dies, changes his work and employment. I open it thus: The work of a
righteous soul: 2 Peter 2:7-8, "Lot, a righteous man, who was
distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man,
living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul
by the lawless deeds he saw and heard." Oh—but death is a change of
company. A godly man does but change the company of profane
people, of vile people, etc., for the company of angels; and the
company of weak Christians for the company of just men made
perfect. That is a remarkable place, "But you have come to Mount
Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have
come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to
the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You
have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous
men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, "
Hebrews 12:22-24. Here is a change indeed. Death is a change of
company as well as a change of place. And if this be but well weighed,
it must needs be granted that a believer's dying day is better than his
birthday.
3. Death is a change of EMPLOYMENT. A believing soul when he
dies, changes his work and employment. I open it thus: The work of a
believer in this world, lies in praying, groaning, sighing, mourning,
wrestling, and fighting, etc. And we see throughout the Scripture that
the choicest saints, who have had the highest visions of God, have
driven this trade; they have spent their time in praying, groaning,
mourning, wrestling, and fighting: Eph. 6:12, "For we wrestle not
against flesh and blood—but against principalities, against powers,
against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places." [Probus a valiant Roman emperor's
motto was, "No fight—no pay!" Just so, I say, "No fight—no crown!
No fight—no heaven!"] The truth is, the very life of a believer is a
continual warfare. Believers have to deal with subtle enemies,
malicious enemies, vigilant enemies, and untiring enemies. They
have to deal with such enemies as threw down Adam in paradise, the
most innocent man in the world, and that threw down Moses, the
meekest man in the world, and Job, the patientest man in the world,
and Joshua, the most courageous man in the world, and Paul, the
best apostle in the world, etc. A Christian's life is a warfare. Job says,
"All the time of my warfare will I wait, until my change come," Job
14:14. "I am still a-fighting," says Job, "with lusts and corruptions
within, and with devils and men abroad!" "All the time of my warfare
will I wait until my change come." Just so, in 2 Tim. 4:8, "I have
fought the good fight of faith," etc.
Death is a change of employment. It changes our hard service,
our work that lies in mourning, wrestling, and fighting—for rejoicing
and singing hallelujahs to the Almighty! No longer prayers—but
praises! No longer fighting and wrestling—but dancing and
triumphing! Can a believing soul look upon this glorious change, and
not say, Surely "better is the day of a believer's death than the day of