life appears a precious nut outwardly but if it be opened with the knife of truth nothing will be found within but vanity and emptiness If there be good in this life that is eminently yea incomparably better in the other Aug. tract ult in Joh. That is in faith this in view That in time of Pilgrimage this in an eternity of mansion that in labour this in rest that in the way this in the country That in the work of action this in the wages of contemplation That declines from evil doth good this hath no evil from which to decline and hath a great good to enjoy That fights with theenemy this reigns without enemy That is stout in adversity this feeleth nothing of adversity That bridleth fleshly lusts this is spent in heavenly delights That is solicitous with a care of overcoming this is secure with the peace of victory That is helped in temptations this is rejoyced in the helper himself without any temptation That succoureth the needy this is there where it finds none needy This pardons other mens trespasses that its trespasses may be pardoned this suffers nothing which it may forgive nor does it any thing which it should desire to be forgiven it That is scourged with adversity that it may not be exalted in prosperity this wants all evil with such a fulness of grace that without any temption it cleaves unto the chiefest good That discerns good and evil things this sees only those things that are good Chuse that life therefore which is to be preferred Lay aside the inordinate desire of a flitting life that thou lose not the inheritance of a permanent one So possess the things of this world as that thou be not possess'd by them let what thou hast be under the dominion of thy mind lest whilst thy mind is overcome with the love of earthly things it self be more possessed of its injoyments Cypr. serm de mortal Why hastenest thou not to better things Heavenly things succeed earthly great things little and eternal things transitory Separation from wife children kindred Tempted I must leave my sweet children I must leave my loyal wife I must leave my pleasant kindred who shall provide for my wife and children who shall be their righter and patron Comforter God it is that calleth himself a father of the fatherless and a judge of widows Pal. 68.6 commit them to his protection and defence It is God that is thy God and who will be the God of thy seed also Gen. 17.7 Thy children are not thine only but God's also yea rather God's than thine seeing he hath bestowed more upon them canst thou doubt then of God's Fatherly care of them The Prophet of the Lord saith he had been young and now was old Psal 37.25 yet had he not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread The generation of the upright shall be blessed Ps 112.2 God hath promised thy children heavenly treasures he will not suffer them believe me to perish with hunger He hath given them life he will not deny the sustenance of life he hath given a body that which he hath wonderfully formed he will also bountifully sustain But take heed thou be not so solicitous about the bodily welfare of thy wife and children as in the mean time to neglect the care of thy soul Luk. 14.26 If any man come to me saith Christ and hateth not his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters yea and his own life he cannot be my disciple which he explains in another place Mat. 10.37 Whosoever loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me Behold God calleth thee by death see thou love not thy wife and children so as therefore to refuse with a ready heart to follow God calling of thee Ambr. in cap. 12. Lucae p. 111. The love of the heavenly Father is to be preferred before the love of children the love of Christ the bridegroom before that of thy wife the benefit ought not to be loved above the benefactor What should I speak of kindred if thou lose them that are dear unto thee Bern serm 26. in Cant. col 569. Aug. Epist 6. ad vid. hereafter thou shalt receive them more dear For we hope on a most true promise that from this life from whence being about to pass we have not lost those of our friends that have already passed but sent them before we shall come to that life in which by how much they will be the better known to us so much the dearer and more amiable without fear of any dissension will they be If thy kindred are dear to thee let Christ be more dear to thee who is thy brother If it be pleasant to thee here to converse with thy kindred let it be more pleasant Heb. 12.22 23. that thou goest to mount Sion and the City of the living God the heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable company of Angels To the Church of the first-born which are written in heaven to God the judge of all and to the spirits of just men made perfect Stopping of the ears in death Tempted I am afraid lest my ears waxing deaf in the agony of death I be deprived of all comfort of heart and too much dismayed with the terrors of Satan Comforter The inward consolation of the holy Spirit is more effectual than all outward consolations Rom. 8.16 The holy Spirit beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God the same Spirit raiseth our spirits when we begin to struggle with death Joh. 15.26 and be straitned in heart for he is the true and highest Comforter When thy eyes grow dim in death the holy Spirit will give the illumination of heart when thy ears wax deaf in death he will bestow on thee quickning comfort of soul Where humane consolation will end there will divine begin Behold the examples of the Martyrs how ready and prepared they were for the most exquisite torments Wheels did seem unto them Roses flames of fire spiritual bracelets iron chains golden crowns torments ornaments two-edged swords beams of heavenly light who wrought this in their hearts who comforted them in their griefs but the holy Spirit His consolation is more effectual than the accusation of the whole world yea or of the Prince of the world Thinkest thou that the holy Spirit does only chear our hearts in the course of this world and is idle in the agony of death thinkest thou the dwelling of the holy Spirit is destroyed when the tabernacle of thy body is destroyed Gal. 2.20 Eph. 3.2 Psal 45.9 Christ liveth in thee and dwelleth in thy heart by faith grace is poured into his lips the fragrancy of this grace will chear thy heart if thy hearing be lost never so much his speech will reach thy heart be
insubsistence of words pag. 43 Falling from the covenant of Baptism pag. 48 The uncertain reception into the covenant of Baptism pag. 52 The unworthy receiving of the Lords Supper pag. 57 Weakness of faith pag. 59 The not perceiving of faith pag. 62 An inability to believe pag. 65 The small number of good works pag. 67 Want of merits pag. 70 The accusation of the Law pag. 73 The accusing of conscience pag. 76 Late repentance pag. 78 Doubting of the grace of God pag. 81 Want of due preparation pag. 86 Doubting of the indwelling of the Spirit pag. 89 Doubting of perseverance pag. 94 Satans wiles and strength pag. 98 The falling away of many pag. 101 Doubting of being written in the book of life pag. 104 The fear of death pag. 107 The sting of death pag. 111 The pains of death pag. 117 Untimely death pag. 119 Services farther owing to the Church pag. 122 Short life brought upon ones self pag. 124 The love of this life pag. 127 Separation from wife children kindred pag. 131 Stopping of the ears in death pag. 134 The seeming unprofitableness of Redemption pag. 137 The horrour of dust pag. 139 The incredibility of the resurrection pag. 147 The flames of Purgatory pag. 153 The rigour of the last judgement pag. 156 A prayer in sickness pag. 164 To these are added The Christians Triumph over Death pag. 169 Divine Contemplations and Soliloquies upon Death and Eternity pag. 198 Divine Poems upon death pag. 217 Divine CONSOLATIONS Against the FEAR OF DEATH And the TEMPTATIONS befalling them that draw near thereto The forerunners of Death The Tempted I Am opprest with sickness 2 Cor. 1.9 the forerunner of Death and have received the sentence of death in my self I see I must leave this life than which nothing is more pleasant this world than which nothing is more adorned the house of this body than which nothing is more dear The Comforter Thou wast not created for this miserable and momentany but for a blessed and eternal life Wisd 2.23 for God made our first Parent without corruption to immortality Nor wast thou redeemed by Christ for this fading and toilsom but for that everlasting and most happy life in the heavens for it is a certain and undoubted saying That Jesus Christ came into the world 1 Tim. 1.15 to save sinners Neither wast thou called of the holy Spirit by the word to the kingdom of Christ that thou mightst live here a little while but that thou mightst pass from the kingdom of grace to the kingdom of glory from the Church Militant to that Triumphant from a valley of tears into a field of joy for if in this life only we believed in Christ and had hope 1 Cor. 15.19 we were of all men most miserable Wherefore seeing thou must be brought through the gate of death to that life for which thou wert created of the Father redeemed of the Son and for which thou hast been sanctified by the Spirit reject not I pray thee Luk. 7.30 the gracious counsel of God against thy self but readily obey God that calls upon thee Deaths Trident. Tempted The thoughts of Death affright me the dreadful shape of that enemy disturbs my mind it shows me its sting 1 Cor. 15.55 which is death it threatens me with its cruel three-pointed weapon while it presents to my eyes and heart the Anger of God the accusation of the Law and the cruelty of my sins Rom. 6.23 in that death is the wages of sin and by sin death hath invaded me Rom. 5.18 as it has done all the world Comforter But I advise thee that being seriously and heartily sorry for the sins thou hast committed thou look to him that died for thee on the altar of the Cross that thou mightest not be liable to eternal death Turn thine eyes from the outward shew of death and turn them to Christ who by his death hath destroyed him that had the power of death Heb. 2.14 that is v. 15. the Devil And hath delivered us who through fear of death were all our life-time subject to bondage He is death unto our death Hos 13.14 he is a sting unto the hell we had deserved Joh. 11.25 He is the resurrection and the life he that believeth in him though he were dead v. 26. yet shall he live And whosoever liveth and believeth in him shall never die 1. Cor. 15.22 So that as in Adam that is because of sin derived from Adam upon us and of actual sins added thereto we are all liable to death and at length must die even so in Christ the captain of life and conqueror of death through faith are we all made alive Which that our Captain of life confirms with a solemn and serious oath Verily verily I say unto you Joh. 5.24 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 And again Joh. 8.51 Verily verily I say unto you If a man keep my saying he shall never see death Therefore believe Christ who is the truth Joh. 14.6 believe him promising believe him swearing Luk. 21.33 Heaven and earth shall pass away but the words of Christ shall not pass away The anguish of sin Tempted I begin to remember my sins Psal 51.7 for I was not only begot conceived and born in sin but I have increased this sum of original and hereditary debt with manifold and most grievous actual sins all my life long how therefore can I hope God will be merciful to me whom I have so oft offended how shall I conceive any comfort in death seeing death is the due reward to my sins and a beginning of a second and eternal death to them that are not reconciled to God Comforter Look unto Christ hanging on the altar of the Cross and pouring out the price of thy redemption even his precious blood for thy sins 1 Joh. 1.8 The blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God cleanseth thee from all sin He is the propitiation for thy sins 1 Joh. 2.2 and for the sins of the whole world For he came not into the world to be ministred unto Mat. 20.28 but to minister and to give his life a ransom and price for the sins of many And that thou mightst not at all doubt of this matter therefore from heaven which is the throne of truth by an Angel which is the spirit of truth was brought that most sweet and comfortable name of Jesus and given to this our Mediator before he was conceived for what is Jesus but a Saviour Luk. 1.31 Mat. 1.21 Joh. 1.29 For therefore was this name given to Christ because he saves his people from their sins This is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world 1 Tim. 1.15 This is that Jesus Christ that came into
death by the help of thine heavenly Father thou maist raise upthy self so as to say with Job Job 13.15 Although the Lord kill me yet will I trust in him Ps 91.15 16. I am with him in trouble saith the Lord I will deliver him and honour him With long life will I satisfie him and shew him my salvation Rom. 3.39 Neither life nor death nor any creature can separate or pull us from this love of God seeing it is in Christ Jesus who is our eternal King and Saviour for ever The accusation of the Law the deformity of sin and the temptation of eternal casting off maketh the shew of death terrible seeing the sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law 1 Cor. 15.55 but call to mind the consolation that was before opposed to these monsters and that outward shew of death that is terrible to look upon will vanish and will be changed into a most pleasant sleep The sting of death Tempted By sin death entred into the world and is the due wages of sin how then should I not dread death Comforter Truly in and of it self death is the wages of sin and the revenging scourge of an angry God but to those that believe in Christ it is changed into a most sweet sleep For although those that are born again and believe in Christ as yet carry about remainders of sin in their flesh Rom. 8.10 whence also their body is dead that is obnoxious to death because of sin dwelling therein yet the Spirit is life because of righteousness that is because by true faith in Christ they are justified from sins and by the Spirit resist the lusts of the flesh therefore that sin as yet remaining in the flesh is not imputed to them but is covered with the shield of divine grace Greg. Nyss in orat de morte Therefore by death the true and spiritual life of the soul doth not end in them but rather begins whereto death is made to be as it were the midwife Thence flow those sweet appellations whereby the holy Spirit who is the Spirit of truth doth describe the death of the godly For those who in the eyes of fools seem and are said by them to dye those the holy Spirit says are gathered or congregated unto their people Gen. 25.8.35.29.49.33 that is into the company of the blessed and triumphant Church in heaven where they come to those that died before or rather went before That which we call death is a travelling Tertul. lib. de patient p. 12. Cypr. de mortal p. 214. Chrysost hom 45. in Gen. col 375. Hilar. in Psal 140. it is not an exit but a transit not so much an emigration as a transmigration from worse to better an ablation of the soul and a certain most happy translocation not an abolition for the soul is requir'd again and translated into a place of rest not killed It is a transcension and ascension to true life Ambr. de bon mort c. 10. 2 Pet. 1.15 Joh. 5.24 It is an Exodus because by it the godly pass from the bondage of sin to true liberty even as the Israelites heretofore out of Egyptian bondage into the land of promise The godly are said by death to enter into peace Isai 57.2 and to rest in their beds namely because they come from that daily warfare upon earth to a place of peace from the troublous sea of this life unto the haven from the toilsom prison of this world to a place of rest They are said to be dissolved and to come to Christ Phil. 1.23 because they are brought out of the Inn as it were of this present life to an heavenly country and from a crew of wicked men to the blessed company of Christ in heaven by death they are loosed from their bodily bands for as oxen having laboured all the day are let out of their yoaks at length towards evening and as prisoners are loosed from their chains so the godly are by death freed of the sad yoke of the labours and pains of this life and from the dark dungeon of sin and by a sweet change are translated to a better life They are said to pass out of the land of their pilgâ—image by the dissolution of their earthly tabernacle Heb. 11.5 2 Cor. 5.8 and to be present with the Lord namely because they come from the ruinous cottage of the world to an heavenly palace from an house of clay to a city not made with hands eternal in the heavens from the tabernacle of an earthly body to the heavenly Jerusalem and the blessed company of Christ inhabiting it Cypr. serm de mortal pag. 208. It is his part to fear death that is unwilling to go to Christ It is his part to be unwilling to go to Christ that believes not to begin to reign with Christ They are said to rest from their labours Rev. 14. Ambr. de Bono mortis c. 2. for not the godly man but his misery dieth If this life be full of burden surely its end is ease now ease is good and death is the end therefore death is good 1 Cor. 15.38 They are said to be sown in the ground or the field of the Lord by death and buryal in that the bodies of the godly like precious granes of wheat shall spring up hereafter again to life That crop which from deceased Stigelius bodies springs Immortal glory to the body brings As under clods the wither'd granes do lie Which you would think were clearly cast away Yet in a while sprung up you may espy And unperceiv'd grow taller every day Even so our bodies that entombed were First raised then in glory shall excell What death had swallow'd up shall trophees bear And in eternal light with God shall dwell The bones of the godly shall flourish and wax green Isai 66.14 2 Sam. 7.12 Isai 26.20 Dan. 12.2 Mat. 9.24 when the spring of everlasting life shall come Lastly they are said to fall asleep For as in sleep we rest from our labour regain our wasted strength our soul in the mean time performing her operations so by death being brought from all the labours and dolours of this life to rest we gather new strength of mind and body the more readily and perfectly to perform those works for which we were created in the beginning and redeemed by Christ the soul in the mean while living and rejoicing in heaven As in our sleep we mind not what is done about us nor are troubled with the crowds of humane businesses so those that die in the Lord rest without all care and anxiety and are no longer subject to the evils of this life As again we are awaked out of sleep so death will not be a perpetual sleep but the time will come in which we shall hear the voice of Christ calling us out of the grave we shall again go forth
lived as to be ashamed to live amongst you nor yet am I afraid to dye because we have a good God He that has furnished thee with the gifts of teaching for the benefit of his Church knows how to endow others also with the same Wherefore if with the Apostle thou be'st straitned so as thou knowst not which of these two to chuse Phil. 1.23 desiring to be dissolved and to be with Christ which is best or to abide in the flesh which is more profitable for the Church know that to die is gain to thee and to live is benefit to the Church Rom. 14.7 8. None of us liveth to himself neither doth any die to himself For whether we live we live unto the Lord namely that we may gain unto him more souls in the Church or whether we die we die unto the Lord that we may obey his fatherly will calling us from our station whether we live therefore or die we are the Lord's that most gracious and powerful Lord's from whose love neither life nor death Rom. 8.3 8 39. can separate us Hitherto thou hast obeyed the will of God in faithfully bestowing thy services on the Church obey him also in readily embracing his will calling thee to the fellowship of the Church triumphant Thou art duly solicitous for the increase of the Church out of charity but yet in the mean time thou oughtest to commit the care of governing and preserving the Church unto God out of faith Nothing is more wholsome here nothing better nothing more conformable to piety than to resign ones self wholly to the divine will and by pious prayers to commit unto him a full power to dispose of our life or death Bern. in me dit devotis c. 6. col 1196. We may undoubtingly hope for one of these two things He will either give that which we ask or that which is better Psal 37.5 Commit thy way unto the Lord and trust in him and he shall bring it to pass Short life brought upon ones self Tempted I fear I my self have made my life shorter by my sins how then can I hope for the presence and help of God in death Those that are guilty of their own death obtain not a better life after death Comforter But that is to be understood of those that from impatience lay violent hands on themselves and force the soul to go out of the tabernacle of the body against the will of God far be such a purpose from thy piety For none ought to bring a voluntary death on himself to avoid some temporal afflictions Aug. 1. de civ Dei c. 26. lest he fall into those that are everlasting none may do this for other mens sins lest he come to have this most grievous one of his own who was not polluted by those of others none may do this for by-past sins for which he has the more need of life that they may be healed by repentance none may do this out of a desire of a better life that is expected after death because those that are guilty of their own death obtain not a better life after death But if thy mind be troubled with those thoughts that by the immoderate use of meat and drink or from any other disorder thou hast made thy life shorter lament this with hearty groans and place all thy confidence on the merit of Christ firmly purposing to amend thy life and God will pardon thy iniquities who hath promised forgiveness of sins to those that truly repent Manasses a man of blood had himself broken the thread of his life and yet heartily repenting he obtained the glory of eternal life The thief on the cross received things worthy of what he had done Luk. 23.41 but heartily returning unto God he entred with Christ into paradise Gen. 3.15 Nay our first parents had brought death on themselves and all their posterity yet nevertheless embracing that Evangelical promise of him that should break the serpents head they were cheered again with enlivening consolation Ambrose's saying to Theodosius the Emperor Wherefore if thou hast followed them sinning follow them also repenting with tears Gods hand is not yet shortned nor hath his mercy failed by the number of years the gate of pardon is not yet shut seeing there is granted still space of repentance The love of this life Tempted I could have wished longer to have enjoy'd this life and the benefits of it I could have wished longer to have possessed the blessings of God granted me in this life Comforter See that by the inordinate love of this life thou bewray not thy self not truly to love the chief good Anselm de mensur crucis lit E. All our heart is so owning to the love of God that so much of it as is given to another is taken from God He loves God less that with him loves any thing which he loves not for his sake Thy heart is a vessel but it is full of the love of the world therefore there is no room for the true love of God to enter turn out the inordinate love of the world that the love of God may enter in Does the present life so delight thee which is all of it a dangerous and hard warfare What else is it to live long than to be afflicted long and to sin long Cypr. serm de mortal pag. 215 If in thy dwelling the walls should totter for oldness and the roof above should shake thy house now weary with its aged structure should threaten a sudden downfal wouldst thou not pass out of it with all speed If when thou art sailing a troubled and stormy tempest should foretell a future shipwrack by the waves raised with the force of the winds wouldst thou not make swiftly towards the haven Behold the world totters and slides and witnesseth its ruin not now by the age but the end of things and dost thou not give God thanks dost thou not congratulate thy self that being withdrawn by a timely exit thou escapest the ruins the shipwracks and the storms that are a coming Ambros in cap. 8. ad Rom. As the sea stirr'd up by contrary winds insults and causeth a tempest to the sailours so the generation of the unfaithful being mov'd by a conspiracy disturb the minds of the faithful and the enemy acts with so great perverseness that one cannot tell what first to shun For if the Powers cease to be against us he enrageth the spirits of private persons if these be also bridled he raiseth a combustion by those of the same family and if this be quencht by his art he causeth discord amongst the brethren themselves that the house being beat upon at its four corners it may fall on some side wherefore with one consent Christians must flee from hence For they should follow that holy man's example who knowing that war is here waged against perfidiousness desired that he might depart in peace This
death we who look for an house not made with hands are notwithstanding unwilling to leave this house of clay we who have the promise of a kingdom are yet unwilling to forsake our prison we are afraid to be dissolved though we desire to be with Christ we dread the passage though we rejoyce to approach to our home and habitation in the Heavens Notwithstanding what hath been said yet let us encourage our selves against the fear of death and by the example and in the words of St. Paul let us ask Oh Death where is thy sting For death truly considered is but a shadow a meer bugbear which children only ought to fear death is nothing and we are afraid of we know not what death only separates between soul and body why do we fear that it should thus dissolve us and not rather rejoyce that it cannot destroy us Let us not fear what may separate us from our selves but let us rather imbrace what will convey us to our Christ and our God Death is appointed for us all why then are we afraid of what we cannot possibly avoid Our willingness to dye is the only means to take away the terribleness thereof Let us therefore offer our lives to God freely which he will otherwise require from us as a due debt says Chrysostom The coming of death is uncertain and shall any thing that is uncertain cause in us a certain fear But rather since it is uncertain at what time or in what place death will overtake us let us therefore at all times and in all places expect and look for it says Seneca Besides death deals equally and impartially to all and this also should make us less afraid of it Who can reasonably complain says Seneca that he is in the same condition wherein all men else are Who can expect that death should spare any since it is indispensible to all when there is a general ruin threatened to the whole world who can think himself alone should escape The equality of death is some comfort against the cruelty thereof there are several ways of dying and why should that make us afraid of death 't is no great matter which way we dye since we can be but dead at last since we must dye let us not much regard by what means but let us take care whither we must go after death says St. Austin To conclude death is a thing that is indeed fearful to flesh and blood and yet all this should not make us afraid of death for it is not death it self but the fear of it that is so terrible and this also proceeds more from our ignorance than from the thing it self did we but know death we would not so much fear it says St. Chrysostome The fear of death is the punishment of our ignorance and negligence which makes us apprehend things to be new and strange which really are not so The only way therefore to free us from the fear of death is by daily meditation thereof to make it familiar to us to acquaint our selves with it before it comes that we may the less dread its appearance Thus shall we find that by learning not to fear death we shall at last come like our blessed Apostle to triumph over it and to say O death where is thy sting Death is not yet destroyed for St. Paul says the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death 1 Cor. 15.26 But yet it is disarmed already Oh death where is thy sting This seems to be an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Captains song of victory and the Souldiers song of deliverance they look like the words of a mighty conqueror bravely triumphing over a base and wretched enemy and who is this conqueror but Christ Jesus the Lord of Life it was he who spoke the words in the Prophet Hosea 13.14 O death I will be thy death And it is in the power of Christ that the Apostle speaks thus O death where is thy sting Jesus Christ did once subdue death for us and said O death I will be thy death and we may now triumph over death in the strength of Christ and say with our Apostle O death where is thy sting Jesus Christ overcame death by dying nay more by death he destroyed not death only but him also who had power over death the Devil Heb. 7.14 Our captain hath conquered our enemy at his own weapon he hath caught this Mighty Hunter in his own snare he yielded only to death to take advantage against death yea therefore laid he down his life that death might no longer live therefore says St. Chrysostom we do not believe that Christ is dead in death but we believe that death is dead in Christ Death that greedy whale durst venture to devour Christ Jesus our Jonas who was cast into the sea of the world that the storms and Tempests of the Devil and sin might cease but yet he was preserved alive in the fishes belly in the belly of Hell in the jaws of death that he might preach repentance to the Ninive of the Church This great whale Death swallowed the bait of Christs humanity but the hook of his Divinity intangled her and made her vomit up her bowels bait and all Death designed to have swallowed Christ and left him in darkness and obscurity but death it self was swallowed up in victory The serpent death was bold to sting our Saviour but he made him lose his sting for his labour so that in his name we may now chearfully ask Oh Death where is thy sting The sting of death is sin 1 Cor. 15.56 Christ the Lamb of God hath taken away the sins of the world John 1.29 In Christ Jesus therefore we may joyfully say Oh death where is thy sting Job asketh this question concerning man Man dieth and where is he Job 14.10 but we may ask the same question of Death man dieth and where is death yea we ask the same of the worst part of death which is its sting Oh death where is thy sting Jacob bewailed the death of Joseph saying Joseph is dead Joseph is not Gen. 42. and Rachel wept for her children and would not be comforted because they were not Mat. 2. because death had seized upon them they thought their children to be quite gone But to speak properly death does only convey us where we ought to be but death it self is indeed no where O death where is thy sting Death is utterly destroyed by the Cross of Christ When death first entered into the world it was like the waters of Marah exceeding bitter Exo. 15. but since the Tree of the Cross of Christ it is now made sweet and pleasant to us we might once have cryed out with the children of the Prophets Death is in the pot death is in the pot 2 Kings 4. but since our blessed Saviour hath declared This Cup is the new Testament of my blood we may now say with the blessed Saints of God This is