Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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B05828
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The catalogve of the Hebrevv saints, canonized by St. Paul, Heb. 11th further explained and applied.
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Shaw, John, 1614-1689.
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1659
(1659)
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Wing S3032; ESTC R184043
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112,894
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165
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be burnt neither shall the flames kindle upon thee Isay 43.2 Againe know assuredly That if by Mortification and true Repentance thou quench the fiery burning flames of sinfull lusts and concupiscences thou shalt escape the scorching flames of Hell fire the portion of the wicked Psal 11.6 and the everlasting burnings thereof These are the great deliverances the lesser they follow but very considerable ones too For it follows They escaped the edge of the Sword the Destroying Bloody Sword passing through a Land This may be exemplified in severall instances David senced off the stroke of Sauls Sword 1 Sam. 26. Elijah the Sword of Ahab 1 Kings 19. Elisha the whole strength of the King of Syriahs Army 2 Kings 6. But when they could not escape thus then they proved Valiant and Victorious for so well were they exercised and experienced that as it is expressed soon after They waxed valiant in fight and turned to flight the Armies of Aliens Neque comitatu legionibus sucoincti communem cum multis Victoriam sed nuda virtute animi singularem de perfidis retulerunt triumphum Ambrose lib. 1. Off. cap. 35. Not by multitudes and numbers but by cleare resolution and gallantry Both which are evidenced in Ioshua Gideon and the succeeding Iudges In David Asa Ichosaphat Kings of Iudah 1 Sam. 14. 2 Chron. 14.12.13 30.24 If God arise the most terrible preparations deepest policies and best furnished strength proves invalid Psal 68.1 Isay 8.9.10 But here is one Deliverance more which though we have over-leapt yet we must not passe by it for its the ground of all the fore-going And that is this Out of weaknesse were made strong Some indeed Expound it Of bodily frailties and infirmities they have recovered from dangerous and tormenting diseases whereof Hezekiah is a strong proofe Isay 38. Convaluit de infirmitate A deadly distemper had seized on him and nothing but Faith and the Prayer of Faith prevailed for his recovery this saves the sick Iames 5.15 Maet 8.13 But I conceive it may justly be understood of all kind of desperate straites dissiculties and hazards when they were at a losse not knowing which way to turne Faith findes them a way directed and established them So Iunius enclines and therefore because so the word is used Rom. 4.20 reads thus the words In rebus infirmissimis divinitus fuerunt confirmati When all was thought to be gone and the businesse done Faith fayled them not but supplyed them with hope resolution and courage And so Saint Chrysostome refers this to the reduction of the Iewes out of the Babilonish Captivity which was when their ease was desperate if we look onely at their then condition their state and juncture of affaires which the Church also Celebrated accordingly and acknowledged Psal 126.1 When the Lord turned againe the Captivity of Zion we were like them that Dreame And so Theophilect in loc applying hereunto Ezekiels Vision of the Dead Bones Ezek. 37.1.2 c. But Lastly The last Enemy Death is yet to be destroyed And this also Faith hath done and that not by the Faith of the stronger party but of the weaker Vessell For it thus lyes Women received their dead raysed to life againe weak women strong in Faith obtained great favours witnesse the widow of Sarephath or Sarepta 1 Kings 17.22 Luke 4.26 for although this high favour might seem to be the immediate effect of Elijahs Prayer and this vertue to proceed from his Devotion yet the widows Faith acted her part and concurred in the production of this effect And herein her Faith was evident that it obliged her with her small stock and pittance to supply the Prophets present necessity being assured that God even in that Famine would releive her and recompence her Charity So that her Faith was the Causa protataretica the externall moving and primitively provoking Cause that which both moved Elijah to entercede and enclined God to be more favourable to his Petition even because she through her Faith working by love was subjectum capax a proper subject to receive such a mercy And this also is seconded and confirmed by the Shunamites Son twice received Once when life was given him 2 Kings 4.17 And then again when restored to her in the 36.37 Versos after Death her Charitable Devotion issuing from Faith obtained this double Concession This the Psalmist declareth Psal 116.8 For thou hast delivered my Soule from Death mine Eyes from teares and my Feet from falling And Saint Paul experimented 2 Cor. 1.9.10 But we bad the sentence of Death in our selves that we should not trust in our selves but in God which rayseth the Dead Who delivered us from so great a Death and doth deliver In whom we trust that he will yet deliver us But good Works have usually the fate to be mis-interpreted good men to be flandered and a good cause to be persecuted and hated Because I follow that which good is saith David therefore evill men pursue me with deadly hatred And the Apostle fully satisfies us herein in that positive definition or Aphorisme They that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution that is from absurd and unreasonable men The world hated Christ and hated all his it persecuted them and still persecutes them In the World ye shall have tribulation was our Saviours prediction to his Disciples not as they are single Persons but as Disciples And hereupon it follows That eminent Professors are eminent Sufferers famous as well for their Passive as Active Obedience and Recorded as well as made glorious by their patience and perseverance in their most shamefull and painfull executions Q. But who were these others Were they distinct Persons from the former mentioned Worthics or the same A. Indeed many conceive those others to relate to the severall Prophets succeeding Samuel who was before nominated and particularly instance in Micaiah 1 Kings 22.25.26.27 who was smitten by the false Prophet Zedekiah and after imprisoned by Ahabs order unto Amen the Governour of the City And in Ieremiah who for the same imaginary Malignancy suffered the like punishment for the latter part of it Ier. 38.6 And in Zachariah 2 Chron. 24 2â— And in Isaiah whom the Jows report to have been sawne asunder or in pieces by expresse order from Manasses And those who are said here to have wardred c. are upon this way supposed to be David who is said to be hunted by Saul as a Partridge in the Mountaines 1 Sam. 26.20 And Elijah who upon Jezebels threatning fled to Beer-sheba 1 Kings 19.3 And of those Prophets which Obediah concealed 1 Kings 18.3 Yet with some other Interpreters I rather beleeve That the Apostle was more methodicall in his Induction then thus to goe back and forth off and on And these Reasons seems thus to perswade me 1. The Apostle had formerly spoken of David Samuel and the Prophets and after the mention of them this Relative Particle others follows so that this others seems
the Disciples blessed Because their Eyes saw c. Luke 10.23.24 And Saint Paul tells us God manifest in the flesh is the great Mystery of godlinesse 1 Tim. 3.16 Yet under submission to greater judgements I conceive this not so full and home as to give desired satisfaction to a punctuall examiner nor so pertinent to the Apostles Text for though Christ who was perfected here himself Heb. 7.28 and did perfect for ever them that are sanctified Heb. 10.14 1 Pet. 1.11.12 did come to perfect what stood need thereof Yet somewhat more then Christs Incarnation is required to our perfection and our perfection did not solely not properly consist in Christs comming but by those acts and sufferings he was fitted and prepared for by assuming our flesh And now we will consider the fourth The fourth is that of St. Chrysostome and some Ancients and followed also by some later Expositors They obtained not the promises that is the Resurrection of the flesh And so this falls in this respect with the second the onely difference being this That the second supposed not the separated soules to be in Heaven this supposes them in Heaven but to receive the complement of blisse at the day of the Resurrection of all flesh which is the perfection of the whole Church every particular member who as before at the day of their death had a private pardon so at that day shall further obtain a publique promulgation thereof whose soules though they be in a condition of blessednesse yet till then they want their Consummatum est the consummation of this blessednesse both extensivè in respect of their intire state the body not till then being reunited to the soule and probably intensivè too in respect of measures and degrees of blisse the soule not till then having so cleare a Vision of God as it shall have hereafter as may appear by those prementioned places Mat. 13.43 and 25.34 2 Tim. 4.7.8 and this we Pray for when we say Thy Kingdome come or Come Lord Iesus come quickly Or with our Mother the Church That we and all other departed in the Faith of thy holy name may have our perfect consummation of blessednesse in thine everlasting Kingdom So that with these the provision here made and the perfection here assigned is not present but future To which purpose it is observable there is a two-fold provision or perfection of the Body the Church One as I may terme it meritorious which was the perfect oblation of our Redeemer and so this perfection and provision here was procured and purchased by the price of his blood on the Crosse The other is formall and finall which is the seizure and possession of that purchase and the happy consequent thereof the advancement of our being into the highest pitch of perfection and excellency our nature is capable of and this we obtain not till the last day when both Soules and Bodies shall be compleatly glorified with Christ our Head The former is the perfection of the means The latter of the End And that this latter is here understood we have these Reasons to perswade 1. The designe of the Apostle in this Chapter which was not to administer comsort to their Soules against the guilt of sin and terrors of a tender Conscience for he had happily perfected this work in the fore-going Chapters but strengthen and comfort them against those miseries and calamities they endured for the Name of Christ And the ground of this comfort he setcheth from their hope of glory and reward at the last Heb. 10.34.36 and 38. ver and ver 1. of this Chapter confirmed and illustrated by the Faith of the Patriarks ver 16. and of Moses ver 26. all which shew that the felicity here presented to them in opposition to and remedy for their present calamities was a future eternall felicity 2. The expression here used seems also to imply this for he hath qualified this promise by stiling it a promise belonging to our profession to our patience to the recompence of reward cap. 10. ver 23.25.35 and 36. and this relates not to his first comming but to his last when he shall settle his Church in the possession of his glorious Kingdom and is formally expressed the obtaining of a better Resurrection ver 38. of this Chapter Beza Annot. on Iohn 14.3 3. Other places of Scripture ascribes the perfection and grounds the chiefe hope of the Church on the Resurrection and the word here used perfected is in Iohn 17.23 used to denote the most eminent and full felicity and the Resurrection is called therefore the hope of the promise Acts 23.6 and 24.15 but most clearly Acts 26.6.7.8 ver and so the hope of Israel not to him so called in his person onely but to all the Posterity of Israel that is all the true Israelites and upon this account God stiles himselfe the God of Abraham ver 16. of this Chapter because by this Abraham yet lives for God is not the God of c. and thus these all are expectants not enjoyers probationers not possessors for these all look for but they obtained not yet hereafter shall 4. We have a further confirmation of this from these following Reasons 1. Man is a compound of Scule and Body and so man the suppositum cannot be perfected whilst they are both separated but is to receive his perfection when they both shall be united and this cannot be till the Resurrection 2. The Covenant of Grace is made to the whole man so that the Scripture comparatively seems not to esteeme of that felicity which the separated Soule enjoyes in Heaven because 1. One part of man all that intervall is under the power of the last Enemy Death 2. The happinesses of the Soule shall probably be both multiplyed and heightened at the re-union of the separated parts by a super-addition of glory or degrees thereof Rev. 19.6.7.8 Acts 3.21 then shall be the time of refreshing of restitution then these all and all we since shall be perfected actuall partakers of that fulness of Glory which is promised and provided for the whole Body of Beleevers There is a fifth conjecture which I lately met with in a Learned and judicious Interpreter The perfection here was to have the Promise made to Abraham Gen. 22.17 made good to them in the utmost extent The Iewish Church was persecuted and destroyed the Christian may be persecuted cannot be destroyed that is the Candlestick may be removed the Candle cannot be extinguished the Kingdom of God may be translated it cannot be conquered But I prefer the fourth and leave the whole to Gods blessing The Prayer O God of all goodnesse who hast abundantly furnished us with matter of Prayse with a rich treasure of Grace in Jesus Christ make us followers of him and of these all and all those who have fought the good fight of Faith that we may follow also their holy Faith and with them be partakers of a glorious Resurrection to have our perfect consummation and blisse in thy Heavenly Kingdom Even so come Lord Jesus come quickly Amen Amen Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the holy Ghost As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be Amen FINIS