The blessedness of the death of these that die in the Lord and more…The blessednesse of the death of these that die in the Lord and more…

The 2d Question is, if even believers may be unwilling to die? And if this be warrantable? I answer, They may be sometimes unwilling to die and that not unwarrantably; And for clearing of this we shall speak to two things. 1. To an unwillingness to die upon carnal grounds; 2. To an unwillingness to die upon good grounds; For the first, Believers may be unwilling to die from a sinful unpreparedness to die, they may have a loathness to look death in the face throw the conscience of some, yea much carnalnesse in their life; beside that there is in all naturally an averseness from dying, believers may have sometimes their own carnal designs that may make them unwilling, ⟨p. 86⟩but this is sinful; for where there is a good conscience sprinkled with Christs blood, solid faith, and clearness about our peace with God, in so far they will make willingness to die. But 2ly, There is an approven unwillingness that some-times hath been in the Saints, as in David and Hezekiah, which is rather a sweet submission to live, then a direct desire to live, for other reasons, for if it be a fear about the want of temporal or spiritual things for soul or body, or about any thing that relates to Gods public work, faith will answer these; but there are two reasons that the Saints have gone on, by which they have been induced to this, that made them approven in their unwillingness to die. 1. The great stroke and influence that their removal might have had on the work of God, as it was in Hezekiah, Josia and Paul, their case; if the former two should have been removed, it would very probably have overturned the Work of God, as Paul's removal would have made many sore hearts amongst Christians. 2ly, When their dying in such a case, or under such a dispensation seems to carry some blot with it on innocent godly persons, or on godliness and the profession of it; As if Job should have died in his affliction, it would have confirmed his Friends in their erroneous opinion or tenet; and Davids dying in the hands of his enemies before he came to the crown, would have left some blemish on the faithfulness of God, and on the profession of Religion, and been matter of shame and blushing to the godly; Therefore says he, For their sakes return thou on high;

The 2d Question is, if even beleivers may be unwilling to die? And if this be warrantable? I answer, They may be sometimes unwilling to die and that not unwarrantably; And for clearing of this we shall speak to two things. 1. To ane unwillingnesse to die upon carnal grounds; 2. To ane unwillingnesse to die upon good grounds; For the first, Beleivers may be unwilling to die from a sinful unpreparednesse to die, they may have a loathnesse to look death in the face throw the conscience of some, yea much carnalnesse in their life; beside that there is in all naturallie ane aversnesse from dieing, beleivers may have sometimes their own carnal designes that may make them unwilling,