Sick-bed thoughts, upon those words of the apostle in Phil. 1, 23 ... Part. I containing an answer to that great and solemn question, what that state and condition is, which a person must be found in, before he can have good and sufficient ground, not to be affraid, or unwilling to dye? / by J.B.

SECT. 3.

The true causes assigned, that justly fill men with horrour and dread of the thoughts of death, and so render them much affraid, and unwilling to dye.

THere are many things that justly cause a fear of death, even a great and terrible fear.

First the consciousness of sin and guilt, especially in the state of un∣regeneracy, which is alwayes accom∣panied with impenitency and unbelief; the two damning sins, not but that all other sins, even the least that is, hath demerit and provocation enough in it, to damn any one that is guilty of it,

but Faith and Repentance where-ever they are in Truth, will take all off; e∣ven millions of guilts, and make the blackest sins that are, as white as snow; scarlet and crimson sins to bee as wool, (Isa. 1.18.) Now where these are wanting, and so the guilt and filth of every sin remaining, and upon all oc∣casions flying in a mans face, and fix∣ing their venomous stings in his heart and conscience: How terrible must this needs be? For do not thoughts of the wages which these sins not repen∣ted of, do deserve, come pouring in up∣on him, as at all times, so most of all when Death approaches? Though be∣fore he lull'd his conscience asleep, and would not suffer it to be awakened, nei∣ther by a quickning Soul-searching Mi∣nistry, nor the plain-dealing of faithful friends: Yet now Satan and Conscience too, will both speak, and speak aloud too; yea, though Satan should say nothing, but be altogether silent; yet self-accusations, and self-condemnations

will speak enough to fill the soul with horror, and leave it in such distresses, as no remedy can be found, for while the aforesaid impenitency and unbelief re∣mains to be (〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 à semet ipso damnatus) self-condemned: Who can express the terror of it? and indeed this is that, not so much Death it self, as begets so much fear and dread: As Ambrose in his discourse de bono mortis, doth learnedly argue; where in his eighth Chapter, he hath many excellent passages to this purpose: Mors peccatorum pessima (saith he) non utique mors pessima generaliter, sed pes∣sima specialiter peccatorum, unde liquet acerbitatem non mortis esse, sed culpae; the death of sinners is the worst of deaths, not death in general, but the death of sinners; From whence 'tis evident, that the bitterness is not from death it self, but from the crimes that merit it. Again a little farther, he hath these words: suae igitur unusquisque consci∣entiae vulnus accuset, non mortis acerbi∣tatem.

Let every one therefore that by his Sin hath wounded his own con∣science, lay the blame there, and not upon death. And again, Non enim habemus, quod in morte metuamus, si rihil quod timendum sit, vita nostra co∣misit; There will be no cause of fear in death, if in our life-time we have done nothing, that we have cause to be afraid of. Once again, Prudentibus delictorum supplicia terrori sunt, delicta autem non mortucrum actus sunt, sed viventium; To wise men, the punish∣ment of offences is matter of fear, now these are the acts, not of dead-men, but of the living: This then is the first thing that gives just cause of the fear of death; Sins not repented of.

Secondly, The apprehension of Divine displeasure hereupon, and the Wrath of an Offended God, a Wrath unappeased, an infinite wrath, a wrath intellerable, and unexpressible; a wrath inflicted by an Omripotent Power, in

comparison of which, all the rendings, tearings, cruciatings, burnings, rack∣ings, torturings of mens bodies here, by all the most exquisitely invented tor∣ments, upon Racks, Gibbets, Wheels, Gridirons, and other engines of cruel∣ty, are but a flea-biting. The prin∣cipal torments here, I mean from the sense of Divine wrath, being chiefly seated in, and mostly inflicted upon the minde; not but that the body too, when 'tis risen from the Grave, shall have its share in these sufferings in con∣junction with the soul, even to its ut∣most possibility of bearing them.

Thirdly, An obnoxiousness to all this, by the fixed Law of God, which cannot be altered, and by which he stands accursed, and subject to all the direful threatnings thereof, so long as he remains in this his unregenerate and impenitent state. This is another thing that adds unto his fear.

Fourthly, The thoughts of that most just, and great Tribunal, at which

he must one day stand, and where an account must be given, of every thought, word, and deed, how wicked, how vile soever, and howsoever circumstanci∣ated; all must be detected then, and laid open before Men and Angels: All night-sins, secret-sins, heart-sins; The Thief, the Murderer, the Adulterer, the closest and most undiscerned Hypo∣crite, shall then be known what he is, and all his iniquities start up before him: The Books shall be opened, the Book of a mans own Conscience, the Book of Gods omnisciency, the Books of Record in Heaven: And then shall the impenitent, hardened sinner stand before his great God and Creator, (who will now be his Judge) as a guilty Malefactor; and as I said before, self-condemned. There shall need no far∣ther evidence than himself against himself; All his scoffings and scornings of God, and the things of God; of his holy Waies, Ordinances, People; all his contempts of Christ, and tramplings un∣der-foot

of his most precious blood; all his fleightings, neglectings, and oppo∣sings of the Spirit of Grace, and the work of it upon his own heart, all his abuse of Mercy, and of the Patience, forbearance, and long-sufferings of God towards him shall be remembred, and set in such order, as to give him a full view of all at once: Now how dread∣ful must the very thought of this also needs be to an impenitent and hard∣hearted sinner, if ever his Conscience be but in the least awakened?

Fifthly, The Heart-sinking ex∣pectation of that most dreadful Sentence of Condemnation to be pronounced upon him, in these or the like words: Go you cursed into everlasting destruction, into Hell-fire, there to be tormented with the Devil and his Angels. I and to bee tormented by them, as well as with them. For the Devils shall not onely be companions, and sharers with the damned Sons and Daughters of men; (or rather the Sons and Daughters of

men, shall be sharers with the Devil and his Angels, for whom, as for the first Offenders, Hell-fire is said to be prepa∣red, Matth. 25.41.) but shall also be their tormentors and Executioners: and what greater aggravation can there be to the misery of Malefactors, than that those that hate them most, and likewise have the greatest skill, and strength in inflicting torments, yea, and exceedingly delight in such cruel work, and are never weary of it, should be their Tormentors?

Sixthly, The consideration of a most severe and impartial Justice, which in case of non-satisfaction other∣wise made, will certainly have the ut∣most vengeance taken in the Execution of the aforesaid sentence.

Seventhly, And of an utter impos∣sibility of making the satisfaction re∣quired. For who can do this, that hath no Christ to undertake it for him: as a Man living and dying in a state of unregeneracy hath not, nor can never

hope for it. And having no Christ to satisfie for him, so no Mediatour nor Advecate to stand betwixt God and him, to plead for him, or put in out kinde word on his behalf.

Eighthly, Thereupon sees an abso∣lute necessity of his being unspeakably miserable, and this too, more waies than one, (1.) By the punishment of lesse. (2) By the punishment of sense. By the punishment of losse, a tetal separation from the comfortable presence of God, and the Glory of his Power; 2 Thes. 1.9.) I say, from the comfortable pre∣sence, for from his essential presence none can be separated, no not either men or Devils, though they make their bed in Hell. (Psal. 139.8.) and then also by the punishment of sense, of which I gave a touch before. In these two (paena damni. & paena sensus) the punishment of lesse, and the pu∣nishment of sense, the whole torment of the damned consists; and therefore in the sentence given upon them, both

are contained, Depart from me ye cursed: There's the first, the punishment of loss; into everlasting Fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels; there's the second, the punishment of sense; what this Hell-fire is we find expressed else∣where, in other terms, in Matth. 8.12. 'tis called outer darkness, where is weep∣ing and gnashing of teeth, a fire without light, which hath something of com∣fort in it, but here is all darkness; in Matth. 13.42. 'tis called a Furnace of Fire, and wailing is there added to weeping, in Isa. 30.33. The Fuel of this Fire, 'Tis said to be a pile of much wood, and that the breath of the Lord like a stream of brimstone doth kindle it; Rev. 14.10. 'Tis called the wine of the wrath of God, a cup of indignation with∣out mixture; that is, 'tis pure wrath, 'tis all wrath, and nothing else but wrath; Justice without any the least tincture of mercy: And 'tis poured out too, poured out, q. d. without mea∣sure, to note the abundance of it.

To which, Lastly, must be added that all this is eternal, 'tis everlasting Fire, everlasting as well as devouring Flames: everlasting burnings! Isa. 33.14. not onely without the least hope of mitigation, or abatement, but of in∣termission too; When millions of milli∣ons of millions of ages are past, still, still, there is as much to come, and the rea∣son is, because 'tis an infinite punish∣ment that is due, which since finite Creatures can never undergo, there∣fore they do as it were compensate by the eternity of it. Christ bee being an infinite person, could, and did stand under infinite wrath for those he dy∣ed for; and so God hath received full payment, his Justice is fully satis∣fyed for them, which it can never be by the sufferings of the damned, to e∣ternity.

Now lay all this together, and how can it do otherwise then minister most dreadful terrors to the minde of any unregenerate man (that is not totally

blinded, and of a seared conscience) to think of dying?