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A19123
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Of death a true description and against it a good preparation: together with a sweet consolation, for the suruiung mourners. By Iames Cole merchant.
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Cole, James.; Hoste, Dierick.
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1629
(1629)
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STC 5533; ESTC S105012
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59,139
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225
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the second death And so he makes death but two-fold one corporall in this world the other spirituall in the other world whose diuision we also willingly embrace The death of the body That death then whereof we meane to treate is the first or corporall death to wit that which doth separate the soule from the body and is euery where vsually knowne by the name of death For whatsoeuer we speake or reade of dying as well in the diuine bookes of the Bible as in humane Writers it is for the most part to be vnderstood of this kinde of death This death is also chiefly feared of men and causeth them to bee troubled maketh them faint-hearted and vnconstant and vpon occasion of any euill rumour fearefull Yea that wise Naturalist Aristotle was of opinion Eth. 3. that of all things there is nothing more terrible then death The aduantage of them that doe not feare death If then this death be the most terrible thing in the world how happy is he that is released from the feare of it Yea verily wherwith can the world make him to tremble that contemnes the very vttermost of her power If hee liue in a Citie infected with the plague if hee dwell in a Country flaming with warre if he trauell in danger of theeues or if a tempest at sea ouertake him his spirits are not daunted nor his senses benum'd Hee hath the more rest and yet neuer the more danger Yea rather the lesse because a man that is affrighted by his very frights may bring some sicknesse vpon himselfe and so consequently death But such a resolute man is certaine that come the worst nothing can be exacted of him beyond his life which hee oweth and is willing to surrender where and when it shall please God If hee be called of God to a Souldier condition he fighteth boldly for the defence of his Country Yea certainely hee that oft-times through a cowardly feare would loose the field by this his couragious resolution putteth his enemie to flight Thus is euen our life sometimes lengthened by this willingnesse to dye Besides if such a one liue by enuious persons or vnder tyrannizing Princes he shall not neede to flatter nor to faine against his conscience He is not astonisht though they threaten to slay his body for hee knowes that it must dye whether they threaten him or no. Yea if they put him to death he knowes that they euen then bereaue themselues of power to torment him any farther And is not this a great liberty and worthy to be sought after whereas on the contrary how miserable is that man that is continually encumbred with feare and that not for some thing that hee may hope or chance to escape but for that which vndoubtedly may yea must sometime befall him Truly such a one walkes throughout the course of his life in a continuall flight farre worse then death it selfe The diuision of the Treatise Well then for the better ouercomming of this feare wee will assay for to vnmaske death and disrobe it of all terrible apparition that so wee may behold it naked and in his owne nature And first wee shall endeauour by foure naturall reasons and then by foure other obseruations to demonstrate that it hath nothing in it selfe that should be terrible vnto vs. And secondly proceeding we hope likewise in a foure-fold discourse manifestly to shew that to those that know how to arme themselues against it death is altogether profitable and consequently worthy to bee desired This death then 1 Reason though it be one of the twinnes which together by sin entred into the world Death is not bad Rom. 5.12 yet doth it in no manner of wayes resemble in iniquity the spirituall death its sister For though this death doe vtterly slay the body and the other doth not kill the soule but casts it into a miserable life yet is it better to dye by the first then to liue in the second Yea by meanes of this obtaine wee this benefit and profit that at the last it doth free vs from this toyle-some life to which God since the fall of man hath heere on earth condemned all mankinde In the which were it not that this death preuenteth it wee should continually remaine For this cause then as also for that God doth send it as well to his children whom he loueth as to his enemies whom he hateth it cannot in its owne nature be euill Howbeit God doth diuersly addresse it vnto vs. For the wicked hee consumes in his wrath Eccl. 45.19 as vnworthy of this temporall life But the godly hee takes away in his mercy and peace as esteeming them worthy of a better life 2 Reg. 22.20 And thus is death vnto the Reprobates a passage vnto eternall misery but to the Righteous vnto eternall life Ioh. 5.24 Euen as a Master thrusteth his disobedient seruant out of dores to deliuer him vnto the Iaylor and le ts forth his obedient to set him at liberty for euer Yet is it one and the same doore that both passe thorow Who then will terme this doore or this death euill If death in it selfe be not euill then from it directly no euill can bee expected Let this then be the first reason wherefore we neede not feare death But some may heere object that it is the occasion of this euill that wee by meanes of it loose this temporall life which is sweet to euery one But in sooth for vs to pay that we owe may not bee termed any losse vnto vs. And who knoweth not the condition of this life All things which by birth haue a beginning haue an end by death Whosoeuer therefore feareth the end must not desire the beginning Our life is like vnto a candle if wee desire it to giue light in lightning it must burne and burning draw and come to an end If the Sunne would not descend it must not ascend For the same course that causeth it to ascend causeth it to descend euen so doth this life conduct vs to death And who then can say this life is good and death euill Certainly whatsoeuer is spoken against death opposes life which is the cause of death Epictetus his saying is good Death saith hee is not frightfull but the feare of death Ar. 2. â— and to dye is not ill but to dye shamefully Hence Socrates 2 Reason Death Naturall when tydings was brought vnto him that the Gouernours of Athens had condemned him to dye And so hath Nature them A poph Eras 4. said hee without any farther alteration He knew well that it was no lesse naturall to dye then to liue And this shall be the second reason wherfore death is not to be feared All flesh we read in Ecclesiasticus waxeth old as a garment Eccl. 14.18 for the decree from the beginning is thou shalt dye the death As of the greene leaues vpon a thicke tree some fall and some growe so is the generation of flesh and blood One commeth to an end and
another is borne Euery worke rotteth and consumeth away Yea to what end doth the corne spring vp into eares but to bee reaped And doth not euery lowe ebbe make way to a new flood Doth not euery day by declining giue time vnto the approaching night The same course of enterchange is likewise among men the precedent giues place vnto the future The Elements and all things composed of them are subiect vnto mutation yea the heauens themselues shall be dissolued and renewed 2 Pet 3.12 How then can a mortall body for euer remaine Being but a house of clay that is soone broke downe It comes vp like a flower and is soone cut downe Iob 14.2 Yea what is the life of this body 1 Chron 29.15 A shadow a winde Iob 7 7. a vapour that appeareth for a little Ioh. 4.14 and then vanisheth away saith holy writ As an arrowe once being shot continually flyeâ—h to the place where it must be fixed So man once being borne passeth without intermission vnto that end where hee must rest Yea we our selues if we obserue it are continually dying from the first day of our birth Our childhood dyed in vs when we became youthes Our youthfull age when wee grew to bee men The day present destroyeth the day past and euery present houre yea moment slayes that that is newly past yet doth not the absence of the time past hurt vs nor doe we bewaile it though euen now we want time Much lesse then if death at this instant should hurry vs away Should the want of the present time then procure any losse to vs when as the time of this world in no wise further can auaile vs. So that there is not any naturall reason why death should affright vs. No reason I say which is hence also apparent in that the antienter sort doe oftentimes more abhorre death then the younger where as reason rather requireth the contrary This desire therefore of delay in olde men springs onely out of an habituated loâ—e of these two friends soule and body the coniunction of the which the longer it lasteth the closer is their amity knit together to wit so long till they be sufficiently enformed that their separation can be no losse vnto them and no longer Yea nature it selfe directs all things to their end The fairest blosomes shee causeth freely to shed their pleasant leaues that the following cods may finde place These doth she also cause to shrinke together and split that the seede may fall out of them into the lap of the earth where it ought to be Wee our selues also haue a continuall naturall longing towards our end and wish though wee doe not obserue it that our dayes might hasten their course What is it else when as children long to be great those of middle growth to be married the married to see their children come to age yet is it certaine that how much the more we obtaine of thâ—se our wishes we approach the neerer to our end and yet we wish for it Yea farther who knowes not that fire at the last shall bring this world to an end yet is it so farre from terrifying vs that in signe of publique and generall ioy we are accustomed to kindle extraordinary great bonfires We haue also farre more desire to see mens decease then their birth No body râ—nnes forth for pleasure to see a woman in labour you will say the reason is because there is nothing therein but calamity and paine And what is there else where two fighting hurt one the other and yet who desires not to be a spectator Or if any by the Magistrates command must suffer a painefull deaâ—h what running is there to see it And who among vs would not take great delight if he could but securely behold it out of a windowe to see some-where a battell fought in the field The Romane Emperors who in foretimes knew well enough how to entice the people and to get their fauour did on feastiuall dayes present them with certaine hundred paires of Fencers which freely sported till that commonly one of each couple couered his standing with his dead body And on this sport for so they called it did the people sit gazing whole dayes without showe of wearinesse Yea it seemes that the same was first brought in by the Israelites when Abner and Ioah caused their Souldiers to sport together on this wisâ— 2 Sam. 2.14 Behold then how farre man euen beyond all decencie taketh pleasure in seeing the death of others when hee suffereth himselfe to be led by his naturall inclination So that to dye is not onely naturall but it seemes there is also a secret desire to behold the Tragedy of it Thirdly 3 Reason Death vniuersaâ—l to whom can any thing seeme terrible that presents it selfe dayly before his eyes What is more common among vs then Christnings and Burialls Haue euer any beene knowne of all that haue beene borne not to haue dyed Old young rich poore honest dishonest all â—read that path Gen. 4.8 Abel it may bee was slaine in his youth Gen. â— 27 and Methusalah liued welnigh a thousand yeares yet hee died also Exod. 14.8 The impious Egyptians were drowned in the red sea Gods people perished in the wildernes Poore Lazarus died Luk. 16.22 the rich man died also saith St. Luke Yea that mighty Ahasueros Est 1.1 who raigned ouer a hundred and seauen and twenty Prouinces that great Alexander the valiant Iulius Caesar who conquered the whole world haue all bin conquered by this death All things that are created as fire ayre water earth and all things compounded and ingendred of them are able to inflict death on vs. Anacreon the Poet was choaked with a grape kernell Pope Adrian the fourth with a flye Yea in our selues doth not the least disturbance of our blood oft end our liues Anger heat colde a fright doe the same I spare to speake of a plague which in the space of seauen or eight moneths hath deuoured in one Citie of London eight and thirty thousand Or a siedge which without and within the Towne of O oslend hath swept away more then a hundred thousand men in lesse then three yeares This we see and this we heare dayly and such like accidents fill the greater part of leaues in all manner of Chronicles and this will bee common as long as men shall inhabit the world Haue we not theÌ„ great reason so to accustome our selues to these common chances that we may not be affrighted by them But what doe I number men we see whole Cities destroyed That mighty Citie of Troy now giueth the Plow-man leaue to fâ—rrowe her Holy Ierusalem can hardly shew one stone on the other The Maiestie of Rome must now be guessed out of her Ruines Gen. 19.23 Yea a fire kindled in Canaan and burnt foure Cities together