II. The passage of this purchased people over Jordan’s river
II. The passage of this purchased people over Jordan’s river
Or through the ford of death; and the necessity of it, and their safety in it
1. Death is a passage from this world to another; out of the into eternity. It is a going from hence elsewhere says our Lord, the Son of man goeth; that is, he is about to die, as it is determined; (Luke 22:22) which is going the way of all the earth; and he expresses his own death by departing out of the world, and going to the Father; and the apostle Paul signifies his desire to die in the same language; namely, to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better (John 13:1; Philippians 1:23) than to stay in this world. Death is like taking a journey or a voyage, and it is a long one; it is a man’s going to his long home, (Ecclesiastes 12:5) and a long one it is; for he goes the way, and to the place whence he shall return no more; the place that knew him, or the people of it, shall know him no more there; he will not return to the same place, situation, and circumstances in which he was before. Death is sometimes represented as a passage through a low, lonesome, and dark valley; though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; (Psalm 23:4) and here the emblem is, passing over a river, and crossing from shore to shore, wading in the midst of it, in order to get to land; particularly a passing over the river Jordan to get into Canaan’s land. Now,
2. This passage is altogether necessary; it must be, there is no avoiding it: it is the way that all men go, all the inhabitants of the earth, high and low, rich and poor, bond and free, good and bad; it is become necessary by the decree of God, which is infrustrable: it is appointed for men, for men in general, for all men, once to die, (Hebrews 9:27) or to go through a change equivalent to it. This is the statute-law of heaven, and must he obeyed: the grave is the house appointed for all living; (Job 30:23) and all are brought unto it, and laid in it: though the grave of some is very different front that of others: yet there are receptacles for the dust of all, into which they are conveyed; and good men as well as others are brought to the dust of death: and there is a necessity of it; the time drew nigh that Israel must die; (Genesis 47:29) that truly good man, that plain, honest-hearted man, Jacob; that gracious man, so powerful and prevalent in prayer, Israel; he must die as other men, as his ancestors Abraham and Isaac before him did; and the time was just at hand, according to the course of nature, and by the appointment of God, when he must submit to the stroke of death: and this is the case of all, the most pious and useful: Your fathers, where are they? They are all gone from hence, they have all passed over Jordan, they are all departed into another world, an endless eternity: And the prophets, do they live for ever? (Zechariah 1:5) No, they live but for a short time: when they have done the work they were sent to do, they are called home to their father’s house, to inherit the promises. Indeed the death of good men is different from that of others: different in the manner of their dying, being in faith., in hope, in comfort: and different in the issue and end of it, eternal life and happiness: hence Balaam, a wicked man, desired to die the death of the righteous, and that his last end might he like his; (Numbers 23:10) but die they do, and must; and even though Christ has died for them, and by dying has abolished death. Through Christ’s death indeed they become dead to sin, and live unto righteousness; they live a spiritual life, which will never be extinct; and they will never die the second death but then they are not exempted by Christ’s death from a corporal one; they are delivered from it as a penal evil; it is not a curse, but a blessing to them; the sting of it is taken away; and they receive no hurt and damage by it; yea it is of advantage to them, as they hereby get rid of a body of sin and death and as it is an outlet from sorrow and distress, and an inlet to everlasting peace and joy. However, it is necessary and unavoidable; as there was no other way for the Israelites to enter into the land of Canaan, but by passing over the river Jordan; there is no other way of going to heaven, of entering into the everlasting rest, into eternal life, but through the ford of death: I say, there is no other way in the ordinary course of things; for though there have been two persons, and but two, Enoch and Elijah, who went to heaven by a translation and assumption of soul and body at once, yet these were extraordinary instances; and even these passed through a change somewhat similar to death, as those will, that will he found alive at the personal coming of Christ: but though this is, and will be the case of all the Lord’s purchased people, yet,
3. This their passage is attended with the utmost safety there is no danger in it; no evil is to be feared from it: as all the people of Israel passed clean over Jordan, perfectly, completely; not one was lost or missing in the passage over it; so all Christ’s purchased people pass safely through death to eternal glory; none ever were lost in it; nor will any be missing at the great day, when Christ makes up his, jewels, and takes the account of them, to see that all are safe. There is nothing of the saints lost at or by death, not even their bodies; though the dead are said to he not, (Jeremiah 31:15) yet they are not annihilated; they are not in the land of the living, nor in the same form and condition they were; but they are not reduced to nothing; they are indeed returned to dust, from whence they were; but then that dust is something; and the dust of the saints is precious dust, and is under the special and peculiar care of Christ, who engaged, agreeable to the will and injunction of His divine Father, to raise it up again at the last day; (John 6:39) and this is his fixed resolution and determination; I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: (Hosea 8:14) and this will be done at the last day; these dead men shall live again; and as sure as Christ’s dead body was raised again, so sure shall theirs, and be fashioned like to his glorious body. The dead in Christ, upon his appearance, will rise first; and happy those, that will have a part in this first resurrection; they shall live and reign with Christ a thousand years, and the second death shall have no power over them; and when it will most clearly appear that they have been no losers, but gainers by death; their corruptible, dishonourable, weak and natural bodies being raised incorruptible, glorious, powerful and spiritual ones: and as at death their bodies are not lost, and in the issue suffer no loss, but gain advantages; so their souls immediately go to heaven; they are carried at once by angels into Abraham’s bosom; they are in an instant with Christ in paradise: this made the apostle Paul desire to depart out of this sinful world, knowing he should be immediately with Christ, in the full enjoyment of him; in which felicity the spirits of just men made perfect in death continue in a separate state until the resurrection-morn; when they will he all brought with Christ, and be reunited to their bodies, and live for ever with him: so that though all the Lord’s purchased people pass through Jordan’s river, they all come safe at last in soul and body to Canaan’s land; nor shall any one of them be lost or missing; they are ordained to eternal life, and shall possess it: whom God predestinates he glorifies; they are put into the hands of Christ, and are under his care, and he has engaged to keep them, and does keep them, and will present every one of them to his Father, saying, Lo, I, and the children thou hast given me; (Hebrews 2:13) they are purchased with the price of Christ’s blood, and his blood shall not be shed, nor the price of it paid in vain; they are united to him, and are one with him, and because he lives, theyshall live also; (John 14:19) they have his spirit; and grace as the earnest of their inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession; (Ephesians 1:14) wherefore there is no danger, nor need there be any fear, in their passage to heaven and glory; and even was there a shipwreck in it, as in death there is none, though in life there may, with respect to troubles and distresses; there may be what is similar to one; yet like Paul, and the mariners with him in such a circumstance, some on-board, and some on broken pieces of the ship, they all come safe to land. (Acts 27:44) Which leads me on further to observe,