did this as a public person, representing all his children who triumphed in his triumph over all the powers of darkness ; and therefore, in this sense, believers have already triumphed ; yea, and I readily grant, that believers, even in this life, by virtue of their union and communion with Christ, and by virtue of his gracious presence, influence, and assist- ance, they do always triumph, as the apostle speaks : 2 Cor. ii. 14, ' Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ/ Believers now are more than conquerors, they are triumphers over the world, the flesh, and the devil. Christ so routed Satan upon the cross, saith Ignatius, that he never since either hears or sees the cross, but he falls a-shaking and trembling. Believers, by holding forth to Satan the cross of Christ in the arms of faith, and by their laying hold onhis cross and pleading his cross, they do easily, they do fre- quently overcome him and triumph over him. But notwithstanding all this, ah ! how often doth the best of saints find the world, the flesh, and the devil triumphing sadly over them ? Now a Christian triumphs over Satan, Rom. vii. 14-25 ; by and by Christ withdraws, and then Satan triumphs over him. Now the believer leads captivity captive ; anon the believer is led captive ; this day a saint gets the wind and the hill of Satan, and beats him quite out of the field ; the next day Satan draws forth and falls on with new forces, with new arguments, with fresh strength, and then puts a Christian to a retreat, ay, too often to a rout. In many a battle a Christian is worsted, and much ado he hath to come off with his life. Oh but now death, that brings a Christian to a full, perfect, complete, absolute, and perpetual triumph over the world, the flesh, and the devil. Now a Christian shall for ever have the necks of these enemies under his feet ; now these enemies shall be for ever disarmed, so that they shall never be able to make resistance more, they shall never strike stroke more, they shall never affront a believer more, they shall never lead a believer captive more, &c. Oh why then should believers be afraid to die, be unwilling to die, seeing that their dying day is their triumphing day V But,
[13.] Thirteenthly, As a believer's dying-day is his triumphing-day, so a believer's dying-day is his marriage-day, Hosea ii. 19, 20. In this life we are only betrothed to Christ ; in the life to come we shall be married to Christ. Here Christ and the believer is near, but death will bring Christ and the believer nearer ; here Christ and the believer is asked, and all things are agreed on between them, only the marriage- knot must be tied in heaven, the marriage-supper must be kept in heaven, Rev. xix. 5-10. And, therefore, several of the martyrs on their suffering-days, on their dying-days, they have invited several to their marriage, as they have phrased it, knowing right well, that their dying- days would be their marriage-days to Christ ; the very thoughts of which hath so raised and cheered, so warmed and inflamed their hearts, that they have made nothing of death, that they have outbraved death, that they have, to the great joy of their friends, and to the amazement and astonishment of their enemies, more resolutely, friendly, and sweetly embraced death, than they have their nearest and dearest relations. But in the
1 The Romans used in all their hattles to lose at first, to win at last ; it is so with
458 A STRING OF PEARLS. [1 PETER I. 4.
(14.) Fourteenth place, A Christian's dying day is his transplanting- day. Death transplants a believer from earth to heaven, from misery to glory, Job xiv. 14. Death to a saint is nothing but the taking of a sweet flower out of this wilderness, and planting of it in the <>ardeu ot paradise ; it is nothing but a taking of a lily from among thorns, and planting of it among those sweet roses of heaven which God delights to wear always in his bosom. Death is nothing but the taking off of a believer fully from the stock of the first Adam, and the planting of him perfectly and perpetually into that glorious stock, the second Ada m, the Lord Jesus, who is blessed for ever. Death is nothing but the taking off the believer from a more barren soil, and planting of him in a more fruitful soil. Here some Christians bring forth thirty, others sixty, and others a hundred-fold, Mat. xiii. 8. 23; but heaven is.so fruit- ful a soil, that there are none there but such as abound in the fruits of ri-liteousness and holiness, but such as bring forth a thousand-fold, yea, many thousand-fold. Here our hearts are like the isle of Patmos, which brings forth but little fruit ; but when they shall by death be trans- planted to heaven, they shall be like the tree in Alcinous's garden, that had always blossoms, buds, and ripe fruits, one under another.1
In the island of St Thomas, on the back side of Africa, in the midst of it is a hill, and over that a continual cloud, wherewith the whole island is watered and made fruitful. Such a cloud will Jesus Christ be to all those precious souls that shall be transplanted from earth to heaven.
Oli ! why, then, should believers be unwilling to die, seeing that their dying day is but a transplanting day of their souls from earth to heaven, from a wilderness to a paradise ? But in the
[15.] Fifteenth place, As a believer's dying day is the day of his transplantation, so his dying day is the day of his coronation. Here believers are kings elected, but when they die, they are kings crowned ; now they have a crown in reversion, but then they have a crown in possession ; now they have a crown in hope, but then they shall have a crown in hand, James i. 12, Rev.ii. 10. Death will at last bring the soul to a crown without thorns, to a crown without mixture, to a righteous crown, to a glorious crown, to an everlasting crown. Though a crown be the top of royalty,2 and though beyond it the thoughts and wishes of mortal men extend not, yet most may say of their earthly crowns as that king said of his : O crown ! more noble than happy ! But death will set such a crown upon a believer's head as shall always flourish, ami as Bhall make him happy to all eternity. Here the believer, as his Saviour before him, is crowned with thorns, but death will turn that crown of thorns into a crown of pure gold, Ps. exxxii. 18, xxi. 3.
Upon a triumph, all the Emperor Severus his soldiers, for the greater pomp, were to put on crowns of bays on their heads, but there was one Christian among them that wore this crown on his arm ; and it being demanded why he did so, he answered, Non decet Christianum in hoc vita corona/rij it becomes not a Christian to wear his crown in this life. The truth is, a Christian's crown never sits so fast, nor never so well
1 Bomer Od. vi. 12, &c, 62, &c. ; an<l of. Hyginus. Fab. 125, 126.— G.
- Still another Shukosperiau word, ' The round and top of sovereignty :' Macbeth, iv. 1, &■., &e.— G.