Sermons preached upon several occasions by Timothy Armitage.

SERMON V. (Book 5)

PHILIP. 1. 21. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

I Have concluded the first of these Propositions, That Jesus Christ is a Believers life. But I shall proceed to a second Proposition in the Text.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. I shall propound it as exemplary unto all the Saints.

DOCT. That it is worthy your imitation to converse with Death at a distance; to prepare for Death before Death comes.

You shall find it the practice of the Saints in Scri∣pture: so did Moses, and so did David; Moses as you have it recorded in Psal. 90. 12. which is a Psalm of Moses, So teach us to number our daies, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Teach us so to num∣ber them as we may know our own frailty; so as we may have the impressions upon our hearts that we

are but Grass, and as the Flower in the Field that withers in a moment; and David puts up the like Petition, in Psal. 39. 4. Lord make me to know my end, and the measure of my daies, what it is, that I may know how frail I am: Teach me to know my end, that I may know how frail I am: He doth not de∣sire to know how many daies he shall live, or when his end shall be, but to know how frail a creature he was, that it may take impression on his heart. And truly these teachings are such as none but God can teach, to teach a man to know how frail he is, and every day to look upon himself as a Spire of Grass, or as a Flower in the Field, that is in a withering and de∣caying condition every moment. The Apostle Paul also tells what his practice was, in 1 Cor. 15. 31. I protest by your rejoicing, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. He died in affection to the World: I fit loose to the World, I die to it in affection, but I also die daily, I put my self into a dying condition, I know that I walk in the midst of Jeopardies, and therefore I fit loose from all, yea from life it self, I protest I die daily. The Prophet speaks of some that put the evil day far from them, it is a sign that the day of Death is an evil day when men put it far from them; it is a good day to the soul that hath interest in Christ, it is the best day that ever came to him, Eccles. 7. 1. you shall see what the wise man says there, A good name is better than a pre∣cious Oyntment: and the day of death than the day of ones birth: It is not so to every one, but to the righteous it is, to him that hath a good name, a name that is better than precious oyntment; to him that hath the new name better than that of sons and daughters, to him the day of death is better than the day of his birth; therefore saith the Apostle, For to me to die

is gain; and therefore it is good for Christians to look upon death at a distance, for death in it self is an ene∣my: The last enemy that shall be destroyed, said the Apostle, is Death; it is an enemy, such an ene∣my as hath a terrible visage; and therefore let's look death in the face often, that so we may be acquainted with the visage of death, that the terror of this ene∣my may be taken away: it is an enemy, and such an enemy as is armed, such an enemy as hath a sting with him, The sting of death is sin; and therefore it is a great deal of wisdom to combate with this enemy at a distance, to disarm him, to take away the sting before he comes upon you, that you may be the better able to grapple with him when he draws nigh; it is good therefore for men to consider whether they be able to grapple with and meet this enemy or no, whe∣ther they be able to look him in the face, to put them∣selves in a posture of combating, and how you may meet with him without fear, how you may overcome him by the blood of the Lamb, to exercise faith and to eye the conquest that Christ hath gotten over death, to see how he hath taken away the sting and horror, and to sanctifie the Grave, this is a great mercy.

1. First, And therefore let me speak to you one word, you whose life is thus to die, do it daily with the Apo∣stle: it is exceeding beneficial to the Saints this kind of exercise; the Lord himself doth commend it as a point of high wisdom by Moses, O how doth he wish his people, that all his people were thus wise, in Deut. 32. 29. O that they were wise, that they un∣derstood this, that they would consider their latter∣end: it is a point of high wisdom for men to consider their latter end, and through grace it proves a great help, even unto the people of God, it proves a spur to them; I say it is a spur to the works and services

of their Generation, when they consider their latter end: I must work the work of him that sent me, saies Christ, the night comes when no man can work; and so again saies Solomon, Whatsoever thy hand finds to do, do it with all thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor counsel, nor knowledge in the Grave whither thou art going: If therefore it lieth before thee, neglect not the work of thy Generation; if he say, This is the way, walk in it; if he say, By this or by that thou shalt be for my Glory in the World, take heed you neglect it not, no, not a minute, for how soon maist thou go to thy home, thy long-home! and there is no work in the Grave; this, through grace I say, proves a spur to God's people, the considerati∣on of their latter end; I have but a little time in which I can gain glory to God's name, O take it, O soul improve it for God's glory; this I say puts a man to consider his latter end.

2. Secondly, Again, It is that which will make the soul truly Magnanimous, truly valiant for God, it will beget a mighty Heroick spirit, this conversing with death at a distance, this considering of a mans latter end; see what God saies in that pathetical wish I before spake of in Deut. 32. 29, 30. If they did but consider their latter end, how should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight: the con∣sideration of this would make a man Magnanimous for God, it would make a man to carry his life in his hand, and venture it freely if God should call him forth: such a righteous man hath conversed with death at a distance, and hath seen and knows that it will be gain; he fears not a thousand, he is truly Magnani∣mous, he only looks at the cause, and goes forth wil∣lingly; for though there be a thousand to one, he fears not, for he hath considered his latter end.

Whereas on the contrary, the neglect of this, the neg∣lect of conversing with death daily, makes men liable to the snares and temptations of the world; I say, the neglect of this doth expose men to a thousand snares in the world: how doth this world keep many from seeking after the life of Christ? House, Land, Friends, Riches, Honours and Pleasure, what snares are these to thousands? What's the cause of this? It is because men do not consider their latter end, it is because that men have a kind of phancy, or dream that they shall alwaies possess these things below: men dream of an Eternity here, and they are not indeed perswaded of parting, that they are a parting from them, and so prove woeful snares: they are neglecting the great things of God, and the great things of Eternity, be∣cause they do not look upon all as Grass, as withering Grass, themselves also as fading Flowers, therefore they are exposed to these temptations; yea, therefore it is that many a poor creature is brought down won∣derfully, because they do not converse with death at a distance, they do not consider their latter end, in Lam. 1. 9. She remembred not her latter end, there∣fore she came down wonderfully; because men do not converse with death at a distance, they do not consi∣der their latter end: the rich Fool in the Gospel re∣membred not his latter end, & therefore he came down wonderfully; men are brought•• down wonderfully, suddenly they are cut off e're they are aware of it, and all because they do not converse with death at a distance; and therefore when it comes, it is wonder∣ful strange to them, because they do not die daily, they do not consider their latter end.

Object. But you will say, there are many that converse with death, and look death in the face every day, and yet we see they are not the better for it: as many that

carry their lives in their hands when they go upon the Sea, and see the wonders of God in the deeps; and when they go into the high places in the Field, to en∣gage and venture their lives, such men look death in the face, yet we see not that they are the better for it.

Answ. I Answer, It is true, there is a conversing with death, which makes not men the better but the worse: for there are many men, as Solomon saies, It is better to go into the house of mourning than into the house of feasting, for in the house of mourning the living they will lay it to heart; but it is possi∣ble for men to go so long in the house of mourning, to be hardened so as they cannot lay death to heart, that they look upon it as a matter of custom to die, and to be buried, and there is an end: it is possible for such, the Prophet speaks of, who have made a league with Hell and Death; but Paul's conversing with death at a distance, was of another stamp, for his conversing with death was from an impression that God had made upon his spirit of the frailty of the creature, it was the Lord that taught him for to num∣ber his daies: till God teach this lesson, no man can converse with death daily from an inward real appre∣hension of the vanity of the creature, with the pe∣rishing condition of this Tabernacle of Clay, this was Paul's conversing. The wicked man converseth with death, when he is bold to die (as it is possible he may) his familiarity with death, it ariseth it may be from some ignorance or hardness, he takes his leap, as a blind man may do, when he skips down a Hill; he knows not how far it is to the bottom; through ig∣norance men know not what death is, know not what the condition is that death leads to, they do not consider of the consequence of it, and of that Eternity that

follows death, and therefore it is ignorance of this that makes the wicked man desperate: but when the righteous man is bold as a Lion, and death is familiar to him, it is from a principle of knowledge, and not from ignorance; he knows what death is, he knows that in it self it is an enemy, it is an enemy to nature, and it is destructive to all outward comforts, but he knows also that death hath lost his sting, he knows it is conquered, it is an enemy, but it is a conquered enemy, he knows that Christ was the death of it: O Death, I will be thy death, it is Christ that hath fulfilled and made good that challenge, he knows there is an Eternity beyond the Grave, and can look upon it as gainful, he knows it is gain that is laid up in Heaven, and it is death that makes him so gainful, and it is this that makes him so bold as a Lion. This leads me more particularly to consider the Proposition as it is in it self.

To die is gain. It is a strange Paradox, that none can reveal but Christ, and such as have Christ for their life, that death should be gain to: that that should be gain that seems to be the greatest loss, that strips a man naked of all his comforts, that doth at once take away the desire of the eye, and the delight of the heart, this is that which a natural man cannot understand, or he cannot believe it at least: but it is made good unto all the Saints, and therefore I shall lay down this as the Position which I shall in∣sist upon.

That where Christ is Life, there Death is gain. You see there is a connexion betwixt this and the for∣mer part of the Text: and therefore Solomon saies (as I told you before) That the day of Death to the righteous, is better than the day of ones birth; and saies the Apostle, We groan to be cloathed upon

with our house which is from Heaven, 2 Cor. 5. 4. There is a groaning in all the Saints to be cloathed up∣on with that House which is from Heaven, that so mortality may be swallowed up in life. Now death is gain to every Believer, whether by Death you under∣stand lesser Death, afflictions, losses, crosses, bonds and imprisonments, persecution; bonds for the Gos∣pel as the Aposte was in; here I say, if you under∣stand by Death these lesser deaths, it is true, that all these deaths are gain, the Lord makes his people gainers by all their losses: they gain by every condi∣tion that they are brought into; though the outward man lose, the inward man gains. The Prophet Habkakuk, if you look upon him in his great distress, you shall see what a gainer he was by it: he was in sore affliction, he saies, his very belly trembled, his very bowels trem∣bled within him, but he was a gainer by this, he gains in faith, his faith broke out gloriously, Hab. 3. 17, 18. he gained faith, and faith is precious, The tryal of your faith is more precious than that of Gold; so did David, he was in great distress, in Psal. 46. 2. but he was a gainer by it, he gained in faith and confidence, Though the earth be removed, saies he, and though the Mountains be thrown into the Sea, though the Waves thereof roar, yet there be pro∣fesses that he will hold fast his confidence in God. If you look upon Job, you shall see what a gainer he was by all his losses, and those sore afflictions and trials that he met withal, he gained abundance of experience of God, experience of his wisdom, experience of his power, and experience of his faith∣fulness, experience of his goodness and kindness: he gained the knowledge of God, and he gained the knowledge of himself, that when he came out of his affliction, he throws himself at the foot-stool

of God, in Job 42. 6. Now, saies he, I abhor my self in dust and ashes. The Apostle Paul was a man of great affliction, there were bonds that did attend him in every place almost where he came, yet he was a gainer by all; he gained in confi∣dence, in holy boldness, The Lord hath delivered, and he doth deliver, and he will deliver; he gained abundance of submission to the Will of God, by contemplation on his condition, and by this he knew how to want as well as how to abound, and he could do all things through Christ that streng∣thened him, and it was his obedience to the Will of Christ which strengthened him; and I believe there is none of Gods people that will bring in their experiences, if they will truly and impar∣tially cast up their accounts, but they will and shall find that God hath made them gainers by their losses, and by their several afflictions that God hath laid upon them, they have gained at least this, to know that they are nothing, they see themselves what fruitless unprofitable creatures they are, and they have known what the creature is when God is at a distance, they have seen something of themselves, and something of God, and if there be no more than this, this is a great deal of gain; and that it is true of all these Deaths, the Lord makes his people gainers by them, and he leads them through these conditions, because he intends to make them gainers by them; every affliction that he sends, is a servant of Christ, every afflicted condition is a ser∣vant of Christ, and is sent with a good message, is sent to communicate some good thing to the soul of every Believer: God stands up and saies, as in ano∣ther case, Who will go and perswade Ahab? And the Spirit answers, I; God saies, Who will go and

carry tidings of love from Heaven to such a soul, something of himself, something of the Divine na∣ture? God hath store of Messengers; That will I, saies one mercy: and that will I, saies another; af∣flictions are all ready to communicate some good thing to those that love the Lord Christ; and in∣deed they are narrow Pipes, all these conditions that the Saints are brought into, they are narrow Pipes, they can convey but a little, a very little of God by them; now God is an infinite fountain, and he can convey much of himself, one condition is too little, too narrow for God to work in, too narrow a Pipe for God to pour in all that good which he in∣tends for his servants, therefore he chooseth va∣riety of works, great mercies and variety of afflicti∣ons, they are all the servants of God, and they have commission to go and work for such a man, to work for such a mans good, the promise is given to the Believer, That all shall work together for good, so that all are his servants, all deaths, afflictions, per∣secutions, whatsoever distresses his people shall meet withal, shall work together for good, they must needs gain: a man that hath a multitude of servants that work for him, it's all for their good as well as his; why, Believers have a multitude of servants, all is yours; all, Christ is yours, every condition that God hath brought you into, shall work for your good, for they are Christs servants, and you must needs be gainers; and truly, God knows that their gain is his gain, he will gain by their gain, and there∣fore will make their deaths to be gain to them, for it comes back again to his Treasury, he knows that his people will not purse his glory, will not put up that which is Gods: if God doth come in and make them gainers by their afflictions; if God doth in∣large

their hearts, and set them free, they won't say, By my own hand have I made my self rich, by my own industry I have gotten this wealth, this strength, this peace, this liberty; for what are we, that we should be able to walk answerably to any measure that God gives out unto us? But,

Again, God will make Death it self gain unto us, not only lesser deaths but the greater death, it shall be gain, even that separation of soul from body, which to the wicked man is the worst of deaths, Christ becomes gain to that soul whose life Christ is. I will tell you in one particular (and leave the rest) wherein death is gain to that soul, whose life Christ is, and that is this:

He shall gain Rest: Blessed are those that die in the Lord, in Rev. 14. 13. Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, from henceforth, yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours, and their works do follow them: that's their nature; he speaks in a time of persecution, when the Beast came out of the bottomless pit, to make war against the Saints, the Lord gives encouragement from hence, they are bles∣sed though Anti-Christ curse them as Hereticks, but from henceforth they are blessed that die in the Lord, especially that die in the Lord as these did: but wherein are they blessed? In this, That they rest from their labours, there's a part of their blessedness: see what the Prophet Isaiah saies of the righteous man; he speaks of this blessedness, they shall gain rest, in Isa. 57. 1, 2. He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their Beds, each one walking in his upright∣ness; they shall rest as a man rests in his bed, so shall the righteous man rest in his Grave: the Grave shall be as a bed to them, upon which, they that die in the Lord, shall rest sweetly from these their labours; this World is a troublesome World, a very

turmoiling World, full of troubles and labours both to flesh and spirit, and they that die in the Lord rest from their labours. This World is a place to work in, When the Sun arises, man goes forth to his la∣bour till the evening comes. But you will say,

This is no great matter, what gain is here? The gain of Rest, rest to the flesh, is this any great gain? Job saies, in Job 3. 13. For now should I have lien still and been quiet, I should have slept; then had I been at rest. Wicked men rest in their Graves, they that could never rest well but in wickedness, they rest in their Graves; but what then, where is the gain that the righteous man rests in? For they both rest in their Graves.

1. First, There is a difference in their rest, the wicked mans rest is partial, it is but the rest of the body, the flesh only, it is not the rest of the spirit. It is an imperfect rest, they do not lie down to rest sweetly on their beds with those peaceful thoughts that the righteous man hath in his going to bed, to the Grave, O their rest is a troublesome rest; It is said in Psal. 16. there in the person of Christ, My flesh rests in hope, and shall not see corruption; his very flesh should rest in hope, the very flesh of the righteous man, when it is in the Grave rests in hope; his very bones when dry and scattered, still they rest in hope, hope of a Resurrection: But now we may say on the contrary, that the very flesh of the wicked man rests in fear, his very flesh rests in fear, he fears the Resurrection, that which is the righteous mans hope, is the wicked mans fear, he fears to see the morning; he was loth to go to bed, but will be more loth to rise, for his flesh rests in fear; he rather saies, Lord let me lie here alway, let me never go out of this Dungeon, better lying here alway than going to Ex∣ecution.

2. But again, Besides, the rest of the righteous man is not only the rest of the flesh, but the rest of the Spirit; he ceases from all the assaults of Satan, from his own crooked nature, burdens of sin and cor∣ruption, whilst he was in the Land of the living, and those out-cries, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of sin and death; the burden of death and sin is taken away, it shall be put under his feet for ever; he shall not see any more any of the motions of sin, any of those lusts and cor∣ruptions that formerly did war in any of his mem∣bers, he shall no more cry, O Lord deliver me from a hard heart, a corrupt spirit, a passionate heart; O, saies he, my life is a burden to me, to see these daughters of Heth, these Canaanites, because of these corruptions of mine, my life is a burden to me. Well, there shall be no such complaints beyond the Grave, and therefore, saies he, death shall make the Saints gainers.

But again, They shall gain freedom from all the temptations of Satan; this is great gain, if well con∣sidered, they shall no more be assaulted, no more fiery darts thrown at them: Here they are battered with temptations, that through temptations their lives many times become a burden to them; Ay, but death shall set them free out of Gun-shot; here they are tossed up and down, turmoiled by Satan, as Christ was carryed up to the Mountain, and then to the Pinacle, tossed up and down from Mountain to Pinacle; Ay, but then there shall be no tempter, no temptation shall enter any place of that Jerusalem that is above in Hea∣ven, and therefore to the godly man death is gain.

Besides, They shall gain freedom from all the oppo∣sitions and oppressions of the World; I say freedom, they shall rest from the oppressions of men; and Job

did account that, and look upon that as a great mercy; he did envy men in their Graves, saies he, They are at rest: the poor man is freed from the Oppressor, from all persecutions of men, and from all the slaveries and bondages, and tyrannizing of them; why, death shall set them free from the oppressions of men, from all evil of men, from all wars, and rumours of wars, and sad effects of wars, death sets them free from these. O, say you, I have lost a friend, but you know not what he gained, he is taken from the evil to come in the Generations after him; he shall rest from all sorrows, from all afflictions, from all passions: the Lord God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, there shall be no mourning beyond the Grave, no complaining in the streets of the new Jerusalem.

Brethren, Lay all these together, and see if this be not gain to those in whom the life of Christ is: to gain nothing but this; Rest from their labours, and rest from oppression and tyranny, to rest from sorrows, passions, tears and mournings, this is a mercy; but to rest from temptations, to rest from sin, and from all those lusts and corruptions that did war in their mem∣bers and in their minds, this is a great mercy, if there were no more; see how you are beholding to Christ for these, if you find no more gain that death brings you in that are in Christ, how are you beholding un∣to Christ for it? Death is not gain in it self, but you are beholding to Christ that hath made it so. It is said of Noah in Gen. 5. 29. when Noah was born, it is said, this same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands; This man shall comfort us, for he shall be a Preacher of righteousness, he was a Type of Christ, and a Preacher of righteousness through faith, and therefore Noah did comfort them through Preaching of Christ the righteousness of Faith, an ob∣ject

of rest, a place to take up in, in the midst of their toil and labour; they were beholding to Christ, o whom Noah was a Type, who is this rest: and to you death would not be thus gain, if Christ had not made it so; no, this man, this Lord Jesus hath brought in comfort concerning that estate of separation of soul from body; it is not gain in it self, but Christ hath made it so unto his people. O how are you engaged unto Christ! say even for this, if you should hear no more of this rest, I will bless his great name for it.