truth it selfe but I doe it for this ende that we might without wauering be resolued of the truth of this which Salomon auoucheth For there may be sundrie reasons brought to the contrarie Therfore let vs now haÌ„dle the question the reasons or obiections which may be alleadged to the contrarie may all bee reduced to sixe heads The first is taken from the opinion of wise men who think it the best thing of all neuer to bee borne the next best to die quickly Now if it be the best thing in the world not to bee borne at all then it is the worst thing that can bee to die after a man is borne Answ. There be two sorts of men one that liue and die in their sinnes without repentance the other which vnfainedly repent beleeue in Christ. Now this sentence maybe truly auouched of the first of whome wee may say as Christ said of Iudas It had bin good for him that he had neuer bin borne But the saying applied to the second sort of men is false For to them that in this life turne to God by repentance the best thing of all is to bee borne because their birth is a degree of preparation to happinesse and the next best is to die quickly because by death they enter into possessioÌ„ of the same their happinesse For this cause Balaam desired to die the death of the righteous and Salomon in this place prefers the day of death before the day of birth vnderstaÌ„ding that death which is ioyned with godly life or the death of the righteous The second obiection is taken from the testimonies of Scripture Death is ths wages of sinne Rom. 6.23 it is an enemy of Christ 1. Cor. 15. and the curse of the lawe Hence it seemes to followe that in and by death men receiue their wages paiment for their sinnes that the day of death is the dolefull day in which the enemie preuailes against vs that he which dieth is cursed Answ. We must distinguish of death it must be considered two waies first as it is by it selfe in his own nature secoÌ„dly as it is altered changed by Christ. Now death by it selfe considered is indeed the wages of sinne an enemie of Christ of all his members the curse of the law yea the very suburbs and the gates of hell yet in the second respect it is not so For by the vertue of the death of Christ it ceaseth to be a plague or punishment and of a curse it is made a blessing and is become vnto vs a passage or middle-way betweene this life and eternall life and as it were a litle wicket or doore whereby wee passe out of this world and enter into heauen And in this respect the saying of Salomon is most true For in the day of birth men are borne brought forth into the vale of misery but afterward when they goe hence hauing death altered vnto theÌ„ by the death of Christ they enter into eternall ioy and happinesse with al the Saints of God for euer The third obiection is taken from the exaÌ„ples of most worthie men who haue made their prayers against death As our Sauiour Christ who praied on this manner Father if it bee thy will let this cup passe from mee yet not my will but thy will bee done And Dauid praied Returne O Lord dâ—liuer my soule saue me for thy mercies sake for in death there is no remembrance of thee in the graue who shall praise thee And Ezechiah when the Prophet Esay bade him set his house in order and told him that he must die wept sore that in respect of death Now by the examples of these most worthy men yea by the example of the sonne of God himself it may seeme that the day of death is the most terrible doleful day of all Ans. WheÌ„ our Sauiour Christ praied thus to his father he was in his agonie and he then as our Redeemer stood in our roome and stead to suffer all things that we should haue suffered in our own persons for our sinnes and therefore hee praied not simply agaiÌ„st death but against the cursed death of the crosse and he feared not death it selfe which is the separation of body and soule but the curse of the lawe which went with death namely the vnspeakable wrath and indignation of God The first death troubled him not but the first and second ioyned togither Touching Dauid wheÌ„ he made the sixt Psalme he was not onely sicke in body but also perplexed with the greatest temptation of all in that hee wrestled in conscience with the wrath of God as appeares by the words of the text where hee saith Lord rebuke me not in thy wrath And by this we see that hee praied not simply against death but against death at that instant wheÌ„ he was in that grieuous temptation for at other times hee had no such feare of death as hee himselfe testifieth saying Though I should walke thorough the valley of the shadowe of death I will feare no euill Therefore he praied against death only as it was ioyned with the appreheÌ„sion of Gods wrath Lastly Ezechiah prayed against death not onely because he desired to liue and doe seruice to God in his kingdome but vpon a further and more speciall regard because when the Prophet brought the message of death hee was without issue and had none of his owne bodie to succeede him in his kingdome It will be said what warrant had Ezechiah to pray against death for this cause Ans. His warrant was good for God had made a particular promise to Dauid his posteritie after him that so long as they feared God walked in his commandemeÌ„ts they should not want issue to sit vpon the throne of the kingdome after them Now Ezechiah at the time of the Prophets message remembring what promise God had made and how he for his part had kept the coÌ„dition thereof in that hee had walked before God with an vpright heart and had done that which was acceptable in his sight hee praied against death not so much because hee feared the danger of it but because he wanted issue This praier God accepted and heard and he added fifteene yeares vnto his daies two yeares after gaue him Manasses The fourth obiection is that those which haue been reputed to be of the better sort of men ofteÌ„times haue miserable ends for some end their daies despairing some rauing and blaspheming some straungely tormented it may seeme therefore that the day of death is the day of greatest woe miserie To this I answer first of all generally that we must not iudge of the estate of any man before God by outward things whether they be blessings or iudgements whether they fal in life or death For as Salomon saith all things come like to all and the same condition is to the iust and the wicked to the good and to the pure and to the polluted
almost shal we finde the practise obedience of it in mens liues conuersations Alas alas to lend our eares for the space of an houre to heare the will of God is common but to giue heart hand to doe the same is rare And the reason hereof is athād we are al most grieuous sinners euery sinner in the tearmes of Scripture is a foole and a principall part of his folly is to care for the things of this world and to neglect the kingdome of heauen to prouide for the body not for the soule to cast and fore-cast howe we may liue in wealth and honour and ease and not to vse the least fore-cast to die well This folly our Sauiour Christ noted in the rich man that was carefull to inlarge his barnes but had no care at all for his ende or for the saluation of his soule Such a one was Achitophel who as the Scripture tearmes him was as the very oracle of God for councell being a mā of great wisedome forecast in the matters of the cōmon wealth and in his owne priuate worldly affaires and yet for all this he had not so much as common sense and reason to consider howe he might die the death of the righteous come to life euerlasting And this folly the holy ghost hath noted in him For the text saith when he saw that his counsell was despised he sadled his asse and arose went home into his cittie and put his houshold in order and went and hanged himselfe And the fiue foolish virgins contented themselues with the blasing lamps of a bare profession neuer seeking for the horne of lasting oyle of true and liuely faith that might furnish and trimme the lampe both in life and death But let vs in the feare of God cast off this damnable folly first of all seeking the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse and leading our liues in faith and obedience that we may die accordingly And thus much of the first point of doctrine namely that there is a certen way whereby a man may die well now I come to the second Whereas therefore Salomon saith that the day of death is better then the day of birth we are furder taught that such as truly beleeue themselues to be the children of God are not to feare death ouermuch I say ouermuch because they must partly feare it and partly not Feare it they must for two causes the first because death is the destructiō of humane nature in a mans owne selfe others and in this respect Christ feared it without sinne and we must not feare it otherwise then we feare sicknes and pouertie and famine with other sorrows of body and minde which God will not haue vs to despise or lightly to regard but to feele with some paine because they are corrections punishments for sinne And he doth therfore lay vpon vs paines torments that they may be feared and eschewed and that by eschewing them we might further learne to eschewe the cause of them which is sin and by experience in feeling of paine acknowledge that God is a iudge and enemie of sinne and is exceeding angrie with it The second cause of the feare of death is the losse of the Church or Common-wealth when we or others are depriued of them which were indeede or might haue beene an helpe stay comfort to either of them and whose death hath procured some publike or priuate losse Againe we are not to feare death but to be glad of it and that for many causes First of al in it we haue occasion to shewe our subiection and obedience which we owe vnto God when he cals vs out of this world as Christ said Father not my will but thy will be done Secondly all sinne is abolished by death and we thē cease to offend God any more as we haue done Thirdly the dead body is brought into a better condition then euer it was in this life for by death it is made insensible and by that meanes it is freed from all the miseries and calamities of this life it ceaseth to be either an actiue or passiue instrument of sinne whereas in the life time it is both Fourthly it giues the soule passage to rest life and celestiall glorie in which wee shall see God as he is perfectly know him and praise his name for euer keeping without intermission an eternall sabboth therefore Paul saith I desire to bee dissolued and bee with Christ for that is best of all Fiftly God exequutes his iudgements vpon the wicked and purgeth his Church by death Nowe in all these respects godly men haue cause not to feare and sorrowe but to reioyce in their owne death and the death of others Thirdly if the day of death be so excellēt yea a day of happinesse then it is lawfull to desire death and men doe not alwaies sinne in wishing for death Paul saith I desire to be dissolueds and againe O miserable man who shall deliuer me from this bodie of death Yet this desire must not bee simple but restrained with certen respects which are these First death must bee desired so farre forth as it is a meanes to free vs from the corruption of our nature secondly as it is a meanes to bring vs to the immediate fellowship of Christ God himselfe in heauen Thirdly death may bee lawfully desired in respect of the troubles miseries of this life two caueats beeing obserued the first that this desire must not be immoderate the second it must bee ioyned with submission and subiection to the good pleasure of God If either of these bee wanting the desire is faulty therefore Iob and Ieremie and Ionas failed herein because they desired death beeing carried away with impatience On the contrarie also a man may desire a continuāce of life Ezechias praied and desired to liue when he heard the message of present death that hee might doe seruice to God And Paul desired to liue in regard of the Philippians that hee might further their faith though in regard of himselfe to die was aduantage to him Lastly if death ioyned with reformatiō of life be so blessed then the death of the vnbeleeuing and vnrepentant sinner is euery way cursed most horrible Reasons are these First it is the destruction of nature and the wages of their sins Secondly in it there is no comfort of the spirit to be found no mitigatiō of paine no good thing that may counteruaile the miseries thereof Thirdly that which is the most fearefull thing of al bodily death is the beginning of eternall death desperation and infernall torment without hope of deliuerance Therefore as I began so I ende haue care to liue well and die well FINIS An addition of things that came to my minde afterward THe last combate with the diuell in the pang of death it oftentimes most dangerous of all For then he will not vrge men to desperation knowing
and to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not as is the good so is the sinner he that sweareth as he that feareth an oath Secondly I answer the particulars which be alleadged on this manner And first of all touching dispaire it is true that not only wicked and loose persons despaire in death but also repentant sinners who oftentimes in their sickenesse testifie of themselues that beeing aliue and lying in their beddes they feele themselues as it were to be in hell and to apprehend the very pangs and torments thereof And I doubt not for all this but that the child of God most deare vnto him may through the gulfe of desperation attaine to euerlasting happinesse This appeares by the maner of gods dealing in the matter of our saluation All the workes of God are done in by their contraries In the creation all things were made not of some thing but of nothing cleane contrary to the course of nature In the worke of redemption God giues life not by life but by death and if we consider aright of Christ vpon the crosse we shall see our paradise out of paradise in the middest of hel Eor out of his owne cursed death doeth he bring vs life and eternall happinesse Likewise in effectuall vocation when it pleaseth God to conuert and turne men vnto him he doeth it by the meanes of the Gospel preached which in reason should driue all men from God For it is as contrarie to the nature of man as fire to water and light to darknesse and yet for al this though it bee thus against the disposition and heart of man it preuailes with him and turnes him to God Furthermore whē God will send his owne seruants to heauen he sends them a contrarie waie euen by the gates of hell and when it is his pleasure to make men depend on his fauour and prouidence hee makes them feele his anger and to bee nothing in themselues that they may wholly depend vpon him and bee whatsoeuer they are in him This point beeing well considered it is manifest that the childe of God may passe to heauen by the very gulfes of hel The loue of God is like a sea into which when a man is cast hee neither feeles bottome nor sees bank I conclude therfore that dispaire whether it arise of weakenesse of nature or of conscience of sinne though it fall out about the time of death cannot preiudice the saluation of them that are effectually called As for other straunge euents which fall out in death they are the effects of diseases Rauings and blasphemings arise of the disease of melancholy and of frensies which often happen at the end of burning feuers the choller shooting up to the braine The writhing of the lippes the turning of the necke the buckling of the ioints and the whole bodie proceede of crampes and convulsions which followe after much euacuatiō And wheras some in sicknesse are of that strength that three or foure mē cannot hold thē without bonds it comes not of witchcraft and possessions as people commonly thinke but of choller in the veines And wheras some when they are dead become as black as pitch as Bonner was it may arise by a bruise or an impostume or by the blacke iaundise or by the putrefactiō of the liuer it doth not alwaies argue some extraordinarie iudgement of God Nowe these and the like diseases with their simptomes strange effects though they shall depriue man of his health of the right vse of the parts of his bodie and of the vse of reason too yet they can not depriue his soule of eternal life And all sinnes procured by violent diseases and proceeding from repentant sinners are sins of infirmity for which if they know them and come againe to the vse of reason they will further repent if not they are pardoned and buried in the death of Christ. And we ought not so much to stand vpon the strāgenesse of any mans end when we know the goodnesse of his life for wee must iudge a man not by his death but by his life And if this be true that strange diseases and thereupon strange behauiours in death may befal the best man that is wee must learne to reforme our iudgements of such as lie at the point of death The common opiniō is that if a man lie quietly and goe away like a lambe which in some diseases as consumptions and such like any man may do then he goes straight to heauē but if the violēce of the disease stirre vp impatience and cause in the partie franticke behauiours then men vse to say there is a iudgement of God seruing either to discouer an hypocrite or to plague a wicked man But the truth is otherwise for indeed a mā may die like a lamb and yet goe to hell and one dying in exceeding torments and strange behauiours of the body may go to heauē by the outward conditiō of any mā either in life or death we are not to iudge of his estate before God The fourth obiection is this Whē a man is most nere death then the diuell is most busie in temptatiō the more men are assaulted by Satan the more dāgerous and troublesome is their case And therfore it may seeme that the day of death is the worst day of all Answ. The condition of Gods childrē in earth is twofold Some are not tempted some are Some I say are not tempted as Simeon who when he had seen Christ brake forth and saide Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace c. fore-signifying no doubt that hee should end his daies in all maner of peace As for them which are tēpted though their case bee very troublesome and perplexed yet their saluation is not further off by reasō of the violence extremity of temptation For God is then present by the vnspeakable comfort of his spirit when wee are most weake he is most strong in vs because his manner is to shewe his power in weakenes And for this cause euen in the time of death the diuell receiues the greatest foyle when he lookes for the greatest victorie The sixt obiection is this Violent sudden death is a grieuous curse of all euills which befal man in this life none is so terrible therefore it may seeme that the day of sudden death is most miserable Ans. It is true indeede that sudden death is a curse grieuous iudgement of God and therefore not without cause feared of mē in the world yet all things considered wee ought more to be afraid of an impenitent and euil life then of sudden death For though it be euill as death it selfe in his own nature is yet we must not think it to be simply euil because it is not euill to al men nor in all respects euill I say it is not euill to all men considering that no kinde of death is euill or a curse vnto them that
are in Christ who are freed from the whole curse of the law And therefore the holy Ghost saith Blessed are they that die in the Lord for they rest from their labours whereby is signified that they which depart this life being members of Christ enter into euerlasting happines of what death so euer they die yea though it be sudden death Againe I say that sudden death is not euill in all respects for it is not euill because it is sudden but because it commonly takes men vnprepared and by that means makes the day of death a blacke day and as it were a very speedie downe-fall to the gulfe of hell Otherwise if a man be readie prepared to die sudden death is in effect no death but a quicke and speedie entrance to eternal life These obiections being thus answered it appeares to bee a manifest truth which Salomon saith that the day of death is better indeede then the day of birth Now I come to the third point in which the reasons respects are to be considered that make the day of death to surpasse the day of mans birth they may al be reduced to this one namely that the birth day is an entrance into al woe and miserie whereas the day of death ioyned with godly and reformed life is an entrance or degree to eternal life Which I make manifest thus Eternall life hath three degrees one in this life when a man can truely say that hee liues not but that Christ liues in him and this al men can say that repent and belieue and are iustified sanctified haue peace of conscience with other gifts of Gods spirit which are the earnest of their saluation The second degree is the ende of this life when the bodie goes to the earth the soule is carried by the angels into heauē the third is in the end of the world at the last iudgement whē body soule reunited do ioyntly enter into eternal happines in heauē Now of these three degrees death it selfe being ioyned with the feare of God is the second which also containeth in it two worthie steps to life The first is a freedome from all miseries which haue their ende in death For though men in this life are subiect to manifold dangers by sea and land as also to sundry aches paines aad diseases as feauers and consumptions c. yet when death comes there is an end of al. Again so long as men liue in this world whatsoeuer they be they doe in some part lie in bondage vnder originall corruption and the remnants thereof which are doubtings of Gods prouidence vnbeliefe pride of heart ignorance couetousnes ambition enuy hatred lust and such like sinnes which bring forth fruits vnto death And to bee in subiection to sin on this manner is a misery of al miseries Therfore Paul whē he was tempted vnto sinne by his corruptiō cals the very tēptation the buffets of Satan and as it were a pricke or thorne wounding his flesh and paining him at the very heart Againe in an other place wearied with his owne corruptions he cōplaines that he is sold vnder sinne and he cries out ô miserable man that I am who shall deliuer me from this body of death Dauid saith that his eies gushed out with riuers of teares when other men sinned against God how much more then was he grieued for the sinnes wherewith he himselfe was ouertaken in this life And indeede it is a very hell for a man that hath but a sparke of grace to be exercised turmoyled and tempted with the inborne corruptions and rebellions of his owne heart and if a man would deuise a torment for such as feare God and desire to walke in newnes of life he can not deuise a greater then this For this cause blessed is the day of death which brings with it a freedome from all sinne whatsoeuer For when we die the corruption of nature is quite abolished sanctification is accomplished Lastly it is a great miserie that the people of God are constrained in this world to liue conuerse in the companie of the wicked as sheepe are mingled with goats which strike them annoy their pasture and muddie their water Hereupon Dauid cried out Woe is me that I remaine in Meshech and dwell in the tents of Kedar When Elias saw that Ahab and Iesabel had planted idolatrie in Israel and that they sought his life also he went apart into the wildernesse and desired to die But this misery also is ended in the day of death in as much as death is as it were the hand of God to sort and single out those that be the seruants of God from all vngodly men in this most wretched world Furthermore this exceeding benefite comes by death that it doth not only abolish the miseries which presently are vpō vs but also preuēt those which are to come The righteous saith the Prophet Esay perisheth and no man considereth it in his heart and mercifull men are taken away and no man vnderstandeth that the righteous is taken away from the euill to come Example of this we haue in Iosias Because saith the Lord thine heart did melt and thou hast humbled thy selfe before the Lord when thou heardest what I spake against this place c. beholde therefore I will gather thee to thy fathers and thou shalt be put in thy graue in peace and thine eyes shall not see all the euill which I will bring vpon this place And Paul saith that among the Corinthians some were a sleepe that is dead that they might not bee condemned with the world Thus much of freedome from miserie which is the first benefit that comes by death the first steppe to life now followes the second which is that death giues an entrance to the soule that it may come into the presence of the euerliuing God of Christ and of all the Angels and Saints in heauen The worthinesse of this benefite makes the death of the righteous to bee no death but rather a blessing to bee wished of all men The consideration of this made Paul to say I desire to be dissolued but what is the cause of this desire that followes in the next words namely that by his dissolution he might come to be with Christ. Whē the Queene of Sheba saw all Salomons wisdome the house that he had built and the meat of his table and the sitting of his seruants the order of his ministers and their apparel c. she said Happie are thy men happy are these thy seruants which stand euer before thee and heare thy wisdome much more then may wee say that they are ten thousand fold happie which stand not in the presence of an earthly king but before the King of kings the Lord of heauen and earth and at his right hand inioy pleasures for euermore Moses hath bin renowned in all ages for this that God vouchsafed
him but so much fauour as to see his hinder parts at his request ô then what happines is this to see the glory and maiestie of God face to face and to haue eternall fellowship with God our Father Christ our Redeemer and the holy Ghost our comforter and to liue with the blessed Saints Angels in heauen for euer Thus now the third point is manifest namely in what respects death is more excellent thē life It may be here the mind of mā vnsatisfied wil yet further reply say that howsoeuer in death the soules of men enter into heauen yet their bodies though they haue bin tenderly kept for meat drink apparel and haue slept many a night in beds of doune must lie in dark loathsome graues there be wasted cōsumed with worms Ans. All this is true indeede but all is nothing if so be it we will but cōsider aright of our graues as we ought We must not iudge of our graues as they appeare to the bodily eye but we must looke vpon them by the eye of faith and consider them as they are altered and changed by the death and burial of Christ who hauing vanquished death vpon the crosse pursued him afterward to his owne wen and foyled him there depriued him of his power and by this means Christ in his owne death hath buried our death and by the vertue of his buriall as with sweete incense hath sweetened and perfumed our graues and made thē of stinking loathsome cabbines to become princely pallaces and beddes of most sweete happie rest farre more excellent then beddes of doune And though the body rot in the graue or be eatē of worms or of fishes in the sea or burnt to ashes yet that will not be vnto vs a matter of discomfort if we do well consider the ground of all grace namely our coniunction with Christ. It is indeede a spirituall and yet a most reall coniunction And we must not imagine that our soules alone are ioyned to the body or soule of Christ but the whole person of man both in body and soule is ioyned and vnited to whole Christ. And when we are once ioyned to Christ in this mortall life by the bond of the spirit we shall remaine continue eternally ioyned with him and this vniō once truly made shal neuer be dissolued Hence it followes that although the body bee seuered from the soule in death yet neither body nor soule are seuered from Christ but the very bodie rotting in the graue drowned in the sea burned to ashes abides still vnited to him and is as truely a member of Christ thē as before This point we must remember as the foundation of all our comfort and hold it for euer as a truth For looke what was the condition of Christ in death the same or the like is the conditiō of all his members Now the condition of Christ was this though his bodie and soule were seuered each from other as far as heauen the graue yet neither of them were seuered from the godhead of the sone but both did in death subsist in his persō And therefore though our bodies and soules bee pulled asunder by natural or violent death yet neither of them no not the body it selfe shall be seuered disioyned from Christ. It wil be alleadged that if the body were then vnited to Christ it should liue and bee quickened in the graue Ans. Not so when a mans arme or legge is taken with the dead palsy it receiues litle or no heat life sense or motion from the body and yet notwithstanding it remaines still a member of the bodie because the flesh the bone of it remaine ioyned to the flesh and the bone of the body euen so may the body remaine a member of Christ though for some space of time it receiue neither sense nor motion nor life from the soule or from the spirit of Christ. Furthermore we must remēber that by the vertue of this cōiunction shal the dead body be it rotten burned deuoured or howsoeuer cōsumed at the day of iudgment rise to eternall glory In the winter season trees remaine without fruite or leaues and being beaten with winde weather appeare to the eie as if they were rotten trees yet when the spring-time comes againe they bring forth as before buds and blossomes leaues and fruit the reason is because the bodie graines armes of the tree are al ioyned to the root where lies the sap in the winter season and whence by means of this coniūction it is deriued to al the parts of the tree in the spring-time Euen so the bodies of men haue their winter also in which they are turned to dust so remaine for the space of many thousand yeares yet in the day of iudgement by means of that mistical coniunction with Christ shall diuine and quickening vertue streame thence to al the bodies of the elect to cause thē to liue againe and that to life eternall But some will say that the wicked also rise again Ans. They do so indeede but not by the same cause for they rise by the power of Christ as he is a iudge to cōdemn thē wheras the godly rise againe by the vertue of Christs resurrection whereof they are partakers by meanes of that blessed and indissoluble coniūction which they haue with Christ. And the bodies of the elect though they cōsume neuer so much in the graue yet are they still in Gods fauour and in the couenat of grace to which because they haue right beeing dead they shall not remaine so for euer but shal rise to glory at the last iudgement Therefore the rotting of the bodie is nothing in respect and the death of the body no death And therfore also death in the old new testament is made but a sleep the graue a bed wherof the like was neuer seene wherein a man may rest nothing at al troubled with dreames or fantasies and whence hee shall rise no more subiect to weakenes or sickenes but presently be translated to eternal glory By this thē which hath beene said it appeares that the death of the righteous is a second degree to euerlasting happinesse Now then considering our coniunction with Christ is the foundation of all our ioy cōfort in life and death wee are in the feare of God to learne this one lessō namely that while we haue time in this world we must labour to be vnited vnto Christ that we maybe bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh This very point is as it were a flaggon of wine to reuiue our soules when they be in a swowne at any instant And that we may be assured that we are certainly ioyned to Christ we must shew our selues to be members of his misticall body by the daily fruites of righteousnes and true repentance And being once certainly assured in conscience of our beeing in Christ let death come when it wil
themselues reckon a fewe yeares and daies that are able by arte to measure the globe of the earth and the spheres of heauen the quantities of the starres with their longitudes latitudes altitudes motions distances from the earth No verily For howesoeuer by a generall speculation we thinke something of our ends yet vnlesse the spirit of God be our schoole-master to teach vs our dutie wee shall neuer bee able soundly to resolue our selues of the presence and speedinesse of death And therfore let vs pray with Dauid and Moses that God would inlighten our minds with knowledge and fil our hearts with his grace that we might rightly consider of death and esteeme of euery day an houre as it were the day and houre of death The second dutie in this generall preparation is that euery man must daily indeauour to take away from his owne death the power and strength thereof And I pray you marke this point The Philistims sawe by experience that Sampson was of great strength therfore they vsed meanes to knowe in what part of his bodie it lay when they found it to be in the haire of his head they ceased not vntil it was cut off In like manner the time wil come whē we must encoūter hand to hand with tyranous and cruel death the best therefore is before-hand now while wee haue time to search where the strēgth of death lies which beeing once knowne we must with speed cut off his Sāpsons lockes and bereaue him of his power disarme him make him altogether vnable to preuaile against vs. Now to find out this matter we neede not to vse the councel of any Dalilah for wee haue the word of God which teacheth vs plaīly where the strength of death consists namly in our sins as Paul saith The sting of death is sinne Well then we knowing certenly that the power and force of euery mans partirular death lies in his owne sinnes must spend our time and studie in vsing good meanes that our sinnes may be remooued and pardoned And therefore we must daily inure our selues in the practise of two duties One is to humble our selues for al our sins past partly cōfessing thē against our selues partly in praier crying to heauē for the pardon of them The other is for time to come to turn vnto God and to carrie a purpose resolution indeauour in all things to reforme both hart life according to gods word These are the very principall proper duties wherby the power of death is much rebated he is made of a mighty bloody enemie so far forth friendly and tractable that we may with comfort incounter with him preuaile too Therefore I commend these duties to your christian considerations carefull practise desiring that ye would spend your daies euer hereafter in doing of them If a man were to deale with a mighty dragon or serpent hand to hand in such wise as he must either kill or be killed the best thing were to bereaue him of his sting or of that part of the body where his poison lies now death it selfe is a serpent dragon or scorpion sinne is the sting and poison whereby he wounds kils vs. Wherefore without any more delay see that ye pull out his sting the practise of the foresaid duties is as it were a fit worthy instrument to do the deed Hast thou beene a person ignorant of Gods will a contemner of his word and worship a blasphemer of his name a breaker of his Sabbaths disobedient to parents and magistrates a murderer a fornicatour a rayler a slanderer a couetous persō c. reforme these thy sinnes and all other like to them pull thē out by the rootes from thy heart cast them off So many sinnes as be in thee so many stings of death be also in thee to wound thy soule to eternal death therfore let no one sin remaine for which thou hast not humbled thy selfe and repented seriously When death hurts any man it takes the weapons whereby he is hurt from his owne hand It cannot do vs the least hurt but by the force of our owne sins Wherefore I say againe and againe lay this point to your hearts spend your strength life and health that ye may before ye die abolish the strength of death A man may put a serpent in his bosome when the sting is out we may let death creepe into our bosomes and gripe vs with his legs and stab vs at the heart so long as he brings not his venime and poison with him And because the former duties are so necessary as none can be more I wil vse some reasons yet furder to inforce thē Whatsoeuer a man would doe when he is dying the same he ought to doe euery day while he is liuing now the most notorious and wicked person that euer was when he is dying will pray and desire others to pray for him promise amendment of life protesting that if he might liue he would become a practitioner in all the good duties of faith repentance reformation of life Oh therfore be careful to do this euery day Again the saying is true he that would liue when he is dead must die while he is aliue namely to his sins Wouldest thou then liue eternally sue to heauen for thy pardon and see that now in thy life-time thou die to thine own sinnes Lastly wicked Balaam would faine die the death of the righteous but alas it was to small purpose for he would by no means liue the life of the righteous For his cōtinual purpose and meaning was to follow his olde waies in sorceries couetousnesse Now the life of a righteous man standes in the humbling of himself for his sinnes past and in a carefull reformatiō of life to come Wouldest thou then die the death of the righteous then looke vnto it that thy life be the life of the righteous if ye will needes liue the life of the vnrighteous yee must looke to die the death of the vnrighteous Remēber this and content not your selues to heare the word but be doers of it for ye learn no more indeed what measure of knowledge soeuer ye haue then ye practice The third dutie in our generall preparation is in this life to enter into the first degree of life eternal For as I haue said there be three degrees of life euerlasting and the first of them is in this present life for hee that would liue in eternall happines for euer must beginne in this world to rise out of the graue of his owne sinnes in which by nature he lies buried and liue in newnesse of life as it is said in the Reuelation He that will escape the second death must be made partaker of the first resurrection And Paul saith to the Colossians that they were in this life deliuered from the power of darkenesse and translated into the kingdom of Christ. And Christ saith to the
church of the Iews the kingdome of heauen is amongst you Now this first degree of life is when a man can say with Paul I liue not but Christ liues in me that is I finde partly by the testimonie of my sanctified conscience and partly by experirience that Christ my redeemer by his spirit guideth and gouerneth my thoughts will affections and all the powers of bodie soule according to the blessed direction of his holy will Now that we may bee able truely to say this we must haue three gifts and graces of God wherein especially this first degree of life consists The first is sauing knowledge whereby wee do truly resolue our selues that God the father of Christ is our father Christ his sonne our redeemer the holy Ghost our coÌ„forter That this knowledge is one part of life eternall it appeares by the saying of Christ in Iohn This is life eternall that is the beginning and entrance to life eternall to knowe thee the onely God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. The second grace is peace of conscience which passeth al vnderstanding and therefore Paul saith that the kingdome of heauen is righteousnesse peace of conscience and ioy in the holy Ghost The horrour of a guiltie conscience is the beginning of death destruction therefore peace of conscieÌ„ce deriued froÌ„ the death of Christ is life and happinesse The third is the regimeÌ„t of the spirit whereby the heart and life of maÌ„ is ordered according to the word of God For Paul saith that they that are the children of God are led by the spirit of Christ. Now seeing this is so that if we would liue eternally we must begin to liue that blessed and eternall life before wee die here we must be carefull to reforme two common errours The first is that a maÌ„ enters into eternall life when he dies and not before which is a flatte vntrueth Our Sauiour Christ said to Zacheus This day is saluation come to thy house giuing vs to vnderstand that a man theÌ„ begins to be saued when God doth effectually call him by the ministery of his Gospel Whosoeuer then will be saued when he is dying dead must begin to be saued while he is now liuing His saluation must beginne in this life that would come to saluation after this life Verily verily saith Christ he that heareth my word and beleeueth in him that sent me hath eternall life namely in this present life The second error is that howsoeuer a man liue if when he is dying he can lift vp his his eies say Lord haue mercie vpon me he is certainely saued Behold a very fond foolish conceit that deceiues many a maÌ„ It is al one as if an arrand thiefe should thus reason with himselfe and say I will spend my daies in robbing and stealing I feare neither arraignment nor execution For at the very time wheÌ„ I am to be turned off from the ladder if I doe but call vpon the iudge I know I shall haue my pardon Behold a most daungerous and desperate course and the very â—ame is the practise of carelesse men in the matter of their saluation For a man may die with Lord haue mercy in his mouth perish eternally except in this world he enter into the first degree of eternall life For not euery one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into heauen but he that doth the will of the father which is in heauen The fourth dutie is to exercise and inure our selues in dying by little and little so long as we liue here vpon earth before we come to die indeede And as meÌ„ that are appointed to run a race exercise themselues before in running that they may get the victory so should we begin to die now while wee are liuing that we might dywel in the end But some may say how should this be done Paul giues vs direction in his own example when he saith By the reioycing which I haue in Christ I die daily And he died daily not onely because he was often in danger of death by reasoÌ„ of his calling but also because in all his dangers troubles hee inured himselfe to die For when men doe make the right vse of their afflictioÌ„s whether they be in bodie or minde or both and doe with all their might indeauour to beare them patiently humbling themselues as vnder the correction of god then they begin to die wel And to doe this indeede is ro take an excellent course He that would mortifie his greatest sins must begin to do it with small sinnes which when they are once reformed a maÌ„ shal be able more easily to ouercome his master-sins So likewise he that would be able to beare the crosse of all crosses namely death it selfe must first of all learne to beare smal crosses as sicknesses in bodie and troubles in minde with losses of goods and of friends and of good name which I may fitly tearme little deaths the beginnings of death it selfe and we must first of all acquaint our selues with these litle deaths before we can be able to beare the great death of all Again the afflictions and calamities of this life are as it were the harbingers and puruiers of death and we are first to learne how to entertaine these messengers that when death the Lord himselfe shall come wee may in better manner entertaine him This point Bilney the martyr well coÌ„sidered who oftentimes before he was burned put his finger into the flame of the candle not onely to make trial of his abilitie in suffering but also to arme and strengthen himself against greater tormeÌ„ts in death Thus ye see the fourth duty which ye must in any wise learne and remember because we cannot be able to beare the pangs of death well vnles we be first well schooled and nurtured by sundrie trialls in this life The fifth and last dutie is set downe by Salomon All that thine hand shall finde to doe doe it with all thy power And marke the reason For there is neither worke nor inuention nor knowledge nor wisedome in the graue whither thou goest To the same purpose Paul saith Doe good to all men while ye haue time Therfore if any man be able to doe any good seruice either to gods Church or to the Common-wealth or to any priuate man let him doe it with all speede with all his might lest death it selfe preuent him He that hath care thus to spend his daies shal with much comfort and peace of conscience end his life Thus much of generall preparation Now followeth the particular which is in the time of sicknes And here first of all I will shew what is the doctrine of the Papists and then afterward the truth By the popish order and practise when a man is about to die he is enioyned three things First to make sacramentall confession specially if it be in any mortall sinne secondly to
death and directly fixe the eye of his faith vpon eternall life The second practise is to looke vpon death in the glasse of the Gospel and not in the glasse of the Law that is we must consider death not as it is propounded in the Lawe and looke vpon that terrible face which the law giueth vnto it but as it is set forth in the Gospel Death in the law is a curse and the downe-fall to the pit of destruction in the Gospel it is the entrance into heauen the lawsets forth death as death the Gospel sets forth death as no death but as a sleepe onely because it speakes of death as it is altered changed by the death of Christ by the vertue whereof death is properly no death to the seruants of God Whē men shall haue care on this manner to consider of death it will be a notable meanes to strengthen and stablish them against al immoderate feares terrours that vsually rise in sicknesse The meditations which serue for this purpose are innumerable but I wil touch onely those which are the most principall and the grounds of the rest and they are foure in number The first is borrowed from the speciall prouidence of God namely that the death of euery man much more of euery childe of God is not onely foreseene but also foreappointed of God yea the death of euery man deserued and procured by his sins is laid vpon him by God who in that respect may be said to be the cause of euery mans death So saith Anna The Lord killeth and maketh aliue The Church of Hierusalem confessed that nothing came to passe in the death of Christ but that which the foreknowledge and eternal counsel of God had appointed And therfore the death also of euery member of Christ is foreseene and ordained by the speciall decree and prouidence of God I adde further that the very circūstances of death as the time when the place where the manner how the beginning of sickenes the continuance the end euery fitte in the sicknes the pangs of death are particularly set downe in the counsell of God The very haires of our heads are numbred saith our Sauiour Christ and a sparrowe lights not on the groūd without the will of our heauenly father Dauid faith excellētly My bones are not hid from thee though I was made in a secret place and fashioned beneath in the earth thine eyes did see me when I was without forme for in thy booke were al things written which in continuance were fashioned whē there was nine of them before And he praies to God to put his teares into his bottle Now if this be true that God hath bottles for the very teares of his seruants much more hath hee bottles for their blood much more doth he respect and regard their paines and miseries with all the circumstances of sicknesse and death The carefull meditation of this one point is a notable meanes to arme vs against feare and distrust impatience in the time of death as some examples in this case will easily manifest I held my tongue said nothing saith Dauid but what was it that caused this patience in him the cause followes in these words because thou Lord diddest it And Ioseph saith to his brethren Feare not for it was the Lord that sent me before you Marke here how Ioseph is armed against impatience and griefe discontentment by the very consideration of gods prouidence and so in the same māner shall we be cōfirmed against all feares and sorrowes and say with Dauid Pretious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints if this perswasion be once setled in our hearts that all things in sicknes death come to passe vnto vs by the prouidence of god who turnes all things to the good of them that loue him The second meditation is to be borrowed from the excellent promise that God hath made to the death of the righteous which is Blessed are they that die in the Lord for they rest from their labours and their workes follow them The author of truth that cannot lie hath spoken it Now then let a man but throughly consider this that death ioyned with a reformed life hath a promise of blessednes adioined vnto it and it alone will be a sufficient meanes to stay the rage of our affections and al inordinate feare of death and the rather if we marke wherein this blessednesse consists In death we are indeede thrust out of our olde dwelling places namely these houses of clay earthly tabernacles of our bodies wherein we haue made long abode but what is the ende surely that liuing dying in Christ we might haue a building giuen of God that is an house not made with hands but eternall in heauen which is vnspeakeable immortall glory If a poore man should bee commanded by a Prince to put off his torne and beggery garments and in stead thereof to put on royal and costly robes it would bee a great reioycing to his heart oh then what ioyfull newes must this bee vnto all repentant and sorrowfull sinners when the king of heauen and earth comes vnto thē by death and bids them lay downe their bodies as ragged and patched garments and prepare thēselues to put on the princely robe of immortalitie No tongue can be able to expresse the excellency of this most blessed and happy estate The third meditation is borrowed from the estate of all thē that are in Christ whether liuing or dying He that dieth beleeuing in Christ dieth not forth of Christ but in him hauing both his body and soule really coupled to Christ according to the tenour of the couenant of grace and though after death body soule be seuered one from another yet neither of thē are seuered or disioyned from Christ. The coniunction which is once begun in this life remaines eternally And therefore though the soule goe from the body the body it selfe rot in the graue yet both are still in Christ both in the couenant both in the fauour of god as before death both shal again be ioined togither the body by the vertu of the former cōiunctiō being raised to eternall life Indeed if this vniō with Christ were dissolued as the cōiunctiō of body soule is it might be sōe matter of discomfort and feare but the foundation and substance of our mysticall coniunction with Christ both in respect of our bodies and soules enduring for euer must needes be a matter of exceeding ioy and comfort The 4. meditation is that god hath promised his speciall blessed and comfortable presence vnto his seruants when they are sicke or dying or any way distressed When thou passest thorough the waters I will bee with thee saith the Lord and through the flouds that they doe not ouerflowe thee when thou walkest thorough the very fire thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the
may be spoken here as the holy Ghost hath vttered in the word and that I wil reduce to certaine rules The first is that the will must be made according to the law of nature and the written word of God and the good and wholesome positiue lawes of that kingdom or cuntry wherof a man is a member The will of God must be the rule of mans will And therefore the will that is made against any of these is faultie The second is that if goods euill gotten be not restored before they must euen then be restored by will or by some other way It is the practise of couetous mē to bequeath their soules when they die to God withall to bequeath their goods euill gotten to their children friends which in all equitie should bee restored to them to whom they belong Quest. Howe if a mans conscience tell him that his goods be euill gotten and he knowes not where or to whome to make restitution Ans. The case is common the answer is this When he is known whom thou hast wronged restore to him particularly if the partie be vnknown or dead restore to his executors or assignes or to his next kin if there be none yet keepe not goods euill gotten to thy selfe but restore to God that is in way of recompence and ciuil satisfaction bestow them on the Church or common-wealth The third rule is that heads of families must principally bestowe their goods on their owne children and them that be of their kindred This man saith God to Abraham of Eleazar a straunger shall not be thine heire but the son which shal come of thy loynes And this was Gods commaundemēt to the Israelites that when any man dies his sonne should be his heire if he haue no sonne then his daughter if he haue no daughter then his brethren and if he haue no brethren then his fathers brethren and if that there be none then the next of the kinne whosoeuer And Paul saith If ye be sonnes then also heires and againe He that prouides not for his owne and namely for them of his houshold is worse then an infidell Therefore it is a fault of any man to alienate his goods or lands wholly finally from his blood and posteritie It is a thing which the very law of nature it selfe hath condemned Againe it is a fault to giue all to the eldest and nothing in respect to the rest as though the eldest were borne to be gentlemen yonger brethren borne to beare the wallet Yet in equitie the eldest must haue more then any euen because he is the eldest because stocks and families in their persons are to be maintained and because there must alwaies be some that must be fitte to doe speciall seruice in the peace of the common weale or in the time of warre which could not be if goods should be equally parted to al. The fourth and last rule is that no Will is of force till the testatour be dead for so long as he is aliue he may alter and change it These rules must be remembred because they are recorded in Scripture the opening of other points circumstances belongeth to the profession of the law The second dutie of the master of the familie concerneth the soules of such as be vnder his gouernment and that is to giue charge to them that they learne beleeue and obey the true religion that is the doctrine of Saluation set downe in the writings of the Prophets Apostles The Lord himselfe cōmends Abraham for this I knowe Abraham saith he that he will command his sonnes and his houshold after him that they keepe the way of the Lord to doe righteousnes and iudgement And Dauid giues Salomon on his death-bed a most notable solemne charge the summe and substance whereof is to know the God of his fathers and to serue him which beeing done he further commends him to God by prayer for which purpose the 72. psal was made This practise of his is to be followed of all Thus gouernours when they shall carefully dispose of their goods and giue charge to their posteritie touching the worship of God shall greatly honour God dying as well as liuing Hitherto I haue intreated of the two-fold preparatiō which is to goe before death now follows the second part of Dying-well namely the disposition in death This disposition is nothing els but a religious and holy behauiour specially towards God when we are in or neare the agonie and pang of death This behauiour containes three speciall duties The first is to die in or by faith To die by faith is whē a man in the time of death doth with all his heart rely himselfe wholly on Gods speciall loue and fauoure and mercie in Christ as it is reuealed in the word And though there be no part of mans life void of iust occasions whereby we may put faith in practise yet the speciall time of all is the pang of death when friends and riches and pleasures and the outward senses temporall life all earthly helpes forsake vs. For then true faith maketh vs to go wholly out of our selues and to despaire of comfort and saluation in respect of an earthly thing with all the power strength of the heart to rest on the pure mercie of God This made Luther both thinke and say that men were best Christians in death An example of this faith we haue in Dauid who when he sawe nothing before his eies but present death the people intending to stone him comforted him at that very instant as the text saith in the Lord his God And this comfort he reaped in that by faith he applied vnto his own soule the mercifull promises of God as he testifieth of himselfe Remember saith he the promise made to thy seruant wherein thou hast caused me to trust It is my comfort in trouble for thy promise hath quickned me Againe My flesh failed and my heart also but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for euer Now looke what Dauid here did the same must euery one of vs do in the like case When the Israelites in the wildernes were stung with fierie serpents and lay at the point of death they looked vp to the brasen serpent which was erected by the appointment of God and were presently healed euen so when any man feeles death to drawe neere his fierie sting to pierce the heart he must fixe the eye of a true and liuely faith vpon Christ exalted and crucified on the crosse which beeing done he shal by death enter into eternall life Now because true faith is no dead thing it must be expressed by especiall actions the principall whereof is inuocation wherby either praier or thanksgiuing is directed vnto God When death had seazed vpon the body of Iacob he raised vp himselfe and turning his face towards the beddes head
he rehearsed the whole one fiftie psalme with deepe sighes froÌ„ the bottome of his breast 7. a litle after Saue me Lord Iesus Of Luther My heauenly Father God and father of our Lord Iesus Christ God of all comfort I giue thee thanks that thou hast reuealed vnto me thy son Iesus Christ whom I haue beleeued whom I haue professed whome I haue loued whome I haue praised whome the Bishop of Rome and the whole companie of the wicked persecuteth and reuileth I pray thee my Lord Iesus Christ receiue my poore soule my heauenly father though I be taken from this life and this bodie of mine is to be laid downe yet I know certeÌ„ly that I shall remaine with thee for euer neither shall any be able to pull me out of thy hand Of Hooper O Lord Iesus son of Dauid haue mercie on me and receiue my soule Of Annas Burgius Forsake me not O Lord least I forsake thee Of Melancthon If it be the will of God I am willing to die and I beseech him that he will graunt me a ioyfull departure Of Calvine 1. I held my tongue because thou lord hast done it 2. I mourned as a doue 3. Lord thou grindest me to powder but it suffiâ—ceth me because it is thy hand Of Peter Martyr that his body was weake but his minde was well that hee acknowledged no life or saluation but only in Christ who was giuen of the father to bee a redeemer of mankinde and when hee had confirmed this by testimonie of Scripture he added This is my faith in which I will die and God will destroy them that teach otherwise This done he shooke haÌ„ds with all and said Farewell my brethren and deare friends It were easie to quote more examples but these fewe may bee in stead of many the summe of al that godlymeÌ„ speake in death is this Some enlightned with a prophetical spirit foretell things to come as the Patriarkes Iacob and Ioseph did and there haue bin some which by name haue testified who should very shortly came after them and who should remaine aliue and what should be their condition some haue shewed a wonderfull memorie of things past as of their former life and of the benefits of God no doubt it was giuen them to stirre vp holy affections and thanksgiuing to God some againe rightly iudging of the change of their present estate for a better doe reioyce exceedingly that they must be translated from earth to paradise as Babylas Martyr of Antioch when his head was to be chopped off Returne saith he O My soule vnto thy rest because the lord hath blessed thee because thou hast deliuered my soule from death mine eies from teares and my feete froÌ„ falling I shall walke before Iehoua in the land of the liuing And some others spake of the vanity of this life of the imaginatioÌ„ of the sorrowes of death of the beginnings of eternall life of the comfort of the holy Ghost which they feele of their departure vnto Christ. Quest. What must we thinke if in the time of death such excellent speeches bewanting and in stead thereof idle talke be vsed Answ. We must consider the kinde of sicknesse whereof meÌ„ die whether it be more easie or violent for violent sicknesse is vsually accompanied with frensies and with vnseemely motions and gestures which we are to take in good part euen in this regard because we our selues may be in the like case Thus much of the first duty which is to die in faith the second is to die in obedience otherwise our death cannot be acceptable to God because wee seeme to come vnto God of feare and constraint as slaues to a master and not of loue as children to a father Now to die in obedience is when a man is willing readie and desirous to goe out of this world whensoeuer God shall call him and that without murmuring or repining at what time where and when it shall please God Whether we liue or die saith Paul we doe it not to our selues but vnto God and therefore mans dutie is to be obedient to God in death as in life Christ is our example in this case who in his agonie praied Father let this cup passe froÌ„ me yet with a submission not my will but thy will be done teaching vs in the very pangs of death to resigne our selues to the good pleasure of God When the prophet tolde king Ezechias of death presently without all manner of grudging or repining hee addressed himselfe to praier We are commanded to present our selues vnto God as freewill offerings without any limitation of time and therefore as well in death as in life I conclude then that we are to make as much conscience in performing obedience to god in suffering death as wee doe of any conscience in the course of our liues The third dutie is to render vp our soules into the handes of God as the most faithfull keeper of all This is the last duty of a Christian and it is prescribed vnto vs in the example of Christ vpon the crosse who in the very pangs of death when the dissolution of bodie soule drewe on said Father into thy hands I commend my spirit and so gaue vp the ghost The like was done by Steuen who when he was stoned to death said Lord Iesus receiue my spirit And Dauid in his life time beeing in daunger of death vsed the very same words that Christ vttered Thus we see what be the duties which we are to perform in the very pangs of death that we may come to eternall life Some men will happily say If this be all to die in faith and obedience and to surrender our soules into Gods hands we will not greatly care for any preparatioÌ„ before-hand nor trouble our selues much about the right manner of dying well for we doubt not but that when death shall come we shall be able to performe all the former duties with ease Answer Let no man deceiue himselfe by any false perswasioÌ„ thinking with himselfe that the practise of the foresaid duties is a matter of ease for ordinarily they are not neither can bee performed in death vnles there be much preparation in the life before Hee that will die in faith must first of all liue by faith and there is but one example in all the whole Bible of a man dying in faith that liued without faith namely the thiefe vpon the crosse The seruants of God that are indued with great measure of grace do very hardly beleeue in the time of affliction Indeed when Iob was afflicted hee said Though the Lord kill me yet will I trust in him yet afterward his faith beeing ouercast as with a cloude he saith that God was become his enemy that he had set him as a marke to shoote at sundrie times his faith was oppressed with doubting and distrust How then shall they that neuer liued by faith nor inured
A SALVE FOR A SICKE MAN or A treatise containing the nature differences and kindes of death as also the right manner of dying well And it may serue for spirituall instructruction to 1. Mariners when they goe to sea 2. Souldiers when they goe to battell 3. Women when they trauell of child Printed at London by IOHN LEGAT Printer to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge 1611. And are to be sold in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the Crovvne by Simon Waterson To the right Honourable and vertuous Lady the Lady Lucie Countesse of Bedford THe death of the righteous that is of euery beleeuing repentāt sinner is a most excellent blessing of God and brings with it many worthy benefits which thing I prooue on this manner I. God both in the beginning and in the continuance of his grace doth greater things vnto his seruants then they doe commonly aske or thinke and because he hath promised ayd strength vnto thē therefore in wonderfull wisedome hee casteth vp them this heauie burden of death that they might make experience what is the exceeding might and power of his grace in their weaknes II. Iudgement beginnes at Gods house and the righteous are laden with afflictions and temptations in this life therfore in this world they haue their deaths and hells that in death they might not feele the torments of hell and death III. When Lazarus was dead Christ said He is not dead but sleepeth hence it followeth that the Christian man can say My graue is my bed my death is my sleepe in death I die not but onely sleepe It is thought that of all terrible things death is most terrible but it is false to them that be in Christ to whome many things happen farre more heauie and bitter then death IV. Death at the first brought forth sinne but death in the righteous by meanes of Christs death abolisheth sinne because it is the accomplishment of mortification And death is so farre from destroying such as are in Christ that there can be no better refuge for them against death for presently after the death of the body followes the perfect freedome of the spirit and the resurrection of the bodie V. Lastly death is a meanes of a Christian mans perfection as Christ in his owne example sheweth saying Behold I will cast out diuels and will heale still to day and to morrow and the third I will be perfected Now this perfection in the members of Christ is nothing else but the blessing of God the author of peace sanctifying them throughout that their whole spirits and soules and bodies may be preserued without blame to the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ. Now hauing often thus considered with my selfe of the excellencie of death I thought good to draw the summe and chiefe heads thereof into this small treatise the protection and consideration whereof I commend to your Ladiship desiring you to accept of it and read it at your leisure If I bee blamed for Writing vnto you of death whereas by the course of nature you are not yet neere death Salomon wil excuse me who saith that wee must remember our Creatour in the daies of our youth Thus hoping of your H. good acceptance I pray God to blesse this my litle labour to your comfort and saluation Septemb. 7. 1595. Your H. in the Lord W. Perkins Eeclesiastes 7.3 The day of death is better then the day that one is borne THese words are a rule or precept laid down by Salomon for weightie causes For in the Chapters going before he sets forth the vanity of all creatures vnder heauen that at large in the very particulars Now men hereupon might take occasion of discontentment in respect of their estate in this life therefore Salomō in great wisdome here takes a new course in this chapter begins to lay downe certaine rules of direction and comfort that men might haue somwhat wherewith to arme themselues against the troubles and the miseries of this life The first rule is in this third verse that a good name is better then a pretious ointment that is a name gotten and maintained by godly conuersatiō is a speciall blessing of God which in the middest of the vanities of this life ministreth greater matter of reioicing and cōfort to the heart of man then the most pretious ointment can doe to the outward senses Now some man hauing heard this first rule concerning good name might obiect say that renowne good report in this life affoardes slender comfort cōsidering that after it followes death which is the miserable end of all men But this obiection the Wise man remooueth by a second rule in the wordes which I haue in hand saying that the day of death is better then the day that one is borne That wee may come to the true proper sense of this precept or rule three points are to be cōsidered First what is death here mentioned secondly how it can be truly said that the day of death is better then the day of birth thirdly in what respect it is better For the first death is a depriuation of life as a punishment ordained of God and imposed on man for his sinne First I say it is a depriuatiō of life because the very nature of death is the absence or defect of that life which God vouchsafed man by his creation I adde further that death is a punishment more especially to intimate the nature and qualitie of death and to shewe that it was ordained as a meanes of the execution of Gods iustice iudgment And that death is a punishment Paul plainely auoucheth when he saith that by one man sinne entred into the world and death by sinne And againe that death is the stipend wages or allowance of sinne Furthermore in euery punishment there bee three workers the ordainer of it the procurer and the executioner The ordainer of this punishment is God in the estate of mans innocency by a solemne law then made in these very words In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death Gen. 2.17 But it may be alleadged to the contrary that the Lord saith by the Prophet Ezechiel that hee will not the death of a sinner therefore that hee is no ordainer of death The answer may easily be made that sundry waies First the Lord speakes not this to all men or of all men but to his owne people the Church of the Iewes as appeares by the clause prefixed Sonne of man say vnto the house of Israel c. Againe the words are not spoken absolutelu but onely in way of comparisoy in that of the twaine he rather wills the conuersion and repentance of a sinner then his death and destruction Thirdly the very proper meaning of the words import thus much that God doth take no delight or pleasure in the death of a sinner as it is the ruine and destruction of the creature And yet al this hinders not
leaned on the toppe of his staffe by reason of his feeblenes and praied vnto God which praier of his was an excellent fruite of his faith Iobs wife in the middest of his affliction said vnto him to very good purpose Blesse God and die I knowe and graunt that the words are commonly translated otherwise Curse God and die but as I take it the former is the best For it is not like that in so excellent a familie any one person much lesse a matrone and principall gouernour thereof would giue such lewde and wretched councell which the most wicked man vpon earth hauing no more but the light of nature would not once giue but rather much abhorre and condemne And though Iob call her a foolish woman yet he doth it not because shee went about to perswade him to blaspheme God but because shee was of the minde of Iobs friends and thought that he stood to much in a conceit of his owne righteousnes Now the effect meaning of her councell is this blesse God that is husband no doubt thou art by the extremitie of thine affliction at deaths doore therefore begin now at length to lay aside the great ouerweening which thou hast of thine owne righteousnesse acknowledge the hand of God vpon thee for thy sins confesse them vnto him giuing him the glorie pray for the pardon of them ende thy daies This counsell is very good and to bee followed of all though it may be the applying of it as Iob well perceiued is mixt with follie Here it may be alleadged that in the pangs of death men want their senses and conuenient vtterance and therefore that they are vnable to pray Ans. The very sighes sobs and grones of a repentant and beleeuing heart are praiers before God euen as effectuall as if they were vttered by the best voice in the world Praier stands in the affection of the heart the voice is but an outward messenger therof God lookes not vpon the speech but vpon the heart Dauid saith God heares the desire of the poore againe That he will fulfill the desires of them that heare him yea their very teares are loud and sounding praiers in his eares Againe faith may otherwise be expressed by the Last wordes which for the most part of them that haue truly serued God are very excellent and comfortable and full of grace some choise examples whereof I will rehearse for instructions sake and for imitation The last words of Iacob were those whereby as a Prophet he foretolde blessing and curses vpon his children and the principall among the rest were these The scepter shall not depart from Iuda and the lawgiuer from betweene his feete till Shilo come and O Lord I haue waited for thy saluation The last wordes of Moses are his most excellent song set downe Deut. chap. 32. and the last words of Dauid were these The spirit of the Lord spake by me and his word was in my tongue the God of Israel spake to me the strength of Israel said Beare rule ouer men c. The words of Zacharias the son of Iehoida when he was stoned were The Lord looke vpon it and require it The last words of our Sauiour Christ when he was dying vpon the crosse are most admirable and stored with aboundance of spiritual grace 1. To his father he saith Father forgiue them they know not what they doe 2. to the thiefe Verily I say vnto thee this night shalt thou be with mee in paradise 3. to his mother Mother behold thy son and to Iohn behold my mother 4. and in his agonie My God thy God why hast thou forsaken mee 5. and earnestly desiring our saluation I thirst 6. and when he had made perfect satisfaction It is finished 7. and when bodie and soule were parting Father into thy hands I commend my spirit The last words of Steuen were 1. Behold I see the heauens open and the sonne of man standing at the right hand of God 2. Lord Iesus receiue my spirit 3. Lord lay not this sinne to their charge Of Polycarpe Thou art a true God without lying therefore in all things I praise thee and blesse thee and glorifie thee by the eternall God high Priest Iesus Christ thine onely beloued Sonne by whome and with whome to thee and the holy spirit be all glorie now and for euer Of Ignatius I care not what kinde of death I die I am the bread of the Lord and must be grounde with the teeth of lyons that I may be cleane bread for Christ who is the bread of life for mee Of Ambrose I haue not so led my life among you as if I were ashamed to liue neither doe I feare death because we haue a good Lord. Of Augustine 1. He is no great man that thinkes it a great matter that trees and stones fall and mortall men die 2. Iust art thou O Lord righteous is thy iudgement Of Bernard 1. An admonition to his brethren that they would grounde the anchor of their faith and hope in the safe and sure port of Gods mercie 2. Because saith he as I suppose I cannot leaue vnto you any choise examples of religion I commend three to be imitated of you which I remember that I haue obserued in the race which I haue run as much as possibly I could 1. I gaue lesse heed to mine own sense reason then to the sense and reason of other men 2. When I was hurt I sought not reuenge on him that did the hurt 3. I had care to giue offence to no man and if it fell out otherwise I tooke it away as I could Of Zwinglius when in the field he was wounded vnder the chin with a speare O what hap is this go to they may kill my bodie but my soule they cannot Of Oecolampadius 1. An exhortation to the ministers of the Church to maintaine the puritie of doctrine to shewe forth an example of honest and godly conuersation to be constant patiēt vnder the crosse 2. Of himselfe Whereas I am charged to be a corrupter of the truth I weigh it not now I am going to the tribunall of Christ and that with good conscience by the grace of God and there it shall bee manifest that I haue not seduced the Church Of this my saying contestatiō I leaue you as witnesses and I confirme it with this my last breath 3. To his children Loue God the father turning himself to his kinsfolks I haue boūd you saith he with this contestation you which they heare and haue desired shall doe your indeauour that these my children may be godly and peaceable and true 4. to his friend comming vnto him What shall I say vnto you Newes I shall be shortly with Christ my Lord. 5. beeing asked whether the light did not trouble him touching his breast there is light enough saith he 6.