with our deare Saviour when for the last farewell of their power and malice they fetcht such a mighty blow that they broke both arme and sword and indeed it put our valiant Champion so far to it that he fell with Death but got up againe and left Death dead for ever so that now Death hath no more dominion over him nor us through him as in Rom. 6. 9. so that believe it Saints the King of Terrour's dead and shall play Rex no more amongst you Then secondly under covert of this perswasion I le stand and Vse 23 show the strongest consolation that can be imagined both Over Death and Over the Dead First it is rich and strong comfort over Death the thing that thou fearest so much will prove advantage to thee Christ is thy convey through all thine enemies quarters with a considerable body and will secure thee and bring thee off with honour rebuke thy weak feares Oh thou saist if I were but past the borders of death I should doe well sure we are of little faith that we cannot take Christs word for our securitie the Saints gone before have slighted contemned wished for death nay rejoyced in it like a Wedding day Old Jacob dyes with such composure of spirit calls for his Children blesses and kisses them and gathers up his feet into the bed and dies and no more Moses that morning the messenger of death comes goes and views the Land of Canaan and envies not them that should enter into it for hee was provided of a better and so walkes up the hill and dies and not a word of feare or discontent and as Christ the deliverer drew nearer it was counted nothing nay best of all to dye and therefore in the New-Testament Death is termed 1. Flitting to a better house 2. Sowing for a Crop 3. Gaining and advantage First Death is termed flitting as in that excellent place of 2 Cor. 5. 1. when Death turns the Saints out of doors they are not to seeke of a better house a house built and prepared and furnished at the cost of Christ for us as you may read in the 14. of John 2. I goe to prepare a place for you and in my fathers house are many mansions if not I would have told you that you might have made your termes with your old Landlord the world but I have provided for you now who would be troubled to flit from a smoaky Cottage to a stately Pallace Secondly Death is termed sowing as you may read John 12. 24. Except a Corne of Wheat fall into the ground and dye it abideth alone c. Now sowing is all our hope for a Harvest the Country-man is not affraid to cast his very bread upon the waters because it will come up after many dayes so shall the Saints after falling into the ground by death arise to everlasting glory Thirdly Death is termed gaine in Phil 1. 21. For me to dye is gaine many feare to live by the losse but me thinks none should feare to dye for gaine especially such considerable gaine as an incomprehensible weight of glory But take but the point and me thinks none should be affraid to enter into peace how sweet is peace to all men and what hurt will Christs peace doe you are you affraid of Abrahams bosome or of paradise or what danger is there in this new Ierusalem or the Lords joy Christ once said to Peter in his fainting fear not it is I so he stands upon the shore of death and saies to believers feare not Children it is I your Saviour and nothing shall hurt you whilst I am here then Saints lift up your heads when death draws nigh for then your redemption draws neer Here is also comfort in the next place over the dead though heavinesse must needs be at parting with such dear relations and such precious peices for use and service as these now we mourne for yet here shines out a bright beame through our cloud of mourning He is entered into peace and such peace as if thou sawest as perfectly as thou doest earthly things and as we shall hereafter doe heavenly I dare say thou couldst not find in thy heart to wish him here againe when your Children goe from you to Wed or Trade though you love their company well yet you will not hinder their preferment but let them depart so when Father Child or Friend goes to glory though our lives be lapt up in theirs yet it were but harsh nay absolute unkindnesse to wish them here againe in this wretched world when our Saviour wakened out of his sleepe of death and got him ready for the resurrection he left the linnens in the grave to wipe his Disciples eyes and sent them this Message that he was risen to glory and here is linnen for your eyes that weep over the grave of this indeed worthily to be lamented lover of you all that Hee is entered into peace And now passe we to the second good turne that Death doth for the Saints viz. brings rest to the outward man 2. That Death gets the Saints to bed they shall rest in their beds Obser 2 Nature thinkes Death none of the handsomest undressers but no matter if love makes the bed who gets thee unready quiet rest is the issue now that which commends this rest to us are these five particulars 1. It is superlative rest 2. It is universall rest 3. It is Childrens rest 4. It is sweet rest 5. It is rest in hope First It is superlative rest 't is none-such exceeding all earthly rest the Kings of the Earth take no such Job therefore speaking of the desirablenesse of death for rest saith Job 3. 13 14 15. There had I been at rest with Kings and Counsellors of the earth which build desolate places for themselves or with Princes that had gold and filled their houses with silver I had then had as good a house to sleep in as they that have so many that they let them lye desolate for want of time and leisure to live in them a Saint shall rest like an Emperour in the grave Gold and Silver cannot purchase such rest 2 It is universall rest 1. From Vanitie 2. From Vexation 3. From Oppression Frist It is rest from Vanitie there shall neither be hunger nor cold nor nakednesse there we shall struggle no more with those difficulties alterations vicissitudes which wil make a great King even Solomon cry all is vanity 2 It is rest from vexation all our Comforts here do not only fail us but foole us and baffle even our cheifest masterpeeces to deliver our selves from those incumbrances which attend our fairest hopes but in death there shall be no more paine nor crying O my bones or my bowells there shall be no more gout nor stone feavors nor head-ach death will be a perfect cure of all diseases therefore Job on this account seeks and hunts for the grave as you read Job 3. 20 21. why is
THE Saints Enterance into Peace and Rest BY DEATH As it was held forth in a SERMON Preached at the Funerall of that Honourable Statesman and ever to be valued Father and Lover of his Country Sir WILLIAM ARMYNE Baronet One of the Members of the High Court of PARLIAMENT In the day when hee was buryed with his Fathers being honourably but mournfully attended from LONDON where he dyed to Lenton in Lincolnshire where he was interred in the Ancient Sepulchre of his Ancestors May 10. 1651. By SETH WOOD preacher of the Gospel at Lenton REVEL 14. 13. Blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord for they rest from their labors and their workes follow them LONDON Printed for Robert Ibbitson 1651. Imprimatur Joseph Caryl 3 June 1651. TO THE Honourable my very Noble Friend and Patron Sr. WILLIAM ARMYNE Baronet one of the Members of the High Court of PARLIAMENT SIR I Never thought my selfe worthy to be the Author of any thing fit for the Presse and but that your request with some others of your Family hath the force of an absolute command with me I should rather have suppressed this then Published it for I must confesse if ever I was unfit to bring forth any thing for all the world to looke on it was at this time when I was so overwhelmed with astonishment and griefe for the Death of your dear Father that I was not likely to come at any thing fit for so great a Service in the midst of such a deale of lumber and confusion of thoughts as then was with me I never thought jingling wit proper for a Sermon especially a Funerall Sermon lightcoulored silken wit is not suitable to line mourning with I desire no more trimming for a Sermon then that beauty of speech which Solomon mentions Prov. 25. 11. VVords fitly spoken and in due season at which I doubt this discourse hath not arrived yet because it came at your call and was calculated for your service and the service of your Noble Family and Kindred be pleased to owne and patronize both it and the Author who is Sir Your very humble Servant SETH WOOD. The Saints enterance into Peace and Rest by DEATH A Sermon Preached at the Funerall of Sir WILLIAM ARMYNE Baronet ISAIAH 57. 2. He shall enter into peace they shall rest in their beds each one walking in his Vprightnesse THE Prophet Isaiah the Author of this Prophecy is stiled by some the Prince of Prophets or the Princely Prophet and not unworthily if we consider these three particulars 1 His Princely Parentage 2 His Princely Imployment 3 His Princely Stile 1 His Princely Parentage For all the Antients conclude that he was of royall extraction his father Amos being the brother of Azariah King of Judah and this gave the more credit and advantage to his Embassies which were many and honourable For 2 His Imployment was Princely being Prophet to five Kings Vzziah Jotham Ahaz Hezekiah Manasseth The holy Writ mentions four of them Isaiah 1. 1. and it may be counted the last not worth the mentioning because as Historians say the Prophets suffered Martyrdome under him He lived sixty four years a Prophet it was a long time for a Prophet to live under five Kings of such different tempers especially being so zealous a Prophet as he was who lift up his voyce like a Trumpet yet he lived to be Gods Trumpeter sixty four years to a perverse people and alarmed the Nations sharpely in the name of the Lord till at last he fell under Manasses Whip-saw for under that Tyrant was he sawne in sunder as the Jewish Rabbys tel us 3 His Stile and matter of his Embassage was Princely none of the Prophets had so clear and so much discovery of the Gospel of Christ as he some of his Chapters are all pure Gospell John among the Evangelists and Isaiah among the Prophets breath most and sweetest of Christ if you observe through his Prophesie you shall finde such lovely Metaphors such welcouched phrase such spicy breathings of the Gospell and Kingdome of Christ as will speake his Stile Heroyicke So that all the Prophets were Gods Heraulds and Isaiah the Prince of Heraulds The words I have mentioned seem to be his sorrowfull contemplations upon the death of some good man or some number of good men which were at that time taken away for though he be observed to be the most consolatory Prophet of all the rest yet Isaiah himselfe will write lamentations upon the departure of the righteous as we must do this day It is not very improbable that these were the Prophets meditations upon the death of that good King Hezekiah for he lived to mourne twice for the death of that good man Once when he brought him the sad message of death and knew no reversement and againe when the renewed lease of his life for fifteen yeares was determined or whether many other good men fell with Hezekiah for ordinarily such good fruit ripen and fall together And it may be God was Arking the Noahs of that age that he might bring the Flood of his wrath upon that ungodly generation for so the Prophet plainly hints in the verse before my Text vers I Now the time when the Prophet declares this message to the people was when they were grown very wicked both people and their guides spirituall and temporall as appeares in the latter end of the 56 chap. vers 9. At which verse best Textuaries will have this 57 chapter begin and so make it one intire Section with the words of my Text. Where you shall finde the people growne very lewd and prophane and all upon the frolick humor of eating and drinking and making merry verse 12. of 56. chapter and surely they thought the Prophet an unwelcome if not an uncivill Messenger to come in with his Deaths-Head as if he meant to garnish their well-furnished dishes with dead mens bones and grave-wormes when they were in no disposition to hear such Lectures but for all their mirth it is very sad newes he tells them and he must tell it them the Righteous are taken away the omen is worst evill is to come God hath housed his children in his heavenly Goshen and let them looke for a storme the pillers of the house are taken away the hand-writing upon the wall is that their joviall Kingdome is departing from them Evill is to come and though they wil not consider it nor the death of the Righteous yet God will and provides rest and peace for them when they shall have anguish and disquietnesse the Saints mourning shall be turned into peace when their laughter shall be turned into mourning He shall enter into peace c. Interpreters vary much in the version of these words having much adoe to deliver the originall of its genuine meaning in any other language for the Hebrew words are often found to put on their sense so curiously and subtilly that it is much adoe to strippe them
life given to the bitter in soule which long for death and dig for it as for hid treasure 3 It is rest from oppression there is no tyranny in the grave nor arbitrary power no prerogative Court kept there but all at rest therefore Job in the 3. chap. vers 17. of his booke commends the state of rest in the grave There the wicked cease from troubling there the prisoners rest together and hear not the voyce of the oppressor there the Egyptian Taskemasters shall cal Gods Israel to worke no more there wil be no plundering killing nor destroying the Italians have a Proverb of the dead man That he is gone where the Tyrant cannot send a Pursevant for him and it was a very savory speech of that good old man Mr. Dod in the beginning of these hurling times of war when those first born sons of prey began to plunder spoile and destroy the good of this land Well saith he I will go home and dye being so worn down with age and travel that he continually waited for his change and then he thought he should be out of their reach 3 The third particular which commends this rest is that it is childrens rest and this is indeed the best thats at the bottome of all that the Saints are got to rest as Gods children he gives them rest as he gives his beloved rest Psa 127. death gets sinners to bed also but wrath frights them with the visions of their eternall night and they wake in hell at the resurrection but the righteous rest in Gods love and in his lap and then it is also rest to the children all together and that is comfort to you who were troubled rest with us saith the Apostle Paul 't is rest with the Apostles and Fathers and all the Family together the word which the Latines expresse the Hebrew word in my Text by is cubile which signifies a Bee-hive as well as a Couch or Bed so in that sense the Saints rest in their Bee-hives altogether in their hony-houses 4 Fourthly It is sweet rest because it is after labour all their worke is done and they goe to bed Job speaking of the grave chap. 3 saith There the weary be at rest and as Solomon saith of the labouring man his sleep is sweet eate he little or eate he much so saith the Scripture of the Saints Revel 14. 13. Blessed are the dead that dye in the Lord from henceforth they rest from their labours and their workes follow them they are written up for blessed in this regard even with speciall observation yea saith the spirit that they may rest from their labours from henceforth that is they shall never labor more when a labouring mans rest is sweetest yet he must rise at break of day and go to it again but the Saints shall labour no more thou shalt throw away thy workaday cloathes for ever and put on thy garments of gladnesse thy glorious apparell for there shall be no more soyling work after death yet though they rest from their labour they shall not loose their labour nor their labours them for their workes follow them Christ will bring thy workes after thee and perfume them with his odours not that they shall be saved by their works but as Mothers keep their childrens Samplers to show hereafter their ingenuity and willingnes to be doing something at their Parents command so Christ hereafter wil delight to show to his father the garments that his Dorcâ—'s madâ— And this brings us to the last commendation of this rest For 5 Fiftly It is rest in hope yea in assurance or else saith the Apostle we were of all men most miserable but death to the Saints is but a nap till resurrection They shall rest in their Couches A Travellers rest is to refresh him for his journey who will not make his Inne his standing quarters so the grave though it be a beleevers long-home yet it is not his last home It wâ—re well indeed for sinners if they might sleep on in death and â—â—se no more for their waking is their woe because in their â—â—â—ning the reckoning is brought up They must look to be alarmed and called up by the dreadful Trumpeters to execution but then begins a Saint to make his rich returns of all his faith and patience When he shal rise to meet his venture come home when the old acquaintance of soule and body shall meet and kisse each other and become together an everlasting bride to the Lambe This was that which comforted Christ in his dark lodging of the grave and David as his type as you read in Acts 2. 25 26 27. My flesh shall rest in hope that thou will not leave my soul in hell nor suffer thy holy one to see corruption where by hell is meant the grave And he injoyed the fruit of this hope and was quickly brought forth of that prison and rose the first fruits from the dead for his children and carryes us all with him for Christ is our primum mobile and we are all rapt after the motion of him our first sphear This truth thus opened first takes you fitly by the hand and Vse 1 leads you to the hill whence commeth your salvation where you may fitly take a rich prospect of all the large and far spread love of Christ the fruit of whose labour and travel all this rest and peace is Thou seldome thinkest Christian what cost and chymistry Christ was at to bring to thee such sweet out of the strong and such meat out of the eater to draw such sweet and spicy oyle out of a deaths head and to extract such rich and precious things out of dust and ashes But it is he t is he hath don it The Angel of God said for comfort in one sense he is risen he is not here but if he had not been there before he had risen viz in the grave the bed had never been so soft and sweet for us but Christ took al the hard clots and stones out of the grave for us he tooke the cold off it by first lodging there yea he stuffed the grave with feathers and strowed it with roses by his three nights lodging there and then rise to be our Usher and Assuring Master for a good voyage at the resurrection Then secondly in the strength and sence of this love be comforted against the fear of death to the Saints it is but getting Vse 2 to bed and sleeping a long sleep and a quiet sweet one too for a long winters night till resurrection when our Saviour had said of Lazarus that he was dead and yet that it was not death but sleeping Thomas the twin for so Dydimus signifies saith let us goe dye with him Joh. 11. Many vary in their thoughts of the meaning of this place but in my apprehension it is cleare that Thomas the timerous for of all the rest he was most fearfull having heard our saviour weaken the strength terror of
provoke For the good he did to the outward man for others I need not tell his workes will praise him in the gate and tell how good a Land-Lord and benefactor he was every Tennant and every poor body will be his Orator to set forth his goodnesse of this kind The third General which I shal say something of him in is his civill capacity as a Statesman For he had the honor to be much and often entrusted in publique employment for his Country and honoured the employment by his dexterity and integrity in it It hath alwayes been a character of honour to his whole family that they have been singular good Common-wealths-men in their generations and they have been alwaies accepted accordingly in their Country This Gentleman whilst he lived was his Countries darling and alwaies in her lap they ever thought that Parliament would not be happy for them wherof an Armyne was not a Member and surely he was a most accomplished Senator His Politiques were so justly mixed with his integrity that he was neither Machivell nor Dolobella but an Aristides his uprightnesse and plainenesse of heart made him abhor the corrupt principles of that florentine and his wisdom and activity made him above that dull Roman but he was an Aristides just and discreet and diligent There were three particular excellencies in him which made him a most compleat States-man 1 His wisdome 2 His publique spirit 3 His love to his Country First his wisdome this made him fit to be both surveyor and advocate for his Countries liberty for on the one hand he well knew the Bounders and Meere-stones betwixt rule and liberty and how to lead and lay the line and state the case And on the other side he was fit to plead his Countries cause against the intrusions and subtilties of her most potent and cuning enemies as well appears by those great Commissions and transactions he was almost always one at both for England and Scotland in which he ever brought off the Cause with honour He would so cooly and discreetly plead the Cause he was ingaged in that I have known some who were highly dis-satisfied through ignorance or prejudice with present affaires yet after discourse with him they have said that if they had sooner met with Sir Wil. Armyne they had been sooner satisfied and I beleeve his usefulnes in this kind wil quickly appear by that great gap which his absence wil make amongst our Senators and their Councels Secondly His publique spirit rendered him very fit for a Statesman he was alwaies of too brave a spirit to endure vassalage or to see his Countries liberty bound to the chaine for a Gally-slave while he could do any thing to releive it and this made him often so really seek the advancement of his Countrys interest that he neglected his owne He was not unlike that brave old Senator Fabius Maximus who when he heard that morning that Rome was to tryumph for a great Victory that his two sons were dead no matter saith he let Rome sing though I suffer so when the common enemy prevailed with a very high hand and made waste of all his lands and goods that were in their power if you had seen how patiently and chearfully he bore it for the common good as I have seen by Letters under his hand you would say his spirit was very publick and self-denying for though now the Commonwealth hath made a handsome farewel of her bargain yet the time was when all men thought she could never make a drawn match of it to save her selfe yet when the sea was most tempestuous and many of the Pilots called for the Cock-boat to save themselves in he lanched into the deep in the ship called the Common-wealth and returned home in her with honour and safety and brought off his own and his Countrys Venture Thirdly His love to his Country highly furnished him for serving of it by this he was above the corruption of Court-flattery who would by all or any meanes have made him theirs and when some others of principal note for their forwardnesse in the same cause fel back and took the scent of the Court perfume and followed it even then he hunted all one scent of his Countrys welfare and never forsook it He gave check to Prerogative when we never dreampt of such a game as Paune-mate yea even when liberty was an Orphane and none durst own it yet then he with some other brave Worthies appeared for his Country and became a prisoner for publique liberty as you all know So that in my judgement Liberty her self deserves to spare him one of her triumphant Banners wherewith to adorn his Sepulchre for he was one of her dear children who was bound body for body for her and all that he had or she had gone to Prison without baile or main prise I think all England may take up the latter part of Elisha's lamentation for Elijah and say a horseman and a chariot of Israel is taken from us but Lincolnshire must take up the first part and say my father my father I shall say but one word more to his publique capacity as a Statesman and I think it may be said without vanity that in this respect he was the improvement of the past and praise to the present and a pattern to the future generations The last General I shal speak to is a word as to his private capacity as Master and Ruler of his Family for he was all of a peece good at home as wel as abroad He had bin in his time the husband of two wives both of them Ladys of very great marke for honour and vertue The one is long since with Christ the other he hath now left a desolate and disconsolate Widow who will early and sorely misse the indulgent arme of him to lean on who was always ready with great prudence and tender care to support and cherish her while she travelled long through a wildernesse of griefe and sorrow for the losse of an onely son til now poor Lady one terrible wave of griefe hath overtaken another that if God prevent not she is like to be swallowed up of sorrow I dare say her teares will plentifully tel that he was a loving husband I might say much how deare and discreet a Father he was to his Children but it may be it will be more proper to lay my finger on the orifice of this sore least I make those wounds of sorrow bleed a fresh which have bled too much already I will onely say thus much that I shall ever hope the World shall see that the fruits of vertue which the branches of his Posterity shal beare will make it appeare to the world that the dew of Heaven watered the root and that he was carefull as well to maintaine a hopeful nursery of vertue in his Children as an abundant fruit-yard in his owne conversation Lastly how ingenuously faithfull he was to his friend I will leave them to tell who will hereafter more sensibly feele the blow that death hath given them on the heart side by his losse then now at present he was incomparably courteous discreet and usefull so that they who did not arrive at his friendship could by no meanes count him an enemie Now I had best draw the curtaine here for the further wee goe wee doe but increase the number of our losses and Deaths spoiles I have said a little and it may be many of you will say you could have said more and so could I and he deserved it but time would faile and I intend this onely as an inscription to his memory not as an hystory of his life It now remaines only that we turn our lamentations into prayer that God would make his worth and vertue golden spurs to us to walke in the same path that when we have sought our good fight of faith and finished our course we may as He enter into peace and rest in our beds each one walking in his uprightnesse FINIS
that 's joy in the Lord this is the Lords joy that 's peace in the Porch this in the Bed-chamber that 's the joy of the friend of the Bride-groome in hearing his voyce this the joy of the Bride in the Bride-groomes imbraces that 's a taste of the rich wine of the Kingdome this is the Conduits running wine in the Kingdome that 's peace a bottlefull as we need it this is peace a River full Revel 22. that 's peace in the valley of Mulberry trees where the Saints dig wells and God fills them with raine water to keep them alive this peace in mount Zion in full strength and without any more travel for it that 's peace past understanding this is peace fully felt and understood 2 It is uninterrupted peace all peace here is full of disturbances and one bad creature or other breakes our sweetest rest and peace one malignant party or other will be violating our publicke and peculiar peace so that we must fight for it and struggle for it if we will preserve it nay some are forced to procure others to make their very lives a defence for their peace in heaven there is no interruption all our peace here is but peace in the garison of peace that we must fight for by the good fight of faith as in Phil. 4. 7. The peace of God shall garison your hearts for so the word keepe signifies in the originall Now though we count our selves safest in the Garison in time of Warre yet it is subject to a thousand feares and alarmes and must be watcht and kept with great trouble but this is peace in the pallace where all curses and cursed ones are banished for ever without shall be dogs Revel 22. not a dog wags his tongue to disturbe thy rest there not a Shimei comes to curse at David there 3 It is everlasting peace peace without end which is not to be had here when we have the dearest friends and relations in our bosomes this breakes the joy that we must part each one to their home far distant from each other and at last each one to their long home but heaven is such a happy place where all shall dwell together and the Country is big enough for all Lot and Abraham shall not need to contend for field roome Lot shall lie in Abrahams bosome and desire no further compasse To this purpose in 1 Thes 4. 17. then shall we ever be with the Lord the good company shal never part father and children shall keep house together and dwel together to eternity and injoy pleasure at his right hand for evermore Psa 16. ult So we come to the second general head propounded viz. To lead you to the Fountaine of this Peace For it may well be asked by a 2. Gen. stranger how comes the Saints to such glorious apparell and who made them so fine they carryed no such out of the world with them for there the men of the world kept them poor and bare enough nor could they find any such with death and destruction in the grave surely it is the Lords doing and the answer can no otherwise be made but that it was the Lords pleasure thus to bestow them for Christs sake The fountain of this peace is the Prince of peace t is peace of the Maker peace from him that made peace for us by the blood of the crosse he made a bloody way for himselfe by his death that he might make the Saints a milky path to heaven Christ was our Sampson who slew the Lyon for his Bride and brought her a hony comb to suck out of his bosome he undertooke to be the death of death for us and made good his undertaking and led Death and Devils captive after his triumphant Chariot he made shew of them openly and sings triumph over them in 1 Cor. 15. 55. yea it behoved him by suffering death to enter into glory and so to bring many sons to glory or else we must have wrastled our selves with those principallities and powers which would surely have ruined us but Christ made himselfe our sheild and interposed betwixt us and all the heat of the battle with sin and death and when he had conquered all hee brings his Spouse to view the carnage and to looke upon those terrible ones that would have slaine her and thus he cheares her be of good comfort I have over-come the World O kisse this love dear Saints as it passes by for it was infinit Thus I have showed you the fountain out of which springs your peace view it well and admire it it is not unlikely Sampsons Enhakkor the well of him that groaned that was a well in Jaw-bone and this a well in Deaths-head Now to presse out a little the sweet of this point to you by â— Gen. some application which was the third Generall premised First then here is abundant of conviction that death is not the Vse 1 thing it is ordinarily taken for amongst Saints the Lion is not so terrible as he is painted and indeed if we were but set right a little in point of apprehension and could but set faith on worke the sweet of this truth would flow out apace for we are like Children more affraid then hurt Death to beleevers is like entring first into the water of him that swims it is very chilling and cold at first entering but afterwards pleasant and refreshing so to beleevers at the first apprehension of Death a shrugging feare seizes upon nature and death looks like an Executioner and his bagge of tools to mow and make a Grave which seeme exceeding terrible but after a sober recollection of faith and reading his Commission and seeing how hee is bound in with instructions by Christ that sent him the Saints can bid him welcome and sit downe and do his office and are carried as quietly in his bony armes to Heaven as in an Jvory-Chariot Indeed Death to sinners is justly called the King of Terrours and he rules tyrannically and makes wast in all their joyes when he enters with his sithe and mowes downe their flesh like grasse and brings the devil to rake after him and throw them into the Oven of Gods Wrath but the Lord Jesus for Beleevers hath deposed this King of Terrour and check't his tyranny as we may read in that most excellent place Heb. 2. 14 15. The Lord Christ enters the list with Satan in our flesh and though the devil brings his kill-all with him yet he destroyes them and bids the Children draw neer and touch it and handle it for there is not that danger in it they are afraid of it was ever indeed an abhorrency to them before they believed and they were in bondage all their lives for feare of it as Children are of an oft repeated scare but Christ hath bound the binder and led him that led into captivity captive Death and the Devil spent themselves so much in that last combate they had