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IN these words, lest Moses should seem to undermine and weaken the Doctrine of the Resurrection by com∣paring death to a Flood, whereby men are over-whelmed in the Grave.
In these words, he mitigates that speech, in comparing Death to a
Sleep, that even as a man lying down to sleep, though he seemes to be dead for the present, yet ere it be long a∣wakes again: Even so, though death seems as a Flood to over-whelm us, and drown us in the Grave, yet ere it be long, at the day of Judgment we shall awake, and rise again.
From this allusion, the point obser∣vable is
That death is a sleep; [Doct. 3] or to die is but to sleep. * 1.1 And thus the Scriptures resemble the Grave to a Bed, and Death to a Sleep, He shall enter into peace, and they shall rest in their beds, every one that walketh before the Lord in righteousnesse. And this thing holy Job speaks of himselfe, * 1.2 Now I shall sleep in the dust, and thou shalt seek me in the morning, and I shal not be. And this is said of David, * 1.3 that he slept with his Fathers. And thus Daniel, speaking of the last judgment, * 1.4 Many that sleep in the dust, shall a∣wake to life eternall. And this Christ saith of Lazarus, * 1.5 Lazarus is not dead but sleepeth.
And Paul comforting the Thessa∣lonians,
for their dead saith, * 1.6 Brethren, I would not have you ignorant con∣cerning those that sleep in the Lord. So that you see the phrase is very usuall in the Scripture to compare death to a sleep.
And the Reasons of this resem∣blance may be these.
The first may be taken from the nature of sleep, [Reas. 1] which is indeed a binding up of the senses for a time, till sleep again be dissolved, at which time the senses have again their naturall power restored, to return into the members of the body, whereby they act afresh. Thus is it with the sleep of death, hereby the bodies and minds of men are set free from cares, fears, distempers, and molestations, for such rest from their labours: Both the souls and bodies of the Saints by death are set free from them all. * 1.7
Secondly, [Reas. 2] as sleep doth give much refreshment to the bodies and mindes of men, being wearied with labour and pains in the day time. O how sweet is sleep to a labouring man, and how comfortable is rest to a weary traveller!
No lesse sweet and comfortable is the grave to the bodies of the Saints; these rest in peace as on a bed of down such sleep sweetly and safely, untill the morning of the Resurrection, when they shall arise again: * 1.8 When I awake up (saith David) I shall be refreshed with thy Image.
Thirdly, [Reas. 3] as those that are asleep may easily be awaked, and raised up again, by some sound in their ears, or stirring of their bodies, or the like: So easie will it be with the Lord at the last day, when he comes to judgment; by the voice of the Arch-Angell, and sound of the Trumpet, when this voice shall be heard of all, Arise ye dead, and come unto judgment, to raise up the dead that are asleep in their graves.
This may serve for matter of singu∣lar comfort and consolation unto the godly, all believers; [Use 1] that Job calls the King of fear, and the Grave, which is the chamber and house of death, dreadfull in their own nature, should thus have their nature altered and changed, that they should become
so comfortable and beneficiall unto them, to become a place of sweet re∣pose and rest.
That soul that hath made its peace with God, may with much comfort look death in the face, and say with Simeon, Lord now lettest thou thy ser∣vant depart in peace. Such blessed souls rest with God, and die in peace, and may commend their souls to God, as to a faithfull Creator. See the bold∣nesse and confidence of the blessed Apostle, * 1.9 I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of righteous∣nesse.
But whence have the godly this boldnesse and confidence in death? [Quest.] was not death threatned as a curse, and in∣flicted as a curse? how came the na∣ture of death thus to be altered and changed!
This thing so comes to passe through the death of Christ, [Ans. 1] who was him∣selfe in the state of the dead, and was himselfe in the grave, and hath trium∣phed over death, and hell, and the grave; and hath removed the curse,
and plucked out the sting of them, * 1.10 Death is swallowed up of victory: And that by death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the Devill; and deliver them, who through fear of death, were all their life-time subject to bondage.
So that death, as a curse, was laid upon Christ, that our death might be blessed unto us.
So that it is by Christ, and his death that the sting of death is plucked out, and that our Graves become a bed of rest unto us.
Secondly, [unspec 2] every true believer is a member of Christs body; and hence it comes to passe, * 1.11 That whether we live or die, we are the Lords.
Secondly this lets us see the misery of all wicked and ungodly men, [Use 2] from whom the curse of Death and of the Grave is not removed. As in Death, their bodies return to the Grave, so their souls go immediately to Hell; their bedies go to their Graves, as to a stinking and loathsome Prison, a Dungeon of darknesse, from whence they shall arise in the morning of the
Resurrection, to be joyned again to their souls, that both together may be sent into utter darknesse.
The godly and wicked in death may well be resembled to Pharaoh's Butler and Baker: Both go to Prison, one is restored to serve his Master, the other reserved for execution.
Is death a sleep? [Use 3] and do the bodies of the Saints rest in their Graves as in a Bed, and their Spirits return to God that gave them? How fond and vain then, is the conceit of those that say, that dead bodies walk after their death, the ground, I suppose, of this superstitious speech, so frequent with many, God rest his soul, and Gods peace be with him, &c. a grosse absurditie: and howsoever a common conceit in time of Popery, and times of igno∣rance, yet in the times of the Cospell, utterly to be abandoned.
And last of all, [Use 4] since death is a sleep, This should teach us not to mourn, as those that have no hope, for the de∣parture of our Friends, Husbands, Wives, * 1.12 Parents, Children, &c. Thy Brother (saith Christ to Mary) shall
rise again: So shall they. What though they tast of corruption, they shall not perish in corruption. They go to their graves, but as to a bed, there to rest for a time, till the morning of the Resurrection come. Now who would not be glad of rest, after some sore la∣bour and travail? They that die in the Lord, Rest from their labours. * 1.13 Let us comfort one another in these things.
Others take the words thus.
Thou over flowest them, and they become as a dream. All is to one ef∣fect, both point out the marvellous frail estate of man, that as a Dream doth vanish away presently: Even so man is gone in the twinkling of an eye and in the turning of a hand, To day a man, to morrow none. But even a piece of Clay, to day living dust, to morrow dying dust.
Which should teach us the same lesson, never to be unprepared, [Use.] but alwaies in a readinesse, lest dying in our sins, we perish eternally.
But we passe that, and come to the third similitude.
Death is a sleep. Es. 57.2.
Job 7.21.
1 Reg. 2.10.
Dan. 12.2.
Ioh. 11. Mat. 9.24.
1 Thes. 4.13.
Rev. 14.13.
Psal. 17.15.
1 Tim. 4.7, 8.
1 Cor. 15.54. Heb. 2.14, 15.
Ro. 14.8.
Iohn 11.
Rev. 14.13. 1 Thess. 4.18.