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death_n power_n sin_n sting_n 7,486 5 11.7460 5 false
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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A35858 A dialogue between a blind-man and death Standfast, Richard, 1608?-1684. 1686 (1686) Wing D1291; ESTC R184577 3,923 1

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A DIALOGUE Between a Blind-Man and Death Blind-Man The more men see the less they do enquire The worse they see the more they do desire Others to grant what Blindness cannot give And for Intelligence grow inquisitive They ask to be inform'd who cannot see I know 't by sad experience Wo is me Death Where are you Sir What sitting all alone I did suppose 't was you by that sad moan Coming this way to gather what 's my due I thought it not amiss to call on you Blind-Man I do not know that voice 't is sure some Stranger And by his words he seemes to bode me danger Death You guess aright Sir and before I go I 'll make you know me whether you will or no. Blind-Man Why what are you Pray tell me what 's your Name And what 's your bus'ness and from whence you came Death I will declare what no man can deny There 's none so great a Traveller as I Yet you must know I am no wandring Rover For my Dominion lies the World all over I march through Court and Country Town and City I know not how to fear nor how to pity The highest Cedar and the lowest Flower Sooner or later do both feel my Power The mightiest Emperour doth submit to me Nor is the poorest tatter'd Beggar free In Peace I glean here one and there another Sometimes I sweep whole streets both one and t'other In time of War thus much I can divine Whoever gets the day the Triumph's mine I am a potent and a high Commander 'T was I that conquer'd the Great Alexander Though mighty Nations under 's foot he trod And had th' Ambition to be thought a God Yet after all the Victories he had won I made him know he was but Philip's Son Were you Goli●●h great or Sampson-strong Were you as wise as rich as Solomon Were you as Nestor Old as Infant Young Had you the fairest Cheeck the sweetest Tongue Yet you must stoop all these will nought avail For my Arrest does not admit of Bail And to deal plainly Sir my name is Death And 't is my bus'ness to demand your Breath Blind-Man My Breath and Life shall both go out together Death And on that Errand 't was that I came hither I 'll have both Breath and Life without delay You must and shall dispatch come come away Blind-Man What need such Posting haste Pray Change your mind 'T is a poor Conquest to surprise the Blind Death You may not call it Posting nor Surprise For you had warning when you lost your Eyes Nor could you hope your House could long be free After the Windows were possest by me Blind-Man But Life is sweet and who 'ld not if he might Have a long day before he bid good Night O spare me yet awhile slight not my Tears Death Hard Hearts and hungry Bellies have no Ears Blind-Man I am not yet quite ready for the Table Death All 's one to me I am inexorable Blind-Man Yet by your favour I may step aside Death Be not deceiv'd for 't is in vain to hide My forces are dispersed through all places And act for me without respect of Faces I have a Thousand ways to shorten Life Besides a Rapier Pistol Sword or Knife A Fly a Hair a splinter of a Thorn A little Scratch the cutting of a Corn Have sometimes done my bus'ness heretofore So to the full that I need wish no more Should all these fail enough of humours lurk Within your Body Sir to do my work Blind-Man Well then let some one run to my Physitian Tell him I want his aid in this Condition Death Run Boy and fetch him call th' whole Colledge do For I intend to have them shortly too I value not their Portions and their Pills Nor all the Cordials in the Doctors Bills When my time 's come let them do what they can I 'll have my due so vain a thing is man Should Gallen and Hippocrates both joyn And Paracelsus too with them Combine Let them all meet to Countermand my strength Yet shall they be my Prisoners at length I grant that Men of Learning Worth and Art May have the better of me at the Start But in long Running they 'll give out and tire And quit the field and leave me my des●●● As for those Quacks that threaten to 〈◊〉 me They are my Friends and speed some Patients to me Blind-Man Well If I must I 'll yeild to you the day T is so Enacted and I must Obey Henceforth I count my self among you 〈…〉 rs For 't is I see the measure of my Bett 〈…〉 But tell me now when did your Power 〈…〉 ce Death My Power began from Adam's first Off●nce Blind-Man From Adam's first Offence O base beg●ning Whose very first Original was Sinning Death My Rising did from Adam's Fail begin And ever since my strength and sting's 〈◊〉 Sin Blind-Man To know wherein the Enemies strength doth lie In my Conceit is half a Victory Have you Commission now for what you do Death I have Commission what 's all this to you● Blind-Man Yes very much for now I understand I am not totally at your command My Life 's at his who gave you this Commision To him I 'll therefore make with my Petition I 'll Seek his Love and on his Mercy trust And when my Sins are pardon'd do your worst Death That you may know how far my Power exterds I will divorce you from your dearest Friends You shall resign your Jewels Money Plate Your Earthly Joyes shall all be out of date I will deprive you of your dainty fare I 'll strip you to the skin naked and bare Linnen or Woolen you shall have to wind y 〈…〉 As for the rest all must be left behind y 〈…〉 Bound hand and foot I 'll bring you to my D●●● Where constant dreadfull Darkness reigns and then Your only Dwelling-house shall be a Cave Your Lodging-Room a little narrow Grave A Chest your Closet and a Sheet your Dress And your Companions Worms and Rottenness Blind-Man If this be all the mischief you can do Your Harbingers deserve more dread than you Diseases are your Harbingers I 'm sure Many of which 't is grievous to endure But when once dead I shall not then Complain Of Cold or Hunger Poverty or Pain Death There 's one thing more which here to mind I call When once I come then come I once for all And when my stroke doth Soul and Body sever What 's left undone must be undone for ever Blind-Man That 's a great Truth and I have learnt to know That there 's no working in the Grave below To be before hand therefore I will try That then I may have nought to do but dye But tell me Sir do all men dye alike Death To me they do for whom God bids I strike Look how the Foolish dye so dye the Wise As do the Righteous so the Sinner dyes There 's afterwards a difference though 't is
true But that 's a thing with which I 've nought to do That I to some prove better to some worse To some a Blessing and to some a Curse That 's none of mine I may not undertake it 'T is Gods appointment and mens works that make it Hence 't is that Sinners Troubles never cease And that the End of th' Upright Man is peace Blind-Man There now remains but only one thing more Will not thy pow'r be one day out of door Death Yes I must needs confess 't is very true There is a Death for Me as well as You And mine 's the worst for I must die for ever You may revive again but I shall never Blind-Man By all that hath been said I now do see You needed not have been so rough with me Death Come let that pass The kinder to appear I will reveal a secret in your Ear. The Death of Christ upon the painful Cross Which seem'd to be my Gain turn'd to my Loss As in his Hair the strength of Sampson lay And with his Hair went Sampson's strength away So I 've no strength but what I had from Sin Nor have I Sting but what lies hid therein Christ Suffering Death to put this sting away Hath made me his whom I suppos'd my Prey My Strength is now decay'd my Sting rebated My Boldness Check'd and my Dominion mated And I am now both faint and feeble grown Much like poor Sampson when his streagth was gone In my own Craft I was Compleatly routed My Jaws are broken and my Holders outed What now I catch I have no pow'r to keep My very Name is chang'd from Death to Sleep I seiz'd on Christ indeed that I did do Nay more I bound him in my Prison too But all my strongest Doors Bars Bolts and Bands Were but meer Nothing in his mighty Hands He broke them all and left my doors wide ope And all his Servants Prisoners of Hope For though they dye yet with devout Affection They do expect a joyfull Resurrection And with their Master to be brought again That they with him for ever may Remain Thus Christ by dying did become Victorious And from his Bed of Darkness rose more glorious And I by Binding Him made my self fast And His I know will prove my Death at last Blind-Man These words give Comfort and Instruction too Henceforth I shall be better pleas'd with you Decreed it is for all men once to dye After that Judgment then Eternity To Prayer therefore will I joyn Endeavour So to live here that I may live for Ever And seeing they that have and keep Christs words Whether they live or dye be all the Lords Repentance Faith and New Obedience shall Fit and prepare me for my Funeral From whence I trust my Saviour will translate me In Season due beyond their reach that hate me Even to that place of Life and Glory too Where neither Death nor Sin hath ought to do This hope in me that Word of his doth cherish He that believes in Me shall never perish Now welcome Death upon my Saviours Score Who would not dye to live for Evermore Death Sir I perceive you speak not without Reason I 'll leave you now and call some other Season Blind-Man Call when you please I will await that Call And while I stand make ready for my Fall In the mean time my constant Prayer shall be From Sudden and from Endless Death Good Lord deliver me The Conclusion Judge not of Death by Sence least you mistake it Death 's neither Friend nor Foe but as you make it Live as you should you need not then Complain For where to Live is Christ to Dye is Gain FINIS LICENSED According to Order LONDON Printed by George Larkin at the Coach and Horses without Bishopsgate a little beyond Old Bedlam 1686.