Chap. 34. An . rpoTtron upon the Boakof B. 'VerG. t4:.. 5,93 to continue or take itaway ; to let ushold it, or gather it home to himfelf. Thirdly, From the manner of fpeaking, If hegather to himfelf his fpirit andhis breath ;' Note. When man dieth, he isgathered to God. When cas Solomon allegorizeth the death of man, Sccl. t 2.6,7.) Theflyer cord isloofed, and thegolden bowl broken, &c. Then (hall the daft (that is, the body) return to theearth ns it was, and the fpirit fhdll return to God who gave it ; that is, each -part of man (when he departed) this world) thall go its proper way, and re- turn to thatwhich is'mofl congenial to it ; his body to the earth, from whence it is his foul toGod, of whom it is. God is Spirit, the creatingSpirit, and our created fpirits are gathered to God when they are feparatedfrom the body ; yet remember there is a two -fold gathering or returningof the fpirit to God. Firfi, Toabide and be bleffed with him for ever ; thus the fpirits of believersor faints only are gathered to God when they depart out of this world. Secondly, There is a gathering of the fpirit to God, to be judged and difpofed of by him, to receive a fentence of life or death from him. And thus the fpirit of every man or woman that dieth, is gathered to God, be they good or bad, believers or unbelievers, (Beb. 9. 27.) It is appointed for men once to die, but after this the judgement. 'Tis the Statute Law of God, man muff die, and the found of Judgement is at the heels of death. That Text faith, but after this the fudgement. The general day of judgement (hall not be till the refurrec ionof man from the dead; But there is a perfonal judgement, or a determining of every mans flare when he diet h ; and for that end every mans fpirit is gathered to God to receive,his fentence. The fpirits of wicked men are gathered to hip and condemned, the fpirits of the righ- teous are gathered toHim and acquitted : We are come, faith the ApoÉlle (Heb, , 2. 23,) to God, the fudge of all, and to the fp.'rits o f lift men made per,fell, David knew he muff be gathered to God, but he earnefilÿ deprecated filch a gathering as mofl (hall have, (pp'. 26. 9.) gather not my foul with inners, nor my life with, bloody men. Jr is this word, when (inners die, they are ga G gg g , thered
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