nor any other worldly thing can any longer please or entice them And as nothing is more profitable for us than the daily meditation of death so on the contrary nothing is more hurtful than our forgetfulness of it and yet this is very common with the rich Men and great Ones of this World who as if they were to live the age of Methusalah lay up Provisions for many years continuance here and in the mean time think little or nothing of the life to come and so when they fancy they have attained to the top of their desires on a sudden with the rich Man in the Gospel they are forced to depart out of this life and too often descend into eternal destruction and forasmuch as the Devil well knows that nothing more powerfully excites men to holiness or better secures their souls from his snares than the meditation of death he therefore employs his greatest care and diligence to put these thoughts out of mens minds which if he can but obtain he easily gets every thing else he has a mind to and takes men captive at his will It is a sign of a mind altogether deprav'd and out of order which doth not care to hear Discourses and Conferences of Death which is sad and uneasie at the thoughts of it and therefore strives to divert it self with witty sayings and merriment with full bowls and all kinds of delight and pastime But on the contrary he who is in favour with God whose Soul is not plunged in sensual pleasures it is his delight to think often and to discourse of death for he knows 't is the only necessary way to everlasting bliss Secondly Towards our preparation for death we are to consider the shortness of our lives for how little time doth God allow us to live here many Infants expire at their very entrance in to life some die in their Childhood others in their Youth fewer arrive to their middle age but very few attain to old age from hence it is that in Holy Scripture our life is compar'd to those things that are most frail and momentary as the trace of a cloud a mist a spark Wisd 2. Job 14.2 Psal 90. Job 5.6.9 a shadow a flower a weavers shuttle a post a swift ship and an eagle that hasteth to his prey This also the Heathen declar'd and therefore Pindar call'd man the dream of a shadow Aeschylus the shadow of smoke M. Varro a bubble and with good reason are these names attributed to man for we die daily and some part of our lives are every day taken from us our whole state is nothing else but a journey a race to death And then Thirdly Consider that in this short life the time of death is uncertain for tho' it is appointed for all to die yet the hour of death is unknown some die in their Infancy some in their Youth and some in their old Age whilst others are overtaken by an unexpected death so that no one can assure himself of to morrow neither is the place or manner of our death known to us which is daily confirm'd to us by the dead Corpses we see carried by For all that die do not keep their Beds afflicted by a long continued sickness for some are taken away suddenly or in a moment lose their Senses by Appoplexies others are choak'd by violent Catarrhs some are kill'd by falls some by the ruins of Houses whilst others are trod under feet by Horses some are drowned in the Water and others are struck with Lightning whilst others unexpectedly fall into the hands of Thieves and Enemies and come to an untimely end which they never were afraid of Now what happens to one may happen to all and what may happen to all every one ought to expect may happen to them For man also knoweth not his time Eccles 9.12 as the fishes that are taken in an evil net and as the birds that are caught in the snare so are the sons of men snared in an evil time when it falleth suddenly upon them being then men we ought to think that whatever is common to man and does sometimes happen to others may also befal us Now hereby we are admonish'd to be every minute ready and prepar'd for death For God was pleased to let us be ignorant of the time of our death that the uncertainty thereof might be a means of exciting in us a constant practice of vertue and avoiding of sin and a perpetual care and endeavour to secure our eternal wellfare for how dangerous is it to live in such a condition that if a sudden death should surprize us unawares our salvation is utterly to be despair'd of and who can ascertain us that at the end of our lives when death comes on us like an armed man we shall be in so good a disposition as to be able to bewail our sins and implore the grace and mercy of God Indeed were we permitted to die often and return again to life their rashness and security were excusable who so seldom think of death but since 't is appointed unto all men but once to die and that there is no leading of our lives over again 't is manifest what great danger they run whom death overtakes before they are provided for it since it for ever takes away from them all hopes of salvation Let us then be always prepared for death let us fly from sin and not defer our repentance let us not cherish anger and revenge evil affections and a fond desire of living long in this World but let us account every day to be our last and when we go to sleep let us so demean our selves as if we were never to arise again from our beds and when we arise in the morning let us so spend every hour of the day as if we were never to lie down in our beds again let us so use the good things of this World as if we were to leave them every moment let us not vainly promise our selves along continuance here with that rich man in the Gospel who said unto his Soul Luk. 12.19 Soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years take thine ease eat drink and be merry whereas that very night his Soul was required of him but let us daily pray with holy David Ps 39.5 Lord let me know my end and the number of my days that I may be certified how long I have to live and let us not neglact that wholsom Admonition of our Saviour who saith Mat. 24.46 Vsque ad fin Blessed is that Servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find watching Verily I say unto you that he shall make him Ruler over all his Goods But and if that Evil Servant shall say in his Heart My Lord delayeth his coming and shall begin to smite his fellow Servants and to eat and drink with the Drunken The Lord of that Servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for
Lusts and Desires of the Flesh and to hinder us from treating it with softness and delicacy let us often consider that a little while hence our Bodies will become stinking Carkases For what is our Flesh how finely soever it be treated and cloathed and fed and pampered but food for Worms Luxury chiefly comprehends Lust and Drunkenness Against Lust a Christian ought diligently to fortifie himself The prize of Chastity is of all the most difficult the Conflict is perpetual but the Victory rare Remember therefore what St. Paul says Flee Fornication 2 Cor. 6.18 every sin that a Man doth is without the Body but he that committeth Fornication sinneth against his own Body Our Body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost the Tabernacle into which is received the Holy Body and Blood of Christ Take therefore the Advice of Ecclesiasticus Cap. 9. v. 7 8. Look not round about thee in the Streets of the City neither wander thou in the Solitary places thereof Turn away thine Eye from a Beautiful Woman and look not upon anothers Beauty Drunkenness which is the other part of Luxury is amongst other Vices more especially to be avoided because now a days it is by many thought no sin but rather accounted praise-worthy although there be no plague more dangerous to Christianity and nothing more severely forbid than this Isa 5.12 For the Drunkard regardeth not the work of the Lord neither considers the operations of his Hands 1 Cor. 6.10 Drunkards shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Wine and Drunkenness captivates the Heart of Man so that the Holy Spirit will no longer reside in him It is very dangerous even to be once Drunk For our Saviour adviseth us to take heed to our selves least at any time our Hearts be overcharged with Surfeiting and Brunkenness but to be sober and to watch unto Prayer because the hour is uncertain when the Son of Man will come we therefore ought always to keep our selves free from this sin because we must appear before the Tribunal of Christ in the same state as we were in at the hour of Death let every one therefore consider what a terrible thing it would be for a Man whilst he is Drunk to be taken on a sudden out of the Land of the living by some unexpected fall by the Sword or some other Violence or by a fit of an Apoplexy and withal let Drunkards consider how many poor Christians there are in the World who would think themselves happy if they might have their fill of Bread and small Drink whilst they so unjustly and lavishly wast the pretious gifts of God let them beware least at last it happens to them as it did to that Rich Glutton who when he had fared Sumptuously every day and denied poor Lazarus the crums that fell from his Table he was buried in Hell where not so much as a drop of water would be allowed him to cool his Tongue in those infernal flames And because Idleness administers the greatest fuel to Luxury therefore more especially avoid idleness Be always intent about something or other Meditate Read Write Pray Work or follow diligently the business of your particular Callings and by these means the love of Pleasures will be more easily damp'd and exstinguished Another sin we are to arm ourselves against is Envy which is a divelish Vice and according to some was the cause of Satans fall and which made him endeavour the overthrow of Mankind Against this let us consider that all the good things we enjoy are not from our selves but are dispenced and distributed amongst us by the great Lord of all as he sees best Why then O Man shouldst thine Eye be evil because he is good and kind to thy Neighbour It is rather thy Duty when thou seest all things succeed well with thy Neighbour to give thanks unto God and to think that thou art not worthy of such prosperity or that it would not be profitable unto thee Why shouldst thou envy another those things he possesseth without thy loss or hurt When as if he had them not thou wouldst not have them Is it not a property of the Devil when thou art by the just Judgment of God under any Misery or Trouble to wish that others were miserable also Lastly consider what good envy doth most certainly thou canst not by it transfer thy Neighbours goods unto thy self Thou hurtest thy self only whilst thou breakest thy Heart with Vexation and Languish thou art only thy own Tormentor and Executioner After all the most present Remedy for Envy is to be Humble to avoid Pride and Covetousness from whence Envy generally proceeds For whoever lives contented with his own condition never envies the Honours and Riches of other Men. And to name no more the Christian ought to fortifie his mind against Anger Enmity and Hatred Slandering and false accusation by considering that all the while a Man is out of Charity with his Neighbour so long he is unacceptable to God insomuch that such an one under the Old Testament could offer no Sacrifice to God and under the New cannot say that Prayer which our Lord hath taught us For thus our Saviour Admonisheth us Mat. 5.23 24. If thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy Brother hath ought against thee leave there thy gift and go thy way first be reconciled to thy Brother and then come and offer thy gift And in the Lords Prayer we Pray Mat. 6.12 Forgive us our Debts as we forgive our Debtors which is farther enforced at the end of the Prayer by this reason for if ye forgive Men their Trespasses your Heavenly Father will also forgive you vers 14 15. But if ye forgive not Men their Trespasses neither will your Father forgive you Let us also reflect on those severe words of our Saviour Mat. 5.22 But I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his Brother without a cause shall be in danger of the Judgment and whosoever shall say to his Brother Raca shall be in danger of the Council but whosoever shall say thou fool shall be in danger of Hell fire and in another place Luk. 6.27 Love your Enemies do good to them which hate you verse 28. Bless them that Curse you and pray for them which despitefully use you verse 31. And as ye would that Men should do unto you do ye also to them likewise verse 32. for if ye love them which love you what thank have ye For sinners also love those that love them verse 35. But love ye your Enemies and do good and your reward shall be great and ye shall be the Children of the Highest for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil verse 36. Be ye therefore merciful as your Father also is merciful verse 37. Judg not and ye shall not be Judged Condemn not and ye shall not be Condemned Forgive and ye
him and in an hour that he is not a ware of And shall cut him asunder and appoint him his Portion with the Hypocrites There shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth but let us be wise and faithful Servants that are always ready expecting their Lord for we know not what hour he will come Mark 13.35 whether at even or at midnight or at the Cock crowing or in the morning Least coming suddenly he find us sleeping and unprepared for him St. Augustin tells us In quo enim quemque invenerit suus novissimus dies in hoc eum comprehendit mundi novissimus dies St. Augustin cap. 11.3 that in what ever condition our last day leaves us in the same state will the last day of the World find us For as a Man dies in the one so in the other he shall be judged To this purpose that saying in Ecclesiastes is usually applied if the Tree fall toward the South or toward the North in the place where the Tree falleth Com. Sup. Eccl. cap. 11. there it shall be This St. Hierom thus interprets that as a Tree certainly lies which way soever it salls so when thou art cut off by the stroke of Death thou shalt always remain such whether your last Moment found you Cruel and Unmerciful or Meek and Charitable Could any one tell for certain that he had but one day more to live and evidently knew that he must die to Morrow surely such a Man were extreamly wicked if he could not Abstain from sin for so short a Season and should not employ all that little space of Life in the Exercises of Piety and Virtue when as that Judgment which is passed on us at our Death shall most assuredly always remain firm and unalterable And who is there can warrant himself to morrow Who is there that knows as a thing sure and undoubted that he hath another day nay another hour to live O Man whosoever thou art there will come an Evening whole Morning or a Morning whose Evening thou shalt never see and whether this may not be to day or to morrow thou knowest not So that they are without all manner of reason who are not afraid to defile themselves with deadly sins when they know not whether they shall be allowed the space of one hour of one moment to bewail their Crimes and beg pardon for them at the hands of God God hath indeed promised Pardon to the Penitent but he hath never promised to the Sinner any portion of the time to come Make no tarrying therefore to turn unto the Lord and put not off from day to day for suddenly shall the wrath of the Lord come forth Eccl. 5.8 and in thy security thou shalt be destroyed and perish in the day of vengeance This the wiser Heathen well understood insomuch that 't is a shame Christians should be out done by them in this matter For thus Seneca speaks Qui ut bonus sit in senectutem differt apertè astendit se nolle virtuti dare nisi tempus ad alia omnia inidoneum Et alibi Audies plerosque dicentes a quinquagesimo in otium secedam sexagesimus annus ab officiis me dimittet Et quem tandem longioris vitae praedem accipts Quis ita sicuti disponis irae patietur Non pudet te ad reliquias vitae te tibi reservare id selum tempus bonae menti destinare qued in nullam rem conferri possit Quum serum est tunc vivere incipere cum desnendum est Quae tam stulta mortalitatis eblivio in quinquagesitnnm sexagesimum annum differre sana consilia inde velle vitam inchoare quo pauci perduxerunt Seneca de Brev. vitae He who desers being good till old Age shows plainly that he is loath to give up himself to Virtue until he is fit for nothing else And in an other place you shall hear almost every one saying after fifty I shall be at leasure when I am threescore years Old I shall be free from all Offices but what Security have you now for a longer life Who will undertake for you that all things shall go just as you have order'd them are you not asham'd to reserve your self the reliques of your life for your own good and set a part that time only for wisdom and goodness which is worth nothing How late is it then to begin your life when you must be forced to leave it how foolish a forgetfulness of your mortality is it to put off all good counsel till you are fifty or threescore years old and to begin to live at an age to which few arrive What penance it is to leave your Harlots when you are forced to leave them whether you will or no to begin to be temperate when you can no longer taste what you eat or what you drink To this purpose saith St. Maledictus qui florem juventutis diabolo foces Senectutis DEO consecrat Augustin discreetly Cursed be he that dedicates the flour of his youth to the Devil and the dregs of old age to God When once the last moment of our Life is past there is then no longer time for repentance and in a little time a Man will be made sensible of that State which can never be alter'd to all Eternity therefore whatsoever thou takest in hand remember the end Eccl. 7. ult and thou shalt never do amiss Let us then every moment be ready to receive the summons of death by preparing our selves for it whilst we are in our health It is a very unseasonable time to begin to fit our selves for another World when we are just on the confines of death and are strugling with the agonies of it for then the lively powers both of mind and body languish and decay then the man is so distracted with pains and other grievances which his sickness occasions that he can never seriously apply himself to die well nay many times a frenzy seizes on the sick person and on a sudden deprives him of the use of all his reason we often see that even good men cannot list up their thoughts unto God as they ought when an acute pain in their teeth or eyes or ears or any other part troubles them but their whole mind is carried thither where their grief is Now if this happens to good men when the disease is not dangerous what can we think shall befal those who never had any serious thoughts of God who know not how to search out or confess their sins who can scarcely tell what repentance means how will they be tormented when the pangs of death are upon them to consider that they are now leaving their dear Wife and Children and that all their riches which they have hoarded up with so much care will now stand them in no stead What madness then is it to defer a business of such weighty consequence on which our eternal salvation depends