A27048:77
A treatise of death, the last enemy to be destroyed showing wherein its enmity…A treatise of death, the last enemy to be destroyed shewing wherein its enmity…
A treatise of death, the last enemy to be destroyed showing wherein its enmity consisteth and how it is destroyed : part of it was preached at the funerals [sic] of Elizabeth, the late wife of Mr. Joseph Baker ... / by Rich. Baxter ; with some few passages of the life of the said Mrs. Baker observed.A treatise of death, the last enemy to be destroyed shewing wherein its enmity consisteth and how it is destroyed : part of it was preached at the funerals [sic] of Elizabeth, the late wife of Mr. Joseph Baker ... / by Rich. Baxter ; with some few passages of the life of the said Mrs. Baker observed.
London: printed by R.W. for Nev. Simmons, 1660
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
3. A third Antidote against the Enmity of death, is the Holiness of the soul: By this the Power of sin is mortified; and therefore the fears of death cannot actuate and use it, as in others they may do: By this the Interest of the flesh is cast aside as nothing, and the flesh it self is crucified with Christ: and ⟨p. 46⟩therefore the destruction of the flesh will seem the more tolerable, and the fears of it will be a less temptation to the Soul. By this we are already crucified to the world, and the world to us: and therefore we can more easily leave the world: We now live by another Life then we did before; being dead in our selves, our life is hid with Christ in God; and being crucified with Christ, we now so Live, as that it is not we, but Christ Liveth in us: the life which we Live in the flesh is by the faith of the Son of God that hath loved us, Gal. 2.20. The things that made this life too dear to us, are now as it were annihilated to us; and when we see they are Nothing, they can do nothing with us. Sanctification also maketh us so weary of sin, as being our hated enemy, that we are the more willing to die, that it may die that causeth us to die. ⟨p. 47⟩And especially, the Holy Ghost, which we then receive, is in us a Divine and heavenly Nature, and so inclineth us to God and Heaven. This Nature principally consisteth in the superlative Love of God. And Love carrieth out the soul to the beloved. As the Nature of a prisoner in a dungeon carrieth him to desire Liberty and light; so the Nature of a holy Soul in flesh, inclineth it to desire to be with Christ. As Love maketh husband and wife, and dearest friends to think the time long while they are asunder; so doth the Love of the Soul to God. How fain would the holy loving Soul behold the pleased face of God, and be glorified in the beholding of his glory, and live under the fullest influences of his Love! This is our conquest over the Enmity of death. As strong as Death is, Love is stronger, Eccles. 8.6, 7. Love is ⟨p. 48⟩strong as death — the coals thereof are coals of fire, a most vehement flame (which will not by the terrible face of death be hindered from ascending up to God.) Many waters cannot quench Love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for Love (that is, to bribe it and divert it from its object) it would utterly be contemned.