Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
B00565
|
The meane in mourning. A sermon preached at Saint Maryes Spittle in London on Tuesday in Easter weeke. 1595. / By Thomas Playfere Doctor of Diuinitie.
|
Playfere, Thomas, 1561?-1609.
|
1596
(1596)
|
STC 20015; ESTC S94747
|
56,543
|
134
|
lighteth torches that are put out i De ciuitate Dei lib 25. c. 3. Fulgosus likewise reporteth k Mirum sontem dicere debemus apud Gratianopolin Gallicam vrâ—ens Nam quamuis caleÌ„tes aquas non habâ—at tamen simul cum ipsis aquis flammas persaepe emittit Fulgosus lib. 1. non longe à fine that there is an other fountaine neere Grenoble a citie in France which although it haue not hotte waters as a bath yet oftentimes together with bubbles of water it casteth vp flames of fire The fountaine of teares that is in our eies must be like these two fountaines As the Psalmist witnesseth When my sorow was stirred sayes he my hart was hot within mee and while I was musing the fire kindled l Psal 30. v. 3. When my sorrow was stirred There is the first fountaine My hart was hot within me There is the torch lighted And while I was musing There is the other fountaine The fire kindled There is the flame burning Whereupon one saies fitly Our eies must neither bee drowned nor drie m Nec fluant oculi nec sicci sint Seneca If they waÌ„t fire they will bee drowned If they want water they wil be drie Wherfore both VVEEPE NOT and BVT VVEEPE both fire and water must goe together that our eyes be neither drowned nor drie And this is the right moderatioÌ„ we must keep in weeping as appeareth in this third part VVEEPE NOT BVT VVEEPE both together VVEEPE NOT FOR ME BVT VVEEPE FOR YOVR SELVES THe fourth part followeth FOR ME. Weepe not too much for my death For the death of Christ is the death of death the death of the diuell the life of himselfe the life of man The reason of all this is his innocency and righteousnes which makes first that as the life of Christ is the life of life so the death of Christ is the death of death Put the case how you please this is a most certaine trueth that the gate of life had neuer bin opened vnto vs if Christ who is the death of death had not by his death ouercome death a Mors mortis morti mortem nisi morte dedisset Caelestis vitae ianna clausa foret Therefore both before his death he threatneth and chalengeth death saying (b) Ose 13.14 O death I will bee thy death and also after his death he derideth and scorneth death saying (c) 1. Cor. 15.55 O death thou art but a drone where is now thy sting (d) sic Iohannes Pistorius Erasms Roterodami affinis igni cremandus dixit O mors vbiest tua victoria Aske death any of you I pray and say death how hast thou lost thy sting how hast thou lost thy streÌ„gth What is the matter that virgins and very children do now contemne thee wheras kinges and euen tyrants did before feare thee Death I warrant wil answere you that the only cause of this is the death of Christ Euen as a bee stinging a dead body takes no hurt but stinging a liue body many times loseth both sting life together in like maner death so long as it stung mortal men only which were dead in sin was neuer a whit the worse but when it stunge Christ once who is life it selfe by and by it lost both stinge and strength Therefore as the brasen serpent was so farre from hurting the Israelites that contratiwise it healed them after the same sort death is now so far froÌ„ hutting any true Israelite that on the other side if affliction as a fiery serpent sting vs or if any thing els hurt vs presently it is helped redressed by death Those which will needs play the hobgoblins or the nightewalkinge spirites as we call them al the while they speak vnder a hollow vault or leape forth with an vgly vizard vpoÌ„ their faces they are so terrible that he which thinkes himselfe nosmall man may perhaps be affrighted with them But if some lusty fellowe chaunce to steppe into one of these and cudgle him well fauoredly and pull the vizarde from his face then euery boye laughes him to scorne So is it in this matter Death was a terrible bulbegger and made euery man afraide of him a great while but Christ dying buckled with this bulbegger and coniured him as I may say out of his hollowe vault when as the dead comminge out of the graues were seene in lerusalem and puld the vizard from his face when as he himselfe risinge left the linneÌ„ clothes which were the vizard of death behinde him Therefore as that asse called Cumanus asinus ietting vp and downe in a lyons skinne did for a time terrifie his maister but afterwards being discried did benefit him very much semblably death stands nowe like a silly asse hauing his lyons skinne puld ouer his eares and is so farre from terrifying any that it benefits all true christians because by it they rest from their laboures and if they bee oppressed with troubles or cares when they come to death they are discharged death as an asse doth beare these burdens for them Oblessed blessed be our lord which hath so disarmed death that it can not doe vs any hurt no more then a bee can which hath no sting nay rather it doth vs much good as the brasen serpent did the Israelites which hath so dismasked death that it can not make vs afraid no more then a scarbug can which hath novizard nay rather as an asse beareth his masters burdens so death easeth and refresheth vs. This hath Christ done by his death Hee that felleth a tree vpon which the sun shineth may well cut the tree but can not hurt the sunne He that poweeth water vpon yron which is red botte may well quench the heate but he cannot hurt the yron And so Christ the sunne of righteousnes did driue away the shadowe of death and as glowinge yon was too hot and too hard a morsell for death to digest All the while Adam did eate any other fruit which God gaue him leaue to eate he was nourished by it but when he had tasted of the forbidden tree he perished Right so death had free leaue to deuoure any other man Christ only excepted but when it went about to destroy Christ then it was destroyed it selfe Those barbarous people called Cannibals which feed only vpon rawe flesh especially of men if they happen to eate a peece of rosted meate commonly they surset of it and die Euen so the right Canniball the only deuourer of all mankinde death I meane tasting of Christes fleshe and finding it not to bee rawe such as it was vsed to eate but wholsome and heauenly meat indeede presently tooke a surfet of it within three dayes dyed For euen as wheÌ„ Iudas had receiued a sop at Christs hand anon after his bowels gushed out in like sort death beinge so saucie as to snatch a sop as it were of Christes flesh and a little bit of his body was by
by like Iudas choked and strangled with it and faine to yeeld it vp againe when Christ on Easter day reuiued Death I wisse had not bin brought vp so daintily before nor vsed to such manner of meat but alwaies had rauened either with Mithridates daughters vpon the poison of sinne or else with Noahs crow vpon the carrion of corruption Wherefore nowe saies Fulgentius e Mors Christum gustauit sed non deglutiuit death did indeede taste of Christe but could not swallow him vp nor digest him Contrariwise Christ as soone as euer he had but a little tasted of death f Hebr. cap. 2. ver 9. eftsones hee did deuoure death he did swallowe vp death in victory And so the death of Christ by reason of his righteousnes is the death of death It is also the death of the diuell As the Apostle saies that by his death he did ouercome not only death but him also which had the power of death the diuel It is reported that the Libard vseth a shaunge kinde of pollicy to kill the ape Hee lyeth downe vpon the grounde as though he were starke dead which the apes seeing come all together in despight skip vp vpon him This the Libard beareth patiently till he thinks they haue wearied themselues with their sporting Then sodainly hee likewise leaps vp and catches one in his mouth and in each foote one which immediatly he killeth deuoureth (g) Conculâ—ant insultantes ludibrij causae donec pardalis sentiens illas iam saltando defatigatas de repente reuiuiscens aliam dentib aliam vnguib corripit Eras Prou. Pardi mortem adsimulat This was Christs pollicy He was layd in the dust for dead The diuel then insulted ouer him and trampled vpon him But he like a liuely Lybard startinge vp on Easter day astonisheth the souldiers set to keep him which were the diuels apes made them lye like dead men h Math. cap. 28. ver 7. Euen as he tolde them before by his prophet saying I will be to them as a very Lyon and as a Lybard in the way of Ashur i Ose cap. 13. ver 7. For as blind Samson by his death killed the Philistins when they were playinge the apes in mocking and mowinge at him (k) Iudicum 10. ver 25. so Christ by his death destroied the diuell Scaliger writeth that the Chameleon when hee espies a serpent taking shade vnder a tree climes vp into that tree and lets downe a threed breathed out of his mouth as small as a spiders threed at the end wherof there is a little drop as cleare as any pearle which fallinge vpon the serpeÌ„ts head kils him (l) Ex ore filum demittit araneorum more in cuius fili extremo guttula est margarttae splendore ea tactus in vertice serpens moritur Ex. 190. Christ is this Chameleon He climes vp into the tree of his crosse and le ts downe a threed of bloud issuing out of his side like Rahabs red threed hanging out of her window (m) Signa fidei atque vexilla dominicae passionis attollens coccum in fenestra ligauit Ambro. de fide libro 5. cap. 5. Paulinus Natali 8. Puniceo proprium signauit vellere tectum the least drop wherof beeing so precious and so peereles falling vpon the serpents head kils him The wilde bull of al things can not abide any red coloure Therefore the hunter for the nonce standinge before a tree puts on a redde garment Whom when the bull sees he runnes at him as hard as he can driue But the hunter slipping a side the buls hornes sticke fast in the tree As when Dauid slipped aside Sauls speare stuck fast in the wall (n) 1. Sam. 19.10 Such a hunter is Christ Christ standing before the tree of his crosse puts on a red garment dipt and died in his owne bloud as one that commeth with redde garments from Bozra (o) Esa cap. 63.1 Therfore the diuell and his angels like wilde bulles of Bazan (p) Psalm 22.12 ran at him But he shifting for himselfe their hornes sticke fast in his crosse As Abrahams ram by his hornes stuck fast in the briers (q) Genesis 22.13 Thus is the diuell caught and killed A Dragon indeed kils an Elephant yet so as the Elephant falling downe kils the dragon hith him An Elephant kils Elezar yet so as Eleazar falling down kils the ElephaÌ„t with him r 1. Mach. 6.46 And accordingly to this the diuel killing Christ was killed by Christ Yea as an Elephant is stronger then the Dragon and Eleazar is stronger then the Elephant so Christ is stronger then them both For the Elephant doth not liue after hee hath killed the Dragon neither doth Eleazar liue after he hath killed the Elephant but Christ liueth after he hath destroyed the diuell Leauing the diuell dead he is nowe risen himselfe from the dead Wherfore as a Lybard killeth the ape and a Chameleon the serpent and a hunter the bull and an Elephant the dragon Eleazar the ElephaÌ„t himselfe so Christ the true Eleazar which signifies the helpe of God hath by his death killed that mischeeuous ape the diuell that olde serpent the diuell that wilde bull the deuill that great dragon the deuill that raginge elephant the deuill WheÌ„ Mahomet the secoÌ„d of that name beseeged Belgrade in Seruia one of his captaines at length got vp vpon the wall of the city with banner displayed A noble Bohemian espying this ranne to the captaine clasping him fast about the middle asked one Capistranus standing beneath whether it would be any danger of damnatioÌ„ to his soule if he should cast himselfe downe headlong with that dogge so he tearmed the turke to bee slaine with him Capistranus answering that it was no daunger at all to his soule the Bohemian foorthwith tumbled himselfe downe with the Turke in his armes and so by his owne death only saued the life of all the city (Å¿) Zieglerus de illustribus viris â—ermaâ—â—tae cap. 98. Such an exploit was this of Christ The diuell like the great Turke besieging not only one city but euen all mankinde Christ alone like this noble Bohemian encountred with him And seeing the case was so that this dog the diuel could not be killed starke dead except Christ died also therfore he made no reckoninge of his life but gaue himselfe to death for vs that hee only dying for all the people by his death our deadly enemy might for euer be destroyed For so Origen testifieth that there were two crucified vpoÌ„ the crosse of Christ Christ himselfe visibly with his will and for a time The diuell inuisibly against his will and for euer (r) Homi. 8. in Iosua Therfore the crosse is that victorious chariot in the vpper part wherof Christ sitteth as a triumphaÌ„t conqueror and in the lower part of it the diuell is drawen as a captiue and is made an open spectacle of ignominy