Lastly, They shall have a joyful entrance into the other world. Their arrival in the regions of bliss, will be celebrated with rapturous hymns of praise to their glorious Redeemer. A dying day is a good day to a godly man. Yea, it is his best day; it is better to him than his birth-day, or than the most joyous day he ever had on earth. A good name, says the wise man, is better than precious ointment: and the day of death, than the day of one's birth, Eccl. vii. 1. The notion of the immortality of the soul, and of future happiness, which obtained among some Pagan nations, had wonderful effects on them. Some of them when they mourned for the dead, did it in women's apparel; that being moved with the indecency of the ⟨p. 239⟩garb, they might the sooner lay aside their mourning. Others buried them without any lamentation or mourning: but had a sacrifice, and a feast for friends upon that occasion. Some were wont to mourn at births, and rejoice at burials. But the practice of some Indian nations is yet more strange. of whom it is reported, that upon the husband's decease, his several wives were it use to contend, before the judges, which of them was the best beloved wife: and she, in whose favours it was determined, with a cheerful countenance, threw herself into the flames prepared for her husband's corpse, was burned with it, and reckoned happy, while the rest lived in grief, and were accounted miserable. But, howsoever lame notions of a future state, assisted by pride, affectation of applause, apprehensions of difficulties in this life, and such like principles, proper to depraved human nature, may influence rude, uncultivated minds, when strengthened by the arts of hell: O! what solid joy and consolation may they have who are true Christians, being in Christ, who hath brought life and immortality to light by the gospel! 2 Tim. i. 10. Death is one of these all things, that work together for good, to them that love God, Rom. viii. 28. When the body dies, the soul is perfected: the body of death goes off at the death of the body. What harm did the jailer to Pharaoh's butler, when he opened the prison door to him, and let him out? Is the bird in worse case, when at liberty, than when confined in a cage? Thus, and no worse, are the souls of the saints treated by death. It comes to the godly man, as Haman came to Mordecai with the royal apparel and the horse, Esther iv.
Lastly, They shall have a joyful entrance into the other world. Their arrival in the regions of bliss, will be celebrated with rapturous hymns of praise to their glorious Redeemer. A dying day is a good day to a godly man. Yea, it is his best day; it is better to him than his birth-day, or than the most joyous day he ever had on earth. A good name, says the wise man, is better than precious ointment: and the day of death, than the day of one's birth, Eccl. vii. 1. The notion of the immortality of the soul, and of future happiness, which obtained among some Pagan nations, had wonderful effects on them. Some of them when they mourned for the dead, did it in women's apparel; that being moved with the indecency of the ⟨p. 239⟩garb, they might the sooner lay aside their mourning. Others buried them without any lamentation or mourning: but had a sacrifice, and a feast for friends upon that occasion. Some were wont to mourn at births, and rejoice at burials. But the practice of some Indian nations is yet more strange. of whom it is reported, that upon the husband's decease, his several wives were it use to contend, before the judges, which of them was the best beloved wife: and she, in whose favours it was determined, with a chearful countenance, threw herself into the flames prepared for her husband's corpse, was burned with it, and reckoned happy, while the rest lived in grief, and were accounted miserable. But, howsoever lame notions of a future state, assisted by pride, affectation of applause, apprehensions of difficulties in this life, and such like principles, proper to depraved human nature, may influence rude, uncultivated minds, when strengthned by the arts of hell: O! what solid joy and consolation may they have who are true Christians, being in Christ, who hath brought life and immortality to light by the gospel! 2 Tim. i. 10. Death is one of these all things, that work together for good, to them that love God, Rom. viii. 28. When the body dies, the soul is perfected: the body of death goes off at the death of the body. What harm did the jaylor to Pharaoh's butler, when he opened the prison door to him, and let him out? Is the bird in worse case, when at liberty, than when confined in a cage? Thus, and no worse, are the souls of the saints treated by death. It comes to the godly man, as Haman came to Mordecai with the royal apparel and the horse, Esther iv.
