Delights he knows not how to deny himself in them but now a Man that hath another Life beyond this he can deny himself in these things 2 Cor. 14. 11. See what the Apostle saith there concerning himself For we saith he who live are alwayes delivered unto Death for Jesus sake that the Life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our Mortal Flesh Even this Mortal Flesh that must Die ere long in suffering for Christ here it doth manifest the Life of Christ And is it not a greater good to us to have our Mortal Flesh to manifest the Life of Christ than to have our Mortal Flesh to live here a Natural life We would be loath to have this flesh of our Bodies to be dead flesh While we are willing to suffer for Christ this flesh of ours doth manifest the very Life of Jesus Christ Therefore the Saints are dead to the World but they are alive to Jesus Christ But thus much for this first Part To me to live is Christ And to die is Gain To whom Christ is to live to them Death is gain The more we enjoy Christ and live to Christ here the more gainful will death be to us and the more shall we be able to look upon death as Gain And here we have a Scripture if we had no other sufficient to prove the Immortallity of the Soul How could death be Gain unto the Apostle if so be that the Soul should die together with the Body Indeed Christ would be Gain for another Life hereafter that is at the Day of Judgment there Christ would be Gain And those that do deny the Immortallity of the Soul yet they are not so vile as some take them To think that Man should Die like a Beast and there 's an end of him and that there shall be no Resurrection No But those that do deny the Immortallity of the Soul they say That though the Soul dies with the Body yet at the Day of Judgment both Soul and Body shall rise again and live for ever But all they deny is this That the Soul between Death and the Day of Judgment shall live They think that the Soul between Death and the Day of Judgment shall die and then by the Almighty Power of God they shall be both raised again That 's their Opinion But though it be not so bad as some would make it yet an Opinion false For this Text shews that Paul was in a straight he knew not whether to live or die but that was the conclusion that it was better for him to die for then he should be with Christ He could not mean that when he was dead he should be with Christ when the general Resurrection comes but he must needs mean that he should be with Christ immediately after his death and enjoy another manner of communion with Jesus Christ than he did here while he was living And it is upon this account that he saith It is gain for him to die Why Paul enjoyed much communion with Jesus Christ here and though he had some sin in him yet considering the Grace he had and the Service he did for Christ certainly it were better for him to live than to be in a condition where he should enjoy nothing of Christ and do no Service for Christ But the Apostle lookt upon the State of death before the day of Judgment to be a better Estate than that he had while he lived Though saith he I have the Grace of Christ and I do Service for Him yet there is a better condition between Death and Judgment If my Soul were gone from my Body it would be in a better Estate than now it is To me to die is gain and so you have it in 2 Cor. where the Apostle speaks of his departing out of the Body in Chap. 5. Therefore we are alwayes confident knowing that whilst we are at Home in the Body we are absent from the Lord. We are confident in verse 8. I say and willing rather to be absent from the Body and to be present with the Lord. So that 't is apparent that upon the Souls absence from the Body it is present with the Lord. Now if the Soul did die as the Body doth it were not present with the Lord no not so much as when it is in the Body But now the Apostle saith That when it is out of the Body then it 's present with the Lord and when it is in the Body it is absent from the Lord. And so it is upon this Ground especially that the Apostle saith That to him to die was Gain Because he should be absent from the Body but present with Christ which is best of all To be with Christ it is more than to have Christ with us The difference lies here For us to be with Christ it is for us to be brought to Christ where He is like Himself in all His Glory and Excellency and for us to enjoy Him in a proportionable way But now for Christ to be Immanuel God with us it is for Christ to come down as it were to us and to manifest so much of Himself as is sutable to our condition Therefore Christ humbles Himself to come to be with us For there He is a Man of Sorrows He is with us sutable to our Mean and Low condition but when we come to be with Him we are there sutable to His High and Glorious condition There lies the difference Mark The Apostle doth not here say To me to die is Gain Upon this Ground Because I shall be delivered from my Troubles As a great many are ready to think it were well for me to be Dead If they be but a little discountented their outward Trouble makes them willing to go out of the World Yea and if their Bodies be weakly and their Stomachs gone and cannot Eat as others do or Sleep as others do or are very Poor and Live in a mean Condition they are weary of this World Now to think death Gain upon such a poor Ground as these is not according to the Spirit of Paul Paul suffered as much as many of you do for outward things in this World and yet he did not desire to die O then I shall be Afflicted no more be Persecuted no more in the World no but when I die I shall be with Jesus Christ and shall enjoy Communion with Him and it 's this that makes me look upon Death with comfort and in this respect it's Gain Though Paul had enjoyed all the World at will yet he would have accounted Death to have been Gain to him And though Paul was a Man of great Esteem among the Saints though Persecuted by others yet death was Gain to him Yea though Paul enjoyed all Ordinances yet Christ was Gain to him And though he did a great deal of Service for Christ as I verily believe there was never any Man since the World was made did more Service for Jesus Christ
be enough to us that we hope that we have that Grace which possibly may bring us to Heaven at last but we should labour to have that Grace that may reign in the Heart now and bring all into a due Order As in a Family when the Governors are Wise you shall have them if there be but the least Disturbance speak but a word and all is quiet And you shall have other Families that where the Reins of Government are loose if there be but a little Disturbance it grows more and more and to such a height that it 's tedious for one that hath a quiet Spirit to be in the Family and so it is in the Heart though the best hath some Disturbance But now where Grace Rules and Governs it stills all presently without any great ado But now in other men though they have some Grace yet if the Heart begins to be in a Disturbance it 's a long time before it can be quieted My Brethren I have gone through these Points briefly and you will say 'T is a harder thing to do this than to speak it It 's true it is yet some of the Saints have done it They have through the Mercy of God been brought to these things that have been spoken and it 's possible to be done Some have attained it and there is strength enough in Christ for the weakest to attain it And He delights as much to Communicate His strength in helping of His poor Servants in the times of Affliction as at any time Consider what hath been said in these several Truths and lay them up against the Day of your Affliction that you may say It is the Lord let Him do what seemeth Him good A Sermon Phil. 1. 21. For to me to Live is Christ and to Die is Gain THis blessed Apostle Paul had in the Course of his Life many things befel him that seem to be very Cross much Opposition great were his Sufferings even unto Bonds And much hard Usage he had not only from open Enemies but from false Brethren whose Spirits were full of Envy against him And who can stand before Envy They were vexed to see how his Ministery prevailed in the Hearts of People to see what great Esteem he had how precious his Name was among the Saints They knew not what course to take to Darken him and therefore among others some of them would set upon Preaching Christ as well as he and see what they could do that way they would be as forward as he Well saith Paul all this makes for my Good and I rejoyce in it so be it I may be any occasion that Christ may be Preached whether of Good-will or Envy I am glad Christ is made known by this and this shall turn saith he to my Salvation to the Glory that I expect from Christ and with Christ That shall be furthered by it so long saith he as Christ is Honoured I shall never be ashamed No matter what becomes of my Body of my Life so that Christ may be Magnified in my Body whether it be by Life or by Death For to me to Live is Christ and to Die is Gain And this is the Coherence of the Words Here then we have a Man of brave Resolution of a truly Noble raised Spirit while other men are Grovelling here in the World in seeking Contentment unto the Flesh Here 's the Spirit of Paul raised above Life and Death To me to Live is Christ to Die is Gain To me to Live is Christ You have it in your English only so To Live and to Die But those that understand the Original know that besides the Word that signifies To Live There 's an Article in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And besides that word there 's an Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So that if you would have it Translated according to the Propriety and Elegancy of the Greek it is thus To me the thing that is to Live is Christ and the thing that is Death is Gain As if he should say That thing that you call Life is nothing but Christ If Christ may be Magnified in me if I may be of any Service for Him any way then I am content to Live but if so be that He may be no more Served by me here let me Die and I shall lose nothing by that neither For that same thing you call Death the thing that People keep such a stir about and are so scar'd withal That to Die it 's nothing to me but that which will be Gain So that the words they speak out the frame of Gracious Heart blessing it self in Jesus Christ both in Life and Death To me to Live I 'll not make any curious Definition nor raise more Points than I shall go through at this time and the Points will be nothing but the opening of the Text in both Parts First That a true Godly man accounts Christ to be his Life And Secondly To a Godly man Death is Gain For the First To me to Live is Christ That same thing that you call life It 's Christ all is wrapt up in him I account nothing Life but Jesus Christ As for my natural Life that 's no way considerable but so far as Christ is in it Christ is the life of the Saints It 's more indeed then if he should say Christ is my life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the thing that is to live is Christ It 's a greater Elegancy than to say Christ is my life Christ is the life of the Saints First in this That they are by him freed from a Legal death Every man by nature is under the Curse of the Law he is a dead man as we say of a man that is condemn'd he is a dead man dead by the Law But now the Saints in Christ are dead to the Law Gall. 2. 19. But they live to God they are freed from that Legal death and so Christ brings life to them Secondly Christ is the principle of Spiritual Life in them It 's Christ that brings me to the Fountain of Life that unites my Soul again to God and puts me in a principle of Life to inable me to live to God and to injoy communion with him I in my self am as a dead Carkass without Jesus Christ To me to live is Christ Thirdly Christ is the preserver of this life of mine Notwithstanding all the corrupt and silthy and dead stuff that is in me yet Jesus Christ preserves this life in me And then in the Fourth place which I take to be the chiefe meaning of what the Apostle intends To me to live is Christ that is the great comfort of my Life that 's Christ A man doth not live except he hath Comfort in his Life For so the Scripture calls Life when a man hath Comfort Joy and Contentment in his Life Psal 38. 19. But mine Enemies are lively so you have it in your Books Mine Enemies are living so you
are like to meet wtthal you shall not only meet with Dogs that will Bark at you nor with Foxes that seek Cunningly to Vndermine you but with Wolves that will seek violently to Destroy you And you shall find it in Mat. 10. That He sends out His Apostles and He tells them the like And indeed it did so fall out For there was not any one of the Twelve Apostles but did Die a Violent death was putto death by the Rage of Ungodly Men except John It were easie to shew you partly out of Ecclesiastical Stories how every one except John was put to death some Hanged some Ston'd some Crucified and some by the Sword One way or other the Twelve were put to death that were the greatest Instruments of doing God Service that ever were in the World and yet this Recompence they all had from this wicked World save only one I say and yet the Scripture tells us that he was Banisht And Ecclesiastical Stories tell us that he was cast into Scalding Lead but withal they tell us that he was Delivered by a Miracle out of it So that he wanted not his Sufferings too That 's the Third thing And then the Fourth thing that there is in Christs Direction unto these it is this He tells them That all their Living that they are like to have it is to be had by their Work They are to be maintain'd for their Work and they should take no further care For the Labourer is worthy of his Hire But then Fifthly Which seems to be more strange Christ doth bid them That they should Salute no Man by the way Why would Christ have His Disciples to be Uncivil not so much to Salute Men in a civil way That surely cannot be the meaning But it was to signifie that they were to tend the great Work that they were sent about with all Diligence and to take heed that nothing did Interrupt them They were not to stay upon any Complemental Salutations Visitations that spends a great deal of Time oftentimes they had not so much Time as other Men. Men indeed who have little to do they spend their day as your great Gentry and others spend a great part of their Time in Complemental Salutations and Visitations I but saith our Saviour do not you spend any time that way Imploy all your time in the Work you are sent about Men that have great Businesses to do they can spare no time for Salutations So saith Christ to his Disciples Your Errand is of great Consequence you are to be Embassadors of Reconciliation between God and Man be not hindred any wayes that usually Men are hindred in their Work And therefore People should not expect such things from Ministers in any Complemental Visitation of that kind but they are to know that the Work of Ministers should take up their whole Heart and Time This seems to have some Reference unto the Direction of the Prophet Elisha unto his Servant when he was to go to Heal the Shunamites Son which you have in â— Kings 4. 29. Gird up thy Loyns saith the Prophets and take my Staff in thine hand and go thy way If thou meet any Man salute him not and if any Man salute thee answer him not again That is Go in haste to the Child and let nothing hinder thee So this is the meaning of this Salute no Man by the way Not that they should be Uncivil or Uncourteous but that they should take heed that no such thing hinders them and take up their time as usually doth other Mens And then having given them that Direction now comes the Direction in my Text that I have read unto you And into whatsoever House you enter first say Peace be to this House That is do not force your selves upon any People do not come in a forceable way into any House but with their Leave And first say Peace be to this House This was the ordinary Salutation of the Hebrews Peace be to you Peace be to this place For they comprehended all Good by the name of Peace Now though the Disciples were not to Salute any by the way yet those they came to Preach to they were to Salute them with this Salutation Peace be to this House Which was but to shew unto them the Gentleness and the Lovingness of their Spirits they were to make this appear to People that they were sent to Preach unto that they were Men of Soft Loving Sweet Gentle Spirits therefore they come with this Salutation Peace be to this House Secondly This is not only a Salutation but as Chrisostom it was a Benediction They in the Name of God were to Bless the place where they came and say Peace be to this place as a Benediction Thirdly It was to give them a Taste of the great Errand they come to the House for it was to tell them of the Message that they came from Christ unto them about and that was to bring Peace unto them Secondly Here 's a Discription of the Entertainers of this Peace If the Son of Peace be there The Son of Peace that is If there be any First that are ordained by God to have the Benefit of this Peace that you bring to them then let your Peace abide So the Scripture uses this phrase Son of a thing to shew one appointed to it As The Son of Perdition so The Son of Peace That is one appointed by God to enjoy the Benefit of this Peace Secondly The Son of Peace That is One that will attend unto Peace will manifest himself to be a Child of Peace indeed by attending diligently upon the Ministry of Peace that you do bring unto him And so you have it as I remember in Matth. 9. 15. where the Apostle speaks of the Child of the Bride-Chamber Now the words in the Greek are The Sons of the Bride-Chamber That is those that do attend upon the Business of the Bride-Chamber So the Sons of Peace that is those that are willing to attend upon this great Doctrine of Peace that is to be delivered to them And then Thirdly The Sons of Peace That is such as will be Obedient unto the Peace of the Gospel So in Ephes 2. 2. As those that will not Obey are called the Children of Disobedience So those that Obey may be called the Sons or the Children of Peace So then the meaning is this If a Son of Peace be there that is If one appointed to Eternal peace if one that will attend upon your Gospel of Peace if one that will be Obedient unto those Conditions of Peace that you are to bring if such a one be there Then Let your Peace abide upon him There 's the Blessing of those that are thus the Sons of Peace they shall have all the Good that there is in that blessed Peace of the Gospel that you bring they shall not only have the Benefit of it for the present but they shall have it abide upon
and to do or Suffer any thing in the World though but upon this Supposition That if God shall be pleased but to Bless my Ministry then the Lord shall make me an Instrument to bring Peace to that place even Peace between God and their Souls to be the Means to Convey all the good unto them that Jesus Christ hath Purchased by His Blood This seem'd to be the Encouragement that God gave to Jeremiah in Chap. 36. And that was in another kind Jeremiah was to go and reveal the Threats of God but Mark what his Encouragement was in ver 3. It may be that the House of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them that they may return every man from his evil way that I may forgive their Iniquity and their Sin Saith the Lord to Jeremiah Go about this Work though it be a hard Work and let this be your Encouragement It may be Though but upon a may be The House of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them that they may return every man from his evil way that I may forgive their Iniquity and their Sin Now if this were Jeremiah's Encouragement surely a greater Encouragement it is for a Minister to go and Preach the Gospel upon a meer May be that there are some that shall Entertain the Gospel And we find it was Paul's Encouragement in divers Scriptures as I might shew you but that 's most Notable in 2 Tim. 1. 10. But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ who hath Abolished Death and hath brought Life and Immortality to Light through the Gospel Whereunto I am appointed a Preacher and an Apostle and a Teacher of the Gentiles Mark saith He The Gospel reveals Jesus Christ who hath Abolished Death and hath brought Life and Immortality to light And saith he God hath appointed me to be a Teacher of this For the which Cause I also suffer these things I am content to go on in this Work of the Gospel whatsoever I suffer What Is this the Errand that I am sent about to go and Preach the Gospel that brings Life and Immortality to light Let me Suffer what can be I am content to go on in this Work O It is a glorious Errand that I am sent about If it please God I speed but upon one Soul O it were worth my Life So the excellent Fruit that should come upon the Entertainment of the Gospel is here given to these Disciples for their Encouragement in the Ministry Now what is it that should Encourage the Heart of a Minister in his Work more than these Three things First That he shall be an Instrument to glorifie God Secondly An Instrument to do good to Souls Thirdly He shall have a Crown of Glory so much the more These Three things are the greatest Encouragements in the World to any gracious Heart First That he shall be an Instrument of the Glory of God For one to live to be Instrumental of the Glory of God must needs make his Life comfortable whatsoever he suffer Now there can be no such Glory that any Creature can be made a greater Instrument of than the Glory that God hath from Souls that are Sav'd by Jesus Christ It is the highest Glory that God hath from all His Creatures that there should be some Souls that should understand Jesus Christ that should admire at Him should glorifie God in Jesus Christ It is the highest Glory that God doth Injoy in Heaven next unto the Glory that He hath in Himself and in His Son that is in the Trinity But for the Glory that He hath Ab extra from His Creatures that is the highest Glory that ever God had or shall have Now for the Lord to make a Man to be an Instrument of this To bring some Souls to be Eternally Glorifying God for Jesus Christ O It is worth all a Mans Strength though he should shorten his Life Seven Years yet if there be but One or Two Souls brought by his Ministry that shall Injoy the good things in Christ this is well worth the Labour and Pains For indeed in this the Lord doth honour Men more than Angels The Lord hath not put the Angels in Heaven upon such an Honourable work as this to be the Embassadors of God and Christ for Reconciliation The Lord hath not committed the Word of Reconciliation to Angels to go and Preach that in an Ordinary way They are not Deputed by Christ to be as His Officers We never read of any such thing in the Word of God though they be sometimes Appointed to be Ministring Spirits for the good of Gods Elect to Help them to Comfort them to Avenge them of their Enemies but we never read that the Word of Reconciliation was Committed to them and to the Ministers of the Gospel And therefore there is no such Glory that they can bring to God as the Lord is Pleased to make Man to be an Instrument of In this the Lord doth Honour Man more than the Angels that he shall be Appointed to be the great Ordinance under Jesus Christ for the bringing of Souls unto Jesus Christ and so the bringing of them to Magnifie the Infinite Riches of the Grace of God in Christ to all Eternity Now Is not this worth any ones Labour and Life O what Encouragement is this whatsoever one suffers in it Secondly Can there be next unto this a greater Encouragement than to be an Instrument of good to our Brethren of good to Mankind Those are the most happy Men in the World that are the most Useful for Mankind that the Lord shall be Pleased to make Use of for the good of Mankind and therefore it should Teach all to be as Serviceable as they can to others For the Happiness and the true Comfort of a Mans Life it doth not depend in this That he can get an Estate and go Brave and Fine and Eat and Drink of the best but it is in this That the Lord will make him useful in his place an Instrument of good to others It is a very Comfortable thing for any that are Chief in a place where they Live that the Lord makes them Instruments of the Civil good of the places where they are Of the good of the People for their Bodies to keep them in Peace and Order But to be Appointed by God to be an Instrument of Soul-good of Eternal good this is a higher Priviledge that God doth grant in His Mercy to some And it might be a mighty Encouragement the Considering of this What saith Saint James speaking to Christians to Encourage them to Labour to do good to their Brethren Brethren If any of you do erre from the Truth and one Convert him Let him know that he which Converteth a sinner from the Errour of his Way shall save a Soul from Death and shall hide a multitude of sins Let him know saith he that he
may Translate it the meaning is this Mine Enemies are Jolly and Jocond in their wayes And so it follows And they are strong They are Jolly and Jocond in their wayes and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied There 's a like phrase in Eccles 6. 8. For what hath the Wise more than the Fool what hath the Poor that knoweth to walk before the Living That is before the Rich men that have all Comforts in their Lives to Live bravely according to their hearts desire What 's the Wise more than the Fool All things comes alike to them and there 's no great difference in their Lives And what hath the word hath is not in the Original but what a Poor that knoweth to walk before the Living If a Poor man hath but Health of Body and hath but Ability to work and Wisdom to carry himself and order his Affairs why he can walk before Rich men and can live a Comfortable life before them Before the Living that is before the Rich that have all things to Live bravely in the World So that 's the meaning of Life in Scripture not only in opposition to Death but to Sorrow and Trouble Now saith the Apostle To me to live is Christ Will you take Life in this sense that is for a Comfortable a Contented a Joyful life Why I have it saith Paul Where had Paul such a Joyful and Contented life For alas look upon him in the Course of his Life and he suffered almost as much as ever man did sometimes he wanted Bread and he wanted Clothes to cover the Nakedness of his Body and whipt like a Rogue and yet he accounted himself to live a brave life notwithstanding all this But where lay all this In Christ I find it all made up in Christ whatsoever I want in the Creature whatever is cast upon me whatever Scorn and Imprisonment whatever it be that here I suffer yet I find it all made up in Christ and in Him I have as comfortable a life as a mans Heart can desire That 's his meaning by this same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in Christ because I am Imployed in the Service of Jesus Christ And I bless God that Christ hath Honour by me that I do the Work of Christ and so To me to live is Christ That 's the Fourth thing Fifthly To me to live is Christ that is Christ is the end of my Life So you have the Five particulars 1. I am by Christ freed from a Legal Death being Dead by the Law 2. Christ is the Principle of my Spiritual Life 3. The Preserver of it 4. The Comfort and Contentment of my Life 5. The end of my Life Thus to me to live is Christ But because these two last are the two chief that I verily believe are intended here by the Apostle I will a little open them more than the former Now to shew how Christ is the Comfort and Contentment of a Christians Life that I 'll shew unto you in several particulars Though he hath not Comfort as others have though he hath not such a Table and such Comings in as others have yet he hath a life more comfortable than others As First The very Contemplation of Jesus Christ it is incomparably Sweet and Comfortable to a Gracious heart For what doth a Godly man see in Christ In Christ I see the Brightness of the Glory of the Father I see the Character of the Ingraven Image of God the Father in Him When I look upon the World it 's comfortable it 's comfortable to the Eye to behold the Light But there I see but the Foot-steps of God but in Christ I see the Face of God the Face of the Living and Eternal First-Being of all things That I behold in Him and this is Life to me It 's Eternal Life to know thee O Lord and thy Son whom thou hast sent into the World 2. O the sweet Influences of the Grace of God that I feel out of His Fulness do I receive and Grace for Grace I have the flowings of the Water of Life into my Soul daily and therefore Christ is to live to me 3. I have the Love of God shed abroad into my Soul O the Beams of the Love of the Eternal God that are shed abroad in my Soul by Christ and those Beams of Gods Love they are Life to me 4. In Him I have an Interest in all the Treasures of the Riches of the Grace of the Infinite God they are all mine they are all made over to me in Jesus Christ 5. And then fifthly In Him I have blessed Rest and Satisfaction to my Soul for my Eternal Estate I am sold for Eternity in Him 6. And then in Him I have the Joy of the Holy Ghost shed abroad into my Heart and it is the comfort of my Soul to see Him Honoured any way more than to enjoy any good to my self 7. In Him O the Communion that I have with Him is more than Life those lettings out of my Heart to Him and those lettings out of His Heart again to my Soul What is it It 's more than a Thousand Lives unto me 8. In Him I have the Conveyance of all the Good that God the Father Conveys to the Hearts of His Saints in order to Eternal Life and therefore O the Comfort and Contentment my Soul hath thereupon And then He is the end of my Life To what purpose do I live if it were not in order to Him For He is the first that God did aim at in all his Works Ab extra and therefore Christ is called the First-begotten of all He was the first in Gods Intention yea the Scripture saith in Ephes 3. 19. All things are by Him and for Him Now if Christ be the End of all the Works of God the Father God in all that ever He aim'd at in His Councils from Eternity He did aim at the setting up of the Honour of Christ and at His own Honour in Him and by Him Therefore surely He is my Life He is that I aim at He is the End of my Life And all the Glory that God the Father hath from all His Creatures it is through Him Ephes 3. 21. Then while I live to Him I serve the greatest Designs that God the Father hath I am useful unto God in the greatest Designs that ever He had from Eternity or ever shall have and therefore for me to live is Christ Thus you have the opening of what the Apostle saith Now then by way of Application for this In the first place Learn to Examine your Hearts from this what your Life is Examine in this thing what is your Life Whether you can say as the Apostle here did To me to live is Christ What do you account your Lives to be It would be a very near Point if God would but help you to understand it and seriously to weigh it I say What do you account your Lives
to consist in Why some Men think O for me to live it 's to get an Estate that 's my Life Another thinks to me to live why it is to have Company to be Merry to Eat and Drink that is Life to me Another to live why it 's to be great in the World to be accounted some Body to get Honour to get Places The Lives of Men consist in such things as these are Most Men account it to be their Lives to enjoy the Contentments of the World so be it they can have so much coming in as they may please the Flesh and satisfie the Lusts of the Flesh there 's a brave Life Who do you account to be the Men that live the brave Lives in the World O that you would Answer as in the Presence of God now Whether do you account the Men that have all the Contentives to the Flesh that possibly may be as Honour Repute and Esteem and live at Ease and can Ride up and down and have Attendance about them and brave in their Clothes to live the brave Lives Or whether those Men that are serviceable to the Great Ends of God in setting forth the Honour of Jesus Christ Which are the Men that God accounts most Happy Would you account a Man that were very Mean and Low in the World and Despised by the World yet if he be Serviceable to Christ in the World and enjoy Christ himself in the World to be a more Happy man in this Life Not only that he should be a more Happy man in the Life to come but in this Life then he that lives the bravest Life in all the Jollity and Contentment here in this World Certainly the disposition of your Hearts in this thing doth much discover what they are in reference unto God That 's the First Secondly Here see what the Excellency of a Christian is O the Excellency of a Saint in God! Why Because he lives such a Life as he doth he lives a Supernatural Life he lives a Divine Life he lives an Eternal Life The Lives of the Saints are such as depend not upon any thing in the World Let the World go which way it will yet they have a Life and a Livelihood too They have whereupon to live How do Men account this to be a great Happiness Let there be as hard Times as can be I hope I have enough to live on saith a Man If there should come Famine or Troubles yet I have a Livelihood I have enough to live on The Saints they have enough to Live on come what Times will for to them to live is Christ You know Christ saith in the Gospel That his Flesh is Meat indeed and his Blood is Drink indeed and he that Eats his Flesh and Drinks his Blood hath Eternal Life That is he that lives upon Him by Faith and draws forth the Virtue that is in Him by Faith he lives It doth not beseem therefore Christians to be Whining and Complaining in the World while they want some outward contentment for their present Bodily lives For Your lives consists not in abundance Though it 's true God for a while doth preserve mens Natural lives by the Creature I but it 's but a Natural life it 's not the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that 's but a by thing But the thing that is to live that 's in Christ and depends wholly upon Him It should be therefore indifferent to a Godly Man or Woman how things be with them in respect of this present life For To them to live is Christ Surely it 's the most Noble and Glorious life that can be when Christ is the Principle of it Sometimes some have thought that possibly there may be other Worlds than we have here and other kind of Creatures than them we have here and some Mens thoughts will be Roving Why cannot the Infinite Power of God make Thousands of Worlds besides this only they are not Revealed to us And perhaps in those Worlds the meanest Creature there may be as far above the Sun as the Sun is here above a piece of Dirt. But suppose there were never so many Worlds and such glorious Creatures that God had made If God should say Well I by Mine Infinite Power have made this World and I will make a Thousand Worlds more and I will make every Creature in those to be so high in Glory above the Sun that you have now as the Sun is beyond a piece of Dirt yet in those Worlds there would be no Creature could Live a more Glorious life than the Saints do It 's true in Heaven for the Degree it 's more Glorious but for the Kind of that Life none of those Creatures could live a Higher and a more Noble life than a Christian Why For to him to live is Christ It 's Christ that is his Life And if God would make never such excellent things he could not make any thing more Excellent than Christ is Therefore so long as Christ is the Life of a Christian it 's the most Noble and Excellent thing of all Thirdly Then O let Christ be as dear to us as our Lives Let His Honour be maintained by us as our Lives Let us work for Him as we see a Man work for his life Whatever we do for Christ let us do it for Him as for our life with all our strength For for us to live if we be Christians it is Christ It 's Christ that is the Element of Life and therefore whither should our lives work but only unto Him and for Him That 's the most blessed life that hath Christ most in it We should not account that we do live but when we do something for Christ I remember it 's said of the Emperor Titus he would say when he had not done some good to some of his Subjects I have not Reign'd to day Why Because he had done no Body any good Turn And so we should even say we have not liv'd to day except that we have done somewhat for Christ For For us to live is Christ And if to us to live be Christ here O what will it be in Heaven then For it is but a very little of Christ that we do enjoy here That 's the next Use When Christ who is our Life shall come to be Revealed when we shall come to enjoy the Fulness of all the Good that there is in Christ what will Christ be then unto us And lastly From hence we may see the Reason why the Saints can deny themselves so much in their outward condition in that that the Men of the World make account their Lives consist in as their Estates and Credit and Liberty and Esteem The People of God they can deny themselves in such things as these are They can Die daily unto the World Why Because they have another Life Indeed a Man that hath no other life but that that consists in Abundance in his Estate Pleasures Liberties and
Therefore surely it 's Gain to die for a Godly Man 7ly Further It 's Gain in this respect When they receive immediately they shall receive all United in one and all together They shall have such Influence from Christ as hath all Good united in one Beam of Excellency and so receive it all together As now a Man may take the Quintesence of several Herbs there 's this Herb hath this Virtue another another and a third a third but now if you Still all these Herbs together you will have the Virtue and Quintesence of all in one Drop So Christ here scatters His Excellencies one in one Creature another in another but when we come to enjoy Him immediately then we shall have all in one because all His Excellencies whatsoever is united in one in Him Eighthly Further all our Good shall be in continal Act. Here we have a great deal of Good in the Habit but now when we come to have this Immediate communion with Christ there all our Graces shall be Acted continually The Sun you know how it doth Act the Earth whatsoever there is in the Earth it draws it forth and makes it flourish So the Presence of the Sun of Righteousness Oh how Gloriously will it Act all our Graces In Numb 17. 7. We read of Aarons Rod it Blossom'd And the Text saith It Blossom'd before the Lord. When the Souls of the Saints shall be before the Lord and be in the Presence of the Lord Christ O they shall Blossom and Flourish and all their Graces shall Flourish in a most Glorious manner Ninthly And then lastly We shall enjoy what is in Christ without any Intermission What 's the reason of any Intermission here But something that comes between Christ and our Souls But now when there shall be nothing between Christ and the Soul then there will be no Intermission That Sweetness and Comfort thou hast in communion with Christ at any time thou shalt have it at all times And how good is that O saith many a Soul could I have but the communion with Christ at all times as I have at some times O that would be comfortable Now when the Soul hath Immediate communion with Christ it shall have it at all times What 's the reason of Ecclipses It is the Interposition between the Moon and the Sun or some Interposition between the Sun and us So our Ecclipses of the Light that we have from Christ it is some Interposition Take away the Interposition and then there will be no Intermission Now put all these together and is it not Gain to Die and to be with Christ Now by way of Use It is Gain thus to be with Christ Hence then If it be Gain for one that doth so much Service for Christ as Paul did surely than those that are Believers and are made little Use of in any Service for Christ they will get by their Death Paul was a Man that one would wonder how the Churches could spare him he did so much for Christ and yet Paul would get by Death If thou beest a Believer thou shalt have thy Immediate communion with Christ as Paul had Alas here while thou Livest thou hast but little communion between Christ and thee and doest Him but little Service in the World Then why should you so much desire to Live in the World that have nothing to Countervail the Trouble that you have and the Sin that is committed in the World O surely it will be gain for you Secondly Hence it follows That it is a Self-denial to a Believer to be willing to Live here in the World You will say If it be so much Gain why should any be so desirous to Live It 's this first Nature will have its work though in their Judgments they are convinc't that it 's better to be with Christ yet the Body will be working and the Affections will follow the Body very much Further Though they be convinc't that it is Gain yet God lays a Tie upon them to preserve their Lives as long as they can here in this World in Obedience to God They do desire to avoid Dangers and Preserve their Lives It is not for them to be where it is best for them to be but to be where God would have them to be and therefore God doth charge them to seek to Preserve their Lives and to go on till He Himself shall Dissolve the Body and Soul It 's God that is the Lord of our Life and as God gave us our Lives so it is He that must take them away and not any Body else But yet I say there is some Self-denial in it We must look upon our selves here as in a very Low and Mean condition in comparison of what we hope to be within a while after Therefore observe this one Note Those that do believe the Gain of Death they had need Labour what they can to countervail the Forbearance of the Gain by somewhat or other If a Man hath a great Gain and it comes not in his present Possession he thinks What shall I have for my Forbearance You will say What is it that any Believer can have in lieu of his Forbearance of that Gain Truly the most Excellent thing is this that he may do Christ Service while he Lives Now then Is that the main thing O learn from hence to be of as much use in your Lives as possibly you can for you have nothing else to speak of in Forbearance of that great Gain Why Lord I expect to enjoy Thee for ever before long but thou art pleased to Prolong my Life here for a while in the mean time I meet with many Temptations and Troubles and Vexations and much Sin I have But yet Lord thou knowest it 's my desire to Honour Thee and Serve Thee and through Thy Mercy I am some way or other Serviceable to Thee in the Place where Thou hast set me and Lord this is the thing contents me while I am absent from Thee Thirdly Hence we see the great Difference that there is between the death of a Believer and the death of a Wicked Man I shewed you I remember in the death of an Ungodly Man when the siery Serpent comes with his Sting and takes him in his Natural Estate Death is not Gain to such a one O no death takes away all his Gain But now death is the greatest Gain to the Saints That 's an excellent Scripture you have in 1 Cor. 3. the latter end Whether Paul or Appollos or Cephas or the World or Life or Death or Things present or Things to come all is yours In Christ Death comes to be made yours Death is part of the Possession of the Saints O the difference between the death of the Saints and the death of Wicked and Ungodly Men Do but put two Men a Wicked Man and a Godly Man lying both together upon their Death-Beds you must take a wicked Man that hath an enlightned
shall command your Children to observe to do all the words of this Law Mark it Why what 's the matter v. 47. For it is not a vain thing for you because it is your life It may be some of them when they heard Moses declaring the Law of God they would be ready to think it is a good Law and Moses doth well in telling of us the Law but there is no great consequence of it how our Hearts be taken with it O but saith Moses do not you come to hear the Law upon such tearms but set your Hearts upon what you hear Why because it is your life Much more cause have the Ministers of the Gospel thus to say when they come to preach Jesus Christ to a people Set your hearts to what is delivered When they come and say Peace be to this place to this People the Doctrine of the Gospel be preached to them O set your hearts to what is delivered Why for it is your life When you come to Hear a Sermon you should come so as to consider that your Life may lye upon that Sermon for ought you know and the rather look to it because the Lord with whom you have to deal is a great God and a God that will not be dallyed withal and trisled withal but if you disobey the Message of the Gospel the Lord may deal very quick with you and that let 's me into the Last Point which now we are to finish this Text in and that is this That those that shall not Entertain the Gospel the Lord will deal very quick with them Your Peace shall return again the Lord will not stand long about the matter I in the naming of the point have already spoken of a Scripture or two Now is the Axe lay'd to the root of the Trees when John Baptist came to Preach the Kingdom of God And that in the Last of Mark v. 16. Go and Preach saith Christ to his Disciples he that believes shall be Saved he that believes not shall be Damned The Lord Christ tells how quick the Lord will be with those that shall not entertain the Gospel and there are many Texts that are very full for this purpose and because it is a great Point and that it should strike much upon your Consciences therefore I will present it in the fulness of the Evidence of Scripture That place that you have in Matth. 10. it is just parallel to this in Luke 10. there where Christ sends his Apostles forth as he doth the 70. he gives the same Directions in effect but mark here Saint Matthew goes farther than Saint Luke Let your Peace Return to you and whosoever shall not receive you nor hear your words when you depart out of that House or City shake off the dust of your feet Verily I say unto you it shall be more tollerable for the Land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of Judgment than for that City See here the quickness of God with those that do reject the Gospel So in John 3. that is very famous for this in ver 18. He that believeth on him is not Condemned but he that believeth not is Condemned already You will say he is Condemned already because his Natural Condition is such that he is under Condemnation No but I take it the Scripture doth aim at something further He is not only Condemned by reason of his sins against the Law but he is condemned already because he hath not believed on the Name of the only Begotten Son of God How could he Believe in the Name of the Only Begotten Son of God before ever he heard it but here it is spoken of Light that is come into the World for so it follows in ver 19. And this is the Condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil That is when Christ shall come to be preached to any People and they will not believe presently there is a sentence of Condemnation that 's the meaning of the Text he is Condemned already the Lord is very quick with such And in Acts 17. 30. a place famous And the Times of this Ignorance God winked at He saw and would not see as it were he overpast that but Now saith he that is Now when Christ comes to be Preached Now he Commandeth all men every where to Repeent as if he should say Look to your selves that you Repent now whatsoever you did before though you could prophane Sabbaths before look to your selves now though you were vain and superstitious and carnal take heed now to your selves as if the Holy Ghost should say The Lord is willing to pass by all that was before but for rejection of his Son look to that he will not pass by that so easily that One sin so easily as he will pass by all the other All the sins that men have Committed all their Lives before may more easily be past by than that one sin of Rejection of the offer of Grace by Jesus Christ Now he calls all men to Repentance And then a third Text is that in 2 Cor. 2. a Text that I made use of the last Day for another purpose For we are unto God a sweet Savour of Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish to the one we are the savour of Death unto Death What 's the meaning of that It is somewhat a strange phrase and expression we are the savour of death unto death Savour of death I take the meaning of the phrase to be thus he compares his Ministery that was the Ministry of the Gospel unto those things that had a mighty efficacy in them a strong vertue so strong as their very savour was enough either to kill or to make alive As there are some things so strong as the very sent of them can kill a man or even raise a man from a Sound so saith the Apostle our Ministry to sin is the savour of death unto death it is a deadly savour to them Thus you may see that the Ministry of the Word it hath a mighty quickness in it one way or other either from Heaven or Hell to Save or to Destroy And another Scripture we have in Heb. 4. there the Apostle speaking of the Word the Word of the Gospel for certainly that 's that that he speaks of v. 12. For the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged Sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of Soul and Spirit and of the Joynts and Marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the Heart The Word of the Gospel whensoever it comes to any Congregation it is no dull matter you may not look to sit dully under that but it is a quick Word it will either slay thy sin or slay thy Soul one of the two it must slay one and that quickly And in Heb. 6. there the Apostle compares