Use 2. And it should teach us to do all the good we can while we have
510 KING David's epitaph.
time. David served God ■while he lived, and be served God in dying ; because bis death was in obedience. But, as I said before, after death properly there is no service of God, but a receiving of wages. Therefore let us serve God while we live, while we have time, because there is a time ' when night will come,' the night of sickness and of death, * and then no man can work,' John ix. 4, if he would never so ftxin.
' He fell asleep.' Why did he not die before ? He served God a great while ; he did not die when he was first a good man.
Obs. 2. God tcill have his cJiildren serve out their generation.
(1.) They must serve out their time. As soon as ever we believe we have right to heaven, but God will have us bear the burden of the day awhile, to hrinfi others to heaven irith ns, to go before others in the example of a godly life, to gain as many as we can.
(2.) To try the truth of our r/races before we come to heaven, whether they be true or no, that they may be true, tried graces.
(3.) And he will have us perfect before we come to so holy a place. He will have us ' grow in grace,' as Ahasuerus his wives were to be perfumed and prepared before they came to him. It is a holy place that we hope for, a holy condition ; therefore he will have us by little and little be fitted by the Spirit of God. Many such reasons there be why God in heavenly wisdom will have us go on here a time before we come to heaven, though as soon as we believe we are in the state of salvation ; as Christ said to Zaccheus, ' This day is salvation come to thine house,' Luke xix. 9.
Use. Therefore let us not repine that God will have us live. Indeed, as soon as a Christian hath faith, he hath life in patience and death in desire; for he is impatient to want his crown. Oh, but here is the time of ser- vice ; and when he considers the eternity of the reward he shall have after, he will be glad to serve God, and he will be ashamed that he can do it no more. When he knows ho shall have an * eternal weight of glory,' 2 Cor. iv. 17, for a little service, then he will deny his lusts and pleasures to serve God in the place he lives in, whether he be magistrate or minister whatsoever, to undergo the burden of a little service.
Again, In that it is said here, ' then he fell asleep,' not before, till he had served the counsel of God.
Obs. 3. God hath allotted a man a time.
He hath set him a glass that must be run, he hath given him a part to act, and he cannot be taken away till that be done. He can never fall asleep till he have served the counsel of God. As it is said in the gospel concerning our Saviour Christ, ' his hour was not yet come,' John vii. 30. They have laid wait for him, but his hour was not come. So there may be many snares laid for the children of God by Satan and his instruments, but till their hour be come, all the devils in hell, nor all the devil's instru- ments on earth, cannot shorten a man's life one minute of an hour ; for he shall fall asleep when he hath served the counsel of God, when he hath done all that God will have him to do.
Use. Therefore it is ground of resolution, let its yo on in our places and callings, undauntedly and ivisely too ; not to tempt God, to rush into dan- gers ; but, I mean, without base fear and distrust ; for we must serve God to-day and to-morrow, and then we shall be sanctified. We must serve God the appointed time that he will have us to live here ; and then we shall ' fall asleep,' and not before. No creature hath power over the life of man to shorten his days.
Obs. 4. The next thing we will observe from the nature of sleep is, that
KING David's epitaph. 511
;■ The death of the {jodli/ is a sleep, in respect of refreshinrj.
Sleep doth refresh and repair, and as it were recreate and make a man anew. Sleep and rest it is the blessed ordinance of God, it is an excellent thing to repair men ; so after death nature shall be repaired better, we shall rise fresher; as it is Ps. xvii. 15, 'When I arise, I shall be satis- fied with thine image.' We shall rise refreshed, better than we lay down. So that as w^e go to bed then, to sleep, to cut off all cares, so when we rest in death, all cares, and fears, and terrors, all annoyances, are cut off.
(1.) 'Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord : the)/ rest from their labours,' Rev. xiv. 13 ; insinuating that there is no rest before. For to a man that knows that this world is a workhouse, and his life a service to God, he thinks of no rest till he be in his grave. So death it is a sleep in regard of that rest. We rest froin the labour of sin, we rest from the wearisome labour of the body ; from the labour of afflictions and oppres- sions, from the molestations of other men among whom we live. Every way this life is tedious, and death rest.