2. If it be so, that our lives ought to be only a journey toward heaven; how ill do they improve their lives, that spend them in traveling towards hell?
Some men spend their whole lives, from their infancy to their dying day, in going down the broad way to destruction. They do not only draw nearer to hell in length of time, but they every day grow more and more ripe for destruction; they are more assimilated to the inhabitants of the infernal world.
While others press forward in the strait and narrow way to life, and laboriously travel up the hill towards Zion, against the inclination and tendency of the flesh; these run with a swift career down towards the valley of eternal death, towards the lake of fire; towards the bottomless pit.
This is the employment of every day with all wicked men; the whole day is spent in it. As soon as ever they awake in the morning, they set out anew towards hell, and spend every waking moment in it.
They begin in early days, before they begin to speak; Psalms 58:3, "The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies." They hold on in it with perseverance. Many of them that live to be old are never weary of it; if they live to be an hundred years old, they will not give over traveling in the ways to hell till they arrive there.
And all the concerns of life are subordinated to this employment. A wicked man is a servant of sin: his powers and faculties are all employed in the service of sin, and in fitting for hell. And all his possessions are so used by him as to be subservient to the same purpose.
Some men spend their time in treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath. [Romans 2:5] Thus do all unclean persons, that live in lascivious practices in secret. Thus do all malicious persons. Thus do all profane persons, that neglect duties of religion. Thus do all unjust persons, and those that are fraudulent or oppressive in their dealings. Thus do all backbiters and revilers. Thus do all covetous persons, that set their hearts chiefly on the riches of this world. Thus do tavern-haunters, and frequenters of evil company; and many other kinds of persons that might be mentioned.
Thus do far the greater part of man. The bulk of mankind are hastening onward in the broad way to destruction. The way, as broad as it is, is, as it were, filled up with the multitudes that are going with one accord this way. And they are every day going into hell out of this broad way by thousands. Multitudes are continually flowing down into the great lake of fire and brimstone, out of this broad way, as some might[y] river constantly disembogues its waters into the ocean.
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1. This doctrine may teach us moderation in our mourning for the death of such dear friends that, while they lived, improved their lives to right purposes. If they lived a holy life, then their lives were a journey towards heaven. And why should we be immoderate in mourning, when they are got to their journey's end?
Death to them, though it appears to us with a frightful aspect, is a great blessing to them. Their end is happy and better than their beginning: the "day of their death" is better to them than "the day of their birth" (Ecclesiastes 7:1). While they lived, they desired heaven and chose it above this world or any of the enjoyments of it. They earnestly sought and longed for heaven. And why should we grieve that they have obtained heaven that they so desired and so earnestly sought?
Now they are got to heaven; they are got home; they never were at home before. They are got to their Father's house. They find more comfort, a thousand times, now they are got home, than they did on their journey. While they were on their journey, they underwent much labor and toil. It was a wilderness that they traveled through, a difficult road; there were abundance of difficulties in the way, mountains and rough places. It was a laborious, fatiguing thing to travel the road: they were forced to lay out themselves to get along and had many wearisome days and nights. But now they have got through; they have got to the place they sought. They are got home, got to their everlasting rest. They need travel no more, nor labor any more, nor endure any more toil and difficulty, but enjoy perfect rest and peace, and will, forever; Revelation 14:13, "And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, for they rest from their labors; and their works do follow them."
They don't mourn that they are got home, but greatly rejoice. They look back upon the difficulties, and sorrows, and dangers of this life rejoicing that they have got through them all.
We are ready to look upon death as though it was a calamity to them. We are ready to mourn over them with tears of pity, to think that these that were so dear to us should be in the dark, rotting grave, that they should there turn to corruption and worms, that they should be taken away from their dear children, and other pleasant enjoyments, and that they should never more have any part in anything under the sun. Our bowels are ready to yearn over them, and to look upon it as though some sorrowful thing had befallen them, and as though they were in awful circumstances.
But this is owing to our infirmity, that we are ready thus to look upon it.
They are in an happy condition; they are inconceivably blessed. They don't mourn, but rejoice with exceeding joy; their mouths are filled with joyful songs. They drink at rivers of pleasures. They find no mixture of grief at all that they have changed their earthly houses, and earthly enjoyments, and earthly friends, and the company of moral mankind, for heaven. They think of it without any degree of regret.
This is an evil world in comparison of that they are now in. Their life here, if attended with the best circumstances that ever any earthly life was, was attended with abundance that was adverse and afflictive. But now there is an end to all adversity; Revelation 7:16–17, "They shall hunger no more, nor thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."
'Tis true, we shall see them no more while we are here in this world; yet we ought not immoderately to mourn for that, though it used to be pleasant to us to see them and though their company was sweet. For we should consider ourselves as but on a journey too: we should be traveling towards the same place that they are gone to. And why should we break our hearts with that, that they are got there before us, when we are following after them as fast as we can and hope, as soon as ever we get to our journey's end, to be with them again, to be with them in better circumstances than ever we were with them while here?
A degree of mourning for near relations, when departed, is not inconsistent with Christianity, but very agreeable to it; for as long as we are flesh and blood, no other can be expected than that we shall have animal properties and affections.
But we have not just reason to be overborne, and sunk in spirit. When the death of near friends is attended with these circumstances, we should be glad that they are got to heaven. Our mourning should be mingled with joy; 1 Thessalonians 4:13, "But I [would not] have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope"—i.e. that they should not sorrow as the heathen that had no knowledge of a future happiness nor any certain hope of anything for themselves or their friends after they were once dead. This appears by the following verse: "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him."
Corrected according to Kindle 56917
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