any true comfort sin and comfort doe mutually expell one another Fourthly sin wounds the conscience kindles Gods wrath keepes good things from vs depriues of heauen exposeth to hel-torments brings a curse vpon al a man hath makes the very remembrance of death terrible and therefore sinne alone makes miserable Good Anselmus had that apprehension of the miserie of sin as that if hee had been put to his choice he would haue chosen rather to haue been in hell without sinne then in heauen with sinne Supposing sin to be able to make him more miserable then hell fire it selfe Vse And this may serue first to discouer the deceitfulnes of sin it promises to make a man happie the Adulterer would thinke himselfe a happy man if he might obtaine his filthy desires the Couetous person would think himself made for euer if by vsury false weights cosenage swearing lying and the like hee may attaine riches and greatnesse in the world the malicious person would thinke himselfe happy to worke reuenge against his enemy in word or deed The like wee might say of other habituall sinners which account sin their summum bonum or chiefest good but alas they are far deceiued accounting that their happinesse which is their miserie In this they are like such as haue the greene-sicknesse which take delight to eate loame and other baggage taking pleasure in that which others see to bee their misery or like one infected with the itch pardon the plainnesse of my comparison who takes delight and pleasure in rubbing of himselfe when as alas this hee takes pleasure in increaseth his miserie Thus I say wee see the deceitfulnesse of sinne it promiseth happinesse but it performeth nothing but woefull miserie Vse Secondly this shewes vs what we may esteeme of them which wee see goe on and take their chiefe delight in sinne be they neuer so rich neuer so great neuer so highly aduanced in the world they are but wretched persons if the sense of naturall corruption abated made the Apostle in his own feeling miserable what shall sinne reigning and nothing abated make these persons Possibly they are not sensible of their misery as Paul was but this their senselesnesse addes rather to their misery then in any sort extenuats it a man somtimes is neuer more deadly sicke then when hee hath least feeling of his sicknesse euen so a sinner is then in the most miserable case when he can goe on in sinne with greedinesse without any remorse and with great contentment What should wee speake of IOB sitting on the dung hill or of LAZARVS full of sores dying at the Rich-mans gate or of any other in great affliction the sinner the sinner is the onely miserable person Shew methe greatest sinner in the world and I will quickly shew thee the most wretched miserable catiffe that the earth beares or euer the Sun lookt vpon Many other good vses might be made of this point both for the deepe humiliation of vs which are sinners and for our preseruation against sinne for the time to come but for breuity sake I leaue them to euery mans priuate meditation beseeching euery man and woman in the name of the Lord Iesus to shunne that with all diligence which they see by this doctrine will make them wretched and miserable And thus for the first part of my Text to wit the exclamation Come we now to the second namely the exoptation in these words Who shall deliuer mee from the body of this death These words may be read two waies either thus Who shall deliuer me from the body of this death or thus Who shall deliuer me from this body of death The Reason of the diuersity of reading is because the pronoune 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may bee indifferently referred as it stands in construction either to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Syrian translation reads it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Who shall deliuer me from this body of death referring the pronoune This rather to body then to death the which reading I doe the rather imbrace because the Apostle at this time doth not seeme to point at this or that particular kinde of death but rather at his present body But in the next place for the better vnderstanding of these words it may bee demanded what is meant heere by the body of death a Bucer Some hold that by the body of death is meant nothing else but sinne inhabiting in the body b Hier. in apolog aduersus Ruffin others by the body of death vnderstand the naturall body lyable to death but Origen vnderstands it of both b Theoph. ad loc I thinke it safest to receiue the last acception For surely the Apostle desires so earnestly to bee freed from sinne as that withall he desires to bee freed from the very body as it is infected with sinne Wo shall deliuer non dubitantis sed anhelantis saith reueuerend Caluin these are not words of one that doubteth who shall deliuer him but of one that greatly desireth to be deliuered and indeed it is the manner of the Hebrewes to expresse an earnest wish by way of question as wee haue an example in Psal 53.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who will giue deliuerance vnto Israel out of Zion that is O that the Lord would giue deliuerance and so in this place who shall deliuer mee out of this body of death that is O that the Lord would deliuer me Thus for the meaning To handle the words First as they haue relation to the body and then as they haue reference to sinne in the body from this body of death the body is called the body of death because it is liable to death so that the first instruction hence to bee obserued is that the body of man is subiect to death or mortality in this respect it is called dust Eccles 12.7 a karkeise Heb. 3.17 a Tent or Tabernacle 2 Pet. 1.13 a mortall body Rom. 6.12 and here a body of death Quest But how came man to be liable to death did GOD create him at the first so Surely no the Lord created him non moriturum such an one as should neuer haue seene death if he had persisted in his integrity In lib. hypognost contra Pelag. Celestianos contra primum articulum Tom. 7. Dicite ergo si deus mortem fecit cur Christus Deus mortuū fleuit Lazarum secundum carnem non enim quod ipse fecerat dolere debuit sed dolens eum plorans ostendit quos Deus vitales fecerat diabolum per culpam fecisse mortales it was sinne it was sinne that brought death into the world In sinnes wombe it was hatched God is not properly the Author or Father of it Rom. 5.12 Saint Augustine saith notably rather say yee if God created death why then did Christ being God bewaile the death of Lazarus according to the flesh for what hee himselfe had made he should not haue
him to an account before hee hath made all things streight But heere it may bee demanded what is the worke which the Lord hath giuen vs to doe Or what is the maine taske of a Christian Answer His first taske is to repent euery Christian should thinke himselfe borne for repentance his second taske is to beleeue in the Lord Iesus and so to make streight his account by setting his debts vpon Christ his score his third taske is to glorifie God in his generall and particular calling labouring therein faithfully in loue to his Master and in thankfulnesse for the great worke of Redemption his fourth taske is to worke vp his owne saluation with feare and trembling and to giue all diligence to make his calling and election sure hee that hath a conscionable care to dispatch this taske need neither bee ashamed to liue nor afraid to die Thus for the tractation of these words Who shall deliuer mee from this body of death as they haue relation to the body Doct. 7 Come we now to handle them as they haue reference to sinne in the body And so we obserue in the first place that sinne is a bondage else why should the Apostle speake heere of deliuerance from it Cyrulus Alexan. in euang Ioan. lib. 6. c. 2. Haec seruitus eo deterior est quā corporalis subiectio yea as one of the Fathers saith truly The seruitude of sinne is so much the worse then bodily subiection For these causes First because al men detest and shunne corporall subiection as hard and bitter and that out of knowledge of the bitternesse of it but the seruitude of sinne is neither sufficiently knowne neither doth it displease yea we applaud it and play with it take pleasure in it and account it rather a freedome then a bondage Secondly because by running away a man may deliuer himselfe from bodily bondage Seruus autem peccati non habet quo fugiat but a slaue to sin cannot doe so his euill inclinations and guilty conscience will still follow him Thirdly in bodily bondage a man may be blamelesse for what blame was there in Ioseph when hee was sold as a slaue by his brethren into Aegypt but in the slauerie to sinne a man cannot bee innocent because he is not sold against his will but with his will to worke wickednesse Fourthly from bodily slauerie there is freedome and deliuerance at death though during life it bee neuer so hard and painefull but spirituall slauerie hath no end no not in death hee that hath serued sinne all his life remaines a very Captiue after death without any hope at all of any freedome Fifthly in corporall seruitude a mans minde may be made free but in spirituall Hilar. in Psal 125. At vero animae captiuitas quā infelix est At vero cui libido domina est in quo caeno dedecoris volutatur both soule and body in all the faculties and parts thereof are in bondage another of the Fathers saith the bondage of the soule O how miserabe is it And againe he that is ouerpowred by lust how shamefully doth hee wallow in the mire as a very swine Theoph in 8. Ioannis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beda in eundem locum O miserabilis seruitus seruire peccato seruire diabolo qui peccati est author a third saith the bondage of sinne is of all other the most grieuous a fourth saith O miserable seruitude to serue sinne and to serue the diuell who is the author of sinne But what doe we speake of Fathers what saith the Scripture Christ himselfe saith Iohn 8.34 he that worketh sinne is the seruant of sinne and seducers in whom corruption raigneth are said to be the bondslaues of corruption in 2 Pet. 2.19 I might also vrge that place in Gal. 4.25 Hierusalem that now is is in bondage with her children but I hasten to a conclusion Vse Let this teach vs to esteeme aright of sinne let vs not account it liberty to bee entangled with this or that lust but rather hellish bondage what praise is it to Alexander to conquer the whole world being conquered himselfe of his owne lusts and passions yea let it moue vs to labour after liberty let the adulterer forsake his vncleannesse the drunkard his drunkennesse the worldling his worldly mindednesse and all other sinners their deareling lusts that they may bee free in other respects we all loue freedome and no man by his wil would remaine in bondage O why should we be in loue with the basest bondage of all other to wit of sinne Tertullian reports Lib. de cultu faeminarū that amongst the Heathen some of them made the fetters wherewith their prisoners were bound of gold but alas what dram of comfort could this afford to the condemned prisoner who daily expected death did not fetters of gold keepe as fast as fetters of yron may not a silken halter strangle a man as wel as one of hemp may not a costly dagger stab as well to the heart as a meane one euen so though some may be clothed with rich aray and fare deliciously daily and liue in pleasure yet if in the midst of his prosperity he be a slaue to his own lusts a Captiue to Sathan in danger of eternall imprisonment yea of eternall death what will his prosperity auaile him in the end It is farre better to be a free man in ragges then a condemned prisoner in rich robes Doct. 8 Who shall deliuer me hence obserue in the next place that it is not enough to grieue for sinne or to account it the greatest miserie but euery true Christian ought earnestly to desire to bee freed from it thus Paul heere and certainely that griefe for sinne is not true but hypocriticall which is not ioyned with an earnest desire to be freed from the dominion of euery sinne there is infinite reason why any man should desire to bee freed from sinne as First because it is the greatest misery and Secondly because it is the most woefull bondage Thirdly because it offends God and Fourthly because the wages of it is death but I will not insist vpon this let vs rather consider with what kinde of desire wee ought to desire to bee freed Surely we must desire it with Pauls desire but what kinde of desire was Pauls desire First it was an importunate not a slight desire that appeares by the forme of it in that it is propounded by way of question Secondly it was no sluggish desire separated from the vse of meanes but it was ioyned with prayer and fasting 2 Cor. 12.8 1 Cor. 9.27 and with the improuement of the whole Armour of God 2 Tim 4.7 and indeed in vaine doth any man desire to bee freed from sin that doth not withall diligently vse the meanes whereby he might be freed Vse And this discouers an hypocriticall mourner he can weepe after he hath committed sin as the Crocadile after shee hath slaine a man
voluntary pouerty but rather to teach vs that if riches increase we set not our hearts thereon as the Psalmist speakes but that wee haue our affections alwaies free for heauen and heauenly things Secondly Horat. lib. 1. odarum od 28. Omnes vna manet nox calcanda semel via let hi. consider we seriously our frailty the vncertainty of our liues and what we must all bee ere it be long to wit wormes meate notwithstanding all our strength beauty youth friends riches parts preferments dignities and the like as the Poet speaketh euery man must die the way of death cannot bee shunned the time therefore will shortly come when we shall wish we had cared more for heauen and lesse for the earth Finiti ad infinitum nulla est proportio Thirdly consider wee how infinitely heauenly things surpasse earthly one foote in heauen is more then ten thousand acres vpon the earth both in respect of excellency and perpetuity Let vs not therefore inuert Gods order setting earth aboue heauen in our affections when God hath set the heauen so farre aboue the earth in the first Creation Fourthly let vs bee much in the meditation of heauenly things whiles wee are vpon the earth the Sunne seemes small in eye but if wee were lifted vp as high as the Sunne the earth possibly might seeme smaller euen so whiles our mindes are glued to earthly things heauenly things are neglected but if wee would minde things aboue and seriously meditate of them things below would appeare lesse precious Fifthly and lastly I professe ingeniously I know not a more soueraigne meanes in the world to helpe vs to winde vp our mindes towards heauen and to gaine them from the world and the inticing vanities thereof then to be much conuersant in Gods ordinances in reading and hearing and meditating Gods Word in Prayer in holy conference and the like these present heauen vnto our eye these leade vs into sweet fellowship and communion with God and Christ these fill vs with the ioyes of the Holy Ghost and peace of conscience and by this meanes bring vs into that sensible happinesse euen in this life which wee would not part with for all the pleasures profits or riches which this whole world can afford or yeeld Thus for the subiect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Man Now come we to the adiunct Wretched The Greeke word thus translated signifieth properly one that suffereth sorrow the Hebrues expresse it by their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies one that is languid or quite spent the Syrian and Chaldee by their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth heauy or mournefull the Arabick by two words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifie vile and vnfortunate the truth is by a talaiporous or wretched person we are to vnderstand such an one as is in a miserable case by reason of some incumbent calamity But heere it may be demanded what calamity was it which caused the Apostle thus to crie out Surely not the calamity of affliction or persecution yea hee gloried in his sufferings 2 Cor. 12.10.12 but the calamity of sin and inbred corruption as appeares by the context Wretched man that I am The first thing hence to be obserued 2. Doct. is that sin remaines in the dearest of Gods children after their regeneration indeed it is not regnant in them after conuersion Rom. 6.12 but it is inhabitant it raignes not as a King but it dwells as an inmate for the proofe of this point wee neede not goe out of this Chapter Paul was a conuerted man yet he was not without sin what he did he allowed not what he would that hee did not what he hated that he did In him that is in his flesh abideth nothing that is good to will was present with him but how to performe that which is good he found not he found a law that when hee would haue done good euill was present with him he saw another law in his members warring against the law of his minde and bringing him into captiuity to the law of sinne Lib. vno de fide ad petrū Diaconum Tom 3. Eos qui bene viuunt nonnulla quotidie contrahere peccata pro quibus etiam sancti insti in hac vita semper Deo dicere debent dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris which was in his members with his minde hee serued the law of God but in his flesh the law sinne Rom. 7.15.18.21.23.25 Et quod apostolus fatetur de seipso id nos de nobis inficias ire iniquum est and if such an Apostle acknowledge sinne in himselfe it were a shame for any of vs to professe absolute perfection Saint Augustine saith they which liue well doe daily contract sinne for the which they ought alwaies to say vnto God forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs and in another place he saith also First Aug. de tempor serm 45 Prius recolite vitam iusti in isto adhuc corpore bellum esse nondū triumphum consider yee the life of the iust man that while he is in the body hee is still in a combate the triumph is not yet And there is iust cause wherefore God regenerates but in part leauing still the rootes of sinne in his dearest Saints First that hereby they might bee the more abased in themselues and so preserued from spirituall pride why did the Lord leaue the * Or stubbe thorne in Pauls flesh 2 Cor. 12.7 but to humble him thereby left he should be puffed vp with abundance of reuelations the Lord is like a skilfull Chyrurgian hee is able to make a soueraigne Corasiue of the Vipers flesh of sinne to eate out the dead flesh of spiritual pride which is a sinne which commonly reuiueth when other sinnes are dead when the diuell cannot draw men to this or that grosse sinne commonly hee tempts them to pride labouring to puffe them vp with a vaine conceit of their graces and so by one dead flie causeth if it were possible the whole box of the ointment of grace to stinck in the nostrills of God The Lord being aware of this labours to preuent it by leauing in vs sufficient matter to hūble vs to the very dust Secondly the Lord doth it that his power may be perfected in our weakenesse 2 Cor. 12.9 the Lord did neuer manifest his power more in any thing no not in the very Creation of the World then hee doth in the preseruing of a weake Christian full of infirmity to his heauenly Kingdome in this the Lord preserues contraries in contraries hee causeth the fire of grace to burne in the midst of a sea of corruption he preserueth Faith in the midst of vnbeliefe chastity in the midst of vncleannesse patience in the midst of distemper holinesse in the midst of profanesse and the like 3. This is done for the greater
confusion of the diuel if the diuell had onely to deale with perfect men it were the lesse confusion to him if he could not either totally or finally preuaile against them by his hellish temptations But hauing to deale with weake men such as are more flesh then spirit and yet not being able with all his gates and armoury to preuaile against them in this he must needs goe away with great confusion in this the Lord deales with his children as once hee did with the Caldeans Ier. 37.10 though they remaine but as wounded men yet by his power they arise and preuaile against principalities and powers Fourthly hereby the Lord doth try the courage and magnanimity of his children leauing in their bosomes dangerous enemies against whom they must combate all their life time God had bin able if it had pleased him to haue brought Israel his people into Canaan without Warre but hee would not that hee might trie them euen so God is able to bring his children to heauen without any opposition but hee will not he that will obtaine the heauenly Canaan must fight for it Fifthly Sinne still remaineth in the children of God after conuersion that they might the more sensibly feele what need they haue of Christ and of Gods mercy if wee were perfectly whole wee should not need the physitian but being sickly and crasie as indeed we be in our best estate here we haue infinite need of the onely Doctor who by the physick of his owne precious bloud healeth all our infirmities Sixthly hereby the Lord doth weane his children from the loue of this world and makes them willing and desirous to bee dissolued and to be with Christ not so much that they might bee freed from afflictions and distresses as from sinne and corruption there is nothing in the world makes the true children of God so weary of their liues as sinne doth Quest Quest Yea but if there be sinne still remaining in the children of God after conuersion then what difference is there betwixt the state of the conuerted and vnconuerted Answ Answ Yes great difference for though sinne bee in both yet it is not in the like manner in both Sinne in the vnconuerted or wicked man is as the Master of the house bearing the whole sway ruling and domineering at its pleasure but in the conuerted it is but as a drudge being indeed vnruly and malitious but wanting power Secondly Sinne in the vnregenerate is as a welcome guest entertained with all alacrity and cheerefulnesse nothing is so sweet to a carnall man as sinne nothing so louingly embraced nothing so ioyfully possessed but in the regenerate it is as an vnwelcome guest which intrudeth himselfe without any inuitation and remaineth without any approbation his roome being desired rather then his company Thirdly Sinne in the vnregenerate is committed and followed with greedinesse without any reluctation in the will the hart doth not more bray after the riuers of water then a wicked man doth lust after sinne but in the regenerate sinne is resisted prayed against feared shunned with the occasions thereof c. Fourthly Sinne in the vnregenerate is continued in excused maintained and sometimes boasted of but in the regenerate it is broken of by speedy repentance confessed aggrauated and blushed at But to come to the Application Vse is it so that sinne remaineth still in the children of God after conuersion to wit originall corruption then this makes against the doctrine of Papists maintained by one of their chiefe a Bellar. lib. 5. de stat paccat c. 7. Champions which teacheth that originall sinne is so washed away by Baptisme as that it remaineth no longer sinne of its owne nature a vaine conceit for doth not Paul after he was baptized by Ananias complaine in this Chapter of sin still dwelling in him and will any Papist be so impudent as to thinke himselfe cleaner washed by Baptisme then Paul himselfe but to let them goe The Familists are the generation of the Manichaeans Catharists Donatists Iouinians and Pelagians which in former ages of the Church held the same opinion concerning purity as they doe This in the second place makes against Familists which dreame of attaining of perfection of degrees in this present world terming themselues eagles angels Archangels commers vp to God c. concerning whom I may iustly say with Salomon There is a generation pure in their owne eyes and yet are not washed from their filthinesse Pro. 30.12 the diuel may so farre preuaile with them by their inbred pride as to make them beleeue they are pure but alasse if we consider them well we shall finde them most erronious in their iudgemēts distempered in their passions disordered in their liues vnreformed in their families yea sometimes deliuered vp to some base lust either of idlenes or vncleannes or couetousnes or fraud and deceit or the like but to leaue these and to come to our selues In the third place let it teach vs not to despaire though we finde corruption in our selues after conuersion especially if we looke vpon it with the same eye that God lookes vpon it withall to wit to hate and abhorre it it is not sinne but the loue of sinne that baines the soule and yet let vs take heed lest wee deceiue our selues thinking vnder a colour that all are sinners that therefore there is no difference betweene sinne as it is in the regenerate and as it is in the vnregenerate For though there is sinne in both yet there is great difference as we noted before Fourthly let it teach vs not to iudge rashly concerning our Brethren as though they were Hypocrites because we decerne in them some frailties yea although wee should discouer in them some acts of grosser sin and some recidiuations or back-slidings as in Dauid Peter and Loth yet wee are not to passe finall sentence vpon them but rather consider our selues lest we also be tempted Doct 3 Wretched man that I am hence obeserue in the second place what it is that makes a man miserable and that is not afflictions as pouerty imprisonment disgrace in the world sicknesse banishment no not death it selfe in the mids of these we may haue some ioy as the Martyrs haue had but sin sinne alone is that which makes miserable and why so because it defaceth Gods Image in a man and conformes him to the Image of Satan no childe doth so aptly resemble the parents as sin makes a man resemble the diuell which is no small misery Secondly it depriues a man of Gods fauour a man may vndergoe many crosses and afflictions and yet remaine in Gods loue but he cannot continue wallowing in sinne and retaine his fauour Thirdly it robs a man of al solid comfort a man may be afflicted and yet filled with the ioyes in the holy Ghost he may walke with ioy work with ioy eate with ioy lie down with ioy rise vp with ioy but he cannot sell himselfe to worke wickednes and retaine
shall not Christians much more Vse But to come to the Vse of the point is it so that a Christian may and ought to desire to be dissolued this meets with them therfore which are at home in this world which if they might haue their choice would make themselues euerlasting Tabernacles here and would neuer remoue being content rather to liue in sinne and to endure much hardship then to change their habitation I confesse life is sweete and wee ought not wilfully to imperill it Homer brings in the most valiant men armed and weaponed ready to defend their liues and so it may stand with a magnan imous spirit to seeke to preserue life by all lawfull meanes but to dote vpon this momentany life and to preferre it before eternity must needs be a great sinne honey is sweete and yet we must not surfeit vpon it so life is pleasant but we must not ouerualue it Now that we may attaine this resolution of Saint Paul to desire to be dissolued wee must obserue these rules following First wee must pull out the sting of death which is sinne death is a Serpent but if you take away its sting you may safely put it in your bosome Aristot lib. 3. ethic ad nic hom c 6 The Heathen Philosopher could say that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 death is the most fearefull thing in the world and why not because after death there is neither good nor euill as he atheistically speakes but because the conscience is terrified with sinne vnrepented of O that I could inlarge my selfe now to speake to euery particular sinner Thou that art a common swearer a Sabbath-breaker a secret adulterer a common drunkard a fraudulent dealer a malitious person a persecutor and a slanderer of Gods faithfull Ministers an idle droane a lyar a tale-bearer a belly-god a proud person an vsurer a base worldling c. dost thou desire euer to looke death in the face with comfort without hellish feare break off thy sinne else death will sting thee like an Addar thou shalt neuer be able to look God in the face Secondly if we would attaine to a willingnesse to die wee must get faith wee must make our calling and election sure wee must with Simeon get Christ in our armes and then we shall easily say Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace a man cannot choose but feare to die when he knowes not what shall become of his poore soule in the world to come We haue many encouragements to beleeue First because we are commanded so to doe 1 Ioh. 3.23 Secondly because Gods mercies and Christs merits are greater then our sinnes be our sinnes neuer so great Isa 1.18 Thirdly because great sinners haue bin saued Manasse Mary Magdalen Dauid The prodigall Sonne with diuers others Fourthly because the tender of mercy is made to euery Creature Mar. 16.15 Fifthly we haue many excellent helpes to beleeue to wit the preaching of the Gospell the vse of the blessed Sacraments experience of former feelings and tokens of Gods loue c. O therefore let vs stirre vp our selues to beleeue and let vs labour for such a Faith as may purifie our hearts Acts 15.9 as may worke by loue Gal. 5.6 as may fill our hearts with sound ioy 1 Pet. 1.8 as may bee ioyned with good fruits Iames 2.26 If wee can but beleeue by such a faith as this is nothing shal be able to hinder our Saluation yea if all the tyles vpon the house where we shall die were so many diuels we should not feare It is recorded of one Epaminondas a famous captaine Diadorus Siculus lib. 15. who being wounded in Warre asked first if his shield were safe as though he had not cared what had become of his life so his buckler were preserued euen so we need not care what becomes of our liues so our Faith be safe Thirdly If we will die willingly and with comfort we must expell out of our hearts the immoderate loue of the world Ambro. lib. de fide resur Tom 3. Mors nec amara egētibus nec gratiosa diuttibus It is a true saying of one of the antient Fathers Death is neither bitter to men that liue in want neither is it welcome to rich men a rich man that hath made Mamō pleasure his God will be as loath to part with these at his death as euer Labā was to part with his Idols which Rahel had stolne yea if God would offer him heauen vpon condition to part with these he would refuse the offer Mat. 19.21.22 O therefore my beloued let vs take the counsell of the holy Ghost in Psal 62.10 If riches increase let vs not set our hearts thereon let them not clog the wings of our affections but let vs in the mids of aboundance reserue in our selues a willingnesse to bee dissolued and to be with Christ knowing that with him is induring substance and fullnesse of ioy for euer and euer Dost thou willingly dye and leaue thy deare freinds behold thou shalt enioy the company of the blessed Trinity of the elect Angels and of the soules of men made perfect dost thou willingly part with great riches on earth behold thou shalt haue great treasure in heauen dost thou cheerefully leaue thy earthly habitation behold a better mansion aboue ready to receiue thee Fourthly if we will die willingly wee must bee fruitfull in good workes this is to lay vp for our selues a good foundation against the time to come howbeit not of merit but of assurance 1 Tim. 6.19 it is no maruell if any man be vnwilling to be sent out to liue in some strange Countrey vnto the which hee hath sent no prouision before hand for his owne entertainement and so it is no strange thing if any be vnwilling to die who hath not had any care to lay vp treasure for himselfe in heauen let me vse therefore that effectuall exhortation of our blessed Sauiour Luke 16.9 Make you friends of the Mammon of vnrighteousnesse that when ye shall fayle they may receiue you into euerlasting Tabernacles Good workes done in a right manner and with a sound intention will make thy life sweet thy death comfortable and thy end happie What a man giues to kindred friends out of meere naturall respects he giues it meerely to them and they onely haue the benefit of it but whatsoeuer any shall giue for Christ and for pious vses he giues it to himselfe he rewards his owne soule hee alone receiues the maine benefit according to that August in serm de divite Quicquid pauperibus dederimus ipsum integre posside bimus Whatsoeuer wee shall giue to the poore wee shall enioy it all our owne selues Fifthly if we would die willingly we must with Christ finish the worke the Lord hath giuen vs to do Ioh. 17.4 no seruant is willing his Master should returne vntill hee hath done his appointed taske no steward is willing his Lord should call