The Great Concern by Edward Pierce Forward Death is the great and insurmountable enemy. The tombstones and graves littered across the world testify to the fact that death meets everyone with finality. Yet how few of the living care to prepare for, or even consider, their inevitable end. A few years ago, a CBS News poll found that a majority of Americans spend little to no time at all thinking about their own inevitable deaths. Whatever rationale or reasoning may animate those who are unconcerned about their own impending death, the reality is that refusing to consider death does not make it disappear. Death is not like the annoying solicitor at the door, who eventually leaves when his repeated knockings are ignored. Rather, death faces everyone indiscriminately. Thankfully, God's word speaks quite clearly about the origin and outcome of death. In the Garden of Eden, Death is first introduced into the world as a direct result of mankind's sin and rebellion against God. Genesis chapter 3 verse 3, Genesis chapter 3 verses 17 through 19, Romans chapter 5 verse 12, and Romans chapter 6 verse 23. From the first human death, when Abel was killed by his brother Cain, Genesis chapter 4 verse 8, Every person since has died or is in the process of dying. For many what takes place on the other side of the grave is a profound mystery. But again, the Bible provides the answers to these queries. The author of Hebrews instructs that after every man's appointed time of death comes the judgment of God. Hebrews chapter 9 verse 27. all mankind will then exist eternally, either in a perpetual state of death in hell or life in heaven. Daniel chapter 12 verse 2, Revelation chapter 20 verses 11 through 15 and Revelation chapter 22 verses 3 through 6. Well, some would argue that so long as God gives their earthly life a passing grade, well, admittance into heaven will be theirs. And by this, it is generally meant that so long as the good in their lives outweighs the bad, God will see fit to grant their request of entrance into his kingdom. And such common thinking, though, is tragically wrong. God's standard as revealed in his word does not consist of a minimum requirement, but is instead perfection. Matthew chapter 5 verse 48, James chapter 2 verse 10, 1st John chapter 1 verse 5. No man is perfect and therefore no human being deserves heaven, but instead deserves hell. Romans chapter 3 verse 10. In God's divine wisdom, he has graciously provided the means of salvation from eternal death and hell. God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked. Ezekiel chapter 18 verse 23. And in his mercy, he has elected to save some. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 4, Ephesians chapter 2 verses 4 and 5. It was the Lord Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, who condescended to earth, lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial death on the cross, and then rose again to newness of life. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 4. 2 Corinthians chapter 8 verse 9. Philippians chapter 2 verse 8. 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 22. His death and resurrection provide the means by which man can be reconciled to his estranged creator. A person can escape from hell and enter heaven only by finding their rest and refuge in the Son of God. Psalm 2 verse 12 John chapter 3 verse 36 In this book by Edward Pierce This Puritan speaks incisively concerning the topic of death and preparing for existence beyond the grave. His words are sobering, his thoughts convicting, his remarks biblical, and his reflections insightful. Too many in the age in which we live are being lulled to sleep about the horrors of hell and the eternal separation from God that this place brings. Might this book awaken those who are lost and perishing in their sins? the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, charged men to hold back those who are staggering towards slaughter." Proverbs chapter 24 verse 11. Edward Pierce attempts to do just that. Like Spurgeon, who famously remarked, quote, if sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies, close quote. Pierce urgently warns those who are staggering towards certain judgment to find salvation in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you do not yet know Jesus Christ, might this book spur you on to run into the arms of the Savior? And if you do know the Lord Jesus Christ, might this book encourage your heart as it speaks to the realities of the glorious future that awaits the children of God after death? There is coming a day when all wrongs will be made right, when all sins and sorrows will cease, and when all the remnants of our formerly sin-laden life will vanish. 1 Corinthians 15, verses 54-57. Revelation 21, verse 27. Might you read with this in mind? And that was penned by Ryan Swedberg, Westfield, Indiana, United States of America, December 2020. Biographical Preface The memory of the just is blessed. Even as Edward Pierce, 1633-1674, accomplished much in his short lifetime, so also did much occur in England across the brief span of years in which he lived. He was born during the reign of Charles I, the very year that Archbishop William Laud was appointed the Archbishop of Canterbury. Most of his childhood memories would have undoubtedly been shaped by tumultuous national events, including the opening of the Long Parliament in 1640. and the English Civil Wars, which infamously ended with the overthrow, trial, and execution of Charles I. The Civil Wars had just ended when Pierce matriculated at St. John's College, Oxford, in April 1652. His family was apparently of humble means, as he was enrolled as a servitor one who performs menial tasks in exchange for some degree of tuition assistance. Oliver Cromwell and John Owen were both chancellors of Oxford while Pierce studied there. He graduated Bachelor of Arts on June 27, 1654. Now, Cromwell's protectorate had begun in 1653. and one of its functions was to root out the vestiges of Roman Catholicism from the Church of England and to promote Puritan, and in essence Protestant, teaching and practice. As a result, in June 1657, Pierce was appointed morning preacher at St. Margaret's Westminster after the former preacher was removed by the Protectorate's injunction. This was a junior position in the parish church. His responsibilities would have included not only preaching, but also the care of souls, as directed by the senior clergy. Being on the grounds of Westminster Abbey in Parliament Square, the St. Margaret's, was at the very center of the Puritan movement, and this had a formative effect on Pierce. John Milton, author of the seminal work Paradise Lost, was married there the year before Pierce's appointment, and in later years, many other important weddings would occur in St. Margaret's 12th century chapel, including Winston Churchill's marriage to Clementine Hosier in 1908. Pierce was apparently a capable preacher, as his salary was increased to 50 pound, about 40,000 U.S. dollars in modern currency, per year on December 31, 1657. And in 1658, he was also appointed preacher at Westminster Abbey, where Oliver Cromwell's funeral would be conducted later that year. With Cromwell's death, the Protectorate was cast into uncertainty and turmoil. Cromwell's son Richard became the second Lord Protector, but he lacked the personality, resolve, and authority of his father. He abdicated within nine months of succeeding, being unable to reconcile political rivalries between the army and a parliament that was increasingly disaffected and royalist. In 1660, Charles II returned from exile in France and regained the throne, welcomed by a people made weary from war, fear, chaos, and chicanery. Shortly after his coronation, the Cavalier Parliament was assembled. One of its goals was to reassemble a unified national religious identity and thus discourage non-conformity to the Church of England. To that end, the various acts of the Clarendon Code were passed in short order, the most infamous being the Act of Uniformity in 1662. On the day it was put into effect, more than 2,000 Puritan pastors, including Pierce, chose to abandon their pulpits rather than subscribe to the newly revised Book of Common Prayer. Evidence suggests that Pearce remained in London after this great ejection, preaching under increasingly difficult circumstances to a dissenting congregation near Hampstead. He not only encountered increasing political pressure to conform to the Church of England, but also faced the Great Plague of London, which began in 1665. the great fire of London in September 1666, and the suffering which ensued in the winter of 1666-67 for those who survived, displaced. At some time during this period, Pierce contracted tuberculosis. During his illness, Pierce began writing with the hope that his ministry might continue in its usefulness even after his death. He wrote, quote, If thou requirest a reason for the publication of this book, I desire thee to satisfy thyself with this. God, in his all-wise and holy providence, hath seemed good now for several months to call the unworthy author out of his vineyard and lodge him in a sick chamber. And he also seems to be speedily calling them out of this world, and to bring that night upon him wherein no man can work, wherein nothing is to be done, either for God or a man's soul. I am lying daily by the brink of the grave, waiting upon the will and for the call of my sovereign Lord. The only reason swaying with me to desire life, next to the more thorough working out of my own salvation, is to reveal and make known the Lord Jesus Christ to souls, and to publish the glad tidings of peace and salvation to a lost and sinful world." In the best match, 2nd Corinthians chapter 11 verse 2, Pierce explores the metaphorical marriage relationship between the Lord Jesus Christ and believers. A beam of divine glory, Malachi chapter 3 verse 6, demonstrates the immutability of God and how this provides rich comfort to his people in times of difficulty. It is appended with the soul's rest in God, which is a treatise based on Psalm 116 verse 7. Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you." Doubtless, Pierce speaks from personal experience of finding repose in God's loving kindness as his illness progressed. I have long had a weak and infirm body, but now God, in his wise and holy providence, hath seen good to reduce me to a far lower and weaker state of body, my health being now utterly broken. Yet, I must say, God is exceedingly good to me, and deals in fatherly tenderness with me." Sensing his time was short, his third and final work was the present volume, The Great Concern, Psalm 39 verse 13. It is filled with warm pastoral counsel and the remarkable clarity that only a close view of his own impending death could bring into such sharp focus. Pierce was lying ill in Hampstead in October 1673 and apparently died in the early months of 1674 at about the age of 40. He left a wife named Grace and a daughter named Sarah, then about nine years old. He earnestly prayed that this book would be a useful guide for the friends he would leave behind after his death. quote, which prayer, says the historian Dr. Edmund Calamey, was remarkably answered in the signal success of his little book, close quote. The book became a frequent token gift distributed at funerals in the decades that followed his death, having been reprinted at least 25 times. Edward Pierce lived in an age when death was present in every aspect of daily life. How much more necessary is his teaching in our day, in which every distraction and activity are provided so that we might refrain from ever having a serious thought about our own mortality until the final hour is upon us and can no longer be avoided. Here you will find the author clearly and convincingly showing that our mortality provides a fit subject for meditation and reflection, which, duly considered, will encourage us to live lives that make the most of our short time by glorifying God at every moment and in all things. Dr. Gerald Mech Author's Preface Reader, if you are one who truly lives in the belief of a future life, an eternity of happiness or misery when time and days shall be no more, then I am confident that you will find help and hope in this book. I make no apology for its plainness and am unafraid of the criticism I may fall under for publishing it. If you will read it with an upright heart, I do not doubt that, through a blessing from above, it may do your soul some good. And I am sure that you will find the arguments most weighty and the topic most important Woe be unto the soul which misses the design it aims at. When men come to die and find themselves launching forth into the vast ocean of eternity, and once they find themselves encircled in that ocean, which they most certainly and suddenly do when death makes its approach, then they see that their great interest lies beyond this poor, vain, perishing world and the things of which it is composed. They see that their great concern was to have looked and lived beyond time and days, and to have made provision for an eternal state. But alas, then it is too late. Then they cry out, Oh Eternity! Eternity! Oh what miserable souls we are! How we were blinded and bewitched by sin and the world and could not see the importance of an eternal interest before now when it is too late. Oh, what blind and brutish creatures we are that were taken with carnal and sensual things, things pleasing only to a sensual appetite, and forgot God, who is the chief good, the things of heaven and a blessed eternity, which would have made us happy forever. Now, To prevent these calamitous lamentations and such a dismal and irretrievable shipwreck of our eternal souls, to show forth the path of life, and to engage in making sure of a blessed eternity while time and days last, this is the design of the pages that follow, and the dying author who writes them. May the Lord, the God of all grace, use it thus for your benefit. God has kept me full, kept me for a full half year by the graveside, and sometimes lifting me up and at other times casting me down. And now he seems to be speedily finishing my days. To him, through the infinite riches of free grace, I can, with some comfort and boldness, say, Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen. Revelation chapter 22, verse 20. And now, farewell, vain world. Farewell, friends and family. Farewell, eating and drinking. And blessed be God. Farewell, sin and sinning. Within a few days I shall sin no more, nor ever be in a possibility of sinning, but shall be like my Lord and shall see him as he is. And lastly, farewell, reader. E.P. Publisher's note. Reader. The first printing of this book was so well entertained among ministers and others, and wrought such good effects, that the news thereof did very much rejoice the reverend author upon his deathbed, insomuch that he intended to place an order for a good number of copies to be given out at his funeral, judging it the fittest present. But when he was told there would not be a sufficient number to gratify the many thousands that would attend him to the grave, his good intention was thus prevented. Yet, since his death, some pious persons have thought it appropriate, considering the suitableness of the subject, to bestow many of these at burials instead of the rings, gloves, biscuits, wine, and so forth that are commonly distributed today. for reading and meditating upon our own mortality and eternal destiny do much to beautify the solemnity of such a sad occasion as a funeral, and this book has already proved useful for that purpose. Therefore, This good design is, by the generality of ministers and others, recommended to anyone who desires to mind their own great concern and to stimulate others toward a timely and thorough preparation for death. R.A. From the Third Printing 1674 Chapter 1 introduction and explanation of the words of the text, with the general truth of them, and therein the foundation of our intended discourse. Quote, Oh spare me that I may recover strength before I go hence and be no more. Close quote. Psalm 39 verse 13 To walk with God here on earth while we live, and to be ready to live with God forever in heaven when we come to die, this is the great work we have to do, the great concern we have to mind in our present pilgrimage. To grow great and high in the world, to build our names and families, to live a life of sensual pleasures and delights, spending our days in mirth. These are low, mean, and poor things, things infinitely beneath the dignity of a soul, and altogether unworthy of the least of its care and solicitude. But to know God, to love God, to obey God, to delight in God, to contemplate the glorious excellencies and perfections of God, to live upon God, and to live to God, upon Him as our chief good and happiness, and to Him as our last end, and by this to be found ready at last to live with Him forever, entering into the beatific vision and passing into the life of love and holiness which the saints and angels enjoy above, being made perfect in the vision and fruition of the God of glory. This is truly noble. This is worthy of the care and solicitude of our souls. And thus, it is my design to fix our thoughts upon this scripture. and I am rather induced to do so because I see that the time of my own death is drawing very near. The words in this text are a holy and pitiful wish uttered into the bosom of God by David, the man after God's own heart. It was made when he was under sore and heavy affliction, some say a grievous sickness, Others think him in great distress by reason of Absalom's rebellion and conspiracy against him. In either case, you may note three things in his request. 1. What it is that he desires from God, namely, his sparing mercy. 2. The reason he desires this. which is the recovery of some measure of strength. Quote, Oh spare me that I may recover strength. Close quote. Number three. What motivated him to make this request? The near approach of his death. Quote, Before I go hence and be no more seen. Close quote. I will briefly paraphrase the words give you the sum of their meaning, and then conclude with a general application thereof. O spare me, that is, cease to smite and afflict me, give me a little relaxation, a time to catch my breath as one expounds it, deal gently and mildly with me, says another, Withdraw thy hand a little from scourging me and mitigate the violence of my affliction, say others. That I may recover strength, that is. That I may rally myself a little, according to one. That I may pause briefly to compose myself before laying down my spirit and committing it to your hand in death, say others. that I may grow strong in grace and holiness, say still others, or that I may finish my course and fight a good fight, obtaining the victory through a happy death. The sum is that I may set things right in my soul and get into a more ready posture for my death and disillusion, which seems to be near at hand. before I go hence and be no more. That is, before I die, never more to return to this life, before I quit this world and bid adieu to this mortal life, to be no more in the land of the living, to be no more in this world, and to do nothing more for God or my soul. For David does not suppose death to be the utter end or annihilation of man, but his meaning is this. If God went on afflicting him as he had been, he would die suddenly, going off the stage of this world and down to the gates of the grave, where he would be prevented from ever returning to this life to do anything more for God, his own soul, or to prepare himself for the next world. And Job says something very similar, quote, when a few years are come, then shall I go the way plants I shall not return, close quote. This is Job chapter 16, verse 22. Not return, that is, not to return again unto this life, not return to do anything for God or my own soul. The sum of the whole seems to be this much. The good man's afflictions were so pressing and heavy upon him that they bowed him down to the grave, and he saw himself as a dying man, as one going down to the dust of the death, where he knew full well that nothing more could be done toward the next life. and from whence there was no further expectation of any return unto this life. And therefore he begs a little time to catch his breath, so that he might recover himself out of all the distempers and discompostures or discomposures that presently besieged his heart, and thus set all things right with regard to his soul. thereby steadying himself so that he might better prepare for his imminent departure out of this world. He pleads for a time of respite in which to make ready for his dying hour. And this is the sum of what he drives at and pleads with God for. And accordingly the observation and in it the application is this doctrine. It is a very desirable thing, and a business of great importance to the children of men, to have all things set right, well ordered, and composed in the matters of their souls before they leave this world. Put the spiritual concerns of your soul into the best posture that you can before the dying hour comes. David, a holy man, a man in covenant with God, yea, a man after God's own heart, Acts chapter 13 verse 22, does yet pray for sparing mercy. for a time to catch his breath, a time of respite here in this world before he goes off the stage. And why does he do so? Well, in order that he might recover some measure of strength and thus set things right in the matters of his soul, that he might make himself more ready. and get his spiritual concerns into a better posture for a dying hour. And David saw this as something which was most desirable and of the highest importance to him, as indeed it is to us all. And we find the same longing elsewhere in scripture. Quote, Are my days not few? cease then and let me alone that I may take comfort a little before I go whence I shall not return even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death." Job chapter 10 verses 20 through 21 and the phrase is expounded that I may take a little comfort that I may recover a little that I may have time to catch my breath that I may recover my wits and steady my spirit." He seems to desire a brief pause so that he might better compose himself and the matters of his soul for his final hour. Indeed, it is the concern of us all to set everything right within our souls and to do everything possible to get into a ready posture for the coming of our dying hour. In the next chapter, I shall briefly demonstrate this truth and thus proceed to make some practical improvements upon it. Now we come to the portion for discussion and personal reflection. Number one, What argument does the author make in trying to persuade us to pursue the things that truly matter in our brief lifetimes? What are the things that truly matter? Number two, what point of doctrine does the author establish from the text of Psalm 39 verse 13? And please notice that this is the main tenet of the entire book. Finally, number three, How about you? Have you set aside time to set things right within your soul and begin to prepare yourself to leave this world? On a personal note, that's kind of what I've been doing of late. Knowing that because of the way things are in this world in the year 2023, the date being February the 3rd, 2023, our end seems to be coming upon us rather quickly. And that's why I'm coming off and on and dealing with sickness, illness, and other things. I think it's important that we should all do this. I'm pretty sure Dr. Mick would agree with me. I'm going to go ahead and do the second chapter as well. Chapter 2. Wherein is shown the exceedingly great weight of dying work, and the extreme difficulty of the dying hour, as the first evidence of our assertion. Dying work, my beloved, is a great work, and the dying hour is a difficult hour. Therefore we must have all things well ordered and ready with regard to matters of the soul in preparation for that time and work. And thus I will lay out the weight of dying work and the difficulty of the dying hour before you in four propositions. First proposition. The first proposition is this. Death, in itself, and in its own nature, if we look no further, is a very terrible thing, and therefore we must have all things set right within our souls and everything in order when we come to encounter it. The philosopher Aristotle, who looked no further than the natural notion of death, called it the most terrible of all terrible things. And in Job chapter 18 verse 14 the Holy Spirit himself calls it the king of terrors. His confidence, speaking of a wicked man, his confidence shall bring him to the king of terrors, which is to say to death, which is most formidable. Indeed, it is appropriately called the king of terrors. because it is the greatest and strongest terror, and death must needs be terrible in itself. Number one, because it deprives us of all our sweet comforts and enjoyments here in this world and puts their fruition to a permanent conclusion. And here we enjoy much good, many streams which run pleasantly on either side of us, But when death comes, it deprives us of everything. Quote, naked came I into the world, and naked shall I return, close quote. Job chapter 1 verse 21. And so also says the Apostle Paul, quote, we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we shall carry nothing out, close quote. with reference to our outward comforts here. 1st Timothy chapter 6 verse 7. The psalmist speaks of a rich man to the same effect. He shall carry nothing away. His glory shall not descend after him. Psalm 49 verse 17. Death, as one observes, is the greatest leveler in the world. It levels scepters and plowshares It makes the prince as poor as the peasant. Number two, well, because it dissolves the union between the soul and the body. And death is indeed the rending or tearing of body and soul. Those old and loving companions. Tears them asunder. Now, all such disunions, as a worthy theologian has observed, are uncomfortable, and some disunions are terrible. And most terrible are the disunions which rend from us those which are most dear unto us. Now, what union can be so near to us as that which exists between the body and soul? And what disunion can be so terrible as the disillusion of this union? The dissolving of the union between a man and his wife in divorce is terrible, because they are closely united, each to other. But the dissolving of the union between the body and soul is more terrible, because that union is even more close and near. A man and his wife are one flesh, but the body and soul make but one person. Now death dissolves this union. While we live, the soul dwells in the body, informs the body, and acts in and by the body. It has a great influence upon and is greatly influenced by the body. But when death comes, then the body and soul part ways until the resurrection. The former returning to the dust from whence it came, and the latter going to the God who gave it. Ecclesiastes chapter 12 verse 7. Number three, it is the destroying and demolishing of the body of man that famous and curious fabric and bringing it into dust and putrefaction. Psalm 90 verse 3. It turns a living body into a dead carcass, a lifeless lump of clay and causes it to become meat for the worms to feed upon. Job chapter 19 verse 26. The body of man is a very curious piece of workmanship, in which the infinite power and wisdom of God are displayed and made manifest. Psalm 139 verses 14 through 15. But when death comes, it mars and demolishes everything, staining all its beauty and drawing a veil upon its glory. Sickness often consumes the beauty of man, like a moth quietly consumes a garment. Psalm 39 verse 11. But death utterly defaces a man and draws a veil upon his glory, turning his beauty into blackness and deformity. One of the ancients standing by Caesar's tomb wept saying, quote, where now is the beauty of Caesar? What has become of all his magnificence? Close quote. In a word, as life is the sweetest of all outward mercies, so death is the sharpest of all outward afflictions. The pains of it are pains to a proverb. The sorrows of it are sorrows to a proverb. Quote, the sorrow of death encompass me or compass me about. Close quote. Psalm 116 verse 3. Now if death is this terrible in itself, then judge for yourself whether or not we ought to strive for having everything ready and in order when it comes. Second proposition. The second proposition is this. In a dying hour, the devil is most fierce and terrible in his assaults and temptations upon the soul. In scripture, the devil is called a roaring lion, verse Peter chapter 5 verse 8, and is usually most so against the poor people of God when they come to die. For then he has wrath because he knows his time is short, Revelation chapter 12 verse 12. He knows he has but a little time left to tempt, vex, and terrify that soul. and therefore he often exercises great wrath, stirring up all his malice and cruelty against him. He sees that this is the last chance he is ever likely to have for assaulting the soul's faith and comfort, and that the battle is now to be won or lost forever, and therefore he roars and rages terribly, He discharges all his murdering pieces against the soul to batter, if possible, the soul's fortress of salvation and to shake its foundation of life and happiness. The devil is the enemy of souls. Matthew chapter 13 verse 25. And his enmity often works itself out in one of these two ways. Number one, prefers to keep them from life and happiness. And here he acts more like an angel of light than a roaring lion. He insinuates with flattery instead of assaulting with terror. And hence we read of his wiles, methods, devices, and the like. His cunning and fallacious workings which he uses to destroy souls. Number two. Second, to trouble and torment souls on their way to life and happiness. And here indeed he is like a roaring lion and never more than when we come to die. And there are two seasons among others in which the devil is most fierce and terrible in his assaults upon the soul. The first is when a man is going from sin to grace. when he is fully resolved to close with Christ, to shake off the yoke of sin, and to take up the yoke of Jesus. The second is when a man is going from grace to glory, when he is going off the stage of time and into eternity, when a man begins to live the spiritual life, and when a man comes to die a natural death. I know first that with regard to his own children, he usually leaves them alone when they come to die. He is afraid to have them disturbed, though sometimes he cannot restrain himself, but torments them before their time. And second, I know that God can, and sometimes does, chain him up, so that he is quite unable to trouble and torment the saints as they pass out of this world. Yet, for the most part, he does fiercely assault them then. And doubtless, there are but very few of the children of God who do not meet with very sore assaults from Satan when they come to die. For then he turns into the accuser. Then he charges the soul with all its sins. Then he tells him that he is a hypocrite and that his profession of faith has been nothing but a delusion. Is Satan fierce and terrible in his assaults upon the soul in this dying hour? Then surely we must make everything ready for when that hour comes. Third proposition. The third proposition is this. In a dying hour, conscience is most awakened and thus most quick and smart in its threats and charges against the soul if everything is not right within, and therefore we must be prepared for that hour. And there are three seasons in which conscience is most awake in the soul. Number one. First, When God begins to deal with the soul in bringing it to life and salvation, then God lets conscience loose upon a man. Hence we read of those that were pricked in their heart with regard to a sense of sin. There's a Greek word, I can't read it, sorry. The word implies that they were pricked through and through. Acts chapter 2 verse 37. Paul said when sin revived I died Romans chapter 7 verse 9 which is to say Upon the sight of my sin, which was wrought within me by the law of God I was made to see myself as lost and miserable and was awakened out of my security number two second When the soul is under some smart and notable affliction from the hand of God This is evident from the insistence of Joseph's brothers, whose consciences were awakened when they were in distress, and charged them with the guilt of their sin in selling their brother into slavery. Genesis 42 verse 21. Number three, third. When a man comes to die, and death and the grave are visible before him, Oh, how little you realize just how strict your conscience will be in its search, how sharp in its charge, and how severe in its censure in your dying hour. Then, if there is but the least frown upon God's face toward your soul, the least flaw in your peace, the least blot or blur in your evidence for heaven, if there is but the smallest stain upon your spirit, the least sin unrepented of or unpardoned, it is a thousand to one that your conscience will fail to take notice of it and charge your soul with it. Oh beloved, you will find a great deal of difference between conscience upon a bed of ease and conscience upon a sickbed. Between conscience in an hour of health and worldly prosperity and conscience in the hour of death. In the former, great things bear but little weight. Yet in the latter, Little things weigh heavily upon the conscience. In that final hour, the conscience says unto the soul, these are the things that you have done. This is how things stand with you. This is how weak your grace is. This is how strong your corruptions are. Temptations often prevail over you. and your heart is often out of frame. Your spirit is frequently alienated from God. Hence, there are often such confessions at death that men and women will sin for a godly minister or other Christian in order that they might pray with and for them, when perhaps they could not endure prayer at previous times in their lives. If in the dying hour conscience is thus quickened and smites the soul with its threats and charges, then surely we have need and it is our greatest concern to have everything ready and ordered for the arrival of that hour. Fourth proposition. The fourth proposition is this. in a dying hour, we will have to deal with God in a very stupendous and amazing way, in a manner which may well startle and frighten us. In Hebrews chapter 4 verse 13, we are told that we will, quote, have to do with God, close quote, one day. We will have to give an account of our duties ordinances, mercies, and afflictions. Indeed, we would likely never consider these things unless we had to give an account to God for them, not only here while we live, but also when we come to die. And when we come to think of it, it is likely to overwhelm us. And I shall expound upon this in three steps. First, we will have to face God directly. Second, we will have to face God directly as our judge. And third, we will have to face God directly as judge in matters that pertain to our eternal destiny. And oh, how loudly these things call upon us to make everything ready with regard to the matters of the soul, so that we are well prepared when the hour of death inevitably comes. Number one, when a man comes to die, he has to deal directly with God. And that is an astonishing thing. In death, the body crumbles to dust, but the soul returns to the God that gave it. And so the Holy Spirit tells us, Ecclesiastes chapter 12 verse 7, the body which came from the dust crumbles to dust again. But the soul, which goes into God's immediate presence, has to deal and interact with Him face to face. Now the soul is always with God and cannot possibly be out of His presence. Psalm 139 verse 7. And yet here the Holy Spirit tells us that when we die, the soul returns to God. intimating that on that day the soul will go into the immediate presence of God and will deal with him more directly than he likely ever has here. Then he will behold the unmasked majesty and glory of God What an astonishing thing will this be? You will find that when the saints of God have dealt with him in a more direct manner than usual They have been overwhelmed by it. I'm overwhelmed just reading it pardon me Take for instance Daniel who? upon receiving visions from God tells us that there remained no strength in him and that his comeliness was turned into corruption. Daniel chapter 10 verse 8. Consider also the example of John who fell down at Christ's feet like a dead man after having a view of and conversation with him that was a little more direct than usual. Revelation chapter 1 verse 17. And Jacob, quote, I have seen the Lord face to face and yet my life is preserved, close quote, he says. Intimating that it was a wonder to him that he could see God so directly and live to speak of it. Genesis chapter 32 verse 30. Now if we are to see God face to face when we die, we must be certain to have everything in order before the coming of that dying hour. Number two, when a man comes to die, he has to deal with God directly as his judge, as the one who puts him on trial for his life. and passes sentence upon his soul, determining his state in righteousness and measuring out life or death, happiness or vengeance to him in the next world. And this, and is this not an astonishing and amazing thing? Says Solomon speaking of death Then shall the dust return to earth as it was and the spirit Returned to God who gave it Ecclesiastes chapter 12 verse 7 at death the spirit returns to God but it is to God as a judge who determines his fate and We must all stand before the judgment seat of the Lord Jesus Christ and everyone must give an account of himself to God as the scriptures tell us. Romans chapter 14 verse 12 and quote It is appointed for all men once to die and after that the judgment." Hebrews chapter 9 verse 27. When a man comes to die that which is immediately before him is the judgment of God. His strict righteous and impartial judgment. At death, the soul goes away to the immediate presence of God, a God who sits on the throne of judgment to pass a sentence of life or death, salvation or damnation. And thus we must have all things well ordered and set right in the matters of our souls when we come to deal with God, where he sits on the throne of grace, but much more when we come to deal with him as he sits upon the throne of judgment, to discern and determine what our future condition shall be. Judgment is an astonishing and terrifying thing. Hearing of it made Felix tremble. Or, as the word implies, it turned him into terror or fear. Acts chapter 24 verse 25. The apostle calls it the terror of the Lord. 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 verse 11. Now when a man comes to die, he may say, Now I have to deal with the great God, the judge of all. Now I must appear before his righteous tribunal, and have the state of my soul determined for the next world, be it life or death, salvation or damnation. Oh, how great a thing this is. And I can tell you, narrating this is making me tremble. Number three. When a man comes to die, he has to face God immediately as his judge. And this, for all of eternity. And this makes it even more astonishing and terrifying. For though a man must face God directly and then as his judge, Yet, if it were but for a short time, perhaps for a term of years, it would not be altogether such a terrifying and amazing thing. But alas, it is for eternity, and therefore his judgment is called eternal judgment. Hebrews chapter 6, verse 2. Hence, Augustine, in speaking of death, calls it, Eternitatis or Eternitatis, that is the gate of eternity. It is the portal that lets men out into eternity. An eternity of life or death, salvation or damnation. The sentence which God will pass upon the soul that day will be an eternal sentence. and the soul must be in the eternal execution of it, whether it be for life or death, salvation or damnation. When a man comes to die, he will realize that he is now launching forth into the great ocean of eternity. He will see that his eternal state of existence is at stake, as determined by the great and holy God. He will cross that great gulf and take up his abode in the land of eternity, and this will fill him with great amazement. Oh, now, says he, a sentence must pass upon me once for all. Now I must cross the great gulf. I must launch forth into the vast ocean where neither boundaries nor bottom is ever to be found. Now I must enter into eternal joy or eternal flames, and endless life with God in heaven or the devils in hell. Now I shall find infinity and eternity combined to do their utmost in making me happy or miserable forever. Now I must become the direct object of infinite wrath or infinite love. infinite hatred or infinite delight and all that forever. Now I must hear from God either come thou blessed or depart thou cursed and that forever. And oh what an astonishing thing this is. Oh, Eternity! Eternity! Oh, vast Eternity! Oh, Eternity! Eternity! Oh, boundless Eternity! One serious view of it is enough to overwhelm a poor soul looking at it from a distance. But how much more overwhelming must it be when it shall be placed directly before the soul? and he sees that he must enter into it in the coming hour, then it will indeed be amazing and astonishing. Eternity puts infinite sweetness into mercies and infinite bitterness into suffering. The thought of this greatly amazed a good man who once sat musing upon it in silence for a prolonged period of time. And when he was asked repeatedly why he was silent, at length he broke into these words, forever, forever, forever, forever. And for nearly a quarter of an hour spoke nothing else. thereby telling those that asked him that it was the thought of eternity that he found so flabbergasting. Now, if you were careful to meditate thus on the weight of eternity, you would see that it is an astonishing thing indeed. And this is what makes dying work such weighty work. and a dying hour such a difficult hour. I will close this chapter with something I once read by one of the ancients. Quote, It is not to be accounted an evil death if it was preceded by a good life, and nothing makes death terrible except that which may follow it. Therefore, those who must die should not concern themselves too much with what ultimately causes their death, but instead where their death constrains them to go, where it carries them." And it is a great saying, and indeed it is no great matter when, how, or why we die, but rather it is where death will carry us and set us down. whether in a blessed or wretched eternity, whether with God or the devils, in heaven or hell. Well then, if death is terrible in its own nature, if the devil is so fierce and terrible in his assaults upon souls in their dying hour, If conscience can be so awakened and sharpened in its charges and accusations, and if after death we must immediately encounter God as our judge for all eternity, who will determine the eternal condition of our souls in unspeakable happiness or misery, then surely To prepare for death is important work, and the hour of death is a difficult hour, and thus it greatly concerns us to have everything made ready and in order with regard to the matter of our souls, so that we are prepared when that hour inevitably comes. We now come to the portion for discussion or personal reflection. Number one. In this chapter, the author makes four negative propositions which warn of the importance of being prepared beforehand for the hour of death. Briefly list and summarize them. Number two. How does the consideration of these propositions motivate you to make preparations for your own death? Why do you suppose so many fail to do so? And that's the end of chapter 2.