Part 22 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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Part 23 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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5. Fifthly, If ever you would be holy, oh! then take heed of putting the day of death far from you. Man is a creature naturally prone to look upon death at a distance, to look upon death afar off, and to say with those in Ezekiel, "Behold, the people of Israel are saying—The vision he sees is for many years from now, and he prophesies about the distant future." Ezek. 12:27. Just so, the rich man in the Gospel reckoned upon many years, when he had not many months, no not many weeks, no not many days, no not many hours—to live in this world! Unholy people are very apt to say to death as Pharaoh said to Moses, "Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again!" Exod. 10:28. When death knocks at the poor man's door he sends it to the rich man's gate, and the rich man translates it to the scholar, and the scholar posts it away to the courtier, and the courtier to his lady, and his lady to her maid; and so death is posted away, as it were, from one to another, everyone crying out to death, "Oh, let me not see your face! Oh, let me not see your face!"
It is a death to many kings and rulers—just to think of death, or to hear of death; and therefore they strictly charge all their servants about them, that when they saw them sick, they should never dare to name that bitter word 'death' in their ears. And Pashur cannot cast his eye upon death—but he is presently a Magor-missabib, a terror to himself, Jer. 20:3. And Saul, though he was a valiant king—yet at the news of death he falls on his face, 1 Sam. 28:20. And so Belshazzar, though he was a mighty emperor, Dan. 5:1-7—yet a letter to him, from him whom Bildad calls the king of terrors, Job 18:14, ah, how does it amaze, astonish, affright, and terrify him! and how many are there who, with Maecenas, had rather live in many diseases than die; and, with the most famous heathens, prefer the poorest life on earth, above all the hopes they have of the eternal world; like Achilles, who had rather be a servant to a poor country down here, than to be a king to all the souls departed; or like Withipoll, a rich and wretched man, who, when he was in danger of death, earnestly desired that he might live five hundred years, though it were but in the shape of a toad. Vitellius, when facing death, made himself drunk to drown the thoughts of it. A woman being ill—one of her neighbors coming to visit her, told her that if she died she would go to heaven and be with God and Jesus Christ, and with angels and saints; the sick woman answered, that she had no acquaintance there, she knew nobody there, and therefore she had rather live with her neighbors here on earth, than to go there to live among strangers.
And thus you see how apt people are to shrug at death, which is a common lot, and to say to it, as Ephraim did to his idols, "Get away from me, what have we more to do with you?" But this is and must be for a lamentation, that men put off the thoughts of their latter end to the latter end of their thoughts. Man naturally is a great life-lover, and therefore he will bleed, sweat, vomit, purge, part with an estate, yes, with a limb, ay, limbs—to preserve his life. Like him who cried out, "Oh, give me any deformity, any torment, any misery, just so that you spare my life!" And upon this account it is, that he desires that such a guest as death may not knock at his door. But ah! that all such vain men would consider, that by putting the day of their death far from them, they do but gratify Satan, strengthen their sins, provoke the Lord, and make the work of faith and holiness more hard and difficult, and so lay a deep foundation for their own eternal destruction!
Well, sirs, remember this, the serious thoughts and meditations of death, if anything, will work you to break off your sins, to mend your lives, and to look to the salvation of your souls. There is nothing that will sooner work a man to a holy fear of offending God in anything, and to a holy care of pleasing God in everything—than the serious meditation of death. Though that text, "Remember your latter end, and you shall never do amiss," is apocryphal—yet the truth asserted is canonical. I have read a story of one who gave a young prodigal a ring with a death's-head, on this condition—that he should one hour in a day, for seven days together, think and meditate upon death, which accordingly he did, and it bred a great change and alteration in his thinking and life.
O man! you do not know but that the serious thoughts of death may work that desirable thing in you, namely, holiness, which yet has not been wrought in you by all the holy counsels, the gracious examples, the fervent prayers, and the sorrowful tears of your dearest friends. You do not know but that the serious meditation of death may do you more good than all the sermons that you have ever heard; or than all the books that you have ever read; or than all the prayers that you have ever made; or than all the sighs or groans that you have ever poured out; and why then should you put the thoughts of death far from you? Certainly as he is an deep-rooted sinner, who dares look death in the face and yet sin; who dares steal a purse when the judge looks on—just so, he is a monster rather than a man, who dares look death in the face—and yet satisfy himself to live without holiness; who dares look death in the face—and yet say "I'll drink and be drunk, I'll swear and swagger, I'll roar and whore, I'll cheat and cozen, I'll hate and oppose, I'll quarrel and kill, and my hands shall be as bloody as my heart—let death do her worst!" If such a person is not in the ready way of being miserable forever, I know nothing.
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Part 23 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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