Four useful discourses viz. ... /Four usefull discourses viz. ... /

If my Soul were gone from my Body, it would be in a better Estate than now it is: To me to die is gain, and so you have it in 2 Cor. where the Apostle speaks of his departing out of the Body, in Chap. 5. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that whilst we are at Home in the Body, we are absent from the Lord. We are confident, in verse 8. I say, and willing rather to be absent from the Body, and to be present with the Lord. So that 'tis apparent, that upon the Souls absence from the Body, it is present with the Lord. Now if the Soul did die as the Body doth, it were not present with the Lord; no, not so much as when it is in the Body. But now the Apostle saith, That when it is out of the Body, then it's present with the Lord; and when it is in the Body, it is absent from the Lord. And so it is upon this Ground especially that the Apostle saith, That to him to die was Gain: Because he should be absent from the Body, but present with Christ, which is best of all. To be with Christ, it is more than to have Christ with us. The difference lies here: For us to be with Christ, it is ⟨p. 117⟩for us to be brought to Christ, where He is like Himself in all His Glory and Excellency; and for us to enjoy Him in a proportionable way. But now for Christ to be Immanuel, God with us, it is for Christ to come down as it were to us; and to manifest so much of Himself as is suitable to our condition: Therefore Christ humbles Himself to come to be with us. For there He is a Man of Sorrows, He is with us suitable to our Mean and Low condition; but when we come to be with Him, we are there suitable to His High and Glorious condition: There lies the difference. Mark, The Apostle doth not here say, To me to die is Gain: Upon this Ground, Because I shall be delivered from my Troubles. As a great many are ready to think, it were well for me to be Dead. If they be but a little discontented, their outward Trouble, makes them willing to go out of the World: Yea, and if their Bodies be weakly, and their Stomachs gone, and cannot Eat as others do, or Sleep as others do; or are very Poor, and Live in a mean Condition, they are weary of this World. Now to think death Gain upon such a poor Ground as these, is not according to the Spirit of Paul: Paul suffered as much as many of you do, for outward things in this World, and yet he did not desire to die:

If my Soul were gone from my Body, it would be in a better Estate than now it is: To me to die is gain, and so you have it in 2 Cor. where the Apostle speaks of his departing out of the Body, in Chap. 5. Therefore we are alwayes confident, knowing that whilst we are at Home in the Body, we are absent from the Lord. We are confident, in verse 8. I say, and willing rather to be absent from the Body, and to be present with the Lord. So that 'tis apparent, that upon the Souls absence from the Body, it is present with the Lord. Now if the Soul did die as the Body doth, it were not present with the Lord; no, not so much as when it is in the Body. But now the Apostle saith, That when it is out of the Body, then it's present with the Lord; and when it is in the Body, it is absent from the Lord. And so it is upon this Ground especially that the Apostle saith, That to him to die was Gain: Because he should be absent from the Body, but present with Christ, which is best of all. To be with Christ, it is more than to have Christ with us. The difference lies here: For us to be with Christ, it is