Death Is a Gathering (2)

This is a comfort to us in the departure of our believing friends, to render their souls up with comfort into the hands of God. We know they are not lost but sent before us. Why should we inappropriately grieve? They are gathered in quietness and rest to their fathers. This should also make us render our souls to God, as into the hands of a faithful Creator and Redeemer. From where do we go? From a sinful world and place of tears, to a place of happiness above expression. Why should we be afraid of death? It is but a gathering to our fathers. What a comfort it is to us in this world, that we will go to a place where all is good, where we will be perfectly renewed, made in the image of God, and will have nothing defaced?
The wicked shall be gathered together, but a woeful gathering it is. They shall be gathered like a bundle of tares, to be thrown into hell, there forever to burn. They are dross and chaff, never gathered to Christ by faith, nor to the body of the church by love, which the wind scatters here and will forever be scattered hereafter (Psa. 1:4). They are as Cain, vagabonds in regard of the life of grace here; and will be forever scattered from the life of glory hereafter. They shall be gathered to those whom they delighted in, and kept company with, while they were in this world. They loved to keep company with the wicked here, therefore they will be gathered to them in hell hereafter. This is sure, you will live in heaven or hell afterwards, with those whom you lived with here. If you live only delighted in evil company now, then you will be gathered to them in hell and destruction hereafter. It is a comfortable evidence to those that delight in good company, that they will be with them in heaven for ever. Hereby we know that we are translated from death to life, because we love the brethren' (1 John 3:14).

Devotional Readings taken from Puritan Richard Sibbes 'Refreshment for the Soul.'
Josiah's Reformation, pp. 137-40 [107-08]
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