caring for and getting in the things of this world 1 Tim. 6.7 for we must leave them As we brought nothing into this World With us so we are sure We can carry nothing out With us Sobriety in all things for we must die to them Sobriety in fears of growing enemies Psa 49.17 18. Be not thou afraid When one is made rich and the glory of his house is encreased yea though he be one that bâ—tes thee and so hath more power visibly to harm thee for his day will come he also is but mortall and death will overtake him and bring down his excellency and when he dies he shall not take any thing with him nor shall his glory and pomp descend after him Isa 57.12 who art thou that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die and of the Son of man that shall be made as grasse though here enemies be strong and potent and use their power wickedly to persecute the innocent and oppresse them yet this their state is but for a moment they also shall die and goe down to the dust and then where is their fury in the grave we shall be quiet and they have no power to harm us Job 3.17 18 19. There the wicked cease from troubling and there the weary are at rest there the prisoners rest together and they hear not the voice of the oppressour the small and great are there and the servant is free from his master yea the thought of death might further us in taking of our Saviours counsell Joh. 6.29 Labour not for the meat that perisheth but for that that will endure to life eternall Set not we our hearts on these things whereof death will surely deprive us and we know not how near that is unto us but look we after those things that will abide with us after death and carry us through death which it hath no power over nor can take from us the favour of God the light of his countenance faith and a good conference assurance of eternal happinesse when thou hast these things thou must rejoice indeed and thy joy nor men nor death can take away from thee These all died But wherefore died they There might be many reasons given but I will not insist upon them they died that they might be removed from the evil of the world and not alwaies therewith burthened Isa 57 1. The righteous is taken away from the evil to come and they died that they might rest from their labour Rev. 14.13 that having done their work and served their generation as is said of David Act. 13.36 they might go to bed and sleep 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they shall enter into rest or peace they shall rest in their beds each one walking in his uprightnesse Isa 57.2 thence death is usually in Scripture called a sleep such a one fell asleep and such a one slept with his fathers thence the heathen Poets have also called sleep Placidissima mortis imago and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the pleasant image resemblance and as it were the premeditation of death But I passe from these things and goe forward with the text for this is not the businesse that the Apostle here mainly propounds though very usefull for us to consider and at this time also very seasonable and sutable with our present occasion that we also might be stirred up with earnestnesse to pray as that good man of God Psa 90.12 So teach us O Lord to number our daies that we may apply our hearts unto wisedom but the Apostle adds These all died 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in or according to faith Secundum fidem after the faith What Did they die in faith Did their faith die Verily no they did not cast away their faith when they died but exercised it their act of dying too was done in faith and according to their faith they died in an exercise of faith that it might be further manifest according to the first proposition and prime intent of the Apostle here that they did live by faith as they did believe in God while they lived so when they came to die they yeelded up themselves to God in that belief and were not shaken from it no not by death they feared not in the valley of the shadow of death Psa 23.3 nor fainted in the hour of death Gen. 49.18 even then also they waited for Gods salvation though death ceised on their bodies yet they retained and let not goe their confidence though the day of their lives here was expired yet died not their hopes and hearts within them but were supported by faith with the expectation of another day in which the promises should be enjoyed and here we may further note the excellency of faith They that live by faith die in faith the just by saith fiâ—de life through their faith even in the midst of death These all died in faith In this these righteous ones diffâ—r fâ—m others All die but die not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as becometh faâ—th or with an experiment of the power of faith all die passively they sâ—ffer the pains of death and have their lives feâ—â—hed from them but all are not active in death willingly and believingly to resign up their spirits to God and cast themselves into his arms with confidence that he will keep and restore them and notwithstanding death intervene their receit of his word and the performance of his promise yet he will not fail of his word but perform every jot and tittle of it to them This is the carriage and priviledge of those that have the word of God abiding in and united by faith with them These all died in faith these die in the Lord 1 Th. 4.16 Rev. 14.3 Through faith they close with and are enclosed in the power strength and vertue of the Lord Jesus Christ by which their souls are acted and carried with lively hope and expectation of good from God through him and as they live in him so they die in him too as they walk in his vertue and power while alive in the body so in the same vertue power putting forth it self in yea encompassing their souls through faith they depart out of the body unto God and depoâ—e themselves with God till the time in which he shall restore them These hold fast their faith to the death and in death that they mighthe examples and encouragem â—s to us also to hold â—sastâ— that we may have the like use and beneâ—â—â— of it in our deaths But may some object But how do these things stand together Object Faith and Death When Christ hath said that if a man keep his saying he shall never see death Joh. 8.51 What is it to keep his saying but to believe his sayings and hold fast that belief and did not Abraham keep his sayings and the Prophets keep his sayings might not we be offended at Christ as the Jews were and say with them All
these had faith and kept it to the death and yet as the Apostle here witnesseth they all notwithstanding that died how is it then that Christ saith If any man keep my sayings he shall never see death Oh how mysterious is the word of God Answ and what a riddle to fleshly wisedom and humane â—nse It 's to be believed and held for true by faith not to be judged of as true or false by the verdict of our sense certainly both Christ and his Apostles said the truth he that keeps his sayings shall not see death and yet these that kept his sayings for before Aâ—â—ahâ—m was Christ was and his sayings they were that he received did all die yea the Apostle here hints a solution to that doubt of the appearing contradiction in them when he saies these all dâ—d in faith for in this very thing that they died in faith they were so preseryed that they did not see death for this very faâ—h in which they died carried them above sense and took their eye off from death and set it upon life so that they saw souâ—d felt experimented life in death even when they dâ—ed according to the flâ—â—h yet the then lived in their spirits their bodies did but sleep in death while their spâ—its lived above death being made partakers of Jesus Christ as he word of God to be made flesh who is the resurrection and the life and the very death of death putting it to death they passed through the shadow of it but they saw not felt not found 〈…〉 of it they saw God in their death and the sight of him â—o â—ook up and filled their eye that they could not see death Or 2. they saw not that death that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for ever for indeed that is death and worthy the name of death the second death the other the first death Rom 3.12 the condemnation that came by the first man upon all men that spent it sell upon Christ being by the wise and mercifull God â—a slated upon him 2 Tim. 1.10 and he hath abolished it so in and by himself that nothing but the carcasse and shadow of it abideth for us to see or grapple with so that he that sees but it sees not death properly but only the shadow and shell of it Its life power and proper vigour is by the death of Christ swallowed up abolished and gone he then that never sees the second death sees not death for there is no other death by way of punishment of man for his sinne that 's propeâ—y death but it remaming and that hath no power upon Christ or any in him the just shall live by faith in the midst of the shadow of the other death and he shall live out of the way and danger of this second death he shall never be hurt of it either by the bearing it or fearing it his faith shall keep him from the first and being exercised carry him through and above the second and he shall never be overcome or over-powred by it thence blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection Rev. 20.6 that hath part in Christ the first begotten from the dead the resurrection and the life that in their spirits are raised with him and shall have their bodies raised with the just at his glorious appearing Seeing then that we must all needs die Appliâ— and that 's our portion in the flesh and there is a way by which we may so die as not to see death viz. to die in faith what wisedom is it to take that course that we may so die that we may see no death when we die feel no sting in death finde it but a shadow that hath no deadly substance in it nay rather finde it lighted with the glory of eternall life seen and tasted through it that we may see life in death a life beyond above and without death Oh how terrible is death to men when they see death in it when they experiment and feel a sting in it the sting of a self-condemning conscience and the pricks of the second death in the first death When they see death and nothing but death when life is hid from their eyes and so their hearts and thoughts die within them together with or before their bodies when they die full of despair strangers from and hopelesse of ever finding the life of God that will be a black griesly day to a soul that sees not life in it what need then to cry to God here so to teach us to number our daies that we may apply our hearts to Wisedom the wisedom of God in its sayings reproofs counsels cals that it powring out its spirit upon us and opening its precious words to us we may be filled with faith and courage and be in such a state as in which to see no death that we may so believe and live in and by faith in the power and exercise of it that in all our dying conditions yea when we come to breath out our souls we may die in faith die according to faith and not according to sense Even some believers not living and dying in an exercise of faith are many times filled with sorrow fears faintings especially in their dying cases because they judge not and so die not according to faith they judge according to sense they feeling pain and feeling temptations and seeing griesly things represented to them by Satan they are affrighted and rerrified at them though they be false illusions whereas exercising faith and so judging according to it they are carried above and get the victory over sense and temptation Let us therefore so follow on after wisedom that her words may dwell richly in us that her spirit may be a spirit of faith in us that we may live in faith and have a living exercise of faith in all conditions so shall we also dying have our hearts born up by faith and shall be enabled to lay down our tabernacle with peace and joy as that will leade us and not with trouble as sense would carry us and unbelief affright us while we judge of God and Christ life and death sinne and righteousnesse according to faith and not according to carnall sense and philosophicall speculations we shall be from seeing death when we die yea shall finde and feel life in the shadow of death according to that Joh. 5.24 He that heareth my Word and believeth on him that sent me hath eternall life and shall not come into judgement but is passed from death to life and that Joh. 11.25 26. I am the resurrection and the life he that believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live and he that liveth and believeth shall never die Those all died in faith Faith Ay but what is faith and how may a man come by it Object The Apostle in this Chapter Heb. 11.1 tels us what it is Answ It 's 〈◊〉
and to uncircumcised gentile the body and generality of them not so proselyted The second is the common proâ—hannesse of superficiall Christians and turners of the grace and Gospel â—f Christ into wantonness that rest in a name and notion of Christianity but deny the power of it of which sort there are every where too many The third is the sect of the Sadduces that deny the resurrection the visible coming of Christ personally again and the glorious performance of the promises at that his appearing a too too spreading generation May God make it usefull to you to leade you besides all these tocks in the true ancient Scripture-doctrine and faith formerly also attested to in the Church in England so to embrace and love the promised salvation and so to follow the steps of this good man and of other Worthies that have gone before him in the belief of and hearty love to closing with an entertainment of the Word of God that it may produce like fruits in you as in them unto death and in death that you with them also may partake of the glorious resurrection unto life and happinesse I shall have cause of much rejoicing The fountain of mercy and wisedom flow down upon you sill you with truth with peace and righteousnesse direct and blesse you and make you blessings in your places and generations So praieth Your Worships Servant to his ability J. H. Vpon the subject of this Book An INSTRUCTION and HYMN REader see here how great a mystery Lies cropped up in Christianity Strange Paradoxes hâ—râ—'s a bush oâ— flame Burning yet noâ— consumed by the same By Collâ—quintida death in the set And yet so healed that it his teth not Drink from a rock in gravell wâ—â—â—some feed In darknesse light in midst of eval good In sicknesse health the sweetest case in pain In weaknesse strength in losse the greatest gain Yea life in death and in absurdities The depth of wisdom bassling all the wise The tell how men by falling rise and how By lesing what they have they richer grow How by dishonour mâ—n may mount on high By being overcome have victory Here hast thou meat out of the eater here Sweet from he strong holdnesse in greatest fear A dying man sild full of life and breath Conquer'd and yet triumphing over death But whence all thu or how can these things be Shall Paradoxes be Divinity Behold here 's God with maâ— Emmanuel That only word 〈…〉 dâ—th unspell In God is good light 〈…〉 strength case and gain In man all darknesse sicknâ—sse weaknesse pain Yea sorrow lesse and misery and death God fountain is of blesse jor life and breath In Christ these 〈◊〉 Behold the mystery Manhead united with the Deity Yea all those properties and consequents Of each found place in him a battell thence In him was fought while sin on righteousnesse Death on eternall life and curse on blesse Made their assault for these on him did seise Cause God to bruise his precious soul did please Death with us train could finde but small alode Though the humanity did yeeld thereto The Deity soon resoued is therefro And since our evils in that death did meet The eater yeelded meat and the strong sweet God shen'd himself in man in weaknesse strength In darknesse glortom light in shortnesse length Even length of daies and immortality Death being swallowed up in victory Of which mans nature being dispessest Is now become in him Gods endlesse rest Yea men is there the seat of blessings all Asâ—eâ—ded and captivity made thrall Which treastored are in him for us from thence Blessing of every kinde God doth â—â—spense Christy his hoâ—y Word and Spirit by which He peace and pardon in 〈◊〉 Name doth preachâ— By these he worketh saith and that the 〈◊〉 'Twixt us and Christ bringing to unitie With him from which doth such communion slow That he and we no longer are as two â—oyn'd in one spirit as he took our flesh So he gives us his Spirit which doth refresh And fill our hearts with joy Gods power he is Conquering death and its accomplices In us as once in Christ with whom joyn'd thus He writes his Name upon us God with us He is our life in death hope in despair Our strength in weakâ—sse and he doth repair Our breaches all while he doth make us see That we shall râ—st and reign as well as he Oh glorious death by which our life appears Oh glorious Spirit that our hearts no bears Oh gloricus Word that doth this tidings bring Oh glorious Chaâ— where our heavenly King Comes riding to 〈…〉 precious Faith That such a spring and such an issue hath Oh precious Lord that barâ—st to us such love Try self so to abase â—ll to remove From 〈…〉 whom it lay and would have wrought Our and esse ruine Thou to is hast brought Life yea immortall life Thou art the day That lightnest our night Thou art the way By which God comes to 〈◊〉 in he great night By which he give to 〈◊〉 his holy Spirit By which we come to him and finde his power Infusing life into us in deaths hour Thâ—â—s art the Word on thee the Spirit is put To open eyes that blinde are and unshut The stepped ears from bondage to set free And to get over dâ—â—th full victory Oh shew thy self to us be thou our life Fill us with peece and joy end all our strife Be thou our All open our hearts to see And fill us withâ—ly glory so shall we Triumph in midst of death and sing thy praise Full well assured that thou thenâ—e wilt raise Vs up again and set us on thy Throne For evermore with God to be at one THE LIFE OF FAITH IN DEATH The Text. HEBREWS 11.13 14. All these died 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in or according to faith not having received the promises but seeing them afar off they were perswaded and embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and sojourners in the earth For they that say such things manifest that they seek a Countrey THe custome of a solemn interring of the dead bodies of deceased friends and of making lamentations over them is very ancient and laudable the mention of it is as old as Abrahams time we finde it was then a custome usuall in the Eastern countries as we reade in the book of Genesis of the Patriarchs and Egyptians and surely in its original it was tessera fidei amoris a pledge and testimony both of their faith and love fidei a witnesse of their faith that they beleeved and looked for the resurrection of the body and therefore would decently bestow cost upon and interre the body amoris of their love to the deceased whose reliques therefore they so sarre honoured and whose losse or absence rather they lamented as in their presence formerly they had been delighted thus I might shew you Abraham himself the father of the faithfull Gen. 23.2 burying the Corps of his deceased Sarah and
to their own countrey which they came out of at Gods commandment as the former sort of men deny the word of faith and discover their defect of faith by opposition to the word so these by their works declare the vanity of their words neither of these faiths faith upon works and not grounded on and springing from the word nor faith or rather a saying a man hath faith without works inward operations and outward testimonies through the power of the word feeding it will suffice to make a man just or cause him to live nor will either of them be sufficient for dying to keep a man that he see not death But there 's one thing more yet they received not the promises though they beleeved and saw them afar off they died in faith but yet enjoyed them not how may we understand that and what shall we note from it The promises metonymically for the things promised which are either for this life or the life that is to come for this life such as these to be a shield to them to protect them provide for them give them children c. for the life to come such as the countrey or city that hath foundations the full enjoyment of himself and his glory and as the way to that the Messias to be born of their seed to die and rise c. as also to blesse all nations in him Again the word promise sometimes in Scripture signifies the word of promise or the promise it self made in words to us and by these distinctions and considerations we may resolve a doubt for whereas it 's said here these all died in faith not having received the promises it 's said as we reade it in ver 17. that Abraham had received the promise He that had received the promises offered up his only begotten Son and so chap. 6.15 after he had patiently endured he obtained the promise The solution that the word of a promise he had received from God God made his promise with and to him and that promise as a thing made in word he had received it he heard it and beleeved it but he had not received the things spoken of in that promise or in those promises as the word promises in the text signifies the things promised 2. He did before he died obtain and receive the promise in some things but not in all the promises for this life of having God a shield to him to protect him and be his God and own him and give him a Sonne these he had obtained and received before the died yea before he offered up his son Isaac but not all the promises nor the main things promised as neither the land of Canaan nor the multiplying his seed as the stars of heaven nor the Messias coming and blessing all nations nor which is the main the full thing aimed at the heavenly countrey or kingdome the enjoyment of God and Christ in glory with his seed and yet these they were heirs of these fell to them by lot from God Heb. 6.12 yea these they received in semine in Isaac and Isaac in Iacob c. they had them in pignore but not in plenitudine in the first fruits or pledge but not in the full enjoyment They all died in faith not having received the promises the greatest part the glory and the inheritance promised they received not and yet though they had them not till their death yet they left not off believing and hoping for them nay in their very death they held fast that faith and hope of them and that upheld them in death they knew themselves heirs of them and judged God faithfull not to deprive them But how could that be seeing now they died without them Sure then they looked for another day and time in which they should enjoy them and in which we also that now believe should enjoy them with them as is said ver 39 40. These all being Wiâ—nessed of by faith or having received a good report or testimony by saith received not the promises God having provided some better thing for us that they without us should not be made perfect God hath provided another time and day in which they and we together shall receive and enjoy them Mâ—nde we here then a little these dying beleeved still the receit of the promises though even at the time of their death they had not received them how did they then believe wrong or right was the thing they believed true or false Surely their faith was good for the holy Ghost here commends it and God therefore vouchsafed to be called their God having prepared a city for them vers 16. and if so then surely they must yet have the promises performed to them though now dead What shall we say then Verily we must needs hence further note That there shall be a resurrection from the dead Note 5. death shall not frustrate the promises of God and make void their faith There shall be a time when they shall be brought out of the power of death and grave and then shall receive the promises that they died short of then shall the word of God be performed to them and indeed here was the triumph of their faith that though God kill them and take their lives from them and they never see the fulfilling of the prime things promised yet they beleeved that they should receive them death it self wherein according to sense there was an end put to them and all further hope and expectation could not make their faith to fail them for they beleeve in God that raised the dead and calleth things that are not as if they were Rom. 4 17. and so above hope beleeved in hope according not to sense but to what was spoken of God so shall thy seed be O the power and vertue of divine faith supported by the power of God in the belief of the resurrection from the dead Surely if they believed not in vain as without doubt they did not then it undeniably follows that they shall have and so that there is a day of Resurrection when the promised countrey and glory shall be made good unto them Verily if this doctrine were not true our faith were vain and the Gospel preaching with its promises vain we could have no ground for faith in death but faith and hope and all must die with us but now they died all in faith though they had not yet received the promises verily there shall be a reward for the righteous for all their faith and patience verily there shall then be a resurrection of them that they may be rewarded the time of the resurrection of the just is the time of their remuneration as in Luk. 14.14 Thou shalt be rewarded in the resurrection of the just deny the resurrection of the just and thou takest away the hope of their reward and thou makest them of all men most miserable because here they have a time of deeper sufferings and sorrowings
shall but briesly note things and not bound up my discourse unto the unfolding of some one only proposition That no dignity or priviledge though very great will exempt us from dying Note 1. Death is a due debt to nature Omne quod generatur corrumpitur whatsoever hath a naturall generation is also subject to corruption death is in the present principles of every earthly living being and that as by mans sinne meritoriously so by Gods just sentence upon mans sinning judicially Heb. 9.27 Statutum est c. It s enacted resolved upon and ordained for man once to die and that once though for time uncertain to us yet that it shall finde a time nothing more sure yea many a time it seems very near us and we are in a tendency to it from our birth to our last gasp By many waies diseases infirmities or providentiall accidents we may and by some or other of them we are sure to arrive at death we reade of none exempted save Enoch and Elias the first changed the other assumed for as for the Virgin Mary we have not such authentick authority or warrant to beleeve it those two did God exempt from the common way of flesh to shew in them his power over all flesh over nature and naturall principles and inclinations and that we might the more readily be induced to believe the benefit of Christ in the resurrection of the dead when we hear that he preserved some from death and made them as pledges to us of the certainty of that glory and immortality that is the promised portion of all that believe in him through his death And yet surely even they underwent a change equivalent to death though they slept not in death as the Apostle saies 1 Cor. 15.51 We shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed though we lie not in death yet we must passe through it we must put off this mortality these innate principles of death we shall not be as now we are when we come to inherit what now we believe for But for us and the rest of mankinde death in a more proper way is to be expected by us and will come upon us except the coming of Christ should suddenly prevent us and then such a change might be allotted us It 's not the being great or gracious that exempts from that event These all died many have lived many years yet as the longest day hath its night so this hath been the constant Catastrophe and winding up of them all in their genealogies They all died Jared lived nine hundred and sixty two years and then he died Methuselah lived nine hundred sixty and nine years but then it follows too he also died so Noah and Abraham and Isaac and Jacob all gracious and holy men and found righteous in theâ— generations and yet these all died It 's that that David propounds to all Psa 49.1 2. high and low rich and poor one and other because its the lot of all that death will overtake them all none can shift from it None can give a ransome to God for his brother that he should live alwaies and never diâ— the price is too great and it ceaseth for ever We see wise men die as well as fools righteous men as well as sinners Magistrates as well as Subjects rich as well as poor one as well as another there is no escape of any in this battel nay men as well as the bruit beasts for as to this common condition of flesh there is one event to them both though not as to the spirits of both nor as to the supernaturall work of the resurrection of the body but as to death one thing happeneth to both both are of the dust and both go to the dust 2 Saâ—â— 14.14 Not only they but we also must needs all die and our strength is as Water spilt upon the ground neither is there any respect of persons with God Serius autâ—citius c. sooner or later we must all stoop to death in the flesh These all died A truth known to all and to be experimented by us all and yet a truth as little though of as almost any and as little made use of well might David cry out as he did when he was about to speak thereof Audite hoe omnes populi c. Psa 19.1 Hear this all ye people for though we all see it and shall feel it yet we minde it not few incline their ears to hear what God saies to us in it but hear this all ye people rich and poor high and low one and other All must die Ye that are rich and wealthy and have seraped much together and laid it up for posterity ye must die and leave all this that ye have gotten and ye know not who shall possesse it after you Hear this all ye gallants of the world that are fine and fashionable and delight to deck up your selves in costly apparell Quid ita colitis escam vermibus you must die and leave these bodies which you so dresse up for the worms to feed upon Hear this ye that addict your selves to pleasures and rejoice in a thing of nought and make your selves merry with meer vanities ye must all die and death will put an end to your mirth and jollity to your pleasure and voluptuousnesse chambering and wantonnesse and nothing but the guilt of these things shall descend with you Hear this ye that are poor and pincht with want and bitten with sorrow that fill your selves with cares and pine away with grief ye must die too and then your poverty and afflictions here shall have an end ye shall then have no more need of what now ye murmure or grieve or turmoil your selves for want of It 's but a momentany condition that you are here afflicted with ye must die and death will put an end to it yea death will put an end to all these things weal and woe sorrow and mirth riches and pleasures and whatever here we have as to us Surely man in his best estate here is altogether vanity Psal 39.6 like a bubble full of winde and emptiness easily broken and blown away with a blast and then that that was sweld up into a great appearing magnitude proves as nothing makes no further shew or appearance that we should look after it Oh! why then do ye pursue after vain things why sport ye your selves so eagerly in voluptuousnesse or spend so much cost on dust and ashes and pride your selves of that ye have no hold on or care so much for that that strangers or victors may devour up when you are gone why labour ye for that that perisheth and delight in that that will not endure Sure the very thought of death might instruct us all to sobriety in all conditions Sobriety in earthly delights for we must leave them Sobriety in honours and preferments for we must leave them Sobriety in apparell for we must leave it Sobriety in
resting place they have a better home and that they seek after I know others may utter such like words upon other principles as men seeing the brevity and uncertainty of mans life may think they have here no staying continuance as Cicero the heathen Philosopher speaks somewhat to that purpose I go saith he out of this life Ex hâc vitâ ita discedo tanquam ex hospitio non tanquam ex domo commorandi enim diversorium naturâ— nohis non habi tandi dedit as if I went out of an Iâ—â—e not out of my dwelling-house for nature hath given us here a place to bait in only not to dwell in Thus a morall man may be led to say by the sense and knowledge he hath of this lifes uncertainty and passing swiftnesse but their confession proceeded from their faith in an earnest seeking after Gods heavenly promises the belief of Gods word and the complacency they had therein in the expectation of the things set before them made them so to reckon themselves as strangers and pilgrims in the earth and therefore not to love or covet after the enjoiments of the earth not to minde to return back into their own countrey whence by faith they had departed to follow after God all see they cannot here alwaies continue but all know not that they have a better countrey and therefore all that so see are not mortified in their mindes to the things whose vanity they see all reckon not nor so walk as if they reckoned themselves strangers and pilgrims in the earth seeking another countrey Two things we may principally note from what hath been said he to about the nature of faith and efficacy thereof 1. Note 3. That that divine faith that will indeed do us good in death stands in the word of God the word of the promise or Gospel closes with and springs from that sees is perswaded of and embraces the testimony of God held forth in that 2. Note 4. That that divine faith is exceeding operative and working inwardly and outwardly embracing the heavenly things propounded it leads to look for expect and seek them and to despise these earthly things in comparison of them Tit. 2 11 12. It leads to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for the blessed hope the promised inheritance at the appearance of Christ Jesus It 's neither a groundless humane conception and presumption nor an empty barren and idle speculation It 's such an heart-closing with the word as in which the word is vigorous in the heart and brings forth fruit unto eternal life this in both parts we have seen already in the opening of the text they saw them afar off and were perswaded and embracing them confessed that they were but strangers and pilgrims in the earth Would we have faith or would we that have any measure of it grow Applic. therein let us take heed to the word the word of faith the doctrine of the Gospel and let us be swift to hear slow to speak or make confessions or protestations of our faith further then that heard effecteth them in us be more ready to hear what God saies to us then to boast our selves of what is in us or to offer the sacrifice of fools Eccl. 5 1â— such as the power of the truths we hear spring not up in us much more be we slow to speak against the Gospel of God because we comprehend it not with our reason or to be wroth and offended thereat because it comes to lay us low and pull down our proud swelling conceptions Hearken diligently and your souls shall live Isa 55 3. And so would we be means to bring others to faith preach we and hold we forth the word to them not our dictates and placitas but Gods word the Gospel as attested in the Scripture that men may believe as the Scripture hath said for to such faith is the promise made Joh. 9.38 He that believeth on me as the Scripture hath said out of his belly shall slow rivers of living water and for such believers Christ hath praied Joh. 17.20 for them that shall believe through their word Joh. 17.10 Gal. 4.28 the word given by Christ to his Apostles whom he sent out into the world preach the word of promise for of that it is that the heirs are born that shall enjoy the inheritance the word of the death and of the resurrection of Jesus Christ for men which is part of the promise made to Abraham as was shewed before that 's the foundation doctrine upon this foundation build them and then exhort them to walk worthy thereof in all well-pleasing There 's many a mans faith detected to be vain by these two things by its want of a right bottom and by its want of right fruits and operations 1. Thou saist thou believest and trustest in God but according to what dost thou believe it's with many a man because of and according to their works diligence endeavours sense feelings not according as it is said in the word to us as it 's said of Abraham he believed according to what was spoken to him So shall thy seed be Ro. 4.17 Now as that 's not right faith that carries not on the soul after God and causes it not to seek the countrey promised so neither is that right faith that springs from mans own strifts and endeavours after the love of God as that 's not a good faith that 's without works so neither is that good that 's bottomed upon thy works It 's the character of true beleevers in Act. 18.27 that they beleeved through grace not through works I believe saies one that Christ died for me and is a Mediatour for me Well but how camest thou by that faith whereupon is it grounded why they will say perhaps from the word Well let us see how the word evidenced it to thee why I found such and such effects wrought in me I was convinced of my evil way and humbled and mourned and reformed and was thus and thus changed therefore I perceived that I was one of the elect of God and Christ died for me Oh but now believest thou not according to the word but deceivest thy self grounding thy faith of Christs mediation upon thy works or the effects of law and conscience in thee c. I fear when thou comest to the triall thy works will be found light and vain What dost thou tell me of fruits and effects of faith evidencing thine election before and as the ground of thy believing Christ a Mediatour for thee No changes or fruits will evidence election but such spring from faith in Christ in whom the election is nor is there any faith rightly in Christ as now come but in his bloud and mediation Rom. 3.25 by his bloud We have accesse to God to believe in him and approach to him and see his love to
then others and thou tellest them that they must never rise more to receive a reward for them here they die and have not received the promises and if death swallow them up and they never rise they must never receive them Look to this you that deny the resurrection I know your evasion you say they have it already they are in Christ and risen with him and he is the resurrection and the life and so they have their reward but hearken thou vain man though they be risen with Christ in their spirits risen from earth to heaven yet this is not all their resurrection nor have they herein their reward their full reward for thus Abraham was raised in his spirit to look after the heavenly countrey even before he died as they that are raised with Christ in their spirits are exhorted to seek the things above Col. 3.1 2. but yet even after that he died in saith and had not received the promises he neither was raised above faith to live without any further exercise of faith as some vainly prate nor had he or any of them received all the reward of faith but they all died in faith not having received the promises and therefore must have yet another resurrection or a compleating of that resurrection in the redemption of their bodies that they may receive those promises according to that Rom. 8.23 We that have received the first-fruits of the spirit yet wait for the adoption the redemption of our bodies for indeed the promises are to the man the whole man now a man is not a man without his body too Hominem proprte carnem diet quâ—a vocabulum bominis occupavit the soul is but part of the man nay as Tertullian hath well noted the body is rather called the man because it first had the denomination of man God formed man of the dust of the earth and breathed into him the breath of life he was called man before the breath of life was breathed into him Gen. 2.7 therefore the resurrection is of that also that must be raised and united to the soul that so the man may inherite the promise made to him yea what is resurrection but a raising to life that that died but the spirits of just men die not with their bodies they were raised up and enlivened before and live by faith even when the body dies therefore it s the body must be raised He shall change our vile body and make it like his own glorious body Phil. 3.21 yea not the righteous only but the wicked too must rise Act 24.15 There shall be a resurrection of the dead both of the just and of the unjust Heark you Allegoriarum nimium amantes nimium amentes you that dote on All gories where will you finde ground of Allegory for this will ye say the unjust and wicked too have Christ and are risen with Christ perhaps you will say they shall rise from sinne to righteousnesse and so into and with Christ but beside that this crosseth the Scripture all shall not so rise you make that the resurrection of the just and if that shall be the unjusts resurrection then I pray what is that that 's further spoken of of the just seeing that they have already and yet speaking in the future tense he saith they shall arise but what need we many words when our Saviour is so expresse in Joh. 5 29. All that are in their graves shall hear the voice of the Son of man and come forth they that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of condemnation not from sinne to righteousnesse in this life but to condemnation for their unrighteousnesse acted in this life But we need not go so far from the text to prove that there shall be a resurrection of the body Seeing by that that here follows that God is not ashamed to be called their God ver 16. our Saviour hath to our hands confuted that opinion of the Sadduces and proved that there shall be a resurrection even of them that are dead in the body for that was the thing that the Sadduces oppugned and not the quickning up of mens spirits to God as we may see by their way of arguing Mar. 12.18 27. Then it is at that glorious resurrection that all things shall be made new when the bodies that are dead shall by the power of God be raised new heavens and new earth prepared and given unto the Saints in which dwels righteousnesse that is then shall they have and enjoy remainingly the righteousnesse of God in the full accomplishment of all his former promises in the faith of which they died but had not received Dear friends hold fast this doctrine of the resurrection Applic. for as Tertullian well begins his book upon this subject Fiducia Christianorum resurrectio mortuorum the resurrection of the dead is the hope and expectation of Christians there is no doctrine more properly Christian then it none more comfortable none now in greater danger to be let slip these being those shaking times of the most fundamentall doctrines of Christian truth which the Apostle Peter long since warned us of 2 Pet. 3.2 3 13. There shall saies he come mockers Walking after their own ungodly lusts that shall mock at the performance of Gods promises in the coming of Christ and restitution of all things saying where is the promise of his coming for since the fathers fâ—ll asleep all things continue in their state As if they should say they are like to receive no more then they had before they died but let not this doctrine be shaken from you for what then will follow but a rotall falling off from the faith a denying of the resurrection of Christ 1 Cor. 11.17 18. and of the kingdom of Christ yea then faith and preaching and all is vain yea then the reins are given to all licentiousnesse Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die and when we are dead there is a sinall end with us and that 's indeed the issue of that wickednesse they that say Where is the promise of his coming Will not fear to walk after their own ungodly lusts It 's true one principle upon which they lean in denying it and way to insinuate the slieghting of it unto others as Tertullian hath long since observed and as experience of their words yet teacheth us is a disrespect they seem to bear to the flesh so our spirits enjoy God say they and go up to God what 's matter for this flesh it's but dust and to dust let it go and no matter whether ever it rise or not but as he also well observes Sunt tamen â—arnis amicessimi nemo enim tam carnaliter vivit quam qui resurrectionem mortuorum negat though they seem to slieght the flesh none love better to please the flesh none live more after the flesh praiers and ordinance and discipline