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
Truly God-man the Son of God and of man who is what he is as a Christ a Jesus a Saviour for the real and effectual good of all his people who cannot if they will but sooner or later in some measure as really partake of every vertue and benefit of Christs death which they stand in need of as ever Christ did partake with them of the same flesh and bloud For as Mediator he is obliged to save to the uttermost 1 Cor. 1.30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us as Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification so Redemption Christ cannot and will not deny any real Saints that universal and full Redemption and deliverance which God hath made over to them in and with his Son The world out of Christ cannot claim a comfortable interest in Gods power whom they have perfectly disobliged and can by no manner of proper merit oblige him again But now Saints may claim an interest in Christs power to save them to the uttermost because he is made of God to them Redemption without any exception of so considerable a Redemption as this is from the fears of death or indeed without possibility of any such exception For if Christ be made to the Saints Righteousness the Law is satisfied the sting of Death sin and the strength of sin the Law is all quite taken away by a pardon given us through Christs satisfactory and meritorious righteousness If Christ be made Sanctification to us the power of sin is also much subdued so that the hearts courage is no more so weakened by sin nor such an enmity against and thereupon such a suspicion of Gods wrath maintained as before nor in a word such a spirit of bondage again to fear as formerly And then if Christ be made wisdome to us he gives us light whereby to discover the truth and benefit of all this grand provision for our souls peace and rest What then can his being made Redemption to us be more over and above or less Then his rescuing our hearts and consciences from the slavish and foolish fears of any damage by Death that penalty of the Law the wages of sin the worst that can come Christ removing the guilt of sin as our Righteousness and the power of sin as our Sanctification and also removing our ignorance of deaths impotency in such a case to hurt us as our Wisdom hath left nothing to be done more or in the next place as our Redemption but the removing also the impotency of our hearts in such unreasonable fears of Death which he hath so disarmed not only of weapon but of power also to hurt us Now all this he is obliged to do for the Saints For how is he made all this to them if it reach not their souls Separate not what God hath conjoyned in your Saviour one and all in some measure is every Saints portion They cannot ask more of each than is prepared for them in the fulness of Christ Nay not more than they have clear title to as much now as ever any Saints had in any former ages because Christ is made of God to all Saints in full Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption Poor souls power in God for your good you can hardly conceive sith by reason of sin he that made you by his power may refuse to save you by his power well yet power laid up in Christ for you may well encourage you God hath therefore lodged power in Christ God-man to let poor Saints believing in him see their interest in it and marriage claim to it to let them know he would have his power actually deliver and save them to the uttermost Go to God by him and he is not only able but obliged to carry you to God without fears in the way It being his very Office as Gods High Chamberlain one set over the house of God for this purpose Heb. 10.21 22. But to support this with another Consideration Thirdly As Christ is able and obliged so willing and faithful as willing as able and as faithful as obliged thus to deliver Truly this with the first I mean his willingness faithfulness and his ability which was first mentioned might easily be granted by any that consider the Person God-man here spoken of yet because it makes much to this present purpose I must shew you some Scripture that commands us to consider this in him as Heb. 2.17 Wherefore it behoved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest Merciful He took our nature our very flesh that he might be more tender of and merciful to us in our danger and fears of dying which by reason of flesh and bloud are incident to us And then faithful that is so sensible of every thing tender and pitiful as faithfully to improve his great Ability to save and deliver to the uttermost As his power is large to the uttermost of our misery and fear so his faithfulness is as large as his power He must then of necessity be an actual deliverer of his people in all points not only from their Enemies but from their servile fear of them As from Deaths misery so from the fear of it that they serve God without any such horrid fear in righteousness and holiness all their daies And the reason is cogent for in him concur sufficient ability to save and an indispensable obligation thereto from the immutable purpose and appointment mutual agreement and mercy both of his father and himself and also particularly a great obligation from the power of his Sympathy with those whose natures and flesh he took up and then as sufficient ability and indispensable obligation so infallible faithfulness meet gloriously in this blessed Jesus and speak him an Almighty Deliverer of his people from the fears of Death Doth not all this appear He dyed Who could who would so dye Before his death he cryed Let this cup pass that so no Saint might fear its approach He at his death cried out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me That so no Saint might at his own death cry out fearfully as forsaken of God Those his cries proceeded from mighty and meritorious pangs Thus each peculiar pain was appointed for our particular healing as these mentioned for the curing us of the painful fears of our death and they are also great demonstrations of Christs mercy and faithfulness unto us unto the last Who else might easily have had more than twelve Legions of Angels to have rescued him from the rest of his Passion but he was cruel to himself merciful and faithful to us Fourthly Christ is a Deliverer of his people from the fears of Death because he cannot but be faithful as to his childrens good so to his own glorious design Where Power and Resolution and unchangeableness meet what can hinder the accomplishment of a design Christs power of delivering from the fears
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
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
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
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