1.1 2 3 4. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten Son of the Father full of grace and truth That which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life For the Life was manifested and we have seen it and bear witness and shew unto you that eternall life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that ye also might have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Iesus Christ And these things write we unto you that your joy may be full Exod. 20.2 Eighthly Again in the old Testament we have the Law given by Moses But in the new Testament we have Grace and Mercy brought unto us by Christ Iesus And of all his fulness have all we received Iohn 1.16 and grace for grace For the Law was given by Moses Iohn 1.17 but grace and truth came by Iesus Christ Ninthly Again by the Law we have the knowledge of Sin and of Gods curse which followed thereupon and of the Iudgements denounced against sinners and that not only of a death temporal but even of a death eternal both of body and soul And the Lord God took the Man Gen. 2.15 16 17. and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it And the Lord God commanded the Man saying of every Tree of the Garden thou mayest freely eat But of the Tree of knowledg of good and evill thou shalt not eat of it for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die And unto Adam he said Gen. 3.17 19. because thou hast hearkned unto the voice of thy Wife and hast eaten of the Tree of which I commanded thee saying Thou shalt not eat of it Cursed is the Ground for thy sake in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the daies of thy life In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return unto the ground for out of it was thou taken for Dust thou art and unto Dust shalt thou return For the wages of sin is death Rom. 6.23 For when we were in the flesh Rom. 7.5 the motions of sin which were by the Law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death What shall I say then Rom. 7.7 8 9 10 11. is the Law sin God forbid Nay I had not known sin but by the Law for I had not known Lust except the Law had said Thou shalt not covet But sin taking occasion by the Commandement wrought in me all manner of concupiscence for without the Law sin was dead For I was alive without the Law once but when the Commandement came sin revived and I died And the Commandement which was ordaiued to life I found to be unto death For Sin taking occasion by the Commandement deceived me and by it slew me But by the Gospel we have the knowledge of the free Pardon and full forgiveness of our Sins purchased for us by the death and passion of Christ our Saviour and conferred unto us by his grace and favour he undergoing the full vial of Gods wrath and judgement denounced against sin and Sinners even the whole curse of the Law he endured for us who died for our Sins and rose again for our justification that we should dye unto sin and live unto righteousness Rom. 5.6 8. For then when we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were Sinners Christ died for us Who was delivered for our Offences Rom. 4.25 and was raised again for our justification Much more then being now justified by his blood Rom. 5.9 we shall be saved from wrath through him For if when we were enemies Rom. 5.10 we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life Who was delivered for our offences Rom. 4.2 and was raised again for our justification O Death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy victory 1 Cor. 15.55 56 57. The sting of Death is Sin and the strength of Sin is the Law But thanks be unto God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Iesus Christ Who his own self bare our sins 1 Pet. 2.24 in his own body on the Tree that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousness by whose stripes ye were healed But he was wounded for our transgressions Isaiah 53.5 6. he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our Peace was upon him and with his stripes are we healed All we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all If God be for us Rom. 8.31 32. who can be against us He that spared not his own son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect Rom. 8.33 34. it is God that justifyeth Who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Christ hath delivered us from the curse of the Law Gal. 3.13 being made a curse for us For it is written Cursed is every one that hangeth on a Tree For he that is hanged Deut. 21.23 is accursed of God Tenthly Again the Law was as our School-master to bring us unto Christ to shew us the way to him and to direct us therein aright But the Gospel bringeth Christ himself unto us who is the way the truth and the life offering of himself to be received by us by a true and lively faith Wherefore the Law was our Schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ that we might be justified by Faith But after that Faith is come Ga. 3.24 25. we are no longer under a Schoolmaster For ye are all the Children of God by faith Iohn 14.1 6. in Christ Iesus Let not your hearts be troubled ye believe in God believe also in me Iesus saith I am the way the truth and the life no man commeth unto the Father but by me Upon which place St. Chrysostome thus discourseth Quo vis ire ego sum via S. Chrysostom Quid vis scire ego sum veritas Ubi vis manere ego sum vita Whither wilt thou go I am the way What would'st thou know I am the Truth Where would'st thou remain I am the Life And again St. Bernard upon this place saith S. Bernard I am the way which leadeth to the Truth I am the Truth that
Eve First began with a Nequaquam moriamini ye shall not dye Hereupon Saint Augustine after the Serpent was accursed by God from the Earth saith thus unto the Serpent O n quam ubi jam esi tua nequaquam O thou wicked serpent Where are now thy lying words Ye shall not dye at all For the wages of sin is death Rom. 6.23 but the gift of God is eternall life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Mors fructus à fruendo dicitur as one observeth of it Death is the fruit so called from the enjoying of it and so death is the fruit or wages of sin Quotidie morimur S. Bernard quotidie enim demitur pars vitae tunc quoque cum crescimus vita decrescit ut S. Bernard That is We do dye daily and even every day a part of our life is cut off as St. Bernard observeth Homo est fatuus usque ad quadraginta annorum deinde Luther ubi agnovit se esse fatuum vita consumpta est ut Luther That is A man is as a fool and full of ignorance till he attain unto the age of forty yeares and then so soon as he comes to know and so to acknowledge himself to be a fool to be ignorant and to know nothing of himself even then and at that very time his life here is as it were ended gone and spent as Luther observeth Mors tua mors Christi fraus mundi gloria coeli Et dolor inferni sint meditanda tibi That is These things thou oughtest to take into thy serious consideration and duely for to meditate thereon as namely On thy own death on the death of Christ of the fraud and deceit of the world of the great glory of heaven and on the unsufferable paines and torments of Hell as one observeth It is well observed by one That death in Christ killed life for a time that afterwards life in him might kil death for ever For since by man came death 1 Cor. 15.21 22 25 26 55 56 57. by man came also the resurrection of the dead For as in Adam all die even so in Christ shall all be made alive For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ Death as one observeth is a quiet sleep The soul when death comes puts off the body and the body buried lives in the earth the grave being the bed thereof there to remain till the morning of our resurrection at the day of Iudgement appearing It is observed by one That the true servants of God are so farr from being any wayes discontented or troubled with the thinking of death as that they rather earnestly desire and thirst after it with a Cupio dissolvi Philip. 1.23 a desire with St. Paul to be dissolved and to be with Christ For death as a Father well observeth is but provectio a journey or a laying down of this our earthly tabernacle Nihil certius quod quilibet debet mori sed tempore quando quo leco vel quomodo uihil incertius There is nothing more certain then this that every one must die but when in what place or the manner how nothing is more uncertain Statutum est omnibus semel mori It is dereed that all men must once die Rom. 5.14 As by one man sin entred into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned For this is the sentence of the Lord over all flesh Eccles 4.3 As by one mans disobedience Rom. 5.19 21. many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous That as sin hath reigned unto death even so might Grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. When Lust hath conceived it bringeth forth Sin Iames. 1.15 and Sin when it is finished bringeth forth Death Now nothing is more uncertain than the time when we shall die the place where or the manner how we shall die This was therefore the meditation of Seneca daily with himself as is recorded of him Dic tibi dormituro Seneca potes non expergisci Dic exerecto potes non dormire amplius Dic ereunti potes non reverti Dic revertenti potes non exire amplius VVhen thou liest down at night in thy Bed to sleep and to take thy rest say thou unto thy self It may be thou shalt never live to awake again to behold the light of the ensuing day When thou awakest in the morning and dost arise out of thy bed say then unto thy self It may be thou shalt never live to lye down in thy bed to take thy rest and sleep again When thou goest forth of thy house about thy necessary affaires say then unto thy self It may be thou shalt never live to return unto thy house again When thou doest return in safety to thy house say then unto thy self It may be thou shalt never live to go forth of thy house again These meditations ought to stirr us up unto a daily and continuall preparation for death that so death may never take us unawares and unprepared Mors sanctis refrigerium improbis autem supplicium Death to the godly is but as it were a refreshing but to the wicked death is a punishment Cujus vita est Christus mors ei lucrum maximum Sed Cujus vita est mundus mors ei damnum maximum ut Pater He who liveth like a Christian and maketh Christ his life here death unto him is the greatest gain that can be But he who liveth here like a worldling and maketh the world his life and chiefest delight here death unto him is the greatest detriment and dammage that can be Boni moriuntur bene etiamfi mors ipsa mala ut Pater Good and godly men do die well and make a happy end although death it self in it self be evil Num. 23.10 This made the prophet Balaam to cry out and say Let me dye the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his Upon which place one well observeth thus much as namely That he which desireth to die the death of the righteous must labour and strive here in this life to lead and live the life of the righteous and then his death will be happy like unto his Vita est vivere vitam Deo sed vivere vitam mundo mors est ut Pater To live here a godly and a Christian life and to devote our selves here wholly to the service of God this is the onely way for us after this our life here ended to attain unto the everlasting life of glory in the kingdome of heaven But He which
willing to die considering that the godly by death are called to rest but the wicked to punishment 164. The difference between the hope of the wicked and of the godly 164 165. Nothing more profitable than the thought of mortality 165 166. Why the day of our death is kept from us 166. That a mans death shall be as his life is 166 167. That the day of Judgement may be long before it come but the day of death not so and the reason 167. By meditation on death to make the same familiar to us 167. That our whole life ought to be a learning to die 167. That death puts an end to all sorrows 168 169 170. That life is a passage to death and death a return to life 168 169. Touching our comfort in death by Christ his overcoming of death 169. That sleep is a resemblance of death the bed of the grave our rising again of our resurrection 169 170. That the day of our death is as our everlasting birth day 170. We are not to grieve at the thought of death but rather to rejoyce 170 171. The Sacrament called viaticum Aeternitatis or morientis 171. The desire of Nazianzen to die with some sentence of piety by him uttered at that time 171. That death is a passage from earth to heaven 171 172. That death is a separation of the soul from the body a location of the body in the earth and a translation of the soul to God 172 173. That man is of the dust and to dust to return 172 173. That the thought of death ought to be comfortable in regard of Gods mercy promised 173 174 175 176. CHAP. VII Of the day of Judgement the same described with the fruits and effects thereof 177. The severall appellations of the day of Judgement 177 178 179. The terriblenesse of the day of Judgement with the manner thereof 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189. Touching the manner of our change at the day of Judgement 187 188. That God will deliver his in the day of Judgement 188. That because man was so wicked God made the dumb creatures to take part of the punishment with him 189 190. A Sermon preached upon this text 2 Cor. 5.10 For we must all appear before the Judgement-seat of Christ 195. ERRATA Fol. 31. line 1. these words omitted nisi introspieere in mentem suam 51. l. 29. that for the 54. l. 1. the first all too much 83. l. 6. that too much 87. l. 16. dignitio tua for est dignatio tua 88. l. 1. serio for serious 112. l. 1. not too much 121. l. last word for sword 124. l. 7.8.9 read morbidus putridus cassus auspicatus 125. l. 3. dives for dies and l. 13. is to be left out 128. l. 3 4. melior for melius 136. l. 7. shall too much 141. l. 28. distinction for direction 144. l. 22 moriamini for moriâ—mini l. 27. O nqnom for O nequam 148. l. 21. ereunti for exennti 156. l. 24. quod for quid 159. l. 14. provectio for profectio 161. l. 17. bono for bona l. 26. sciet for sociat 162. l. 7. transgradimur for trunsgredimur and l. 10. temporali itinere de cursa for temporalis itineris decursu 165. l. 20. jubat for jubet 170. l. 5. somnum for somnus or somnium In the Sermon 2. division the generality of the Judgement we must all appear here to be left on t the 3. division the severity of the Judgement in this word appear here to be added CHAP. I. Touching the sacred word of God with certain directory Rules and observations by way of Caveats to be made use of for the more profitable and better understanding of the holy Scriptures and sacred word of God whensoever we do either read or hear the same preached unto us FIrst the constant and frequent reading and hearing of the Word of God and the due meditation thereon is a duty and service commanded us by God himself and by him enjoyned to be duely and carefully performed by us with his good blessings promised if we so do and his ensuing judgements threatned if we neglect the same all which appeareth by many places of Scripture Deut. chap. 11. vers 18.19.20.21 Ye shall lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul and bind them for a signe upon your hand that they may be as frontlets between your eyes And ye shall teach them your children speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way when thou liest down and when thou risest up And thou shalt write them upon the doore posts of thine house and upon thy gates That your dayes may be multiplied and the dayes of your children in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them as the dayes of heaven upon the earth Observe Deuteronomie chap. 12. vers 28. and hear all these words which I command thee that it may go well with thee and with thy children after thee for ever when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the Lord thy God And it shall be Deuteronomie chap 17. vers 18.19 when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdome that he shall write him a copy of this Law in a book And it shall be with him and he shall read therein all the dayes of his life that he may learn to fear the Lord his God to keep all the words of this law and these statutes to do them And Moses wrote this law Deuteronomie chap. 31. vers 9 10 11 12. and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi. And Moses commanded them saying Gather the people together men and women and children and the stranger that is within thy gates that they may hear and that they may learn and fear the Lord your God and observe to do all the words of this law But the word is very nigh unto thee Deuteronomie ch 30. vers 14. in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou mayest do it The word is nigh thee Romans ch 10. ver 8. even in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the word of faith which we preach This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth Joshua chap. 8. vers 8. but thou shalt meditate therein night and day that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good successe Whoso despiseth the word Prov. 13.13 shall be destroyed but he that feareth the commandement shall be rewarded I have sent unto you all my servants the prophets Jeremiah cha 7. ver 25 26. daily rising up early and sending them Yet they hearkened not nor enclined their eare but hardened their neck they did worse than their fathers How do ye say Jeremiah cha 8. ver 8.9 we are wise and
so long time served and having thus said he quietly died as St. Jerome observeth Death as one observeth is Succisio non occisio portus non orcus A cutting down not a cutting quite off A port or haven by which we pass to joy and not a gulf to swallow us up And this is via universae carnis the way of all flesh It is written of Xerxes That he having gathered together a million of Men went up into a high Mountain and there looking down upon them he presently wept and he being demanded why he did so answered Quia infra centum annos Because that within these hundred years all these so goodly Souldiers who now do as it were shew their strength and bravery will yet within that time be all of them dead For that Abraham is dead John 8.52 and the Prophets Therefore certain it is we must all dye and this is by no means to be avoided therefore we ought to labour and endeavour our selves so to live here as that in the end we dye not the death eternal But may enjoy after this life ended the unspeakable blessedness of the life to come and so being assured hereof the thought of the death temporal will never be grievous or troublesome unto us St. S. Hierome Hierome saith thus of Nepotian being dead That he did rather Migrare quam mori rather pass to an other place than die St. S. Bernard Bernard writes thus of one Hubertus being dead That he did rather abire quam obire fall asleep than dye And St. S. Chrysostom Chrysostome upon the death of a godly man saith Dormit non mortuus est quiescit non periit He is asleep not dead he doth rest and not perish Omnia pereundo servantur Tertullian All things by perishing are kept alive The Corn it dies and springs again as Tertullian observeth From hence ariseth unto us a great comfort in our death But some men will say 1 Cor. 15.35 to 44. How are the dead raised up and with what body do they come Thou Fool that which thou sowest is not quickned except it die And that which thou sowest thou sowest not that body that shall be but bear grain it may chance of Wheat or of some other grain But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him and to every seed his own body So also is the resurrection of the dead it is sown in corruption it is raised in incorruption It is sown in dishonor it is raised in glory it is sown in weakness it is raised in power It is sown a natural body it is raised a splritual boby there is a natural body Tertu lian and there is a spiritual body Mors est provectio ad resurrectionem non mors est janua qua intremur in Coelum et mors est via ad resurrectionem Death is as it were a Journey or a passage unto our Resurrection and not a Death and our Resurrection is the Gate or Way by which we enter into Heaven and Death is the ready way unto our Resurrection as Tertullian well observeth S. Augustine Therefore well saith Augustine hereupon Tolle articulum de resurrectione Christi et sublata est omnis spes vitae aeterna Take away the Article of the Resurrection of Christ and all our hope of life eternal is then also taken away Mors est Janua vitae Augustin Death is the Gate unto Life as St. Augustin observeth Petrus Damianus de Stephano mortuo Peter Damianus of Stephen being dead Petrus Damianus writeth thus Foelix somnus cum requie requies cum voluptate voluptas cum aeternitate O happy sleep with rest and rest with pleasure and pleasure with the enjoyment of eternity Whereupon St. S. Gregory Gregory writing upon the same saith Dulcis simul beatus somnus O sweet and also happy sleep Mors est cursus ad Coelum S. Chrysostom Death is a speedy course race or way to Heaven as St. Chrysostome observeth Again we are here in this World as Pilgrims Whereupon saith Augustine S. Augustin Cui peregrinatio dulcis est non amat patriam He whose Pilgrimage here is sweet unto him cannot be in love with his Country with this life Mors non est exitus sed transitus ad Coelum via ad Regnum Death doth not put a final end and period unto us but the same is as a passage for us unto Heaven and the ready way by which we must enter into the Kingdom of Heaven even into eternity as a Father well observeth And in this so troublesome a Sea of of this World Seneca and exposed unto all the surges and tempestuous waves that can arise there is no Port or Haven that doth appear unto the Navigators in this Sea for them to land or arive at but only the Port or Haven of Death as Seneca observeth Justo mors salutis est portus S. Ambrose ut St. Ambrose de bono morte To the Iust and godly Men death is the Port and Haven of Health and of Happiness It is our life here which doth keep and sever us from our Saviour but it is a happy death which doth conjoyn us unto Christ our head Non est mors sed vita quae morientem Christo societ Non est vita sed mors quae viventem Christo seperat It is not death but life which doth as it were conjoyn and associate the soul of the dying Christian unto Christ And it is not to be called a life but rather death which doth as it were seperate the Soul of the living Christian from Christ his Saviour Quod interim morimur S. Ciprian de mortalitate ad immortalitatum morte transgradimur Nec potest vita aeterna succedere nisi hinc contigerit exire Non est exitus sed transitus et temporali itinere de cursa ad aeterna transgressus ut Ciprian in tractatu de mortalitate For as much as we do here die suddenly we do pass by death unto immortality neither can life eternal succeed unless it happen unto us first to leave this Life It is not a final end but a passage and by the course of a temporal journey a passing unto Heaven Descendit altissimus S. Bernard et sua nobis descensa suavem ac salubrem dedicavit ascensum ut S. Bernard The highest did descend from Heaven and so by his descending he did dedicate his ascension to be good and profitable unto us Ascendit qui descendit S. Augustine descendit nt sanaret te ascendit ut levaret te ut St. Augustine He which ascended is the same which descended he descended that so he might heal and cure thee of all thy malladies he ascended that so he might by the virtue of his powerfull ascension lift thee up and make thee to ascend likewise Iohn 14.2 3. In my Fathers House are many mansions if it were not
as the bed Nothing more resembles our resurrection than our awaking and rising again in the morning This ought to put us daily in mind of our death and resurrection Et Lathi consanguineus sopor Virgil. ut Virgil. Sleep is a Cousin of death Speculum mortis somnnm Tertullian ut Tertullian Sleep is a very spectacle of death Quoties dormis vigilas toties morieris resurgis As often as thou sleepest and awakest again so often by way of resemblance dost thou dye and rise again as a Father observeth Dies iste Seneca quem tanquam extremum reformidas aeterni natalis est ut Seneca That day which thou so much fearest as being thy last day the same day for thy joy and comfort is thy everlasting birth-day Cur igitur doles Tertullian de patientia si periisse non credis ut Tertullian De patientia Why dost thou therefore grieve and lament to think of this thy last day if thou dost believe thou shalt not perish thereby We have rather cause of rejoycing when we think of this our last day of the day of our death the same being the day of our happy change All the daies of my appointed time Iob 14.14 will I wait till my change come Ultimus optimus medicus morberum etiam immedicabilium est mors Aeschilus ut Aeschilus Death is the last and the best Physitian and that of incurable diseases Mors aeterna quies ut Pater Aerumnarum requies mors Death brings us to our everlasting rest and puts an end unto all our miseries The antient Counsels termed the blessed Sacrament Or Viaticum morientis Viaticum Aeternitatis A blessed bate that the devout Soul useth to take in this life when he is even ready to travell for the other life It is very memorably observed by Nazianzen of St. Basil Nazianzen of S. Basil that in his life time he desired that when death came he might be so happy as in the ending of his daies to die with some divine sentence of piety in his mouth at the instant before his death Death is as a Father observeth a passage from Earth to Heaven from a World of endless miseries here to a happy Heaven of everlasting happiness in Heaven And he said unto Iesus Luke 23.42 43. Lord remember me when thou commest into thy Kingdom And Iesus said unto him Verily I say unto thee to day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Death as one observeth is a temporary separation of the Soul from the body A location or placing of the body in the Earth from whence it was taken and there to remain till the last day the day of Iudgement being the day of the happy re-uniting of the Soul and Body together again And a translation of the Soul and Spirit of man unto God that gave it who at the first breathed into him the breath of life And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground Gen. 2 7. and breathed into his Nostrils the breath of life and man became a living Soul All in whose Nostrils was the breath of life Gen. 7.22 In the sweat of thy face Gen. 3.19 shalt thou eat bread till thou return unto the Ground for out of it was thou taken for dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou teturn Cease ye from man Isaiah 2.22 whose breath is in his Nostrils All flesh shall perish together Iob 34.15 and Man shall turn again unto the dust His breath goeth forth Psal 146.4 he returneth to his earth All are of the dust Eccles 3.20 and all turn to dust again Thou takest away their breath Ps 104 29. they dye and return to their dust The Lord created man Ecclus. 7.8 of the earth and turned him into it again Then shall the Dust return to the earth as it was Eccles 12.7 and the Spirit shall return unto GOd who gave it I also am formed out of the clay Iob 33.6 But now O Lord Isaiah 64.8 thou art our Father and we are the clay These and such like meditations cannot choose but make the thought of death to be very happy and comfortable unto us A good name is better than pretious ointment Eccles 12.1 and the day of death than the day of ones birth A promise of Gods mercy A Promise of Gods mercy to comfort us against the day of our death For thou hast delivered my Soul from death Psalm 56.13 I will ransome them from the power of the grave Hosea 13.14 I will redeem them from death O death I will be thy plague O grave I will be thy destruction Verily Iohn 5.24 verily I say unto you He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life He will swallow me up in victory Isaiah 25.8 9. and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth for the Lord hath spoken it And it shall be said in that day Lo this is our God we have waited for him and he will save us This is the Lord we have waited for him we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation For thou hast delivered my Soul from death Psal 116.8 mine eyes from tears and my feet from falling For the Lambe which is in the midst of the Throne shall feed them Rev. 7 17. and shall lead them unto living Fountains of waters and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes Rev. 21.4 and there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away But we had the sentence of death in our selves 2 Cor. 1.9 10. that we should not trust in our selves but in God which raised the dead who delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver in whom we trust that he will deliver us 2 Tim. 2.19 The Lord knoweth them that are his Who hath saved us 2 Tim. 1.9 10. and called us with an holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Iesus before the world began But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Iesus Christ who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel Forasmuch then as the Chlidren are partakers of flesh and blood Heb. 2.14 15. he also himself took part of the same that through death he might destroy him that had the power of Death that is the Devil And deliver them who through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage We know that we have passed from death unto life
hath commanded you Ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left You shall walk in all the wayes which the Lord your God hath commanded you that ye may live and that it may be well with you and that ye may prolong your dayes in the land which ye shall possesse And the Lord shall make thee the head and not the tail Deut. 28.13 14. and thou shalt be above onely and thou shalt not be beneath if thou hearken unto the commandements of the Lord thy God which I command thee this day to observe and to do them And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day to the right hand or to to the left to go after other gods to serve them For not the hearers of the law Rom. 2.13 are just before God but doers of the Law shall be justified And I gave them my statutes Ezek. 20.11 and shewed them my judgements which if a man do he shall even live in them For Moses describeth the righteousnesse of the Law Rom. 10.5 which is of the Law that the man which doth those things shall live by them For as many as are of the works of the Law are under the curse Gal. 3.10 12. for it is written Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them And the Law is not of faith but the man that doth them shall live in them Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this Law to do them Deut. 27.26 and all the people shall say Amen The Gospel tyeth us onely to believe aright in God and in his son our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ The Gospel onely looks upon the eye of our faith that we believe the promises of God made unto us in Christ Jesus and that we lay hold on him make particular application of the benefits of his sufferings death and passion Resurrecton and ascension unto our souls by a true and lively faith And this is all we are commanded and enjoyned to do and perform by the Gospel and New Testament Whereupon it was well said by one Dicit Evangelium Crede hoc vive that is Onely believe all this and thou shalt live He that believeth Mark 16.16 and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned And he said unto her Luke 8.48 Daughter be of good comfort thy faith hath made thee whole go in peace Straightway Mark 9.24 the father of the child cried out and said with tears Lord I believe help mine unbelief And a woman having an issue of bloud twelve yeares Luke 8.43 44. which had spent all her living upon Physicians neither could be healed of any Came behind him and touched the border of his garment and immediately her issue of bloud stenched For she said within her self Matthew 9.21 if I may but touch his garment I shall be whole And Jesus said who touched me Luke 8.45 46. when all denied Peter and they that were with him said The multitude throng thee and press thee and sayest thou who touched me And Iesus said Some body hath touched me for I perceive that vertue is gone out of me And when the woman saw that she was not hid she came trembling Luke 8.47 48 and falling down before him she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him and how she was healed immediately But Iesus turned him about Matth. 9.22 and when he saw her he said Daughter be of good comfort thy faith hath made thee whole and the woman was made whole from that houre Hereupon St. St. Augustin Augustin observeth thus much upon this place Cum de morbo in morbum laborasset cum de morbo desperato tunc accessit tetigit sanata est When she laboured of a great disease and of such a disease that was even desperate then even then she came unto our Saviour Iesus Christ she touched the hemme of his garment and she was immediately healed and made whole And again as touching the words of Christ who hath touched me Cum omnes te tangunt indifferenter quomodo quaeris quis specialiter te tangit as one observeth When all men do alike indifferently touch thee wherefore dost thou enquire and ask who harh specially touched thee Thus and in this manner tangere Christum to touch Christ as a Father well observeth this was tactus fidei the touch of her faith And he said unto her Luke 8.48 Daughter be of good comfort thy faith hath made thee whole go in peace St. S. Augustin Augustine upon this former place sheweth two reasons why Christ our Saviour used this before-recited form of speech Prime ut mulierem ad confessionem traheret First that he might hereby draw the woman to a confession of what she had done and for what cause she did it Secundo ut timorem mulierit probaret Secondly that he might hereby prove the fear and try the faith of the woman And he said to the woman Luke 7.50 thy faith hath saved thee go in peace And said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee whole This spoken to the Samaritan Luke 17.19 a leper being cleansed and returned to give thanks And Iesus said unto him Luke 18.42 Receive thy sight thy faith hath saved thee But as many as received him John 17.12 to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wildernesse John 3.14 15. even so must the son of man be lifted up That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternall life God so loved the world John 3.16 17 36. that he gave his onely begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternall life For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved He that believeth on the Son John 11.25 26. hath life everlasting and he that believeth not the son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Iesus said I am the resurrection and the life he that believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die To him give all the Prophets witnesse Acts 10.43 that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins Be it known unto you therefore Acts 13.38 39. men and brethren that through this man is preached unto you the forgivenesse of sins And by him all that believe are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses And we believe Acts 15.11 that through the grace of the Lord Iesus Christ we shall
and bind on thy sandals and so he did and he saith unto him Cast thy garment about thee and follow me And he went out and followed him By Prayer the 3 Children Dan. 3.16 17 18 19 21 24. Shadrach Meshack and Abednego being cast bound into the midst of the fiery furnace were by God preserved and delivered from the flames of fire Shadrach Meshack and Abednego answered and said to the King O Nebuchadnezzar we are not carefull to answer thee in this matter If it be so Be it known unto thee O King that we will not serve thy Gods nor worship the golden Image thou hast set up Then was Nebuchadnezzar ful of fury therefore he spake and commanded that they should heat the furnace one 7 times more that it was wont to be heat Then these men were bound in their coats their hosen and their hats and their other garments were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace Then the King was astonied and rose up in hast and spake and said unto his Counsellors Did not we cast 3 men bound into the midst of the fire they answered said to him True O King He answered and said Lo I see 4 men loose walking in the midst of the fire and they have no hurt and the form of the 4th is like the Son of God And the Princes governors and captains and the Kings Counsellors being gathered together saw these men upon whom the fire had no power nor was an hair of their head singed neither were their coats changed nor the smell of fire had passed on them When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee Isa 43 2 3 and 11. I even I am the Lord and besides me there is no Saviour and through the Rivers they shall not overflow thee when thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the flame kindle upon thee For I am the Lord thy God the holy one of Israel thy Saviour All these were deliver'd by the powerfulness of prayer prevailing with God By Prayer Jacob the night before he did meet with his brother Esau wrestled with the Angel by his earnestness and importunity of his prayer he at the last therby so far prevailed with him as that he obtained a blessing from him and his Brother Esau was appeased towards him which made him greatly to rejoyce And Iacob was left alone Gen. 32.24 to 28. and there wrestled a man with him untill the breaking of the day and he said let me go for the day breaketh he said I wil not let thee go except thou bless me And he said unto him What is thy name and he said Jacob. And he said Thy name shall be called no more Jacob but Israel for as a Prince hast thou power with God and with man and hast prevailed And Esau ran to meet him and embraced him Gen. 33.4 10. and fell on his neck and kissed him and they wept And Iacob said I have seen thy face as though I had seen the face of God and thou wast pleased with me He took his Brother by the heel in the wombe Hos 12.3 4 5. and by his strength he had power with God Yea he had power over the Angel and prevailed he wept and made supplication unto him he found him in Bethel and there he spoke with us Even the Lord God of Hosts the Lord is his memorial By Prayer Moses for the children of Israel prevailed against Amalek and overehrew him And Moses said unto Joshua Exod. 17.9 10 11. chuse us out men and go out and fight with Amalek to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand So Joshua did as Moses had said unto him and fought with Aamalek and Moses Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the Hill And it came to pass when Moses held up his hand that Israel prevailed and when he let it down Amalek prevailed Ioshua obtained from the Lord that the Sun and Moon should stand still in the firmament Iosh 10.8 10 12 13 14. whiles that he avenged himself on his enemies the Amorites And the Lord said unto Joshua Fear them not for I have delivered them into thine hand And the Lord discomfited them before Israel Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel and he said in the sight of Israel Sun stand still upon Gibeon and thou Moon in the Valley of Aialon And the sun stood still and the Moon stayed untill the People had avenged themselves So the sun stood still in the midst of Heaven and hasted not to go down about a whole day And there was no day like that before it or after it that the Lord hearkned unto the voice of a man for the Lord fought for Israel By Prayer Elijah brought down fire from Heaven which consumed the burnt-Sacrifice to the convincing of Baals Prophets Hear me O Lord Kings 18.17.38 39. Elijahs Prayer hear me that this people may know that thou art the Lord God and that thou hast turned their heart back again Then the fire of the Lord fell consumed the burnt sacrifice the wood and the stones the dust and licked up the water that was in the trench And when all the people saw it they fell on their faces and they said The Lord he is God the Lord he is God By Prayer Elijah brought down fire twice from Heaven and consumed the 2 Captains with their several fifties comming unto him with a message from Ahaziah King of Samaria Then the King sent unto him a Captain of fifty 2 Kings 1.9 11 12. with his fifty and he went up to him and behold he sate upon the top of an hill and he spoke unto him Thou man of God the King hath said come down And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty If I be a man of God then let fire come down from heaven and consume thee and thy fifty and there came down fire from heaven and consumed him and his fifty Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty and he answered and said unto him O man of God thus hath the king said come down quickly And Elijah answered and said unto them If I be a man of God let fire come down from heaven and consume thee and thy fifty and the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty By prayer 1 Kin. 17.21 22. Elijah raised the widows son from death to life again And he cried unto the Lord and said I pray thee let this childs soul come into him again And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah and the soul of the child came into him again and he revived By prayer Elisha caused the waters of Jordan to be divided smiting of them with the mantle which fell from
so I would have told you it I go to prepare a place for you And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto my self that where I am there ye may be also Sapientis est igitur totam in mortem Seneca prominere hoc velle hoc meditari hac semper cupidine ferri ut Seneca It is therefore the part of a wise man wholly to bend and prepare himself for and towards Death to be willing to dye to be alwaies meditating on death and to desire the same And not to be like unto those of whom Seneca complaineth in this manner Nemo sine quaerula moritur Seneca Quis non recusans Quis non gemens exit ut Seneca No man dyeth without complainings Who goeth willingly out of this World without expressing of some sorrow and lamentation for the same But for our greater comfort in Death St. Cyprian observeth thus much Ad refrigerium justi vocantur S. Cyprian ad supplicium rapiuntur injusti datur mors tutela fidentibus perfidis autem paena The just and godly by death are called unto rest and to a refreshing But the wicked and ungodly are suddenly snatched away by Death unto punishment And again Death to the godly is as a safe Custody and Protection But unto the Wicked Death is as a sharpe and severe punishment This difference is therefore observed between the hope of the Wicked The difference between the hope of the Wicked and the Godly and the Worldly-minded man and of the Godly and truly Religious man The Worldly-minded man Dum spirat sperat Whiles that he hath any breath left in him his hope still is to recover But the Godly and Religious man Dum expirat sperat When Life decaies and when his last breath is ready to go out of his body even then at that very instant hath he hope to enjoy a far better life The wicked is driven away in his wickedness Prov. 14.32 but the righteous hath hope in his death Nulla res magis proderit Seneca quam cogitatio mortalitatis ut Seneca Nothing can more profit and avail a man here in this life than a serious thought and meditation of his mortality Nullius rei meditatio tam necessaria est ut Seneca Seneca Meditari mortem qui hoc dicit meditari libertatem jubat ut Seneca The Meditation of nothing is so necessary as this meditation of Death is For to meditate on death he which adviseth us so to do commandeth us to meditate on that which introduceth our greatest liberty and happiness Mortem nemo hilaris excipit Seneca nisi quise ad istam diu composuerat ut Seneca No man doth entertain and welcome death chearfully unless he have well disposed fitted and prepared himself long before for that day Compone te igitur ad diem illum Seneca ut Seneca Therefore fit and prepare thy self for that day Dies ultimus salubriter ignoratur S. Gregory and S. Bernard ut semper proximus esse credatur ut St. Gregory St. Bernard Our last day or the day of our death is kept from our knowledge and that very profitably for our good that so we should believe and think every day to be our last day that so we may be alwaies ready fitted and prepared for the same accordingly Qualis vita finis ita As a mans life is so shall his death be Qualis quisque hinc exierit S. Augustine in suonovissimo die talis invenietur in novissimo seculi die ut St. Augustin Look in what state and condition a man is in when he departeth out of this World in his last day even in the day or time of his death In the self same state and condition shall he be found to be in in the last day of the World even in the day of Judgement If the clouds be full of rain they empty themselves upon the earth Eccles 11.3 and if the Tree fall towards the South or towards the North in the place where the Tree falleth there it shall be Longe est quidem dies judiecii sed unius cujusque hominis S. Augustine dies ultimus longe esse non potest quia brevis est vita vitae brevitas incerta ut St. Augustine The day of Iudgement may be long before it come but the last day or the day of death of every particular person cannot be long before it happen because that this our life is short and this shortness of our life uncertain Seneca Effice igitur mortem tibi cogitatione familiarem ut possis illi laetns alacer obviam exire ut Seneca Therefore strive and endeavour thou by the often thought and meditation of death to make the same familiar unto thee that so when death knocks at the door of thy heart thou mayest be then ready joyfully and chearfully to embrace the same Magna autem pars est Seneca et diu discenda cum adventat hora illa inevitabilis aequo animo exire ut Seneca But it is a very great and difficult thing and a long time in learning for a man to go out of this World with a quiet and with a contented mind when that inevitable day and hour of our death shall come Vivere tota vita discendum est Seneca de brevitatc vitae cap. 7. et quod magis fortasse miraberis tota vita discendum est mori ut Seneca de brevitate vitae cap. 7. During our whole life we must learn to live and which is more and it may be to be wondred at our whole life here must be a learning to die Mors omnium dolorum et solutio est et finis ut Seneca Death is the ful end and period of all our griefs and sorrows which are here endured Seneca Per vitam ad mortem transitus est S. Ambrose de bona morte per mortem ad vitam reditus est ut St. Ambrose de bona morte Our life is a passage unto death and by death we return to life Tota vita nihil aliud est quam ad mortem iter ut Seneca Our whole life here is nothing else but a Iourney unto death Death is the salve that ceaseth all annoy For our comfort in death Death is the Port by which we pass to joy For our further comfort in death Christus morte mortem destruxit vitamque reduxit ut Cyril Christ by his death destroyed death and the power thereof and thereby brought life unto us Mors est quae mundum redemit Leo St. Ambrose de bona morte ut Leo St. Ambrose de bona morte It was the death of Christ which redeemed the world Morte illa mors mortua est S. Bernard ut St. Bernard By the death of Christ was death killed Nothing doth more resemble death than sleep Nothing so like the Grave
the Lord of hosts For as the lightning cometh out of Matth. 24.27 the east and shineth even unto the west so shall also the coming of the Son of man be Immediately after the tribulation of those dayes shall the sun be darkened Matth. 24.29 30 31 33 36. the moon shall not give her light the stars shall fall from heaven the powers of the heaven shall be shaken And then shall appear the sign of the son of man in heaven Mark 13.24 25 26 27 29 32 33. and Luke 21.25 26 27 31 32 33. the same with St. Matthew and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from the one end of heaven to the other When ye shall see all these things know that it is near even at the doors But of that day and hour knoweth no man no nor the angels of heaven but my Father onely By these preceding places of Scripture it appears That the day of Iudgement or the day the Lord is called by the name of the harvest being ripe The harvest of the earth is ripe and therefore to be reaped with the sickle By the name of a noise that shall come even to the ends of the earth and that the Lord hath a controversie with the Nations that he will plead with all flesh and give them that are wicked to the sword Again Of the day of Judgement a farther description and of the effects of it The day of Iudgement further described with full expressions in the Scripture how fearfull and terrible the same shall be and what men shall do for to avoid the same And they shall go into the holes of the rocks Isaiah 2.19 and 10.11 12. all to the same purpose and into the caves of the earth for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth Or then shall they go into the holes of the rocks from before the fear of the Lord and from the glory of his majesty when he shall arise to destroy the earth as another Translation is In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver Isaiah 2.20 and his idols of gold which they made each one for himself to worship to the moles to the bats Or at that day shall a man cast away his silver idols and and his golden idols which they had made themselves to worship them to the moles and to the batts as another Translation is That is Exposition They shall cast them into most vile and filthy places when they perceive that they are not able to help them as the exposition is To go into the clefts of the rocks Isai 2.20 21. and into the tops of the ragged rocks for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth And they shall say to the mountains Cover us and to the hills Hosea 10.8 Fall on us Then shall they begin to say to the mountains Fall on us and to the hills Luke 23.30 Cover us And the kings of the earth Rev. 6.15 16. and the great men and the rich men and the chief captains and the mighty men and every bond-man and every freeman hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and rocks Fall on us And hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb For the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand And in those dayes shall men seek death and shall not find it and shall desire to dye and death shall flee from them Riches Prov. 11.4 profit or avail not in the day of wrath but righteousnesse delivereth from death Trust not in wicked riches Ecclus 5.8 for they shall not help or profit thee in the day of punishment or vengeance Wo unto you that desire the day of the Lord Amos 5.18 to what end is it for you the day of the Lord is darknesse and not light Or what have you to do with it as another Translation is Thus he speaketh because the wicked and hypocrites said they were content to abide Gods Iudgements whereas the godly tremble and fear as the exposition is As if a man did flee from a lion Amos 5.19 20. and a bear met him or went into the house and leaned hard on the wall and a serpent bit him Shall not the day of the Lord be darknesse and not light even very dark and no brightnesse in it Or and no light in it as another Translation is Behold 1 Cor. 15.51 I shew you a mystery or a secret thing we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed when the Lord cometh to Iudgement some of the saints shall be alive whom he will change even as if they were dead so that this change is instead of death to them as the Exposition is Exposition For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout 1 Thess 4.16 17. with the voice of the Archangel and with the Trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Meaning them which shall be found alive as the exposition is In this sudden taking up Exposition there shall be a kind of mutation of the qualities of our bodies which shall be as a kind of death as the exposition is And it shall be said in that day Lo Isaiah 25.9 this is our God we have waited for him and he will save us This is the Lord we have waited for him we will be glad and rejoyce in his salvation In a moment 1 Cor. 15.52 in the twinckling of an eye at the last trump or trumpet for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed For this corruptible must put on incorruption 1 Cor. 15.53 and this mortall must put on immortality I will ransome them from the power of the grave Hosea 13.14 I will redeem them from death O death I will be thy plagues O grave I will be thy destruction Meaning Exposition that no power shall resist God when he will deliver his but even in death he will give them life as the exposition is Therefore be ye ready Matth. 24.44 for in such an hour as you think not the son of man cometh or will come Ye that put farr away the evil day Amos 6.3 and cause the seat of violence to come near