of death hath been evidently proved His design is manifest in the Text. He assumed humane nature THAT he might deliver his Saints from the fear of Death and whilst he bears about him that Humane Nature how can he but be constant to his design in taking it up He that lives for ever to make intercession for his people hath not in vain the Keyes of Hell and of Death Fifthly He hath accomplished and atchieved such things for his children that naturally bring about this their freedom from the fears of Death To suggest the most weighty First He died not only in their nature but in their stead He tasted death for them So that as to them it may be truly said Mankind died in him their representative That formidable death which men deserve Christ hath undergone it all What fear of death can then be reasonably yielded to it is Christ that died What reason to fear that which another hath felt for us on purpose that we to be sure should never feel any such thing What is truly formidable in Death is past and gone and no more to be feared than an escaped danger Secondly Christ hath by his death merited Saints freedom from the fears of their own He laid down his life as the price of this Priviledge What Saint then dares fear death that considers the unquestionable sufficiency of the value of Christs death for the purchasing this great priviledge for him that he should not fear death For a Saint to fear Death with a bondage servile fear is as much as to say Christ hath not bled enough to purchase this my freedom from these fears but I must bleed too to raise the price God forbid that any Saints doubts or fears should ever be found so palpably guilty of undervaluing the bloud of Christ and the price of their Redemption Thirdly Christ by his Death hath taken away the only true fundamental reason and occasion of the fear of Death and that is the condemning power of the Law The sting of that Death sales the Apostle which men so dread it is nothing else but sin Sin indeed unpardoned Well but that is pardoned in the bloud of Christ and therefore saies he Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory that is over death through our Lord Jesus Christ Well but how The foregoing words shew it 1 Cor. 15.56 57. The sting of death is sin True But the strength of sin is the Law Oh! there there is the bitterness The Law sharpens and strengthens the sting of Death sin Oh! This condemning power of a broken Law This this torments the sinners heart with the fears of Death Well but observe The strength of sin is the Law but thanks be to God who giveth us the victory that is by weakening the strength of sin and blunting the sharpness of that sting of Death Christ hath satisfied every demand of the broken Law that sin or death can say or do nothing to fright one that is by faith become Christs child Though the Devil lye and so labour to terrifie a Saint saying Come come away thou hast broken the Law Its Sentence and doom is past upon thee Come to prison thou must surely and suddenly dye Yet all this time the Law saies no such thing and yet it flatters none being most true and just but it takes good notice that Christ died and it is fully satis fied I will assure you the Law will not suggest the least fear to any soul that hath the least faith in Christs bloud The Law acknowledges such full payment by Christs most Precious Death that it requires not the least farthing more Rom. 15.18 As by the offence of one judgment came upon all to Condemnation so by the righteousness of one saies the Apostle of Christ the free gift came upon all unto justification of life The broken Law instead of condemning a sinner that hath faith in Christ doth rather justifie him fully The Law saith to the sinner that believes in Christ Truly for all me thou shalt live and that eternally for Christ hath died I require no death of thee and that thou at thy dissolution seemest to die it is more to conform to thy Masters and Saviours death and indeed to comply with the necessity of a better and more curious fabrick of thy body and it s far sweeter life than to satisfie any of the Laws demands Thus Christ satisfying the killing demands of the Law hath indeed taken away the very ground of fear the very strength of sin which without that strength cannot afford Death the least sting to wound us Fourthly Christ hath taken away as the strength of sin so the strength also of the Devils Temptations to fear death So that when a Saint fears death upon the Devils temptations he fears a lye of the Devils and a fancy of his own For Christ hath really broken the force of all the devils temptations to fear death according to the clear meaning of that expression coupled with my Text That he might destroy him that had the power of Death But you will say who but God hath the power of life and Death Doth not Jesus Christ himself vindicate it as his Prerogative Royal Rev. 1.18 speaking of himself I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive for evermore Amen and have the keyes of Hell and Death What power of death then hath the Devil But little now blessed be Christ The Devil cannot bring death at his pleasure to our doors Jobs life was not committed to his cruel mercy he had no power to kill him Truly wicked men have power when God permits to kill the body and what hath the Devil more By the Power of Death here attributed to the Devil is meant only his forcible temptations by which he conveys many ugly forms and shapes of Death and so also many sad apprehensions and fears thereof into mens distressed Consciences the Devil hath leave of God to fright guilty sinners and he hath of himself malice power and wit enough to bring death near and to lay its rough hand upon the sore place of a sinners wounded Conscience Yea he hath besides even all that power and strength of Deaths sting in his hand which Death received from the Condemning Law But now though the wicked are often laid open to the Devils cruel mercy yet little it is that he can do against Christs People because Christ hath destroyed the Devil and this his Power Christs bloud hath cancelled his Commission or so contracted and lessened it that when ever he assaults a believer with the fears of Death he knows he must flee upon resistance Resist the Devil saies the Apostle and he will flee from you He knows he must having no Commission to stay after such resistance as Christ enables his people to make And then as to that strength of his Temptations which is derived and urged from a pretence of the Condemnation and penalty of the Law
fruits of the Spirit and of Heaven which do render Death to those that taste them more desirable than formidable The first is First Communion with Christ That of it which Saints have in this world is very sensible and sweet Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ You know it is the holy boast of a holy man the Apostle John concerning himself and other real Saints and it is sweet Communion as in the next words These things write we unto you that your joy might be full Thus true joy comes into the heart even unparallel'd gladness by Gods lifting up the light of his Countenance The wicked whore cries Let us take our fills of love in unclean Communion but Christs Spouse's design is that her joy might be full in holy Communion with God and Christ The first misses joy altogether meets with only vanity and vexation of Spirit but the other loses her dumpish sorrow and never enjoys that Communion with Christ much but she meets also with joy unspeakable and full of glory and yet in this world never enough Therefore they that taste it most do most earnestly long to be dissolved and to be with Christ as the Apostle Paul Phil. 1.23 Having a desire to depart and to be with Christ He professes indeed that he had his Conversation in heaven as to real foretasts thereof which were enough to set him a longing not fully to satisfie and therefore he confesses that whilst in the body he was in great measure absent from the Lord. And would he not be present Yes even with all his heart and farewell body till the Resurrection that he might kiss his sweet Jesus his feet that he might be ever with the Lord. This this was the Apostle Pauls holy passion Oh! Then sincere Christians for two or three of you to be with Christ and he with you in prayer according to his promise and in other Ordinances yea in any divine exercises of grace This this must needs make your souls long to depart and to be with Christ This notion you must know flows not from a doubtful or pretended experience but from positive express Gospel Doctrine 1 Thes 4.17 18. And so shall we be ever with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words It is mighty comfort against death and judgment there spoken of to consider the happiness of being ever with the Lord. If it was the joy and boast of the enamoured Spouse Cant. 2.9 to view Christ shewing himself through the Lattess how can she but long to see him with open face to see him as he is in glory Surely that soul that by faith and love cleaves to Christ can never much fear death which it knows will never separate such lovers as Christ and a believing soul are but rather indeed bring it into heaven and force it only to be more happy in a more intimate close yea constant Vision and fruition of Christ Secondly Freedom from sin though but in some tolerable manner attained gives us a sweet foretaste of heaven where all just mens souls do enter but no unclean thing with them So much freedom from sin is so much heaven upon earth but the reliques of sin still pestering us till death make us if true Saints the more eagerly long for perfect freedom from it in heaven which huge longing is an holy extasie I confess and found only I think in those whose Consciences do not reproach them whilst they live They of all men even they that labour to the utmost to subdue sin do long to get rid of it altogether though it be by death Therefore the Apostle Paul expresses himself after this manner And not only they Rem 8.23 but we our selves groan within our selves waiting for the Adoption to wit the Redemption of the body reckoning upon not much mattering yea quite overlooking death having the eye on a sweet deliverance of soul and body from sin at the Resurrection sith in this life both of them are most sadly infected therewith Therefore saies he we groan but how Even as the Creature to be delivered from the bondage of Corruption And which is very remarkable We our selves who have the first fruits of the Spirit c. What are they The thirteenth verse a little before will clear that in these words If ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Blessed souls are they and they shall be blessed who have received the first fruits of the Spirit in the mortification of sin for they groan within themselves till that happy time come after death when soul and body shall no more sin They that have tasted how sweet the life-bloud of one sturdy lusty sin is can never be satiated till they have the bloud of all the rest the dam and all original sin insatiably crying out O when shall we be delivered from the body of this Death which indeed is far more dreadful than natural death But O how sweet is it for a Saint to see Necis artificem arte perire suâ sin killing it self with its own murthering-piece killing its enemy and it self with one blow How joyfully do Saints see the death of all their sins approach full as fast as the death of their bodies Well then the Saints with Sampson would gladly dye that so all their sins and therefore to be sure more might be utterly destroyed at their death than ever they could slay all their life time A true and thorough Saint fears to sin more than to dye therefore he feares not so much to dye and sin no more as to live yet and sin O thou that hast faithfully mortified any lust and art sure of it Death cannot wound nor astonish thee for certainly more comfort arises to the Saints from the mortality of sin then terrour from the mortality of the body Thirdly The blessed graces of the Spirit of God the possession of which is our participation of the Divine nature the exercise of which is our Conversation in heaven These Graces of the Spirit of God are indeed the very first fruits of heaven and cannot well be at rest till they have carried the soul into their own Element Heaven it self for from above it is whence every good and perfect gift doth descend and would as naturally carry the soul endued therewith up thither as the fire mounts upwards So that those Divine souls whose vigorous graces do make them hunger and thirst after righteousness will not stick to venture at Gods call a bodily life to satisfie that thirst in heaven The Apostle Paul was very desirous to attain to the Resurrection of the Dead Phil. 3.11 compared with ver 21. Oh! how he longed to be more holy here in this world to be quickly in the number of the dead in the Lord He cared not how soon Perfect he saies he was not yet nor likely to be perfect here below but yet he contended hard running to
death not only from the domineering prevalency but the disquieting presence of them Now the words lying open to view you have a most fair prospect of great and sweet variety which naturally springs up out of this most fruitful field that if digged and searched will yield very holy meditation and discourse Concerning this Scripture I may say truly in the words of the Apostle Paul when he was comforting timorous souls under their fears of Judgment and so very pertinently to my business in hand Behold here how our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God even our Father who hath loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace do here comfort your hearts by the most warm breathings of the Holy Ghost the Comforter who indeed is then a Comforter when all else are but miserable ones His Cordial here is very singular and soveraign the Ingredients very precious and various and not a little conspicuous in these following Doctrines some of which are raised from the fourteenth verse immediately preceding my Text some from both verses together and some from the Text it self only 1. The fourteenth verse exhibits to you these seven Doctrines First That the unconceivable love of the Son of God to his dear children made him come down on earth and become man Secondly That Christ in his humane nature is as very man as any of the Elect his flesh and bloud not only being like ours but part of our substance He also himself likewise took part of the same So that he himself is of the same stock of Adam and Eve as surely and verily as any of us Thirdly That sinners out of Christ are under the sentence of Death such as are not Gods Children are under the Devil their fathers cruel severity that is under the power of Death or That Satan hath the power of Death over all such as are not delivered by Christ from his Power Fourthly That Christ hath destroyed this his power for the sole benefit of his children true believers Fifthly That the way how Christ overcame Satan and destroyed his power was by his own death Or Christ by his own death conquered that Tyrant the Devil Which destruction of the Devil by the Death of Christ because alledged here by the Apostle as Christs intermediate end in subserviency to his Grand design of delivering his children from the fears of Death I shall only a little pause upon The Devil was no sooner our enemy but Christ was his The Devil said to our first Parents Ye shall not surely dye but Christ only made it good Though the Devil meant nothing less yet Christ nothing more see the Devil in his colours First he tempts to sin with a surely thou shalt not dye and yet presently upon the Commission of sin he torments with a surely thou shalt dye He speaks his own plainly when he tempts to sin but he speaks in appearance Gods words when he tempts to despair How much harder then is it to resist his temptations to despair of pardon than it is to resist those his temptations by which he would bring us into a sad need of it But he is a Lyar in both For he spake in his first temptation to sin against his own judgment who verily thought man by sin would most irrecoverably dye and that for ever And when he tempts all men to despair with a surely ye shall dye he knows he lies For Christ in all Ages effectually delivers all his Children Whether Satan say thou shalt not surely dye before sin committed or thou shalt surely dye after sin committed he knows he lyes in the one he lyes against the truth of the Law in the other he lyes against the true meaning of an Enacted Law in the other he lyes against the truth of the repeale or in the one he lyes against the truth of Gods threats and the condemning power of the Law in the other against the truth of Gods promises and of his incomparably glorious Act of Indempnity He thought indeed seeing he could not be exalted above God he would become a petty Tyrant as his ambition thirsted over poor mankind and thereupon laboured to bring man by sin under his power the power of death but wherein he dealt proudly Christ was above him Christ in mans nature dyed for man so that though in as much as Christ dyed the Devil bruised his heel yet Christ by his own death defeated his design and bruised his Serpent-head which he will not be able to get healed for ever whereas Christ only was dead but is alive and lives for evermore as before by death to vanquish him so eternally by the power of his Life and Raign to keep him under in chains of darkness and also to deliver his children from his power of Death who though they sleep yet shall wake again Eternally Sixthly That Christs death conquered the Saints death even the power of it lying much in the hand of the Devil was destroyed with him Death is our enemy Christ encountred it for us in our stead verse 9. the Apostle speaking of Jesus saies thus That he by the grace of God should taste death for every man for him He conquered our enemy death by dying by bearing and so breaking off from us all its malignant force that it cannot reach us therewith when it ruffles most It is our last enemy but already conquered by Christ Christs death it is the Saints life in Death Christ hath given death its deaths wound and though at its last gasp it would lift up its self and grin upon a dying Saint yet behold all its venome-teeth are dasht out by the power of Christ and its sting to seek It laies only upon him a cold and feeble hand but cannot break a bone as I may say not do the least hurt It only rocks the body asleep and makes way for the soul to enter into its Masters Joy unspeakable indeed and full of glory As the Devil whom Christ rebuked in the possessed tare and rent the body it is true yet durst not but come forth and depart and though the body was left on the ground as dead yet it quickly appeared to be alive So death may teare and shake a Saints body at its dissolution and leave it for dead on the ground yet it hath no more to do to touch it the very body as the grain sown in the earth is a springing up though at first flowly with a new life I say the body shall in spight of death live again gloriously at the Resurrection and never dye because death is conquered and destroyed for ever by Christs death who was dead but is alive for evermore Amen Neither is the Saints sleeping at their dissolution a bare piece of Rhetorick but a most real notion Wicked mens bodies may be said indeed most properly to suffer death for though they also shall rise again yet it is to lead a life in those raised bodies worse than death But
now Saints bodies are whilst in the grave really united to Christ which real union of their dust to Christ is a glorious security of their bodies blessed life which the former bare union of their souls and bodies together before death could never give them Seventhly That seeing Death and Devil was thus to be destroyed by Christ it behoved Christ to be a mortal man to dye as well as God-man thereby to conquer Death 2. From the verse immediately preceding together with my Text these two Doctrines First That as Christ by his Death conquered the Devil and Death So also by the same Death of his he delivered his children true Believers from the slavish fears of their own death Secondly That there is none but Christs children can have solid and true courage against Death Not a free man in the world but a true believer all the rest are bondslaves fearful the Devils prisoners Whatever fool-hardiness there may be in the world falsly called valour and contempt of death yet it is far exceeded in the same kind by the more sinewy strength and daring boldness of many brute beasts And in them rather it is valour in man madness The Brute dares to dye but man more void of strength and reason dares dye and be damned too But sure all such men in their natural condition are past feeling or Cowards only to themselves so unreasonably dastardly as to dare rather to look death in the face than their own awakened Consciences For they that seriously meditate and know both themselves and Death and Devil instead of pretending valour must needs yield themselves Captives to the fears of Death for stouter Creatures than sinful wicked unregenerate men even the Devils themselves under guilt do fear and Tremble 3. From my Text alone only these three Doctrines First That there is a natural fear of Death as well as of the Devil rooted in all mens hearts alwaies whilst they are out of Christ at least I say alwaies Though not alwaies felt yet easily awakened as by raging guilt a tempting Devil and sore judgments inflicted on them by an angry yet most righteous God visiting their Iniquities Secondly That this fear puts men in bondage So that they dare not by reason of sensible and evident danger of distraction meditate seriously upon death Gods judgements or Hell so clearly and confessedly deserved by themselves Thirdly That Christ is the great Deliverer of his People from the slavish fears of Death I shall God assisting as it concerns me duly eye all along the death of Christ by the which Death of his He doth deliver his People from the fears of their own death yet intending to speak as briefly and with what advantage I can from the Scriptures to this singularly comfortable Doctrine I shall take the latitude which the absolute consideration of the Text clearly gives me according to the Doctrine already laid down in these words Doctrine ☞ That Christ is the Great Deliverer of his people from their slavish fears of death It is the will of this great King of Saints and Prince of Peace that all his People should live up to their priviledge and his honour Not as sins much less as the Devils or Deaths slaves but as Children Christ is called the Everlasting Father and here before my Text he himself owns and answers to that name Behold I and the children which God hath given me Christs great design is to make his children children indeed free indeed from the servile fears of Death This Prince of life as he is called Acts 3.15 will not have his children slaves to death no nor to the Prince of Death the devi◠The Method in prosecuting this truth shall be by the Lords concurrence First To prove that the Lord Christ is such a Deliverer Secondly To shew how he actually manages this deliverance of his Saints from their fears of Death Thirdly To Apply First Then to prove that the Lord Christ is such a Deliverer For such a glory of our blessed Saviour is highly worth the beholding yea men and Angels displaying and therefore not a needless thing to prove It is never sufficiently seen and admired This considerable and comfortable part of the Saints deliverance by Christ is one of the fairest and rarest Jewels in the Diadem of this King of Saints He is the Deliverer of his people from the fears of Death Therefore as the Apostle saies a little below my Text Consider then the Apostle and High Priest of our Profession Christ Jesus Consider well your great Messiah O Saints behold your King See then First He hath power enough thus to deliver Is he not God man And indeed what is a Jesus a Saviour a Deliverer without Power But can his power conquer his peoples Enemies and their fears too With Jesus all this is possible and more too See the power of his Scepter Heb. 7.25 wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him Not only then from all enemies but from all fears in the way To the uttermost As from the misery of Death it self so from its killing fears Now consider a little will deliverance from the soul-disquieting fears of death be lookt upon and judged a proper real yea great Deliverance And shall not Jesus be the Author and finisher of it who can save to the uttermost This is not surely below or above his power that can deliver to the uttermost Nothing truly deserves the name of Deliverance but this expression to the uttermost comprehends it Luke 1.74 These you see deliverance out of the hand of enemies and serving without fear go naturally together and will Christ separate them Now can Christ thus deliver from the fears of death because to the uttermost those that come unto God by him and yet a soul that comes unto God by him never so delivered How is it possible The Philosopher will laugh at this doubt or denial with his Frustra est potentia quae non producitur in actum That power is in vain that is never exercised Can the Sun withhold the force of its power to heat from any thing it shines upon Can a Mother forget her Child So can the Everlasting Father forget his Can Christ withhold or deny the effectual influence of his power to deliver to the uttermost them that come unto God by him When once this Sun of Righteousness is risen with healing under his wings upon any poor soul the warmth of his continual beams ever and anon breaking through all clouds and overcasts cannot but dispel and work out of that soul all the chil fears of Death Secondly As Christ hath power to deliver his people from the slavish fears of death so also an indispensable obligation thereunto lying upon him as Mediator This is an invincible argument with the former And if you consider well in whom this power resides you cannot have the least scruple or darkness in this Point Who is it then
It is but little or indeed nothing he can say to a believer Here the Saint hath advantage of ground given him against the Devil For never was the Law more broken than Christs life fulfilled it and never can the penalty thereof be so fully suffered as it was by Christs Death that paid the uttermost farthing which the damned's torments shall never be able to do Sixthly Christ is the Deliverer of his People from the fears of Death in as much as he works mightily in them as well as for them and so wonderfully strengthens them in the inner man against those servile fears of Death But in what manner and by what graces or comforts I have determined to shew in the second part of my Method I shall therefore now only add That Christ administers a mighty vertue and power to the spirits of his people by his gracious Pardons encouraging Commands and comfortable yea sutable Promises All which wonderfully serve to animate Believers against the fears of Death First By Gracious Pardons The Son of man had power on earth to forgive sin sure he hath not lost that power now he is exalted in heaven You know he exercised that power on earth and so he doth still For whilst on earth how oft said he Thy sins are forgiven thee Upon his departure from the earth near his dying Peace I leave with you my Peace I give unto you not as the world giveth give I unto you let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid Joh. 14.27 After his Resurrection Peace be unto you Joh. 20.21 After his Ascension into heaven you know the Salutations in his Letters Credential by his Ambassadors and Ministers I mean the Salutations you find in the front to many of the Epistles in the New Testament Grace Mercy and Peace from God our Father first and then from our Lord Jesus Christ as the very next hand This Prince of Peace speaks Peace to his Saints and what enemy first or last as death is dare or can speak War As Christ by his own mouth spake peace on earth to his people so now as verily and really by his own spirit by his infallible Word and true Ministers he sares to the poor Consciences of his Saints Your sins are forgiven you and if Sin sting not Death cannot Guilt 's fears are blasted with that sweet peace which Christ gives and which the world by a thousand Deaths cannot take away fears cannot dwell where Christs words of eternal life take place So that a pardoned Conscience sings before this enemy Death O Death where is thy sting Secondly By encouraging Commands doth his Excellency the Lord Jesus hearten his People and Souldiers that they fear neither Death nor Devil which expressions of Christ are not to be considered only as beseeching perswasions but rather as most rouzing and Authoritative incitements unto courage and valour as these are Fear not little Flock it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom Luk. 12.32 which indeed is won and fully possest by Death And Be of good chear and let not your heart be troubled neither let it be affraid c. So still doth Christ as a Lord of Hosts go on speaking couragiously to us by his Word by his Spirit and by his field Officers Isa 35.4 I mean his Apostles and Ministers and that in such words as these prest and charged home Let your Conversation be as BECOMES the GOSPEL and that especially in your being nothing TERRIFIED by your adversaries Phil. 2.27 28. And put on the whole Armour of God c. That ye may be able to stand in the evil day and having done all to stand Christ as a good Captain and great General heartens his people not to fear their last encounter in the evil day the hour of danger or of sudden Death he secretly whispers such courage into his peoples hearts And for him to say fear not who by a word created all things in heaven and earth it is enough to embolden the faintest Christian Souldier unto Conquest What a Captain of Salvation is this That at once saies be of good courage and makes of good courage Oh labour to hear the voice of the Son of God and thou shalt live in spight of Death and truly there is no such difficulty to hear him for he uses to speak Peace to his Saints that diligently seek him Thirdly By comfortable and sutable Promises doth the Lord Jesus animate his people against all evil fear of Death to instance in some I will not leave you comfortless I will send you the Comforter Verily verily I say unto you ye shall be sorrowful but your sorrow shall be turned into joy Joh. 16.20 22. Your heart shall rejoyce and your joy no man taketh from you no not Devil nor Death for if these could it would be all one as if man could for then they should not keep it But although one of Christs Apostles confest of himself that he was in deaths often yet that Promise bore him our and all the rest too of Christs Disciples even so as that they sang in prison and made ready not to be bound only but to dye at Jerusalem or any where else for the name of the Lord Jesus It is very remarkable that when Jesus Christ had given his Disciples many comfortable Promises Joh. 16. to hearten them up he summed up all in the end of the Chapter thus These things have I spoken unto you that is these Promises that in me ye might have peace in the world ye shall have tribulation but be of good chear I have overcome the world yea whatsoever is the worlds properly as misery and death are All the Promises of God are in Christ yea and in him Amen Promises are Gods and Christs words upon which they cause their people to hope according to that of David Remember thy word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope And the Apostle teaches that through patience and comfort of the Scriptures Saints have hope which hope in the Promises prevails against nothing more than sin 2 Cor. 7.1 and 1 Joh 3.3 and particularly against sinful fears of death For what can more naturally destroy fear than that which mightily enlivens hope Such are Christs Promises which words of eternal life therefore are most powerful against Death Shall Saints then fear though a little flock when those young Lions wicked men and those old Lions the Devil and Death set upon them when as they have such a Promise as this to bear them up That it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom Death may be dreadful to those that by it lose Crowns but certainly desirable to those that by it are sure to win Crowns Seventhly I produce the great Examples and instances which testifie of Christ that he is such a deliverer of his people from the fears of Death as first Job Though God should slay him yet no fear
to think that many who do so much and cry Lord Lord Lord have mercy on us yet are not thereupon to be judged in so good a condition and in an unquestionable state of Salvation Therefore I conceive a right understanding of such expressions may be got by taking notice of holy John's palpable intent and the drift of his speech upon the forementioned occasion the Apostle therefore for the better understanding of such mistaken spirits asserts in summe thus much that indeed those only that confess Jesus to be the Son of God and will not deny him in fear of Death or Torment are to be taken for true Christians and happy souls indeed Upon the same account he asserts also That Perfect love casteth out fear that is the tormenting fear of death or danger as Tertullian evinces in his Scorpiacum or Antidote against the Gnosticks speaking thus Johannes negat timorem esse in dilectione quem timorem intelligi praestat nisi negationiâ— authorem i.e. John denies fear to be in love what fear can be better understood then such as is the Author and cause of denying Christ even as the Apostle Peter did for fear of death or suffering He that loves Christ but tolerably aright will not be loath to dye for Christ or to dye and go to Christ That Spouse who is truly sick of love for Christ thinks no Cure of that sickness like Death even to depart and to be with Christ to be ever with the Lord her blessed Bridegroom Thirdly Christ by giving his people that excellent grace of hope kills the fear of death 2 Thes 2.16 There it is plain that good hope through his grace is not only his gift but therewith also or thereby everlasting Consolation which therefore is neither to be interrupted by the fears of Death or discontinued by Death it self yea the same Consolation springing from this grace of hope Heb. 6.18 19. is there called strong Consolation Indeed stronger then Death or the terriblest fears of Death For Christ giving this hope is there said to comfort and establish Saints so that no fear of death as in that place of judgment day can either sadden whom he so comforts or shake and disturb the minds he so establishes for their hearts thus become fixed trusting in the Lord. The Saints grace of hope gets beyond Death before hand and enters into heaven As this Apostle to the Hebrews represents it as entring into that within the vail and by it Saints on earth fit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus Now you know hope 's nature is contrary to fear He who hopes for eternal life and for the Adoption to wit the Redemption of the body as it is spoken of Saints hope Rom. 8 23 24 25. He that hath such a saving hope whereby as an Anchor sure and stedfast he hopes for life can never be tost like a wave with any slavish fears of Death Oh then still thy soul by hope in God The Apostle Peter calls the Saints the childrens hope a lively hope Who hath saies he begotten us unto a lively hope Lively hope destroys the exanimating killing fears of Death Puts us beyond death as to fear before it come at us as to feeling for he that hath this lively hope as an Anchor sure and stedfast cannot much fear that he shall at death become a Castaway though he be careful with the Apostle Paul It is Hells pit that is bottomless or fathomless so that the despairing Damned are alwaies tormented with Eternal pains and frights But alas Come the worst of it to the Saints of God this they know that the Graves pit is not bottomless there is enough for their hope to bottom and anchor upon surely and stedfastly The Grave to the wicked is indeed bottomless and though it detains a while the body yet it lets the soul slip into Hell and the body too not long after But Christs Death burial hath so sanctified every of the Saints Graves that at worst their graves will be by so much happier to them then that Grave was to the dead man whom Elisha's buried bones revived even by how much Lazarus his second was or will be better than his first Resurrection Christs Death and Burial hath left somewhat in every Saints grave sufficient at the lowest for his hope to bottom on so that his body when there may be truly said to rest in hope and therefore having this grace of hope he need not unless he will be disquieted with fears before Death Fourthly Christ by giving his people on earth some real foretasts of heaven and of eternal life doth thereby effectually destroy their fears of Death And therefore the Apostle Paul who was next to his Lord and Master the greatest conquerour and triumpher over Death we read of after that he had been Rapt up into the third heaven as he stories it himself in the second Epistle to the Corinthians was ever after most undaunted under the seriousest thoughts of death as is most evident in his other Epistles which were written after those to the Corinthians particularly in that to the Romans where he tells us how little he fears death or a thousand deaths though killed as it were all the day long yet more then Conquerour He had before so sweet a sight of heaven that Death could not fright him so sweet a taste of heavens pleasures that he could never after taste any bitterness in death And thereupon justly longing to be there again he feared not death the only passage into so much bliss Let every true Saint consider this I say every soul that conscionably walks with God and labours to have Communion with God in his holy waies and Ordinances that walks in some measure as that blessed Apostle Paul who lived in all good conscience before God that with holy David tastes and sees that the Lord is gracious that tastes in deed and truth savingly of the heavenly gift the good Word of God and the powers of the World to come O precious Saint dost thou so live How is it possible but thou must long to be filled with these heavenly joyes How canst thou fear that Death that will put thee into actual possession of thy Masters Joy According to that in Rom. 8.28 And not only they viz. the Creatures but we our selves also which have the first fruits of the Spirit do groan within our selves waiting for the Adoption to wit the Redemption of our body See here that a taste of the first fruits of the heavenly Canaan which Gods Spirit from above fetches for and feeds a Saint with makes him not to groan under the fears of dying but rather under fears of not dying O you that taste and rellish heavenly things in Divine Ordinances and have much of the presence of Christ with you in them are you affraid to dye and to be with Christ for ever Is not this better then to live There are three things deservedly to be called first
servant of Christ now in this City of London one that hath done God the most service an upright man none like him as it was said of Job one fearing God and eschewing evil that hath been much in prayer possibly and in preaching too one truly frequently nay continually rapt up into great and close Communion with God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ one highly instrumental in converting and edifying souls walking with God in his Closet and in his house in a perfect way and yet more one that hath been a great Conduct to reduce erring sheep Now suppose that for some sin God should bring the Plague to his body as once God did to a great and good King Hezekiah and of late to a right Eminent Pious Divine of our own of which Plague he died Now I say suppose that for some sin God should bring the Plague to such an one's body in his perfect health with an evident Symptom of Death and besides oh sad and bitter fully perswade him that he is visited with the Plague for such a particular sin that he hath committed and therefore that he shall not recover but dye suddenly Now if this 〈…〉 fears not is not dismayed upon hope in Gods mercy 〈◊〉 â—is sin is pardoned however thus 〈…〉 〈…〉 after life was but 〈…〉 or fifteen years And we find that fifteen years 〈…〉 past 〈◊〉 gives but little comfort when we have but five daies to live So what comfort against Death could Hezekiah's fifteen years administer to him when he committed such sins in the Prime of those years which at death he should leave behind him to ruine his Posterity and Kingdom withall when he quickly had but five daies to live of his fifteen years nay but five hours of them nay but five minutes could his past reprieve then Antidote his fears For no doubt when the message of his reprieve came by the Prophet Isaiah to him even that hour fifteen years exactly his life expired And no doubt also that not only God himself but Hezekiah too numbered his daies and kept good reckoning So that one might think if we measure him by our own foolish and melancholly yet usual musings he might be affrighting himself ever and anon with such sad reckonings as these Now oh now I have but one poor year of my fifteen to come and again but a little longer and it is now alas but one Month the next sad thought might be now my last Sabbath is gone by and by a sad sob and crying out now my last night or my last day is quite past and now my last hour yea as quick as thought now my last minute Which appaling thoughts one whose death is not precisely foretold cannot multiply to his own terrour though in the weakest condition because the weakest do oft recover And hereupon those who are to be executed at a sixt hour are more liable to be struck with fear because of the certain and sudden approach of Death and that in their perfect strength Yet though this be the truly aggravated Case of Hezekiah fourteen years and an half more or less after his great recovery And when Death comes with the experience of its former success in frighting him yea and comes effectually indeed to him yet heark No chattering So the Objection of Hezekiah a good man that had a good heart and a good life having done that which is good in Gods sight I say the objection of his fearing death is sufficiently answered with his not fearing death when he came to dye in good earnest which though it be not recorded is not to be scrupled because it must be concluded that all who dye in the Lord do dye though not so comfortably yet solidly not overcome by but overcoming their fears at last And that it was rather needful to record his chattering fears at the likely approach of his death in as much as that seemed a strange thing and a most unusual condition of eminent Saints when they come to dye Or put case instances may be produced of greater confidence in some Saints some considerable time before then at Death truly it would make but little appearance against the Doctrine For I discourse of the constant or most usual temper of Christs redeemed ones all along their life time who know indeed it is not long before they must certainly dye yet have no certain news told them when The courage of the Saints life is that which proves and honours our Redeemers effectual power of Redemption and him also that made him Redemption to the Saints Now if the Saints being redeemed by Christ do serve God without fear all the daies of their life though at the last hour there may be some little surprize of fear yet what is that to object against such a Doctrine Alas who knows not but that sharp sickness and tedious Death enfeebles the spirits so that whatever the patients heart be yet his trembling voice may but wrong his inward spiritual heartiness Alas then grace reason or sence it self have but little space room or breath to think or do much Yet I am confident that as great extraordinary joyes accompany but few Saints just at their departure out of this world so also am I as sure that great fears at that nick or point of Death do accompany none of them Fears may assault them but not possess them Saints dye at least resisting them which is even then to be actually delivered from their captivating power But because fear of Death after all that can be said seems to be the common temper of Gods children as well as the Devils slaves I shall labour to shew some sufficient difference in their fearing death or any Calamity in these following particulars First Saints may as sinful men fear but not as Saints When grace is low and corruption occasionally strengthened and advantaged either by security temptation or at length by the Commission of some more than ordinary sin then it is easie for an approaching evil much more death it self to run them down But observe it when a Saint lives as a Saint hath Communion with God exercises grace baffles a Temptation maintains a wise fear of God then let a thousand approaching miseries trumpet evil tydings or let death it self beat an Alarum to judgment the Saints fear not Psal 23.3 4. He restoreth my soul he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness then then though I walk in the valley of the shadow of Death I will fear no evil no evil punishment no evil tydings no Death I will fear no evil for thou art with me Secondly Saints may too as natural men fear that is as evil and misery crosseth natures inbred lawful rules of self preservation so flesh and bloud may fear and that without imputation of sin But as the worst evils conduce to and work together for the Saints good and Gods glory all is welcomed with joy as it was by those who counted it an
visited Who therefore will not surely when a Cordial is brought them from the God of Heaven fling Glasse and all in contempt at the poor Messenger who is Christian Reader Thine in the LORD heartily R. T. An Antidote against the Fears of Death Heb. 2.15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage WHen the serious thoughts of Mortality and Eternity do awaken our spirits to look about us whose Bodies when once God is angry are but dust and ashes under a consuming fire When Pestilence War and Famine are at the doors and look in yea enter in at the Windows closely following Poor men and women as Phinehas did Zimri and Cozbi into their very Tent to slay them When Gods Prisoners are shut up from all comfort and Company of this life Then surely then no fellowship like the fellowship of Christs sufferings No Sanctuary like his Sepulchre No Physician like him whose bloud is of infinite value and vertue too No Deliverer from the miseries and fears of death but this Jesus this Christ that dyed For his Death affords bread broken and ready prepared to refresh and revive both the living and dying His bloud shed is the best Weapon salve or Plague-water the only Preservative of all those that have received the Arrows of the Almighty and the Messengers of Death whether we consider Famine Wounds or Plague of mens own hearts or bodies But it is comfort against Death in general and the fears of it that I design for the benefit of the Saints timorous souls partakers with me of flesh and bloud who must certainly and may suddenly dye And blessed Eternally be the Lord Jesus it is his Grand and special design who because the children did partake of flesh and bloud and too much communicate in its fears of Death did himself take part of the same he lived and died That so feeling the bitterness both of the life and death of flesh he might as comfort his people in all their tribulations so especially deliver them who through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage I need not tell you a thing so obvious How that Christ in his highest preheminence is the theame of this Epistle to the Hebrews which after a glorious and singular manner displaies the honour and excellency of Christ before the eyes of all both Jew and Gentile who are too too prone to have very base and low thoughts of his Incarnation and Humanity much more of his Death and Passion I shall therefore more narrowly acquaint you with the import of this Text The which with the preceding verse is enough by Gods light to give us a soul animating and transforming view of Christ Where we may see him triumphing with all his elect Souldiers some worthies especially over Death and Hell and the Devil too For asmuch then as the Children are partakers of flesh and bloud he also himself likewise took part of the same that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death that is the Devil and deliver them who through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage Wherein you have as in the Coherence not only Christs and the Saints death but also their victory over it In the Text it self you have these two parts 1. The Saints misery by nature not only to dye but before hand to labour under the fears of death their subjection to bondage with the continuance thereof All their life time 2. Their deliverance by Christ And deliver them who through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage Where you see their deliverance is very comprehensive And deliver them Their persons are gloriously delivered whether you respect death it self the power and sting of Death or the fears of Death or that bondage upon the account of those fears which renders their life most uncomfortable The deliverance by Christ bates none of these Now there are some words and passages in my Text to be opened that I may clear my way to the Doctrines which are to be found in this blessed Scripture Being all such as highly concern all mortal men especially in a time of great mortality 1. Then what Death is this Which is brought in here as a King of fears so terrible that the Devil seems to be but its Vice-Roy who would never be so dreaded were it not for death from which he receives power to Captivate and tyrannize over the poor Consciences of men that are cow'd with guilt and enfeebled with the hand-writing against them in their own breasts who when most carnally asleep do notwithstanding now and then sadly dream of some sudden reckoning and dreadful execution 2. What are these fears Seeing fear of Death is so natural to and common amongst the Saints 3. What is meant by being subject to bondage Are not all Saints more or less subject to many sad fears of death Even those that sometimes can vaunt over it with the Apostle Paul may sometimes also fear least at death they suffer shipwrack and become Castawaies 4. What is meant by all their life time What deliverance if all their life time so subject 5. What is this deliverance wrought thus for the people of God by the power of Christ and the transactions of his death To these reasonable demands briefly First What Death is this here meant It is unquestionably natural death the dissolution or departure of the soul from the body The body one way to the dust and grave the soul another way even to God that gave it This is the Death here spoken of The more terrible for the certain judgment of all and Eternal damnation of most immediately consequent thereupon Now inasmuch as a little before the Text flesh and bloud is mentioned which most shrinks from death as that part of a good mans nature that suffers by death the only damage And in as much as Christ therefore took part of the same flesh and bloud and so therein tasted death for every man it is but plainly absurd to doubt that natural death is here meant Secondly What are the fears of Death here spoken of Seeing fear of Death is so natural to and common amongst the Saints The Text will answer for me the latter expression in the words resolves you They are slavish fears not natural or filial Such fears as when in any measure in the Saints have a certain tang of the spirit of bondage Fears which do debase the ingenuity and confidence of children As Saints are called just before the Text For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and bloud And so thereupon indeed are naturally subject to great fears and by sin to much bondage too in their sence and apprehension of Death therefore Christ took part of their flesh that he might deliver those who by reason of their flesh and bloud were subject to great fears of death That so he might recover
who had the greatest power of death to oppose him 2. As it is a Deliverance designed so purchased by him at the price of his Death He tasted death for every man that he might deliver c He purchased with his own bloud the deliverance of his people from the fears of death 3. As designed and purchased so really and actually vouchasafed he destroyed the Power of the Tyrant who detained them as slaves and set them at liberty As it was said of Herod He was dead that sought the Childs life so may it be said of the Devil He is destroyed that enslaved the poor Consciences of mortal men with the horrid fears of Death * Hoeprostratus est Diabolus ut pro nihilo hab ndus sit â—o si nullus fore Calv. And they that are in Christ are not under his power so it may be said of them only that they were subject to bondage closely held to it but now they are loose and at liberty to serve God without fear in righteousness and holiness all the daies of their life But now Secondly This Actual Deliverance is further described so as to lead us to the Consideration of the misery from which Christ delivers his people and that under those words Death Fears Bondage 1. From Death it self I mean the misery or curse of it It is true all Christs redeemed ones dye or are translated But Death is not death to them but rather a meer shadow and whilest it is a sad reality to others it is truly but as a sleep to the Saints It is said therefore of the best meer men 1 Kings 2.10 1 Kings 11.43 they slept with their Fathers But of the Best and Greatest God-Man Jesus Christ that he died He tasted of death for every man as you have it a little before my Text that is for the good and advantage of all the children He tasted for them it is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he drank up that Cup * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est mortem sentiret Metaphora sampta a Propinato calice ex scripturae more quem etiam servalt Christus in triplici illa sua oratione cum ad mortem properaret Vid. Joh. 8.51 Quibusdam etiam placet istud eò referre quod vere quidem mortuus sit Sed tamen mortem quasi degustarit duntaxat ut qui mox resurrexerit quâ ratione dicuntur etiam noâ—nulli bonum dei donum guflare quod mox evomant infra 6.4 Sed hoc non placet Beza He tasted so as they never do that they might not taste the bitterness of Death He tasted it for them they only as it were kiss the Cup. Christ dyed they sleep Now who will say that sleeping is dying indeed that it is a misery or imperfection to fall asleep Unless we can think Adam to be miserable in innocency and fallen before his wife tempted him or was yet made of him for he was asleep when Eve was formed of his Rib. Sleeping then is not a misery no more is the Saints death who fall asleep in the state of the best innocency by the righteousness of Christ There may indeed be some similitude in the Saints death unto the imperfection and which sweetens the matter unto the necessity and refreshment of sleep taking it at the worst after that the Fall had decayed mens Constitutions and Tempers There may be and often are tossings and wearisom tumblings on a death bed and sometimes anguish agonies terrible Convulsions but these are only like the difficulty which a weary Traveller meets with in falling to sleep whose sleep is nevertheless sweet to him Or like the terrible dreams a healthful man may have in his sleep which are more disturbance to his fancy than sences For usually the body is past sensation or but of a very dull sence and feeling in such gasping difficulties Such Convulsions frighting more the Beholder than the Patient and are but as I may say the sad dreams of a dying man upon his falling to a deep sleep when he awakes all is well for he did but dream it was ill with him But however that soul is but little concerned in all this which is delivered by Christ from the proper pains and terrours of Death 2. Christ delivers from the sting of Death Sin which is remarkably signified in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Text which with a Genitive as it is here is used in good Greek Authors to signifie the Obligation of guilt to a due punishment of a broken Law And so consequents here to Death the wages of sin which terrifies at distance and enslaves the Conscience Subject to Bondage that is by the guilt of sin to the enthralling fears of its due punishment Death * Beza therefore renders that part of my Text thus Quotquot metu mortis pâ—r totam vitam Damnates erant servitatis But from this sting of Death are Christs children delivered witness the Apostle Paul 1 Cor. 15.56 57. The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the Law but thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ Victory by Christ or deliverance from the sting of Death made him sing O Death where is thy sting Death is but as a Serpent to be plaied with because the sting is taken out to be scorn'd therefore rather than feared So that you see the safety and sweetness of this deliverance by Christ consists in his disarming this enemy pulling out that only bitter and mortally wounding sting of Death Sin 3. Christ Delivers his children from the slavish fears of Death and the very sad bondage of them This indeed is the top and perfection of this deliverance The very express notion of the Text and must be made out in the sequel of the Discourse To all which resolves may be added That as this happy deliverance is the real portion and really enjoyed priviledge of real Saints Christ tasting death for every man who is of that blessed Fraternity the children of Christ as they are called by Christ himself a little before the Text v. 13 14. So also must this deliverance be acknowledged upon the first enjoyment at least to be not suddenly perfect through the weakness of believers faith yet notwithstanding it is sufficient through Christ to bear them out in all their encounters even at length unto Conquest yea Triumph too Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ and makes us without fear sing O Death where is thy sting For as God even so Christ gives all his benefits liberally and upbraids not and that without any difference or respect of persons to all that ask in faith without any wavering His blessed will is That his free born children should not only have life but have it more abundantly that is comprehending naturally this instance That they should be more and more abundantly freed from the servile fears of
the Grave as I may say if that he might be perfect indeed and attain to the Resurrection of the Dead Perfect holiness is so desirable to holy men that they desire death for its sake aiming more at the compleat holiness of soul and body after death at the Resurrection then the continuance of an unsatisfactory life of flesh and bloud in a state of imperfection Certainly the Paths of wisdom are such pleasantness and peace that men who walk therein are not affraid to meet death in those waies everlasting they press forward towards death upon it through it to attain to the Resurrection of the Dead Thus Christ giving his people his own fellowship Mortification of sin by his own Spirit and the graces and fruits of righteousness which are by himself derived to us as so many foretastes of heavens bliss Thus I say doth Christ render death far more desirable than terrible to the Saints To all which I might well refer the inward joyes and comforts of the holy Spirit of Christ which are special and palpable foretastes of heaven and the chief of the first fruits of the Spirit But it is plain that these swallow up the fears of Death and make men groan within themselves rather fearing they shall not dye then that they shall When a Saint with Reverens Mr Bolton can say he is as full of Christ as ever he can hold there is not a crevess for one poor small fear of death to enter in at I might but shall not discourse to you more particulars to demonstrate how Christ destroys in his childrens hearts the slavish fears of death as by his giving to them the Spirit of Adoption by convincing them of the great gain by death as the Apostle expresses of himself For me to live is Christ and to dye gain and having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better When Saints cast up their accounts and consider what they shall get by living even more remptations to sin more advantages and opportunities to express the naughtiness of their hearts more thorns in the flesh and messengers of Satan to buffet more fore chastisements and sad desertions of the Almighty and more of the evil which is to come upon a wicked world Then then they truly judge it their advantage to dye As that Father Cyprian strangely yet truly Nihil utilius Christiano quans mori velocissime Nothing more advantagious to a Christian then to dye very betimes Good men indeed therefore have dreaded more the sad Consequents of a preserved life than the worst Concomitants of Death it self which to the Saints hath no other Consequence but the souls happy entrance into the Masters joy For before their bodies can be well laid in the Grave their souls are laid in Abrahams besome or which is all one their souls are taken from an acquitting Bench to the blessed Mansions or Palaces that Christ hath prepared for them in his Fathers Court of Heaven But I leave you to that preaching whereby men preach to themselves even according to the further enlargement of their own sweet Meditations on such Theams as these partly treated on and partly hinted unto you Now that I may more boldly and effectually apply this great Doctrine which is alwaies seasonable whilst Death is to come But then especially when it is near I shall only speak to an Objection levelled particularly at an Argument that I well used to prove Christ a deliverer of his people from the fears of Death which was this Such and such Scripture Saints and no doubt many others Christ hath so delivered therefore he is such a Deliveter Against which this is the Objection Do not we read of Hezekiah an eminent and great Saint that he chattered at the Tidings of Death And of David that he played the Mad man in jeopardy of his life How can Christ be such a Captain of Salvation such a Lord General over his People and Souldiers as to deliver them from the fears of Death If most sad fears of Death be found prevailing over two such Worthies two such eminent godly Kings and the later of them mentioned one of the stoutest warriours recorded in Sacred Story that was in the world for prophane partial Historians relate an Alexander's a Caesar's prowess But the God of truth affirms of David That he was as a man after Gods heart so a valiant man also who got the highest preferment that ever was in the world even to be the first and best fully allowed King of Gods own people I say who got this singular preferment through Gods Blessing by his valour Yet he even he in danger did what a mean Saint would scarce do in the greatest fears of Death even played the fool and mad-man to save his life Where was Davids Lord then who as you say delivers from the fears of Death To Answer 1. I say not That Christ delivers all Saints so exceeding remarkably 2. No. nor the same person alwaies at every nick and point of time whom he may deliver most And yet neither one or the other to be reflected upon him but upon themselves that leave him not he them And yet for all this what is more obvious Then that his Ability in delivering some yea many yea most more or less may well and clearly denominate him such a Deliverer First then 1. I will give you and oppose to the Objection as great an Instance nay unparallel'd for the proof of Christs power in delivering his Saints from the fears of Death Moses yea Aaron also both in the same condition as to Death But Moses only I set before your eyes as enough to fill them for he was the greatest Captain or Lord General that ever had the Conduct of an Army and whole Nation For it is not the Title but usefulness of a man and the Presence of God with a Person that makes him truly renowned and famous Of Moses it is said Deut. 34.10 There arose not a Prophet since in Israel like unto Moses whom the Lord knew face to face Well God himself brought to this man the message of Death and told him he should dye and not lead his Conquering Army into the Land of Canaan No though it was never so desirable to him And God moreover dreadfully spake on and told him oh sad and bitter that his very death at that time was a punishment for such a sin mentioned Deut. 32.51 Well Moses hath not a word but dies Nay Moses died in an hour when his eye was not dim nor his natural force abated Deut. 34.7 So that he who buried him the Lord himself took him away in his full strength as a punishment of his great Sin and and yet behold no fear but after that God told him peremptorily he should dye he presently with a most sweet sedate mind blessed the people his dear charge went from them and died His case might be in some measure thus illustrated to you take an eminent
so by Gods grace and the power of Christ they might conquer the fears of Death And it is evident though God is no respecter of persons yet all Gods Children have not equal attainments herein Well I know it and for the most part nay I might safely say alwaies long of themselves either they resist God more or seek him less than other Saints or are foolishly and idly ignorant of his good will and their own duty and happiness Alas alas Is it not sad to see how Protestants by a simple distinction or at least simple use of it are in this even turned Papists There is say they Certitudo objecti not subjecti A certainty of Saints salvation but not of its evidence to them as if indeed in this valley of tears the Saints eyes be always so bleared that they cannot see one of a thousand such a mystery and secret The white stone it is true hath a new name written in it which none can read indeed but him that hath it What nor he neither scarce at all is it written in such very small Letters as cannot be seen by the ordinary illumination of Gods people Such say Saints salvation no doubt is certain in it self but seldom or never clearly evident to them to this purpose or effect too many wrong God and themselves too Well listen to this too much and run this dark black notion down into its blind consequences and palpable inconveniences which will scarce be avoided errour in this world multiplying much faster than truth This I I tell you will be one said Consequence the Devil comes on you and if God permits him as such a strange misunderstanding of the Gospel provokes him to it then I assure you he will shake you sorely with the fears of death But pray you now consider at length Is making of Calling and Election sure making it sure in it self or to our selves secure and evident is it our duty sufficient to draw near unto God with faith or rather also with the full assurance of it Is indeed God bound in his Covenant to give the Saints more and more grace but no comfort at all Surely as well not one as not the other and the same hinders one as well as the other even our ignorance and unwillingness who as we oft refuse to return to the Lord so also much oftener do we refuse to be comforted How come we to be commanded to rejoyce in the Lord alwaies Yea to count it all joy when we fall into divers Temptations If no promise of ability from God to enable us to rejoyce Hath not God confirmed his Covenant by an Oath that we should have strong consolation as well as strong graces Heb. 6.17 18. Is not joy one of the fruits of Christs Spirit Doth not the Kingdom of Christ and government of our hearts consist in righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Ghost Doth not an Apostle use his Authority thus Rejoyce in the Lord alwaies Rom. 14.17 and again I say rejoyce Who dares then preach Gods Word otherwise And clip the Scripture language and tell people it is enough or that it is pretty well if a Saint can say thus I desire to be Gods child though I cannot call God Father Alas there can be but poor joy in thy desires of being Gods child if thou knowest not but God is thy enemy Will this be a comfort to thee that thou desirest to be Gods child whilst thou knowest that thou neglectest a strict command of rejoycing in the Lord alwaies flatly rebelling against a Conscience binding Gospel-Law and putting God off with a Complement that such Commands are too good for thee I am sure they are too good to be disobeyed But to return Dost thou desire to be Gods Child Let thy desires be like a childs desires obedient desires Dost thou desire to be a dutiful Child Then rejoyce in thy Father alwaies and again I say rejoyce Whether is ground of comfort thinkest thou thy disobedient desires or Gods free pardoning love Truly I question whether there be not a dream in such kind of fancies fancies I call them if taken for comforts and rested in For how canst thou say if thou knowest what thou sayest that thou lovest God as a Child if thou hast no evidence that God loves thee as a Father This is to give the Apostle John the lye who saies plainly that we love him because he first loved us Some may think it modesty for a Saint to say I desire to be Gods child but dare not call God Father Modesty for a child not to own his true Father and his real evident love the sensiblest thing that is felt of God in the world for God is love This I know that something like it is but ignorance pride and sloathful resting in miserable attainments all sadly put together not that I am any the least friend to a rash peremptory constant and sudden assertion My God and my Father But such an one I contend for as springs from a serious meditation of Gods unspeakable love revealed in the Covenant of grace and from the due exercise of Grace especially in the actual worshipping of God wherein most Scripture Saints have exprest their highest confidence in God as a Father even at their Devotions And also such an assertion I plead for of a Saints interest in God as a Father which together with all the rest arises from a peculiar operating presence of the witnessing Spirit whereby a Saint is enabled to cry Abba Father Which Spirit dwelling in the Saints and enabling them in all Acts of Worship yea of their life more or less cannot but give them a sweet sence all along alwaies in their hearts of Gods being their Father unless they have so sinned as David driven away the Comforter and so need to pray with him Restore O Lord the Joys of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free Spirit Therefore let Ministers especially and all those who ought to comfort one another let Gods Heralds I say and Preachers of Gospel glad Tydings abhor to be like the Devils Goalers to feed the Saints with weak cold comforts like bread and water of affliction that will certainly betray them to the power of the Devil and the fears of Death What Comfort and bolster up a Communicant one that having many years professed true Christianity may now be called within an hour to heaven What I say to comfort such an one with his ABC his rudiments that it is a matter of content and rest to him that he desires to be Gods Child though he cannot call God Father We may shut up our Bibles and cease preaching comfort if this be enough Every the least Saint may quickly attain to this for it is the least that true grace can do it may be as quickly done as said by a true Saint But surely there is something more in drawing near to God in following on to seek the Lord even full assurance of
I shall only add That this freedom from the fears of Death is a priviledge Christ hath purchased for this present state for this life NOw what Saint can find in his heart to lose so great a Legacy left by Christ so great a purchase and benefit of his Death So great a Deliverance And foolishly multiply to himself self-willed fears or which is worse self-willed grounds of fear as lust passion worldly incumbrances or worldly mindedness idleness vain frothy foolish actions and carriage or if not so then it may be ignorant suspicions of Gods mercy All these things do but arm Death and thine own Conscience to wound thee oh look to thy self make haste for Death hastens apace O! what true Child of God but would so long to be rid of this disingenuous temper of fearing Death as to be even hourly on his knees begging of Christ this benefit of his gloriously conquering death which if a Child of God receives not in this short and now if ever uncertain life he will altogether miss that which is so goodly a part of the Saints Portion which is proper to and fitted for this present life even before Death comes to encounter us Well abandon these fears with the grounds of them and then though Death come quickly yet through Christ you will grapple well enough with it And oh that men were wise to get from Christ by all constant importunity some of this blessed deliverance from the fears of Death and oh that by a continual carelesness because not presently seized by the Plague or any other mortal sickness they would not desperately venture it and so sadly abandon themselves to the frights of the Devil in an hour of sudden death Now if any be awakened either by Gods Word or Providence to look after this great benefit of Christs death which is to be delivered from the servile fears of their own then let such consider this Counsel which the Scripture gives in the Case First Have a care of harbouring one moment any known or knowable guilt For it receives from the condemning Law strength to arm Death with I wonder not that those Saints who have at any time much guilt upon their spirits do then fear Death If sin be not examined and found out which is not done by many Saints who even justifie themselves in some sins not judging them to be sins nor much caring to examine lest they should prove sins and so to be parted with contrary to a dear humour and so calling good evil and evil good no wonder in such a case that the Woe belonging to such when executed as well as threatned frights them If Saints for want of due consideration and examining themselves do not only commit but continue in sin unrepented of as the Plagued Corinthians no wonder that they are surprized not only with the fears of death but with sudden death it self Oh! shake your Consciences rouze them up to discharge their office faithfully let your heart smite you for the least sin or evil thought and oh harbour not guilt let it not lodge with you one night no not an hour for so long you will be liable to horrid fears of dying It is so and the very truth of many Saints condition Therefore find out that which troubles your peace and provokes God to leave you to the fears of Death finding it out labour for the assistance of Christs Spirit for one look from Christ for one manifestation of Gods love that may break your hearts and make you weep bitterly repent and grieve throughly thus shall not sin come upon you with an afterclap with a repentance to be repented of Weep for sin according to the demand of the Gospel which requires not a little grief though less then sin deserves for it deserves hells weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth Do this Believe and Repent Repent and Believe and then you will find in your hearts little or no fears of Death For peace of Conscience will thus become firm and will cast and keep them out yea defend the heart through Christ I say therefore dayly yea hourly exercise faith together with repentance that is to say a vigorous faith which is never forlorn or forsaken of good works and such a faith in Christ will be your victory over all base fears of Death Be not then O souls too hasty in your exercise of faith Believe again and again really and truly presenting to your selves the severity of the last and solemn judgment of God Believe not only till some ease come but till you be willing to dye if the Lord will presently For did you arraign your selves in bitter Confession of sin as before Gods Tribunal indeed No less faith would serve your turn then such as would carry you boldly from your knees through Death to Judgment for you may so examine and judge your selves as to be confident in Christ that you shall never be judged of the Lord. Secondly Resist the Devil I mean these his temptations to fear death resist both him and all his temptations as those to sin to despair of its pardon and to fear its wages Death Have an It is written for him if not to wound him yet to gag him If nothing be readier dart this Text into his foul mouth to stop it this Text managed with faith will fright the Devil more than he can fright you This Text is in this case like Goliahs Sword none like it Take Gods Word for it will wound him and make him run too by the power of the Spirit of Christ Well thus resist the Devil fear him not he is a conquered enemy Christ hath destroyed him that hath the power of death saies the Apostle And therefore I desire you to resist him for two reasons First Because your Captain hath done it It is fit for Souldiers to fight against such as their General Charges It is not fit for you to yield to the Devils temptations to fear Death when as Christ the Captain of your salvation hath overcome him as his and your Enemy destroying him that had the power of Death This were to raise arms with the Devil and to strengthen him against Christ and your own lives too But Secondly I advise this because it is the way of Christ his Method of ridding his children from fear He first destroyed him that had the power of Death that is the Devil and all this that he might deliver his people from fear of dying So do you follow Christs Methods of war Would you be delivered indeed by Christ from the bondage fears of Death Then do as Christ resist him that hath the power of Death The Promise you know encourages this stoutness Resist the Devil and he will flee from you which when he doth your fears of Death will flee after him because it is he only that hath this power of Death As one saies Timor attrahit ad se Daemonas Fear or Cowardize invites the Devil to
come to us the Cowards trick indeed who never fighteth but when he thinks his enemy fears to resist him So I may to be sure say on the contrary that as to fear the Devil draws him upon us so not to fear him keeps him off on 's Courage in resistance will put him to flight for he is an absolute Coward to Christ and stout Christians If this be not done I mean if the Devil be not fully resisted all is in vain that man will scarce ever keep his Conscience quiet that tamely suffers the Devil to play the merciless Souldier Sophister Goaler or Executioner with it Master the Devil and then having made thy peace with God thou hast only thy Conscience still to pacifie from time to time with that bloud that hath pacified God Well then take this course do as Christ did in his fighting and you will without doubt fight a good fight of faith and finish your course with joy Thirdly Love not the world or any thing in it that is of it Love not your life too much exercise self denial Did we love God and our selves aright we should not fear Death Perfect love casteth out the fear of Death But imperfect love love divided the love of God and of the world too I mean the comforts pleasures of this life sweet Relations or the like oh this imperfect love instead of casting out doth but hatch and harbour the fears of Death Fear then to love much any thing of this world though never so lawful an enjoyment would you not fear Death There is more in this than Christians will be aware of But doubtless the inordinate love of worldly comforts and the imperfect love of God makes men affraid to dye To this I may add Prize spiritual things above worldly place your sensible dayly yea hourly happiness in spiritual things count them not only your food but feast yea recreation too alwaies reckoning thus to be merry My Meditation of God shall be sweet saies David and I will be glad in the Lord. Let the comfort of your lives your choice constant delight and treasure be heavenly things then you will never fear death For as it is a comfort when an house is on fire to save all the goods especially all the treasure So though the Plague or any death fire the body this our tabernacle of clay yet will it not be a quering comfort that our Treasure is safe And that we have a better house to go to not made with hands in the highest heavens Fourthly Watch. It is Christs direction The uncertainty of the time of death and judgment hath this Use of Exhortation annexed to it by a greater Ecclesiastes then Solomon Christ himself who preached as never man did and spake as never man spake saies he What I say unto you I say unto all watch Mar. 13.37 Job knowing his Redeemer lived knew both his protection and his duty waited all the daies of his appointed time till his change came He was every day at watch looking for his last enemy Death and therefore little feared what he could do therefore he had not so much fear of Death as hope in God though he should slay him Oh! watch watch For you know those that watch in an Army are less affrighted at the approach of an enemy then those that are alarum'd out of their sleep So it is as to the fears of Death we therefore fear it so much because we so little think of it or expect it putting the evil day far from us and so suspecting it not to be near fall to sleep keep no watch and then if on a sudden this last enemy Death approach and seem to be very near us we being alarum'd out of our foolish sleep are affrighted Therefore Solomon deals wisely with the young man Eccles 12. who thinks death farthest off I say he presents the young man with a most lively and unparallel'd description of his latter end puts him in mind betimes of his latter daies that so meditating and expecting such an end of his daies he might not be affrighted at death nor unprepared for judgment Oh! watch watch for certainly Christians familiar thoughts of death if according to Gods Word would breed in us the contempt of Death Fifthly Be faithful in celebrating all Gospel Ordinances of Gods Worship Communion with Christ in them raises a mans ambition above his Cowardice and makes him covet to be with Christ though it be by Death Remember that of David Psal 24.4 Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no ill for thou art with me In the next verse but one he shews where God and he met ver 6. I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever Communion with his shepherd especially in holy Worship made him fear no evil that death could affront him with Two Ordinances of the Worship of God and for Communion with him I only hint as expedient to this present purpose because one of them I must speak more to in the Conclusion they are Prayer and the Lords Supper First Prayer The end of all things is at hand be sober and watch unto Prayer 1 Pet. 4.7 Thy end to be sure is at hand watch and pray Watching is of little avail without Prayer If you be wise pray much in faith O Saints have you never found in prayer heavens gate opened to your knocking Do but prevail once in prayer with God himself as Princes and Israelites indeed and you will easily overcome his Serjeant death it self much more its fears They that use in Prayer to enter into the holiest by the bloud of Jesus cannot much fear that Death should at last make them miss their good old way to heaven Secondly Receive the Lords Supper as oft and as worthily as you can Many quiet their Consciences by receiving that Sacrament upon the point of Death But truly solid joyes and the best preparations for death are the result of a godly remembrance of Christs death all along in our life time What quiet can any have from such a practice That is to neglect the Ordinance and duty of remembring Christs death all their life and to remember it only at their death Oh! seeing fears of death are sad associates and Companions of our life even all your daies remember Christs death by vertue whereof you are to be delivered from such troublesome Company as it is clear in the preceding verse to my Text That through DEATH saies the Apostle he might destroy him that had the power of Death and deliver them who through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage This is a deliverance you see wrought through Christs death O Saint study it eye it in faith till thou feelest the vertue of it in thy heart easing thee of thy fears of Death Thus Christ undertook thy Deliverance even by his own Death Thus then do thou manage this thy deliverance by due remembrance of