they had, and the frame they were in, when they made these resolutions. 3. Let them remember that sickness will come again, even a sickness which will have no cure. And 4. Let them bethink themselves, how terribly conscience will be wounded, and their souls dismayed, when the next sickness cometh, to remember that they were unthankful for their last recovery, and how falsely they dealt with God in the breaking of their promises. Foresee this, that you may prevent it. Tit.3. Directions for a Comfortable or Peaceable Death. Comfort is not desirable only as it pleaseth us, but also as it strengtheneth us, and helpeth us in our greatest duties. And when is it more needful than in sickness, and the approach of death? I shall therefore add such Directions as are necessary to make our departure comfortable or peaceful at the least, as well as safe. Direct. 1. Because I would make this treatise no longer than I needs must; in order to overcome the fears of death, and get a cheerful willingness to die, I desire the sick to read over those twenty considerations, and the following Directions which I have laid down in my book of “Selfdenial." And when the fears of death are overcome, the great impediment of their comfort is removed. Direct. 11. Misunderstand not sickness, as if it were a greater evil than it is; but observe how great a mercy it is, that death hath so suitable a harbinger or forerunner.' That God should do so much before he taketh us hence, to wean us from the world, and make us willing to be gone; that the unwilling flesh hath the help of pain; and that the senses and appetite languish and decay, which did draw the mind to earthly things, and that we have so loud a call, and so great a help to true repentance, and serious preparation? I know to those that have walked very close with God, and are always ready, a sudden death may be a mercy; as we have lately known divers holy ministers and others, that have died either after sacrament, or in the evening of the Lord's day, or in the midst of some holy exercise with so little pain, that none about them perceived when they died. But Mr. Vines, Mr. Capel, Mr. Hollingworth, Mr. Ashurst, Mr. Ambrose, Mrs. rnel, &c. ordinarily it is a mercy to have the flesh brought down and weakened by painful sickness, to help to conquer our natural unwillingness to die. · Direct. 111. Remember whose messenger sickness is, and who it is that calleth you to die.' It is he, that is the Lord of all the world, and gave us the lives which he taketh from us and it is he, that must dispose of angels and men, of princes and kingdoms, of heaven and earth; and therefore there is no reason that such worms as we, should desire to be excepted. You cannot deny him to be the disposer of all things, without denying him to be God: it is he that loveth us, and never meant us harm in any thing that he hath done to us; that gave the life of his Son to redeem us; and therefore thinketh not life too good for us: our sickness and death are sent by the same love, that sent us a Saviour, and sent us the powerful preachers of his Word, and sent us his Spirit, and secretly and sweetly changed our hearts, and knit them to himself in love; which gave us a life of precious mercies for our souls and bodies, and hath promised to give us life eternal: and shall we think, that he now intendeth us any harm? Cannot he turn this also to our good, as he hath done many an affliction which we have repined at? Direct. IV. Look by faith to your dying, buried, risen, ascended, glorified Lord.' Nothing will more powerfully overcome both the poison, and the fears of death, than the believing thoughts of him that hath triumphed over it. Is it terrible as it separateth the soul from the body? So it did by our Lord, who yet overcame it. Is it terrible as it layeth the body in the grave? So it did by our Saviour; though he saw not corruption, but quickly rose by the power of his Godhead. He died to teach us believingly and boldly to submit to death. He was buried, to teach us not overmuch to fear a grave. He rose again to conquer death for us, and to assure those that rise to newness of life, that they shall be raised at last by his power unto glory; and being made partakers of the first resurrection, the second death shall have no power over them. He liveth as our head, that we might live by him; and that he might assure all those that are here risen with him, and seek first the things that are above, that though in themselves they are dead, " yet their life is hid with Christ in God; and when Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall we also appear with him in glory." What a comfortable word is that, "Because I live, ye shall live also." Death could not hold the Lord of life; nor can it hold us against his will, who hath the "keys of death and hell f." He loveth every one of his sanctified ones much better, than you love an eye, or a hand, or any other member of your body, which you will not lose, if you are able to save it. When he ascended, he left us that message full of comfort for his followers. "Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; to my God, and your God." Which, with these two following, I would have written before me on my sick bed. "If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there also shall my servant be"." And " Verily, I say unto thee, to-day shalt thou be with me in paradise." O what a joyful thought should it be to a believer, to think when he is a dying, that he is going to his Saviour, and that our Lord is risen and gone before us, to prepare a place for us, and take us in season to himself. “As you believe in God, believe thus in Christ; and then your hearts will be less troubled'." It is not a stranger that we talk of to you; but your Head and Saviour that loveth you better than you love yourselves, whose office it is there to appear continually for you before God, and at last to receive your departing souls; and into his hand it is, that you must then commend them, as Stephen did m. Direct. v. Choose out some promises most suitable to your condition, and roll them over and over in your mind, and feed and live on them by faith.' A sick man is not (usually) fit to think of very many things; and therefore two or three comfortable promises, to be still before his eyes, may be the most profitable matter of his thoughts; such as those three which I named before. If he be most troubled with the greatness of his sin, let it be such as these. "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not d Col. iii. 1, 2. 4, 5. * John xx. 17. k John xiv. 2-4. f Rev. i. 18. e John xiv. 19. i Luke xxiii. 43. an Acts vii. 59. t "" perish, but have everlasting life"." "And by him all that believe, are justified from all things; from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses "." "For I will be merciful unto their unrighteousness, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more P." If it be the weakness of his grace that troubleth him, let him choose such passages as these. "He shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young." The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." "All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me; and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out." "The apostles said unto the Lord, increase our faith "." If it be the fear of death, and strangeness to the other world that troubleth you, remember the words of Christ before cited, and 2 Cor. v. 1-6. 8. "For we know, that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan earnestly, desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: for we that are in this tabernacle do groan being burdened, not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.—— We are confident, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and present with the Lord." "For I am in a strait between to, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better"." "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours, and their works do follow them *." "O death where is thy sting! O grave where is thy victory!" where is thy victory!" "Lord Jesus receive my spirit"." Fix upon some such word or promise which may support you, in your extremity. Direct. vI. Look up to God, who is the glory of heaven, and the light, and life, and joy of souls, and believe that you are going to see his face, and to live in the perfect, everlast n John iii. 16. • Acts xiii. 39. P Heb. viii. 12. r Gal. v. 17. Acts vii. 59. s Matt. xxvi. 41. John vi. 37. * Rev. xiv. 13. ing fruition of his fullest love among the glorified.' If it be delectable here to know his works, what will it be to see the cause of all? All creatures in heaven and earth conjoined, can never afford such content and joy to holy souls, as God alone! O if we knew him whom we must there behold, how weary should we be of this dungeon of mortality? and how fervently should we long to see his face? The chicken that cometh out of the shell, or the infant that newly cometh out of the womb, into this illuminated world of human converse, receiveth not such a joyful change, as the soul that is newly loosed from the flesh, and passeth from this mortal life to God. One sight of God by a blessed soul, is worth more than all the kingdoms of the earth. It is pleasant to the eyes to behold the sun: but the sun is as darkness and useless in his glory. "And the city had no need of the sun, nor of the moon to shine in it for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereofa.” "And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve him and they shall see his face, and his name shall be in their foreheads: and there shall be no night there: and they need no candle, nor light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign for ever and ever." If David in the wilderness so impatiently thirsted, to appear before God, the living God, in his sanctuary at Jerusalem, how earnestly should we long to see his glory in the heavenly Jerusalem? The glimpse of his back parts, was as much as Moses might behold; yet that much put a shining glory upon his face. The sight that Stephen had when men were ready to stone him, was a delectable sight‘. The glimpse of Christ in his transfiguration ravished the three apostles that beheld it. Paul's vision which wrapt him up into the third heavens, did advance him above the rest of mankind! But our beatifical sight of the glory of God, will very far excel all this. When our perfected bodies shall have the perfect glorious body of Christ to see, and our perfected souls shall have the God of truth, the most perfect uncreated light to know, what more is a created understanding capable of? And yet this is not the top of our a Rev. xxi. 23. b Rev. xxii. 3-5. c Psal. xlii. Matt. xvii. 2. 6. d Exod. xxxiv. |