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A60155 A sermon preacht upon the death of Mrs. Anne Barnardiston (daughter of Nathanael Barnardiston, Esq., late of Hackney) who departed this life the 30th day of Decemb. 1681, at the age of seventeen with a brief account of some remarkable passages of her life and death. Shower, John, 1657-1715. 1682 (1682) Wing S3690; ESTC R5070 28,398 52

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to be with Christ to be absent from the Body ● Cor. 5.8 and present with the Lord with that merciful Saviour who had compassion on me when as an ignorant Blasphemer I persecuted his Members who call'd me to be an Apostle and enabl'd me by his Grace to own his Truth in the face of Dangers and hath hitherto comforted me in all my Tribulation I desire to depart that I may be with him With him not with the blessed Angels or departed Saints though their Society will make a part of the heavenly Joy Not the former they are but ministring Spirits and menial Servants imployed under him and though they shine as Stars yet he is the enlivening Sun from whom they derive their Lustre and borrow all their glory Not the latter they have no Blessedness but by his Donation and Purchase no Crowns of Life but what he puts on Therefore 't is not to be with them only or chiefly that made him thus groan to be dissolv'd thus earnestly desire to depart but to be with Christ Which is far better simply and in it self more desirable by much more better the Comparative being double in the Greek Text and yet I wot not what to choose for I am in a strait betwixt two On the one hand his Love to the Philippians who needed his prefence many false Teachers being at that time crept in among them V. 24. made him willing to abide in the flesh and deferr his own felicity for a time upon their account But the Glory of Christ's presence on the other and his own unspeakable advantage by it made him desirous of a Departure and therefore though he determines for the former and was content to Live and 't is probable had some secret intimation from Heaven that all his work in this World was not yet finisht yet he grants the latter to be simply more eligible having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far Better Which words are not more suitable to a Funeral Solemnity than expressive of the dying Thoughts and Temper of our deceased Friend and were chosen by her as the Subject of my present Discourse And that I may comprehend the Substance and Design of the Text according to the desire of the Dead for the Benefit and Instruction of the Living let us consider 1. When and how far it is warrantable for a Christian to desire death 2. In what respects to depart and to be with Christ is far Better than to abide in the Flesh 3. On what Grounds and Principles a Christian may expect a future Blessedness with Christ after his departure so as to encourage and excite his desires after it 4. Whence it comes to pass that even those who acknowledge it Far Better to be with Christ than to continue in the body are yet unwilling to depart in order to it and what Remedies are proper to the case of such 5. The Application of the whole particularly with respect to the sad Occasion of our present Meeting 1. When and how far is it warrantable for a Christian to desire to be dissolv'd This Inquiry may be answered in the following Propositions 1. Our dissolution and departure as a natural or penal evil as contrary to Nature or as the Punishment of Sin cannot possibly be the Object of a rational desire If God hath promised a long Life as the Encouragement and Reward of our Obedience and threatned an hasty death as the punishment of Impiety If it be universally true that the Soul of man desires Union with the Body and unavoidably dreads a separation from it If Torturing pains and loathsom Diseases are the usual Antecedents of dying If the Corruption of the Body and its Imprisonment in the Grave till the general Resurrection be the certain Consequent of our dissolution We cannot but think of Death as a natural Evil and as such decline and fear it Much less desirable will it appear if considered as the Wages of Sin and the Fruit of Gods displeasure and the Just Sentence of his Vindictive Justice but how far our dissolution in this latter Notion of it is changed by the death of Christ in reference to Believers is another question and will more properly be considered under the third Inquiry 2. Our dissolution and departure ought not to be desired Only as a freedom from Temporal Evil as preventive of present suffering or delivering us from it The Apostle doth not mention the uneasie Circumstances of a Prison or the continual hardships to which he was exposed from the malice of his adversaries as the ground of his desire to depart but to be with Christ he knew very well that a Christian may serve the ends of God's glory and be useful to others in a state of suffering and therefore when he saith in another place We that are in this Tabernacle do groan being burden'd 2 Cor. 5.3.4 he adds the limitation in the following words not to be unclothed but cloth'd upon that mortality may be swallowed up of Life not meerly to avoid the inconveniencies of our abode in so poor a dwelling but to come to the possession of the building not made with hands eternal in the Heavens Not meerly to find relief and deliverance from our present burdens Job 7.13 Jon. 4.3 when through melancholy or discontent we are weary of Life when we have set our Hearts on somewhat we cannot obtain or struggle with some difficulties we cannot master or are impatient under bodily pains or quite dispirited by the sad prospect of approaching Calamities in such a case to wish for Death and desire to depart is unbecoming the Character the incouragement and hopes of a Souldier of Christ much less will the Gallantry of a Roman or a Philosopher legitimate the desire of Death only to prevent Slavery or avoid Disgrace or miss the sight of an unwelcome object As Cato resolv'd to dye that he might not behold Victorious Caesar whom by all means possible he had endeavoured to ruine ●icero in ●uscul ●est lib. 1. and Cicero saith expresly of him that the reason of his choice was just and that Cato ought to dye rather then see the face of a Tyrant But we have not so learn'd Christ for 3. We must not designedly precipitate or hasten our own departure nor wilfully neglect any probable means to preserve our Lives how desirous so ever we are to be with Christ we acknowldge God as the Author and Owner of our lives and shall we presume to dispose of what is his without a declaration of his consent and order to authorize us Are we bound by the sixth commandment to preserve the Life of our neighbour and may we be negligent and careless of our own is not every man nearer to himself than any other can be and is not self-murder a violation of the Law of nature and condemned by a general suffrage and can we suppose it a sufficient Justification of our selves that
Religious Exercises which cool our Zeal and abate the fervor of our Spirits in the service of our Redeemer which weaken our Confidence in Prayer and shame our faces before the Lord in secret And is it not far better to part with the body of flesh that thereby we may be rid of this body of sin and death Rom. 7.2 and be like our Saviour in perfect purity Do we not complain of our Ignorance of Divine Truths and the blessed Mysteries of the Gospel notwithstanding all our means of knowledge of our Earthliness and unbelief of unbecoming Thoughts of God and holy things of proud Imaginations and carnal reasonings against his Works and Word of languishing and imperfect Graces to be recovered and perfected c And is it not better be with Christ where that which is imperfect shall be done away Is not God dishonor'd and provok't by our frequent Omissions and slight Performances of duty do we not resist and quench and sadden his holy Spirit and are we not often griev'd by God's rebukes and frowns by the wounds and smart regrets of our own Conscience so that we remember God and are troubled and cry out in the bitterness of our Souls Hath he forgotten to be gracious and will he be merciful no more Are not our holy Purposes inconstant and our best Resolutions wavering and unsteddy and very quickly very easily shatter'd by the breath of a small Temptation Have we not a constant Watch to keep over our Hearts and wayes a perpetual War to manage with the Infernal Trinity the World the Flesh and the Devil and do we know his rage and malice and serpentine policy with the Multitude Strength and Power of his Temptations How often we have been foil'd already and how soon we may be so again and shall we not be desirous of a sinless state in the presence of Christ where no Tempter no Temptation shall ever be admitted Yea had we no corruption or Sin of our own to be delivered from yet our concern at God's dishonour by the sins of others should make us willing to depart as much more desirable than our abode on earth Job 24.9 〈◊〉 24.4 Which is given into the hands of the wicked and defiled by its Inhabitants Where the very Air is infected with Oaths and Blasphemies prophane discourse and filthy Talk Where the very Being of a God is question'd his Providence denyed and his Authority mock't Where the Gospel of Christ is disparag'd and despised his Laws contradicted his Worship polluted his Institutions subverted and his holy Name made a cloak for Licentiousness and his faithful Servants trampl'd on by the foot of Pride and scorned by men at ease and forc't to own his Truth with the peril of their Lives And can we say It is good to be here or is it not far better to forsake such a Place and Company that we may be with Christ 3. Let us consider what are the grounds and Principles by which a Christian is assured of this Blessedness in the presence of Christ after his dissolution This Inquiry is necessary because the discourse of our future Bliss with Christ cannot be supposed to have any effect or influence upon us to make us desire our departure while we disbelieve or make a doubt of the matter I hope it were needless to prove the Possibility of the Souls existence in a state of seperation from the Body Whether in the body or out of the body 2 Cor. 12 2. would not have been a doubt to this great Apostle if he could not possibly have liv'd but in it neither could he desire to depart that he might be with Christ if after his departure he should not be at all And supposing the existence of the Soul notwithstanding the dissolution of the Body we have as full an assurance as the nature of the thing is capable of that holy Souls shall be present with the Lord in glory when absent from the body 1 Thess 4.17 Joh. 17.24 Matth. 25.23 Rev. 3.21 c. But because the Text hath a special relation to Christ and to be with him is the Blessedness on the account whereof 't is desirable to depart I shall only mention his Death and Resurrection as a sufficient ground to confirm our Faith in the certainty of being with him and to excite our Desires of a departure in order to it 1. The Death of Christ He hath cancell'd the Hand-writing against us and put away Sin Eph. 1.7 which is the sting of Death by the Death of the Cross a way is now open for us into the holy of holies by his blood not for our Prayers only but our Persons Heb. 10.19 He hath wounded the Head of the old Serpent even by permitting him to bruise his Heel by crucifying his humane Nature which was only Vestigium Deitatis 2 Sam. 23 21. Heb. 2.15 As Benaiah slew the Egyptian with his own Spear Having destroyed death and him that had the power of it and delivered those who were all their Life time subject to bondage through the fear of death He hath set his foot on the neck of this Adversary disarm'd it of it's weapon and rob'd it of it's sting and abolisht the ugliness and poyson of it He hath dismounted Hell and Damnation from behind him who Sat on the Pale-horse Rev. 6.8 Whether the first Adam were buryed in Calvary where the second was crucifyed as some affirm I need not enquire we know that his Death was our Victory and his Cross may be our Triumph since the Devil is conquered and death Sanctified and the Grave perfum'd by his burial so that we need not be afraid to lodge in a Sepulchre where our Lord himself hath slept Yea since the effusion of his Blood there is an amiable ruddiness in the Face of death for that which was the Instrument of Justice is now the messenger of Peace and Joy that which was the gate of Hell is the way to Life He hath brought sweetness out of the Strong and meat out of the Eater 1 Cor. 3.21 and therefore Death as well as Life is reckon'd in the Inventory of the riches of the Saints All things are yours because you are Christs and Christ is Gods 2. His Resurrection and Exaltation his rising from the Dead not only discovers the possibility of our Resurrection and gives us a pledge and assurance of it as declaring the sufficiency and acceptation of his Sacrifice Rom. 8.11 Is 26.19 that therefore the Dead in Christ shall live and with his Dead Body arise But being punctually effected according to his prediction and promise it confirms the Truth of all his Word and seals the promise of eternal Life unto all Believers He hath open'd the Prison doors and loos'd the bands of Death 1 Cor. 15. ●0 and roll'd away the heavy Stone from the Graves of his people he is now become the first fruits of them that Sleep in Jesus And