THE RIGHTEOVS MANS HOPE IN HIS DEATH IN A SERMON AT THE Funerall of Mr WILLIAM CONYE of Walpoole Justice of Peace and Captain over the Trained Band in Marshland PREACHED By JOHN HORNE Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ at Soushlyn in Norfolke 2 do May 1648. 2 SAMUEL 14.14 For we must needs die and are as water spilt on the ground which cannot be gathered up again neither doth God respect any person yet doth he devise means that his banished be not expelled from him ISAIAH 57.1 2. The righteous is taken away from the evil to come He shall enter into peace they shall rest in their beds each one walking in his uprightnesse Cum constet deresurrectione mortuorum vacat dolor mortis vacat impatientia doloris Tertul. de Patientia Quinto major fides tanto morsest imbecillior Luth. LONDON Printed for Tho. Vnderhill 1649. To the Author of the Sermon IN Achor's vale Thou op'st a Door of Hope The Heart enlarg'd may well behold Thy scope The strong Devourer is by Thee made sweet We see the Eater is become mans meat The Faithfull die their fear of death is past In hope they live These dead thou lead'st to rest J.A. On the death of William Conye Esq Justice of the Peace and Captain at Wars Who being dead yet speaketh Heb. 11.4 OH living man would'st by death gain Learn Christ who did thy death sustain That so when Death Thy Life shall end Thou maist in Life with Christ Ascend Thy losse of friends becomes thy gain When God thy friend thou do'st obtain Then Pattern-like Be taught of me Let Christ thy life yet living be By sin came death yet liveth he Who conquer'd death to succour thee J.A. Or Thus. The Bush on fire is still preserv'd Mans life in death is yet conserv'd The Angels food Mans bread Christ is This Captain slew our death by his His bonds makes free his death brings life Our shame through Christ works glory rife Christ's Grace gains Faith Man hopes glory Sure 's God 's word myst'ry and stlory Vain man I Why fearest death in vain Christ is risen Beleeve and reign J.A. The CONTENTS Doctrines 1. That Righteous men die 1. The leverall kindes of death 1. Eternall which is a perishing from the presence of the Lord The second death 2. Spirituall Dead in sins strangers from the life of God Taken in an ill sease Dead to the Law to a mans self Thus taken in a good sense 3. Temporall see sin Inchoate In deaths often The shadow of death Censummate An utter sepatation of the soul from the body 2. The reasons of the Righteous mans dying 1 From the frail and mortall nature about them 2 From Satan and this world haters of them 3. From sin that cleaves so fall to them 4. From the Ordinance of God upon them That all men must die 5. For right ends to them 1. To humble the righteous by death 2. To make them seek salvation out of death through Christ 3. That the glory of Christ in raising them out of death may appear 4. That death may put an end to all their evils 5. That dying the righteous may enter into life and glory 2. That the Righteous hath hope in his death And therein consider 1. The difference of the Righteous mans hope from other mens hopelesse of life or senselesse of death 2. Who is the Righteous man 3. Divers sorts of Righteousnesse 1. Of a mans own and of works Morall Legall 2. Of God Of saith 4. Gods goodnesse done for man and his truth said to man cals for mans trust and hope towards God 5. What is this hope of a Righteous man 1. The severall objects of his hope Christ And other things through Christ 2. The grounds of his hope 1. Christs sufferings for man the ground of mans righteousnesse with God 2. Christs resurrection out of death the ground of mans hope of life 3. The efficacy of his hope the Righteous mans hope dies not It lives in his death 6. The blessed memory of this deceased Righteous man and of his hope in his death Application 1. The Righteousnesse of God is to be taken notice of and not to be slighted 2. All men ought to fellow this righteousnesse of God and not faint for sufferings 3. These followers are to go on in the way of righteousnesse The righteous not to die in their affections for death it self but to have hope in their death THE RIGHTEOVS MANS HOPE IN HIS DEATH The Text. PROV 14.32 The Righteous hath hope in his death NOt to spend time in unnecessary prefacing because we shall finde matter enough in the words to take up all this little time allotted us There are two Propositions couched in the Text to which I shall desire as briefly and yet as clearly as I may to speak viz. 1. That even Righteous men also are liable to death 2. That the Righteous have hope in their death The truth of the former of these is not only a matter of faith but is evident to sense also as the Scriptures tell us Heb 9.17 It 's appointed to man once to die So we see the wise and the foolish the righteous and the wicked both are subject thereto and in that regard all things come alike to all The most famous for righteousnesse have yielded unto death Abraham is â—â—nd and the Prophets are dead yea Christ himself yielded up the Ghost and died so that we shall not spend time about the proof of that point only I shall desire to unfold the severall acceptions of the word death and see in which of them this is found true that the righteous comes unto death and so see the latitude in which this Text may be taken and then shew whence and upon what grounds it comes to passe that the righteous also die and so proceed to the next particular The word death is diversly used in Scripture As We reade of a second death Rev. 20 6. 〈◊〉 Thes 17.8 9 Mâ—â—â— 25 4â— a perishing from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power a being thrown into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his Angels But of this death the text is not to be understood for this is none of the righteous mans death it 's not appointed for him nor he for it nor shall he come into it nor is it a death in which any hope may be had this is indeed the righteous mans hope that he shall not see this death but be preserved and kept from it as it is said Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection for on such the second death shall have no power Rev. 20.6 And of this that saying of our Saviour is to be understood that he that beleeves in him shall not taste death Joh 8 52. 2. Death is sometimes taken for a more spirituall death or a death in the spirit of a man only not in the body as when men are said
while alive Eph. 4.18 and 2.1 to be dead in an evill sense void of the life of God dead in sins and trespasses but of this this place cannot be understood neither they that are so dead are not righteous men but as yet unrighteous and ungodly But 3. Death is sometime taken in a good sense for a spirituall death not in sin but to a mans self and sin as when the Apostle saies Gal. 2.20 I am crucified with Christ yet I live c. Rom. 6.4 We are planted with him into the similitude of his death And 7.9 When the law came sin revived and I died That is When a man formerly alive to his wisdome parts priviledges righteousnesse after the Law c. comes to be taken off from all life in them confidence springing from them expectation of favour from God because of them findes no support comfort or encouragement from them sees them all to be nothing in the account of God and so looses and departs with them all in that regard to enjoy the full grace of God in Christ Unrighteous men oft times finde life in their own hands power and works endeavours parts c. but the man that doth righteousnesse dies to all that he may live to God and Christ may be his life And so he dies also to the world riches gloâ—â— pleasures treasures of it and whatsoever is therein so as not to love cleave to and have his life therein or suck his soul sweetnesse and satisfaction there-from It is crucified to him and he to it as Gal. 6.14 He is condemned and cast out by it and he again condemns and reproves it and findes no goodnesse or life in the customs approbation or excellencies of it So Paul saies of himself he died daily 1 Cor. 15. and saies to the Colossians chap. 3.3 Ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God And this death in these severall particulars the righteous man dieth to and in these dyings also he hath hope so that this acceptation of the word death we may understand to he included in this expression in the Text. 4. The word death signifies also dangers of death to the body heavy afflictions and distresses such as bring into eminent dangers of the dissolution of the body and soul each from other as when Paul said that God delivered him from so great a death 2 Cor. 8.9 and that he was in deaths often 2 Cor. 11.23 Fifthly and lastly It is used most ordinarily to signifie the death of the body the separation made between it and the soul the laying down of this earthly tabernacle so Christ was put to death in the flesh and Abraham and the Prophets died c. And in this and the next foregoing sense joined with it shall I here especially eye and speak to it It being a clear truth that the righteous come into many tribulations and deaths or dangers and at last also lay down their earthly tabernacles and die in the flesh 2 Cor. 5.1 and 4.12 Let us now view some reason of this why they are subjected to or how they come to yeeld up to such deaths The question is Quest. Why and whence it is that the righteous come into dangers and into death The answer is Answ That though they are in their conditions and spirits above death yet their bodies are subject thereto from sundry causes as If we look upon secundary causes It is because 1. They have the same frail natures and infirm constitutions as other men have they have and carry about them the seeds and principles of mortality righteousnesse leads to peace in them and to hopes under them but doth not keep death from them Yea 2. They have more cause then other men inasmuch as they have more enemies Satan stirring up instruments against them yea and if God permit working upon the principles of mortality in them more forceably and violently as in Job if by any means he might destroy them he stirs up the world to hate reproach and persecute them so that considering the worlds hating of them and plots against them it 's a greater wonder and more to be admired that they die no sooner then that they die at all that they meet not with many more deaths then that they meet with so many If we look upon the first and higher causes then we finde 1. Sinne in them as well as in others and that exposeth to death the body being corrupted with sin must die that it may be made new and incorrupt and that springs from an higher cause yet 2. The appointment of God It 's an ordinance of his making that mankinde should be subject to death It 's appointed to men once to die Heb. 9.27 And this ordinance includes and reaches to beleevers as well as others they being men also and God would have it so for divers good ends and purposes as to instance 1. That they might have something to humble them and keep them low in themselves while they are minded of their sin and sinfulnesse that let in death and experiment themselves in mortality frailty and weaknesse like other men and so are led also to see that they as well as any other have daily need of help from above that they need a Saviour out of death 2. That they seeing their own nothingnesse and need of a Saviour might be more earnestly stirred up to accept thankfully and diligently seek after and have recourse unto and exercise faith in the Saviour that God hath freely given to remedy and help them Deut. 32.29 Psal 9â— 11. for the consideration of their later end and the right numbering of their daies is a means to make them apply their hearts more heedfully to wisdom in minding the grace of God and comforting themselves therein against their straits and sufferings and breathing after the experiments of the power of God in supporting and bearing them up in deaths and in due season delivering them out of them Were we not subjected to death and misery in ourselves we should never so much prize and look out after salvation and help given us in another 3. That God in Christ might be the more abundantly glorified in supporting and carrying them through deaths and sufferings and raising them out of them for his strength is perfected in weaknesse and his power in infirmities 2 Cor. 12. as thereby it is most eminently put forth so therethrough also it 's most fully and clearly seen and known and being seen is most acknowledged as Christ said of Lazarus his death Joh. 1â— so we may say of the death of all his people it is that the son of man might be glorified for it 's greater glory to uphold in deaths and raise dry bones out of death then to preserve from it As the resurrection of the dead when mens bodies are wasted consumed and the reliques thereof scattered and dispersed doth more appose reason and seems more absurd to mans conception
their visitation and be turned unto God and every one that so beleeveth the testimony of God concerning Christ in his heart that he therein receiveth Christ for his wisdom righteousnesse holinesse and redemption and is brought to rely upon him and God in him for pardon peace life spirit and whatsoever may concern his happinesse and therewithall is framed to the minde of Christ to live to him and to God in him as hath been shewn he is the truly righteous man here to be understood in the text one whom God approves and holds for righteous Every through cordiall and sincere beleever he is the righteous man here spoken of and that is the first thing propounded for explication who is this righteous man in opening which I have been the larger because that 's of most weight and men are aptest therein to be deceived resting either in morall or Pharisaicall conceited righteousness in stead of the true righteousnesse which is according to God or else to rest in a form and carcasle of faith that receives nothing but propositions of truth into the head but receiveth not Christ into the heart to be it's righteousness from all which the righteousnesse of God doth greatly differ beyond all which kinde of righteous men the man that 's truly righteous doth very much go as is declared having cleared that let us now come to the second thing propounded to be explained and opened Quest 2. viz. What the hope is that such a righteous man hath in his death In opening that I shall consider this his hope both in it's object and ground This hope may be considered according to it's object and that first Objectum in quo The object unto which the heart is led and carried and in which it hath it's expectation and that is not any vain empty creature either it self or any other thing in the whole world for the righteous man is crucified to them with Christ and knows there is nothing to be met with from them that can help or satisfie and that God hath pronounced a curse upon him that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm Jer. 17.5 His hope therefore is set upon God in Christ from him is all his expectation according to that of David Psa 62.1 2. Truly my soul waiteth upon God from him cometh my salvation and that in Lam. 3.24 The Lord is my portion saith my soul therefore in him will I hope God as he hath discovered himself to the soul in Christ so he himself is the object in which it hopeth and from whom it expecteth what it hopeth for 2. The Objectum propter quod the object for which it hopeth it hopes for something as well as in something as to instance he hopes for support and preservation through death Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death yet will I fear none ill for thou art with me thy rod and thy staff doth comfort me or support me Psa 23.4 Psa 37.25 2. The enjoyment of Christ and God in Christ more fully in his Spirit after the dissolution of the body thence Paul Phil. 1. I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ 2 Cor. 5.6 8. knowing that when we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord walking by faith and not by fight we desire to be rather absent from the body and to be present with the Lord the righteous man hopes for a more full enjoyment of Christ then here he was capable of 3. He hopes that God will yet take care of his people and preserve his Church and carry on his work in the world for the glory of his name and will not be wanting to his posterity if he leave any behinde him Deut. 33.26 29. 4. His resurrection out of death and the full possession of eternall glory which Jesus Christ in the re-union of the soul and body as is at large declared in 1 Cor. 15. and in 1 Thes 4.16 17. c. He that raised up the body of the Lord Jesus Christ shall also raise up the beleever and give him acrown of life and glory that shall never fade where there shall be no mixture of grief or misery with his joy or happinesse but he shall be fully and for ever satisfied with the glorious enjoyment of God in Christ Jesus This is the hope that a righteous man hath in his death the object hoped for 2. This hope may be considered too in the ground or motive of it whence it springeth or what that is that gives a man encouragement and boldnesse to hope in God and Christ for such happinesse yea even in death when God seems to be about co cut him off for ever and that is properly the Lord Jesus Christ as he is the gift of God the manifestation of the Fathers love and grace the Mediatour and Saviour of the soul declared to the soul in the Gospel and received by faith whence the Apostle stiles him our hope Paul an Apostle by the commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ our hope 1 Tim. 1.1 and again Christ in you the hope of glory Col. 1.28 for it 's in the gift of him for and to the soul that it apprehends the love of God to be such towards it as that it hath good cause for ever to hope in him and thus to reason concerning him If when we were enemies we were reconciled unto God by the death of his Son how much more being reconciled shall we be saved by his life Rom. 5.10 Now because it is this love of God shed abroad into the heart by the holy Ghost that springs up this hope in God as Rom. 5.5 6. therefore the Apostle cals it good hope through grace that is sprung up through the apprehension and appearance of the grace or favour of God towards us as in another respect viz. because this grace is declared in the Gospel and therethrough discerned by us it 's called also the hope of the Gospel Col. 1.23 2 Thes 2.16 a lively hope that puts lively chearfull thoughts into the soul and makes it live in the midst of death in expectation of a crown and inheritance incorruptible and immortall c 1 Pet. 2.3 and that grounded upon the resurrection of Christ from the dead thence it 's also a good hope not only because it doth good to the soul in saving preserving and supporting it in trials and afflictions so as that it saints not nor turns away from God 1 Joh. 3.3 but is kept in dependance on him or in that it also purifies the soul or leads the man to purge himself through the grace of God beleeved that he may be meet for such a hope or glory hoped for in the view of which it also gives the soul strong consolation making it in death to trample upon death and rejoice over death because of the glory to be revealed and enjoyed after it but also it 's good because of the foundation whence it
not you have great encouragement in the consideration of what hath been said to persevere to the death and not shrink back because of persecutions reproaches threatnings or the fear of death It is true indeed you are exposed to the wrath and malice of men there are many especially at this time that conspire and plot against us we may see and hear how they band themselves together and strengthen themselves in mischief to root out from the earth if it were possible those that fear God and desire to walk with him it is at such their aim is most and their envy and all their plots and designs are most against such persecutions of the tongue you meet with and should do of the hand too if they might have their will they thirst after our bloud and perhaps the sight of this might almost strike a damp into some spirits that have begun to look to God and make them begin to think of going back again from him but O my friends let it not be so with you you have no cause for all these things to be affrighted for your lives are not in their hands that are your enemies they may talk great things this they will do and that they will do cut our throats knock us on the head be our deaths but we see God permits them not to do so they did so conspire against David but he comforted himself in this my times are in thine hand Psal 31.11 O Lord and so may we till our times be come they can do no hurt as it is said of Christ when they lay in wait for him and sought to kill him they were many a time frustrated and put by because his hour was not yet come though they may have opportunities to harm us yet God ties their hands and strikes a fear into their hearts not a hair of our heads shall they pluck from off us Mat. 10 30. till God give them permission Therefore fear not for the threats of men nor for the wickednesse of those that in stead of receiving the grace of God preached by us seek to reward our good will with mischieving us Luk. 21.18 plot to destroy us in doing righteousnesse we have God on our sides who will faithfully protect us we have seen him many a time befooling them and sometimes taking them in their own snares blowing them up when they had subtilly undermined us and thought to have destroied us How many times have they thought themselves sure of our downfall when they themselves have fallen we have risen and stood upright though we have been so imperfect in righteous doing that for our unbelief and follies God might most justly have given us up to their rage yet such hath been his goodnesse and faithfullnesse to us that to break us off from our waies more and to encourage us to righteousnesse he hath known us in our adversities and evermore stood by us to defend us and we have cause to hope in him yet that whatsoever their hopes and expectations are however great their power and however subtle their policies however strong their confederacies and combinations to do wickednesse God will yet defeat them and preserve us Well but suppose he should leave us to their hands as there may be an hour for the power of darknesse over us Luk. 22 53. Rev. 11 7 8. as well as there was to Christ yet what of that shall we turn from our righteousnesse sure there would be no cause for that for what can they do unto us They can but kill the body and the body must die Eccles 8.8 And though for righteousnesse sake it do not die so soon as probably it might yet such have all died who to avoide death have turned from righteousnes Neither shall wickednes deliver those that are given to it And truly friends to die in and for righteous doing is far better then to die in denying it and without it you see righteousnesse gives hope in death and delivers from the sting and poyson that some meet with in it Alas if you turn from righteousnesse you turn from God and from Christ and from hope of eternall life Ezek. 33.12 and what is then to be met with but guilt and horrour of conscience in death despair and after death eternall vengeance what advantage is it to live a little longer in this world and in the mean time to have the soul dead to hope and dead to God Therefore hold fast your righteousnesse be not ashamed of God and Christ and of his name and truth while you cleave to righteousnesse God will be sure to cleave to you and support you so that death shall be but as a dream to you the hope your souls meet with in and from God shall render death little or nothing fearfull or dreadfull to you yea in him your souls shall finde joy in death God whom ye beleeve on and confesse will be your God and guide unto death and his grace embraced by you will fill you with joy and gladness with peace and quietness in the midst of death you shall experiment with this our brother and all the Saints of God that have abidden in faith and held fast their confidence the truth of what you have now heard that the righteous hath hope in his death For that hopes sake go on couragiously in the path of righteousnesse and fear not what persecutions and death can do unto you Consider what hath been said and the Lord give us all understanding in all things Laus Deo