of G. and C. Colledge in Cambridge afterward Preacher of Gods Word at Colchester in Essex By John Fairfax M. A. Hos 13. 14. I will ransom them from the power of the Grave I will redeem them from death O Death I will be thy Plagues O Grave I will be thy Destruction London Printed for T. P. 1681. THE SAINTS VICTORY OVER DEATH Opened in a FUNERAL SERMON Upon the occasion of the Death of M r. OWEN STOCKTON 1 Cor. 15. 57. But thanks be to God who giveth us the Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ SO soon as Sin entred into the world Death the King of terrors being therewith Armed began its Reign and hath Reigned not only from Adam to Moses over the race of Mankind but even to this day And as a Merciless Cruel insatiable Tyrant affrights the world making horrible Slaughters not at the rate of Saul and David who slew their Thousands and their ten Thousands but Death slayeth Universally beyond number from the Infant to the Aged from the dunghil to the Throne sparing neither Age nor Sex neither base nor Honourable neither great nor small neither Sacred nor Prophane The Cry of this misery of man being very loud reached up to Heaven and entred into the Ears of God that made him who heard regarded and pitied and in infinite mercy Ordained and Commissioned his own and Only Son the Lord Jesus Christ to be a Prince of Life and Captain of Salvation to miserable men to Redeem a remnant from the Terror Power and Tyranny of this All-devouring All-destroying Enemy The Son of God readily accepts this honourable Office and accordingly cometh down from Heaven and becometh Incarnate among the Sons of men to discharge it And girding his Sword upon his thigh in his Majesty he rode prosperously and his right hand taught him terrible things Having first trampled under his feet the forlorn hope of the Enemy Poverty Hunger Thirst Labour Weariness Griefs Persecutions Mockings Buffetings Scourging and acutest Pains he forthwith enters into the very Region of Death the Land of Darkness Encounters Disarmeth Overcometh and Destroyeth the King of Terrors in his own Territory the Grave leading Captivity Captive and Triumphing in a powerful and glorious Resurrection The vertue and benefit of which Victory he Communicates to all his followers the noble Army of Conflicting Saints listed under his exalted Banner In token whereof the Graves were opened and many bodies of Saints which slept arose and came out of their Graves after his Resurrection Mat. 27. 52 53. This glorious Conquest is the Apostles comfortable Argument throughout this Chapter Where he first Asserts and proves the Resurrection of Christ to vers 20. Concluding Now is Christ risen from the dead From whence he infers proves and illustrates the Resurrection of the Saints with the order and manner thereof from vers 20 to 55. In the Faith and Contemplation whereof he cannot contain himself but breaketh forth into this triumphant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 boldly challenging daring defying and out-braving Death vers 55. 56 57. O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy Victory 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 In which last words the Subject to be discoursed on there are four things observable The Enemy The Victory The Victors and the Triumph 1. First The Enemy which is supposed in the Text but expressed in the Context ver 55 56. viz. Death Armed by sin strengthned by the Law 2. Secondly The Victory over this Enemy that is The destruction of Death as to its terror and power 3. Thirdly The Victors who are Christ first and with him all that are Christ's ver 23. Every of whom shall be made alive in his own order Christ first afterward they that are Christs All that Harvest whereof Christ is the First-fruits vers 20. 4. Fourthly Th◠Triumph Thanks be to God The three former we will sum up in this Doctrinal Proposition Doctr. Believers are victorious over Death through Jesus Christ From whence the fourth will be inferred by most just and due Consequence Thanks be to God In speaking to which that we may the more commend and magnifie the Victory we will First Represent to you the Enemy over which the Victory is gotten viz. Death Corporal death for as is the Resurrection such must be the Death The Resurrection which the Apostle here argueth is of the body vers 35. How are the dead raised up And with what body do they come vers 44. It is sown a Natural body it is raised a Spiritual body And vers 53. This corruptible must put on Incorruption and this mortal must put on Immortality Such therefore must be the Death Concerning which as an Enemy take this account 1. It is a spoiling Enemy That devests a man of all his wordly Enjoyments Houses and Lands Gold and Silver the fruits of the Earth the encrease of Corn and Wine the pleasures of the flesh sensual delights the light of the Sun Society with men Conversation with friends the Comfort of Relations Husband Wife Father Mother Sons and Daughters Brethren and Sisters How sweet near and dear are these to the Living But when Death cometh it spoils him of all and puts an utter and everlasting end to his use and enjoyment of them and turneth him naked out of the world Psal 49. 16 17. Be not thou afraid when one is made rich when the Glory of his house is encreased For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away his glory shall not descend after him and vers 19. They shall never see light Which our Saviour exemplifieth in a Parable Luk. 12. 16. to vers 20. The rich mans ground brought forth plentifully till he said to his Soul Soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years take thine ease eat drink and be merry But the sad tidings of Death are next brought him This night shall thy Soul be required And what is the Consequence Whose shall those things be which thou hast provided Not thine be sure All thy interest in them is lost for ever It was Hezekia's Lamentation when it was told him that he should die Isa 38. 11. I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world And as Death spoils a man of all his possessions so also of his projects before him Ps 146. 4. His breath goeth forth he returneth to his Earth in that very day his thoughts perish And of all his hopes too Job 27. 8. What is the hope of the hyprocrite though he hath gained when God taketh away his Soul Death is a spoiling Enemy 2. It is a Surprising enemy It cometh upon a man as a thief in the night 1 Thes 5. 2. when he little dreameth of it and taketh him as a snare Eccl. 9. 12. Man knoweth not his time As the birds are caught in the snare so are the Sons of men
snared by death in an evil time when it falleth suddenly upon them Every one may say as Isaac Gen. 27. 2. I know not the day of my death At an hour when ye think not saith Christ the Son of man cometh Luk. 12. 40. The man we mentioned even now was confident of many years before him and promised himself a merry long life Luk. 12. 19. yet ver 20. He that knew said to him Hac Nocte This night thou must die Who knoweth what shall be on the morrow or what a day may bring forth Nemo tam Divos habuit faventes Crastinum ut posset sibi polliceri Was not Nabal in his plenty Jobs Children in their feasting Nadab and Abihu in their offering Herod in his pride Belshazzar in his cups Zimri and Cozbi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. surprised by this Enemie 3. It is a destructive Enemy Destruction and Death are joyned together Job 28 22. yea this is the very name of Death Ps 88. 11. shall thy loving kindness be declared in the grave or thy faithfulness in Destruction Ps 103. 4. who redeemeth thy life from Destruction i. e. death A dead man is reduced to his first principle the Earth The body returns to the dust from whence it came and this is turning man to Destruction Ps 90. 3. If a man were Surprised and spoiled of all that he had without him and should yet escape with his life though naked it were a sore evil yet such as might be endured a great loss but such as might be repaired But Death spoils a man of himself taketh down the goodly frame and Constitution of Nature Cuts a man asunder and divideth Soul from body God taketh away his Soul Job 27. 8. Her Soul was in departing for she died Gen. 35. 18. Thy Soul shall be required Luk. 12. 20. So as no ground of hope is left to a dying man Life is a fundamental Being Take away that and ye take away all The dead are not Joseph is not Gen. 42. Lo he was not Ps 37. 36. Job 14. 7 8 9 10. There is hope of a tree if it be cut down that it will Sprout again and that the tender branch thereof will not cease Though the root thereof wax old in the Earth and the Stock thereof die in the ground Yet through the sent of water it will bud and bring forth boughs like a plant But man dieth and wasteth away Yea man giveth up the Ghost and where is he and ver 14. If a man die shall he live again 4. It is a certain unavoidable Enemy There is no defence to be made against it no humane power can withstand it no fortification of the body by utmost art can prevent its entrance either by some violent storming or Successive batteries or longer seige it wil prevail against the Stoutest defendants Psal 89. 48. What man is he that liveth and shall not see death shall he deliver his Soul from the hand of the grave The young the strong the healthful the wise the rich the honourable All have fallen and shall fall under the power of this irresistible enemy The experience of five thousand years and upwards which the world hath had is enough to Convince all the Living that they shall as certainly die as that they have been born 5. It is an abhorred Enemy Against which Nature relucts with the greatest passion and from which it fleeth with greatest aversation It will never be reconciled to that which dissolveth the nearest and most intimate union between Soul and body which taketh in pieces the curious Workmanship defiles the Glory and stains the beauty of the goodliest body which turns the lovely body into a loathsome Carkass resolves it into corruption and putrefaction and gives it to the worms for meat No Antipathy greater than between Nature and Death Skin for Skin and all that a man hath will he give for his life Job 2. 4. 6. It is a formidable enemy that affects a man with fear and terror We read Ps 91. 5. the terrour by night that is Death Job 24. 17. the terrours of the shadow of Death Psal 55. 4. the terrours of Death and Job 18. 14. It is called the King of Terrors i. e. The chief of Terrours 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Saith the Judgment of Nature of all terribles the most terrible This is Consequent upon the former It being a Spoiling surprising destroying irresistible abhorred enemy It must needs be very terrible What a terror possesseds the Egyptians when Death entred in at their doors and slew their first born Exod. 12. 30 33. They were so affrighted that even Pharoah rose up in the night he and all his Servants and all the Egyptians and there was a great cry in Egypt for there was not an house where there was not one dead They said we be all dead men It is a threatning denounced by God Deut. 28. 65 66 67. The Lord shall give thee a trembling heart Why Thy life shall hang in doubt before thee And thou shalt fear day and night and shalt have no assurance of thy life In the morning thou shalt say Would God it were Even and at even thou shalt say Would God it were morning for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear The apprehension of this affrighted Gideon a mighty man of valour till the Lord encouraged him and said to him Fear not thou shalt not die Judg. 6. 23. At this the King Belshazzars Countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him so that the joynts of his loins were loosed and his knees smote one against another Dan. 5. 6. And who that is but a natural man doth not experience trembling and astonishment at the approach and sight of Death yea many times at the very thoughts of it The world of men doth generally bear witness to that which is written Heb. 2. 15. that through fear of Death they are all their life time Subject to bondage There are two things both in the context which make Death so terrible 1 st Sin which the Apostle calleth the Sting of Death It was by sin that death entred in the world and it is by Sin that death reigneth in the world The poison of the Serpent is in his sting and the power of the Serpent is in his sting So the poyson of Death is in sin and the power of Death lieth in sin without which though it killeth it cannot hurt This is the only weapon wherewith Death is Armed against the Children of men but it is a deadly one That is a dreadful threatning indeed which our Saviour denounceth against the Jews Joh. 8. 21. Ye shall die in your sins According to what the Lord had before spoken by his Prophet Ezek. 18. 24. In his trespass that he hath trespassed and in the sin that he hath sinned in them shall he die It is our sad case that we are born in sin and worse that we live in sin but Oh! how dreadful
unto punishment He is overcome whose armour is taken from him wherein he trusted Luk. 11. 22. Thus it is with Death Where Sin hath no dominion Death hath none for Death reigneth by Sin Now as for the sins of believers God to whom belongeth the forgiveness of sins saith Isa 44. 22. I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgresons and as a cloud thy sins Jer. 31. 34. I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more Numb 23. 21. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob neither hath he seen perversness in Israel Mic. 7. 18 19. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage Thou wilt Cast all their sins into the depths of the Sea Act. 10. 43. whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of Sins What God said to repenting and believing David that he saieth to all believers 2 Sam. 12. 13. The Lord hath put away your sin ye shall not die Ye shall not die by the venemous sting of Death This indeed is in effect the whole victory over death This is the fatal mortal wound given to Death and will in time be the very Death of Death and therefore the Apostle triumpheth over it on that account vers 55. O Death where is thy sting What Luther sometimes said to God that may every Believer say to Death Feri Domine said he Strike Lord. Feri mors feri may they say Nam a peccatis absolutus sum Strike Death strike for my sins are pardoned Thou mayest kill me but thou canst not hurt me 2. Death is overcome to Believers in that it cannot amaze them with despairing terrors However it be to others it is not to them the King of Terrors Believers are freed from the bondage of the tormenting fear of Death Heb. â— 15. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death saith David Psal 23. 4. I will fear no evil Elijah makes request for himself that he might die 1 King 19. 4. The three Children valiantly yielded their bodies to the fiery fornace Dan. 3. 16. 28. Lord now lettest thou thy Servant depart in peace saith good old Simeon Luk. 2. 29. Paul and Barnabas willingly hazarded their lives Act. 15. 16. Paul had a desire to be dissolved Phil. 1. 23. Those worthies Heb. 11. 35. would not accept deliverance The Primitive Martyrs would hasten to the stake Such Victory had they gotten of the fear of Death The grant of their Pardon and their discharge from Condemnation which God hath Sealed to them The peace of a good Conscience which they carry about with them Their apprehensions that their bodies are the Temples of the Holy Ghost which he will never desert or neglect Their assurance of the faithfulness and power of God into whose hands they commend their Spirit The fore-tasts of the sweetness of Communion with God and Jesus Christ to be fully enjoyed in the other world Their faith and hope of a blessed Resurrection to Immortality Their Evidences for Heaven These are powerful Arguments which they improve against the fear of Death and by the strength whereof they Triumph over it Object But for all this Are not Believers afraid to die Was not Abraham afraid when he thought he should be slain Gen. 20. 11. Did not David complain The terrors of death are fallen from me Ps 55. 4. Did not Hezekiah weep sore when it was said to him Thou shalt die Isa 38. 1. And who almost is not afraid Answ 1. There is a Natural fear of death as it is the dissolution of the Compositum a separation of Soul and Body which are so intimately united which is not sinful Believers are not free from this Grace doth not destroy Nature Nature will be Nature and act its part even in the best of Saints They who have the surest hope of Eternal life and clearest Evidences of their Salvation yea and have an unfained longing and desire after the Heavenly state have yet a natural aversness unto Death and do rather endure than desire it St. Paul saith for himself and other Believers that though they knew that if their Earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved they had a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the Heavens and groaned earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with their house which is from Heaven yet they had a natural Love of life and abhorrence of death and their groaning was not that they would be unclothed 2 Cor. 5. 1 2 4. yea our Lord Jesus Christ himself in whom was no sin being found in fashion as a man when he humbled himself and became obedient unto death experienced this fear as the proper expression of his humane Nature When his hour was come Mar. 14. 33 34. He taketh with him Peter and James and John and began to be sore amazed and to be very heavy and saith my Soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death 2. There is a slavish inordinate sinful fear of death which Believers overcome and from which they are freed It was one end of Christs death that he might deliver his redeemed from fear of death to which they were holden in bondage Heb. 2. 15. To which yet some Believers are subject yea it may be All at sometimes more or less This ariseth from weakness of Faith from want of assurance from Conscience of lapses and contracted guilt from neglecting to search their own hearts from misapprehending and mis-judging their Spiritual state from inordinate love to this life and world c. for which they must blame themselves Believers as such so far as they are Believers are victorious Did they walk close with God improve grace received examine their own state wisely and judge thereof rightly Did they take hold of the Covenant of God live by Faith meditate on the Promises and apply them as their Portion which becometh Believers they might and would get above the slavish fears of Death In this method they might be ready to die and fear no evil When the Christian can say with David Psal 23. The Lord is my Shepherd he maketh me to lie down in green pastures he leadeth me besides the still waters he restoreth my Soul he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness He will then add also Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil 3. There is a despairing fear The presumptions of Hell the pre-occupation of Torment the fore-tasts of the wrath of the Almighty the scorchings of the Lake that burneth with fire and Brimstone that driveth the sinner past all hope and overwhelms the Soul in hideous darkness and horrible Confusions Have there not been instances of some wretched guilty Souls going out of the body as the Devil out of the Demoniack Mar. 9. renting and taring and wallowing and foming and raging and roaring again And were it not for the Atheism ignorance infidelity blindness hardness searedness flattery
and miserable to die in sin in a state of sin in the guilt of sin under the reign and power of sin in the arms and embraces of sin Sin being the transgression of a righteous Law the violation of infinite Holiness and Justice and rebellion against Divine Majesty and Authority it always hath demerit and guilt consequent upon it which obligeth and bindeth the sinner to undergoe that punishment which is naturally due to it Which punishment is Death Rom 1. 32. they which Commit such things are worthy of death Thus sin becomes the weapon or sting of Death by which it hath power to destroy Death cometh upon the Sinner as a bailiff or Sergeant from the Judge with warrant to apprehend and bring the Sinner to give account or as an executioner to take vengeance to pay the Sinner the just wages of his sin for the reparation of a broken Law for the satisfaction of offended Justice for the Declaration of Divine hatred and displeasure against sin and for the manifestation of Gods Glorious power and wrath against the guilty And what a terror must Death needs be when it appears in this shape and armed with this sting Know O presumptuous and secure Sinner Though wickedness be now sweet in thy mouth and thou hidest it under thy tongue Though thou swallowest down deliciously thy forbidden morsells of sensual pleasure and worldly gain yet this meat will soon be turned in thy bowels and become the gall of asps within thee At last at death it will bite as a serpent and sting like an adder What horrour will fill thy soul when approaching Death shall awaken thy sleepy Conscience as oft times it doth and thy awakened Conscience shall charge thee with thy inexcusable transgression of a Righteous Law thy gross neglect of Commanded duty thy industerious provision to satisfie the flesh thy ready compliance with the call of temptations thy irreparable loss of precious time Thy hypocritical dealing with God in Covenant the Stopping of thine eares at the voice of Conscience the shutting of thine eyes against the light of Scripture the hardening of thy heart against the motions of the Spirit thy unbelieving refusals of an offered Saviour thy unprofitable misimprovement of means of Grace thy unthankful abuse of the mercies of God and obstinate incorrigibleness under his Judgments with many other instances of multiplyed and aggravated sins through a long life Whence will arise dismal apprehensions of the wrath of an offended God a certain fearful expectation of Judgment to come and a pre-occupation of eternal torments and everlasting burnings This is that sting of Death the weapon wherewith it is armed against thee wherein Consists its power and by which it is so terrible 2. Add to this the strength which this sting hath from the Law For saith the Apostle The strength of sin is the Law and that two ways 1 st As the Law discovers and convinceth of sin Rom. 5. 13. Sin is not imputed where there is no Law Men are not prone to charge themselves with sin where there is no Law therefore Gal. 3. 19. the Law was added because of transgressions that is to make transgressions appear Hence we read Rom. 3. 20. By the Law is the knowledge of sin and Rom. 7. 9 13. I was alive without the Law once in my own opinion but when the Commandment came Sin revived and I died I was convinced I was in a state of Sin and death and v. 13. Sin by the Commandement becomes exceeding sinful Thus sin as the sting of Death is strengthned by the Law while men thereby are more cleerly and fully convinced of it and the greater the conviction is the sharper is the sting 2 ly As the Law Curseth and condemneth the sinner Gal. 3. 10. Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them hence as before Rom. 7. 9. When the Commandment Came. I died and 2 Cor. 3. 7. The Law is called the Ministration of death The Law binds the sinner over to the Judgment of the great day It holds him fast under his guilt without hope of pardon passeth sentence of Condemnation upon him and begins the execution by wounding the Spirit terrifying the Soul with pre-apprehensions and foretasts of the wrath to come The sum of the terror of Death is this Approaching death awakeneth the secure Conscience Awakened Conscience charged with the guilt of sin This sin is strengthened with a Convincing cursing Law The dying wretch seeth his day of sensual delights and pleasures his day of worldly gains and purchases his day of Carnal fellowship with men and especially his day of Grace and mercy with God passing away finds his Spirit fainting his heart and flesh failing anguish and pangs taking hold of him and his soul forthwith to be Required Apprehended Arrested Summoned and haled out of his body from all freinds means helps and hopes to appear naked before God the Judge of all men to give an account of a sinful life and to receive a righteous doom viz. Depart from me ye Cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels and then to go away into everlasting punishment At this what heart of man can contain and possess himself without fear Who but must be appalled confounded amazed terrified Knowing the terror saith St. Paul 2 Cor. 5. 1. Speaking of this appearance and account Felix trembled saith St. Luke Act. 24. 25. When he heard of Judgment to come It is a fearful looking for of Judgment and fierie indignation saith the Author to the Hebrews chap. 10. 27. and a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God ver 31. Thus have we represented the Enemy Death in its power and pomp as it reigneth over the fallen Sons and Daughters of Adam which appears so terrible that woe be to those that fall under the power of it 2. We will now shew you this Enemy fallen and overcome before Believers Believers are Victorious over Death Object But saith Natural Carnal reason Is not this a great Paradox who will believe it One Enoch indeed was translated that he should not see Death and Elijah went up to Heaven in a fiery Chariot But else the Patriarchs and Prophets and Apostles and all the Saints in their Successive generations have yielded up to Death And doth not every day bear witness Are we not all here this day lamenting a very holy and Eminent Saint and Servant of Jesus Christ fallen by the stroke of Death Where then is the Victory And How is Death overcome Answ Notwithstanding all this yet Verily Death is overcome Not ut ne sit but ut ne obsit Not that it should not be but that it should not be hurtful to believers and this Victory consists in four things 1. Death is disarmed to believers that it cannot sting them When death cometh it finds no sin in them unpardoned no guilt remaining as an obligation