As life is ours, So death 1is ours. It is a strange thing that death should be ours, that is a destroying hostile thing to nature, The King of fears as the Scripture calls it aand that terrible of all terribles, as the Philosopher, the last enemy uas Paul saith; that death should be ours. Death is ours many ways, you see here it is a piece of our jointure, for these words contain the jointure of the Church. ⟨p. 15⟩The Church is Christs Spouse, all things are Christs, and therefore all things are the Spouses: and among other particular gifts given to the Church, death is ours. It is a strange thing 4that death should be given to the Church, and yet so it is, and we shall see this, if we consider how death in the Gospel is turned into another thing, it is a harmless thing in the Gospel the sting is pulled out, it hath lost all its venom in Christ. now death is a passage to 5another World, it is the gate of glory, death nothing but divests us of these raiments that we have here on our bodies, and puts us ⟨p. 16⟩into garments of glory, it puts off these rags, and puts us into a better condition, that is all the hurt it doth, it ends all that is ill, and all is determined in death, it is the last evil, and it is the beginning of all that is good, that is everlastingly good, that is spiritually good & eternally good, for by death we are freed, both from the labour of sin which is a labour irksome to Gods people, by reason of a principle of corruption which they have in them, that accompanies them till they be in their grave: death is the accomplishment of mortification, in death there is an end of the labour of ⟨p. 17⟩sin, and of all other labours whatsoever, for death is a sleep, and all labours end in sleep: & as after sleep the spirits are refreshed, so after death we shall be more refreshed, then we can conceive now: so death is ours, It ends all labours of sin, and all labours of the body, and it frees us from all contagion of wicked men, and from all grief from wicked men, and it sets us clear out of Satan's reach; Satan hath nothing to do with us when we are dead once; because here the World is the Kingdom of Satan, but when we are gone hence, Satan hath nothing to do with us; and that is a great privilege, ⟨p. 18⟩so death is ours, it frees us 6from all that is evil, our death is our birth-day: indeed we never live till we die, for what is your life?
As life is ours, So death 1is ours. It is astrange thing that death should be ours, that is a destroying hostile thing to nature, The King of feares as the Scripture calls it aand that terrible of all terribles, as the Philosopher, the last enemy uas Paul saith; that death should be ours. Death is ours many wayes, you see here it is a peice of our joynture, for these words containe the joynture of the Church. ⟨p. 15⟩The Church is Christs Spouse, all things are Christs, and therefore all things are the Spouses: and among other particular gifts given to the Church, death is ours. It is a strange thing 4that death should be given to the Church, and yet so it is, and we shall see this, if we consider how death in the Gospell is turned into another thing, it is a harmelesse thing in the Gospell the sting is pulled out, it hath lost all its venome in Christ. now death is a passage to 5another World, it is the gate of glory, death nothing but divests us of these rayments that we have here on our bodies, and puts us ⟨p. 16⟩into garments of glory, it puts off these ragges, and puts us into a better condition, that is all the hurt it doth, it ends all that is ill, and all is determined in death, it is the last evill, and it is the beginning of all that is good, that is everlastingly good, that is spiritually good & eternally good, for by death we are freed, both from the labour of sin which is a labour irkesome to Gods people, by reason of a principle of corruption which they have in them, that accompanyes them till they be in their grave: death is the accomplishment of mortification, in death there is an end of the labour of ⟨p. 17⟩sinne, and of all other labours whatsoever, for death is a sleepe, and all labours end in sleepe: & as after sleepe the spiritts are refreshed, so after death we shall be more refresht, then we can conceive now: so death is ours, It ends all labours of sinne, and all labours of the body, and it frees us from all contagion of wicked men, and from all greife from wicked men, and it sets us cleare out of Satans reach; Satan hath nothing todoe with us when we are dead once; because here the World is the Kingdome of Satan, but when we are gone hence, Satan hath nothing to doe with us; and that is a great priveledge,
- 14 Particular how death is the Churches.
- aJoh. 15. 26.Ioh. 15. 26.
- u1 Cor. 15, 26.
- 41. Death by the Gospel is •ours, a Snake without a sting.1. Death by the Gospell is •ours, a Snake without a sting.
- 52. Its the passage •••n all •ill to all good.
- 63 Death is the beginning of eternal life.3 Death is the beginning of eternall life.
