is withered away in time of heate yet that which falleth into an vpright heart as it were good ground is neither choked nor withered but bringeth foorth fruite with patience The way then to die in Christ is to liue in him by a true and vnfained faith which purifieth the heart and worketh by loue walking vprightly as it becommeth the members of Christ in the sincere profession of his faith so shall we in the end of our life attaine to the end of our faith which is the saluation of our soules Many there are which could be content to die in Christ who care not to liue in him Many with Balaam desire to die the death of the righteous but leade the life of the wicked But be not deceiued it is an old saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of an euill life coÌ„monly there is an euill end Presume not that thou shalt die in Christ vnlesse first thou liue in him In all the Scripture there is but one example of a man who after a wicked life was conuerted at the houre of his death One there is that men should not then despaire and but one that they should not before hand presume And forasmuch as nothing is either more certaine than death or more vncertaine than the time thereof it behoueth vs carefully to prouide whiles wee haue time to be in Christ that death whensoeuer it commeth may finde vs in him Let our life be a preparation for death and let this be the chiefest care of our life that wee may be found in Christ at the time of our death This life as our Sauiour saith is the day wherein we are to worke afterward is the night when no man can worke or turne vnto God but as the tree falleth so it lieth and as the day of death doth leaue vs the day of iudgement shall finde vs. This therefore must teach vs not to deferre from day to day our repentance towards God and faith in Iesus Christ but presently whiles it is called to day to turne vnto the Lord that wee may bee in Christ to day before to morow because wee haue none assurance that wee shall liue vntill the morow And so much may suffice to haue spoken of the first and chiefe point namely who they are which heere bee pronounced blessed to wit they which die in the Lord. Now are we in the second place briefely to consider what this blessednes is and wherein it doth consist This is shewed in the words following that they rest from their labours and their workes follow with them So that their happines is two-fold first priuatiue in that they rest from their labors and molestations for there is a sabbaâ—sme or rest reserued to the people of God Hebr. 4. 9. whereof the Sabbath was a type For then the Lord shall wipe away all teares from their eyes and they shall be no more subiect to sinne or the punishment therof as sicknes weaknes mortalitie labour wearines troubles wrongs death Death is the hauen and the end of al misery vnto them But their happines is not meerely priuatiue like that of beasts which after death haue no more sense of paine where by the way we are to note that the state of the beast when it dieth is better then of the wickâ—d who die in their sinnes but it is also positiue For their workes that is the reward of their faith and obedience 〈◊〉 God shall croâ—ne with euerlasting happines shall 〈◊〉 â—th â—hem This doth teach vs that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good 〈◊〉 cannot merit â—ny thing 〈◊〉 tâ—e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God as Christ himselfe hath tâ—ld 〈◊〉 Luke 17. and â—ch 〈◊〉 eternall 〈◊〉 and therefore 〈◊〉 are not said to go before our acceptation to eternall 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 cause but follow as fruits yet the Loâ— of his free grace according to his promise doth plentifully reward them The consideration wherof as it must encourage vs all to be fruitfull in good works knowing that our labour shall not been vaine in the Lord so especially those whoÌ„ the Lord hath enriched with his blessings whether temporall or spirituall that they be rich in good workes laying vp for themselues a good foundation against the time to come that they may obtaine eternall life Againe whereas it is said that the workes of the faithfull do accompanie them after death this sheweth that although death strippe vs of all temporall things yet it doth not bereaue vs of our workes but bringeth vs the reward of them And that when all our friends and followers and all other worldly either delights or commodities doe faâ—e and forsake vs yâ— our workes doe follow with vs to our â—all comfort Which should make vs to esteeme the keeping of faith and a good conscience aboue all the things of this world Now what this reward is which God hath prepared for these that die in Christ though neither the eye hath seene nor the eare heard nor the heart of man conceiued yet thus much we may gather out of the Scriptures that it shall consist in eternall and most perfect glory and gladnes The glory standing partly in the excellency of those heauenly gifts wherewith they shall be adorned being in respect thereof like vnto the Angels and renewed perfectly according to the glorious image of God yea made conformable to Christ our head in such a proportion of glory as his seueral members bee capable of and partly in the fruition of heauenly blessings as the possession of heauen and all heauenly good things the fellowship of the blessed Saints and Angels and that which is all in all the enioying of God himselfe who is the chiefest good In whose presence there is fulnesse of ioy and at whose right hand there be pleasures for euermore And that is the second thing their eternall ioy and gladnes arising from that glory For as they shall be most happie so shall they reioyce in it with vn speakable and endlesse comfort and in the sense thereof shall euermore bee stirred vp with wonderfull alacrity to glorifie God In expectation of this happie hope we are to liue soberly iustly and holily in this present world For if wee set this ioy before as the marke towards which we contend we will not suffer our selues to be withdrawne from our obedience to God neither by any worldly desires which in comparison hereof are to bee esteemed as meere vanities nor by any terrors of the world which in respect of the ioy that is set before vs wee are to contemne The third thing remaineth that is the time when this blessednes doth belong to them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he thenceforth that is from the time of their death and so forward for presently they rest from their labours and their workes follow he doth not say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after them but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with them This therefore is a
testimonie of the truth rather than to yeeld to Antichrist and generally may be more affraid to commit sin than to suffer death let vs remember what the holy Ghost saith that blessed are those which die in the Lord. And let vs consider that this assertion is no humane inuention or earthly deuice but a diuine and heauenly oracle For so saith Iohn I heard a voyce from heauen Many will say If I might heare an Angell from heauen tell me that which you Ministers doe teach vs as namely that to die in the Lord is an happie thing assuredly I would beleeue it If from heauen it were testified vnto me that it is a blessed thing to die not in the faith and communion of the Romish Church but in the faith of Christ professed in the Churches reformed by the preaching of the Gospell I would rather die than ioyne with the Church of Rome And yet behold this truth is not onely auouched by a voice from heauen but also that as Peter speaketh in the like case we might haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a more firme word which is the written word it is by the commandement of God from heauen committed to writing as containing words faithfull and true and being spoken and written hath the testimonie of the spirit that it is the vndoubted word of God Such is the credit of the written word that if an Angell from heauen should gainsay it he were to be held accursed Gal. 1. 8. And he that will not giue credit to the written word which is the most sure foundation of our faith neither would he beleeue though an Angell should come from heauen or a spirit from the dead Satan can transforme himselfe into an Angell of light and take vpon him the person of the dead and therefore if we should trust to apparitions we might soone be deceiued But the word of God cannot deceiue vs. Seeing therefore this assertion is pronounced by God from heauen and at his appointment is committed by the holy Euangelist to writing and also hath the testimonie of the holy Ghost who is the spirit of truth Let vs therefore with all reuerence and good conscience hearken vnto it as to the oracle of God and with the full perswasion of faith giue vnfained credit vnto it as vnto the vndoubted word of the Lord namely that the dead which die in the Lord are from thenceforth blessed because they rest from their labours and their workes follow them In which words three things are to be considered First who they are which be here pronounced blessed Secondly what this blessednesse is and wherein it doth consist which is shewed in the reason that they rest from their labours c. Thirdly when this blessednes belongeth to them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith hee from thenceforth that is forthwith and immediatly after their death and so forward As touching the first Blessed saith he are the dead What the dead blessed A strange paradoxe no doubt to hypocrites and worldly men who haue placed their felicitie in the fruition of temporall things and put the day of death farre from them fearing nothing more than to die and hoping for nothing lesse than to be blessed after death But let vs remember that it is an oracle of God deliuered from heauen and testified by the holy spirit From hence therefore let vs learne truly to acknowledge the immortalitie of the soule and effectually beleeue that there is a life immortall after this mortall life is ended And in this beliefe let vs be carefull so to liue as that we may hope after this life is ended to be happie and blessed Neither let vs be so mad as for the momentanie fruition of temporall vanities in this vale of miserie to lose an euerlasting inheritance in the kingdome of heauen But hee addeth which die in the Lord. For not all that are dead are blessed for many die out of the Lord Iesus and out of Gods fauour as those which depart in the faith of Antichrist or otherwise die in their sinnes as in ignorance infidelitie impenitencie c. and they are so far from being blessed when they die as that by their death their miserie is infinitely increased But they are blessed which die in the Lord. Which words some vnderstand as spoken of Martyrs onely and so reade them who die for the Lords cause And no doubt if all they be blessed who die in the Lord much more may we assure our selues that they which doe not onely die in the Lord but also for him are most happie and blessed And this must encourage all true Christians as we are perswaded that the Lord hath laid downe his life for our sakes so to bee most readie and willing to lay downe our liues for his sake if it shall please the Lord to vouchsafe vnto vs both that honour as to be the Martyrs of Iesu as also that fauour as to make our death and afflictions which otherwise all of vs must looke to suffer as chastisements for our sinnes to be sufferings for righteousnes But yet not onely such as die for the Lord are here pronounced blessed nor all they are blesled who would seeme to die for the Lord but all they and onely they who die in the Lord are blessed For if any man dying for the maintenance of heresie shall think he dieth for the Lord as all in that case are readie to pretend notwithstanding hee is not blessed because hee doth not die in the Lord. For none are in him but such as truly belieue in him and none truly belieue in him which doe not loue him and his members for his sake But they which die for heresie as they doe not truly belieue in Christ so doe they not truly loue his members but by their heresie cut themselues from the bodie of Christ which is his true Church For hs he that giueth his bodie to bee burnt and hath not loue saith the Apostle so hee that thinketh himselfe to be martyred hath not true faith it profiteth him nothing And such is the state as of all other heretikes so especially of the Popish martyrs of these times as they are esteemed among thē For besides that they do not die for their religion properly but for treason and rebellion and it is not the punishment but the cause that maketh a Martyr their religion also is Antichristian being the Caholike apostasie the common sewre of heresie and the very mysterie of iniquitie Neither doe they die in the cause or faith of Christ but in the cause and faith of Antichrist and therefore are the martyrs not of Christ but of Antichrist The truth whereof none can denie if this once bee prooued vnto them which by our writings is sufficiently prooued that Rome is Babylon the Pope Antichrist and the Papists such as haue receiued the marke of the beast Therfore not only they which die for the Lord nor all they who would seeme
him as his members and yet walke in darkenesse we deceiue our selues But if we esteeme it our happines to be in Christ we will not only be careful to trie our selues whether we be in him but also wee will giue all diligence to make our being in Christ more more sure vnto vs. And to this purpose we must earnestly pray vnto the Lord that hee would giue vnto vs his spirit which he hath promised to giue to those that aske him his spirit I say of adoption crying in our hearts Abba Father testifying to our spirits that we are the children of God and heires of eternall life sealing vs vp to the day of our full redemption and as the earnest of our saluation assuring vs thereof Secondly wee must not content our selues with the inferiour degrees of faith but be carefull to grow from faith to faith vntill we come to the full assurance of faith And to this end wee having receiued Christ as before was said in the earnest desire of our harts and vnfained resolution of our mindes wee must for the increase of our faith perswade our selues that wee now are in CHRIST and so conceiue of our selues as being in him reconciled vnto GOD and iustified by faith that being in him wee haue communion with him his merits being imputed vnto vs that be in him as if we had performed the same for our selues in our owne persons For being in him wee are to be assured that whatsoeuer hee performed for the saluation of the faithfull he performed for vs and may with the Apostle in particular applie the same to vâ— Together with Christ saith hee and sâ— must euery faithfull man say I was crâ—cisied And I liue no longer I but Christ â—ueth in me and the life whith I now liue 〈◊〉 the flesh I liue by the faith of the sonne 〈◊〉 God who loued me and gaue himselfe fâ— me And for the confirmation of 〈◊〉 faith in this particular assurance wee 〈◊〉 to make vse of the Sacraments For thâ— baptisme which wee receiued in our 〈◊〉 fancie remaineth as a sure pledge vnâ— vs to assure vs that wee beleeuing in Christ are ingrafted into him and the Sacrament of the Lords Supper serueth to assure vnto vs our vnion and communion with Christ. Lastly wee are according to the exhortation of S. Peter to giue diligence to make our calling election iustification and being in Christ more more sure vnto vs by leading of a godly and vpright life For sanctification to a man professing the true faith is an vndoubted argument of his iustification and of his being in Christ 1. Ioh. 3. 24. For seeing a man cannot be sanctified before hee is iustified nor liue a spirituall life vnlesse he be in Christ it is therefore most certaine that whosoeuer is sanctified as euery one is that hath an vnfained purpose to walke in the obedience of Gods will though besides his purpose he faile through infirmitie in many particulars hee is also iustified and ingrafted into Christ. But as we must be in Christ if we will be blessed by dying in him so must we â—bide in him to the end or else wee doe not die in him He that continueth to the end saith our Sauiour shall be saued And againe Be faithfull vnto death and I will giue thee the crowne of life which I speak not as though a man that truly beleeueth in Christ and is once ingrafted into him by a true faith could totally or finally fall away from faith or be cut off from Christ for how can that stand with the maine promise of the Gospell assuring saluation and consequently perseuerance to saluation to euery one that doth truly beleeue but to this end that he which supposeth that hee standeth may take heed lest he fall And that hee which thinketh he is in Christ because hee is in the visible Church which in respect of the faithfull who are therein is a part on the bodie of Christ may labour not only by a true faith to be ingrafted into the inuisible Church which is the mysticaâ— bodie of Christ but also to gather infallible tokens to himselfe of his beinâ— in Christ. For many bee in the visibâ— Church which be not of the Church iâ— uisible and such are subiect to defe ction or falling away and the Loâ— fuffereth them to fall away that it may appeare they are not of vs 1. Iohn 2. 19. There be many branches which seeme to be in the vine which is Christ Ioh. 15. but being rotten branches haue no vnioÌ„ with him by faith nor communion with him by the holy Ghost though they be ingrafted into the Church the visible bodie of Christ. For as Cions ingrafted which doe not take or rotten boughes of a tree which being one with the tree in shew and as the Philosopher saith mathematice by continuitie or vnion of termes are not one indeed and naturally by the vnitie of the forme which is the vegetatiue soule as it were of the plant so are they in Christ externallie and sacramentally but spiritually and in truth they are not And such branches as our Sauiour saith must looke to be cut off and cast into the fire As therefore wee doe now perswade our selues that wee be in Christ so let vs be carefull as our Sauiour exhorteth vs to abide in him yea and to grow in him For if any man professing himselfe to be in Christ and by his being in him to be freed and washed from his sinnes shall fall away from Christ and with the sow that was washed shall returne as it were to his wallowing in the mire the latter end of such a one shall bee worse than his beginning If a righteous man saith the Prophet speaking of him according to the outward appearance that hee might teach vs in like sort to speake of men according to the iudgement of charitie shall turne away from his righteousnes and commit iniquitie doing according to all the abominations of the wicked his former righteousnes shall not bee remembred but hee shall die in his sinnes And that wee may abide in Christ to the end let vs labour to bee vpright and sound Christians beleeuing in Christ by faith vnfained walking vprightly before God and men For vprightnes hatâ— euermore the priuilege of perseuerance For though hypocrites which build vpon the sand being hearers onely anâ— not doers of the word doe fall away iâ— the time of triall yet the sound Christian who liueth according to his profession and hath built vpon the rocke with no surges or assaults of temptation can bee vtterly ouerthrowne Though the seed which fell either amoÌ„g thornes whereby is meant the heart of the worldly professor is choked or on the rockie ground whereby is meant the secure hard and impenitent heart of the hypocrite and temporarie professor couered as it were with the shallow mould of an outward profession