Chap. 27. An Expofition open the Boom of Jos. Verf.8. 87 Though hypocrites /and moti wicked men dye a natural death' yet to them their death is violent. Their fouls are, as it were, fnatcht and taken, yea rent and torne from them, a wicked man doth not commend his foul into thehands of God, but the hand of God taketh and pulleth his foule from him. Old Simeon could fay, Lord, now lettei thou thy fervant depart in peace (Luke2.29.) And Pau/could fay, I de- fare to depart ( Phil. i . 3.) No hÿpocrite could ever make any of thefe prayers,for if his tonguebath fpoken them,his heart bath not. An hypocrite may fomtimes delire to dye, but he isnever willing to dye. We read in the book of the Revelation (Chap.9. 6.) that many men fhallfeek death, andfhsh not find it, and fpall defare todye, and death(hall fleefrom them. But was this becaufe they were willing to dye?no, but becaufe they wereweary of their lives, or afraid to live : they did not fee any other good in death, but to get out of the panal evils of this life. Thus a wicked man may delire todye, that he may be quit of the troubles, miieriea, and dangers that threaten his life ; but he is never willingto dye whenhe quietly enjoys the good things of this life ; much leffe doth he fee that the bell things of this lifeare better'd in the next. He doth not fee that there is more good to come than any that heleaves ; yea, he will not leave his fin, his beloved lull, for any good that is to come. And therefore though the Lord fuller him to live till he be as fruit fully ripe, yea almotl rotten, and ready to dropoff the tree, though he be fo old that he can live a natu- ral life no longer; yet his death is violent tohim. As the fecond or eternal death rejoyns and reunites his foul to his body fore againll his will, fo the foil or temporal death feparates and pulls his foul from his body foie againfl his will. There are two fpe- cial confiderations, upon which it doth appeare, that a hypocrite can never dye (in this fence) but a violent death. Fitff, He cannot freely fubmit to the decree of death ; he cannot dye in obedience as a true beleever doth. He that doth not live in obedience, can never dye in obedience. As Chrifl was obedi- ent untodeath, even thedeath oftheCroffe ;So Saints (in their de- gree) are obedient, not only all their lives, but theyare obedient unto death, that is, their dying is an aá of obedience. But it is impofíible that the hypocrite, who never lived in obedience to the
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