; and therefore, at the time of his death, he put forth his hand, crying; welcome Devil, welcome (o)Laert.; fooliſhly thinking to pacifie the Devil by this flattering Salutation: And Tully obſerveth of Epicurus, that though no man ſeemed more to contemn both God, and Death, yet no man feared more both the one, and the other: and whence is all this, if there be no Being of man after death?
On the other ſide; if the eternity of mans condition be a certain truth; ſo as it is not more certain, that the Sun ſhines, that the fire burns, that the earth beareth us, that the heavens cover us; than this is, that there is a Heaven and eternal happineſs, for the Saints; and a Hell and everlaſting puniſhment for incorrigible ſinners; what ails the fooliſh hearts of men, to be ſo ſtupidly careleſs in a thing of ſo infinite concernment.
Were it only a thing probable, that as much might be ſpoken againſt it, as for it; yet a wiſe man would go the ſafeſt way: men do ſo in all other things, and would do ſo here, if they would but act as men, according to the Principles of Reaſon; and it is undoubtedly the ſafeſt way, to make a ſeaſonable proviſion for it: Yet further, ſuppoſe it were a thing only poſſible, that much more might be ſpoken againſt it, than for it; yet a wiſe man would think, but what if it proves to be ſo at laſt? though it ſeems otherwiſe to me, yet it may be ſo; and if it prove ſo, what will become of me, if I wholly neglect to make proviſion for it? but if it be a moſt certain, and undoubted truth, ſo as there is nothing more certain, and undubitable; whence it is that men mind no more a thing that ſo much, and ſo nearly concerns them? What are mens hearts made of? Whe… are thoſe affections which uſe to be eagerly carried out upon meaner objects? what is become of men… intellectuals? Have they loſt underſtanding, as well as conſcience? Have they ſinned away Reaſon as well as Religion? Are they as well without fear as without faith? as much without love to themſelves as to God? Is Iſrael a ſervant? Is he a home-born-ſlave? Why is he ſpoyled (p)Jer. 2.18.? Let me ask, Is a man a block, a bruit, a home-born fool? Why is he ſpoyled, or rather doth he ſpoyl and undo himſelf? Dydd Abner as a fool dyeth; Thy hands were not bound, nor thy foot put into fetters, ſaith David (q)2 Sam. 3.: but for a man to dy eternal as a fool dyeth, when his hand is not bound, when no thing beſides his own careleſſneſs, could either deprive him of eternal happineſs, or thruſt him upon his everlaſting ruine, this is the greateſt folly and madneſs that can befall a reaſonable creature: Salomon ſaith of a generation of men, that madneſs is in their hearts while they live (r)Eccleſ. 9.3.; after that they go to the dead, if there be any one thing in which this madneſs doth more plainly appear, it is in this ſtupendious neglect of their eternal welfare. The Philoſopher ſaid of the Mileſians, He would not ſay they were fools, but he was ſure they did the ſame things fools uſe to do▪ men would be loth to be counted fools or mad-men, but if they ſpend all their time and pains about other things, and neglect this one thing neceſſary, whatſoever they ſeem to themſelves, and whatſoever they are in other things, in this they do the ſame things that fools and mad-men do, and ſo they will one day judge of themſelves; but I paſs to other vſes.