God's children, out of a principle of nature, are sensible of any grievance to this outward man of theirs, to the body, especially in death, as we see here St Paul. And there is most patience where there is most sense. It is stupidity and blockishness else.
Quest. Why are God's children so sensible in grief, especially in death?
Ans. Oh, there is a great cause. Indeed, in some regards, they are not afi-aid of it ; for death is an enemy to nature, it is none to grace. But when I speak not of grace and glory, but of nature,
* That is, = ' taint,' or ' touch."— G. t That is, 'turn,' 'part.'— G.
X That is, = ' conjunction,' or ' union.' — G.
122 COMMENTARY ON
Reason 1. Hath not nature great cause to tremble at death, ichen it is an enemy to nature, even to riffht nature ? It is the kiii^ of fears, as Job saith, Job xviii. 14. It is that tyrant that makes all the kings of the earth to tremble at him. When death comes, it is terrible. Why ? because it strips us of all the contentments of this life, of all comforts whatsoever we have here. Nature without sin is sensible of earthly comforts that God hath appointed for nature ; and when nature sees an end of them, nature begins to give in, and to grieve.
lleasou 2. Again, death parts the best friends ire hare in this irorld, the hod;/ and the soul, two old friends ; and they cannot be parted without exqui- site grief. If two fiiends that take contentment in each otlier, common friends, cannot part without grief, how shall these bosom friends, these united friends, body and soul, part without grief '? This marriage between the soul and the body cannot be disunited without exquisite pain, being old acquaintance.
Reason 3. Again, nature abhors death, [because] it hinders us of all em- plotpnent. It hinders of all service of God in church and commonwealth. And so grace, which is beyond nature, doth a little desire the continuance of life.
But nature, even out of no sinful principle, it sees that now I can serve God no longer, I can do God no more service, I can do good no longer in this world. And therefore it takes it to heart. Our Saviour saith, ' While you have light, walk : the night cometh, when no man is able to work,' John ix. 4, the night of sickness and death. So it breeds discom- fort, and is terrible that way.
Reason 4. Again, in death ve leave those that cast their care vjion iis, we leave ofttimes wives and children, without husband or father ; those that had dependence upon us. And this must needs work upon nature, upon a right principle of nature. Indeed the excess of it is with corruption alway.
Reason 5. Again, in death, there is fjreat pain. They say, births are with great pangs, and so they are. Now death is a birth, the birth of immor- tality. No wonder then if it have great pangs. Therefore nature fears it even for the pangs, the concomitants that are joined with it.
Reason G. And then in death, nature considers the state of tJie body j^re- scnthj after death, that that goodly body, that strength and vigour I enjoyed before, must now be worms'-meat. I must say ' to the worm, Thou art my brother, and to corruption, Thou art my mother,' and the like, as it is in Job, Job xvii. 14. That head, that perhaps hath ruled the com- monwealth, the place where I lived, it must lie level with others ; and that body that others were enamoured with, it must now be so forlorn, that the sight of it will not be endured of our best friends. Nature considers what the estate will be there, that it shall turn to rottenness ere long ; that the goodliest persons shall be turned to dust, and lie rotting there till the day of the resurrection.
Faith and grace looks higher ; but because we have nature as long as we are men, these and such like respects work upon nature, and make death grievous.
Reason 7. But besides the glass of nature, and these things here in the world, look upon it in the law of God, in that glass ; and so nature trembles, and quarrels at death. Death! what is it ? It is the ' wages of sin,' Rom. vi. 23, it is the end of all comfort ; and nature cannot see any comfort after that. It is beyond nature. Nature teacheth us not that there will be a
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VKR. 8. 123
resurrection of the body, nature tcacheth us not that the soul goes to God. Here must he a gi'eat deal ot" grace, and a great deal of faith, to convince the soul of this. Nature tcacheth it not.
Now, when besides this, the law of God comes and saith, death came in by sin, ' and sin is the sting of death,' 1 Cor. xv. 56, death is armed with sin, and sin comes in with the evidences of God's anger. Here, unless there be faith and grace, a man is either as Nabal, a stone and a sot in death, or as Judas and Cain, swallowed up with despair. It is impossible for a man that is not a true Christian, that is not a good man, but that either he should be as a stone, or desperate in sickness and death, without grace. He must be one of them. If he be a wise man, he cannot but despair in the hour of death. For is it a matter to be dallied with, or to be carried bravely out, as your Roman spirits and atheists think '? They account it a glory to die bravely, in a stout manner. Is the terrible of terribles so to be put oli'? When all the comforts in this world shall end, and all employments cease, when there is eternity before a man ; and, after death, hell, and eternal damnation of body and soul, are these matters to be slighted ? It would make a man look about him. If a man have not faith and grace, he must either despau" or die like a stone. None but a good Christian can cany himself well in the hour of death. Nay, a good Christian is sensible of death ; and till he see God's time is come, he labours to avoid it by all means, as St Paul doth here.