Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n
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B01765
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Happiness at hand. Or A plain and practical discourse of the joy of just mens souls in the state of separation from the body. For the instruction of weak Christians, and for the comfort of the afflicated. / By J. B. Rector of Finchamsted in the county of Berks.
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Brandon, John, b. 1644 or 5.
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1687
(1687)
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Wing B4250; ESTC R170761
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60,226
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213
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of the Righteous and the Wicked They may I grant be alike in their ends but they will not be alike afterwards Though they may die the same kind of Death yet Death will not be the same to both the one shall be a gainer by it and be with Christ which is far better than any condition here the other shall be a looser by it and be in greater misery than any he feared in this World. That which by any means cuts the thread of his Life casts down also all the Pillars of his hope Proverbs 11.7 When a Wicked Man dyeth The Wicked Man's misery after Death his Expectation shall Perish and the hope of unjust Men Perisheth As then he is deprived of all his Wealth and Honour Sport and Pleasure and all that outward good or comfort which here he took any contentment in so his departed Soul will find nothing to supply the want of them 'T is true It hath to doe with God but not in a way of mercy and favour and therefore his presence will not comfort it in the absence of earthly comforts The Spirit says Solomon returns to God that gave it that 's spoken of the Spirit or Soul of Man in general whether good or bad The Spirit of a good Man returneth to God as to a gracious Father the Spirit of a bad Man as to a Righteous Judge and disposer of it And we cannot imagine that the Soul of one that would never return in a holy sense in his life time should return to God in a happy sense when his life is ended For he will recompense him according to his ways saith the Prophet and hath revealed his Wrath against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of Men Rom. 1.18 'T is said of the unbeliever so continuing that the Wrath of God abideth on him John 3.36 And every ungodly Man we doubt not is an unbeliever in a Scripture sense though he cares not to think so ill of himself And what wonder is it if the holy one shew his high displeasure against the departed Soul of that Sinner that would not Religiously depart from Evil nor was ever reconciled through Jesus Christ Now what a dreadfull case will this be What a terrible taking will a guilty Impenitent Soul be in when it sees it self in the Regions of Eternal Darkness When it hath lost all comforts and comfortable Expectations and shall never see any more good when Money and Lands when Acquaintance and Friends when Time and Hope and all is gone O what deep distress what substantial sorrows will it be filled with when 't is compast about with miseries unchangeable and utterly swallowed up without help or hope in the depths of God's revenging Wrath Consider of it Reader in the fear of God and never let thy Soul be satisfied without that mercy and grace which may fit thee to escape such a fearfull condition 2. It may also keep us from wondring at or at least from stumbling at the troubles of true obedient Christians in this World. They come on them many times thick and threefold as we call it and are so far from moving the careless World to pity them that they expose them rather but too commonly to the utmost scorn and contempt Sometimes also they are ready to Blaspheme on that occasion and say Behold what good doth all their Godliness do them For how miserably do they live and who is there round about that have more sorrows and grievances than many of those that make so much adoe about Religion But assuredly all this will not warrant them to despise Religion or those that love and follow it For besides other considerations that might be urged namely Their remaining sinfulness which maketh the chastisements of their Heavenly Father needfull for them with that most wise providence and Fatherly love that ordereth and limiteth them together with the nature of Sin it self that makes them worthy of more and greater sufferings than in this mortal life they can ever bear Death eternal being the wages of Sin Rom 6.23 I say besides these and the like considerations that may be urged the shortness of their troubles and the certainty of their Souls Happiness after Death may abundantly satisfie them and is more than sufficient to countervail the saddest sufferings of this mortal State as will farther be evinced by the nature and property of that Felicity which in its place with God's Assistance I shall endeavour to explicate SECT X. Being a perswasive to several great Duties THE truth of the present point may be looked on as a true and just ground for Christian practices and 't is great pity but People should be somewhat the better for a point of so much comfort and encouragement to Goodness Here therefore I may fitly endeavour to engage my self and others to the duties following 1. Patience under God's afflicting hand whether by outward or inward troubles Men of ordinary prudence can follow very unpleasant methods of Physick from the meer prospect of that ease and health which they hope in time to find by so doing though none do promise them health much less assure them of the continuance of it How should a Christian then endeavour more and more that patience may have its perfect work when he foresees by Faith that blessed Rest which his Soul shall have after death hath seized upon his Body and hath the word of God to assure him that this happiness shall never end but be compleated at the Resurrection of the just when their wasted Bodies shall forsake their dark Prisons and Shine as the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father Mat. 13.43 He may therefore say with chearfulness as once a worthy Servant of Christ Hold out Faith and Patience for your work will shortly be at an end 2. The Duty of Charity should hence be enforced upon us according to our place and power What if Men be never so unworthy or unthankfull yet Christians should be ready to extend their Charity to them in any reasonable way for the sake of that good God who will do them so much good after death How can they do less than shew forth real compassions on all fit occasions yea towards their very names if they find them wronged therein when they remember their heavenly Father's Love and consider how shortly he will receive their immortal Souls and Crown them with his tenderest mercies 3. Upright living in the general how should this engage a Christian to honour his God what he can and as the Apostle exhorts to do all to his Glory to live by Faith and walk in Love and be ready to every good work For as Samuel said 1 Sam. 12.24 Serve the Lord in truth with all your heart for consider what great things he hath done for you How fitly then may I say to such a one be diligent in thy duty and lead thy life to the glory of that gracious God who will satisfie thy Soul with his glorious
Blessedness indeed If the People of Israel after the Dedication of the House of God went away so glad and merry in heart for the Goodness that the Lord had shewed them therein 2 Chron. 7.10 If they had so much comfort in their Souls when Providence had delivered them from the sorrows of their Captivity and made them sit in peace under their own Vines Neh. 8.17 If the Wisemen rejoyced so exceedingly when they saw but our Saviour's Star appear Math. 2.10 O then what blessed Joy may we conceive to possess those happy Souls that partake of the sweetest Influences of that Sun of Righteousness and enjoy those Rivers of sacred pleasures that flow from his everlasting Love being perfected at the same time in their Love towards him This must needs be far better than the best condition here and how much better thou shalt know Christian Reader at the fittest Season in a far better manner than I am able to tell thee SECT XV. Being other Brief Improvements of the Point THIS Truth will truly serve for other good purposes besides those already mentioned and in the next place it may assure us of the comfortableness of a Christian Life The Enemies of Religion being as St. Paul speaketh unreasonable and wicked men instead of Reasons against it do rather deal in Reproaches and Slanders And there 's scarcely a greater reproach cast on it by the Men of the World than the unpleasantness of it as they imagine and the opposition they suppose it to carry against Mens present Comfort and Content Religion they confess is many times like Fire a good Servant as we use to say and therefore they think good it may be to have something of it and make a profession of it for their Credit sake or other earthly Ends But in the mean time they are loth to account it a good Master For if they came under the power of it and be ruled by it in their general Course they think it would make them melancholy and robb them of the very Joy of their Lives But assuredly there is no more reason why we should be asraid of Piety for the causeless Censures of ungodly Sinners than why we should despise the Light of the Sun for a mad Man's mocking and railing at it Let men but try the good way in truth and walk uprightly in it and then my Life upon it it shall not in the main make them sad It shall much rather make them glad yea it shall one day be the Joy of their Hearts to remember that they walked therein 2 Cor. 1.12 This is our rejoycing the Testimony of our Consciences that in Simplicity and godly Sincerity we have had our Conversation And the reason of it may in part be seen from hence for the good Way shall have a good End and bring them that walk in it to a happy State in spight of all that Death can do yea after it has done its worst upon them When they depart this Life they shall be with Christ which is far better Phil. 1.23 2. We may here inform our selves of the Nature of those Troubles that come upon good Christians in this Life viz. That they are but Crosses and not Curses Trials of Grace and mercifull Visitations not Vengeances in the least Degree or any Effects of destructive wrath for surely that mercifull Father that will make them so happy after Death doth not mean any mischief to them in the Afflictions he layeth on them in this present Life But will make all things work together for good unto them that love him Rom. 8.28 3. It may encourage Christians in their Spiritual Warfare and make them to run with patience the Race that is set before them How strenuously should they now strive against Sin since they shall shortly be more than Conquerours through him that loved them what Difficulties should make them weary of well doing since they shall so certainly and so speedily enter upon the Eternal Rest 4. Let Christians seriously consider this point and endeavour by Prayer and Meditation and all other good means to get their Hearts more affected with this Happiness that is so near at hand And to this end compare we the Joy of Just Mens Souls made perfect with other matters of Consolation that the Scripture offers unto our thoughts O what gladness would it have put into the Heart of a pious Christian to have seen the Saviour of the World in the Temple to have heard him preach the Doctrine of Salvation and speak as never Man spake To have seen the Multitudes that were miraculously fed and the Dead that were raised by him To have seen him invite poor Sinners to himself standing in the most solemn Day of the Festival and crying with a loud Voice whosoever is a-thirst let him come unto me and drink especially if at the same time he could have known his need of him and interest in him And what a Joy would it have been to have seen him after his Conquest over Death ascending to the high and holy Place To have stood among the Celestial Orbs to behold how he passed through the Regions of the Air how dark the brightest Stars were made by the presence of their Maker's Glory But chiefly what a thing would it have been to have seen the Blessed Jesus at his Entrance into the Heaven of Heavens To have seen the Everlasting Doors set open for that King of Glory to enter in together with that unconceivable welcome which he then received of all the Heavenly Hierarchy Angels and Archangels Cherubins and Seraphins all the innumerable Armies of immortal Spirits congratulating his incomparable Victories over Sin the Devil and Death offering up their praises to him and casting all their Crowns before him How joyfull a thing may we well conceive this would have been or rather joyfull beyond all our present conceptions And yet I think we may easily believe that the perfected Spirits of the Just do enjoy more comfort than all this could amount to for though in such Cases a Godly Man's Eye would in a great Measure affect his Soul yet while his Soul is sinfull 't is impossible it should be so perfectly joyfull as when it is freed from all Sin And while Sin is in it self Enmity against God it abiding in us must needs be an Enemy to our Comforts and withhold in some measure Good things from us SECT XVI Being a farther Improvement of the Doctrine aforesaid as an Antidote against the fear of Death HE that dwells in a World where Dying is so much in fashion should be one would think very inquisitive after something if possible to be found that may comfort him against that fatal stroke which he has so little hopes of escaping nor can I apprehend how any Man should be able to lead a truly comfortable Life that is not above the fears of Death in some good measure because there is no Place or Case no Company or Condition no Day nor