1 Peter I. 4.] a string of pearls. 459
becomes him, as when it is put on by a hand of death. Here most princes' crowns are the fruits of unrighteousness, but death will at last put upon the believer a crown of righteousness, or a righteous crown,
2 Tim. iv. 7, 8; and so it is called, not only because it is purchased by the righteousness of Christ, but also to difference it from those unright- eous crowns, or crowns of unrighteousness, that the princes of this world put upon their own heads. „ Earthly crowns are corruptible, but death will put on the heads of believers an incorruptible crown, 1 Cor. ix. 25.
Worldly crowns are fading and withering. Though king William the Conqueror was crowned three times every year, during his reign, at three several places, viz., Gloucester, Winchester, and Westminster, yet how soon did his crown fade and wither?
But death will put such a crown upon the believer's head as shall never fade nor wither, 1 Pet. v. 4. Worldly crowns are tottering and shaking ; most princes' crowns hang but on one side of their heads, and all their interest, power, and policy cannot make them sit fast on both sides. But death will put upon the heads of believers an immortal crown, an unmoveable crown, an everlasting crown, an eternal crown, a crown that none can shake, that none can take, that none can conquer or overcome, 2 Cor. iv. 14-18, Rev. ii. 10.
Oh, why then should Christians be afraid to die, or unwilling to die, seeing that their dying day is but their coronation day? Who would be unwilling to ride to a crown through a dirty lane or a rainy day ? But in the
[16.] Sixteenth place, A gracious soul shall never die till his work be finished, and he prepared to die: and why then should he be unwill- ing to die when his work is done, and he prepared to go home ? When God hath no more work for you to do in this world, why then should you be unwilling to die, to go home? Now, till your work be finished that God hath cut out for you in this world, no power nor policy shall ever be able to cut off the thread of your lives ; in despite of all the world, and all the powers of hell, you shall do that work, be it more or less, that God hath appointed you to do in this world. The life of Christ was very often in danger, both among pretended friends and pro- fessed foes, but yet he still escapes all the snares that they had laid for him, and all the pits that they have digged for him, and that upon this very ground, ' That his time was not yet come, his hour was not yet come :' John vii. 30, ' Then they sought to take him : but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come ;' viii. 19, 20, ' Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also. These words spake Jesus in the treasiuy, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him ; for his hour was not yet come.'1 God can and will secure his people from the rage and malice of their enemies by a secret and invisible hand of providence, till they have finished the work that he hath set them about in this world. David was surrounded with enemies on all hands, but yet, in spite of them all, he keeps up till his work was done : Acts xiii. 36, ' For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell 1 God often bridles wicked men's malice and fury invisibly.
160 A STRING OF PEARLS. [1 PETER I. 4.
on sleep.' Though many thrust sore at him, yet he did not fall asleep, he ilid not die till he had served his generation. Bonds and afflictions waited od Paul in every city, Acts xx. 23 ; so in that 2 Cor. xi. 28-28, ■ In Btripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths often. < >f the Jews, five times received I forty stripes save one' (the Lord com- manded that the number of strokes should not exceed forty, Deut. \xv. 8, and therefore the Jews, that they might not transgress that law, gave one less); 'thrice was I beaten with rods, once was 1 stoned, thrice 1 suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep, in journeying often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils amongst false brethren. In weariness and painfullness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness/ Acts xvi. 23, xiv. 17. And yet notwithstanding all these hazards, hardships, dangers, deaths, Paul lives, and bravely bears up till his work was done, his course finished: 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8, ' I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith ;' and so in that Rev. xi. 7, The beast that ascended out of the bottomless pit, and that made war against the two witnesses, could not overcome them, nor kill them, till they had finished their testimony. Christians shall live to finish their testimony, and to do all that work that God hath cut out for them to do, in spite of all the beasts in the world, in spite of hell or antichrist.
It was so with Ambrose ; a certain witch sent her spirits to kill him, but they returned answer, that God had hedged him in, as he did Job, so that they could not touch him. Another came with a sword to his bedside to have killed him ; but he could not stir his hand, till repent- ing, he was by the prayer of Ambrose restored to the use of his hands again. No means, no attempts, could cut him off till his work was done.
So for Luther, a poor friar, to stand so stoutly against the pope, this was a great miracle ; but that he should prevail against the pope as he did, this was a greater ; and that after all he should die in his bed, notwithstanding all the enemies he had, and the several designs they had to have destroyed him, this was the greatest of all; and yet for all that the pope or the devil his father could do, Luther, when he had finished his testimony, dies in his bed. Oh ! why then should any Christian be unwilling to die, seeing he shall not die till his work be done, till his testimony be finished ?
And as a believer shall not die till his work be done, so he shall not die till he be prepared to die. A believer is always habitually prepared to die ; ay, even then when he is not actually prepared ; yet then he is habitually prepared to die, for he hath not his ark to build, nor his lamp to trim, nor his oil to buy, nor his pardon to seal, nor his peace to make, nor his graces to get, nor his interest in Christ to seek, nor divine favour to secure, nor a righteousness to look after, &c. That promise is full of honey and sweetness that you have in Job v. 26, ' Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season.' The husbandman brings not his corn into Ins barn till it be full ripe, no more will God take his children out of this world till they are fit for another world ; he will not transplant