Glimpses of Christian History Presents Pastwords #124: Practical Discourse Concerning Death by William Sherlock. Time Manner, Circumstances of Death not Determined by Absolute, Unconditional Decree ©2007

William Sherlock (1641-1707) was Dean of St. Paul's. In his book The Knowledge of Jesus Christ, and Union with Him, he attacked the Puritan contention that the mercy of God can be known only through Christ. In another book he defended the Divine Right of Kings and argued that passive obedience was a duty. The Practical Discourse concerning Death (1689) was his most popular work. At one point he was charged with teaching Tritheism.

hough, God, who knows all things, does know also the time, and manner, and circumstances of every particular man's death, yet it does not appear, that he has by an absolute and unconditional, fixed and determined the particular time of every man's death. This is that famous question, which Beverovicious, a learned physician, was so much concerned to have resolved, and consulted so many learned men about, as supposing it would be a great injury to his profession, did men believe, that the time of their death was so absolutely determined by God, that they could neither die sooner, nor live longer than that fatal period, whether they took the advice and prescriptions of the physicians or not. But this was a vain fear, for there are some speculations, which men never live by, how vehemently soever they contend for them. A sceptic, who pretends that there is nothing certain and will dispute with you as long as you please about it, yet will not venture his own arguments so far, as to leap into the fire or water, nor to stand before the mouth of a loaded cannon, when you give fire to it. Thus men who talk most about fatal necessity, and absolute decrees, yet they will eat and drink to preserve themselves in health, and take physic when they are sick, and as heartily repent of their sins, and vow amendment and reformation, when they think themselves a dying, as if they did not believe one word of such absolute decrees, and fatal necessity, as they talk of at other times.

I do not intend to engage in this dispute of necessity and fate, of prescience and absolute decrees, which will be disputes as long as the world lasts, unless men grow wiser than to trouble themselves with such questions as are above their reach, and which they can never have a clear notion and perception of; but all that I intend is, to show you, according to the scripture account of it, that the period of our lives is not so peremptorily determined by God, but that we may lengthen or shorten them, live longer, or die sooner, according as we behave ourselves in this world.

Now this is very plain from all those places of scripture, where God promises long life to good men, and threatens to shorten; the lives of the wicked: xix. Psal. 16. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation. Solomon tells us of wisdom, length of days is in her right hand, and in her left riches and honors, Prov. x. 27. Thus God has promised long life to those who honor their parents, in the fifth commandment; and the same promise is made in more general terms to those who observe the statutes and commandments of God, Deut. iv. 40. Upon the same condition God promised long life to King Solomon, 1 Kings iii. 14. And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and commandments, as thy father David will walk, then will I lengthen thy days. The same is supposed in David's prayer to God, not to take him away in the midst of his days, Psal. Cii. 24. And in Psal. Lv. 23. He tells us, that bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days. Now one would reasonably conclude from hence, that God has not absolutely and unconditionally promised to prolong men's lives, or threatened to shorten them; for what place can there be for conditional promises, where an absolute decree is past? How can any man be said not to live out half his days, if he lives as long as God has decreed he shall live? For if the period of every particular man's life be determined by God, none are his days, but what God has decreed for him.

As for matter of fact, it is plain and evident, both that men shorten their own lives, and that God shortens them for them, and that in such a manner as will not admit of an absolute and unconditional decree: thus some men destroy a healthful and vigorous constitution of body by intemperance and lust, and do as manifestly kill themselves, as those who hang, or poison, or drown themselves; and both these sorts of men, I suppose, may be said to shorten their own lives; and so do those who rob, or murder, or commit any other villainy, which forfeits their lives to public justice; or quarrel and fall in a duel, and the like; and yet you will no more say, that God decreed and determined the death of these men, than he did their sin.

Thus God himself very often shortens the lives of men, by plague, and famine, and sword, and such other judgments, as he executes upon a wicked world; and this must be confest to be the effect of God's counsel and decrees, as a judge decrees and pronounces the death of a malefactor; but this is not an absolute and unconditional decree, but is occasioned by their sins and provocations, as all judgments are; they might have lived longer, and escaped these judgements, had they been virtuous, and obedient to God: for it they should have lived no longer, whether they had sinned or not, their death, by what judgments soever they are cut off, is not so properly the execution of justice, as of a peremptory decree; their lives are not shortened, but their fatal period is come.

Indeed, unless we make the providence of God, not the government of a wise and free agent, who acts pro re nata, and rewards and punishes as men deserve, as the scripture represents its, but an unavoidable execution of a long series of fatal and necessary events from the beginning to the end of the world, as the Stoics thought, we must acknowledge, that in the government of free agents, God has reserved to himself a free liberty of lengthening or shortening men's lives, as will best serve the ends of providence: for if we will allow man to be a free agent, and that he is not under a necessity of sinning, and deserving to be cut off at such a time, or in such a manner, the application of rewards and punishments to him must be free also, or else they may be ill applied: he may be punished when he deserves to be rewarded; the fatal period of life may fall out at such a time when he most of all deserves long life, and when the lengthening his life would be a public blessing to the world. Fatal and necessary events can never be fitted to the government of free agents, no more than you can make a clock, which shall strike exactly for time and number, when such a man speaks, let him speak when, or name what number he pleases: and yet there is nothing of greater moment in the government of the world, than a free power and liberty of lengthening or shortening men's lives; for nothing more overawes mankind, and keeps them more in dependence on God; nothing gives a more signal demonstration of a divine power, or vengeance, or protection: nothing is a greater blessing to families or kingdoms, or a greater punishment to them, than the life or death of a parent, of a child, or a prince, and therefore it is as necessary to reserve this power to God, as to assert a providence. There are two or three places of scripture, which are urged in favor of the contrary opinion, Job. Xiv. 5. Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass. Job vii. 1. Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? Are not his days also like the days of an hireling? Which refer not to the particular period of every man's life, but as I observed before, to the general period of human life, which is fixed and determined, which is there called the days or the years of a man, because God has appointed this the ordinary time of man's life; as when God threatens, that the wicked shall not live out half their days, that is, half that time which is allotted for men to live on earth; for they have no other interest in these days, but that they are the days of a man, and therefore might be their days too.

From what I have now discoursed, there are two things very plainly to be observed. 1. That men may contribute very much to the lengthening or shortening their own lives. 2. That the providence of God does peculiarly over-rule and determine this matter.

1. As for the first, there is no need to prove it, for we see men destroy their own lives every day, either by intemperance and lust, or more open violence; by forfeiting their lives to public justice, or by provoking the divine vengeance; and therefore whoever desires a long life, to fill up the number of his days, which God has allotted us in this world, must keep himself from such destructive vices, must practice the most healthful virtues, must make God his friend, and engage his providence for his defense. Can any thing be more absurd than to hear men promise themselves long life, and reckon upon forty or fifty years to come, when they run into these excesses, which will make a quick and speedy end of them? Which will either inflame and corrupt their blood, and let a fever, or a dropsy into their veins, or rottenness into their bones, or engage them in some fatal quarrel, ruin their estates, and send them to seek their fortune upon the road, which commonly brings them to the gallows; what a fatal cheat is this, which men put upon themselves? Especially when they sin in hope of time to repent, and commit such sins as will give them no time to repent in?

The advice of the Psalmist is much better, What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep they tongue from evil, and they lips from speaking guile; depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it: these are natural and moral causes of a long life: but that is not all, for the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry: the face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth: that is, God will prolong the lives of good men, and cut off the wicked; not that this is a general rule without exception; but it is the ordinary method of providence, Psal. Xxxiv. 12,13.

2. For though God has not determined how long every man shall live by an absolute and unconditional decree, yet if a sparrow does not fall to the ground without our Father, much less does man: no man can go out of this world, no more than he can come into it, but by a special providence; no man can destroy himself but by God's leave; no disease can kill, but when God pleases; no mortal accident can befall us, but by God's appointment; who is therefore said to deliver the man into the hands of his neighbor, who is killed by an evil accident, Deut. xix. 4,5. Those wasting judgments of plague and pestilence, famine and sword, are appointed by God, and have their particular commissions where to strike; as we may see Lev. Xxvi. 47. Jer. Vi. 7. Isa. Lsv. 12. Jer. Sv. 2. Psal. Xci. and several other places. All the rage and fury of men cannot take away our lives, but by God's particular permission, Mat. X. 28,29,30,31.

And this lays as great an obligation on us, as the love of life, can, which is the dearest thing in this world, to serve and please God; this will make us secure from all fears and dangers; My times, saith David, are in thy hand, deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me, Psal. Xxxi. 15. This encourages us to pray to God for ourselves, or our friends, whatever danger our lives are in, either from sickness, or from men: there is no cause wherein he cannot help us, when he sees fit; he can rectify the disorders of nature, and correct an ill habit of body, and rebuke the most raging distempers which mock at all the arts of physic, and power of drugs, and many times does so by insensible methods: to conclude, this is a great satisfaction to good men, that our lives are in the hands of God; that though there be not such a fixed and immovable period set to them, yet death cannot come but by God's appointment.

SECT. VI. The particular time when we are to die, is unknown and uncertain to us.

III. The particular time when any of us are to die, is unknown and uncertain to us, and this is that which we properly call the uncertainty of our lives; that we know not when we shall die, whether this night or tomorrow, or twenty years hence. There is no need to prove this, but only to mind you of it, and to acquaint you, what wise use you are to make of it.

1. This shows how unreasonable it is to flatter ourselves with the hope of long life; I mean or prolonging our lives near the utmost term and period of human life, which though it be but short in itself, is yet the longest that any man can hope to live: no wise man will promise himself that which he can have no reason to expect, but what has very often failed others: for let us seriously consider, what reason any of us have to expect a long life; is it because we are young, and healthful, and vigorous? And do we not daily see young men die? Can youth, or beauty, or strength secure us from the arrests of death? Is it because we see some men live to a great age? But this was no security to those who died young, and left a great many men behind them, who had lived twice or thrice their age, and therefore we also may see a great many old men, and die young ourselves. It is possible, we may live to old age.

Concerning the fear of death, and the remedies against it.

Death is commonly and very truly called the king of terrors, as being the most formidable thing to human nature; the love of life, and the natural principle of self preservation, begets in all men a natural aversion against death, and this is the natural fear of dying; this is very much increased by a great fondness and passion for this world, which makes such men, especially while they are happy and prosperous, very unwilling to leave it; and this is still increased by a sense of guilt, and the fear of punishment in the next world: all these are of a distinct nature, and require suitable remedies, and therefore I shall distinctly consider them:

I. The natural fear of death results from self preservation and the love of our own being; for light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun, Eccles. xi. 7. All men love life, and the necessary consequence of that is to fear death; though this is rather a natural instinct, than the effect of reason and discourse.

There are great and wise reason why God should imprint this aversion to death on human nature, because it obliges us to take care of ourselves, and to avoid every thing which will destroy or shorten our lives; this in many cases is a great principle of virtue, as it preserves us from all fatal and destructive vices; it is a great instrument of government, and makes men afraid of committing such villainies, as the laws of their country have made capital; and therefore since the natural fear of death is of such great advantage to us, we must be contented with it, though it makes the thoughts of dying a little uneasy; especially if we consider, that when this natural fear of death is not increased by other cases, (of which more presently) it may be conquered or allayed by reason and wise consideration: for this is not so strong an aversion, but it may be conquered; the miseries and calamities of this life very often reconcile men to death, and make them passionately desire it: Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul? Which long for death, but it cometh not, and dig for it more than for hid treasures: which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad when they can find the grave, Job. iii. 20-22. My soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than life: I loathe it, I would not live always; let me alone, for my days are vanity, Job. vii. 15, 16. And is the sense of present sufferings can conquer the fears of death, there is no doubt but the hope of immortal life may do it also; for the fear of death, is not an original and primitive passion, but results from the love of ourselves, from the love of life, and our own being; and therefore when we can separate the fear of death from self love, it is easily conquered: when men are sensible, that life is no kindness to them, but only serves to prolong their misery, they are so far from being afraid of death, that they court it; and were they as thoroughly convinced, that when they die, death will translate them to a more happy life, it would be as easy a thing to put off these bodies, as to change their clothe, or to leave an old and ruinous house for a more beautiful and convenient habitation.

If we set aside the natural aversion, and enquire into the reasons of this natural fear of death, we can think of but these two; either men are afraid, that when they die they shall cease to be, or at least they know not what. But now both these reasons of fear are taken away by the revelation of the gospel, which has brought life and immortality to light; and when the reasons of our fear are gone, such an unaccountable aversion and reluctancy to death, signifies little more than to make us patient of living, rather than unwilling to die; for a man who has such a new glorious world, such a happy immortal life in his view, could not very contentedly delay his removal thither, were not death in the way, which he naturally startles at, and draws back from, though his reason see nothing frightful or terrible in it.

The plain and short account then of this matter is this: we must not expect wholly to conquer our natural aversion to death; St. Paul himself did not desire to be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life, 2 Cor. iii.4. Were there not some remaining aversions to death mixed with our hopes and desires of immortality, martyrdom itself, excepting the patient enduring the shame and the torments of it, would be no virtue; but though this natural aversion to death cannot be wholly conquered, it may be extremely lessened, and brought next to nothing, by the certain belief and expectation of a glorious immortality; and therefore the only way to arm ourselves against these natural fears of dying, is to confirm ourselves in this belief, that death dose not put an end to us, that our souls shall survive in a state of bliss and happiness, when our bodies themselves shall, at the sound of the last trump, rise again out of the dust immortal and glorious. A man who believes and expects this, can have no reason to be afraid of death; nay he has great reason not to fear death; and that will reconcile him to the thoughts of it, though he trembles a little under the weaknesses and aversions of nature.

II. Besides the natural aversions to death, most men have contracted a great fondness and passion for this world, and that makes them so unwilling to leave it: whatever glorious things they hear of another world, they see what is to be had in this, and they like it so well, that they do not expect to mend themselves, but if they were at their choice, would stay where they are; and this is a double death to them to be snatched away from their admired enjoyments, and to leave whatever they love and delight in behind them; and there is no remedy that I know of for these men to cure their fears of death, but only to rectify their opinions of things, to open their eyes to see the vanity of this world, and the brighter and dazzling glories of the next.

There are different degrees of this, and therefore this remedy must be differently applied: some man are wholly sunk into flesh and sense, and have no taste at all of rational and manly pleasures, much less of those which are purely intellectual and divine; they are slaves to their lusts, lay no restraints on their brutish appetites; the world is their God, and they dote on the riches, and pleasures, and honors of it, as the only real and substantial goods: now these men have great reason to be afraid of death; for when they go out of this world, they will find nothing that belongs to this world in the next; and thus their happiness and their lives must end together; it is fitting they should fear death, for if the fear of death will not cure their fondness for this world, nothing else can; you must not expect to persuade them that the next world is a happier place then this; but the best way is to set before them the terrors of the next world; those lakes of fire and brimstone prepared for the devil and his angels; to ask them our Savior's question, What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world, and to lose his own soul; or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? These men ought to fear on, till the fear of death cures their vicious passion and fondness for this world, and then the fear of death will be degrees cure itself.

Others there are, who have a true reverence for God, and govern their inclinations and passions to the things of this world with regard to his laws; they will not raise an estate by injustice, oppression, or perjury; they will not transgress the rules of sobriety and modesty in the use of sensual pleasures; they will not purchase the honors and preferments of this world at the price of their souls; but yet they love this world very well, and are extremely delighted in the enjoyments of it; they have a plentiful fortune, or a thriving trade, or the favor of their prince; they live at ease, and think this world a very pleasant place, and are ready to cry, it is good for us to be here: now it cannot be avoided, but that in proportion to men's love of this world, though it be not an immoral and irregular passion, they will be more afraid, and more unwilling to leave it: when we are in the full enjoyment of an earthly felicity, it is difficult for very good men to have such a strong and vigorous sense of the next world as to make them willing and contended to leave this; they desire to go to heaven, but they are not over hasty in their desires; they can be better pleased, if God sees fit, to stay here a little longer, and when they find themselves a going, are apt to cast back their eyes upon, this world, as those who are loth to part. This makes it so necessary for God to exercise even good men with afflictions and sufferings, to wean them from this world, which is a scene of misery, and to raise their hearts to heaven, where true and unmixed happiness dwells.

The only way then to cure this fear of death, is to mortify all remains of love and affection for this world; to withdraw ourselves as much as may be from the conversation of it, to use it very sparingly and with great indifferency; to supply the wants of nature, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of it; to have our conversation in heaven, to meditate all the glories of that blessed place, to live in this world upon the hopes of unseen things; to accustom ourselves to the work and to the pleasures of heaven, to praise and adore the great maker and redeemer of the world, to mingle ourselves with the heavenly quire, and possess our very fancies and imaginations with the glory and happiness of seeing God and the blessed Jesus, of dwelling in his immediate presence, of conversing with saints and angels: this is to live like strangers in this world, and like citizens of heaven; and then it will be as easy to us to leave this world for heaven, as it is for a traveler to leave a foreign country to return home. This is the height and perfection of Christian virtues; it is our mortifying the flesh with its affections and lusts, it is our dying and leaving this world is over: for what should a man do in this world, who is dead to it? When we are alive to God, nothing can be so desirable as to go to him; for here we live to God only by faith and hope, but that is the proper place for this divine life, where God dwells; so that in short, a life of faith, as it is our victory over this world, so it is our victory over death too; it disarms it of all its fears and terrors, it raises our hearts so much above this world, that we are very well pleased to get rid of these bodies which keeps us here, and to leave them in the grave in hopes of a blessed resurrection.

Now there is no possible way to prevent these fears when we come to die, but by giving all diligence to make our calling and election sure, by living such holy and innocent lives, that our consciences may not condemn us; and then we shall have confidence towards God, 1. John iii. 20,21.

But this is such a remedy, as few of these men like: they would be glad to be sure of heaven, but yet would go as near hell as they can, without danger of falling into it: they will serve God, but must reserve a little favor and indulgence to their lusts; though they dare not take full draughts of sensual pleasures, yet must be sipping now and then, as often as they can pacify their consciences, and get rid of the fear of God, and of another world: and therefore they are very inquisitive after other cures for an accusing and condemning conscience: are mighty fond of such marks and signs of grace, as will secure them of heaven, without the severities of mortification, or the constant and uniform practice of an universal righteousness: and a great many such signs have been invented, which like strong opiates assuage their pain and smart, till their consciences awake, when it is too late, in the next world.

For all this is cheat and delusion, as St. John assure us, little children, let no man deceive you; he that doth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin, is of the devil, for the devil sinneth from the beginning; for this purpose the son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God, doth not commit sin,; for his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil; whosoever doth not righteousness in not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother, I John. Iii. 7-10. This is the only sure evidence for heaven; and therefore every sin men commit, makes their state doubtful, and this must fill them with perplexities and fears: men may cheat themselves with vain hopes and imaginations when they come to die; but nothing can be a solid foundation for peace and security, but an universal righteousness.