The righteous mans death lamented. A sermon preached at St. Austins, London, Aug.23. 1662…

First, the righteous are gathered to God in this life, and that is at their first conversion; for by nature we are all aliens and strangers to God; scattered from any union or communion with God: not only scattered from the glorious, but from the gracious presence of God. God made man at first to enjoy communion with himself, but Adam lost this by his sin, and now we are all Cains, and Vagabonds, scattered from the love of God, and from union and communion with God; but when God converts any of the elect, he gathers them home to himself; for conversion is nothing but God's gathering them to himself in the second Adam that were scattered from him in the first Adam; the first Adam was a root of scattering, a root of separation from God; but the second Adam was a root of union and conjunction. Christ is the head, and all the elect are all gathered together in him, 1 Eph. 10. that he might gather together in one all things in Christ; so that conversion is nothing but a gathering of the elect of God to Christ by faith, and a gathering to one another by love and charity.

Secondly, Gods people are gathered at death; here they are gathered to Christ by grace, but at death they are gathered to Christ in glory, here they are gathered to God by hope, but at death by fruition; here Christ is gathered to us, he comes down, and dwells with us; but at death we shall be gathered to him, we shall go up, and be joined with him. There's a great deal of difference between esse cum Christe, and esse in Christo; esse cum Christo, to be one ⟨p. 8⟩with Christ is a Christians great security; but esse in Christo, to be one in Christ, it is a Christians great felicity: In this life we are gathered to God by faith, but at death by vision.

Secondly, Gods people are gathered at death; here they are gathered to Christ by grace, but at death they are gathered to Christ in glory, here they are gathered to God by hope, but at death by fruition; here Christ is gathered to us, he comes down, and dwells with us; but at death we shall be gathered to him, we shall go up, and be joynd with him. There's a great deal of difference between esse cum Christe, and esse in Christo; esse cum Christo, to be one