Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A58780
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The saints privilege, or, Gain by dying
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Scott, Chr. (Christopher), fl. 1655.
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1673
(1673)
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Wing S2034; ESTC R39520
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34,854
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40
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health wants honours good name children hath he all these and thinks he wants nothing ah poor heart he don't know his wants he wants God without whom all his enjoyments nothing worth quid prodest diviti quod habet si Deum qui omnia dedit non habet what will a wicked mans All do him good whiles without God the giver of all good he wants grace more precious than Gold he wants pardon of sin peace of conscience set him by set him by he is a poor wanting creature but give me the Saint of God 't is he we would speak to come friend thou hast other manner of riches than the other but dost thou want nothing oh God help me Sir want yes I have an hard heart and would have it softned I have strong corruptions and would have them subdued I have weak graces at best and would have them strengthned I beleive and scarce beleive hope and scarce hope sometimes have comforts sometimes none my wants are great lo here a wanting world nothing but wants while in this world but now comes death and he goes where he shall want nothing for temporals no need of them nothing for spirituals all perfect t is the saying of one (a) Eacilius exponi potest quid non sit in caelo quam quid sit in caelo t is easier to tell what is not in heaven than what is in heaven I cannot tell you what the riches of it are but to be sure there be no wants there Rev. 7.16 17. they shall hunger no more thirst no more and chap. 21.23 That City hath no need of the Sun or Moon the glory of God lightens it and the Lamb is the light thereof No no the Saints needy dayes are gone now their wanting time is over here 's nothing but what is desirable and here 's every thing that is desirable yea fulness of all desirableness and eternity to compleat all when once death hath wasted them over upon that shore they shall find nothing wanting to compleat their everlasting blisfulness as I remember one speaking of hell sayes n = * Non mihi si centum linguae sint oraque centum Ferrea vox omnes scelerum comprendere formas Omnia paenarum percurrere nomina possem Non mihi si centum c. which is Englished briefly thus No heart of man can think no tongue can tell The direful pains ordain'd and felt in Hell So may I say of Heaven Had I a thousand tongues I might not express its full happiness will glorious Robes please will princely Attendance please will delicious Feasting please I could fetch Scriptures to attest all these 〈…〉 dark resemblances of that glory but what spend I words when the Apostle who was a little eye witness and ear witness when he was caught up into Paradise 2 Cor. 12.4 yet concludes its fulness of happiness thus 1 Cor. 2.9 Eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entred into the heart of man the things that God hath prepared for them that love him Now whether to change a barren countrey which is alwaies in want for such fulness of estate and unutterable plenty be not a gainful change judge you but this change do Christs Saints make by dying And thus I have shew'd you in these five particulars that Saints gain by dying in part of estate and condition one step farther and we shall come to the use As they make a gain of death in the change of their place as they make a gain by death in respect of their estate and condition so they gain in the change of their company in this respect also death makes them gainers and this I shall hold out unto you in these three particulars First they change unholy company for company that is holy and pure unholy company why the Saints associate not themselves with such here Ps 6.8 Psal 119.115 Ps 120.5 Psal 16.3 doth not the Psalmist banish such his society away from me ye wicked doth not he complain Wo is me that I dwell in Mesech does he not profess all my delight is in the Saints that dwell on earth I answer t is true he does so and the like do all Saints desire as man is a sociable creature so by his society you may judge of the man wicked men are for company like themselves and Saints for Saints society the righteous are abomination to the wicked and the wicked are abomination to the righteous Canaanites are thorns in the Israelites sides and pricks in their eyes I would as soon guess at a man bound for heaven or hell by his companions as by most marks I know it was the speech of a good woman lying upon her bed of sickness and under some trouble of spirit her comforts eclipsed Lord sayes she I hope thou wilt not send me to hell for there be the wicked and thou knowest I never loved their company upon earth Gods Saints had rather be in a desart then with debauched companions Psal 55.6 O that I had wings like a dove then would I flee away yea wander far off and remain in the wilderness but though these be not the Saints companions by way of choice or option yet so long as their converse and walk lyes here in the world they must have to to do with ungodly ones t is true their fellow Saints are their dear associates the company they delight in but they cannot sometime avoid sinners company too for then as St. Paul sayes 1 Cor. 5.10 they must go out of the world yea but now comes death and that sets them among company pure and perfect now they are for Mount Sion the city of the living God the heavenly Hierusalem the innumerable company of Angels the general assembly the Church of the first born and with God the judge of all with the spirits of just men made perfect with Jesus the mediator c. Heb. 12.22.23 Now they are in the kingdome which no unclean thing enters where are shut out all dogs and sorceres and whoremongers murderers Idolaters lyars with the rest of that cursed rabble this is Gods holy place where must come none but holy persons called the Inheritance of the Saints in light Coll. 1.12 the inheritance undefiled 1 Pet. 1.4 where they shall have no wicked Belialite to vex persecute trouble mock reproach or bark against holiness and holy persons no they are gone by themselves to a place of their own and shall never more disquiet thee in thy eternal and uninterrupted enjoyment of thy long wished for rest and peace Oh what a gainful change is this to hearts truly gracious company well amended that 's the first thing Then secondly they change company of an inferiour and lower rank for Princes and Kings society nay indeed none come there but Kings all crowned persons Rev. 1.6 He hath made us Kings and Priests to God such they were here though their glory was obscured but now they go to have their
according to their worth but the precious sons of Sion yet esteemed as earthen pitchers where they have been hated and hooted at Behold I and the children whom thou hast given me are for signes and wonders Esa 8.18 they shall go now where they are known honour'd priz'd shining forth in the glory of their Father As a Kings Son and Heir to a Crown travelling in a strange countrey under a disguise no more set by then an ordinary man but coming home to his Fathers Court there he is honoured why thus will it fare with the Saints if once death be sent for them and in that respect gain by dying in reference to the place they change for And lastly they change a valley of tears and waters of Marah for a place that knowes not what a tear means how often is it the voice of a Saint while be lives here my tears have been my meat day and night you know what the Psalmist sayes Psal 126.5 They that sow in tears c. and he that goeth forth weeping intimating that our seed time is very watery what is this world but a Bochim a place of weeping to have a gracious heart and not wet cheeks are almost inconsistent so many occasions of weeping meet the Saints withall that they can't long keep dry eyes tears for offending God tears for present and frequent losses of their beloved tears for the sins of others whereby God is dishonoured Rivers of tears gush out of mine eyes because they keep not thy Law Psal 119.136 tears for the sufferings and oppressions of the Church and people of God By the waters of Babylon we sate down and wept when wee remembred Sion Psal 137.1 Some occasion or other still furnishing them with matter of new and fresh sorrows yea but now comes death and that carryes them from this weeping countrey and sets them in a place where tears and sorrows are not known Rev. 21.4 God shall wipe away all tears there shall be no more death nor sorrow nor crying nor pain Oh what a change is here And thus you see that in all these particulars believers gain by dying in the change of their place Then secondly as they better themselves by dying in respect of the place so also in respect of their estate and condition in this respect also Death makes them great gainers and this I shall hold out unto you in these five particulars They change labour and travel for rest and peace what is a mans life while here but labour sorrow and sweat All things are full of labour Eccles 1.8 God sent no man hither to be idle this life is for working if he will have his hands full though but of earth it shall be with travel and vexation of spirit Eccles 4.6 Yea sore travel hath God given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith Eccles 1.13 wouldst thou have blessings temporal or wouldst thou have blessings spiritual neither will come with sitting still the man in pursuite of the former he is up early a bed late and eats the bread of carefulness and the Christian that pursues the latter he carryes them not with a few yawning wishing no he must digg and delve for these too if thou cryest after knowledge If thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hidden treasures Prov. 2.3 4. Would he have salvation Phil. 2.12 Luke 13.24 2 Pet. 1.10 Luke 12.19 Matth. 8.11 he must work for it work out your salvation strive to enter in at the strait gate give diligence to make your calling and election sure what blessings soever you look at t is the diligent hand that maketh rich and while life lasteth mans labour and travel will not end to be sure not the Saints whoever take their ease they must not their work is too great to sit down and sing the fools requiem Soul take thyne ease Yea but now death finishes all their labour and travel and puts them to rest though they could not have a sitting time on earth yet now they shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdome of God Rev. 14.13 Blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord they rest from their labours and Heb. 4.4 there remains a rest for the people of God though they have it not here they shall have it it remains for them what ever travel or trouble awaites their life their end is peace Psal 37.37 Mark the upright man behold the just the end of that man is peace if once death comes then they rest bodies rest and souls rest bodyes rest Isa 57.2 They enter into peace and rest in their beds yea and souls rest too if Abrahams bosome be a resting place Well that 's the first thing I think you 'l call this a gain by dying their condition is much bettered from labour and travel to rest and peace but then They change corruption and mortality for incorruption and immortality Heb. 2.15 1 Cor. 15.53 This corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality while here they are alwayes in fear of death which is a bondage as the Apostle calls it at least in expectation of it yea but then mortality shall be swallowed up of life and no more dying fears 1 Cor. 15.54 When this corruption shall have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on immortality then shall be brought to pass that saying which is written death is swallowed up in victory while here what crazy bodyes do we carry about us alwayes a dying and drawing on yea but when we come above they shall have impotentiam moriendi be under an impossibility of dying though as the learned observe not absolutam naturalem for so God only immortal he only hath an absolute and natural impossibility of dying but ex gratia doni by the free gift and good pleasure of God our bodies put under an impossibility of dying any more and in this respect better with us then it should have been had we stood with Adam in his innocency for then our bodyes had had only (a) Potâ—ntiam non moriendi er Hypoth si a conditional power of not dying but now a certain impossibility of dying any more Now will not our estate be much bettered till we have once got this dying work over we have cause every moment and in every corner where we come to look for him bed and board at home and abroad nescis quo loco c. (b) Nâ—scis quo loco mors te expectat 90 omni locuto mortem expectes thou knowest not where death will look for thee therefore every where look thou for it sometimes its approach is so suddain that the same day yea hour finds thee in the ruff and leaves a cold and breathless carcass (c) Quem dies vidit veniens superbum hunc dies vidit fugienâ— jatentem this same death watching us every where t is our trouble but when once