Graphautarkeia, or, The Scriptures sufficiency practically demonstrated wherein whatsoever is contain'd in Scripture, respecting doctrine, worship or manners is reduced to its proper head, weighty cases resolved, truths confirmed, difficult texts illustrated and explained by others more plain.

CHAP. XXXIV. Of Death; the laying down of these Tabernacles. (Book 34)

AND the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground (or, dust of the ground), Gen. 2. 7.

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return unto the ground: for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return, Gen. 3. 19.

God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace: thou shalt be buried in a good old age, Gen. 15. 15. chap. 25. 8.

I have undertaken to speak unto the Lord, who am but dust and ashes, Gen. 18. 27.

Sarah dyed, &c. and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her, Gen. 23. 2.

Abraham dyed, &c. and was gathered to his people, &c. Ishmael, &c. gave up the ghost and dyed, and was gathered unto his people, Gen. 25. 8, 17.

Isaac, &c. said, Behold, now I am old, I know not the day of my death, Gen. 27. 1, 2.

Jacob said, &c. The days of the years of my pilgrimage are 130 years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, Gen. 47. 9.

He mourned for Joseph, refused to be comforted: but said, I will go down unto my grave mourning, Gen. 37. 34, 35.

Joseph wept for his father Israel when he dyed, and there was great mourn∣ing and lamentation for him, Gen. 50. 1, 3, 10, 17.

Aaron dyed in the mount, &c. all the house of Israel mourned for him thirty days, Numb. 20. 28, 29. Deut. 34. 8.

Balaam said, Let me dye the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his, Numb. 23. 10.

And the Lord said unto Moses, &c. When thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered: for ye rebel∣led, &c. Numb. 27. 12, 13, 14. Deut. 34. 5.

O that they were wise, &c. that they would consider their latter end, Deut. 32. 29.

Joshua said, Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth, &c. Josh. 23. 14. 1 Kings 2. 2.

Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel lamented him, &c. and Samuel said un∣to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? 1 Sam. 28. 3, 15.

David and the men with him mourned and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan, &c. 2 Sam. 1. 11, 12.

When Davids child was sick, he fasted and prayed: but when it was dead, he rose up and did eat, and said, I shall go to him, he shall not return to me, 2 Sam. 12. 16, 17. 20, 22, 23.

David wept for Absolom his son, and cryed, O my son Absolom, my son, &c. 2 Sam. 18. 33. chap. 19. 4.

Elijah stretched himself upon the dead child, &c. and said, O Lord, my God, I pray thee, let this childs soul come into him again (or, into his inward parts), 1 Kings 17. 21, 22. Acts 20. 10.

We are all strangers, &c. our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding, 1 Chron. 29. 15.

Job said, Why dyed I not in the womb, &c? for now should I have lien still and been quiet, I should have slept; then had I been at rest with Kings, &c. there the wicked cease troubling, the weary are at rest, &c. they hear not the voice, &c. Job 3. 11, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19. chap. 6. 8, 9.

Naked came I out of my mothers womb, &c. the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken, blessed, &c. Job 1. 21.

Is there not an appointed time to man on earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling? Job 7. 1, 2.

We are of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow, Job 8. 9.

Man who is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble: he cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not, &c. seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee: thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass, &c. man dyeth and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he, &c? Man lyeth down, and riseth not till the heavens be no more, &c. If a man dye, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait till my change come, Job 41. 1, 2, 5, 7, 10, 14. Acts 17. 26.

The grave is mine house, &c. I have said to corruption, thou art my father: to the worm, thou art my mother and my sister, Job 17. 13, 14.

Shall any teach God knowledg, &c? one dyeth in his full strength (or, very perfection) being wholly at ease and quiet: his breast full of milk, &c. And a∣nother dyeth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure: they shall lye down alike in the dust, Job 21. 22, 23, 24, 25, 26.

I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living, Job 30. 23.

If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath: all flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust, Job 34. 14, 15.

In death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks? Psal. 6. 5. Isa. 38. 18. Psal. 88. 10, 11, 12. Psal. 115. 17.

Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days what it is, that I may know how frail I am: behold, thou hast made my days an hand-breadth, and mine age as nothing before thee, &c. Spare me, &c. before I go hence, and be no more, Psal. 39. 4, 5, 11, 13.

They who trust in their wealth, &c. none can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him, &c. that he should also live for ever, and not see corruption: for he seeth wise men dye, likewise the fool, &c. when he dyeth, he shall carry nothing away, Psal. 49. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 16, 17.

The terrors of death are fallen upon me, &c. bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days, Psal. 55. 4, 23. Psal. 116. 3.

And unto God the Lord belong the issues from death, Psal. 68. 20.

I have said, Ye are gods, &c. but ye shall dye like men, Psal. 82. 6, 7.

What man is he who liveth, and shall not see death, &c? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah. Psal. 89. 48.

Thou turnest man to destruction, &c. they are like grass which groweth up: in the morning it flourisheth, &c. in the evening it is cut down and wither∣eth, &c. the days of our years are threescore years and ten: and if by reason of strength they be fourscore, &c. it is soon cut off, &c. so teach us to number our days, &c. Psal. 90. 3, 5, 6, 10, 12.

He remembreth that we are dust•…•… as for man, his days are as grass: as the flower of the field, so he flourisheth: for the wind passeth over it, and it is gone, &c. Psal. 103. 14, 15, 16.

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints, Psal. 116. 15.

Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow which passeth away, Psal. 144. 4.

Put not your trust in Princes, &c. his breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth: in that very day his thoughts perish, Psal. 146. 3, 4.

When a wicked man dyeth, his expectation shall perish, Prov. 11. 7.

The righteous hath hope in his death, Prov. 14. 32.

Boast not thy self of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth, Prov. 27. 1.

How dyeth the wise man? as the fool. Eccles. 2. 16.

A time to be born, and a time to dye, &c. all go to one place, all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again: who knoweth the spirit of a man which goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast which goeth downward to the earth? Eccl. 3. 1, 2, 20, 21.

As he came forth of his mothers womb, naked shall he return, to go as he came, and take nothing, &c. Eccles. 5. 15. Job 1. 21.

The day of death is better than the day of ones birth: it is better to go to the house, &c. Eccles. 7. 1, 2.

A living dog is better than a dead Lion, &c. there is no work, &c. in the grave whither thou goest, Eccles. 9. 3, 4, 5, 10.

Then shall the dust return unto the earth as it was: and the spiri•…•… shall return unto God who gave it, Eccles. 12. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

He will swallow up death in victory, and the Lord God will wipe away tears, &c. Isa. 25. 8.

Set thine house in order, for thou must die, &c. I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave, &c. The grave cannot praise thee, &c. the living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day, Isa. 38. 1, 2, 10, 11, 18, 19.

All flesh is grass, and the goodliness thereof as the flower of the field: the grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it, Isa. 40. 6, 7, 8. James 1. 10, 11. 1 Pet. 1. 24.

—That thou shouldst be afraid of man who shall dye, &c. and be made as grafs, Isa. 51. 12.

The righteous perish, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away: none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come, Isa. 57. 1, 2.

Lamentation and bitter weeping: Rachel weeping for her children, refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not, Jer. 31. 15. Matth. 2. 16, 17, 18.

Son of man, I will take away from thee the desire of thine eyes at a stroke: yet neither shall thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down, &c. My wife dyed, &c. this was for a sign, Ezek. 24. 16, 17, 18, 24.

Go thou thy way till the end: for thou shalt rest, and stand in the lot at the end, Dan. 12. 13.

I will ransom them from the power of the grave, I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues, &c. Hos. 13. 4. 1 Cor. 15. 55.

Jesus said unto the man on the cross, Verily, &c. to day shalt thou be with me in Paradise, Luke 23. 42, 43.

Simeon said, Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Luke 2. 26, 29.

I must work, &c. while it is day: the night cometh wherein no man can work, John 9. 4.

And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concern∣ing their brother, &c. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping, &c. he groaned in his spirit, and was troubled, &c. Jesus wept, John 11. 19, 33, 35.

Ananias and Saphira, both fell down, and yeelded up the ghost, Acts 5. 5, 10.

And they stoned Stephen, calling and saying, Lord Jesus receive my spirit, Act. 7. 59.

And devout men carried Stephen, and made great lamentation over him, Acts 8. 2.

He hath made of one blood all nations of men, &c. and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation, Acts 17. 26.

Whether we live, we live unto the Lord: and whether we dye, we dye unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, •…•…r dye, we are the Lords: for to this end Christ both dyed and rose again, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living, Rom. 14. 7, 8, 9.

The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the Law; but thanks, &c. 1 Cor. 15. 56, 57.

We have this treasure in earthen vessels, 2 Cor. 4. 7.

If our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissoved, we have a building of God, &c. We groan, being burdened, &c. Whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: we are, &c. willing to be absent from the body,

and to be present with the Lord, 2 Cor. 5. 1, 2, 6, 7, 8.

To dye is gain, &c. having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better, Phil. 1. 21, 23.

Indeed he was, &c. nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow, Phil. 2. 27.

Who shall change our vile body, &c. Phil. 3. 21.

I would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them who are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others who have no hope, 1 Thess. 4. 13.

Christ who dyed for us: that whether we wake or sleep, we should live toge∣ther with him, 1 Thess. 5. 10.

We brought nothing into the world: and it is certain we can carry nothing out, 1 Tim. 6. 7. Job 1. 21.

I am now ready to be offered: and the time of my departure is at hand: I have fought, &c. 2 Tim. 4. 6, 7.

He took part of the same, that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil: and deliver them who through fear of death were all their life-time subject to bondage, Heb. 2. 14, 15.

It is appointed unto men once to dye: but after this the judgment, Heb. 9. 27.

We have no continuing City here, but we seek one to come, Heb. 13. 14.

Go to now, ye who say to day, &c. we will go into such a City, &c. whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow: for, what is your life? it is even a vapour which appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away: for that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this or that, James 4. 13, 14, 15. chap. 1. 10.

Pass the time of your sojourning here in fear, 1 Pet. 1. 17.

I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain, &c. 1 Pet. 2. 11.

Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord, &c. 2 Pet. 1. 14.

Blessed are the dead who dye in the Lord, from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labour, and their works do follow them, Rev. 14. 13.

The beggar dyed, and was carried by the Angels into Abrams bosom, Luke 16. 22.

Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching, Luke 12. 37, 38.