The Christians labour and reward, or, A sermon, part of which was preached at…

Fourthly, Improve this Glorious Reward to reconcile death to thy thoughts, and make thee rather desire, than fear to be dissolved. Many were the Arguments, which the Philosophers, among the Heathens mustered up, to expel the fear of this King of Terrors; but the wisest of them were baffled in all their attempts therein. As it is said of Cicero, a little before his death, that he confessed the remedies, which he had prepared against this Enemy, proved, he knew not how, but too weak and feeble for that purpose. And one was bold to tell Plato, when he spake much of the contempt of death, Fortius ⟨p. 120⟩loqueris, quàm vivis; that he spoke higher than he lived; and no wonder, if we consider, in how dark a light they saw the existence of a future state; and much more, at what a loss they were for finding the right way which leads to the happiness of it. Neither do I wonder, that any wicked man under the Gospel, should be terrified at an approaching death, and go down to the grave, as, they say, Bears go down an Hill, backward; afraid to see, or think of that state they are going into. For the more any knows of Heaven, without a well grounded hope of arriving there, the greater must his dread needs be. He that increaseth knowledge here, will be sure to increase his sorrow; but why any of the People of God, that have a hope of Heaven, should not in some measure overcome the prevalency, at least of this fear of death, is strange; and, indeed, casts a reproach upon Christianity. The Turks (I have heard) some of them should say; they did not think Christians ⟨p. 121⟩believed there was an Heaven, because they saw them so loth to go to it. Labour Christian, to wipe of this reproach, which these Infidels cast upon our Religion. First, Look thou buildest thy hope of Heaven, deep, and strong, upon a good ground; which is Regenerating Grace, (for a dead Soul, cannot have a lively Hope) Then labour to hold fast the rejoicing of thy Hope unto the end, to which it would much conduce, to preserve a right notion of death in thy thoughts. What else (Christian) is death to thee, but what Jordan was to the Israelites? a passage from an howling Wilderness, of a sinful miserable World, where thou hast been pinched with Wants, and stung with fiery Temptations, to a Land of Promise, where is safety to security, and fullness to Felicity: where thou wilt find the absence of nothing, but sin and sorrow.