Hell the higher their exalation is the greater and lower their damnation will be The words of the Prophet are Emphatical i Isa 30.33 Ingentia beneficia ingentia flagitia ingentia supplicia Kings saith one are fair marks for traytors to shoot at Tra. on Esth 2. Tophet is prepared of old yea for the King it is prepared The greater mens preferment is the greater their defilement and the greater their punishment 2. Others understand them of a fall by a violent death So many Princes fall In that bloody way Saul Abner Ahab and many other Princes mentioned in Scripture went to their long homes The Roman Historian observeth that the Cesars got little by their places nisi ut citius interficerentur Some mens honour hath been the Knife to cut their throats Horat. ad Licin Saepius ventis agitatur iugens Pinus celsae graviore casu Decidunt turres feriuntque summos Fulmina montes 3. A third sort Expound the words of falling as the Princes of other Nations Deodati in loc though ye are the Princes of God's people yet ye are not thereby priviledged from the arrest of death For as the sun of prosperity shineth as well on the briars in the Wildernesse as on the roses in the Garden so the frost of adversity falleth as well on the fruitfull corn as on the hurtful weeds The most notorious sinner liveth as well as the most gracious Saint and the most gracious Saint dyeth as well as the most notorious sinner Grace is an Antidote against the poyson of death but not a preservative from undergoing death 4. The words are construed thus Like the Princes that have been before you Ye know that your Ancestours who were as high in honour and as great in power as your selves yet submitted to death so must ye doe as they have done Etiam muta clamant cadavera Their graves amongst you do read a Lecture of mortality to you The term whereby the Spirit of God describeth death is considerable it s called a fall and fall like one of the Princes * Rom. 14.13 Sin is called a fall and so is death Death is the first-born of sin and therefore no wonder if the Child be called after the name of its Parent Death is to every man a fall from every thing but God and godliness Ye that are Magistrates fall more stairs yea more stories then others the higher your standing while ye live the lower your falling when ye die Death to some is a fall from Earth to Hell to all from the society of men to the company of worms To you that are great men it will be a fall from your richest treasures from your delightful pleasures from your stateliest possessions from your loveliest relations Job 7.7 from whatsoever is called the good of this world Your eyes shall no more see good Hor. ad Posth Linquenda tellus domus placens Vxor neque harum quas colis arborum Te praeter invisas cupressos Vlla brevem Dominum sequetur Death is called an uncloathing 2 Cor. 5.4 because it will strip you of all your places of honour of all the ornaments of nature As ye came naked into the World Job 1. ult so ye must go naked out of the World Nothing will follow you when ye die but your works Rev. 14.13 When the good Magistrate dyeth that hath been zealous for the Lord's honour and studious of his souls welfare his works follow him through free grace into an eternal weight of glory When the evil Magistrate dyeth who hath been careless of his Conscience and unfaithful in his calling his works follow him through divine severity into a boundless Ocean of endless misery Doctrine After this brief Explication of the words I proceed to the doctrinal Observation That Magistrates are mortal or they who live like gods must die like men the most potent Emperour must take his leave of this life as well as the poorest beggar Death is called * Josh 23.14 the way of all the Earth because all flesh on Earth go this way Is the greatest road in the World never without many travellers of all sorts ranks and degrees The grave is the Inn or resting place whither this way tendeth and Job telleth k Job 3.19 us that The small and the great are there The mortal sythe of death is Master of the royal Scepter and moweth down as well the Lillies of the Crown as the grasse of l Isa 40.6 7. the Field At one end of the Library in Dublin was a Globe at the other end a Skeliton to shew that though man were Lord of all the World yet he must die All flesh is grasse and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field The grasse withereth the flower fadeth As Athanasius speaketh of Julian so I may say of the greatest King in the World Nubecula est quae citò transibit Do we not find by experience that the greater Candles consume and burn out as well as the lesser And that the boysterous wind of sickness bloweth down and rooteth up as well the tall Cedars of Lebanon and the strong Oaks of Bashan as the lower shrubs and weaker trees of the Vallies We Ministers that preach the Word of life must ere long submit to m 2 Cor. 4.7 death ye have the Heavenly treasure in earthen vessels And you Magistrates that are the Bulwarks of the Countrey under God to preserve us from the shot of a violent death must necessarily your selves undergoe a natural death Ye are called n Psal 47.9 Scuta terrae sunt terrea scuta the shields of the Earth yet ye are but Earthen shields Ye are called the o Isa 44.18 As at a game at chess when done not only pawns but Kings Queens and Knights are tumbled into the bag so when the race of life is finished noble as well as ignoble are tumbled into their graves shepherds of the people but this Wolf of death will seise as well on the shepherd as on the sheep I shall not stand to prove it any further at this present there is not one of you either Judge or Justicâ—s that hear me this day but within a few days shall be the proof of the text I shall only give you the causes of the Doctrine and then make some Use of it But why do the gods die like men There are three Causes of it as they are men * Grounds of Doctrine 1 Ethicall cause of death is sin Rom. 5.12 Rom. 6. ult Stipendium peccati mors First the moral or meritorious cause of death is sin Sin and death like Jacob and Esau were brought forth at one birth they were twins and came into the World together As the thread followeth the Needle so death followeth sin Wherefore as p by one man sin entred into the World and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that
as solemnly by the Psalms of David as by the Alchoran of Mahomet But what need have we of the testimony of men when God is pleased to give such large witnesse in the Gospel to this book of Psalms In which the Psalms are quoted above sixty b Leighs hist p. 35. times The Apostle calleth them spirituall c Colos 3.16 songs both because they were inspired by the holy Spirit of God and because they are instrumental to spiritualize mens affections and also because they do sute with mens spirits they are so penned that every man may think they speak de se in re sua of himself and to his own condition * Quia reges quicunque potestate praediti sunt immensam sibi licentiam fastu excoecati ut plurimum indulgent denunciat Propheta reddendam esse rationem summo judici qui omnem mundi celsitudinem supereminet Calvin argu Psal 82. This 82 Psalm containeth a severe reprehension of superiours for their ungodly oppression of inferiours The Text presenteth you with their Majesty and with their Mortality In Verse 6. They are gods and children of the most High there is there Majesty In Verse 7. They die like men and fall like Princes there is their Mortality Plautus telleth us concerning Hercules that he was the son of uJpiter and so immortal and the son of Amphitrus and so mortal The former Verse speaketh that Ye are the sons of God thereby ye seem to be immortal but the latter pronounceth plainly that Ye shall die like men and therefore it is apparent ye are mortal In Verse 6. Ye are exalted as high as Heaven I have said Ye are gods In the 7. v. Ye are debased as low as Earth But ye shall die In ver 6. How beautiful are your features how Evangelical are your faces Nay how God-like are your looks I have said Ye are gods In the 7. when the other side of the Picture is turned what hoary heads what heavy hearts what quivering lips what trembling loyns what dying flesh what decaying spirts have ye ‖ Vt caeteri omnes natura sunt obnoxii morti quidem aeternae damnationi si in delictis adversus conscientiam ad extremum usque perseverent ita scitote vos quoque iisdem legibus subjectos esse Moller in loc Ea cogitatio de fragilitate vestra de poenis secuturis commone facere excitare vos debebat ut in procuratione muneris vestri majore diligentia studio versaremini Idem ibid. And it is not without cause that the Spirit of God subjoyneth your humanity to your Deity your Mortality to your Majesty as a means to prevent sin and as a curbe to restrain you from making your Lust your law or your Will the rule of all your actions In the words we have the Mortality of the Magistrate namely from the seventh Verse First affirmed Ye shall die like men Secondly amplified and fall like the Princes Thirdly confirmed surely and certainly as surely as ye live like gods so surely ye shall die like men Certe sicut homo Calvin Moller Trem. legunt I have formerly in this place upon the like occasion from the 6. v. discovered the dignity of * At aâ— Assize holden at Hertford for that County upon the 2. day of August 1653. Magistracy I shall now proceed to the frailty of the Magistrate My work now will be like Philip's youth to mind you that ye are but men And I hope there is none here of the Persian Monarchs humour into whose presence none might come cloathed with d Est 4.2 sackcloth nor like Lewis the 11th of France who would not permit the word Death to be named in his Court For all the Dish I have to entertain you with at this time is a Deaths head Neither shall I garnish that with the flowers of humane eloquence as knowing there is no need of it The deformed Harlot wanteth colouring but the Virgin truth of God is most beautiful in her native dress And there is little good by it A painted window keepeth out the light a paintâ—d fire will not burn a painted sword will not cut and if ever the a Jer. 23.29 fire of Scripture warm b Luke 24.32 the heart or this c Ephes 6.17 sword of the spirit wound the Conscience to conviction and conversion it must be drawn out of the gawdy scabbard of mans wisedom I shall first speak to the Explication of the words and then draw the Obsâ—rvation from the words But i.e. For all the glorious titles wherewith ye are invested as gods amongst mens and the administration of justice wherewith ye are intrusted as my Lieutenants on Earth yet for all this Ye shall d Ac si diceret quum instructi sunt potestate ad regendum mundum non exuisse tamen naturam ut mortales esse desinerent Calv. in loc die though your names are Divine your natures are but Humane Surely i.e. Though ye should flatter your selves because ye are gods ye shall ever live yet know certainly that ye are but men and must die All God's words are true and sure but on some there is affixed a special note of certainty because of mans especially great persons extraordinary infidelity Though ye should neither regard it nor provide for it as if it were a thing of small consequence or little concernment Yet e Job 17.14 ye may say to corruption Thou art my father and to the worm Thou art my brother and sister Ye shall die like men Your souls and bodies that have been joyned together like husband and wife shall be parted asunder Death will loose all bands untie all knots even this conjugal one 'twixt soul and body which is the strongest of all e Sicut plebeius homo Tremel Like men i. e. Like ordinary men like Adam saith Ainsworth Though in your lives ye are like Saul higher by the head and shoulders then the people yet in your deaths they and you meet are equal Two things ye do as men 1. Ye sin as ye are f 1 Cor. 3.3 Errare humanum est men to walk as a man is to walk carnally to walk sinfully 2. Ye die as g Psal 9. ult quod sint homines i. e. quod sint miseri infirmi mortales Moll in loc men to know your selves to be men is to know your selves to be mortal And fall like one of the Princes These words have a double Lection and four-fold Construction We read them And fall like one of the h Et sicut quilibet principes cadetis Calv. Qui exquisitissimis tormentis cruciantur Potentes potenter torquebuntur Princes others read them And ye Princes shall fall like one For their four-fold Construction 1. Some understand them of a fall into Hell So several of the Ancients take them like the Prince of the Divels this is true of evil Magistrates death to them is but the trap-door to
all have sinned A worthy Divine of our own doth solidly though briefly state that question viz. Whether man had not died if he had not sinned Or whether death be natural or accidental and doth evidently prove that mans life should have lasted as long as his obedience that man had never fallen into his grave if he had never fallen into transgression Hâ— died not because his nature was subject to corruption but because sin had corrupted his nature If he had not turned from God he had not returned to dust Man was wholly a stranger to death till acquainted with sin If he had continued in a state of innocency he had continued in a state of immortality Though Adam died not actually assoon as he fell yet he presently became mortal and liable to death for immediately upon his fall sentence was passed upon q Gen. 3.19 him Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return according to that r Gen. 2.17 Some say the Pope hath a book called Taxa camerae Apostolicae shewing the rate of every sin At what rate one may be drunk or swear or keepe an Whore law In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die As the Malefactour is a dead man in Law when the sentence is pronounced upon him though there be some time between his Condemnation and Execution so was man dead both in the decree and threatning of God when the sentence of death was denounced against him This word death alone implyeth at what rate man may sâ—n Death temporal which is the separation of body and soul death spirituall which is the separation of God and the soul in part and for a time eternal which is everlasting and total perdition from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power are the rate of sin and the sad fruits that grow on this root of bitterness Sin is the father of death but death like Senacherib's issue will at last destroy its Parent Sin in the body is like the Leprosie in the house which will not out till it be pulled down but when the body of the Saint shall be dissolved that body of death shall be wholly destroyed though there was some respite between it and his actual dissolution Now Magistrates sin therefore must die If you perform but that duty of much difficulty yet of absolute necessity of communing with your own hearts looking somtimes back upon your lives without question you will find beside your original depravation a numberless number of actual provocations I believe the best of you are too like the Egyptian Temple without fair and beautiful but within full of Serpents and Crocodiles Your lives possibly may be unblameable as to the eye of man but are there not seven abominations in your hearts 2 Cause is Physical the corruptibility of mans body Contraria inter se pugnant mutuo se destruunt Gen. 3.19 The second Cause of death is the corruptibility of Magistrates bodies this is the natural cause your bodies are corruptible It s now common to all Creatures mixt of Elements to be resolved into that out of which they were made Contrary qualities will for a time contend and at last destroy each other In the third of Genesis we read mans exodus viz. that he was dust in regard of his original production and shall be dust in regard of his ultimate resolution As the finest garment breedeth a moth and that moth eateth up the garment Physitians have a rule Vltimus sanitatis gradus est morbo proximus As the strongest tree breedeth a Worm and that Worm devoureth the tree So the fairest and strongest bodies breed such diseases as will at last consume them Eliphaz speaking of the highest men assureth us that their foundation is in the dust Now the stability of a building dependeth on the strength of its foundation Job 4.19 The Church is therefore immoveable because Christ her foundation is invincible Matth. 16.18 but our natural foundation being in the dust we cannot hold out long The house of mans body is walled and roofed with Earth and founded upon no better then dust The bodies of Magistrates have the same foundation The Psalmist speaking of a Prince saith Psal 146.4 that he returneth to his Earth As if his body could challenge no alliance to or propriety in any thing but Earth L. Cur. and Plut. in vit It is His earth Alexander the Great being wounded at the siedge of an Indian City said I have been told I am the Son of God but I see now I am liable to wounds and death as well as others 3. The supernatural cause of death is the appointment of Heaven It is appointed for all men once to die Heb. 9 27. 3 The Metaphysical cause is God's decree Some men yea most in the World die twice the second death hath power over them but all must die once The exception of one or two that were translated and of them that shall be found alive at the comming of Christ The greatest Landlords are but Tenants at God's will in these houses of clay will not make void this general rule Magistrates that Execute the Statute-law of men die by a standing Law of God When God is pleased to give sickness a warrant under the great Seal of Heaven it quickly executeth its Office and turneth men into Earth It is thus ordered in God's high Court that Judges and Justices who now sit on the Bench shall die and appear at his Bar. The Turkish Historian observeth that when the great Bassaes are feasting oftentimes there commeth a Messenger by order from the great Sultan and casteth a black Mantle over them and they are presently forced to submit to strangling So the proudest Potentates in the midst of their mirth are often surprized by a sudden distemper commissionated by God and sent to their long homes Vse by way of Inference that nothing can free from death I shall now draw some Inferences from the Doctrine First If Magistrates are mortal observe hence deaths prevalency and power above all the Priviledges and Prerogatives of nature Lib. 5. in conclusion of cap. ult It is a memorable Speech of Sir Walter Rawleigh Though God who loveth men is not regarded yet death which hateth men is quickly obeyed O mighty death O eloquent death whom no man could advise or perswade thou canst prevail with Take notice from hence that nothing in this World can priviledge a man against the arrest of death 1. Strength cannot First strength cannot all the strength and power which the gods have cannot free them from death Magistrates have civil strength as they are Magistrates the Command of whole Counties Kingdoms yea Empires in this respect it is that Magistrates are called Å¿ Tiâ—us 3.1 Principalities and Powers yet death hath power over them that hath power over others Alexander and Cesar that Conquered Countries and Kingdomes were conquered by
stewardship It behoveth you when you sit on the Bench of men to act faithfully that when ye shall appear at the Bar of God ye may answer comfortably Remember when ye are passing sentence of life or death on others that Christ ere long will passe a sentence far more weighty even of eternal life or death on you Isid It s reported concerning the Emperours of Constantinople that on their Coronation day a Mason is appointed to present unto them certain Marble stones saying these Verses Elege ab his saxis ex quo invictissime Cesar Choose Mighty Sir under which of these stones your pleasure is ere long to lay your bones Ipse tibi tumulum me fabricare velis If ye that now are in robes would consider death will levell you with them that are in rags if ye would with the eye of your meditation behold your Coffins standing before you on the table in the place of judicature it might be an excellent curb to iniquity and spur to fidelity 4 Requisites in a good Magistrate 1. Magnanimity Now there are four things requisite in a Magistrate that would discharge his trust faithfully First courage and magnamity Every magistrate should be a man of mettle not daunted with dangers nor frighted with frowns He should so carry himself that others should fear him as a terror to evil doers but he should fear nothing but sin Like Chrysostom who when a threatning Message was sent him from the Empresse Eudoxia go tell her said he to the Messenger Nill timeo nisi peccatum Ye are called the shields of the people Psal 47. ult and shields ye know are ventrous weapons they are made to bear many blows Be thou strong and very couragious Josh 1.7 saith God to the chief Magistrate of Israel 2 Chron. 9.18 Durescito Durescito O infelix Lantgravie said the poor Smith to the Lantgrave of Thuringia who was more mild then stood with his peoples profit The sword of justice saith one ought to be furbished with the oyl of mercy But there are cases wherein severity should cast the scale The throne of Solomon was underpropped with Lions and a Lion is part of the Royal arms both speaking that a Lion-like spirit is becomming him that is in a publike place Deut. 1.17 Secondly uprightness and integrity 2. Integrity It s reported of a King of Persia that he would come of from his horse upon the way to doe justice to a poor man A Magistrate as he should not be frighted with fear so not swayd by favour Ye should be like a Boul without a byas running on fairly and evenly not leaning on this side or on that side like the Sun which affordeth as gracious influences to the low violets as to the tall cedar to the poorest beggar as to the most potent Emperour like a publike Conduit in a City whence justice should run down like water as freely and as fully to the meanest as to the greatest But it was a bad speech of Cesar Causa Cassii melior sed Bruto nil denegare possum Plut. in vit Ces Laws were never made to be Nets only to catch the little Fish and to let the great ones break through The great Judge of Heaven is no respecter of persons neither should Justices on Earth Deut. 1.17 That Edict of Constantine was worthy to be written in letters of gold If any of my Friends Courtiers or Servants have wronged any let them come to me I wil not only right them but reward them Plut. in vit Public And that act of Brutus memorable who commanded his two sons to be executed and saw it done for conspiring with Tarquin's Ambassadors against the Commonwealth Thirdly bounty and liberality 3. Liberality Exod. 18.21 Exod. 23.8 A Justice should not only not be covetous but hate covetousness It s the dust of money that is blown up into the Judges eyes that hindreth their sight into causes It was a witty speech of a pious * Vines on 1 Pet. 2.13 14. p. 25. person He is the best Magistrate that is good for nothing Ye must neither take bribes your selves nor by your servants for Optimus maximus venderetur imperator There is not a gift ye take but will be as a dagger at your hearts another day like Achans wedge of Gold it will cleave your souls in sunder It will in this particular be happy for him that when he commeth to die 1 Sam. 12.2 3. can say as dying Samuel Behold here I am witnesse against me before the Lord and before his Anointed Whose Oxe have I taken or whose Asse have I taken or whom have I defrauded whom have I oppressed or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes And they said Thou hast not defrauded nor oppressed nor taken ought of any mans hands 4. Ability The fourth Thing requisite in a Magistrate is ability A Magistrate must be not only a man of piety but a man of parts quick-sighted uf a deep apprehension knowing the laws exactly because if he be not he will sometime or other condemn the innocent and justifie the wicked And the rather every Judge ought to be able There are they that can make Candida de nigris de candentibus alba in regard he hath to deal with men that can draw a fair Glove over a foul hand blanch over a bad cause with specious pretences as Ziba against Mephibosheth I honour the Profession of the law and I wish that some men did not dishonour their profession who indeed value their substance above their Consciences not believing that of the father In die judicii plus valebit conscientia pura quam marsupia plena Beza telleth us that he once saw on a table the Pictures of four sorts of Persons and their several Posies 1. The Courtier with this Posie By my sword I defend you all 2. The Clergy man with this Posie By my prayers I preserve you all 3. The Countrey-man with this I feed you all 4. The Lawyer with this I devour you all I request Lawyers to consider that of God to Moses Exod. 23.2 Thou shalt not speak in a cause to wrest judgement and that speech of the Apostle I can do nothing against the truth 2 Cor. 13.8 but for the truth But I have digrest too far already Secondly If ye would fit your selves for death live among men exemplarily You that must die shortly Live among men exemplarily August had need to live strictly Must you ere long fall then whilst you stand be holy to admiration to imitation Nihil sic revocat à peccatis sicut frequens meditatio mortis Some say the stroaking of the belly with the hand of a dead man will cure the Tympany I am sure the thoughts of death seriously laid to the heart are a good Medicine for an evil heart Nothing in the War will so much dead the Cannon as
power of godliness A man may live by a form but he cannot die by a form An heart not ballanced with grace may hold out in the calm of life but when the boisterous winds of sicknesse blow and the storm of death cometh it will suffer shipwrack When death cometh when that damp ariseth the Candle of Profession separated from the Power of Religion will first burn blew and then go out The bellows of death will blow the spark of sincerity into a flame and the blaze of hypocrisie into nothing O therefore get that saying of our Saviour written on your hearts Verily John 3.3 verily I say unto you except a man be born again he can never see the Kingdom of God Pious Mr. Strong on Heb. 12.14 p. 39. vid. A worthy Divine now in Heaven observeth four things from this verse 1 The manner of the assertion Verily verily 2. The matter asserted except a man be born again Non unius partis correctionem sed totius naturae renovationem designat Calvin He that is born but once dieth twice He that is born twice dieth but once 3. The universality of the assertion it is equivalent to an universal proposition though he be a man civil in his conversation a Saint in his generation yet he must be born again 4. The necessity of it without regeneration no salvation he cannot see the Kingdom of God You know what the Pharisees were how strict in their lives a Phil 3.6 according to the Law blamelesse how abundant in b Matth. 23.14 duty they made long c Matth 6. prayers gave much d Luke 18.12 alms fasted twice a e Matth. 23.15 week compast Sea and Land to make Proselytes Nay they were so holy that the Jews would speak commonly That if but two in the world went to Heaven the one should be a Scribe and the other a Pharisee Yet our Saviour speaketh expresly Matth. 5.20 Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of God Pharisaical holinesse will never evidence your right to eternal happinesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Duo negativae apud Graecos vehementius negant He that considereth how great their priveledges how seemingly gracious their practices were will at first wonder why Christ should set a double bolt on Heavens gate to keep them out But their chief falling was in this which I am exhorting you to namely in the want of the power of godlinesse their actions to the eye of man good but their affections were bad their practices did not proceed from renewed and gracious principles Whatsoever civility was without in the life there was no real sanctity within in the heart You that are Magistrates may probably be free from scandalous enormities none can taxe you it may be with swearing drunkennesse whoredome or the like nay I hope you go farther that ye perform duty in secret by your selves in private with your wives and children in publike with the Congregation that ye instruct your families in the things of God and be earnest with all under your power to mind their eternall good these things are commendable and the Lord increase the number of such Magistrates but I must tell you that though this reformation in your lives be good yet without an alteration and change in your hearts it is not sufficient I may say to you as Christ to the young One thing lackest thou yet As the rude Satyre in Plutarch who strove to make a dead man stand upright had so much wit as to say Deest aliquid intus There wants something within So I say to you if ye go no further there is spiritual life the seed of God the divine nature the new creation the power of godlinesse wanting within without this all other things will come to nothing Alchimy Gold may shine brighter then true Gold but as some observe it will neither cheer the heart as a Cordial nor passe the seventh five A dram of true grace will be of more worth to you when ye come to die then a Sea of gifts Heaven is the Father's house and none can come thither but his own children such as are born of God 6. Apply the death of the Saviour to your own souls Lastly If ye must die to prepare your selves for death make sure of an interest in Christ in the death of the Lord Jesus There is no shroud to this namely to be wrapt in the winding sheet of Christ's righteousnesse I would request â—ou to discharge your trusts so faithfully to work for Heaven so industriously to walk with God so humbly to live among men so exactly and exemplarily to mind the renovation of your natures so carefully out of thankfulness to God for his Son out of affection to him that hath loved you and washed you in his blood out of a desire to cleer up your title to the Covenant of grace as if ye were to be justified by your works to purchase Heaven by your holiness Isa 64.6 but when ye have done all throw them away as filthy rags as a menstruous cloth as dung and drosse in comparison of the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ Phil. 3.8 9. He that is to incounter with this grand enemy death had need to have Armour of proof Joh. 11.25 26. And as David said of Goliah's sword so I of this death of Christ There is no weapon like it That which makes a man die with true courage and step with an holy boldnesse unto the grave is to remember that Christ died not only before him but for him and hath conquered and vanquished the King of terrors upon his own dunghil I desire saith the Apostle to know nothing but Christ and him crucified All the mercies that believers enjoy come streaming to them in the blood of Christ though there be much attribued to his intercession * Calvin observeth on 1 Joh. 2.1 that Christs intercession is nothing else but a perpetual application of his death Christ intercedeth by shewing to his Father his wounds in his hands and side quot vulnera tot ora to plead for sinners yet that like the King's stamp on silver addeth no real value to it only maketh it currant By his death a Eph. 1.7 sin is pardoned God's justice satisfied his wrath c Col. 2.14 15. Heb 2.14 appeased Satan vanquished d Gal. 3.13 the curse of the Law endured e Tit. 2.14 Heb. 9.14 grace purchased for the Saints here f John 14.2 1 Cor. 15.55 56. and an eternal weight of glory hereafter b Eph. 1.6 5 2. The whole Ring of Christ's Mediatorship surely takes its value not only from the Diamond of his Divinity but also from the Passion of his Humanity It s out of the carkasse of this Lion of the Tribe of Judah that the true Sampsons get so much honey of comfort Thence it