A LIVELY ANATOMIE OF DEATH Wherein you may see from whence it came what it is by nature and what by Christ Togeather with the power strength and sting thereof as also a preparatiue against the same Teâ—ding to teach men to lyue and die well to the Lord. By IOHN MORE preacher of the Gospel Imprinted at London by G. S. for W. Iones and are to be solde at the signe of the Gunne neare Holborne Conduit 1596. Omnia mors aequat Death spareth none estate no pompe no wealth no power at all No threates no prayers can auayle when pleaseth him to call He steemes no more a mightie Prince his Scepter or his port Then Mattocke of a laboring man one of the poorer sort The King and Subiect Rich or Poore in substaunce dead be one No Lyon better is then Cur when both their lyues be gonne So still the glorie of this worlde out of this worlde doth passe With him who lyuing in this worlde once in great glorie was T. P. The Printer to the Christian Reader GEntlemen our Diuines do tell vs that Ioseph of Arramathaea made his Tumbe in his lyfe time and in the middest of his Garden to this ende questionles to put him selfe in minde of death in the middest of his pleasures And seeing the life of a Christian should be continually exercised in the meditation of Death by reason of the continuall conflictes which we suffer not in respect of any open enemie but in regarde of our secret sinnes Euery day euery houre euery moment and in euery place the Deuill fighting agaynst vs the worlde with his delyghtes and the flesh with his pleasures in so hot an assault as doth admit no peace nor suffer any truce I thought good to present you with this Anatomie of Death that in the middest of your delightes you may take a view of him who will in the ende cut off all your delights Accept it as I import it the Pawne of my good desire to pleasure you and Bill for your assurance to receaue greater things at my hand when opportunitie shall serue in the meane time as you tender the health of your body so likewyse care for the health of your soule remembring that Death to the wicked is the high way to Hell but Death to Gods chyldren is the path-way to Heauen Yours in all loue W. Iones To the Worshipfull M. Thomas South Esquire The fulnes of comfort in Christ our Sauiour to supplie the sorrowes for his deceas sed Father GOod Sir I haue receaued your Letters the messengers of your sorrowe and the workers of my griefe for that I now misse alouing kind Neighboure as you do want a kind louing Father And if the most renowned king Dauid notwithstanding the great enmitie betwixt Saul and him did shed as many teares from his eyes when he heard that his enemie was murdered as there did issue droppes of blood from Sauls body when it was wounded I trust my Christian sorrow for my friend shalbe christianly excused sith that it is a naturall thing for one man to haue compassion vpon an other and of all worldly losses which we receiue by death the losse of such a friende is very bitter although now by death he hath gayned an estate which is incomparably betâ—â—r God hauing taken his vnbodyed Spirite to the fruition of his Diuine essence in heauen but left his vnspirited Body to be layde by you on his last bed in the earth and your selfe to the practise of your Fathers forepassed vertues that in the ende of your race you may inioy the benefite of your Fathers foretasted comfortes which I must acknowledge to be the sweete fruites of his godly lyfe And where as I vnderstande by your Letter so many in number so excellent in qualitie so comfortable in his extremitie both for the quicknes of his sence and the quietnes of his conscience and readines of his memorie that if he would haue wished longer lyfe then that he lyued or more Worshyp then that he inioyed or greater wealth then that he possessed yet he could not haue desired at the handes of God a more heroyicall gyft then the grace he had to die in his grace because as punishment is ioyned to his displeasure so glorie is alwayes knit to his gracious fauour Therefore good Sir hencefoorth surcease your sorrow least you be charged to grieue at his solace And seeing the preuiledge to die well is onely allotted to them whom God hath giuen the grace to liue well endeuour as you are by nature so in lyfe and death you may shew your selfe his Sonne that as death tooke Manasses cutting his Corne and binding vp his Sheaues so death when death knockes at your gate may finde your August past and your Haruest at an ende I meane not of your Corne which growes in Swallowclisfe-fielde but of the thoughtes which flowe from your hart To this ende my friende hath bestowed vppon you this litle Treatise made by a Diuine endued with an excellent spirite requesting you to patronize it with your fauour but especially to follow it with your best indeuour For so you shall lyue full of good workes as your Father died full of good dayes and leaue a testimonie of righteousnesse vnto your Chyldren as their Graundfather hath left both to you and them Thus with hartiest resalutations to your selfe your wyfe and syster I commit both you and yours to the Almightie God whose you are and whom you serue London 27. of Ianuarie 1595. Louingly and assuredly yours William Barforde A lyuely Anatomie of Death c. WE see it verefied by experience that all earthly and transitorie things haue their ende to the which they tend Our very yeares are limitted God hath measured out our moneths the dayes of our liues are dated how long we haue to liue So that our first lesson euen at the beginning that we haue to learne is this to thinke of our ending Wee see that the longest day passeth and the night succeedeth howe summer followeth winter and winter summer The sunne it hath both his rising and his setting his shining and his shading The spring time hath his course in couering and clothing the ground with fruites Summer it rypens them Haruest gathers them and winter spends them Thus one thing followeth another and both one and another passe swiftlie to their end The generation of one thing is the distruction of another and the death of one thing is the life of another first is our generation then our conception after comes our birth in wonderfull weakenesse our cradle is our castle when we haue once crept out of that we come to a little strength yet long is the time eare we come to ripenesse And here behold we neuer continue in one state for as our streÌ„gth increased at the first so by little and little it diminisheth at the last As youth succeedeth childhood and age youth so childhood youth and age haue all their end We prooue by
experience that the freshest and sweetest flower soone fadeth and hath his fall our garments waxe olde be they neuer so gay our buildings become ruinous be they neuer so stately And as our life is vpholden by the death of Gods creatures so death shall be the end aswell of vs as of them But to come neere to my purpose you see the former yeare which was new is both olde and ended the new yeare which is now entered requireth a new gift a debt I may call it which your deserts may challenge for a dutie That which I write I wish God onely must giue it yet through him I offer it God graunt you may well accept it A posey therefore I present most fittest for your state which is both fresh and faire sweete and sauerie which neither the frost of Winter can so bite or the heate of Summer so parche or any storme or weather whatsoeuer so assayle but that it springeth smelleth tasteth and lasteth for euer Memento mori Remember to dye Recordare nouissima Remember your latter end this is your Poesey and you shall neuer doe amisse this is the smell this is the sent of your Nosegay which if you apply dayly to your sences it will perfume your soule and body that all without you and within you shall be as a sweete odour and flagrant incense to the Lorde of Hostes Nowe to make profite of this posey remember I beseech you that sithence we liue mooue and haue our being in God that therefore our liues are not our owne but lent vs for a time Remember that we are borne to dye and dye to liue If this once were beaten into our braines we would not so much deceiue our selues For the forgetfulnesse of death and hope of life makes vs so secure and carelesse as that we desire no other heauen then earth Many make a couenant with Death and clap hands with the graue hoping thereby to escape and so bathe themselues in their fleshly pleasures and wallowe like Swine in their filthinesse following things apparant to the eyes neuer regarding the time to come till death preuent them of a sudden and sommon them to appeare before their Iudge so it comes to passe that as they liued wickedly so they dye most miserablie Their hope is as the winde and their confidence like the Cobweb Death is a terrour and a tormentour both to soule and body and this is the reason they haue not learned to dye Death is strange vnto them he seemes an vglesome monster they dare not once beholde him True it is that Death in it owne nature is most terrible to beholde that the sight thereof amazeth all our sences yet he that is armed with faith is well assured that it is sent for his profit to be his packhorse to carry him from earth to heauen from paine to pleasure from misery vexation griefe and woe to endlesse mirthe melodie and ioyes vnspeakable with God for euer To the ende therefore that the remembrance of Death driue vs not to dispaire but may rather comfort vs in our conflicts it will not be amisse if according to my skill I shew you some Anatomie in which you may see as in a glasse the originall of Death and from whence it came what it is by nature with the power strength and sting thereof and what through Christ to the faithfull Lastly a preseruatiue or at least a preparatiue against the same so that it may rather helpe vs then hurt vs. First touching the originall and beginning of Death it seemeth doubtfull from whence it came what Auctor it had for although the issues thereof be in the hand of God and that it is his handmaide to execute his will as he also fetters the very diuels themselues who can do nothing without him yet all the creatures that God made were very good and as he is the very goodnesse it selfe so can nothing but good proceede from God And therefore since Death and the diuell be enimies to God and goodnesse be destroyers and corrupters of nature which he had made they are none of his creatures he is neither their Auctor nor they of his offpring From whence then came Death it proceeded from the diuell God saieth the wise man created Adam without corruption and made him after his owne Image yet through enuie of the Diuell came Death into the worlde and they that holde of his side prooue it So that the father of Death is the Diuell and as he is ill by nature so is Death in it selfe issuing and proceeding from such a Fountaine The Diuell is the Auctor of sinne and consequently of Death for by Sinne Death entred and Death is the wages thereof He that committeth sinne is of the diuell for the diuel sinneth from the beginning he is a murtherer from the beginning he is both a lyar and the father thereof not by creation but by corruption God made him an Angell he made himselfe a diuell So falling from God he fell from goodnesse and became the father of sinne and wickednesse Non stetit in veritate he stood not in the trueth Now being thus transformed from an Angell to a diuell and that of himselfe not of God who made him good he lost the prerogatiue of his creation and so was altered both in name nature Now being falne obserue his fetches being that enuious man he repined at the state of man made like to God He came couertlie to Heuah in the similitude of the Serpent and after long allurements caught her in his snare that she consented So being snared she bends her force to catche her husband also and indeed preuailed Marke the diuels proceedings and see what hookes he had hidden vnder his fine and pleasant baites First he bewitches her sences with a faire shew and goodlie taste of the fruite forbidden Secondly he assaileth them with infidelitie and doubtfulnesse of Gods worde pronounced namely that they should dye the death and puts in peraduentures Thirdly he opposeth himselfe to the vndoubted trueth of God setting downe the contrarie You shall not dye Lastly he pricks them forwarde to pride and selfe loue You shall be as Gods you shall be as cunning as the highest in good and euill So the poore creatures not leaning to God nor asking counsell at his worde but trusting to themselues and beleeuing his vaine and strong delusions they yeelde and came to his lure and in yeelding were seduced and so snared and holden with the cordes of their owne sinne and fetters of their owne finding out Then through this disobedience comes the iustice of God to reuenge it selfe on man and the penaltie which it exacted was death appointed and due by God to their disobedience See therefore nowe the petigree of Death and of what parentage it proceeded Came it from God I say no but was deriued from the diuell by the meanes of sinne which he brought into the worlde whose stipend and wages is death and damnation the
assayling and our owne willingnesse in obeying we may both renounce the Diuell and forsake our selues cleaue onely in this extremitie to the Lord. Out of this original of Death we may fetche the definition wherein let vs consider what it is in nature of it selfe without Christ what sting it hath and of what power and strength it consisteth Death in it selfe is not onely a killing of the body but also a sleying of the soule not onely a separation of soule from body but a diuision and cutting off both of soule body from God Death therefore is two folde to wit corporall and spirituall yet both of them the stipends and rewards of sinne and both of them due to all without exception For all sinned and are destitute of the grace of God This corporall death as I said is a seperation of the soule from the body and is called the first death Spirituall death is a cutting off of the soule from God and excluding and shutting out of the same from the blessed and sweete countenance of God which is life it selfe and this is called the second death common I say to all by reason of sinne yet not preuayling ouer Gods children for whose sinnes Christ hath satisfied Death therefore at a worde is nothing else but a departing from life and the life of the body is the soule therefore the seperation of the soule from the body is death And as the soule is life to the body so the life of the soule is God therfore the going or departing of the soule from God to cleaue to sinne is the death also of the soule Without God there is no lyse therefore Adam and Euah departing from God departed from life and although their soules were not presently seperated from their bodyes yet being gone from God their life they lay as it were buried in their bodies as also their bodies themselues euery moment subiect to corruption So soone as man by sinne turned himselfe from God euen so soone was he destitute of his grace and fauour that he could not so much as once aspire to felicitie so thaâ— presently the souldiers of death besieged his body to wit hunger thirste sicknesse sorrow and all kinde of calamities So soone as euer they had sinned saith Chrysostome euen so soone did the Lorde pronounce sentence oâ— death against them And euen as those that are condempned of the Iudge although for a while perhaps they may be reserued aliue in prison and be repriued yet in effect they are accompted but for dead men Euen so our firsâ— parents though through the exceeding great mercy of God after sentence pronounced they did long enioy their liues yet foorthwith in effect they were as good as dead for no day or houre or moment did after wards ensue that they had assurance of their life Whereby we haue to learne that the life of sinners is no life indeed but a death being estranged from â—he life of God all remaine as dead which lack beliefe in Christ for onely Christ who is eternall life through â—aith dooth quicken his children so â—hat truly to acknowledge Christ and â—hrough faith to possesse him is indeed â—o be freed from Death and to haue â—ternall life Onely in name to professe â—im is the part of dead men for whosoeuer beleeueth not remaineth in â—eath because the wrath of God tariâ—th vpon him He which hath not the â—onne of God hath not life hereof â—aith Iohn to the Angell of the church â—f Sardis Thou hast a name that thou liâ—est but thou art dead Hereof Christ calleth the Pharisees painted sepulchres whose soules were dead in their bodies for want of faith hereof he said to the young man Let the dead burie the dead And Paule to the wanton widowe that being aliue she was but dead Awake thou that sleepest and stand vp from the dead and Christ shall giue thee light you hath he quickened which were dead in your trespasses and sinnes By this that hath bin spoken we may see not one but all are subiect to the spirituall death being full of sinne and disobedience and so remaine those onely excepted which are quickened by Christ and are buryed by Baptisme into his death to die to sinne and liue to righteousnesse to the glory of him that dooth quicken them And as faith in Christ is the lyfe of the soule being dead through sinne so no faith can quicken vs which is not liuely in it selfe namely which apprehendeth not Christ which worketh not by loue which flourisheth not with fruites for faith without good fruits is dead And therfore to the end we may be reuiued being buried in our sinnes we must first beleeue in Christ which is our lyfe If our beliefe be liuely we must shew it forth by our fruits otherwise we may haue a name to liue and yet be dead Nowe to vnderstand this pointe the better learne what it is to be dead in sinne They are sayd to be dead in their sinnes whom Death still holdeth in the fetters and cordes of their sinne who cannot so much as mooue themselues to any goodnesse who haue no sence or feeling either of Gods mercie or their owne miseries Those to whom all goodnesse is vnsauerie whose bodies and soules are holden captiues of the diuell whom they serue as slaues which are like the deafe Adder that stoppeth her eares and will not heare the voyce of the charmer charme he neuer so wisely such as are wedded to their owne wicked willes whom the God of this worlde hath so blinded that they can neither heare nor beleeue the truth whose conuersion is as hard as to raise vp sonnes of stones vnto Abraham Here we ought to learne to lothe sinne which brings vs in such thraldome to Death and diuell which cuts vs off from God shuts vs out of heauen robs vs of saluation brings the wrath of God vpon vs which is vnmeasurable and infinite and neuer able to be fully satisfied but by only Christ who is infinite and of like maiesty with God his father Nowe to the end that the goodnesse of Christ and his grace which hereafter I minde to speake of may more appeare in so miraculouslie deliuering vs from the power of death and the deuils tyrranie it will not be amisse to set out the force strength sting thereof that the power of Christ in vanquishing the same may more be magnified The originall you haue heard already as also the discription who be subiect to it and their state in this their thraldome Now therefore marke that as the diuell and man together brought in death by sinning so it now being entred is become the very kingdome of Satan wherin he exerciseth his tyrranny By this death he sheweth his triumphing ouer man whome he so seduced in holding him so fast fettered in the linkes of his owne sinnes and so hath him as his slaue is counted as his Prince and ruleth ouer him as a head God did renounce vs although
set at perfect libertie what is this body else but a prison a Iayle and a dungeon If to enioy the sweete presence of God be the highest felicitie why then to bee kepte from it is it not the extreamest miserie And certainlye till wee bee escaped out of this lyfe vve vvander abrode from the Lorde If vvee consider that this vnstedfast faultie corruptible frayle wythering and rotten Tabernacle of ourbodie is therefore dissoluted by Death that it afterwardes maye bee restored againe into a stedfast perfect vncorruptible and heauenly glorye shall not faith compell vs feruentlye to desire that vvhich nature feareth If we consider that by Death vvee are called out of banishment to inhabite our Countrey yea our heauenly countrey shall vve obteyne no comforte thereby Alas this our vvretched lyfe is a vapoure a smoake a shadowe a warre-fare a Wildernesse a vayle of vvretchednesse wherewith wee are compassed about on euerye side vvith moste fyerce and fearefull enemies And should vve desire to dwell heere should vvee lust to lyue in this lothesome and laborious lyfe should vvee vvishe to tarry in this vvretchednesse should vve haue pleasure to remaine in this perilous estate Daniels Den is not so dreadfull as is this dungeon vvee dwell in Secondly concerning death as you haue partly heard vvhat is it now else then a Waspe vvithout a sting a sword without an edge a dagger vvithout a pointe What is it else now to all Gods children then the dispatcher of all displeasures the ende of all our trauels the doore of heauen the gate of gladnesse the porte of Paradise the hauen of health the rayle of rest the entrance of felicitie the ende of all miseryes and the beginning of all blessednesse It is the very bed of Downe faieth a godly Father and therfore vvell compared to a sleepe for the dolefull bodies of Gods people to rest in out of the which they shall arise and awake most fresh and lustie to lyfe euerlasting It is a passage to the father a chariot to heauen the Lordes messenger a leader vnto Christ a going to our home a deliuerance from bondage and prison a demission from warre a securitie from all sorrowes and a manumission from all miseries So that the very Heathen in some places did cause the day of their death to be celebrated with mirth melodie and minstrelsie And shall we which are Christians be dismaide at it should we be afrayde of it Shoulde such a friende as it is be vnwelcomed should the foulenesse of his face feare vs from his good conditions should the hardnesse of his huske hinder vs from his sweete curnell should the roughnesse of the tyde tye vs to the banke and shore there to bee drowned rather then the desire of our home driue vs to goe aboard shoulde the hardnesse of the saddle set vs on our feete to perrishe by the waye rather then to leape vp and endure the same a little and so bee where wee woulde bee Lastlye touching the lyfe prepared for vs after death if I should go about to expresse it the more I should so doe the further I should be from it For the eye hath neuer seene nor the eare heard nor the heart of man can euer conceiue the ioye mirthe melodye pleasure power wealth riches honour beautie fellowship dainties odours glorye wisdome knowledge treasures securitie peace quietnesse and eternall felicitie which the faithfull shall haue and enioye worlde without ende with God the Father the Sonne and the holye Ghost with Angels and Arche-angels Patriarches and Prophets with Apostels and Euangelists the martyrs and confessors and with all the Saintes of God in the Pallace of the Lorde in heauen the kingdome of God the glorye of the Father O woe to the blyndnesse of our eyes that wee see not this woe to the hardnesse of our hearts that feele not this woe to the deafenesse of our eares that heare not this in such wise as wee should doe where through wee might bee so farre from fearing Death that rather wee should wishe it crying with Simeon Nowe let thy seruante departe in peace And with Dauid When shall I come and appeare before thee Woe is me that my babitation is thus prolonged But alas great is our vnbeliefe full fainte and weake is our fayth or else nighte and daye teares and cryings shoulde bee our Breade and Drinke whilest it is sayde vnto vs Where is your God We should rather wish to bee doore keepers in the house of the Lord then to dwell in these vngodlye tents for one daye in his courte is better then a thousand It is a token of little loue to God to be so lothe to goe vnto him when hee calleth Heerein wee ought to lament the weakenesse of our faith and seeing our neede to prepare for remedye against the time of neede and to begge of God his ayde strength and comfotre against the pinche which vndoubtedly If wee aske with faith we shall obteyne and fynde his promise true Thus to knitte vp all least I should seeme to tyre you my promise I trust in some sorte is performed touching this shorte discourse wherein I haue rather tyed my selfe to the matter then my methode I alwayes preferre the substance before the shadowe and thus I commende you to the Lorde beseeching him for Christes sake to keep vs soules and bodies to his kingdome and glorye and to leade vs order vs and dispose vs as he will in all thinges in all places and for euer that at the length we may come whither we would that is into his owne blessed presence and fruition of immortallitye with Christ and his Saints worlde without ende AMEN