grinders our Teeth to cease and them that looke out of the windowes our Eyes to waxe darke Thou shuttest the Doores of our lippes and stoppest our windpipes the Daughters of our singing Thou cuttest short the siluer cord of Marrow and breakest the golden Ewer of our Brainpanne Thou breakest the Pitcher of our veines at the Well of our Liuer at the Cesterne of our Heart there breakest thou the wheele of our Head O Death Heb. 9.27 thou art doomed to vs all It is appointed for all men once to dye We all walke this one way all tread this one path we must all sleepe our last sleepe and that darke night of Death will once ouertake vs all Patres nostri praeterierunt nos abimus posteri sequuntur Eucher Paraen Our Fathers are dead our Friends are dead and our selues also must dye Some are gone before vs some accompany vs and some come after vs like waue after waue are we dasht against the hard and cold stone Death Serius aut citius metam proper ammad vnaus And thus soone or late we dye all at last We are borne with condition to dye We therefore put on the Garment of our Body to put it off and at first take vp the load of Nature to lay it dowen at last Death is Natures Law and to dye is but to pay Natures Tribute It is as naturall for vs to liue and dye as for to wake and sleepe O Death Thou art certainely comming yet vncertaine is it when thou wilt come Nil certius morte at hora mortis incertius nihil Nothing more certaine then Death but then the houre of Death nothing more vncertaine Matth. 24.36 Of that day and houre knoweth no man That is of the day of Iudgement the houre of Death Death comes as a Thiefe in the night both suddenly and violently it takes vs one vpon the house top another in the Field one working in the Vine-yard another grinding at the Mill one vpon the house top of honours another in the field of Pleasures one abouring in the Vineyard of a Christian Calling another grinding at the Mill of worldly affaires Eccles 9.12 A man knoweth not his time that is the time of his death God will not tell vs the time when Death shal come vpon vs because hee would haue vs thinke it neuer but neere vs He will not let vs know our last day because he would haue vs suspect and expect euery day to be our last Latet vltimus dies vt obseruentur omnes dies Aug de discipl Christiana This one houre the houre of Death is hidden from vs that all the houres of our life might the rather be obserued by vs. O Death thou art impartiall and indifferent to all Pauperam tabernas regumque turres thou knockest equally at the Pallace as the Cottage doore thou likenest a Kings scull to a Beggers and makest no difference betweene their dust Neither hast thou pitty vpon the Poore nor respect vnto the Rich neither scornest thou the foolish nor dost thou reuerence the wise Eccles 2.16 How dyeth the wiseman as doth the Foole. The oldman thou long threatnest the yong man thou soone betrayest Neither sparest thou for Age Sexe Degrees nor Gifts No Power of ours can forbid thee no Diligence auoyd thee no teares moue thee Price hire thee no art or Eloquence perswade thee O Death thou art manifold thou commest to vs in sundry hues and shapes Thou approachest pale and leane to the old man bloody boysterous to the yong man blacke as hell to the bad man and but vgly vnto euery man Thou comest to vs sometimes in Mens hands sometimes in Beastes mouthes sometimes in a flame of fire sometimes in a waue of water sometimes in a blast of wind sometimes in the slipping of a foote somtimes in the faling of a stone Thou comest to vs sometimes in our cloaths and sometimes in our Meate and Drinke We dye diuersly Some by warre some in Peace some by Sea some by land some in the Field some on our Beds some by our own violence or Intemperance some by a sudden wound and some by a languishing disease Mille modis lethi miseres mors vnafatigat And thus by a thousand wayes of dying one Death destroyes vs all O Death how bitter is the remembrance of thee Ecclus 41.1.2 to a man that liue that rest in his possessions c. O Death how acceptable is thy iudgement vnto the needfull c. O Death thou art a shadow indeed thou fleest those that follow thee and followest those that flee thee Mors optata recedit at cum tristis erit praecipi tata venit Thou hastnest then when we wish to eschue thee then delayest thou when we seeke to imbrace thee Death is the rich mans Feare and the poore mans Desire Often called vpon in Aduersity neuer thought vpon in prosperity In prosperity we complaine and cry with Hezekiah Isa 38. to haue it further added into our dayes But in aduersity we can be content euery one to wish with Elijah It is enough now O Lord 1 King 19.4 take away my Soule for I am no better then my Fathers O Death How fearefull a thing art thou to flesh and blood How abhor we to haue the graue forour house to make our bed in darkenesse to say to Corruption thou art my Father and to the Worme thou art my Sister and my Mother How doe we hate to inherit serpents and wormes to be separated from our selues to be returned to our dust how does Death terrifie vs not onely in our owne experience but others example In others Example so oft as we see or heare another is dead it troubles vs to thinke that wee also must dye For our owne experience how are we then agast not knowing either what we must be or whither we must goe Wee are afraid to dye euen we who haue good hope after Death Euen we that looke for an house not made with hands are notwithstanding loath to leaue this house of clay we that haue the promise of a Kingdome are but vnwilling to forgoe our Prison There is a Feare in vs to be dissolued notwithstanding our Desire to be with Christ and we many irke to vndergoe the Passage that euen reioyce to approach to the Home 2 An interrogation or death dared where I am to aske this one thing of death for your incouragement where is thy sting Not onely this I am now to aske of death but that I haue already said to death truely considered serues to incourage vs against death Death is a shadow 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys ad pop hom 5. but a very Bug-beare and are we like children afraid of Hobgoblings onely death is a nothing and are wee afraid of we know not what Death separates betwixt soule and body why feare wee so it should dissolue vs when wee ought to reioyce rather that it cannot destroy vs Feare wee
life tooke away death from our life his death gaue life to our death The Text askes not this question O death what is thy sting yet doe the words following make answere to such a question The sting of death is sinne Death belike is not the sting of sinne but sinne the sting of death peccato enim morimur Anselm in lâ— non morte peccamus Sith we dâ—e indeed by sinning but sinne not by dying And as the words following answere to a question they aske not So my Text askes a question to which it answeres not O death where is thy sting It does not tell you where it is to tell you it is no where Death hath now no sting I am non est stimulus sed sibilus immo iubilus Reioyce all and be glad This Serpent may hisse at vs this Bee may buzze about vs but now can neither pricke nor sting The sting of death is gone there remaines but the name of death nay not the name of death to them that are in Christ Iesus Mors piorum non mors dicenda c. The death of the godly is not to bee called a death but a sleepe a resting from their labours a deliuery from their prison a laying downe their loade a flitting to their home Death hath lost her sting Death is now no punishment but a passage not so much an end of this present life as an entrance to a better not a destruction now but a dissolution separating body and soule for a time that so both may be conioyned with Christ to eternity Thus haue I askt this one thing of death O death where is thy sting Now let me aske this one thing of you why are you so desperately and forlornely afraid of death hauing heard and knowne how death hath lost her sting Oh saithlesse man and faint hearted Why tremblest thou now to incounter with thy last enemy since her weapon is taken from her Shrinkest thou so at the coldnesse of the Serpent when thou knowest her poyson and sting are both away Oh faithlesse and faint-hearted to be so afraid of a shadow Ah wretches why feare wee death so desperately that are not lost but sent before whom death vtterly destroyes not but eternity once receiues It is for them to feare death so desperately that passe from one death to another namely from a death of the body once on earth to the death of body and soule in hell for euer It is for them so forlornely to feare a temporall death that are either ignorant or desperate of eternall life It is for them so to feare their flittings that goe from their prison to the place of their execution But as for vs that are in Christ Iesus wee passe from a Prison to a Palace from a Dunghill to a Throne from a crazy and wretched Tabernacle to a certaine and blessed home Cypr. de mortal Eius est mortem timere qui non vult ad Christumire It is for them to feare to be dissolued that hope not to be with Christ A forlorne feare of death is but a despaire of life after death Men had rather suffer a great deale of paine and liue then dye but with a little paine the which betokens that it is something after death that is so fearefull and not death it selfe Let them then desire to linger in the miseries of this present life that so but delay awhile the torments of the life to come But as for vs that are in Christ Iesus after many our stormes and shipwracks why feare wee to arriue at our Hauen Hauing fought a good fight and finished our course why doubt we to goe and haue our crowne hauing runne our race why are we so loath to obtaine our price Why should we feare the threatnings of a temporall death that may reioyce in the promises of eternall life Rom. 14.8 Whether we liue wee liue vnto the Lord whether we dye we dye vnto the Lord therefore whether wee liue or dye we are the Lords Neither let vs bee so dissolute and prophane of life as therefore ashamed to liue nor so ignorant and negligent of death as therefore afraid to dye But at the instant of our seuerall flittings say euery one as a dying Saint Egredere quid times Hieron in vita Hilarion egredere anima mea c. Goe forth my soule why fearest thou goe forth Learne each soule to say at the last passage of his pilgrimage what though I dye I know my Redeemer liueth though I be dissolued from my selfe yet shall I bee conioyned with Christ Lye then downe my body and returne vnto thy dust mount thou aloft my soule and meet thy Sauiour in the ayre my body may be but wormes-meate for a while my soule I am assured shall be an Angels fellow for euer I haue done with my Text as concerning you before whom it hath beene vttered I am now onely to apply it to this honourable party for whom it was intended This honourable party your doletull spectacle and my Texts vntimely occasion This honourable party our Master Father Brother this honourable party whose honour for his person now lyes in the dust for his succession Lord let it long and much both continue and increase The blessed Saints of God learne many good lessons in their liues which they both teach and vse at their death Concerning this Saint now departed wee that heard can witnesse how well he had learnt to adapt the prayers and sayings of the faithfull and former Saints to his owne and instant necessities Luk. 2. He sang with Simeon Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace Hee prayed with Saint Paul desiring to be dissolued Phil. 1. and to be with Christ Yea said hee with both the lingring and longing Saints How long Lord how long Euen so come Lord Iesus Reu. 6. Reu. 22. come quickly One of these sweet sayings of his owne application had giuen me my Text to treat of saue that I considered this Text that I haue chosen did as much as intimate them all For to pray to depart to desire to be dissolued to call for the hasâ—ening and to complaine of the deferring What other is all this but as in my Text earnestly to summon death O death and stouâ—y to daredeath where is thy sting Hee mentioned the departing hee expected the dissoluing but he neuer feared the stinging Hee knew hee should not be lost he should but depart therefore sayes he Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart c. He knew well death could but dissolue him it could not destroy him he therefore said I desire to be dissolued c. And this is no more then as if hee had demanded of death here in defiance O death where is thy sting As hee had thus said O death thou art death indeede and thou mayest dissolue mee but where is thy sting Sting hast thou none and therefore thou canst not destroy me It hath beene
what may separate vs from our selues rather imbrace we what will conuey vs to Christ Death is deomed to vs all and why feare we what we cannot eschew Our willingnese to dye is the onely way to preuent the necessity of death Chrys in Mat. 10. Offeramus Deopro munere quod debito teneamur reddere Let vs therefore offer God our liues as a free gift which hee will otherwise require as a due debt Deaths comming is vncertaine and shall any vncertaine thing cause in vs a certaine feare Incertum est Sen. ep 26. quo te loco mors expectet itaque tu illam omni loco expecta Rather seeing it is vncertaine at what time or in what place death will ouertake vs let vs therefore bee sure to expect death at all times and in euery place Death is equall and impartiall to all this also should make vs lesse afraid of death Sen ep 30. Quis queri potest in ea conditione se esse in qua nemo non est Who can complaine when himselfe is but in such a case or condition in which none are not Who lookes that shee should spare any that knowes her indifferent to all When the like ruine is threatned to an whole world who expects that himselfe should escape alone Some comfort against the cruelty of death is her equality There are diuers wayes of dying and should that make vs afraid of death No matter how we dye seeing the most is but to be dead Non multum curandum est eis Aug. lib. 1. Ciu. Dei qui necessario merituri sunt quid accidet vt moriantur sed moriendo quo ire cogantur Since wee must dye it skilleth not how we dye but whether we must goe after death Lastly death is a thing fearefull to flesh and bloud yet should not all this make vs afraid of death For it is not death but the feare of death that is so fearefull This feare fulnesse is rather from our owne ignorance then according to the nature of the thing Chrys ad pop hom 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 did we but know death wee would not so feare death The feare of death is the punishment of our ignorance and negligence which make vs apprehend things as new and strange things which otherwise are neither strange nor new The onely way then to make death not so fearefull to vs is by a daily meditation thereof to make it more familiar to acquaint our selues withall before the comming that we may lesse feare it when it comes And thus first learning not to feare death at last come wee to dare death O death where is thy sting 1 Cor. 15.26 Death is not yet destroyed for the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death but death is already disarmed O death where is thy sting The Text is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Captaines song of victory as also the Souldiers song of deliuery The words are of a mighty Conquerour brauely insulting ouer a base and wretched enemy And who is this conquerour of death but Christ Iesus the Lord of life It was hee spake in the Prophets words O death Hos 13.14 I will bee thy death and in his power speakes the Apostle here O death where is thy sting Greg. hom 22. Quia in electis funditus occidit mortem mors mortis extitit Christ did once subdue death for vs O death I will be thy death and we may now deride death in Christ O death where is thy sting Olim morti nostrae Leo serm 8. passion mortis suae potentiam minabatur Christ once threatned his death to our death O death I will be thy death wherefore wee now may glory in the vertue of his death against the malice of our owne O death where is thy sting Christ ouercame death by dying nay through death destroyed be not death onely but him also that had the power of death the Deuill Heb. 7.14 Our Captaine both beate our enemy at her owne weapon and caught the Hunter in his owne snare Hee but yeelded to death to take aduantage against her yea therefore dyed the life that death might no longer liue Chrys in Math. 12. Wherefore Non Christum mortuum in morte credimus sed mortem mortuam in Christo Wee doe not thinke that Christ is dead in death but beleeue that death is dead in Christ Death that greedy Whale durst deuoure Christ our Ionas who was therefore cast forth into the sea of the world that so the stormes and tempests of the deuill and sinne might cease but hee was preserued aliue in the Fishes belly the belly of hell the iawes of death to preach repentance to the Niniue of the Church This same Whale swallowed the baite of Christs humanity but the hook of his diuinity intangled her and made her vomit vp her bowels Hieron lib. 1. ep ad Heliodor together with the baite Deuorasti deuorata es Death thought to haue swallowed Christ downe in obscurity and so death her selfe was swallowed vp in victory Death that Serpent was bold to sting Christ but he made her lose her sting for her labour His humanity could but receiue her sting of which his Diety did depriue her So that wee may well aske her in him O death 1 Cor. 15.56 Ioh. 1.29 where is thy sting The sting of death is sinne Christ the Lamb of God hath taken away the sins of the world In Christ Iesus therefore may we securely say O death where is thy sting Iob askt of man Man dyeth and where is he Iob 14.10 but wee may aske as much of death Man dyeth and where is death yea wee may aske concerning the worst of death deaths sting O death where is thy sting Iacob thus bewailed the death of Ioseph Ioseph is dead Ioseph is not Gen. 42. And Rachel wept for her children and would not bee comforted because they were not Math. 2. Because death was there they thought their children to bee no where But now death does but conuey vs where we should be and death it selfe is no where O death where is thy sting Death is quite vndone since the Crosse of Christ When death entred first into the world Exod. 15. it was like the waters of Marah exceeding bitter but since the Tree of the Crosse of Christ was cast therein it is now seasoned and sweetned vnto vs. Wee might once cry out with the children of the Prophets 2 King 4. death is in the pot death is in the pot But since Christ hath said This Cup is the new Testament in my bloud we may now say with the Saints of God The Cup of Saluation Saluation is in the Cup. There is now no more death since the Lord of life Vita cius instruxit nostram mors destruxit nostram His life hath instructed our life his death destroyed our death his life quickened ours his death sweetned ours his