If you would die in the Lord, you had need to have promises ready, and your faith well exercised, that you may have good proof of it be- fore it comes to stead you in death. In hello non licet his jjeccare. As in war, so in death ; there is no erring twice ; then you are to throw your last cast for everlasting woe or weal, to do that which you never did before : you had need of armour of proof to deal with the lasf; enemy. I low foolishly do they deal that defer all to this hour, and arc tiien to get faith when they should reduce it into practice ; faith is a grace wrought by degrees to strength and perfection. Now to put
Rev. XIV. 13.] that die in the lord. 471
it to the hardest trial at first is absurd and irrational. You should have your evidences clear, your promises ready, your experiences at hand, that you may be able to comfort yourselves and to plead for God, and to speak to the standers-by of the long proof you have had of his being a good Master and a gracious Father to you. How is it, then ? Are all things set at rights between God and your souls ? Have you laid up comforts for this great day of expense ? Is your dying speech ready ? Are you provided of experiences whereby to commend the mercifulness and faithfulness of your Redeemer ? Can you say that you have tried him often, and he never failed you all your days ? If it be so indeed, your great work is done.
3. Use. To encourage the children of God to be more willing to die. Are you afraid to enter upon your own blessedness and glory ? Will you shun Christ's company when he desires yours ? Love brought Christ out of heaven that he might be with us ; he thought of it before the world was, Prov. viii. 31, and longed for the time, in effect saying, When will it come ? We are to go from earth to heaven, from con- versing with men to converse with angels, and why so loth to re- move ? What could Christ expect upon his coming into the world but hard usage ? but labour, and griefs, and shame, and death ? He came to taste the vinegar and the gall ; we are called to the feast of love, to taste of hidden manna, and the rivers of pleasure that flow in his presence. If you love Christ, why should you be unwilling to be in the arms of Christ ? — to be there where he is, beholding his glory. Love is an affection of union, it desireth to be with the party loved ; and can you be unwilling to be dissolved and be with Christ ? Death is the chariot that is to carry you into his presence. Jacob's spirit re- vived when he saw the waggons which Joseph sent to carry him into Egypt, Gen. xlv. 27. What is there in the world to be compared with heaven ? Either there must be something in the world to detain us, or we are frightened at the terribleness of the passage, or else there is a contempt of what is to come. You cannot say anything in the world is more worthy than Christ ; in this sense you renounced father and mother, brothers and sisters, wife and children and friends, when you were first acquainted with him. It was the language of your souls then, ' Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none on earth that I desire besides thee,' Ps. Ixxiii, 25. Did you dissemble then ? or have you found cause since to retreat and begrudge your affections to him ? Christ puts you to the trial when sickness comes ; he hath sent his waggons to see if you will stand to your word. Is it the terribleness of the passage ? Doth nature grudge at the thought of a dissolution ? Where is your faith? Death is yours, 1 Cor. iii. 18, your friend, your advantage ; Christ hath assured you of it. Will you trust his word ? You love him little when you have no confidence in what he saith. Or is it contempt of things to come? Then why is all this cost ? why came Christ to lay down his soul to purchase that Avhich you care not for ? what needs all this waste ? Christians here for the time to come, Ave know not how soon we may be sent for and put to the trial. It is good to be resolved, that we may say the sooner the better.
4. Let this comfort us concerning our friends that die in the Lord :
472 THE BLESSED ESTATE OF TREM [ReV. XIV. 13.
1 Tlies, iv. 18, ' Comfort one another with these words.' This is pro- JKM-, Christian, scripture comfort. Heathens, to comfort one another, can only say that death is the common passaj^e out of this world, that all that are born must die. But Christians can comfort one another upon better terms, that they that sleep in Jesus are blessed ; and shall we whine at their preferment? that we shall all meet a^i^ain in the other world ; that a day will come when the Cajitain of our sal- vation will have his great rendezvous, and the head of tlie church call all the saints into one congregation, Ps. i. 5 ; and the whole flock shall follow the great Shepherd of the sheep into their everlasting fold, triumphing and saying, ' 0 death, where is thy sting ? 0 grave, where is thy victory ?' These are comforts proper for Christians ; especially for ministers, that are messengers of comfort to other.*--, that have more frequent advantages of meditation upon those privileges than others have. Shall we murmur and yield to sinkings of heart when God liath made a breach ui)on our relations ? How will this disparage our doctrine, and make others suspect the comforts which we reach forth to them upon like occasions ? ' Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees ; but now it is come upon thee and thou faintest ; it toucheth thee and thou art troubled,' Job iv. 4, 5.