Section 1150
II. The preference of the dead to the living: I praised the dead, etc
The righteous dead, who, after death, are much more happy than living saints. There words indeed are generally understood, as spoken according to human sense and judgment, without any regard to the glory and happiness of the future state; as that the dead must be preferred to the living, when the rest and quiet of the one, and the miseries and troubles of the other, are observed; and which seems to be confirmed by the following verse; but I choose to improve the words in the former sense. Death itself, and simply considered, is no happiness; and if it was, it could not be special and peculiar happiness to some, because it is common to all; high and low, rich and poor, wife and foolish, good and bad, all die; the grave is the house appointed far all living; (Job 30:23) besides, it is the fruit and effect of sin, sin entered into the world, and death by sin: (Romans 5:12) Sin opened the door at which death came in; it was threatened in case of sin, and as a punishment for it, and is the wages and just demerit of it; and therefore can never be an happiness in itself; add to this, that it is a dissolution of a man, a dissolving the earthly house of his tabernacle, an unpinning and taking of it down, a breaking of the whole frame of nature, a disuniting the constituent parts of it, soul and body; and though it is not an annihilation of man, a bringing him to nothing, yet it is a reduction of him to his original dust man was made of the dust of the earth, and at death he returns to it again, which is an humbling and a mortifying consideration to him; he cannot well brook it. Self-preservation is a principle implanted in all living Creatures, and so in man; human nature is reluctant to death, and is not agreeable to it. Satan most truly said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will be give for his life: (Job 2:4) it is the last thing he chooses to part with; he is willing rather to part with any thing than that; what man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? (Psalm 34:12) Every man desires life, and a long life, especially to live in health, prosperity, and success; even the human nature of Christ was reluctant to death; the thought of it was disagreeable, and he prayed for deliverance from it; Father, save me from this hour: (John 12:27) indeed his death was an, uncommon one, it was in the room and stead of others, of sinful men, and was attended with the wrath of God, and curses of the law for their sins he bore; so, that it is no wonder, that his human nature should shudder at it, when left, to itself, and he should say, Oh my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; (Matthew 26:39) nevertheless it shows, that even sinless human nature is reluctant to death; and therefore death, simply considered, must be much more disagreeable to sinful, human nature. There must be something more than is in nature to make death agreeable, or desireable, or to cause a man to look at it with pleasure, and to carry him through it without fear; even that of being with Christ for evermore, which is better, and is judged to be better by a believer, than to be in this sinful world: death therefore, relatively considered, or as it refers to good men, is only an happiness; death to them is no penal evil, death, as a punishment, being endured by Christ for them; the curse is taken away from death, Christ being made a curse for them; the thing of it, which is sin, is taken away by him, and death is become a blessing to the saints; it is reckoned in the inventory of their good things,.9 death is yours; (2 Samuel 23:5) and they are pronounced blessed persons: blessed are the dead that die in the Lord, that die in union with him; there is a secret union to him that took place in eternity, when the elect were chosen in Christ, even before the foundation of the world; and there is an open union to Christ in conversion, which is the manifestation of the former; the bond of which is the everlasting love of Christ, which can never be dissolved; death cannot separate from his love, it dissolves the union between soul and body, but not the union between Christ and his people; and hence they shall live with him soul and body to all eternity, and therefore, must be happy; as all are that die in the exercise of grace on him: the death of such is in a remarkable and distinguished manner a blessing; these all died in faith, (1 Corinthians 3:22) it is said of some; so died David; his last words, his dying words were, he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure; and this is all my salvation. (2 Timothy 4:7, 8) And so died the apostle Paul; The time of my departure, says he, is at hand; (Hebrews 11:13) henceforth there is laid up for me a crown, of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day. This is dying comfortably and happily, to die in the faith of covenant-interest and of eternal glory: and so it is to die in hope of it; the hope of the profane, of the hypocrite, and self-righteous man, is as the giving up of the ghost; it is cut off like a spider’s web; and if it lives so long as they do, it dies with them, and is of no use at death unto them; but the righteous hath hope in his death; (Proverbs 14:32) whose hope is fixed on Christ and his righteousness, by which he is justified and denominated a righteous man: this is exercised by him in his dying moments, and is of use to him then; and he rejoices in hope of the glory of God. They that die saints and righteous persons are the only happy at death, or to whom death is an happiness; precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints; (Psalm 116:15) whom God has sanctified or set apart for himself in election, whom Christ has sanctified or made atonement for by his blood and sacrifice, and whom the holy Spirit has sanctified by his grace: and though there is something in death which is disagreeable, and makes the nearest relatives of the deceased, and who have the greatest affection for them, willing to bury them out of their fight, as Abraham did his beloved Sarah; yet there is that in the death of saints which is precious to the Lord, which he takes pleasure in; as a man that takes a walk in his garden, and spying a beautiful full-blown flower, he crops it, and puts it into his bosom; so the Lord takes his walks in his gardens, the churches, and gathers his lilies, fouls, fully ripe for glory, and with delight takes them to himself. It is the death of the righteous man that is an happiness; Let me die the death of the righteous, (1 Peter 1:9) says Balaam: it is always well with them in time, and to all eternity; it is well with them at death; they are taken away, not only from present evil, but from evil to come, and are immediately possessed of everlasting good; for the righteous go into life eternal. (Numbers 23:10) The end of such is different from that of others; and therefore the above wicked person said, let my last end be like hi s, the righteous man’s; the end of such a man is peace; (Matthew 25:46) he goes out of the world with peace, serenity and tranquility of mind, and enters into eternal peace; he receives the end of his faith, what his faith has been looking and waiting for, the salvation of his soul; (Romans 6:22) he has his fruit unto holiness now, and his end, everlasting life (Romans 6:7) hereafter. But I proceed,