Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A01012
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A vvord of comfort. Or A discourse concerning the late lamentable accident of the fall of a roome, at a Catholike sermon, in the Black-friars at London, wherwith about fourscore persons were oppressed. Written for the comfort of Catholiks, and information of Protestants, by I.R. p
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Floyd, John, 1572-1649.
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1623
(1623)
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STC 11118; ESTC S120899
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43,744
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60
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wherof we may make Profit IF the Doctrine preached was so pious and the Preacher authorized to preach by Diuine Order why was the sermon ouerthrowne by suddayne death in the mid'st therof Why Because God is Lord he may permit he may doe as he pleaseth and yet no man may say vnto him Why do'st thou so Propter fines nobis ignotos Deo notiffimos in die Iudicij declarandos August He will not haue man thinke he hath right to be of his priuy Councell nor in his doings to reprehend what he doth not comprehend Notwithstanding why this mischance fell on these persons rather then on others is a mystery that lyes hidden with a million of more in the treasury of Gods secrets to be reuealed at the day of Iudgment yet in generall why this same was permitted in some Catholikes reasons may be rendered by which we may reape both comfort and profit Reasons in regard of Protestants VVIll ProtestaÌ„ts haue a reasoÌ„ why God would haue this Iesuit dye before their eyes preaching forgiuenes of iniuryes charity and peace that they might be witnesses of the fight agaynst the vulgar Puritan slauÌ„der that Iesuits incense Catholike people agaynst them vnto bloud-shed and murder Behold a Martyr a witnesse that lost his breath in the refutation of this slaunder Nor can their accusers name the Iesuit that for the time he was Iesuit killed any man or euer drew sword in anger or weÌ„t armed into the field They be present indeed many tymes in battayle to help the soules that are wounded and can make vse of their helpe and though they walke in the mid'st of dangers yet haue they no other armour then their habit no other pistoll but their beades by their side Iniquissimus belli Author Osiander Hist CeÌ„t. 16. fol. 30. no other sword and lance besides a Crosse in the one hand and their Breuiary in the other How would Puritans insult and traduce Iesuits as manquellers could they proue one of them to haue dyed as did their Archminister Zuinglius with his fiue Martiall Mates fighting in the field vnto death drowned lyke Pharao in the red sea of bloud of the effusion wherof himselfe was Author In hoc cognoscent homines quòd discipuli mâ—iestis Ioa. 14 15. Will they haue a reason God would haue this Catholike Priest dye in the commendation of Charity then which no doctrine is more properly Christian that they might feele euen with their handes the rashnes of them that iudged the fall was to punish the then preaching of Doctrine Antichristian They iudged being ignorant of the Catholike custome that our Ministers of Gods holy Word be like theirs who commonly spend the time not in exhortations vnto good life but in bitter declamatioÌ„s agaynst the Pope This accident hath made knowne our Sermons to be made in another Tune as opposite vnto theirs as is light vnto darknes sweetnes vnto bitternes Charity vnto hatred mildnes vnto arrogancy Will they haue yet another reason God permitted this accident that the zeale of hearing Gods word the hard condition of Catholikes might heereby be made knowne vnto the Christian world All the Churches of England haue byn erected by our Catholike Ancestours and yet Catholikes now haue not permitted theÌ„ so much as one Church of so many to heare the word of that Christian Fayth wherby the same were founded They must eyther want the comfort of the bread of life or els resort to priuate Chambers for the same with danger of mischance that the auncieÌ„t cause of Ieremy his complaint may seeme renewed in vs Thren c. 5. 10. In animabus nostris afferebamus nobis panem With losse of our liues we get the bread of our soules And which is worse when such disasters happeÌ„ they that haue taken our Churches from vs insult agaynst vs and the Religion that built them We may yet adde hereunto a fourth Reason Seeing God in his iudgments still aymeth at the finall end of his mercyes why may we not thinke he permitted this Accident to mitigate men harts towards Catholike ReligioÌ„ Disponit omnia suauiter causing according to his sweet course of prouidence the instinct of nature to concurre heerin with the motion of Grace For such is the disposition of mankind that the most Innocent being in excesse of prosperity are enuyed their great vertues suppressed small faults eagerly pursued to their disgrace On the other side when men are fallen from the highest of felicity into the depth of misery euen the wicked'st are pittyed their faultines extenuated and what may be in them worthy of prayse is presently called to mind Iehu when he saw Iesabel stand in her window looking proudly wantonly into the streete 4. 10 commanded her to be cast downe When she was dead and her body lay bleeding in the way her knowne immeÌ„se wickednes could not hinder his hart from a compassionate remembrance of her worth saying She was a Queene Sepelite eam quiâ— filia Regis est v. 23. and a Kings daughter let her be buried with honour Who knowes not the weeping of Alexander at the death of Darius The teares of Caesar vpon the fight of Pompey his head through remeÌ„brance of his former high worthines and state The destroyers of Hierusalem as Ieremy foretold Iosephus de bello Iudaico Herem 2. 15. wept in her destruction yea the Emperour that was Gods instrument therein passing afterward by occasion that way shed many teares vpon her This is HierusaleÌ„ that was once the fayre and beautifull Citty the ioy of the whole earth If misery be thus able to purchase fauour vnto wicked persons and mortall enemyes how much more vnto Catholike Religion that in so many of her children slayne in that their innocent exercise of deuotion lay so wofull a spectacle to our Country It is scarse possible but by that pittifull sight men should be warned to remember her Sanctity her Dignity her inestimable Benefits in former tymes bestowed on this Land and in their hearts to say This is the Religion that from her Head-Citty Rome sent hither ChristiaÌ„ Preachers Beda hist Angl. Tob. 13.22 Per vicos Alleluia caÌ„tabitur AngloruÌ„gens quae nihil nouerat nisi BarbaruÌ„ frendere nunc Hobraeum didicit Alleluia caÌ„tare Greg. wherby we Englishmen were first conuerted froÌ„ Idolatry vnto Christ and by the merits of his Bloud washed from the crimes of our cruelty in the heauenly lauer of Purity This is the Religion that did first banish from our mouth the vncouth names of Panime Gods that taught vs first to pronouÌ„ce the sauing Name of IESVS by whose meanes the sweet Alleluia began first to be songe in our streetes in hope of heauenly felicity This is the ReligioÌ„ that for a thousand yeares togeather was the sole ChristiaÌ„ Queene raigning in all our Catholike Princes working in their harts knowledge and loue of celestiall things mouing their handes to leaue monuments of their piety memorialls of
what cause of sorow you haue which he had not in greater measure what solace had Iob that you want That his Children so suddainly slayne were of holy life Lib. 1. in Iob. The same you may presume of these your Friendes and take the wordes of Origen as agreeing equally vnto them both They were simple and sincere of hart chast and pure in soule of vnspotted conscience beloued of God deare to his Angels for their innocency full of brotherly charity one towards another not any did or could speake of them an euill word That they had byn sanctified not long before by the sacrifices then in vse These also on the very same day were expiated by the Christian Sacraments by a sacrifice of a farre greater force yea of infinite price De sanctitate secuÌ„ loquentes cum sororibus c. That they died holily in an action of brotherly charity and loue In a farre more holy action and exercise of piety were these taken away that what Origen sayth of theÌ„ is much more certayne of these They were taken as they were discoursing of Piety and Sanctity among themselues honouring God in their hartes praysing him as their Creatour adoring him as their Benefactour giuing him thankes as vnto their Foster-father Filij sancti sanctissimi Patris As little Innocents sit and stand play and sport togeather without any malice or vncleanes in minde so were these holy Children of their most holy Father when the blow came vpon them On the other side what cause haue you of afflictioÌ„ that did not presse more heauily vpon the fatherly hart of holy Iob You haue lost them that were deare vnto you but not more deare then was vnto him his whole family of children A stroake sayth Origen whereof none can coÌ„prehend the dolefulnes but such as know by experieÌ„ce what is the loue of a Father though the sole imaginatioÌ„ therof may moue any mans hart vnto teares of compassion He lost his Sonnes whom he had nourished to whom he had giuen best education Orig. l. 1. in Iob. that now were come to ripe yeares His Sons whom he had brought vp in piety seasoned with the feare and worshippe of God settled in charity and mutuall loue made in all kind of sanctity like to himself His Sonnes whose yssue he did desire to see whose posterity he did so earnestly expect from whom in his old age he did hope for comfort These Sonnes and not they only but also his Daughters so chast so pure so religious immaculate without blemish on whose heades on the day of their mariage he did intend to set garlands of ioy All these perished togeather at once and togeather with them spes quanta nepotum all his ioyfull hopes of glorious ofspring The death of your Friendes was dreadfull horrible wherof the very remembrance is execrable how much more the sight Not more rufull terrible then the death of the holy Children of this blessed Patriarke which Origen describes in these wordes Orig. vbi supra They dyed not an ordinary but a most lamentable death they were most miserably slayne Their bodyes were torne in peeces with stones bruysed with the weight of beames couered and defiled with dust lime and rubbish Mamocks of their torne flesh togeather with peeces of their broken bones their braynes their bowells their bloud the brothers with their sisters the sisters with their brothers lay mingled with clay morter and stone in one inseparable masse For the Diuell left nothing of them entyre not their sculls not their bowels not their stomackes not their armes not their handes not their leggs not their feete in summe not any part of their body A rufull spectacle a wofull sight yea rather no spectacle no fight at all For nothing was to be seen nothing that could be known flesh and bones stones and timber clay and morter bloud and wine lay so confusedly togeather in one heape Neyther the maisters from the seruants nor the brothers from the sisters nor his children among themselues were discernable the one from the other eyther by their faces or by their persons Thus dyed the holy innocent Children of Iob whose death yet was deare and precious in Gods sight that we might not iudge of the sanctity of mens liues by the hydeous â—hew of their deaths But Iob his Religion you will say was not reproached in regard of this accident Yes and perchance much more then the Catholike now is in respect of this late Euent For I am perswaded that all moderate Protestants behold this mischance with the eye of pitty as a misery indifferently incident vnto mankind not with eyes of disdayne as an argument of iust contempt of the ReligioÌ„ of them that stood obnoxious therunto Neyther do I thinke that they vnto whome indiscreet auersion from euery thing of our Church hath giuen the name of Pure do presse this fall as a iust reason to fall from our Religion except they be so voyd of discretion and vnwise as to make the truth of GODS Word which will not fayle though heauen earth passe away to depend on the staÌ„ding or falling of an house If some whom the temporalities they haue gotten by the banishment of our ReligioÌ„ engage and late vayne and idle feares of loosing what they haue gotten enrage against the Roman Church if these men I say by their declamations in pulpit incense the rude vulgar multitude to take this occasion to insult vpon our Religion Beato Iob insultabaÌ„t Reges Tob. 2.15 they do no more vnto vs then was also done vnto the most holy Iob in his distresse by the Ministers of Satan For who knowes not how he was assaulted and iusulted vpon by them that vpon the newes of his mishapp came to comfort him Orig. l. 1. in Iob. but the Diuell changed their hartes into bitternes agaynst him filled their mouths with blasphemyes and iniurious wordes So that in place of consolatioÌ„ they fell to reproach his Religion vrging the sayd mischance to condemne his sincerity of diuine seruice true practise of piety Wherfore as you are the consorts of holy Iob in your triall so be like vnto him in your trust and confidence in God and from his goodnes expect in deuout silence the like reward of your constancy not only a crowne of patience in the next world but also increase of temporall comfort in the present CHAP. II. Comfort by the Examples of former Christian tymes THe comfort of holy Scripture is seconded by the practise of Gods Prouidence in the Christian Church QuaecuÌ„que sunt carnis incoÌ„moda SaÌ„ctis sunt cum ceteris sine exceptione communia Cyp. ser de mortal which hath been still subiect vnto the dreadfull mischances of mortality no lesse then other men wherby both Pagans and Heretikes haue byn moued to insult vpon the Catholike Christians as I shall demonstrate by diuers Examples of the first six hundred yeares during which tyme most