ther we must go; fo there is very little when we are come near to it; and therefore bleed is that fervant, whom his Lord when he cometh, Jhall find watching. SERMON CLXXXIV. The certainty, and the bleffednefs of the refurrection of true Chriftians. 1 THESS. iv. 14. For if we believe that Jefus died, and rofe again; even fo them alfo which fleep in Jefus, will "God bring with him. T HE words which I have read are an argument of the bleffed refurrection of good men to eternal life, grounded upon the refurrection of Chrift. In the verfe before, the Apoftle comforts Chriftians, concerning their brethren that were already departed in the faith of Chrift, that there was no reason why they fhould fo immoderately grieve for them. But I would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are afleep, that ye forrow not, even as others that have no hope that is, as the Heathens do, who mourn for their dead friends in fo grievous a manner, as if they were utterly extinguished by death, and they had no imagination of any life beyond this. And thus we find the Apoftle elsewhere defcribing the state of the Heathen world; Eph. ii. 12. that they were aliens from the commonwealth of Ifrael, ftrangers from the covenant of promife, having no hope. But Chriftians fhould not mourn for their deceased friends, as the Heathen were wont to do, who had no hope of a better life; becaufe Chriftians profefs to believe that Chrift is rifen from the dead, and afcended into heaven: For if we believe that Jefus died, and rofe again, even fo them alfo which fleep in Jefus, will God bring with him. There There are two things to be explained in the words, before we come to confider the matter of them: First, What is meant by thofe that fleep in Fefus. Secondly, What by God's bringing them with him. First, What is meant by thofe that fleep in Jefus. Sleep is a metaphor used for death by all forts of writers profane and facred; and by the ancient Chriftians, the place of burial was called xanh, that is, a fleeping place. This metaphor is fometimes applied to the death of the wicked, but most frequently used of the death of the righteous, because to them it is truly a reft. And fo the Prophet fpeaking of the death of the righteous, calls it, Ifa. lvii. 2. They shall enter into peace, they shall reft in their beds. And the death of the righteous is very fitly called a fleep, both as it is a reft from labour and pain: blessed are the dead which die in the Lord; for they rest from their labour, Rev. xiv. 13. And likewife becaufe fleep is not final, but in order to waking again. The death of the righteous is not an eternal fleep of the body, but that thall be awakened in the morning of the refurrection. But why is the death of good men called a fleeping in Jefus? Nia 'Inas, for Jefus fake; which may feem to have fome particular relation to thofe who died martyrs for Chrift; as fome likewife understand that text, Rev. xiv. 13. Bleed are the dead which die in the Lord, that is, that fuffer for his caufe; for they reft from their la bours, that is, their fufferings are then at an end. But we fhall beft understand the meaning of this phrafe, by comparing it with thofe others which feem to be equivalent to it, as 1 Cor. xv. 18. They also that are fallen afleep in Chrift; ver. 23. They that are Chrift's at his coming, that is, they that belong to him, that died in the faith of Chrift. So likewife is this, 2 Theff. iv. 10. The dead in Chrift shall rise first; that is, the Chriftians that are dead before the coming of Chrift, fhall first be raifed, before those that are alive fhall be changed. Heb. xi. 13. All thefe died in faith, that is, in firm belief of God's promife of a better life. So that to fleep in Chrift, to be Chrift's, to die in Chrift, to die in the faith, do all feem to fignify the fame thing, viz. to die in the ftate of of true Chriftians. For fo we understand the like expreffions of being in Chrift, Rom. viii. 1. He that is in Chrift, that is, every fincere Chriftian; and of abiding in Chrift, John xv. 4. He that abideth in me. So to die in Chrift, is to die a true Christian, in the faith and obedience of the gospel. And it is obfervable, that in the phrafe and stile of the New Teftament, we are faid to die all in, and with Chrift; to be in him, and to live in him, and to walk in him, by our fan&tification and obedience; to die with him, by the mortification of our lufts; to rife with him, by our renovation to a new life; to afcend with him into heaven, and to have our life hid with Christ in God, by our heavenly affections and hopes, and by death to fleep in him. But before I pafs over this phrafe of fleeping in Jefus, there is one difficulty more about the fleep of the foul, which feems to be countenanced from this text, thofe that fleep in Jefus, fhall God bring with him; as if the Apostle fpake here of the fouls of good men which had been afleep, and Christ should bring with him to be united to their bodies, which fhould be raised; as likewife from the whole tenor of the Apoftle's difcourfe about the refurrection, 1 Cor. 15. where the Apoftle fays nothing of the living of the foul before the body be raifed; as if the foul feparated from the body were in a state of infenfibility, till the refurrection. But the true answer to this is, that neither our Saviour in his discourse of the refurrection, nor St. Paul in the 15th chapter to the Corinthians, nor here in this text, do keep closely to the proving of the refurrection of the body; but of a blessed immortality after this life, against the Sadducees, who faid there was no refurrection, neither angel nor fpirit. But fometimes they prove that there is a life after death; and fometimes that at the refurrection, the foul thall be joined to a spiritual and heavenly body, and that the whole man shall enjoy perfect blifs and happiness. But this opinion, or rather dream, concerning the fleep of the foul from the time of death, that is, from the time of the feparation of the foul from the body till the the general refurrection, may be effectually confuted thefe two ways: 1. By taking away the ground of it: and, 2. By producing feveral texts of fcripture, which are utterly inconfiftent with it. And this I fhall the rather do, because fome men have taken a great deal of pains to eftablish and prove this opinion; though I confess I do not well understand to what end, because there is as little comfort as truth in it. 1. By taking away the only ground that I know of, of this opinion; and that is, from the frequent metaphor and resemblance in fcripture of death to fleep. And indeed thofe which are dead, are frequently in feripture faid to fleep, or to be fallen afleep: But then (which falls out very crofs to this opinion) this metaphor of fleep is no where in fcripture applied to the foul, but to the body refting in the grave, in order to its being awakened and raised out of this fleep at the refurrection. And thus it is frequently ufed, with exprefs reference to the body: Dan. xii. 2. Many of them that fleep in the duft of the earth fhall awake; and furely fleeping in the duft of the earth, can only be applied to the body. And more exprefly yet, Matth. xxvii. 52. And the graves were opened, and many bodies of faints which flept arofe. Ads xiii. 36. David, after he had ferved his own generation by the will of God, fell afleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and faw corruption: but he whom God raifed again, faw no corruption. Now that of David which fell asleep and was buried with his fathers, and faw corruption, was certainly his body, and that of our Saviour which was raised again, and faw no corruption, was likewife his body, according to that prediction concerning him, thou wilt not leave my foul in bell, in Hades, by which is plainly meant the ftate and place of fouls feparated from the body; nor fuffer thy holy one to fee corruption, that is, the body of our bleffed Lord to rot in the grave. 1 Cor. xv. 20. But now is Chrift rifen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that flept; that is, the refurrection of his body out of the grave is an earnest and affurance that our bodies alfo fhall be raised. And ver. 51. We shall not all fleep, but we shall all be changed; where the Apoftle poftle undoubtedly fpeaks both of the death and change of thefe corruptible bodies. And fo likewife the text is to be understood of the refurrection of the bodies of the faints, which fhall be raised up by the found of the great trumpet, and reunited to their fouls, that they may in perfon accompany Christ at his coming. So that it is the body, which is every where faid in fcripture to fleep, and not the foul; and if fo, then the only foundation of this opinion is taken away. 2. I fhall fhew, that this opinion of the fleep of the foul is utterly inconfiftent with feveral paffages of fcripture, which plainly fuppofe the contrary; as Luke xvi. 22. 23. where, in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the different states of good and bad men, immediately after their departure out of this life, are defcribed; but they are fo defcribed, that it is evident that the fouls of neither of them are afleep. It is faid of Lazarus, that he was carried by the Angels into Abraham's bofom, and that there he was comforted; and of the rich man, that he was in hell, and there tormented in flames. This was not like to be a state of fleep and infenfibility, and the rich man cries out of his torment; and that we may be fure he was awake, he is faid to lift up his eyes. And there is all the reafon that can be to conclude, that Lazarus was every whit as fenfible of the comfort and happiness that he was in, as the rich man was of his torment. Luke xxiii. 43. where our Saviour fays to the penitent thief, this day shalt thou be with me in paradife but not furely to fleep there till the refurrection. Though fome have endeavoured to avoid the force of this text, by referring this day to what goes before, and not to what follows after; as if our Saviour had faid; I fay unto thee this day; and not, this day thou shalt be with me in paradife: which is a foolish evafion, becaufe, I fay unto thee, neceffarily implies the prefent time, and there is no need to add, this day; befides that there is no fuch phrafe any where used, as I fay unto thee this day. Phil. i. 23. I am in a ftrait between two, having a defire to depart, and to be with Chrift, which is far better. But if to be with Chrift, be to be in a state of fleep and infenfibility, how is that fo much better than to be in the body, ferving God and his church? 2 Cor. 5. 6. ThereVOL. VIII fore |