I desire to depart, and to he ivith Christ.
To be with Christ that came from heaven to be here on earth with us, and descended that we should ascend; to be with him, that hath done and suf- fered so much for us ; to be with Chiist that delighted to be with us ; to be with Christ that emptied himself, and became of no reputation, that became poor to make us rich; to be with Christ our husband, now contracted here, that all may be made up in heaven, this was the thing Paul desii^ed.
Quest. Why doth he not say, I desire to be in heaven ?
Ans. Because heaven is not heaven without Christ. It is better to be in any place with Chi'ist than to be in heaven itself without him. All deli- cacies without Christ are but as a funeral banquet. Where the master of the feast is away, there is nothing but solemnness. What is all without Christ? I say the joys of heaven are not the joys of heaven without Christ ; he is the very heaven of heaven.
True love is cai'ried to the person. It is adulterous love, to love the thing, or the gift, more than the person. St Paul loved the person of Christ, because he felt sweet experience that Christ loved him; his love was but a reflection of Chi-ist's love fost. He loved to see Christ, to embrace him, and enjoy him that had done so much and suffered so much for his soul, that had forgiven him so many sins, &c.
The reason is, because it is best of all. To be with Christ is to be at the spring-head of all happiness. It is to be in our proper element. Eveiy creature thinks itself best in its own element, that is the place it thrives in, and enjoys its happiness in ; now Christ is the element of a Christian. Again, it is far better, because to be with Christ is to have the marriage consum- mate. Is not marriage better than the contract ? is not home better than absence ? To be with Christ is to be at home. Is not triumph better than to be in conflict ? but to be with Christ is to triumph over all enemies, to be out of Satan's reach. Is not perfection better than imperfection ? Here all is but imperfect, in heaven there is perfection ; therefore that is much better than any good below, for all are but shadows here, there is reality. What is riches ? what are the worm-eaten pleasures of the world ? ^Tiat are the honours of the earth, but mere shadows of good? 'At the right hand of Christ are pleasm'es indeed,' Ps. xvi. 11, honours indeed, riches indeed ; there is reahty.
340 CHRIST IS BEST.
If we speak of grace, and good things, it is better to be with Christ than enjoy the graces and comforts of the Holy Ghost here. Why? because they are all stained and mixed. Here our peace is interrupted with deser- tion and trouble. Here the joys of the Holy Ghost are mingled with sorrow. Here the grace in a man is with combat of flesh and spirit, but in heaven there is pure peace, pui'e joy, pure grace : for what is glory but the perfection of grace. Grace indeed is glory here, but it is glory with conflict. The Scripture calls grace glory sometimes, but it is glory with imperfection. Beloved, perfection is better than imperfection, therefore to be with Chiist is far better.
And is it much ' far better' to die, that we may be with Christ, than to live here a conflicting life ? Why should we then fear death, that is but a passage to Christ ? It is but a grim sergeant that lets us into a glorious palace, that strikes off our bolts, that takes off our rags, that we may be clothed with better robes, that ends all om* misery, and is the beginning of all our happiness. Why should we therefore be afraid of death ? it is but a departure to a better coutlition ? It is but as Jordan to the children of Israel, by which they passed to Canaan. It is but as the Red Sea by which they were going that way. Therefore we have no reason to fear death. Of itself it is an enemy indeed, but now it is harmless, nay, now it is be- come a friend, amicable to us, a sweet friend. It is one part of the church's jointure, death. ' All things are yours,' saith the apostle, Paul and Apollos, ' life and death,' 1 Cor. iii. 22. Death is oui's and for our good. It doth us more good than all the friends we have in the world. It determines and ends all ovu' misery and sin ; and it is the suburbs of heaven. It lets us into those joys above. It is a shame for Christians therefore, to be afraid of that that Paul here makes the object of his desire.
But may not a good Christian fear death ?
I answer, Not, so far as a Christian is led with the Spirit of God, and is truly spiritual ; for the Spirit carries us upward. But as far as we are earthly and carnal, and biassed downward to things below, we are loath to depart hence. In some cases God's children are afraid to die, because their accounts are not ready. Though they love Christ, and are in a good way, yet notwithstanding, because they have not prepared themselves by care, as a woman that hath her husband abroad and desires his coming, but all is not prepared in the house, therefore she desires that he may stay awhile ; so the soul that is not exact, that is not in that frame that it should be in, saith, ' Oh stay a while that I may recover my strength, before I go hence and be no more seen,' Ps. xxxix. 13 ; but as far as we are guided by the Spirit of God sanctifying us, and are in such a condition as we should be in, so far the thoughts of death ought not to be terrible to us ; nor indeed are they.