haue belieued and that hee is able to keepe that which I haue committed to him 2. Tim. 1. 12. Besides we should labour to get a particular knowledge and assurance of our happines in death and of our saluation We should study to this end the Arguments that shews our felicity in death And to this purpose it is of excellent vse to receiue the Sacraments often For Christ by his Will bequeathed Heauen to vs Ioh. 17. and by the death of the Testator this Will is of force and is further daily sealed vnto vs as internally by the Spirit so externally by the Sacraments Now if we get our Charter sealed and confirmed to vs how can we be afraid of the time of possession Hee is fearelesse of death that can say with the Apostle Whether I liue or die I am the Lords Rom. 14. 8. 4. That charge giuen to Hezekiah concerning the setting of his house in order Esay 38. is of singular vse for this Cure Men should with sound aduice settle their outward estates and dispose of their worldly affaires and according to their meanes prouide for their wife and children A great part of the feare and trouble of mens hearts is ouer when their Wils are discreetely made but men are loth to die so long as their outward estates are vnsettled and vndisposed It is a most preposterous course for men to leaue the making of their Wils to their sicknesse For besides their disabilities of memories or vnderstanding which may befall them the trouble of it breeds vnrest to their minds and besides they liue all the time in neglect of their duty of preparation for death 5. We may much help our selues by making vs friends with the riches of iniquity we should learne that of the vniust Steward as our Sauiour Christ sheweth since we shall be put out of the Stewardship we should so dispose of them while wee haue them that when wee die they may receiue vs into euerlasting habitations Luke 16. An vnprofitable life is attended with a seruile feare of death 6. It would master this feare but to force our selues to a frequent meditation of death To learne to die daily will lessen yea remoue the feare of dying Oh this remembring of our latter end and learning to number our daies is an admirable rule of practices It is the forgetfulnesse of death that makes life sinfull death terrible Deut. 32. 19. Psal. 90. 12. Lam. 1. 9. And wee should beginne this exercise of meditation betimes Remember thy Creator in the daies of thy youth Eccl. 12. 1. This is that is called for when our Sauiour Christ requires vs and all men so to watch and heerein lay the praise of the fiue wise Virgines Math. 25. 3. Thus Iob will waite till the time of his change come Iob 10. 14. And of purpose hath the Lord left the last day vncertain that we might euery day prepare It were an admirable methode if we could make euery day a life to beginne and end as the day begins and ends 7. Lastly because yet wee may finde this feare combersome and our natures extremely deceitfull there is one thing left which can neuer faile to preuaile as far as is fit for vs and that is hearty prayer to God for this very thing Thus Dauid praies Psal. 39. 4. and Moses Psal. 90. 12. and Simeon Luk. 2. 32. And in as much as Christ died for this end to deliuer vs from this feare we may sue out the priuiledge and by prayer striue with God to get it framed in vs It is a suite God will not deny them that aske in the name of Christ because it is a thing that Christ especially aimed at in his owne death To conclude then wee haue proued that it is possible to be had and most vncomely to want it and likewise the way hath beene shewed how both by meditation practise this Cure may bee effected If then it bee not wrought in any of vs we may heere finde out the cause in our selues For if wee would hereby bee soundly aduised and ruled we might attaine to it all the daies of our life to sing with the Saints that triumphant song mentioned both in the Old and New Testament Oh death where is thy sting Oh hell where is thy victory Death is swallowed vp into victory so as we are now the conquerours through him that loued vs and gaue himselfe to death for vs euen Iesus Christ the righteous To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost bee all praise in the Churches throughout all ages for euer Amen FINIS The drift of the whole Treatise The profit of following these directions The parts of the Treatise 1 2 3 Eight Arguments to proue we may be helped against the feare of death Fifteeene Reasons why it is an vncomely thing to be afraid to die An exhortation to attend vpon the meanes of cure Two waies of curing the feare of death The wayes of curing this feare by conteÌ„plation The happines of a Christian in death shewed 17. wayes The dissolution of the body is the absolution of the soule Eccles. 7 1 The miseries of life two waies considered The miseries of a naturall life shewed three waies Three dreadfull considerations about sin Six things euery godly maÌ„ wants while hee liues here in this world Life bitter in respect of God diuers waies Eight aggrauations of the miseries of life in respect of the corrections of God The world full of diuels Our conflict with diuels 9. Apparant miseries of life in this vvorld In this world the dead bury the dead What the seeming felicities of the world are Fifteene ArgumeÌ„ts to proue the vanity of the best worldly things The amity of the world is the enmity with God All subiect to vanity or violence Mat. 6. 19 20. They may be lost at the very seate of iudgemeÌ„t Eccl. 3. 16 18. 4. 1 2 Our mortality aggrauated by 4. considerations The causes in our selues why wee should not be in loue with life 4. Effects of corruption of nature in vs. Ten reasons to shew the folly of meÌ„ in pre tending the feare of the pain of death 9. Arguments to shew the vanity of men in desiring to liue long Sixe reasons against their pretence that would liue long to do good as they say Against selfe murther 6. Reasons about parting with our frieÌ„ds in death Fiue Arguments against the pleasures of life Fiue obseruations about the honors of this world Seuen mo â—ue to leaue the loue of riches 7. Things that cure the feare of death in practice
weekes without any holy cogitation and besides thy minde is infinitely prone to swarmes of euill thoughts Gen. 6. 5. Againe if thou behold thy conscience it is impure polluted without light or life or glory in thee shut vp in a dungeon excusing thee in many faultes and accusing thee for things are not faultes but in thy conceit and when it doth accuse thee for sinne it rageth falleth mad with vnbrideled fury and terrors keeping no boundes of hope or mercy Further if thou obserue thy affections they are altogether impotent in that which is good there is no lust in thee after that which is good yet they are all out of order and prone to continuall rebellion against God ready to be fiered by all the inticements of the world or the Deuill Phil. 2. 13. Gala. 5. 24. Thirdly vnto these adde thy innumerable actuall sins which are more then the haires of thy head multiplied daily in thought affection word deed the least of them deseruing hel fire for euer thy sins of Infancy youth old-age sinnes of omission and commission sinnes in prosperitie and aduersity sinnes at home abroad sinnes of infirmity presumption If Dauid looking vpon his sins could say They haue so compassed mee and taken such hold of me that I am not able to looke vp Oh then if thou haddest sight and sence how might'st thou much more cry out of the intolerable burthen of them and the rather if thou obserue that many of thy corruptions raigne tyrannically haue subdued thy life to their vassalage so as thou art in continuall slauery to them Thus is thy life infested with these vnspeakable inordinations and thus of the first part of thy infelicity in life Secondly if thou obserue but how God hath auenged himselfe vpon them what yet remaineth vnto thee how can thy heart sustaine it selfe For 1. Thou art a banished man exiled frō Paradise and made to liue without hope to returne thither The best part of the earth thou shalt neuer enioy 2. The earth is cursed to thee and it may bee a wofull spectacle to see all the creatures subiect to vanity and smitten vvith the strokes of God for thy sinne and groning daily round about thee 3. Look vpon thy most miserable soule for there thy mind and conscience liue shut vp with darknes and horror The Diuels haue within thee strong holds and liue entrenched in thy thoughts Eph. 4. 17. 2. Cor. 10. 5. Thy heart is spiritually dead and like a stone within thee Eph. 2. 1. Ezech. 36. 27. 4. Thy body is wretched through deformities and infirmities diuersly noisome to thee with paines that greeue thee either in respect of labour or diseases vnto which thou art so prone there is no part or ioynt of thee but is liable to many kindes of diseases Deut. 28. 21 22. Gen. 3. 19. And of the labours of thy life which is but the least part of thy bodily miseries Salomon saith All things are full of labour who can vtter it And for that reason life is but a vanity and vexation Eccl. 1. 18. 5. If thou looke vpon thy outward estate in the world with what fearefull frights may thy heart be griped If thou consider 1. The cōmon or generall or publike plagues with which God fights against the world as wars famines earthquakes pestilence and yeerely diseases inundations of waters and infinite such like 2. The particular crosses with which hee vexeth thee in particular either with losses of thy estate or the troubles of thy family Deut. 28. 15 16 c. 3. The praeterition of God restraining many good things frō thee so as thou wantest many of those blessings of all sorts which yet God doth bestow vpon others Esa. 59. 1 2. Iere. 5. 25. 4. The cursing of thy blessings whē God blasts the gifts of thy mind that thou canst not vse them for any contentment of thy life or makes thy prosperity to be the occasion of thy ruine Mala. 2. 3. Eccles. 5. 13. This is a sore euill Lastly consider yet further what may fall vpon thee in respect of which thou art in daily danger There are seas of vvrath which hang ouer thy head Iohn 3. 36. and God may plague thee with the terrors of conscience like Cain Gene. 4. 14. Or with a reprobate sense or the spirit of slumber Ioh. 12. 4. Rom. 11. 8. strong illusions 2 Thes. 2. 11. or such other like dreadfull spirituall iudgements Besides many other fearefull iudgements which thy heart is not able to conceiue of as painefull diseases in the body or an vtter ruine in thy estate or good name but aboue al other things the remembrance of the fearefull iudgement of Christ the euerlasting paines of Hell with a miserable death should cōpel thee to cry out O men and brethren what shall I doe to be saued and get out of this estate But because it is my purpose heere chiefely to perswade with godly mē not with naturall men and because death it selfe is no ease vnto such men that liue in their sins without repentance who haue reason to loath life and yet no cause to loue death I passe frō them come to the life of godly men and say they haue great reason to loath life desire the day of death CHAP. VI. Shewing the miseries of godly men in life NOW the miseries of the godly mans life are of two sorts first for either he may consider what hee wants secondly or what he hath in life for which he should be weary of it I will giue but a touch of the first Consider of it in this life there are sixe things among the rest we want and can neuer attaine while we liue here The first is the glorious presence of God while the body is present the Lord is absent 2. Cor. 5. 8. And is not this enough to make vs loath life Shal we more esteeme this wretched Carkasse then our glorious God whose onely presence in glory shall fill vs with eternall delight O the Vision of God! If we had but once seene God face to face we would abhorre that absence that should hinder the fruition of such vnspeakeable beauties as would enamour the most secure heart to an vnquenchable loue The second thing we want in life is the sweet fellowship with our best friends A fellowship matchlesse if we either consider the perfection of the creatures whose communion we shall enioy or the perfect manner of enioying it Who would be with-held from the Congregation of the first-borne from the society with innumerable Angels and the Spirits of iust men Alas the most of vs haue not so much as one intire and perfect friend in all the world and yet we make such friends as we haue the ground of a great part of the contentment of our liues Who could liue here if he were not beloued Oh! what can an earthly friendship be vnto that in heauen when so many thousand Angels
8. If thou die and leaue issue thou maist be frighted and amazed with one of these things For either thou maist bee despised while thou liuest of those for whom thou endurest sore trauaile so as they that shall come after thee doe not reioyce in thee Eccles. 4. 15 16. Or else thou maist leaue the fruite of thy labours to a foole or a wicked wretch For who knoweth whether he that shall rule ouer thy labours shal be a wise man or a foole This very consideration made Salomon hate all his labour which he had taken vnder the Sunne and he went about to make his heart despaire of all his labours that hee should vse all his wisedome and knowledge for attaining of great things and yet might be in danger to leaue all for a portion to him that hath not laboured in wisedom and all this is vexation of spirit Eccles. a. 18. to 24. Or else thou maist beget children thy riches perish before thy death then there is nothing in thine hand to leaue them Eccles. 5. 14. CHAP. XI The miseries of life in respect of our selues THus haue we cause to be weary of life in respect of GOD the euill Angels and the World Now if there were none of these to molest vs yet man hath enough in himselfe to marre the liking of this present life For 1 The remainders of corruption of nature still lye like a poyson a leprosie a pestilence in thee thou art vnder cure indeed but thou art not sound from thy sore thou art Lazarus still This very consideration made Paul weary of his life when he cried out O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from this body of death Rom. 7. And if in this respect wee bee not of Pauls minde it is because wee want of Pauls goodnes grace And this corruption of nature is the more greeuous if wee consider either the generality of the spreading the infection or the incurablenes of it or the ill effects of it 1. For the first this is a Leprosy that spreads all ouer There is no souÌ„d part in vs our mindes our memories our wills and affections yea our very coÌ„sciences are still impure within vs there is no good nature in vs in any one faculty of our soules but there is a miserable mixture of vile infection 2. Secondly this is the worse because this is incurable There lyeth vpon vs a very necessity of sinning wee cannot but offend Of the flesh it vvas wel said I can neither liue with thee nor without thee The flesh is an inseparable ill companion of our liues we can goe no whether to auoide it c. Thirdly if we consider but some of the effects of this corruption in vs as 1. The ciuill warre it causeth in our soules there is no businesse can be dispatched that concernes our happinesse without a mutiny in our own hearts The flesh is a domesticall Rebel that daily lusts against the Spirit as the Spirit hath reason to lust against the flesh Gal. 5. 17. 2. Secondly the insufficiency it breeds in vs for our callings The greatest Apostle must in this respect cryout Who is sufficient for these things Though Gods worke bee all faire worke yet we see that euery maÌ„ is extreamly burthened with the defects and mistakings and insufficiencies which befall him in his course of life 3. It workes a perpetuall madnesse in the heart of a man in some respects worse then that of some lunatickes For they are mad at some times of the yeare onely or chiefly but man is seldome or neuer free from this inward madnesse of heart Salomon saith The heart of the sonnes of men is full of euil and madnesse is in their hearts while they liue and after that they goe to the dead Now this madnesse appeares in this that men can neuer bring their harts to a settled contentment in the things they inioy but Death comes vpon them before they know how to improue the ioy of their hearts in the blessings they enioy whether Temporall or Spirituall This vile corruption of nature diffuseth gall into althat a man possesseth so as it marreth the taste of euery thing 4. It fils our hearts and liues with innumerable euils it ingenders breeds infinitely swarmes of euill thoughts and desires and aboundance of sinnes in mens liues and conuersations so as godly Dauid cries out Innumerable euils hauc compassed mee about and I am not able to looke vp They were more then the haires of his head therefore his heart failed him Ps. 40. 12. 5. It is continually mad to betray vs to Sathan and the world in all the occasions of our life 6. It will play the Tyrant if it get any head and leade vs 〈◊〉 and giue wretched Lawes to the members yea euery sinne which is the brat bred of this corruption is like a fury to fright and amaze vs there is a very race of deuâ—s brâ—â— in vs when Sathan and the Flesh ingender together in vs. 2. And as we are thus miserable in respect of the remainders of corruption so are we in respect of the remainders of the punishment of sinne vpon our spirits Our hearts were neuer fully free since the first transgression our minds are yet full of darknesse that euen godly men do seriously cry out They are but as beasts they haue not the vnderstanding of men in them And in many passages of life they carry theÌ„selues like beasts Prou. 3. 3. Ps. 139. Eccl. 3. 18. The ioyes of Gods presence are for the greatest part kept from vs our consciences are still but in a kinde of prison when they go to the seat of iudgement to giue sentence in any cause they come forth with fetters vpon their legs as prisoners themselues besides the many personall scourges light vpon our soules in this life 3. Lastly the very condition of our bodies should not be ouer-pleasing to vs our deformities and infirmities and the danger of further diseases should tire vs out and make vs account it no louely thing to be present in the body while we are absent from the LORD And thus of the miseries of our liues also Now it remaines that I should proceed to the second sort of contemplations that is those that are remouals namely such meditations as take off the obiections which are in the hearts of men CHAP. XII Comforts against the Paine of death THere are in the minds of all men certaine Obiections which if they could be remoued this feare of Death would be stocked vp by the very rootes I will instance in some of the chiefe of theÌ„ and set downe the answers to them 1. Ob. Some men say they should not be afraid of death considering the gaine of it the happines after death but that they are afraid of the paine of dying It is the difficulty of the passage troubles them Sol. For answere heereunto diuers things would be considered of to shew men the folly of
vnpossible or vnnecessary to attend this doctrine or the like Yea it may be it will fare with many of vs as it doth with those that are troubled with the raging paine of the teeth their paine wil cease when the Barber comes to pull out the tooth so it may be you may finde this deceit in your owne hearts that you wil not feele the feare of Death till the discourse of the medicine be ouer and so let it bee as water spilt on the ground But let vs all awake and in the power and strength of Christ that died to deliuer vs from the feare of death let vs al lay the plaisters close to the sore and keepe them at it till they be throughly whole There bee tvvo vvaies then of curing this feare of Death 1. The one is by contemplation 2. The other is by practice There be some things if we did chuse them out soundly to thinke of them would heale vs wonderfully There bee some things also to be done by vs to make the cure perfect If contemplation bee not auailable then practice will without faile finish the cure The cōtemplations are of two sorts 1. For either they are such meditations as breede desire of Death by way of motiue 2. Or they are such as remooue the obiections which cause in mans mind the feare of Death For the first there bee tvvo things which if they bee soundly thought on will worke a strange alteration in our harts 1. The one is the happinesse wee haue by Death 2. The other is the miseries wee are in by Life Can any man be afraid to be happy If our heads hearts were filled with arguments that shew vs our happinesse by Death we would not be so sencelesse as to tremble at the thought of dying Our happines in Death may bee set out in many particulars illustrated by many similitudes full of life and vertue to heale this disease of feare 1. Death makes an end of all the tempests continual stormes with which our life is tossed It is the Hauen and Port of rest and are wee so mad as to desire the continuance of such dangerous tempests rather then to bee in the hauen whither our iourney tends 2. Death is a sleep For so the dead are said to be asleep 1. Thes. 4. 14. Look what a bed of rest sleep is to the weary labourer such is Death to the diligent Christian. In death they rest in their beds from the hard labours of this life Esay 37. 2. Reu. 14. 13. And was euer the weary labourer afraid of the time whē hee must lye downe and take his rest 3. The day of Death is the day of receiuing wages wherin God paies to euery godly man his penny And doth not the hireling long for the time wherein hee shall receiue wages for his work Iob. 7. 2. And the rather should we long for this time because we shall receiue wages infinitely aboue our worke such wages as was neuer giuen by man nor can bee if all this visible world were giuen vs. 4. In death the seruant comes to his freedome the heire is at his full age and it is such a liberty as i◠glorious neuer such a freedome in the world Rom. 8. 21. Shall the heire desire to be still vnder age and so still vnder Tutors and Gouernors or shall the seruant feare the day of his freedome 5. In death the banished returne and the Pilgrims enter into their Fathers house In this life wee are exiled men banished frō Paradise and Pilgrims Strangers in a far Countrey absent from God heauen In death wee are receiued to Paradise and settled at home in those euerlasting habitations in our Fathers house Luke 17. Iohn 14. 2. Heb. 13. 11. And can we bee so senceless as to be afraid of this 6. Death is our birth-day we say falsely when we call Death the last day For it is indeed the beginning of an euerlasting day and is there any greeuance in that 7. Death is the funerall of our vices and the resurrection of our graces Death was the daughter of Sinne and in death shall that be fulfilled The daughter shall destroy the mother Wee shall neuer more be infected with sin nor troubled with ill natures nor be terrified for offending Death shall deliuer vs perfectly whole of all our diseases that were impossible to be cured in this life and so shal there be at that day a glorious resurrection of graces Our gifts shall shine as the Starres in the Firmament And can we be so sottish as stil to be afraid of Death 8. In death the soule is deliuered out of prison For the body in this life is but a loathsome and darke prison of restraint I say the soule is restrained as it were in a prison while it is in the body because it cannot be free to the exercise of it selfe either in naturall or supernaturall things For the body so rules by senses and is so fiercely carried by appetites that the soule is compelled to giue way to the satisfying of the body and cannot freely follow the light either of Nature or Religion The truth as the Apostle saith is with-held or shut vp through vnrighteousnesse Rom. 1. 18. I say it is a loathsome prison because the soule is annoied with so many loathsome smels of sinne and filthinesse which by the body are committed And it is a darke prison For the soule looking through the body can see but by little holes or small casements The body shuts vp the light of the soule as a dark Cloude doth hide the light of the Sunne or as the interposition of the earth doth make it night Now death doth nothing but as it were a strong wind dissolue this Cloud that the Sunne may shine cleerely and puls downe the walles of the prison that the soule may come into the open light 9. The liberty of the soule in death may be set out by another similitude The world is the Sea our liues are like so many Gallies at Sea tost with continuall Tides or Stormes our bodies are Gally-slaues put to hard seruice by the great Turke the deuill who tyrannically and by vsurpation doth forcibly cōmand hard things Now the soule within like the heart of some ingenuous Gally-slaue may bee free so as to loathe that seruitude and inwardly detest that tyrant but yet so long as it is tyed to the body it cannot get away Now death comes like an vnresistable Gyant and carries the Gallies to the shore and dissolues them and lets the prisoners free And shall this glorious liberty of the soule bee a matter of terrour vnto vs Had we rather be in captiuity still 10. In this life wee are cloathed with rotten ragged foule garments Now the Apostle shewes that death doth nothing else but pull off those ragged garments and cloath vs with the glorious robes of saluation more rich then the robes of the greatest
this feare First thou lik'st not death because of the paine of it Why there is paine in the curing of a wound yet men will endure it And shall death do so great a cure as to make thee whole of all thy wounds and diseases and art thou so loth to come to the cure Secondly There is difficulty in getting into a Hauen Hadst thou rather be in the Tempest stil then put into the Hauen Thirdly thou likest not Death thou saiest for the paine of it Why then likest thou life which puts thee to worse paine Men obiect not at the paines of life which they endure without death There is almost no man but hee hath endured worse pains in life then he can endure in death and yet we are content to loue life still Yea such is our folly that whereas in some paines of life wee call for death to come to our succours yet when we are well againe wee loue life and loath Death Fourthly we are manifestly mistaken concerning death For the last gaspe is not death To liue is to die For how much wee liue so much we die euery step of life is a step of death He that hath liued halfe his daies is dead the halfe of himselfe Death gets first our infancie then our youth and so forwards All that thou hast liued is dead Fifthly it is further euident that in death there is no paine it is our life that goeth out with paine We deale herein as if a man after sicknesse should accuse his health of the last pains What is it to be dead but not to be in the world and is it any paine to be out of the world Were we in any paine before we were borne Why then accuse we death for the paines our life giues vs at the parting Is not sleepe a resemblance of Death Sixthly if our comming into the world bee with teares Is it any wonder if our going out be so too Seuenthly Besides it is euident that wee make the passage more difficult by bringing vnto death a troubled and irresolute minde It is long of our selues there is terrour in parting Eighthly Consider yet more the Humors of the most men Men will suffer infinite paines for a small liuing or preferment here in this world Yea we see souldiers for a small price will put themselues into vnspeakeable dangers and that many times at the pleasures of others that command them without certaine hope of aduantage to themselnes Will men kill themselues for things of no valew and yet be afraid of a litle pain to be endured when such a glorious estate is immediately to be enioyed in heauen Ninthly Let not men pretend the paines of death that is but a figge leafe to couer their little faith For they will languish of the Gowte or Stone a long time rather then die one sweet death with the easiest conditions possible Tenthly if none of these will perswade yet attend I will shew thee a Mysterie Feare not the paines of death For first Death is terrible when it is inflicted by the Law but it is easie when it is inflicted by the Gospell The curse is taken off frō thee thou art not vnder the Law but vnder Grace And besides for this cause did Christ die a terrible and a cursed death that euery death might be blessed to vs. And further God that hath greatly loued thee in life will not neglect thee in death Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his Saints What shall I say against the terrour of death but this Text of the Apostle Thankes be to God that hath giuen vs victory through Iesus Christ. Hee hath pul'd the sting out of death O Death where is thy sting 1. Cor. 15. 55. Lastly thou hast the Spirit of Christ in thee which will succour and strengthen and ease thee and abide with thee all the time of the combate Why should we doubt of it but that the godly die more easily then the wicked Neither may wee gesse at their paine but the pangs vpon the body for the body may bee in grieuous panges when the man feeles nothing and the soule is at sweete ease in preparing it selfe to come immediately to the sight of God CHAP. XIII Comforts against the losse of the body in death 2. Ob. OH but in death a man is destroied he loseth his body and it must bee rotted in the earth Sol. 1. It hath bin shewed before that the separation of the soule frō God is properly death but the separation of the soule frō the body is but the shadow of death wee haue no reason to be afraid of a shadow 2. The body is not the man the man remaines still though he be without the body Abraham Isaac and Iacab are prooued to be liuing still by our Sauiour Christ though their bodies were consumed in the earth and GOD was their God still It is true Death seazeth on the body but a Christian at the most suffers but aliquid mortis a little of death Death is like a Serpent the Serpent must eat dust now death therefore can feede vpon no more but our dust which is the body it cannot touch the soule wheras wicked men suffer the whole power of death because it seazeth both vpon body and soule too and in their case onely it is true that death destroyes a man 3. Grant that wee lose the body in death yet that ought not to be terrible for what the body is it hath been before shewed It is but a prison to the soule an old rotten house or a ragged garment It is but as the barke of a tree or the shell or such like now what great losse can there be in any of these 4. This separation is but for a time neither we doe not for euer lose the body wee shall haue our bodies again they are kept safe for vs till the day of Christ. Our graues are Gods chests hee makes a precious account of the bodies of his Saints they shall bee raised vp againe at the last day GOD will giue a charge to the earth to bring forth her dead make a true account to him Reue. 20. And God hath giuē vs the assurance of this not onely in his Word by promising it but in his Sonne whom hee hath raised from the dead If any say What is that to vs that Christs body is raised I answere It is a full assurance of the safety and of the resurrection of our bodies For Christ is our head Now cast a man into a Riuer though all the body bee vnder water yet the man is safe if the head bee aboue water For the head will bring out all the body after it So it is in the body of Christ though all wee sinke in the riuer of death yet our Head is risen and is aboue water and therefore the whole body is safe 5. It should yet more satisfie vs if we throughly cōsider that we shall haue our