Inf. 1. Is it so ? Learn hence the mighty strength and prevalence of divine love, which, overpowering all natural affections, doth not only enable the souls of men to take their separation from the body patiently, but to long- for it ardently, Phil. i. 23. While some need patience to die, others need it as much to live, 2 Thes. iii. 5. It is said, Rev. xii. 11. " They loved not their lives." And, in- deed, on these terms they first closed with Christ, Luke xii. 2G. <; to hate their lives for his sake," (i. e.) to love them in so remiss a degree, that whenever they shall come in competition with Christ, to regard them no more than the things we hate.
The love of Christ is to be the supreme love, and all others to be subordinate to it, or quenched by it. It is not its own comfort in the body, it principally and ultimately designs and aims at, but Christ's glory; and if this may be furthered by the death of the body 5 its death thereupon becomes as eligible to the soul as its life, Phil. i. 20. Oh ! this is an high pitch of grace, a great attainment to say as one did, vivere renuo, id Christo vivam ; I refuse life, to be with Christ : Or another, when he was asked whether he was willing to die ? answered, illius est nolle mori, qui nolit ire ad Chris- tum ; let him be loth to die, that is loth to go to Christ. So 2 Cor. v. 8. " We are willing rather to be absent from the body, " and present with the Lord."
It is not every Christian that can arrive to this degree of love, though they love Christ sincerely, yet they shrink from death Cowardly, and are loth to be gone. There are two sorts of grounds upon which Christians may be loth to be unbodied ; 1. Sinful. 2. Allowable.
I. The sinful and unjustifiable grounds are such as these, viz. (1.) Guilt upon the conscience, which will damp and discourage the souL and make it loth to die. It arms death with terror, " the sting of death is sin."' (2.) Unmortified affections to the world, I mean in such a degree as is necessary to sweeten death, and make a man a volunteer in that sharp engagement with that last and dreadful enemy. It is with our hearts as with fuel; if green, and full of sap, it will not burn ; but if that be dried up, it catches presently. Mortification is the drying up of carnal affections to the creature, which is that which resists death, as green wood doth the lire. (3.) The weakness and cloudiness of faith. You need faith to die by, as well as live by. Heb. xi. 13. All these died in faith. The less strength there is in faith, the more in death. A strong believer welcomes the messengers of death, when a weak one, unless extraordinarily assisted, trembles at them.
2. There are grounds on which we may desire a longer contU
A TREATISE OF IMF. SOUL OF MAN. 5U7
nuance in the body, warrant ably and allowably: As (1.) to do him yet more service in our bodies before \re lay them down. Thus the saints have pleaded for longer life, Psal. xxx. 9. Psal. lxxxviii. 11, 12, la and Is.'., xxxviii. 18, If). (8fl To see tin- clouds of God's anger dispelled, whether public or personal, and a clear light break out e'er we die; Psal. xxvii. 13. (&') They may desire, with submission, to out-live the days of persecution, and not to be de- livered into the hands of cruel men, but come to their graves in peace, Psal. xxxi. 15. and 2 Thess. iii. 2. that they may be deli- vered from absurd men.
'3. But though some Christians shun death upon a sinful account, and others upon a justifiable one; yet others there be, who seeing their title clear, their work done, and relishing the joys of heaven, in the prelibations of faith, are willing to be unclothed, and to be with Christ. Their love to Christ hath extinguished in them the Jove of life; and they can say with Paul, Acts xxi. 13. / am ready, Ignatius longed to come to those beasts that were to devour him ; and so many of the primitive Christians : Christ was so dear, that their lives were cheap, and low-prized things for this enjoyment. And here indeed is the glory and triumph of a Christian's faith and love to Christ : For (1.) it enables him to part cheerfully with what he sees and feels, for what his eyes never yet saw, 1 Pet. i. 8. ;i Whom having not seen, ye love/1 (2.) To part with what is dearest on earth, and lies nearest the heart of all he enjoys for Christ's sake. (3.) To reconcile his heart to what is most abhor- rent and formidable to nature. (4.) To endure the greatest of pains and torments to be with him. (5.) To cast himself into the vast ocean of eternity, the most amazing change, to be with Christ, O the glorious conquests of love !
I ft/' 2. Then the apostasy of unre generate professors in times of imminent danger, Is not to be icondered at. They will, and must warp from Christ, when their lives are in hazard for him. The love of the body will certainly prevail over their love to Christ and reli- gion. Amor mens pondus meum. Self-love will now draw. Love is the weight of the soul, which inclines and determines it, in the competition of interests, and the predominant interest always carries it. Every unregenerate professor loves his own life more than Christ, prefers his body before his soul ; such an one may, upon divers accounts, as education, example, slight convictions of consci- ence, or ostentation of gifts, fall into a profession of religion, and continue a long time in that profession, before he visibly recede from Christ ; hope of the resurrection of the interest of religion in the world ; shame of retracting his profession ; applause of his zeaj and constancy in higher trials, the peace of his own conscience, an} many such motives, may prevail with a carnal professor to endure
598 A TREATISE OF THE SOUL OF MAN.
awhile: but, when dangers of life come to an height, they are gone, Matth. xxiv. 8, 9, 10. And therefore, our Lord tells us, that they " who hate not their lives, cannot be his disciples," Luke xii. 26. Now will they lose their lives by saving them, Matth. xvi. 25. and the reasons are plain and forcible : For,
1. Now is the proper season for the predominant love to be dis- covered, it can be hid no longer : and the love of life is the predo- minant love in all such persons; for do but compare it with their love to Christ, and it will easily be found so. They love their lives truly and really, they love Christ but feignedly and pretend- edly ; and the real will, and must prevail over the feigned love. They love their lives fervently and intensely, they love Christ but coldly and remissly : And the fervent love will prevail over the re- miss love. Their love to their bodies hath a root in themselves, their love to Christ hath no root in themselves, Matth. xiii. 21. And that which hath a root must needs out-last and out-live that which hath none.