upon them and is never satisfied nor they consumed 4 They have not rest in their death n Nec mihi mors gravis est posituro morte dolore Ovid. Metam 3. that which men looke upon as the end of troubles is to them but the beginning of misery the soule of my Lord shall be knit in the hundle of life but the soule of my Lords enemies shall be in a sling 1 Sam. 25.19 The soules of the enemies of God as in a sling are ever restlesse their good things are at an end their Sun is set and a darke night over-spreds them If hell be their grave though there be horrid darknesse and eternall night yet no sleepe there they rest not who here slept when they should have watched The death of the righteous far otherwise 1 He lies down in peace he hath been long travelling a tedious pilgrimage and he is now arrived at his journies end he is come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to his long home Eccles 12.5 and is quiet the spirit returns to him that gave it Eccles 12.7 as may be read in the letters of that o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sacred name they are all quiescent so the good man returning to him his originall in him rests as in his center Marke the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace Psal 37.37 he lyeth down and nothing can make him afraid he is confident of the favour of God p Anima mea quid dubitas sexaginta annis servisti Christo mortem times Hilar. apud Hier. as whom he hath faithfully served in a holy endeavour keeping the Law with his whole heart Psal 119.34 and where he hath fallen short of his obedience he hath returned by repentance and supplication to his God 1 Kings 8.47 and hee hopes that he whose paths are mercie and truth unto such as keepe his Covenant and Testimonies Psal 25.10 will shew mercie unto them that love him and keepe his Commandements Exod. 20.6 2 The death of the righteous puts an end to his sin he hath been in a constant endeavour of deading sin in his mortall body and now it is done he hath gained a state of innocency in perfection then man had a power not to have sinned but now he shall have no power or rather not so much weaknesse or imperfection that he may further sin a great blessing which onely the pious soul is truly apprehensive of Who hath observed the perversnesse of his will and the frowardnesse of his affections Who hath felt the reluctancy of the flesh against the spirit and the motions of sin mutining in his mortall body Now to be translated into such a condition as he cannot further displease God but freely and faithfully serve him not being carryed away with any temptations unto sin Excellent is that passage in Nazianzen Adam sinning against God though he were rejected Paradice yet he doth gain thereby death and the cutting off of sin lest the evill should have been immortall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 q Naz. Orat. 42 so the punishment it selfe became to man a mercie and he is well seconded by his comment r Nicetas after man was fallen had he not been obnoxious to a necessity of dying he had incurred the greatest misery viz. sin working here therefore he hath a benefit which is death because it stops and breakes off sin for although death hath the nature of a punishment yet it became a mercie not suffering the sinner to be immortall for how should we without any either feare of God or dread of judgement have added sin to sin if wee had been immortall who are so sinfull to day dying to morrow with the immortall devill we should even have vyed offences without either endeavour of new obedience or remorse by humble repentance ſ O munde immunde si sic me tenes breviter transeundo quid facere diu permanendo Bern. If the unclean world so entangle us so soon passing what would it have done long remaining if our vile affections so entise us while we are but pilgrimes what would they have done had we been of constant abode here Cicero spake well t Mihi non à diis immortalibus vita erepta est sed mors donata est Lib. 3. de Orat. if he understood what he sayd Life is not taken away from me by the immortall gods but death is given unto me for as it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 u 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chim Sca. Pad Gr. 6. a powerfull act of God so is it likewise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an act of grace and favour a blessing rather then a curse as if it had been given rather for a x Non pro poena mortem dedit Deus sed pro remedio Ambr. de side res remedy then a punishment while viper like it kils its mother sinne and destroys our destruction 3 Death puts an end to the miseries of the righteous thus the divine goodnesse turns all to the best for them that love him as mans punishment to his benefit by stopping of his sin so to his greater happinesse by ending of his misery Augustine from a passage in Plato or Plotinus that father Jupiter having compassion on men made their bands soluble draws this collection y Lib. 9. de Civ Dei c. 10. that the Philosopher thought that this very thing that men are mortall in body proceeds from the mercie of our divine Father lest they should alwayes be held with the misery of this life Thus far the Text of Scripture is plain that after Adam had tasted of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evill whereby I am sure he became accursed God thrust him out of Paradice and set a guard upon the Tree of life lest man should taste of that fruit and live for ever Gen. 2.22 and so in that he shortened his dayes he ended his misery which there at once hath its period from whence that custome tooke its stirt of planting a lawrell Crown at the head of the dead mans cossin in token of triumph and victory obteined over the troubles and miseries of this life for to be sure in the other he shall meet with none Paradice would not admit of pain much lesse will heaven Sorrow was part of the curse misery was inconsistent with the state of innocencie it cannot then stand with eternall happinesse God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes there shall be no more sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain for former things are passed away Rev. 21.4 the presence of God shall be our joy our delight to doe his will z Paris de Rhet div our constant worke the praise of our Creator to sing eternall hallelujahs unto our God and the Lambe that sits upon the Throne 4 The death of the righteous is their birth day a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oec in
Faith hath been the sure means of salvation to so many as have obteined it The promise of faith the law which was after given could not disanull Gal. 3.17 The object of faith though not so cleerly exhibited untill these latter ages of the World yet faith in the promise did bear date and that of grace was after the fall the first if not the onely covenant without question the onely possible means of obteining justification before God Order therefore thy life as if there were no Gospel but dye as if there were no Law live as if there were not anothers righteousntsse to plead for thee but dye in the confidence of thy Saviours merit Walk towards Heaven in that t Nihil crit incommodi sivitae sanctitatem existimemus esse viam non quidem quae aditum aperiat in gloriam coelestis regni sed qua clecti à Deo suo in eius mâ—nisestationem ducantur quando haec bona eius voluntas est glorificari quos sanctificavit Calvin In stit l. 3. c 18. Sect. 4. perfect way a strict obedience to GODS Law but let faith open for thee the gate to blessednesse let such be thy life that such may be thy last end 2 Dye the death of the righteous There is 1 a death for sin 2 a death in sin 3 a death to sin A death for sin that is that we all suffer a just punishment for our offences u Aug. de haeres c 88. It was a branch of the Pelagian Heresie that Adam though hee had not sinned yet he should have dyed not by the merit of sin but by a necessity of nature Such a principle might better be allowed in a x Mors naturae finis est non poena Sen. sual 7. Moralist then a Christian For though Adam were a mortall y Ideo factum est per peccatum non mortale quoderat sed mortuum quod non sicret nisi peccaret Lomb. Sent. li. 2. dist 19. creature yet had hee kept his innocency by grace hee had been conserved from death For the body is dead because of sin Rom. 8.10 and so my Saviour while hee would stand in our stead to answer for us he dyed for the ungodly Rom 5.10 2 A death in sin so we dye yea daily dye and will not consider it The drunkard that drinks down iniquity swils himself into the condition of a beast thinks not that there is death in the pot 2 Kings 4. The lustfull Wanton that awayts the twylight and then slips to his carrion considers not that the harlots house is the way to hell going down to the chambers of death Proverbs 7 27. The doubling tongue that dallies with the heart feels not when it kils its own soul Thus too many Felons play with their own destruction 3 A death to sin this is the Saints death who mortifie their members on earth and kill sin in their mortall bodies Prâ—cious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his Saints Psal 16.15 z Vbi homo occiditur mundo non terminatione sensuum sed fine vitiorum Leo Ser. in nat Machab. When men dye unto the World not by an end of being but by an end of sinning forsaking those former accustomed ways of wickednesse and living in godlinesse which before they did not which is a kind of death and resurrection in us Blessed and holy is he who hath his part in the first resurrection of such the second death shall have no power Apoc. 20.6 If the consideration of that blessed life which follows upon the death to sin may nothing affect us wee might rayse I think arguments from the other members of the division to move us Death in sin is the soul of death a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Naz. Orat. 19. the death of the soul it divides GOD from the soul who is the life thereof How circumspect if wee observe it are men to preserve bodily life and the life of life how do they neglect Wee will avoid the infected house and the b 1 King 8.38 plague of our heart wee cherish in our bosome If our body be wounded wee run to the Chyrurgeon and we wound our souls by our sins which cut deeper then any two edged sword killing that which is immortall and yet we are senslesse of the misery If nature or art could help us we would preserve our bodies everlasting and our souls shall we voluntarily murther Oh! what pity is it to see how men trifle away life soul salvation and imbezle eternall blisse for a thing of nought They dote upon and humour every vile affection though to their endlesse destruction Man drinketh iniquity like water Job 15.16 like hungry Rats that raven down their own bane wee thirst wee drink wee dye Again for sin wee dye that it is which hath caused all those sorrows and vexations troubles and infirmities hath brought all that inundation of evils that hath broken in upon mankinde That it is which hath separated the soul from the body and layed in its dust c Peccatum mortis pabulum Lact. li. 4. Sin is that whereby death lives and wee dye it procured the death of the Son of God Hee dyed for our sins that wee should dye unto sin that as Christ was raysed from the dead by the glory of the Father so we also should walk in newnesse of life Rom. 6.4 Oh let not that precious bloud of the Son of GOD be spilt in vain he gave himself for us that hee might redeem us from all iniquity Titus 2.14 and he reedeemed us by such a price that hee may worthily possesse us I cannot read that passage in d Serm. 1. de elem Cyprian without a moved passion nor take it into deeper meditation without a melting heart where hee brings in the Devill at the day of judgement as it were insulting over my ever blessed Saviour I says he for those whor thou seest with me have neyther been buffeted nor scourged nor born the crosse nor shed my bloud nor redeemed them by the price of my passion neyther do I promise unto them an heavenly Kingdom neyther do I recall them to Paradise restoring immortality yet what precious and great gifts gotten in a long time and by large expence by pawning and imbezelling their goods even while they are scorned and derided at and somtime by a popular fury even ready to be stoned shew mee the like president in the pale of thy Church those rich men flowing with abundance are they so free towards thee will they give so much to thee though they might thereby translate their possessions into everlasting treasures Yet in these expences for me none are fed none are clothed none are comforted but all things are prodigally and foolishly wasted In thy poor thou art clothed in thy hungry thou art fed thou dost promise eternal life to them that labour in thy service yet thine whom thou dost honour with the recompence of
non in extasi mentis Epiph. l. 2. tom 1. haer 48. twofold extasie 1 From the outward and inward senses the minde temayning the more enlightned the more the soul is abstracted from sensitive objects l Conticescant mihi omnia anima mea sibi sileat Aug. Med. c. 37. as she is more full in her devotions so the more free for divine inspirations 2 From the minde it selfe when it understandeth not m Non excidebant mente prophetae Orig. hom 6. in Ezek 16. so never were they in an extasie but did utter all things n Epiph. ubi supra with firme reason and understanding and spake from the Holy Spirit with a perfect minde and body So that I ground not so much on the speech of this wicked man as his after advice proves him full Who seeing enchantment failed and divinations could do nothing because GOD had beheld no iniquity in Jacob nor perversnesse in Israel Numb 22.21 o Ioseph ubi supra counselled Balaac to tempt them by the Midianitish women to commit fornication And if the opinion of the Antiquary seems too light it may have allowance from that of Saint Iohn to the Church of Pergamus I have a few things against thee because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam who taught Balaac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel to eat things sacrificed to Idols and to commit fornication Revel 2.14 For which wicked advice of his when God set Israel upon the revenge of Midian this Divinour as hee ran for the wages so hee had full paid the reward of iniquity They killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword Joshua 13.22 where wee will leave him in his unhappy end Though the originall runs in the futuretense yet is not to be interpreted as a prophecy that so it should but as it is translated in the sense of the optative mood which the Hebrews wanting expresse desires in the future of the Indicative signifying a wish or desire that so it might be To dye is Heavens heavy doom upon the sons of Adam An unrepealable Statute hath passed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is appointed for all mâ—n without any limitation once to dye Heb. 9.27 Other are the limits and bounds of nature other are the extraordinary ways of working with the Almighty He may if he please dispense with this law as hee hath done 〈◊〉 Enoch and Elijah and there shall be a more generall dipensation for them which shall be found alive at the last day We shall not all dye but we shall all be changed 1 Cor. 15.51 Which change shall be answering to a death though without any reall separation of the soul from the body Which I ground 1 On the term used by Saint Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wee shall not lye down to sleep in the dust or wee shall not dye as it is rendred which imports a dissolution of soul and body 2 On that circumstance of time in which this shall be done in a moment in the twinkling of an ere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in an atome an unconceivable instant of time Which I take to be an after copy of Adams condition had hee retained his innocency he had been translated not knowing death to a blessed immortality but he fayling in his obedience considerable not onely as a person but as the nature of mankind all transgressed in him p Rom. 5.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by one man and in and by the one sin of that one man all man sin and dyed So that as no man can acquit himselfe from the contagion of his unrighteousnes nor yet from the guilt of personall practice q 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Samon So none may expect to be exempted from the penalty due thereunto no not the righteous man who is now to be considered of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to be right 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Chron. 13.4 And this was â—ight in the peoples eyes it did please them or they did approve of it so the righteous man is hee who is right in the sight of the LORD he pleases GOD and hee approves of him For the righteous GOD loveth righteousnesse his countenance doth behold the upright Psal 11.7 Hee looks on him with content as we eye the things we love with delight 2 It signifies the perfect man Whom that wee may the better describe wee must lay downe a rule of perfection according to which wee are to judge of him GOD being only wise and good and all perfection that absolute Idea must be in a r Mat. 5.48 conformity unto him this conformity wee held by the vertue of the Image of God stamped upon us in our creation so long as wee kept that Image undefiled and undefaced For the modell of our nature we were holy and just and good but soon was this happy condition forfeited by our disobedience and there followed such discrasie in our intellectuall such disorder in our practicall faculties that we could neither know nor will nor doe those things which were of God who in his gracious goodnesse that hee might repaire this unhappy losse gave us his Law a cleere manifesto of his Å¿ Rom. 12.2 perfect will that in our obedience thereunto we might recover our holinesse and reforme our lapsed nature by a rule of righteousnesse a Directory for the ordering of this present life to futured lisse and happinesse mans desirable end The Lâ—w of God is perfect converting the soule Psal 19.7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The summe or perfection of perfection Psal 119.96 Thus having found the rule of practicall righteousnesse for my Text leads not to speake any thing of imputative we must apply mans actions thereunto that so from his agreement therewith we may discover the righteous man Blessed is the undefiled or perfect in the way that walketh in the Law of the LORD Psa 119.1 this man from the manner of his conversation God himselfe in Job briefly describes The perfect and upright man is he who feareth GOD and escheweth evill Job 1.8 He feares honours loves and serves GOD and shuns and avoids whatsoever comes under the notion of sin these two turn ever one upon the other Yee that love the LORD hate evill Psal 97.10 t In odio mali dilectio boni comprobatur Arnob. in loc the hatred of sin is the best argument of our love to GOD. And no other testimony can we yeeld of our love to him if we neglect to heare his commandements and where may we better learn the love and service of GOD then from his Law for as it is necessary serve him we should so considering how disinabled we are in all our faculties it is not fit we should takâ— upon us to determine de modo and state that service lest not knowing to doe what we ought we dishonoor him in our honour of him or set up an Idol of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
will worship which the Lord will not approve of who as it is most meet will be served as himselfe pleases again the knowledge of sin is by the Law Rom. 7. which in the nature of an exact rule shews both what is streight and what is crooked Sin being nothing else u Peccare est tanquam lineas transilire Cic. Paradox but as it were to passe the line to transgresse that rule of equity which is the bound of all our actions According to this Law the righteous man regulates himselfe in an universall constant full and finall obedience 1 He loooks to all and every precept I love all thy commandements and all false wayes I utterly abhor Psal 119.128 2. He hath not heats of Religion but is constant in his practice he worketh righteousnesse at all times 3 He takes the commondement in the full latitude and extent and looks to the letter and to the life of the Law 4 He continues and perseveres in this obedience unto his end perfecting holinesse in the feare of God Which end will discern between the righteous and the wicked between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not Mal. 3.18 Which we come to state the difference of the death of the righteous and the wicked the maine thing the Text drives at wherefore I passed the other more briefly as taking them upon a firme supposall cleerly granted this will discover the very soul of the desire and the height of the blessing of Balaams wish The carnall eye will scarce discerne the difference for as dyeth the wicked so dyeth the righteous as dyeth the foole so the wise Eccles 2.15 that is the end of all natures debt must be discharged by a dissolution and a generall guilt of sin layes all under an equall forfeiture Death passes upon all men in that all have sinned Rom. 5.12 So that death following ever upon sn and both of them being as generall as humane nature we must finde some speciall difference Hath the righteous man a better death but yet it is as questionable which is the best x Suet. in vit Iulius Caesar on all occasions when he little thought his own end to be so neere even the night before he was slain in the Capitoll prefers a sodain death y Idemin Aug. Augustus calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a good death where the z Vbi moriendi sensumceleritas abstulit Cic. deam sodamnesse takes away the sense of dying and these two great Caesars according to their desires the last of them not violent yet both of them had a sodain death this they say he prayed against that he might dye a Nec morte violenta nec immatura quod Israelitis promissum fuerat Grot. ex Gemara neither a violent nor a sodain death which was promised to the Israelites to be sure this might be a wicked mans end how sodainly doe they perish they goe down quick into hell Psal 55.15 The Moralist thought to dye well b Bene mori est libenter mori Sen. Epist 61. was to dye willingly and c Optanda mors est sine metu mortis mori Sen. Trag. such a death was to be wished as was without the feare of death The good man may with Moses on the top of Nebo even see the Land of blisse yet be loth to depart the wicked may without any comfortable assurance of Gods favour without any ravishing apprehension of future happinesse and joyes after this life be willing to leave the world the very troubles and misery he may here meet with may move the man with the burthen at his back to call for death and to embrace it d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Anacr hoping that may put an end to all his evills of which otherwise he cannot apprehend how to be acquitted for there the weary be at rest Iob. 3.17 Therefore they rejoyce exceedingly and are glad when they can finde the grave vers 22. when the sorrows of death may compasse about the good and they may finde trouble and heavinesse Psal 116.3 1 From the pangs of death which that expresse of humane feare speaks in my Saviour Father if it be possible let this cup passe from me 2 From the conscience of their own infirmity 3 From the feare of divine judgements at which the Prophet trembled Psal 119.12 Good Agathon death approaching being somwhat troubled his friends about said unto him and dost thou father feare to whom hee replyed f Doroth. doct 2 I have endevoured to keepe the Commandements but I am a man and how know I whether my workes please God for other is the judgement of God and other the judgement of men Some may thinke it a happy death to depart in a full age in a calme quietly upon their beds with their friends about them to have a solemne Funerall an honourable Interment a stately Sepulcher all these may a wicked man have when the good by some unhappy accident may be taken off the waters may swallow him up or the beasts devoure him the indiscriminating sword of the enemy or the noysome pestilence common calamities may sweepe him away the fury of persecution may uncaske his soule yet this makes not the end of the one happy or the other wretched the Divine must give us some more reall difference 1 The wicked man departs this life in the displeasure of the Almighty he laboured not to please him while here he lived and he must not looke to dye in his good pleasure he would live without Law and he must perish by the sentence of the Law he may expect no mercie at his death who contemned mercie while he lived if he hath m Psal 73.4 no bands in his death he hath no comfort having no hope to rest upon but what an evill life can afford which ever ends in misery if he be taken away in his green years yet his sins are ripe if he hath filled his dayes and lives while he be an hundred years old he shall be accursed Isay 65.20 He hath heaped up wrath against the day of wrath and God takes him away as with a whirlewinde both living and in his wrath Psal 98.9 2 The wicked goe down into the inward chamber or the closet of the chambers of death Prov. 7.27 that dungeon or prison where they are fast locked up in misery and iron reserved in everlasting chains untill the judgement of the great day Jude 6. the Prophet sayes they goe down into hell Psal 55. the second interpretation of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is there in chiefe their grave is hell not onely the outward courts but the very depth of hell Prov. 9.18 3 The grave hath dominion over them Psal 49.14 They sold themselves slaves under sin and now death hath power over them the first transmits them to a second death and eternall misery the worme doth not onely feast upon them but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 death feedeth or banquetteth
eternall reward are not to be equalled in number to mine which perish Oh what a sad thing is it that although Christ hath done daily does and hath promised to doe so much for us yet we should voluntarily leave his service whose yoake is so easie and put our necks under the tyranny of Satans subjection the professed enemy of Chrisl the underminer of our salvation the adversary of our souls eternall blisse who makes himselfe mirth at our misery and onely triumphs in our torment let us therefore withdraw subjection from such a vile tyrant draw our necks out of the yoake of so wilfull so wofull a slavery Let us dead sin in our mortall bodies that death may have no dominion over us So may our departure be in peace we may have a happy end a gloriors resurrection a gracious acceptance an acquitting sentence a crown of righteousnesse and to help us the better in these two to live and dye the life and death of the righteous Be 3 In a continuall meditation of death e Plato Which is the life of a wise man and surely considering the certainty of death and the uncertainty of the time he wants discretion who doth not frequently thinke upon it Strange it is the Devill should yet foole us after so long an experience with the like temptation that hee flattered our first parents yee shall not dy onely here the difference they did take that at once which wee doe at smaller portions as thou shalt not dye this yeare this moneth this day so we receive in smaller pils what they received in one bole and all of us swallow the same dose but a surer word tels us we are here of no continuance like a poast that stayeth not a bubble a smoake a vapour a dream a shadow wee are somthing wee are nothing wee are here wee are gone f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pind. Pyth. Od. 8. the very dreame of a shadow and yet that we should dote of a long stay here of a truth the life of a Christian is hereafter in the mean time the mediation of death makes a life it draws us neerer and sets us in view as it were of our life and certainly makes a holy life for he that continually thinks he must die will so live as he is willing to dye he that looks upon every day that passes not as one of that number of his dayes which his desiring hope may promise him but as his last he fits himselfe accordingly for it as Eumolpus if he spake not better then he did g Ego sic semper ubique vixi tanquam ultimum diem nunquam rediturum consumerem Petron. Sat. I have so every where lived and at all times as if I had spent my last day never again to have been recalled and surely we never spend a day so well as that which we thinke to be our last those three vertues sayes the h In Clim sca parad grad 6. Scholiast are effects of this meditation 1 That we are without passion 2 That wee pray without intermission 3 That we keepe our selves unspotted from sin 1 That we are without passion 1 It unlinkes our love from the world so transient so uncertaine so unsatisfying to the soule of man so unworthy of our affection while we looke of it in a deepe consideration of our own and its mortality we discover its vanity we conclude it s nothing and we loath it 2 It allayes our anger i Hi motus animoruma tque haec certamina tanta pulveris exigui iactu compressa quiescunt Virg. Georg. 4. as the tetchy Bees which fight in troops in their bitter conflicts cast up a little dust among them and you part them presently nothing sooner cools those hotter distempers of choler then the dust of mortality remember thy end and let emnity cease Eccles 28.6 that which kils them utterly would kill them instantly were it well applyed death which shall destroy them with the body the thought of it would soon dead them in the body were it serious Oh how sedate and peaceable would we be were we christianly mortified 3 It abates the feare of death A fore-warning is a fore-arming against miseries he that acquaints his thoughts with them before they come is better able to endure the shock As Palladius reports of an Eremite who being neere his death was merry and cheerefull his disciples about him trembled and mourning said unto him Doest thou suffer and art nothing moved and we but suffer with thee and weepe to whom hee replyed I am quiet because I have often walked this way by meditation I have often dyed so no new thing happens unto me k 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clim sca parad grad 6. The memory of death is a daily death and he that dies daily dies not discontentedly nothing betides him but what he hath before thought and he is well provided for it hee knows how to dye before he dyes and it nought amates him 2 It quickens our prayers as a spur to our devotion the soule the more it is abstracted from the body the neerer it draws to God and taking heat and warmth as it were from that fountain of light and life it is more active and vigorous in fervent affection 3 It is a sentinell upon the soule and keepes the good man that he consents not to any sin Titles of honour may court but they shall not coozen him Pleasures of the world may tempt but they shall not entangle him Affections of the flesh may flatter but they shall not entise him l Facile contemnit omnia qui semper cogitat se moriturum Hier. Ep. ad Paul Hee slights them all he is resolved to persevere in his integrity and to preserve himselfe unspotted as the spouse of Christ And cast an eye yet a little further thinke on judgement when thou must give an account m Luke 16.2 of thy Stewardship Not an evill action which thou hast unjustly committed but thou must answer for which though thou happily hast forgot yet are they not slipt out of the divine memory Dost thou not watch over my sin My transgression is sealed up in a bag and thou sowest up mine iniquity Job 14.17 When the Pharisees brought the adulteresse and accused her unto my Saviour he wrote upon the ground he speaks not but yet he writes sinner observe although God is silent yet he writes he seems to dissemble thy sin yet he records it and at last those records shall be produced and according to those things written in that booke shalt thou be judged Thy idle words vanish not nor dye in the aire they are breathed out into Yea thy vile thoughts shall not be smothered in thine own breast but as they are manifest and known to him who tryeth the heart and reines so shall they be filed upon thy account to answer for To conclude Thinke on the death of the righteous who lies down in peace
thereby puts an end to his sin and to his misery Whose death is his birth day unto blessednesse the day when he receives a gracious reward of his well doings his marriage day unto Christ and union with God thinke on his last end Glory and honour and immortallity and eternall life the crown of righteousnesse the kingdome of heaven to be admitted to the inheritance of the Saints in glory to be like the Angels to sit down on Christs right hand and to reigne with him to see the face of God in blisse for ever and to be satisfied with his likenesse is it possible these should not affect thee if not let the death of the wicked affright thee to ly down in sorrow and to goe into the inward chambers of death where the grave shuts her mouth upon them and have no rest from their trouble and misery but it is to them a beginning of torment weigh their end to be deprived of Gods favour to be ejected out of his presence to be given over to the tyranny of the Devill to be tortured in hell where the worme dyeth not and the fire is not quenched where they shall in soule and body in all parts endure all kinde of misery and these eternally without any hope of reconciliation with God or end of pains If the thought of eternity cannot ballance thy thoughts what will O that men were wise that they understood this that they would consider their latter end Deut. 32.29 So consider as they might escape the fierce anger of the Lord in that great day to be revealed against offenders for to understand as to doe what is right lest our knowledge be our misery for better were it not to have known the way of righteousnesse then having known to turn from the holy commandement 2 Pet. 2.21 For he that knows his masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes Earnestly endeavour after holinesse and pray to him who is the way the truth and the life to establish thee in his truth to lead therein the right way that tends to life To close your ears in a short meditation of that which one day will close all our eyes death the weary mans rest the Christians comfort the solace of afflicted souls the greatest blessing next a Saviour conferd on sinfull mankind the rode of paradise the scal of heaven the gate of happinesse a haven secure from all tempests a Physician to cure all diseases a restoring cordiall in a pill of alloes working health and salvation to mankinde a good midwife by whose hands we are broughtforth into the land of the living a blessed day whose Sun sets in glory or happy night whose morning dawns in blisse or blessed twi-light between time and eternity blessed lying down which arises to immortality blessed sleepe that awakes to eternity Sweet death may I never looke a squint on thee but with an eye full of hope of that happinesse which thou dost usher in that I may as willingly lay down this body as leave a prison be undressed of this clothing of mortality as I would of my wearing cloaths and commend my body to the dust as I would my weary bones to a bed of down May I never so dote on this dirty hovell that I would not willingly exchange it for a house not made with hands or be so enamoured of this cottage of clay that I would not readily lapse my lease unto my great Creator In the mean time may I so live that I may die to live to eternity that I may die while here I live that I may live for ever walking in that right and perfect way which leads to that door that opens to those heavenly lodgings blessed eternity may my thoughts lose themselves while my soule find it selfe blessed in eternity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Doroth. doctr 8.