not die to attaine vnto the resurrection 1 Cor. 15.51 1 Thess 4.15 16 17. but they shall all bee changed and bee hindmost in the company that shall meet the Lord in the aire Vse 1 The Vse First then is it true are the Saints subiect to death We must ponder vpon this that we are subiect to death Let vs ponder vpon it that we deserue such an vnhappy condition And that were it not for Gods mercy vnto vs in Christ contrary to that which we haue deserued we must all die and be damned for euermore Let vs thinke vpon it Neither let any thinke it strange because Christ hath died for vs and rose againe and are dead with Christ and risen againe with him and when as our sinnes are forgiuen and quite done away which brought death vpon vs that yet neuertheles God will not release vs but make vs drinke of deaths cup. For although we ought to be glad of it because God proceedeth dealeth in such wise that we be nothing hindred thereby but that we may come boldly vnto the throne of grace and call vpon him quietly and without distraction and at the houre of death may commend our soules into his hands and pray for the glorious resurrection of our bodies and as it were cast our selues into his fatherly lap although I say we ought to be glad of this yet is it good for vs to haue some feeling of the miserie into which we haue plunged our selues not only to humble vs and that we should set the more store by his mercie as I said before but to make vs iudge our selues that we be not iudged of the Lord and to make vs by faith to lay the faster hold vpon his gracious promises and the more carefully to serue him with such reuerence and feare as is requisite for vs. Vse 2 Secondly this consideration that wee are subiect vnto death should rouze vs out of sinne Awake from sinne and leaue it and make vs shunne it and hate the verie motions of it For sinne is the cause of all our miserie and mortalitie As the Prophet Ieremiah saith in his Lamentations Wherefore doth man complaine Lam. 3.39 a man for the punishment of his sinnes Intimating that man by his sinnes doth bring punishments vpon himselfe And the Apostle Paul saith Rom. 5.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mac. Hom. 11. Iude 23. Mic. 3.1 2. Amos 5.14 15. As by one man sinne entred into the world and death by sinne and so death passed vpon all men for that all haue sinned Hee makes sinne ye see the cause of all mens mortalitie Wherefore shun sinne and as the Apostle Iude saith Hate euen the garment spotted by the flesh And be not like those heads of Iacob and Princes of the house of Israel of whom Micah saith that they hate the good and loue the euill Be not like to them but as Amos saith Seeke good and not euill And againe Hate the euill and loue the good For say wee must die and cannot auoid it whatsoeuer wee doe yet take away sinne and the sting of death is gone For as the Apostle saith The sting of death is sinne 1 Cor. 15.56 Let sinne therefore be away and death when it comes shall doe vs no hurt nay it shall be aduantage and gaine vnto vs as the same Apostle saith Phil. 1.21 For to me to liue is Christ and to die is gaine This therefore should rouze vs and driue vs from sinne Tell mee who but a mad man would giue aduantage to his vtter enemie whereby to spoile him Now death is this enemie and our sinne is the aduâ—tage If we liue in sinne wee giue death the aduâ—â—â—age to kill vs eternally but if we coufesse and forsake our sins death hath no aduantage against vs and come when it will it shall doe vs no hurt I beseech you consider of it and turne from sinne from couetousnesse pride and from whatsoeuer God forbiddeth Vse 3 Thirdly are the Saints subiect to death Then are they after a sort subiect to that which is the chiefest curse that is fallen vpon mankinde Good and bad subiect to death and the liâ—e afflictions but with great difference For death is the chiefest curse and containeth vnder it all the curses n = a Gen. 2.17 that be fallen vpon mankinde Howbeit this vnderstand that the Saints bee not subiect to death as it is a curse but as it is sanctified and become an entrance into life And as they are subiect to death so are they subiect likewise to all other miseries that this life affords to hunger nakednesse imprisonment sorrow hatred slanders and manifold persecutions and temptations So that the Saints cannot bee discerned by their outward state But neuerthelesse betweene the same afflictions and manner of death falling vpon the Saints and vpon the vngodly there is great difference because the one are in Christ the fountaine of all goodnesse and blessednesse by whom all curses are quite taken away according to the words of the Apostle Gal. 3.13 Christ hath redeemed vs from the curse of the Law being made a curse for vs for it is written cursed is euerie one that hangeth on a tree But the others to wit the vngodly are our of Christ and therefore vnder the curse Remember it then that howsoeuer the same affliction and deaâ—h may befall to the good and the bad yet there is such a change made by meanes of Christ that they are farre vnlike vnto the one and the other When Ioah had slaine Abner Dauid lamenting ouer him spake these words Died Abner as a foole dieth So wee may say 2 Sam. 3.33 Died Lazarus as the rich glutton died or die the Saints as the vngodly doe die yea it is most certaine as it happeneth to the vngodly so it happeneth to the Saints euen one thing befalleth them all they all goe vnto one place all are of the dust and all returne to dust againe But loe what followes the Saints die to liue but the vngodly die eternally In the death of the Saints God is not their enemie but in the death of the vngodly God is their enemie The Saints death hath no sting but the death of the vngodly hath a most venomous sting But notwithstanding this difference yet let the common condition of good and bad bee carefully marked to weane vs from the world to make vs minde our home in the kingdome of heauen and not to seeke our felicitie in this present life For here haue we no continuing citie but wee seeke one to come And there is no bodily miserie Heb. 13.14 euen vnto the death that the vilest miscreants be subiect vnto but the best that breathe are subiect to the same Vse 4 Fourthly can it not bee auoided but that the Saints also must die then must we prepare Prepare and be alwayes ready for death Certa stat omnibus mortis sententia hora autemnihil
incertiuo and be alwayes in a readinesse that whensoeuer death comes it doe not take vs vnprouided There is nothing more certaine than that death will come nor nothing more vncertaine than at what time it will come By experience we see it true To day a man to morrow none It behoueth vs therefore to bee prouided at all times Wee see as young as healthie as strong as rich as noble and religious Aequa lege necessitas sortitur ir signâ—â— imos Hor. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mac. Hom. 4. Iob 14.5 as any of vs all are taken away before our eyes And we cannot alwayes liue here Wee must goe the way that this our brother and many thousands more haue gone before vs. And how soone or whose turne may be the next we doe not know Our dayes are determined the number of our moneths are with the Lord hee hath appointed our bounds that we cannot passe And hee that tarrieth longest Iames 4.14 shall not be long behinde For what is our life It is euen a vapour that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away Bee wee therefore ready to depart at all times when the Lord shall call vs. Foure thinâ—s to be done to be alwayes ready for death And that we may bee alwayes ready first let our houses bee set in order and euerie mans last will written if hee meane to make any that whensoeuer the Lord shall call vs nothing may trouble vs that way Secondly let vs bee continually doing the will of our heauenly Father That whensoeuer hee shall come Matth. 24.46 he may finde vs so doing Blessed is that seruant whom his Lord when he commeth shall finde so doing Thirdly by liuing in continuall expectance of death not flattering our selues with a vaine hope of long life like the rich man in the Gospell Luke 12.18 9. which built him greater barnes perswading himselfe that hee should liue many yeeres about at his owne ease and content but making account that euerie day nay euerie houre may be our last houre and the houre of our death Fourthly by furnishing our selues with sundry Christian resolutions and meditations Six godly meditations against death as namely with these and such like First that it is better and more acceptable to God to offer that for a free will offering vnto God I meane our soule and spirit which otherwise we are bound to restore as a thing that is due and shall bee compelled to restore when the time is come and doe what wee can Eccles 8.8 For there is no man that hath power ouer the spirit to retaine the spirit neither hath he power in the day of death and there is no discharge in that warre neither shall wickednesse deliuer them that are giuen to it And indeed what win the stubborne fort by their desirousnesse of life and loathnesse to die but this to bee ouercome by force when they haue struggled and striuen as if they would sight against God and resist his will Secondly that as God hath set vs here so he ought also to haue the authority to take vs away againe when he listeth himselfe Thirdly that euery child of God ought to be alwaies willing to goe whithersoeuer God calleth him Cum accersitionis propriae dies venerit incunctanter libenter ad Dominum ipso vocante veniamus Cyp. de Mortal sect 17. and whensoeuer God giueth him any token that he will take him out of the world it behooueth him alwaies to haue one foot onward in the way as if he should say loe here I am Lord I am ready to answer thy call and to come vnto thee Fourthly that this world is but a pilgrimage and that we must hold on to passe apace thorow it to come to our inheritance which is in heauen This minde was in those of the ancient Patriarkes of whom the Apostle saith that they confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth Heb. 11.13 Fiftly that in as much as Christ Iesus is our head he will draw vs vp to himselfe into the glory whereinto he himselfe is entred already that we may bee with him Ioh. 17.24 where he is to behold his glory which the Father hath giuen him so we keepe fast hold of him by a true and liuely faith and be not separated from him by growing weary of well doing nor by embracing this present world nor yet by continuance in sinne Sixtly that the Saints of God which haue liued in times past seeing their death to approach haue not resisted it nor beene dismaied but haue put themselues into the hands of God and haue prepared themselues willingly to die As Iacob Gen. 49.33 when he had made an end of commanding his sonnes gathered vp his feet into the bed and yeelded vp the ghost And Moses Deut. 32.48 49 50. 34.1 7. when God sent him vp into the mountaine Abarim vnto mount Nebo and told him that he should die there repined not but shewed all obedience and prepared himselfe vnto it when hee saw it was Gods will that it should bee so And Pauls time drawing neere he speakes of himselfe as if when he were executed he should be offered vp in sacrifice vnto God For I am now ready to be offered 2 Tim. 4.6 and the time of my departure is at hand And before that when Agabus the Prophet had shewed the danger that hee should be in if he went vp to Ierusalem and both they of his owne company and the men of that place that is of Cesarea had besought him earnestly not to goe vp he was much troubled with their teares and with the adoe which they made about him but nothing at all with his owne afflictions and death For he made them this answer Acts 21.13 What meane ye to weepe and to breake mine heart For I am ready not to be bound only but also to die at Ierusalem for the Name of the Lord Iesus I should be long to speake of Aaron of Samuel of Dauid and of a great number of faithfull Martyrs Yet I cannot omit the example of Christ which is the chiefest of all who after he had drunke of the cup of his fathers wrath the bitterest cup that euer man drunke of before his departure commended his soule into his Fathers hands Luke 23.46 and gaue vp the ghost These examples we must beare in minde and ponder vpon them to learne thereby that whensoeuer God shall call vs out of this world we may not sticke to goe willingly vnto him On the one side is misery on the other a Crowne on the one side a pilgrimage on the other our saluation and death is betweene Shall we be afraid of death There is no cause For its sting is gone and when we haue passed thorow it there shall be an end of our misery and we shall haue the crowne of righteousnesse our pilgrimage shall cease and we shall receiue the end of
snares of sinne and sendeth them into true libertie As long as the soule continueth in the body the bonds of temptations hang as fetters about it and bring it into captiuitie to the law of sinne neither can it get free from these bonds and shackles but when it departeth from the body it is loosed from the bonds of temptations and goeth into a blessed and heauenly freedome To this effect saith Paul Rom. 6.6 He that is dead is freed from sinne After death the temptations cease which all the life time did tye the soule and leade it into captiuitie to the law of sinne So that now there is no such tying nor leading captiue of the Saints but an enioying of perfect freedome for euermore Reason 6 Sixthly because it taketh away the Saints out of this present euill world in which if they haue outward peace which is also sickle and vncertaine yet they shall be sure to haue bodily paine and vexation of spirit For that sentence cannot be reuoked Iob 14.22 But his flesh vpon him shall haue paine and his soule within him shall mourne This is the lot of the liuing neither can we be freed from it vntill death come And a thousand things there be to disquiet and grieue our mindes but nothing more than the risenesse of sinne For as the filthy conuersation of the wicked Sodomites vexed Lot as Peter witnesseth saying 2 Pet. 2.7 8. That righteous man dwelling among them in seeing and hearing vexed his righteous soule from day to day with their vnlawfull deedes So the Saints at this day cannot choose but be vexed in seeing and hearing so many enormous vices to be daily committed Such renting of God in peeces by fearefull oathes such cursing and lying such excessiue drinking and drunkennesse such breaking of the Sabbath such deuices and slanders to disgrace Gods children and to hinder the free passage of the Gospell with a thousand enormities more make euery Christian heart ake and fill it full of vexation from day to day From this also death frees vs. Reason 7 Seuenthly because it puts an end to the most dangerous combat in the world which we are forced to endure as long as we liue here and in which we must either suffer blowes I meane the buffetings of Satan or else fall one of the two What doe we alwaies in this life but fight continually against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darknesse of this world against Spirituall wickednesse in high places Besides we haue combating with couetousnesse with inordinate lusts with angrinesse with vaineglory Our minde is enclosed and beset round about with the assaults of Satan and with manifold temptations and these come so thicke one vpon the necke of another that it can scarce meet with euery one of them and them that it doth meet with it is hard to resist almost any one of them If couetousnesse be subdued lust ariseth if lust be mastered vaineglory stirres if vaineglory be vanquished angrinesse comes in place pride swelleth enuie vrgeth and heat of spirit breakes forth and makes discord The world also and our owne flesh make many assaults vpon vs and much annoy vs. Of all this and a great deale more doth death make an end And what shall I say more For the time would faile me to produce all the meditations that make for this purpose And that which hath beene said doth abundantly proue that the death of the Saints as the Psalmist here saith is precious Obiection It by the preciousnesse of the Saints death is not visible But some may thinke that all this is but words and that he sees no such matter in the death of the Saints but that they die as other men doe If their death be so precious why doth it not appeare so Answer Their death is precious but yet it doth not appeare so first because it is no treasure of this world but an heauenly treasure I say the preciousnesse of the Saints death is an heauenly treasure and therefore hid from the sight of carnal eies in that treasurie of the Lords in Iesus Christ by whose death it is made precious Secondly notwithstanding it appeare not yet we haue a most sure word for it euen the word of the Lord that cannot lie witnessing that it is so And that is better for vs than if it did appeare For our eies might deceiue vs as theirs that tooke Christ for a spirit and our iudgements are dimme and not able to iudge in such matters but Gods word cannot deceiue vs but put vs out of doubt in the matter Thirdly the time is not yet come that it must appeare but it will come and then it shall be manifest to the whole world that it hath beene so Fourthly though it appeare not to mortall eyes yet we see it by faith Our eies are no iudges in this case and the world is worse than our eies For the glory is not earthly nor knowne to the men of this world whereof we speake but the treasure is spirituall and of the spirituall man it is discerned Know thy selfe that by faith thou art Christs and he thine that he died for thee and thou liuest by him that thou art a member of his body of his flesh and of his bones and whatsoeuer is his is thine haue this faith and now come and see and thou shalt see all the rubies and precious things in the world lesse precious than the death of such a man as thou art Thy faith if it could comprehend more assurance of the preciousnesse of the Sunne yet shouldest thou see the preciousnesse of it aboue all thy thoughts For who can comprehend how precious that is which is prcious in Gods sight Vse 1 The Vse First we behold in this the great goodnesse of God See Gods goodnesse in changing euill to good to his children Rom. 8.28 who changeth euill into good vnto his faithfull seruants that it may be euery way and for euer true which the Apostle saith We know that all things worke together for good to them that loue God to them who are the called according to his purpose All things in generall euen those that seeme most to hinder our felicitie are made of God to serue as helpes and furtherances thereof When it commeth to death in which is some token of Gods wrath death is turned to our gaine and profit so that we haue cause to reioice in all respects and to hearken to the Apostle when he saith All things are yours 1 Cor. 3.21 22. whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come all are yours that is all are for your good Vse 2 Secondly by that which hath beene said it is also apparant that there is a great difference betweene the bodily death of the godly of the vngodly There is great difference betweene the death of the godly and the vngodly This appeares
For hee best knowes to distinguish betweene good and euill betweene precious and vile Wherefore if in his iudgement any thing be precious it must needs be true that it is precious indeed Put the question then How commeth it to passe and how might wee be sure that the death of the Saints is precious And the answer is giuen because it pleaseth God to account it so Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints It is not long of the Saints but of Gods meere goodnesse and mercy vnto them And because that he of his goodnesse doth so account of it therefore it is precious and not for any worthinesse or desert of their owne Neither is this preciousnesse of the death of the Saints supposed and imaginary but reall and true the Saints death is truly and really precious For although man may bee deceiued and erre in his iudgement yet it is otherwise with God It is true of man that in the errour of his iudgement hee may take a thing to be precious and say that it is so when there is no such matter onely because he doth imagine and conceit with himselfe that such a thing is precious but God cannot be so deceiued But whatsoeuer he iudgeth and pronounceth precious it is truly and indeed precious and it cannot be otherwise And thus it comes about that the Saints death is precious and vpon this ground wee are certaine of it It is precious and wee know it because the most wise God doth account and pronounce it to be precious in his sight Thus ye see the summe of the confirmation To gather profit thereby we must consider two things first what manner of argument this is secondly the application thereof to the matter in hand There be two kindes of proofes the one called artificiall the other inartificiall Artificiall proofes are such as are fetched one way or other Artificiall proofes from the consideration of the theme or matter it selfe which is proued and of their owne force or nature are able to proue or disapproue This proofe of Dauids in this place is no such Inartificiall proofes are such as are fetched from authority Inartificiall proofes either diuine or not diuine Such a proofe is this that Dauid here brings fetched from the authority of God Now this kinde of prouing of a matter by the authority of God howsoeuer it neuer touch the nature of that which is proued neither explicateth nor illustrateth it yet it begetteth in the minde the greatest credit and beleefe to the matter that may bee For no argument can be deuised so forcible to procure faith and credit to a matter as this that is drawne from the authority of God Deus per se est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For God is simply to bee beleeued for himselfe and to doubt of that which he affirmes is great impiety In this respect therefore this testimony serues for this vse for the strengthening of our faith touching the preciousnesse of the Saints death That wee should not doubt nor stagger through vnbeleefe but bee fully perswaded that the death of the Saints is precious Comfort ouer the death of a Saint How full of comfort is this to know vpon a sure ground and beyond all exception euen from the expresse testimony of the Lord God of truth that the Saints death is precious and that it is so in his sight howsoeuer the world doe iudge of it Can any thing be more comfortable to a Christian soule to cease the mourning thereof for the death of a Saint and deare childe of God Let it sinke into your hearts and comfort your selues with this meditation There is I confesse iust cause of mourning for the death of the Saints But where finde we this cause Is it in themselues Their life was holy their course is finished their death is precious their body is at rest their soule is in heauen their memoriall is blessed they shall arise to glory and bee with Christ in heauen for euermore The true cause of mourning for the Saints death In respect of themselues there is no cause of mourning But in respect of vs that remaine aliue there bee many causes For when any of the Saints die we see that all of vs bee enclosed within the curse of God because of Adams sinne and seeing that it behooueth vs to feele what we haue deserued and bee ashamed of ourselues and bee touched with the feare of Gods vengeance and bee so wounded therewith as it may prouoke vs to sorrow because of our sinnes which we haue committed Againe when any of the Saints die wee lose a helpe to the peace of our Sion I meane of our Church and Common-wealth a helpe to the Gospell a helpe in the house an intercessor to God a louing friend and a shining starre If it were a thing possible it were best for vs to keepe such men still with vs but for them it is farre better to depart hence and to bee with Christ For when such are taken from vs our Lord chastiseth vs and sheweth vs a signe that except we speedily repent hee is minded to diminish his grace vnto vs. The taking away of the best men and of them that doe most good in the Church and amongst vs is alwaies a threatning vnto vs. And ought wee not to bee grieued at the threatning and feeling of Gods displeasure And therefore wee may iustly mourne for the death of the Saints But yet so let vs mourne Comfort that withall wee remember to keepe a measure in our mourning and to pacifie our selues with this consideration that their death is precious And that God calls them hence to free them from a great deale of misery and to doe them a great deale of good In the sight of the Lord. COncerning the application of this proofe to the present matter in as much as Dauid affirmes the Saints death to be precious vpon this ground because it is so in Gods sight that is to say because God doth so esteeme it Out of this I gather that Doct. 7 Doct. The right iudgement of matters is to iudge of them as God doth To iudge aright we must iudge of things as God doth They are precious and good that hee approues of but they are vile and naught which he disapproues Vse 1 The Vse First how much doth this condemne the people of our age For is not this the nature of the most Against following only the iudgement of the world that they neuer regard what account God makes of a thing but only whether men doe esteeme of it or no And if they see it in esteeme with men is not that enough Yea they care for no more They be so wedded to the world that they will neuer looke whether God doe like or dislike that which they fancie or set themselues against and they be so blinde and obstinate that whatsoeuer is taught them they will neither see