2Secondly, gates are applied to death for authority, they were almost in deaths jurisdiction; death is a great Tyrant, he rules over all the men in the world, over Kings, and Potentates, over mean men, and the greatest men fear death most: he is the King of fears as Job calls him, I, and the fear of Kings. Yet death that is thus feared in this life by wicked men, at the day of judgement, of all things in the world they shall desire death most,2 according to that in the Apocalypse, They shall desire death, and ⟨p. 51⟩it shall not come to them, they shall subsist to eternal misery; that, that men are most afraid of in this life, that they shall wish most to come to them in the world to come, Oh that I might die! What a pitiful state are wicked men in? therefore it is called the Gate of death, it rules and overrules all mankind:3 therefore it is said to reign, Rom. 5. Death and sin came in together, sin was the gate that let in death, and ever since death reigned, and will, till Christ perfectly triumph over it, who is the King of that Lord and Commander, ⟨p. 52⟩and hath the key of hell and death: To wicked men (I say) he is a Tyrant, and hath a gate, and when they go through the gate of death, they go to a worse, to a lower place, to hell, it is the trap-door to Hell.
2Secondly, gates are applyed to death for authoritie, they were almost in deaths jurisdiction; death is a great Tyrant, hee rules over all the men in the world, over Kings, and Potentates, over meane men, and the greatest men feare death most: hee is the King of feares as Iob calls him, I, and the feare of Kings. Yet death that is thus feared in this life by wicked men, at the day of judgement, of all things in the world they shall desire death most,2 according to that in the Apocalips, They shall desire death, and ⟨p. 51⟩it shall not come to them, they shall subsist to eternall myserie; that, that men are most affraid of in this life, that they shall wish most to come to them in the world to come, Oh that I might die! What a pittifull state are wicked men in? therefore it is called the Gate of death, it rules and overrules all mankinde:3 therefore it is sayd to reigne, Rom. 5. Death and sinne came in together, sinne was the gate that let in death, and ever since death raigned, and will, till Christ perfectly tryumph over it, who is the King of that Lord and Commander, ⟨p. 52⟩and hath the key of hell and death: To wicked men (I say) hee is a Tyrant, and hath a gate, and when they goe through the gate of death, they goe to a worse, to a lower place, to hell, it is the trappe-doore to Hell.
- 2Authority of death.
- 2Misery of wicked men.
- 3Rom. 5.
