I know there is a pure, simple, natural fear of death, from which you must not expect to be perfectly freed, by all the arguments in the world. And there is a reverential, awful fear of death, which it would be 3^our prejudice and loss to have destroyed. You will have a natural, and ought to have a reverential fear of death : the one flows from your sensitive, the other liom your sanctified nature.
But it is a third sort of fear which doth you all the mischief: a fear springing in gracious souls out of the weakness of the graces, and the strength of their unmortified affections : a fear arising partly out of the darkness of our minds, and pai-tly out of the sen- suality and earthhness of our heafrts ; this fear is that which so con- vulseth our souls when death is near, and imbittereth our lives, even whilst it is at a distance. He that hath been over-heated in his affections to this world, and over-cooled by diversions and temp- tations, neglects and intermissions, to that world, cannot chuse but give an unwilling shrug, if not a frightful screech at the appearance of death.
And this being the sad case of too many, good and upriglit souls for the main ; and there being so few, even among aerious Chris- tians, that have attained to that courage and complacence in the thoughts of death, which the apostle speaks of, 2 Cor. v. 8. to be
104 A TREATISE OF THE SOUL OF MA^T.
both confident and willing rather to be absent from the body, ancJ to be present with the Lord ; I will, from this discourse, furnish them with some special assistance therein. But withal, I must tell you upon what great disadvantages I am here to dispute with your fears ; so strong is the current of natural and vicious fear, that ex- cept a special hand of God enforce, and set home the arguments that shall be urged, they wiJl be as easily swept away before it, as so many straws by a rapid torrent ; nor will it be to any more pur- pose to oppose my breath to them, than to the tides and waves of the sea.
Moreover, I am fully convinced, by long and often experience, how unsteady and inconstant the frames and tempers of the best hearts are ; and that if it be not altogether, yet it is next to an im- possibility to fix them in such a temper as this I aim at is. Where is that man to be found, who after the revolutions of many years, and in those years various dispensations of providence without him, altering his condition, and greater variety of temptations within, can yet say, notwithstanding all these various aspects and positions, his heart hath still held one steady and invariable tenour and course ?
Alas, there be very few (if any) of such a sound and settled temper of mind, w^hose pulse beats with an even stroke, through all inequahties of condition, alike free and willing at one time as another, to be unclothed of the body, and to be with Christ. This height of faith, and depth of mortification ; this strength of love to Christ, and ardour of holy desire, are degrees of grace to which very few attain.
The case standing thus, it is no more than needs, to urge all sorts of arguments upon our timorous and unsteady hearts ; and it is like to prove a hard and difficult task to bring the heart but to a quiet and unregretting submission to the appointment of God here- in, though submission be one of the lowest steps of duty in this case.
If it be hard to fix our thoughts but an hour, on such an un- pleasant subject as death, how hard must it be to bring over the consent of the will ? If we cannot endure it at a distance, in our thoughts, how shall we embrace and hug it in our bosoms ? if our thoughts fly back with distaste and impatience, no wonder if our will be obstinate and refractory : we must first prevail with our thoughts to fix themselves, and think close to such a subject, be- fore it can be expected we cheerfully resign ourselves into the hands of death. We cannot be willing to go along with death, till we have some acquaintance with it ; and acquainted with it we can- not be till we accustom ourselves to think assiduously and calmly gf it. They that have dwelt many years at death^s door, both in
A TREATISE OF THE SOt'L OF MAN. 105
respect of the condition of their bodies, and tlie disposition of their minds, yet find reluctancy enough when it comes to the point.
Object. But if separation from the body he (as it is) an enemy to nature.^ and there he no posslhility to extinguish natural aversa- tion ; to what purpose is it to argue and persuade where there is no expectation of' success ?
Sol Death is to be considered two ways by the people of God :
1. As an enemy to nature.
2. As a medium to glory.
If we consider it simply in itself as an enemy to nature, there is nothing in it for which we should desire it : but if we consider it as a medium^ or pasage into glory, yea, the only ordinary way through which all the saints must pass out of this into a better state ; so it will appear not only tolerable, but desirable to prepared souls. Were there not a shore of glory on the other side of these black waters of death, for my own part, I should rather chuse to live meanly than to die easily. If both parts were to perish at death, there were no reason to persuade one to be willing to deliver up the other ; it were a madness for the soul to desire to be dissolved, if it were so far from being better out of the body than in it, that it should have no being at all. But Christians, let me tell you, death is so far from being a bar, that it is a bridge in your way to glory, and you are never like to come thither, but by passing over it : ex- cept, therefore, you will look beyond it, you will never see any de- sirableness in it. " I desire to be dissolved (saith Paul) and to be " with Christ, which is far better." To be with death is sad, but to be with Christ is sweet ; to endure the pains of death is doleful, but to see the face of Christ is joyful ; to part with your pleasant habitations is irksome, but to be lodged in the heavely mansions is most delightful ; a parting hour with dear relations is cutting, but a meeting hour with Jesus Christ is transporting ; to be rid of your own bodies is not pleasing, but to be rid of sin, and that for ever, what can be more pleasing to a gracious soul ?
You see, then, in what sense I present death as a desirable thing to the people of God : and therefore seeing nature teacheth us (as the apostle speaks) to put the more abundant comehness upon the uncomely parts ; suffer me to dress up death in its best ornaments, and present it to you in the following arguments, as a beautiful and comely object of your conditional and well-regulated desires. And,
Arg. 1 . If upon a fair and just account^ there shall appear to be mo7'e gain to believers in death, than there is in Ife ; reason must needs vote death to be better to them that are hi Christ, than Vfe can he ; and consequently, it should be desirable in their eyes.