earnestly call for a Bible with these words come come death approcheth let us gather some flowers to comfort this heart in this hour and turning with his own hand to the 8. Chapt. to the Romans he gave it to a Minister present and bad him read and at the end of every Verse Mr. Holland made a Pause gave the sense of it and so continued his meditation and exposition for two hours On the suddain he said to the Minister that was reading to him O stay your reading what brightness is that I see have you lighted any Candles to whom was answered no it is the Sun shine Sun shine saith he nay my Saviours shine now farewel world welcome Heaven the Day-star from on high hath visited my heart O speak it when I am gone and Preach it at my funeral God dealeth familiarly with men I see his mercy I see his Majesty whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell but God knows I see things unutterable And a little before he dyed ravished in Spirit he raised himself up and shut up his blessed life with these blessed words Oh what an happy change shall I make from darkness to light from night to day from death to life from sorrow to sollace from a sinful world to an heavenly Being O my dear Brethren Sisters and Friends iâ— pittys me to leave you behind yet remember my death when I am gone and what I now feel I hope you shall feel ere you dye that God doth and will deal familiarly with men And now ye blessed Angels bear me O bear me into the bosome of my best beloved Amen Amen come Lord Jesus come quickly and so fell asleep in the Lord. So Mr. Bolton boasted at his death to a friend what he felt in his Soul I am said he by the wonderful mercies of God as full of comfort as my heart can hold and feel nothing in my Soul but Christ with whom I heartily desire to be So Mrs. Catherine Britterge a Holly woman said at her death O my sweet Saviour dost thou so love me who am but dust and ashes O how wonderful how wonderful is thy love O thee joyes the joyes that I feel in my Soul they be wonderful they be wonderful Many like examples might be given of Saints dying as full of the sense of Gods love as heart could hold and more then their tongues could express I shall instance but in one more and it is in this pretious servant of Jesus Christ whose funerals we solemnize this day her death did not separate her from the sense and feeling of Gods love how sweetly did shee apply the promises for her comfort and in her greatest weakness by the shength of her faith drow those brests of consolation which are then sweetest when death is nearest How comfortably did she speak to her Relations and friends weeping about her desiring them not to mourn for her but to rejoyce rather because the time of her redemption was at hand redemption from sin from sorrow from sickness and pain which she had long suffered What a plerophory and full perswasion she had of her salvation and future happiness appears by her words to my self which were these I know in whom I have believed and will not cast away my confidence And also by her last and remarkable words to her dear and disconsolate Husband which she uttered a little before she breathed out her Soul into the bosom of her best beloved alluding to the words of her Saviour she said I goe to my Father and thy Father to my God and thy God By all these instances you may see death cannot separate a believer from the sense of Gods love much less from his love Thus you have the doctrinal part a few words by way of Application Use 1. If death cannot separate the faithful from the love of God thâ—s then is a sweet comfort to Gods Children against the fear of death of what sort soever in what manner soever Though there be many separaâ—â—ons in death terrible to flesh and blood dreadful to nature as 1. It is a separation from our dear friends and relations from husband wife and children from Father and Mother death plucks us from all these at once this is dreadful to nature but yet no separation from Gods love It only takes us from friends on Earth to friends in Heaven it brings us to the general assembly of the first born to Jesus the mediaâ—our to Angels and the Spirits of just men made perfect So that by this separation we doe but change our place not our company and our faithful friends which we leave behind us shall shortly follow after us co 〈…〉 to us and we and them shall ever be with the Lord. 2. The death of the body is a separation from all our Earthly comforts from all our worldly injoyments and accommodations and this is uncomfortable to nature too He that hath House and Land Money and Stock flocks and heards riches and honours high dignities and great preferments in the world must take a final farewel of all these when death comes The Fool and his full Barns rich stores and goods for many years must suddenly and ever lastingly part when death aproacheth and this is sad to him that hath nothing in store in another world But such a separation is not terrible or uncomfortable to a Child of God because he is assured though these things leave him yet God loves him which is better to him then all the comforts of life and will bring him ever by death to better comforts to a building an house in Heaven to inherit all things to a rich and glorious purchase to an everlasting Kingdom to joyes unspeakable felicity inconcevable and to Rivers of pleasures at Gods right hand for evermore 3. The death of the body is the separation of the Soul from thee body which is most terrible to nature that the body and Soul these old friends must now part the body to return to the dust as it was and the Soul to God that gave it and Oh with what bitterness with what throbs and groans with what sighs and tears with what pangs and pains do these long and intimate acquaintance usually part But though death part Soul and body yet neither the Soul nor the body of a Saint from the love of God Psal 116. 15. Pretious Psal 116. 15. in the sight of the Lord is the death of all his Saints A poor Child of God lying upon his death bed bemoans himself his friends also grieve and mourn for him and in the sight of the world he is in a grievous and miserable Estate but in the sight and estimation of God his death is very pretious and dear the Lord loves him loves his Soul in its separation from the body and receives it as a pretious Jewel into the very besome of his love He loves his dead body yea his very dust and will raise it again out
of the dust to glory at the last day And as the death of a Saint is pretious to God so 't is very gainful and advantagious to the Saint himself for 1. It separates him from all his sins corruptions impurities imperfections from his body of death 2. From this vile and wicked world as the Angels separated Lot from Sodom 3. From all failings and weakness from all afflictions and temptations from all Crosses and grief whatever This is a pretious separation but it never separates him from the love of God in Christ Jesus so far is it from this that it brings him to the immediate and full fruition of God and his love to see him face to face and so to be satisfied with his love and likeness Why then should a believer fear death let death be their fear and dread who are out of Gods favour and have no interest in the love of God in Christ Jesus but let not the beloved of the Lord fear it which is so much their friend because God loves them as to bring them into the bosome of his love and to a present and perfect Union with himself which was the reason why Job so little feared it and St. Paul so Job 3 14 15. Phil. 1. 23. much dâ—â—ired it having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better yea best of all Use 2. This doctrine speaks terror to the wicked You may think it strange that I should draw terror out of so comfortable a truth but consider this comfort belongs only to those that are in Christ Jesus as for those that are out of Christ they are out of the love and favour of God both in life and in death For the present the case of a wicked man is sad in death it will be worse 1. 'T is sad in this life because they live without God out of the love and favour of God in a state of enmity and wrath and all outward blessings they injoy are no signs of Gods special love 2. In death 't is worse 't is bad and sad enough to live out of Gods favour but worse and more sad to dye out of it for then they dye eternally and death to them will be a sad separation for it separates them 1. From their presumptuous conceit hopes and belief of their interest in the love and favour of God What is the hope of the Hypocrite when God taketh away his Soul Now he hopes he is in the love of God but when God by death separates his Soul from his body he separates him also from all his hopes these dye with him and he and his hopes of being in the love of God perish together Prov. 11. 7. Prov. 11. 7. 2. Death separates the wicked from that common and general love of God wherewith he loveth all his creatures especially mankind manifested by his patience and long sufferings by many blessings and comforts of life by his ordinances and many Church priviledges yea and common gifts and graces now death separates them from this common and general love of God and all the forenamed fruits of it Death puts an end to Gods patience separates them from Gods protection from all things that were good and comfortable to them here in this life from all Gods ordinances and from those common graces they have the oyl which they had in their Lamps goeth out when death comes 3. It separates them not only from this general love of God and all that good that is in it but it separates them to everlasting punishment from the presence of the Lord God will say to them then depart from me I never knew you I never loved you Go ye cursed that never had any interest in my everlasting love into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and for his Angels Use 3. If death it self cannot separate the faithful from the love of God in Christ Jesus then as you desire comfort at death labour to get an interest in and an assurance of this love If the arms of Gods love have once embraced thee neither death nor Hell can get the thence for ever the Sanctuary to which thou art fled is inviolate the rock impregnable the City invincible and thou art safe layed up to all eternity This assurance will make thee triumph over death as an enemy that cannot hurt thee a Serpent that cannot sting thee a privation that cannot deprive thee of Gods love O death thou maist say where is thy sting O Grave where is thy Victory for neither the one nor the other can separate thee from Gods love O this will sweeten death which is a bitter thing make death a sweet sleep and the Grave an easy Bed to rest in when we know that it shall not feparate us from but bring us to the full injoyment of him who hath loved us and whom we have loved and longed for O then strive after this assurance in the diligent use of all means search for it seek for it hear it pray for it and wait for it its worth seeking for if once attained you will be so far from fearing death that you will say with old Simeon Lord mine eyes have seen thy Luk. 2. 29 30. salvation my Soul is assured of thy love therefore now let thy Servant depart in peace And here I may set before you as an example to follow this pretious Saint whose sad funerals we now celebrate who by the use of means servent prayer self examination search of the Scriptures meditation on the promises and long patience had attained this assurance this full and certain perswasion of Gods love for when death approched she could say I know in whom I have believed and I go to my God and Father that the time of her redemption was at hand redemption from pain and sickness from sorrow and fin It is not indeed my manner often in this place to make Encomiums of the dead and the Jews have a saying that non facienda sunt monumenta justis monuments are not to be made for the righteous whose words and works are their best monuments and which praise as the righteous man so the vertuous woman in the Gates Prov. 31. 31. In this respect our deceased Pro. 31. 31. friend needs no monument to perpetuate the memory of her worth Her own works will Publish her praise to posterity Yet that I may not seem by silence to bury her vertues with her Ashes give me leave for a few words and that for these two reasons 1. That God may have the glory whilst we shew forth the praises of this Saint whom he long since called from darkness to light in his Kingdom of grace and hath now translated into his Kingdom of Glory 2. That the world may have the benefit of so worthy a pattern and example And though I might inlarge much on this subject yet take what I shall say of her in a few words 1. More generally She was richly
were likely to be some of these which he nameth either Death or Life or Principallities c. 2. Because the Apostle could not insist in the induction or bringing in of all particulars he useth a general comprehensive expression of all things that nothing might be excepted Nor any other Creature 3. The certainty or fulness of St. Pauls perswasion or assurance of faith concerning all these that not any one of them can nor all of them together shall be able to separate us from the love of God I am persswaded i. e. I am fully perswaded of it certainly certain of it and insallibly sure of it and I here make it known to all the world O Paul saith one great is thy faith In the second you have 1. The persons that are said to be in Gods love St. Paul and all believers 2. The ground and foundation of all Gods love which he bears and manifests to believers Christ Jesus 3. The special interest that the faithful have in Christ Jesus set forth by a note of relation betwixt Christ and them Our Lord. I am perswaded i. e. I am fully The meaning of the words certain by what I have heard out of Gods Word I do not go by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S il ex verbi predicatione effecaci ut indicat tacitè hos Verbo Beza thinkings and guessings I am upon a sure ground it is not a morral Conjecture but my faith and confidence yea my full assurance of faith That 1. Neither Death nor Life i. e. of the body also all extreams of prosperity and adversity whereby we may be either allured or terrified 2. Nor Angels good and bad spirits if it were possible they should concurr to separate us from Christ Jesus 3. Nor Principallities nor Powers the power of Kings Emperours Popes Tyrants throughout the whole world 4. Nor things present nor things to Come all events good or bad which now or hereafter may befall us 5. Nor any other Creature not any other thing Created of what sort soever how great soever or how terrible soever it may seem to us 6. Shall be able to separate us from the love of God the love of God is to be taken here as before passively for the love wherewith he Verse 35. loveth us 7. Which is in Christ Jesus our Lord which God the father bears to us and which comes to us in and through Christ Jesus Thus you have the meaning of the words Now I come to the particular points in the Text which are too many to be taken notice of at present it would be too much work for the short time alloted for this Exercise I shall therefore select from the words two or three observations which may best suit with the sad occasion of our present meeting and speak to them as time shall give leave and they are these Prop. 1. That a Christian in this life may be perswaded or assured that he shall be saved I am perswaded c. Prop. 2. That there is nothing in Heaven Earth or Hell nothing that is now or shall be hereafter can possibly separate the faithful from the love and favour of God which he bears to them in Christ Jesus their Lord. Prop. 3. That Death it self shall not be able to separate a Believer from Gods love in Christ Jesus I begin with the first of these viz. That a Christian in this life may be perswaded or assured that he shall be saved And here I must speak somewhat for 1. Explication 2. Probation 1. For Explication This assurance hath several denominations in Scripture I. It is called knowledge very often 1 Joh 3. 2. We know that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Scientia 1 Joh. 3. 2. 14 19 24 when he shall appear we shall be like him So we know that we are translated from Death to Life ver 14. We know we are of the Truth ver 19. And we know that we are of God ver 24. So 1 Joh. 5. 19. and so 2 Cor. 5. 1. We know that if our Earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God c. Now this knowledge is not a speculative knowledge but an experimental knowledge A man cannot know he shall be saved as he knows what Faith is and what Repentance is but it is obtained by long experience by reflection of Conscience and Faith upon our selves whereby we evidently see that we are in a good and gracious estate experimentally descerning what God hath done for us and that upon such grounds as these Being new creatures walking in the light walking after the Spirit not after the Flesh loving the Brethren and the like II. It is called a perspicuous 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 manifestation when Christ manifests himself to the soul that loves him as not unto the world Joh 14. 21 22 23. He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will Joh. 14. 21 22 23. manifest my self unto him and 22. ver Lord how is it that thou wilt manifest thy self unto us and not unto the world Now this manifestation is Christs act who being a free Agent may suspend his own act and withdraw himself therefore this assurance may be interrupted may be overclouded and a child of God of Light may walk in darkness and see no light Esa 5. 10. III. It is called boldness so t is usually translated Heb. 4. 16. Let us come boldly to the Throne of grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fiducia Heb. 4. 16. Eph. 3. 12. and Ephes 3. 12. In whom we have boldness and access with Confidence Now this boldness is the boldness of faith not of presumption it is an holy boldness not an impudent boldness it is a child-like boldness an undaunted yet an humble dutyful looking God in the face there was this boldness of faith in the Woman in the Gospel in touching Christ though She did not presumptuously croud upon him as others did in the throng IV. It is called full assurance noting to us that it is gradual not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prena certioratio Heb. 10. 22. given all at once but there is a growth in it or a growing to it by degrees There may be assurance and a good measure of assurance though there be not full assurance All assurance is not of the highest degree neither doth assurance in the highest degree exclude all doubting Most think as long as they have doubts they have so assurance but they must know that while they are here they shall know but in part they shall be imperfect in the knowledge of Scripture which is their rule of trying imperfect in the knowledge of their own obscure and deceitful hearts some strangeness to God and themselves there will still remain some darkness will overspread the face of their souls Obj. But why doth St. Paul call it a fulness of faith or a full assurance Answ St. Paul calls it so â—n comparison of lower degrees â—nd