divide this general Doctrine into Two Branches and speak to each part The First is this THAT a Believer in the Moment of his Death can Triumph over Death in reference to his Soul FIRST as the Lord shall enable me I will prove this Truth and then explain and illustrate it FOR Proof I shall only at present give you two places of Scripture Rev. 14.13 And I heard a Voice from Heaven saying unto me Write Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their Labours and their Works do follow them Where First you have the Truth plainly asserted Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord or in dying in the Lord. 2ly The Reasons of it 1. They rest from their Labours 2. Their Works follow them i. e. They will meet with their Prayers and Duties entered on the File for their review as an additional to their eternal Delights 3. You have here insinuated the Certainty and Importance of this Truth 1. The Commandment to write they are weighty things usually committed to Ink and Paper and that for duration also Littera Scripta manet 2. The Commander the Spirit I heard a Voice from Heaven saying write c. THE second place is Heb. 4 19. There remaineth therefore a Rest to the People of God Their rest is not in this World but in another and they enter upon it in the moment of Death therefore they have then ground of triumphing I shall add to these the Experiences of Three Worthies The first was David's 2 Sam. 23.5 Althô my House be not so with God yet he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure For this is all my Salvation and all my Desire althô he make it not to grow David was now on the brink of Eternity taking a view of the past and present Disorders of his House and Heart yet rejoyces and triumphs in the view of the Covenant of Grace and his Interest in it and the influence it had on the Eternity he was entring into The second was that of faithful Stephen that glorious Proto-Martyr who when the Stones that dashed out his Brains and Life flew about his Ears cryed out triumphantly Lord Jesus receive my Spirit Acts 7.59 THE last I shall mention is the Experience of the blessed Apostle Paul Phil. 1.23 For I am in a straight betwixt two having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better But very pat and pertinent to the purpose 2 Cor. 5.1 c. He being harrassed with Labours Perils and Sufferings at the apprehension of the time of his departure being at hand triumphs thus v. 1. For we know that if our earthly House of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a Building of God an House not made with Hands eternal in the Heavens HAVING thus from the Holy Scriptures of Truth proved the Doctrine I shall proceed to the explication of it 'T IS undeniable That Contraries do the better illustrate one another as black Spots make a white Skin shine the brighter and a Black-a-Moor is a Foil to set off an European Therefore I shall illustrate this Truth by another Contrary that I might the more emphatically explain it which is this The triumph of Death over an Unbeliever and thus lay down the Doctrine to be explained DEATH in Death triumphs over the Unbeliever and the Believer triumphs over Death in dying I shall begin with the first Branch viz. Death in Death triumphs over the Unbeliever and as the Spirit of the Lord shall assist me shew you in what respects 1. DEATH triumphs over the Unbeliever's sensual Pleasures Where are now says Death your vain Pleasures that you wantonly rolled your self in in your life time What are become of those jolly merry frolicksom hours that you lavish'd away with your frothy Companions Where are now your drunken Cups and Glasses and your riotous Feasts with which you so often drowned and glutted your sensual Appetite What do they profit you now What pleasure do you find now from your former repeated acts of Lusts and Beastliness What relish now from those brutish tickling of swinish Delights What does all your vain Merriment avail you now What fruit have you from those Things that formerly you reckoned your Heaven and Happiness Instead of Pleasures you now shall have your belly full of everlasting Torments Now your merry Moments are turned into an eternity of Sorrows Now instead of swimming in Wine and luxuriously feeding on Dainties you shall swim world without end in fiery Streams of burning Brimstone You shall drink your Tears and feed on your own tortur'd Flesh in endless and never-ceasing Misery Now the flame of your Lust is succeeded by a hotter flame even the flame of divine Vengeance Now instead of your frothy Spirit and vain Laughter you shall have enough of howling weeping and gnashing of Teeth Nay you shall carry with you all your Lusts and Corruptions to Hell not to please you but to pain you The same Water that the Fish swims in with delight if beated over the Fire will be the Fish's torment THE Sins you acted with pleasure in the World you shall act the same in great measure in Hell but to your eternal torturing You shall there act your Revenges but wound none with its poison'd Arrows but your own Soul You shall there have your covetous Desires enlarged as wide as the Hell you are in but it will only be your pain and punishment Your own Lusts there shall be the Flames that will scorch you Come thou trembling Wretch will Death say to the place of sinning and the place of punishment and thy very sinning shall be thy punishment Oh! then will Death insult in the words of the Wise-man Whatsoever thine Eyes desired thou keptest not from them Thou withheldest not thy Heart from any Joy Eccles 2.10 And now all will be Vanity and Vexation of Spirit to thee part of v. 11. And also in those Words as are written Luke 12.19 Thou hast long said to thy Soul Soul take thine ease eat drink and be mâ—rry But thou Fool I am come this Night to require thy Soul of thee part of v. 20. And to add no more Death will only change the Moods and Tenses in that portion of holy Writ Eccles 11.9 insulting thus Thou hast rejoyced Oh! Young Man in thy youth and thy Heart has cheered thee in the days of thy youth Thou hast walked in the ways of thine heart and in the sight of thine Eyes but know thou now thou trembling Wretch that for these things I am sent by the God of Justice to bring thee into Judgment CONSIDER this thou voluptuous sensual Wretch thou Drunkard thou Belly-slave thou unclean Beast thou Blasphemer thou Swearer thou Reveller and Persecuter consider this and ponder it in thy Heart thou must ' ere long come upon a Death-bed this greisly King of Terrors will stare thee in the
Face The Sting that now at a distance thou seest not when he comes near thee with open mouth thou wilt then see and be dismally affrighted at that fatal Fork Death and thee must meet ' ere long and thou knowest not but this dismal meeting may be ' ere a week roles about and how wilt thou like such an horrid greeting such a black wellcome such a terrible language and bitter insultings as you have heard How do you relish and savour thus being triumphed over in a dying moment Oh! consider this and look out after the Remedy 2. DEATH triumphs over the Pride of the Soul The Pride of the Soul is either a Glorying before God or a Glorying before Men. As it is a Glorying before God I shall reserve that to speak to under it's proper Head which is to follow The Soul before Man prides in its Endowments either outward or inward Death will then thus Glory over their Glory Where are now your aery Honour and bubble Dignities What is become of your State and Grandeur Where are now your Crowns O Kings your Scepters O Princes I have tumbled them in the Dust and my Spade has levelled them with the Earth Could not your Purple or your Fures your Swords and Maces and Magistrates defend you from my Arrest What signified all your Guards your Officers and Attendance who would not protect you from me What a bussel and fluster have you made How have you set all in a Flame about you and waded through blood and slaughter cruelty and oppression and all manner of villany to attain such a Degree of Honour and where is it now My breath has blown it all away Where is now O Spluttering Monarch that great Conduct that deep Policy wherewith you conquered other Nations and enslaved your own What could you use none of it to avoid my Attacks Where is that imperial frown that used to overawe the gaping cringing croud I have divested it of all Majesty and made it now meaner and simpler than the look of an Ideot so says the wiseman A Living Dog is better than a Dead Lyon Eccl. 9.4 Thou cunning admired Politician in thy Neighbourhood that madest all thy Neighbours tremble at thy fraudulent Wit that studied'st only how to over-reach cheat and impoverish that thoughtest to hook in all to thy self Why usest thou not some of thy cunningness to deceive me too Why didst not thou play the Politician with me also What do all thy Tricks and Artifices now advantage thee Thou now perceivest that one event happeneth to the Wise and to the Fool Eccl. 2.14 15. As it happeneth to the Fool so it happeneth to the Wise Go now and try what all thy wisdom and cunning will do in Hell Consider this you that are Great and Honourable in the Earth You that are cunning to deceive in your Neighbourhood that admire and flatter your self that you can over-reach your Neighbours in bargaining There will come an hour of Death that will efface and tarnish all the Glory of your Honours Dignities Wisdom and Policies There is no over-reaching Death There is no such thing as being too cunning for the Grave Death will soon tumble down all the pageantry of your own Dignities and Abilities that you have set upâ—n your own Conceit The Fire of God's wrath will soon burn up your Cobweb Policy For this your Wisdom is your folly Methinks this should be as cold Water upon all burning Pride and a check and rebuke to all your glorying that very few of your Class and complexion are chosen out to eternal Life Your very Wisdom Parts and Dignities for the most part mark you out for eternal Misery This is the Sum of what the Apostle Discourses 1 Cor. 26.27 28 29. For you see your calling brethren how that not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called c. read that portion of the Holy Spirit of Truth consider it seriously and tremble 3. DEATH triumphs over the Riches and Possessions of a Man in such Heart-rendring words as these O where are now Man all thy vast Possessions What signifie thy Heaps of Gold and Silver Hadst thee amassed together all the Treasures of the Indies they could not bribe me or buy me off Eccles. 4.8 Thine eye has not been satisfied with riches in all thy life time Now thou must carry none with thee to the Grave Naked camest thou out of thy Mothers Womb and naked shalt thou return thither Job 1.21 Instead of thy many Fields Farms and Tenements now thou must be content with so much Ground as thy Body can measure out Now instead of thy many Bags of Gold and Silver thou must rest satisfied to be wrapt up in grosser Clay Now farewel gilded Coaches fair Palaces splendid and well Furnished Rooms stately-Beds and all other costly Furniture Now for all the Numerous Troop of cringing attendants thou shalt be surrounded with an Host of Vermine and for the very same end with the former attendants to feed upon thee too What is become of all thy Glory and Excellency now 't is all laid in the Dust Job 20.6 7 8 9. Though thy excellency did mount up to the Heavens and thy Head reach unto the Clouds Yet thou shalt perish for ever like thine own Dung they which have seen thee shall say where is he Thou shalt flye away as a Dream and shalt not be found Yea thou shalt be chased away as a Vision of the Night The Eye also which saw thee shall see thee no more neither shall thy place any more behold thee and v. 11. Thy Bones are full of the Sins of thy Youth which shalt lye down with thee in the Dust Thus will Death then triumph CONSIDER this thou that forgetest God in the midst of thy plenty and abundance that notwithstanding thy Pleasures and Treasures and great Possessions thou must enter to eternity poor and wretched miserable and naked unless thou art cloathed with that Royal Robe of Christ's Righteousness No riches then will suffice to enrich thee but the Gold tryed in the Fire i. e. an interest in Jesus who was made the perfect Captain of Salvation through sufferings No Rayment will then so cover thee as to hinder the Appearance of the shame of thy nakedness like that white Rayment viz. the Righteousness of God which is of Faith And without that Wedding Garment thou wilt stand speechless at the Bar of God and then shalt be bound hand and foot and cast into utter darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat. 22.13 4. DEATH triumphs over a Man 's own Righteousness Men are apt through the Horrid Pride of their Natures to trust to their own doings for Salvation and 't is but too too common for Sinners in a State of Nature to apply Plaisters of their own making to the Smarting Wounds of their Consciences and to usurp Christ's Royal Prerogative of speaking Peace to their Souls whereas thus
in him and many more And thus I have answered this Question with all the brevity and perspecuity I could as the Lord has enabled me and as time would give leave And now methinks some are ready to ask in the words of the blind Man whom Christ had restored to his Sight Quest BUT who is he that I might believe on him John 9.36 You say he must be seen and ventured on pray then who is he Answ I shall answer you from the Sermons of the Apostles preached by them after they were endued with Power from on high And first the Apostle Peter tells you who he is Acts 2.22 23. Jesus of Nazareth a Man approved of God him being delivered by the determinate Counsel and Fore-knowledge of God ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and stain comp with 32. This Jesus hath God raised up whereof we are all Witnesses 33. Therefore being by the right Hand of God exalted hath received of the Father the Promise of the Holy Ghost Once more Acts. 5.30 The God of our Fathers hath raised up Jesus whom ye slew and hanged on a Tree 31. Him hath God exalted with his right Hand to be a Prinee and a Saviour for to give repentance to Israel and remission of sins Add to these Heb. 12.2 Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our Faith who for the joy set before him in the saving of Sinners enduring the Cross despising the shame and is now set down at the right Hand of God In short he that was made of the Seed of David according to the Flesh Rom. 3. who yet is God over all blessed for ever Rom. 10.5 That mighty glorious God-Man who was born of a Virgin that lived and preached in Judea Rom 8.38 that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right Hand of God who also ever lives to make intercession Col. 1.18 the first born from the dead Col. 1.15 and the first born of every Creature the despised Jesus of Nazareth 1 Col. 2.9 in whom the fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily And all the Glory Excellency Beauty and Majesty that shines on Jesus of Nazareth is the Glory Excellency c. of the Godhead This is he that blessed Object of your Faith this is he whom you must believe in When he lived on Earth the Faith of his Children was more dark about his God-head than his human Nature but now he is in Heaven their Faith is more at a loss about his human Nature and it is to be lamented that the glorified human Nature even Jesus of Nazareth is so little in the Preaching Profession Faith and Experience of Gods own Children But yet this is the Lord whom we through Grace have seen and tasted to be gracious Will not you too O Sinners come and taste and see how gracious he is Cant. 5.16 This is our Friend this is our Beloved O Daughters of Jerusalem He is altogether lovely Cant. 5.10 He is the chiefest among ten thousand He is able Heb. 7.27 to save you to the uttermost O come therefore and venture your Souls upon him commit them to him O that you would but try him you have tried his Patience to the utmost by your Rebellion and Obstinacy in Wickedness O that you would but try his boundless Grace by casting your selves into the Ocean of it You must venture on his Grace or you must be damned Mark 16.16 He that believeth shall be saved he that believeth not shall be damned If you accept not of this offered Jesus you despise this only Sacrifice and there remaineth no more Sacrifice for sin but a certain fearful looking for of Judgment and fiery Indignation which shall devour the Adversary Heb. 10.26 I am now come to the second Branch the Believers triumphing over Death AND 1. the Believer triumphs over the Sting of Death and what else does concur to make it 2. THE Believer triumphs over every thing else in Death that is formidable First THE Believer triumphs over the Sting of Death He then can rejoycingly cry out O Death I fear thee not thou art very harmless unto me Thou comest indeed like a Dragon with open Mouth but where is thy Sting I dread not that open Mouth or that wide Throat I with Joy am swallowed up of it and pass through it up to the highest Heavens into my Redeemers Arms. Here at this dark Portal I undress my self of this mortal Flesh and fly with holy Confidence to the Presence of the Lamb upon the Throne and the Presence of God the Father in him and the bright innumerable Company above in this full Assurance that I shall not be found naked Wellcome Death to dissolve and pull down this earthly House of my Tabernacle that so I may go to my House not made with Hands the Building of God eternal in the Heavens 2 Cor. 5.2 Wellcome sweet Messenger that comest to fetch me home from this mad confused wicked raging tottering World into my Fathers House I thank thee O grim Porter who openest the Gates to eternal Happiness 'T is true the News of thy Approach did terrifie me as the Report of the Coming of rough blustering Esau with his armed Men did Jacob Gen. 32. But yet now thou art come to me I can say as he did I behold thy black and grisly Face as the Face of the Angel of God or the Messenger of the Lord Jesus Christ For in thy black Face I see Beauty in thy grisly Terrors great Glory In thy Dragons Mouth no Sting at all O Death where is thy Sting Thus the Believer in dying triumphs over the Sting of Death 2. THE Believer in dying triumphs over those things that go to make up the Sting of Death And 1. OVER Sin The Sting of Death is Sin says the Words of my Text. And 1. In its Guilt 2. in its Pollution And 1. OVER the Guilt of Sin Thus the Believer in dying glories over it O Guilt of Sin who in my Life-time since my Conversion notwithstanding I was washed with the Blood of Jesus and he had obtained an eternal Redemption for me didst often use to sting my Conscience and thereby to fill me with Dread and Horrour and so didst weaken my Faith and Confidence in the Lord Jesus didst strengthen the Hands of my Unbelief in making me depart from the living God Didst make me often come in Prayer to God as my angry Judge and not as to my Father reconciled to me in Christ And thereby didst bind up my Soul fetter my Spirits so that I had no freedom of Access to God through Christ Thou didst often deal with me as the Man that went from Jerusalem to Jericho didst wound me and strip me and leave me half dead Didst often force me to entertain hard murmuring and outragious Thoughts against my dear Lord and Master Jesus and my reconciled God and Father in him Didst often make me add Iniquity to my Sin and a carnal