To draw toward an end therefore together with his end the end of his labours but the beginning of his resi the end of his worke but the receipt of his reward In these and the like imploiments publike and priuate hee spent his time he spent his strength like a torch or taper wasting and consuming himself for the behoofe and benefit of others ha 〈…〉 g his worke with God then and his reward for it from God now And for these emploiments principally it was that he desired recouery of health and strength vnto the performance whereof also though therein iniurious to himselfe and contrary to his owne desires he oft strained himselfe and that in the middest of his infirmitie and weaknesse not to the vncertaine hazard onely but to the euident impeachment and impairing of either What is the Signe said Ezekias when he was promised recouery that I shall goe vp to the house of the Lord as desiring continuance of life and recouery of health for no one end more then that And therfore also was this our Brother so desirous of recouery that he might repaire to Gods house againe that he might returne to Gods worke againe To which purpose the very last Lords day before his decease hauing after many relapses recouered a little strength he made shift to get out to a neighbour Congregation there to ioine with Gods people in publike performance of such solemne seruice of God as that day is vsually spent and emploied in And hauing held out to the end with them in both parts of the day he reioiced much therein that he was able so to doe the rather because thereby he conceiued some good hope that hee should be strong enough ere long to returne to his wonted worke and employment againe But the Lord saw it better for his will appeareth by his worke to put an end to his incessant labours here and to translate him to the place of his endlesse rest else where The gaine is his the losse ours minâ—â—wne among others not the least The Lord sanctifie it vnto vs and to those whom any way it concernet 〈…〉 and vouchsafe in mercy to repaire it by raising vp many alike qualified and endowed in his roome With whom now leaue we him and returning home to our selues afford we a reuerent and religious care to those instructions that for the fitting and preparing of vs vnto the way that he is gone before vs shall out of Gods Word be deliuered vnto vs. ABRAHAMS DECEASE GEN. 25. 8. And Abraham gaue vp the ghost and died in â—good old age an old man and full of yeeres and he was gathered to his people BEfore was a long discourse of Abrahams life here is a report in few words of his death Wherein to come to them directly without further preface because much time is already spent wee may consider these particulars Who died How he died When he died and Whither he went when he died First who died Abraham Whence we may obserue that No state or condition here freeth men from death For who might sooner or better haue expected to haue beene freed from it then Abraham Abraham I say a Prophet of God a Prince of God a speciall friend of God the Father of the faithfull c. And yet of this Abraham a Prince a Prophet Gods friend his fauourite the father of the faithfull is it here said that he died and by the Iewes to our Sauiour Abraham is dead So Lazarus Christs friend and yet This our Friend saith Christ sleepeth that is as afterward he there e 〈…〉 eth himselfe hee is dead The Apostles likew 〈…〉 Christs friends and yet they are all dead For it was no true Word that went among the Disciples concerning Iohn from the words of our Sauiour either mistaken or misinterpreted that that Disciple should not die Dauid a man after Gods owne heart and yet he goeth the way of all flesh Your Fathers saith the Prophet Zachary where are they or doe the Prophets liue for euer And the Iewes answer him in the negatiue No the Prophets are dead In a word as the Psalmist saith that wise men die as well as fooles so good men die as well as bad yea the good goe oft before the bad The righteous saith he are taken away from the euill to come And of Ieroboams young Sonne it is said He shall die because there is some goodnesse in him Now the reason why the godly die as well as the wicked is First if we regard naturall causes 1. Because they are made of the same mould and mettall that others are We haue this treasure saith the Apostle in earthen vessels they are but earthen pâ—ts as well as others 2. Because they are subiect to the same casualties that others are For All things come alike to all The same chance betideth the good and the bad the cleane and the vncleane the sacrificer and him that sacrificeth not the swearer and him that feareth to sweare that maketh conscience of an oath Secondly if we regard spirituall respects 1. The godly die also that they may rest from their labours For They rest from their labours that are deceased in Christ. 2. They die that they may receiue their reward to wit the Crowne of righteousnesse which they must not expect till they haue finished their race 3. They die that they may be rid of sinne they die for sinne saith the Apostle yet not to pay for it as the wicked doe but to be freed from it For He that is dead is freed from sinne 4. They die that they may be freed from death it selfe that mortalitie saith the same Apostle may be swallowed vp of life 5. They die that they mayt goe to God For While we bide here in the body wee are absent from the Lord and We desire therefore to remoue hence that we may goe home to him 6. They die that they may be with Christ I desire saith he to loose or to be loosed and to bee with Christ. But against the truth of this point may some obiection be made For first if no state or condition free men from death how may some say it is said of Enoch that he neuer saw death and of Elias that he was taken vp aliue into heauen To this I answer that singular and extraordinary priuiledges neither make a rule nor marre a rule It followeth not because some one or two of this or that estate or condition haue by speciall fauour beene some time exempted from this generall sentence that therefore the estate or condition it selfe exempteth any or that all of the same estate are exempt and freed therefore therefrom Ezekias walketh with God
as well as Enoch and yet he died when his lease of fifteene yeeres expired Eliseus was a Prophet of God as well as Elias and the Spirit of Elias it is said rested vpon Eliseus and yet he died and was buried as appeareth by the miracle that God wrought by his corps sometime after his decease These were personall priuiledges and personall prerogatiues passe no further than the persons of those whom they are conferred on But secondly if euen the faithfull die also for how should the faithfull looke to escape death when the Father of the faithfull as wee see here himselfe dieth how may some say are the words of our Sauiour made good where he saith If any man keepe my sayings he shall neuer see death And He that liueth and beleeueth in me shall neuer die To this I answer that there is as a twofold life so a twofold death A twofold life to wit a naturall life issuing from the coniunction of the soule to the body and a spirituall life arising from the coniunction of God to the soule And a twofold death to wit a naturall death arising from the disiunction of the soule from the body and a spirituall death arising from the disiunction of God from the soule For looke what the soule is to the body the same is God to the soule As the soule is the life of the body so is God the life of the soule And as the naturall death ensueth when the soule departeth from the body so the spirituall death followeth when God with-draweth himselfe from the soule The faithfull then may dye the naturall death but they neuer dye the spirituall death Death may seuer their soules from their bodies but death cannot cut off either soule or body with them from Christ. The Faithfull may die and yet our Sauiours words true For they die not euen when they die Wicked men saith Chrysostome are dead euen while they liue good and godly men liue euen when they be dead The life of the one is nothing but a passage to death the death of the other is nothing but an entrance into life For it is no life but death that seuereth a man from Christ while he liueth It is no death but life that bringeth a man home to Christ when he dieth And thus much briefly for answer to these two Obiections Now for the vse of the Point First it may serue to hearten and encourage vs against the feare and dread of death For doe all euen the godly and faithfull die Why should wee be loath to come to that that so many Saints of God haue come to before As Phocion said to one that was to die with him Art thou not glad to fare as Phocion doth So why should any be loath to doe as Abraham doth Or why should we be afraid to goe that way that all the holy men of God haue gone before vs It is true indeed there might be some colourable cause of feare if wee were to goe some vncouth and vntrod way such as none euer went before vs as Abel did when he died Or if none but the wicked had gone this way before vs we might iustly feare that it were indeed the high way to hell But now when the blessed Saints and the best beloued of God haue either all or the most of them at least gone this way before vs yea when he was no wicked but a iust man that went first of all this way we may well and boldly follow him and them in it without feare as being the high way to Heauen too nor neede we dread or suspect any euill in that that God who loued them so deerely would neuer haue suffered to befall them if it should haue beene any way preiudiciall vnto them Secondly doe euen such also die This should teach vs not to mourne or bee grieued for the faithfull deceased as if any euill had befallen them For if they died in the Lord if they deceased in the faith they are but gone the same way that Gods best beloued went before them that liued in former times They are rather departed than deceased sent before vs whither we must follow leaft onely not lost Their death is rather a departing or a going out of this world or a passage to heauen or a returne to God then a deceasing or surceasing or intermission or intercision yea or diminution either of lâ—fe or of their good or happy estate There is no cause therefore to mourne for those that die in Christ there is cause rather to mourne for those that liue out of Christ. For the one liueth still though he die the other is dead though he yet liue and shall one day die eternally if he continue as he now is Doest thou mourne saith Augustine ouer the body that the soule hath leaft mourne rather ouer the soule that God hath forsaken as Samuel did for Saul and as the Apostle saith he should doe for such as had liued in lewd and loose courses and not repented yet of them Such there is cause therefore indeede to mourne for But no cause in the world to mourne for those that are in no worse case than Abraham and Isaak and all the faithfull are that liued in former times or than others of the same ranke shall be hereafter to the worlds ends Thirdly are all of all sorts subiect to death as well good as bad Prophets as priuate men c This then should admonish vs to make the best vse we can of our religious friends neighbours acquaintance husbands parents pastors especially while they are with vs Walke yea and worke too by the light while you haue it with you saith our Sauiour since that we know not how soone they may be taken away from vs. It is that wherein most men are generally faulty that as he saith of rarities and strange sights when they are neere at hand with vs we regard not so much to see them as we would if they were further off and wee should come occasionally where they were or as strangers are wont to be that come out of other parts whither they are after a while to returne againe because hauing them at hand we thinke we may see them when wee will whereas the strangers vnlesse hee see them now while hee is here thinketh hee shall neuer haue the like opportunity againe So we neglect oft to make that good vse that wee might of the meanes and the ministery that God hath setled among vs and of our religious friends that he hath setled vs with in hope that wee may long enioy them and hauing them at hand with vs
to come ouer-soone when it commeth to those that desire it not and at last come it will And last life neuer s◠〈…〉 ng it will seeme but short when it is once ouer When it is gone saith the Psalmist it is but as a watch in the night Secondly it should admonish vs to take heed how we grow too farre in loue either with this life it selfe or with the things of this life Since that though we enioy them neuer so long yet wee must leaue them at last For we brought them not with vs into this world and it is certaine that we cannot carry them out of the world with vs. If they leaue not vs while we liue here which oft also they doe yet we cannot but leaue them when we goe hence For all the things of this life must needs leaue vs when our life it selfe leaueth vs whereupon they depend Let vs so hold and vse these things therefore that we set not our hearts on them that we suffer not our affections to be glewed to them Let them hang loose about vs that when wee shall come to be stript of them they may as our garments goe off with ease Otherwise if they cleaue and sticke fast to our soules as cloathes are wont to doe to an vlcerous body the parting one day with them which we can by no meanes auoid will be as painfull vnto vs as if our skin were pulled from our flesh or our flesh â—orne from our bones or rather as if some peece of our soule were reaft away together with them Yea for life it selfe if we loue it as who loueth not life let vs loue that life that is life indeed and deserueth well that name For this life that we liue here is in a manner no life it is life in name but in deed and truth death It is no true life that cannot ouercome death that yeeldeth to that â—endeth to that endeth in death Thirdly the consideration hereof should cause vs to surcease and cast off this our immoderate care for the things of this life As it hath beene said by way of reproofe of some people that they vsed to build as if they looked to liue for euer so it may well be said of many among vs that they purchase and build and gather goods together as if they made full account to liue euer to enioy them Whereas neither are these things able to lengthen their liues for haue a man neuer so much of them his life dependeth not thereupon nor to keepe them from death for no price can procure any immunitie from it nor to saue them in death for riches auaile not in the day of wrath nor to auaile them after death for there will then be no vse of them And for men therefore to beat their braines so much with thought and care for these things and to take such paines as so many doe for the compassing of them is but to tâ—ile and moile about that that they must leaue to others at length and to inherite nothing but folly and vanitie themselues when others they know not who inherit the fruit of their labours Lastly this might teach vs not to feare death It is a fond thing saith he to feare that that cannot be auoided A folly it is to trouble turmoile our selues with feare and care about that that by no thought or forecast wee can shunne or shift off But such is death Delayed it may be but auoided it cannot be And be it nouer so long put off yet it will come at last As an ancient Father therefore well and wisely aduiseth Feare not that which whether thou wilt or no will be feare that rather which if thou thy selfe wilt not shall neuer be That is feare not this temporall death the death of thy body which of it selfe cannot hurt thee and by no meanes or care of thine can be preuented but feare that eternall death the death of thy soule the greatest of all euils that can possibly befall thee which by mature care and diligence now vsed may be preuented But we are as another well obserueth herein the most of vs like children that are afraid of a visour but feare not the fire shreeke and start at the one but thrust their fingers into the other Wee feare the bodily death but not the spirituall death the death of the soule the death in sinne and dying in sinne without which the other caÌ„not hurt The feare of death troubleth and distracteth much our minds but the feare of future matters that are truly fearfull indeed and but for which death needednot at al to be feared doth no more trouble or affect the most than as if no such thing were at all or they were babes only that beleeued them And thus much for the Generall that from this third Branch we obserue Some Particulars follow which I will point at rather than insist on More specially therefore we may hence further obserue First that in some cases To liue long is a blessing It was foretold Abraham as a fauour that hee should die an old man and it is here recorded that so he did And it was foretold Eli as an heauie iudgement that should betide his posterity that there should neuer be any old man in his house Long life as in the Law it is promised oft as a blessing and God where he describeth by the Prophet the flourishing estate of his people saith There shall no more be from them or goe thence an infant of daies that is none of them shall die young or in infants estate nor any old man that hath not fulfilled his daies that is liued so long as in course of nature he well might but the childe shall die an hundred yeares old that is he that is now a childe shall liue till he be so many yeares old which place the rather I recite open at large in regard of some friuolous crotchets that not a few haue fisht out of it cleane beside as well the meaning as the drift of Gods Spirit So the shortning of mans life is threatned oft as a curse Hee shall die before his time as the greene grape is nipt off the Vine and the Oliue blossome shake off the tree saith Eliphaz of the wicked And Hee shall not liue out halfe his daies that is halfe the time that he might in the course of nature haue attained to saith the Psalmist of deceitfull and bloudie men And well may it be so deemed For first Old age is honourable Yea as the Apostle saith of Mariage It is honourable among all men It is a resemblance of Gods antiquitie who is called the Ancient of daies