Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A19123
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Of death a true description and against it a good preparation: together with a sweet consolation, for the suruiung mourners. By Iames Cole merchant.
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Cole, James.; Hoste, Dierick.
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1629
(1629)
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STC 5533; ESTC S105012
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59,139
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225
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the second death And so he makes death but two-fold one corporall in this world the other spirituall in the other world whose diuision we also willingly embrace The death of the body That death then whereof we meane to treate is the first or corporall death to wit that which doth separate the soule from the body and is euery where vsually knowne by the name of death For whatsoeuer we speake or reade of dying as well in the diuine bookes of the Bible as in humane Writers it is for the most part to be vnderstood of this kinde of death This death is also chiefly feared of men and causeth them to bee troubled maketh them faint-hearted and vnconstant and vpon occasion of any euill rumour fearefull Yea that wise Naturalist Aristotle was of opinion Eth. 3. that of all things there is nothing more terrible then death The aduantage of them that doe not feare death If then this death be the most terrible thing in the world how happy is he that is released from the feare of it Yea verily wherwith can the world make him to tremble that contemnes the very vttermost of her power If hee liue in a Citie infected with the plague if hee dwell in a Country flaming with warre if he trauell in danger of theeues or if a tempest at sea ouertake him his spirits are not daunted nor his senses benum'd Hee hath the more rest and yet neuer the more danger Yea rather the lesse because a man that is affrighted by his very frights may bring some sicknesse vpon himselfe and so consequently death But such a resolute man is certaine that come the worst nothing can be exacted of him beyond his life which hee oweth and is willing to surrender where and when it shall please God If hee be called of God to a Souldier condition he fighteth boldly for the defence of his Country Yea certainely hee that oft-times through a cowardly feare would loose the field by this his couragious resolution putteth his enemie to flight Thus is euen our life sometimes lengthened by this willingnesse to dye Besides if such a one liue by enuious persons or vnder tyrannizing Princes he shall not neede to flatter nor to faine against his conscience He is not astonisht though they threaten to slay his body for hee knowes that it must dye whether they threaten him or no. Yea if they put him to death he knowes that they euen then bereaue themselues of power to torment him any farther And is not this a great liberty and worthy to be sought after whereas on the contrary how miserable is that man that is continually encumbred with feare and that not for some thing that hee may hope or chance to escape but for that which vndoubtedly may yea must sometime befall him Truly such a one walkes throughout the course of his life in a continuall flight farre worse then death it selfe The diuision of the Treatise Well then for the better ouercomming of this feare wee will assay for to vnmaske death and disrobe it of all terrible apparition that so wee may behold it naked and in his owne nature And first wee shall endeauour by foure naturall reasons and then by foure other obseruations to demonstrate that it hath nothing in it selfe that should be terrible vnto vs. And secondly proceeding we hope likewise in a foure-fold discourse manifestly to shew that to those that know how to arme themselues against it death is altogether profitable and consequently worthy to bee desired This death then 1 Reason though it be one of the twinnes which together by sin entred into the world Death is not bad Rom. 5.12 yet doth it in no manner of wayes resemble in iniquity the spirituall death its sister For though this death doe vtterly slay the body and the other doth not kill the soule but casts it into a miserable life yet is it better to dye by the first then to liue in the second Yea by meanes of this obtaine wee this benefit and profit that at the last it doth free vs from this toyle-some life to which God since the fall of man hath heere on earth condemned all mankinde In the which were it not that this death preuenteth it wee should continually remaine For this cause then as also for that God doth send it as well to his children whom he loueth as to his enemies whom he hateth it cannot in its owne nature be euill Howbeit God doth diuersly addresse it vnto vs. For the wicked hee consumes in his wrath Eccl. 45.19 as vnworthy of this temporall life But the godly hee takes away in his mercy and peace as esteeming them worthy of a better life 2 Reg. 22.20 And thus is death vnto the Reprobates a passage vnto eternall misery but to the Righteous vnto eternall life Ioh. 5.24 Euen as a Master thrusteth his disobedient seruant out of dores to deliuer him vnto the Iaylor and le ts forth his obedient to set him at liberty for euer Yet is it one and the same doore that both passe thorow Who then will terme this doore or this death euill If death in it selfe be not euill then from it directly no euill can bee expected Let this then be the first reason wherefore we neede not feare death But some may heere object that it is the occasion of this euill that wee by meanes of it loose this temporall life which is sweet to euery one But in sooth for vs to pay that we owe may not bee termed any losse vnto vs. And who knoweth not the condition of this life All things which by birth haue a beginning haue an end by death Whosoeuer therefore feareth the end must not desire the beginning Our life is like vnto a candle if wee desire it to giue light in lightning it must burne and burning draw and come to an end If the Sunne would not descend it must not ascend For the same course that causeth it to ascend causeth it to descend euen so doth this life conduct vs to death And who then can say this life is good and death euill Certainly whatsoeuer is spoken against death opposes life which is the cause of death Epictetus his saying is good Death saith hee is not frightfull but the feare of death Ar. 2. â— and to dye is not ill but to dye shamefully Hence Socrates 2 Reason Death Naturall when tydings was brought vnto him that the Gouernours of Athens had condemned him to dye And so hath Nature them A poph Eras 4. said hee without any farther alteration He knew well that it was no lesse naturall to dye then to liue And this shall be the second reason wherfore death is not to be feared All flesh we read in Ecclesiasticus waxeth old as a garment Eccl. 14.18 for the decree from the beginning is thou shalt dye the death As of the greene leaues vpon a thicke tree some fall and
wiser sort knowing that the Physitian thereby doth endeauour to recouer their health swallowe them without tasting them and let them worke in their body Euen so the Reprobates consider in their diseases nothing but the externall troubles and onely take care how they may be deliuered from them They are alwayes impatient murmuring against God if they looke so high at least or against them onely which God doth vse as instruments of their punishment Neither are they mollified hereby that they may returne vnto their God Though you should bray a foole in a Morter Pro. 27.22 yet will not his foolishnesse depart from him sayes the wise King And this was apparenâ— in the hard punished yet stil hard hearted Pharaoh Exâ—d â— 32 And Ahaz sayes the Scripture in his troubles trespassed yet more against the Lord. 2 Chro. 28 23. But the children of God on the contrary receiue thâ— blowe as from the hand of their Father and blame nothing more then their sinnes that deserue punishments as the cause thereof They know that God doth all things for their best and so haue their eyes fixed on the heavenly blisse promised to the patient that they thereby endure or swallow downe their paines much the easier And therefore they rather turne themselues to their God for the same King saith When the wise is rebuked he receiueth knowledge Pro. 21.11 Hee perceiueth that hee must part from his misdeedes Ion 2.2 Hee cryes vnto the Lord with Ionah in his affliction 2 Chro. 35.12 He beseecheth the Lord his God with Manasses in his distresse and humbleth himselfe greatly and his supplication is heard I haue sinned saith he with Dauid 2 Sam. 24.17 in his pestilence or in any other sicknesse And with the same Dauid hee is not ashamed afterwards to confesse that before hee was afflicted he went astray Psal 119 64. but now hee keepes GODS word To be short the visitations of the Lord be oft one and the same both to the good and to the bad but the euent is cleane contrary and may well be resembled vnto the accursed water which the Priest vpon occasion of the husbands iealousie gaue the women sometime to drinke This water was bitter in the mouth vnto all but being taken sayes the Scripture the defiled did swell of it Num. 5.27.28 but it could not hurt those that were cleane Yea the chaste ones gaue their husbands occasion by this triall to loue them better then before Wee reade in one selfe-same Chapter Act. 12.7 23 that the Angell of the Lord smote Peter and the Angell of the Lord smote Herode But the one was thereby raised vp and deliuered from death and the other gaue vp the ghost Euen so are the better sort by the hand of God raised vp out of the sleepe of sinne to be deliuered from eternall death and the wicked are consumed by their endlesse grudgings euen till their dying day This is then the difference Gods enemies endure the crosse indeede but reape no benefit thereby but paine and domage whereas Gods friends take their crosse from him and so beare it that these bodily paines turne to their good Rom 8.28 Now concerning the soule though we speake of it last Preparation of the soule yet ought we in our sicknesse first to begin with it following the example of the afore-named King Hee in his weakenesse did not first consult with the Physitians but turned his face from the people to the wall Esa 38.2 and there betweene God himselfe began to pray and ro rip vp his offences and to bewayle them And after that hee committed him to bee cured Dauid also first prayeth Deliuer me from my transgressions Psal 39 8.11 and afterwards remooue thy stroke away from me This order doth the sonne of Syrach fitly set before vs in foure parts Pray vnto the Lord. Cease to sinne Ecclus. 38.9 12. Make a fat offering and then giue place to the Physitian St. Iames the Apostle saith also Iam. 5.16 Confesse your faults one to another and pray one for another that you may be healed Wee ought therefore in the first place yea before we can offer vnto God with a good conscience the calues of our lips as Christ by St. Mathew teacheth vs to endeauour to be reconciled to our brother who hath ought against vs. Math. 5.24 And to be ready to forgiue our neighbours all offences committed against vs. Secondly wee must also openly confesse our manifold transgressions as occasions of all sicknesses and say with Paul Rom. 7.15 What I would that doe I not but what I hate that doe I. And with Dauid wee must pray vnto God continually Psal 38. and promise with Ezechias vprightnesse of life Esay 38.10 Concerning the sacrifice Dauid confirmes it saying Blessed is hee that considereth the poore Psal 41.1 the Lord will deliuer him in the day of trouble This must the soule ruminate when man is surprized with sicknesse Moses knew well enough how much it behooued well to prepare the soule against death when hee said So teach vs to number our dayes Psal 90.12 that we may apply our hearts vnto wisedome That hee must dye and that his dayes were numerable nature taught him but considerately to meditate on death or day by day euen numbring them to prepare himselfe against the same that God must teach him of whom he requested it by prayer Our Lord Iesus Christ knowing how needfull this meditation would be vnto vs Necessity of speedy repentance and considering that many times we are so suddainly snatcht out of this world that wee haue no time once to thinke on ought ceaseth not to admonish vs that wee should be continually busied hereabout Teaching vs sometime by fore-warning vs as where he sayes Be yee ready Math. 24.44 for in such an houre as you thinke not the sonne of man commeth Sometimes by way of instruction Be yee your selues saith hee like vnto them that waite for their Lord Luk. 12.36 that when he commeth and knocketh yee may open vnto him immediatly And sometimes by similitudes as that of the fiue foolish Virgins Math. 25.10 that neuer went about to fuâ—nish their Lampes with oyle before they heard that the Bridegroome was comming And finally by fearefull examples of the dayes of Noah and Lot In which sayes the Scripture men were so busied with eating and drinking Luk. 17.26.28 marrying of wiues buying and selling planting and building that they did not thinke on their end vntill that first the flood of water and after that the fire rained downe from heauen and destroyed them all Which admonitions though they haue an eye to the suddaine comming of the day of Iudgement yet seeing that the temporall deaâ—h bringeth vs to that estate wherein the Iudge at the last day shall finde and confirme vs we are warned by Christ to be so well prepared against the