a terrible one, very formidable to human nature, it is an enemy to it, and the laft enemy, the ftouteft of all, which holds out the longeft, and is hard to be fubdued and conquered; the last enemy that shall be deftroyed is death. Death in itself is awful and fhocking, and which nature seeks to flee from and avoid; there being pain and bitterness in it, and in its confequence, an awful judgment, a future state follow upon it, in which men must be happy or miserable: and even good men have sometimes been all their life-time, through fear of death, fubject to bondage". When therefore the apoftle defired to die, it must be fomething above nature that moved him to it. Nor, 2dly, Did he defire it in an unlawful or dishonourable way; not to take it away himself; for as to defire death is contrary to a principle of nature, so for a man to be the author of it himself, is contrary to a principle of grace: nor that any other man fhould take it from him; as Saul defired his armour-bearer to draw his fword, and thrust it through him; which he refufing, he fell upon his own sword and died, being unwilling to fall into the hands of the Philistines. Some, through the terrors of a guilty confcience, have defired death, and have even destroyed themselves, as Judas did; not being able to stand up under the weight of guilt they are preffed with; crying out with Cain, that their punishment is greater than they can bear". This is a piece of fhocking ftupidity, that, in order to be out of a leffer hell they feel within them, they throw themselves into the greater, into an abyfs of wo, into endless horror and mifery; and to avoid the prefent gnawings of a natural confcience, plunge themselves into a state irretrievable and irrecoverable, where the worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched. Others have defired death because not able to fupport themselves under a difappointment of what their pride and ambition have prompted unto; because they could not have their will complied with, and their lufts gratified: fo Abitophel, because his counfel was not followed, and his ambitious views answered, in the pride of his heart fought death, and laid violent hands upon himself. It is reported of Ariftotle, though fome fay he died a natural death, that not being able to find out the cause of the ebbing and flowing of the fea, at a place called Euripus, where it ebbed and flowed feven times a day, he threw himself into it and was drowned: and Nazianzen fays, he died there; and Justin Martyr that he died there with grief: this is dying in a poor, mean, and dishonourable man ner. X It has been an infirmity that has attended fome good perfons, who have wished for death in a pet or paffion, because they could not have their wills, or were under fome fore and preffing trouble: fo Rachel faid, give me children, or else I VOL. I. 3.0. w Gen. iv. 13. y Ad Græcos Cohort. p. 34. die die; fuggefting, that he could not live, nor defired to live, unless she had fome; and that fhe had rather die, than live childlefs. So Jonah, when he had loft his gourd, and the fun beat vehemently on him, in a paffionate fit wished to die, and faid, It is better for me to die than to live: and when the Lord expoftulated with him, faying, doft thou well to be angry for the gourd? He perfifts in his paffion, and infifts upon it, that he did well to be angry even unto deatha: but this was his weakness. So Mofes, unable to bear the weight of the care and government of the children of Ifrael, defires the Lord would kill him out of band and let him not see his wretchedness: fo Elijah the prophet, when threatened and perfecuted by Jezebel, requested for himself that he might die: and this was what Job very vehemently wished for under his fore troubles and afflictions: but it is a much more noble and ingenuous fpirit, which the faints fhow in the exercife of grace, when they defire, that neither their afflictions may be removed from them, nor they from them, until it is the will and pleasure of God; and when they requeft more grace and ftrength to fupport under them, and pray for more faith and patience to bear them, and wait the Lord's own time to deliver them out of them. But, 3dly, The apostle defired death upon right principles, and with right views; he defired it with fubmiffion to the divine will; he that would not determine upon a journey to vifit any of the churches, or promise to take one, without faying, if the Lord will; would never think of a journey into the other world, or of a voyage from the fhores of time, to those of eternity, without a special regard to the will of God: he did not defire to die fooner than it was the pleasure of God he fhould; his defire was bounded and limited, as that of his Lord and Master's was, faying, not my will, but thine be done: nor did he defire to die before he had done his work; the context fhews the ftruggle he had between perfonal gain, and public usefulness; and of such a noble spirit he was, that he poftponed his private advantage to the public service of the church, and inclined, upon this confideration, rather to live than die. Good men, in a right fpirit, when they most vehemently defire death, defire it that they may be freed from fin, from the temptations of Satan, and the fnares of this world; being burdened with a body of fin and death, they drag about with them, they groan and earnestly defire deliverance; being preffed with Satan's temptations, they long for that state where they shall be no more expofed to them; and, their righteous fouls being vexed with the filthy converfation of the wicked, as was Lot, and weary of their lives, becaufe of the wickedness of the fons of men, as Rebekah was, because of the daughters of Heth; they breathe after that perfect ftate in which they will be compleatly holy, without fin and finful company and it was with fuch a view 2 Gen. xxx. t. * Jonah iii. 8, 9. Numb. xi.15. è 1. Kings xix. 4 as upon as this, no doubt, that the apostle defired to die; and certain it is, that he did not defire death of itself, but in connexion with something else, with being with Chrift and fo every gracious foul defires to die, not for the fake of dying, not that they would be unclothed, ftripped of the body, the tabernacle, but clothed with their boufe from heaven, that mortality might be fwallowed up of life: not that they defired a mortal state, or to be under the power of death and the grave; but that they might enjoy eternal life: wherefore, feeing they reckon themselves abfent from the Lord, whilst they are at home in the body; they chufe rather, and it is their earnest wish and defire, to be abfent from the body, and to be prefent with the Lord; which is the fame thing as to be with Chrift: for the fake of which, and perfect conformity to him, and uninterrupted communion with him, death is defired. Now before a perfon arrives to a fettled, compofed frame of soul, as to defire in good earnest to die upon fuch principles, and with fuch views as mentioned, 1. Such persons and things in this world, which were once near and dear to him muft, be as nothing; he must be dead to the world, and that to him, or he will never truly defire death; fo long as he hankers after any person or thing in it, he will be loth to die: which is frequently the cafe of the husband to the wife, the wife to the hufband, and one friend to another; relations hang about them, and have a great fhare in their affections: the things of the world ftick close to them, and they do not know how to part with either: one has a family of children, and he would be glad to fee them brought up or better provided for; another, his circumftances in the world are good, and he chooses to live a little longer, that he might enjoy what with great care and induftry he has obtained, or what God in his providence has plentifully put into his hands; a third, his circumftances are bad, and he is very defirous of abiding in the flesh, in hopes he shall be able to retrieve himself, and make a better provifion for his family, and not leave them diftreffed and incumbered; now that man must have his heart loofened from the world, and all things in it, ere he will be willing to die; and when this is the cafe, then he is for leaving all to be with Chrift; then, father, mother, wife and children, brother, fifter, houses and lands, are all nothing: God, Chrift, heaven, glory, and eternal life, are all in all; the things of the world are light in comparison of the eternal weight of glory he is rejoicing in the hope of; and he can easily part with them, and leave all to be with Chrift. 2. He has other views and notions of death, than what are common; he confiders it not as an evil, but as a part of the inventory of the faints goods; death is yours; not as a penal evil, as the wages of fin, but as a bleffed privilege; 302 not not as having the fting of fin in it, and as armed with vengeance; but as having its fting taken away from it by Chrift, and difarmed by him; and can say, O death, where is thy fting? O grave, where is thy victory? He looks upon it, not as an enemy, but as a friend, as an outlet of his forrows and troubles, and as an inlet of his joys and pleasures: it does not appear with that grim and ghaftly look, and in that terrible form, it does to others. Wherefore, 3. He is without fear of it, or of him that has the power of it, or of any confequence following upon it: he is not afraid of the pangs of death; he knows his Lord can make it easy to him: the bitterness of it is paft with him; nor is he afraid of Satan, and the whole poffe of devils; the reason why wicked men, when they come to die, are afraid, is because they apprehend a band of infernal furies are about their bed, ready to carry their fouls into eternal torments; but the believer has no fuch fears, he knows the angels are about him, ready to do their office, and carry his foul into Abraham's bofom, as foon as separated from his body: nor has he any dread of a future judgment; he knows things will go well with him then; the Judge will be his friend, and give him the crown of righteousness laid up for him; and if a man has any fears about either of these, he will never defire to die. 4. He must be fatisfied of his fpiritual ftate and condition; that God has loved him with an everlasting love; that he has chosen him in Christ to be holy and happy; that he has made a covenant with him in Chrift, ordered in all things and fure; and is his covenant God and Father: must be persuaded that Christ has loved him and given himself for him, and is his Saviour and Redeemer; and then he will fay, as old Simeon did, when he had the child Jesus in his arms, Lord, now letteft thou thy fervant depart in peace, according to thy word, for mine eyes have feen thy falvation: he must know that his iniquities are pardoned through the blood of Chrift, and that he is justified by his righteoufnefs, which will answer for him in a time to come; that "he is an heir of God, and joint-heir with Chrift, being begotten again to a lively hope of a glorious inheritance;" he must be fatisfied that the Spirit of God has begun the good work of grace upon his foul, and is working him up for that felf-fame thing, eternal glory; that he has both a meetness for it, and a right unto it, through Chrift; and that the everlasting doors fhall be thrown open for him, and he shall have a rich and an abundant entrance into the kingdom and glory of his Lord. 5. He must know whither he is going, or he will never defire to depart hence; that he is going to heaven, to glory, to eternal happiness; who would choose to loose from one port, unless bound for another? and he knows where it is he is bound for? who would choose to remove out of one house, unless an. other other is provided for him, and that a better, and he knows it to be fo? who would be willing, with Hobbes the Atheist, to take a leap in the dark? or to be in the cafe of Adrian the emperor, who when dying faid, Animula, vagula, blandula, quo tu abilis? "Ah, poor, little, wandring, fluttering foul, whither "wilt thou go? where art thou going?" He knew not where. But a gracious foul, that is truly willing to die, knows where it is going, and to what company, to be with God, Father, Son, and Spirit, with angels and glorified faints; and therefore he defires to depart. This was the happy cafe of the apostle Paul; he knew his interest in the unchangeable love of God; and was perfuaded that nothing could feparate him from it; he knew his intereft in Chrift, he knew in whom he had believed; who he was, and what he was to him; and that he was able to keep what he had committed to him against another day; he knew, that though he had been a blafphemer, a perfecutor, and an injurious perfon, he had obtained mercy; and that the grace of God, in great abundance, was bestowed upon him; and that he was an heir of glory; and indeed it is no wonder that such a man should defire to die, who had fuch an affurance of the love of God and Chrift unto him, and had been fo long and eminently useful; had done so much service for Christ, and good to the fouls of men; and was now Paul the aged, far advanced in years; his race run out, his courfe finished, and the time of his departure at hand. But that our deceased friend and brother fhould have a defire to die, may feem somewhat strange; a man, and defire to die, which is contrary to a principle in human nature; a finful man, and defire to die; and therefore must know that his fins were pardoned, and his foul cleanfed from the guilt and filth of them through the blood of Chrift; a young man, and desire to die, and leave all the pleasures of this life, which the youthful age delights in, and to which long life is ufually defireable; a young minifter of the gofpel, and defire to die, when just arrived to the highest post of honour in the church, having a large profpect of usefulness before him; juft entering upon it, and bleffed with much of it; beloved by the church, careffed by his friends; and yet willing to leave all, and depart hence; this must be owing, not to nature, but to grace, and to the faith. and hope he had of being with Chrift? Which brings me, III. To confider the ground of this defire; what it was that raised, moved, encouraged, increased, and continued it; to be with Chrift. To be with faints in a perfect, glorified state, is much; to be with the holy angels, more; but to be with Chrift, is best of all; and which is to be understood, not to the exclufion of the Father and of the Spirit, for these three are one; and where the one is, the others are; and he that is with one, is with them all; and in the ultimate ftare |