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###### The Time of Death

{Since the Heavenly Trade Is the Best Trade…

Exhortation to Good Traders in Christianity

Advice: Lay In for Bad Times

The Time of Death}

The time of death is a spending time and it calls for great provisions for that long journey and the great change the soul is passing into. Death is the king of terrors (Job 18:14).1541 How confounding is the sight of it to a natural eye and an awakened conscience! The work that death comes to do is horrible work to flesh and blood. It plucks a soul out of its ancient dwellings to take it from all its acquaintances, friends, relatives, and everything earthly. Death takes the soul out of all the comforts of the whole world, never to see or enjoy them again as formerly. Death pulls down this earthly tent [dwelling]; it leaves not one stone on another, razing it to the ground. It is a great change to fasten an arrest warrant on the soul’s back, and in a moment bring it to judgment, away from all its acquaintances, friends, and dearest relations to the vision of an infinitely holy God to receive its eternal doom. The soul then enters into a new state, out of which it will never depart, either of blessedness or misery. If a soul dies in its sins, death cuts that soul off from all the means of salvation and from all possibility of avoiding Hell. There is no possible future repentance or any way to amend that soul’s evil condition. This will be terrible to a guilty conscience; it will be sensible of many sins not repented of, many duties neglected, much time lost, great hypocrisy uncured, many fears not removed, and doubts unanswered.1542 Now, for such a soul to come to judgment in a moment and have no time allowed it to set things in order for so great a solemn court appearance and to state his account for that final audit—that is a confounding providence. The time of death is also a time of the greatest light; the soul’s eye will be opened to see things as they are, no more through dark glass, but face to face. Then the soul that has been in darkness all its days will clearly see things it never knew. This is as it is said of the mole, that it is blind all its time until near death, then it sees.1543 So those who refused to see will see and be ashamed. Souls will see things as they are and learn that things they thought were good are actually evil and things they thought were evil are actually good. Death is the greatest tattler, and it uncovers more things than anything else. It brings to light the hidden things of darkness, sins previously unknown to the world, and even sins the soul itself never saw or thought itself guilty of. Then, even the least flaw, error, unsoundness, neglect, and failing will be fully seen. Then the things that now seem to be small will appear to be great and those things that were taken for mountains will be less than a single grain of dust.

Death is a time also when conscience has its quickest senses and liveliest acts. It sees, hears, feels, and fears all things as they are. Without any other witness, the conscience becomes both accuser and judge. Judas needed no accuser to charge him or judge to condemn him except his own conscience (Matthew 27:3–4),1544 nor executioner to execute him, except his own hand (Matthew 27:5).1545 As a condemned criminal was going up the ladder to the scaffold, his face showing the inward terrors of his soul, Mr. Perkins asked him, “Are you afraid to die?” “No sir,” he said, “but of a worse matter.” There was a woman on her deathbed who was under a terrible sight of her wicked life. When someone nearby offered something to comfort her against the fear of death, she replied, “If it were only to die, it would be nothing.” Another, on the border of eternity and frightened by his conscience, said, “A world for one inch of time? Oh, give me one inch of time!” Luther speaks of a hermit who, a little before his death, stood very sad, did not move out of his place for three days, and had his eyes fixed toward Heaven. When he was asked the reason for this posture, he answered that he was afraid to die. His students began to comfort him, telling him he need not fear death because he had been so holy 1546 in his life. He replied, “It is true; I have lived well and been obedient, but God’s judgments are not the same as people’s judgments.” The time of death is a time of great temptation also. It is then that Satan usually brings forth his greatest strength to weaken the soul’s faith. It is his last attack and the hottest. It is as men who storm a garrison: in their last attack, they usually put forth their utmost strength. Luther said, “Then [at death] the devil opposes us with the most armed force. In his last assault, it is not as in other temptations where faith and hope fight for you. For here, the devil attacks the very resistance [faith and hope]; the strife is about striving, and the war is maintained by another war. Here, the fight is whether to fight and resist him whose greatest policy is to discourage you from resisting. He laughs at our hope as if it were already vanquished and it were to no purpose to resist.” This is a critical time when it is hard to stand. The last enemy is death. The soul must have on the whole armor of God and not be found in its own righteousness, but take sanctuary in the grace of God and the righteousness and faithfulness of Christ. Mr. Cooper said, “Death is somewhat dreary and the streams of that Jordan between us and our Canaan run furiously, but they stand still when the Ark comes (Joshua 3:17).1547 Let your anchor be cast within the veil (Exodus 26:33)1548 and fastened on the rock, Jesus. Let the end of the triple-strand cord (Ecclesiastes 4:12)1549 be buckled to your heart. And by this means you will go through it.” Luther said, “When you are tempted and see no way to escape, close your eyes, do not reply to the devil and commit the cause to God. This is the main wisdom we should attend to in the hour of death.” This was Bernard’s course and comfort: when on the point of death, he said, “I have lived wickedly, but you, Lord Jesus Christ, enjoy Heaven by a double right. First, because you are the son of God. Second, by your death and suffering, you have obtained it. You keep the first for yourself by your birthright. The second you bestow on me, not for my works but of because of your grace.” Christian, you have need to be well furnished for the hour of death; it is your greatest and most difficult hour. You need to lay in all the provisions you can for a sure and comfortable passage to glory. Thus, you see that wisdom’s merchants have more to do than keep up present life and comfort; they must lay in for times to come, for times of temptation, desertion, affliction, and the hour of death.

1541“He is torn from the tent in which he trusted and is brought to the king of terrors” (Job 18:14 ESV).

1542Fears and doubts here refer to those promptings of conscience and warnings by various means that were ignored instead of heeded, leading to repentance and belief in Christ.

1543Most moles are not blind; however, the Mediterranean mole is blind. There is also the blind mole rat, which does not have eyes.

1544“Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, ‘I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.’ But they said, ‘What is that to us? See to that yourself!’” (Matthew 27:3–4 NASB).

1545“And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5 NASB).

1546It is possible that his holiness consisted in Roman Catholic superstitious practices; his conscience well ought to have condemned him, if so.

1547“And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan” (Joshua 3:17 NASB).

1548“And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy” (Exodus 26:33 ESV).

1549“And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart” (Ecclesiastes 4:12 NASB).

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