the wages doth the worke as God threatned Gen. Gen. 2. 17. 2. 17. And the Apostle Rom. 5. 15 By one man sinne Rom. 5. 12. entred into the word and death by sinne And so death went ouer all men in whom all men haue sinned Vse 1 There shall be no difference betweene the rich the poore in the graue there is a great difference in their life time in respect of honours and houses laÌ„ds and liuings duties and dignities and such like externall priuiledges and prerogatiues But in the end we see that wise men and likewise the ignorant and foolish Psal 49. 10. perish Zenacherib in his Ruffe for a time made proud challenges Where is the king of Hamah where Esay 37. 13. is the king of Arpad where is the king of Hena kings which he had destroyed And haue the Gods of the nations deliuered their Clients and orators out of my hands But a man might soone haue asked him Where is the king of Ashur And hath Nisroch the God of Assiria deliuered Zenacherib himselfe Looke into the graue and shew me where is Diues where is Lazarus where is Alexander that conquered the whole world and Zerxes that could not number his armie for multitude where is Nimri that built his rest in the clouds and Antiochus that sealed vpon the Mountaines where is Edom that exalted himselfe like an eagle in the skies and said in the swelling of his heart Who shall bring me down Where is Paper the king of Persia that wrote himselfe Rex regum fratersolis et lunae parâ—ceps siderum king of kings brother to the sunne and moone and partner with the starrs where is SamsoÌ„ that slew an armie with the law bone ludg 15. 15. of an asse what is become of all those great Roman Lords Nero Caligula Vespasian Titus Domitiam and the rest Haue they not all felt and bin foyled by the stroake of this all conquering death who would haue Acts 12. 23. a Kings 9. 35. thought that Herod who was honoured as a God should haue bin deuoured of wormes That Iezabel should haue bin eateÌ„ of dogs what would he thinke that should haue seene Solomon in his glory and Royaltie to see him now lying in the clay Yesterday the tallest Cedar in Libanus to day or to morrow a broken stick trodden vnder foot when death comes no difference The bones of Agamemnon that renowned Captaine among the Grecians and of Thirsites that ill fauoured and deformed souldier shal be mngled together The bones of Vashti the most beautifull queene and the blackest Egiptian bond-woman shall not be found asunder looke into the graue there I say is no difference but Putidum et putridum Cadauer a rotten and a stinking Carkas Vse 2 Men of excellent eminent places must learne to liue religiously vprightly for they must go the way of all the earth and depart hence when it shall be said Priora transierunt Former things are passed away and it wil be said Come giue an account of thy stewardship The thriuing of the wicked in the bookes of Iob of the Psalmes wanteth not a learned oratour Luke 16. 2. Iob 21. 7. Psal 73. 3. to set it forth at large But as in the burning of a candle when it hath long giuen light Extremum occupat fumus et caligo The end is in smoake and in a stinking sauour so falleth it out with the candle of the wicked In puncto descendunt in infernum In the stirring of an eye they goe downe to hell where if there be not famus caligo smoke and darknesse and the blackenesse of darkenesse and a stinking sauour and much worse there is no hell at all Lift not vp your Psal 75. 5. borne on high speake not with a stiffe necke for in the hand of the Lord there is a cup and the wine is red of the colour of bloud My brethren let not the pompe of the world deceiue you whether it stand in authoritie in opulencie or voluptuousnesse of life I say let it not deceiue you for as all the fresh riuers runne into the salt sea so shall all the honours of the world end in basenesse all the pleasures of the world in bitternesse all the treasures of the world in emptinesse all the garments of the world in nakednesse and all the dainties and delicates of the world in loathsomnesse and rottennesse Take heede of too large an indulgence least God giue you a rent that hath giuen you a garment and cloath you with worser then leprosie that hitherto hath couered you with glory worship and dignitie Vse 3 Let vs prepare for death that we may haue oyle in our lampes when the bridegroome commeth Let vs prepare and prouide for the day of our dissolution Let vs prepare for a Nunc dimittis Oh be not like the foolish virgins that knocked at the gate when it was shut and too late Oh be not like the vnprepared Math. 25. 12. Math. 22. 13. guest that came to the wedding without his wedding garment Great Iupiter was carelesse of his death Visuntur magniparua sepulchra Iouis Great Iupiâ—er had but a little tombe And Alexander the Monarch of the world prepared nothing at all for his death he had all other things sauing onely a sepulcher to burie him in when he was dead But Abraham prouided for his death for he bought a field to Gen. 23. 17. burie his dead in So did Ioseph of Aramathea for he Gen. 23. 17. Math. 27. 60. made his tombe in his life time in his garden to put him in remembrance of death Oh imitate these latter prouide and prepare for your last end and still looke vp to death as the wisemen looked vnto the starre which stood ouer Bethlem Qui gloriatur viribus corporis gloriatur viribus carceris He that glorieth in the strength of his bodie glorieth in the strength of his prison Plato spake wittily to one of his schollers when he saw him too curious in pampering his belly and his body Why doest thou said he make thy prison so strong Doct. 2 I will proceede now to the second conclusion to wit that mans time is set and his bounds appointed which he cannot passe It was said to Belshazzar Dan. 5. 25. Mene mene God hath numbred thy kingdome So it may be said Mene mene God hath numbred the daies of our life To this Iob beareth witnesse Are not his Iob 14. 5. daies determined thou hast appointed his bounds which he cannot passe And the Prophet Ieremie saith The Egyptians could not stand because the Ierem. 46. 21. day of their destruction was come and the time of their visitation Reason 1 A certaine time is appointed for all other things The day of birth the day of marriage the day of honour the day of deliuerance and the day of death must not bee excluded God hath determined Dan. 1 1 36. all things saith the Prophet
taught in the Temple and no man laid hands on him for his houre was not yet come Doct. 3 The third conclusion now followeth to be discussed Mans time is short in this world Moses speaketh of daies not of yeeres nor of months nor of weeks but vseth the shortest diuision in nature There are as many little skuls in Golgotha as there bee great ones Parents doe as often mourne for the death of their children as children doe for the death of their Parents Iacob when Pharaoh asked him how old he Gen. 47. 9. was answered that his daies had beene both few and euill The Hebrewes were wont to reckon their life thus first they did deduct the time of their sleep so that if our dayes bee threescore and ten by this reckoning fiue and thirtie are stricken off at one blow because we spend halfe our time in sleepe Secondly from the remainder they tooke away the time of youth which Salomon saith is vanitie as Eccl. 11. 10. though it were not worthy to be called life but vanitie Thirdly they did subtract the daies of sorrow because all that time a man findeth no sweetnesse in life but is still ready to propound Iobs question Why Iob 3. 20. is light giuen to him that is in miserie and life to them that haue heauie hearts So then these three being â—ducted to what a smal epitome is mans life brought â—oses may well speake of daies and of numbring them â—o for by this time Iacobs proposition will be found â—â—e that the daies of our pilgrimage are but few Daâ—d it seemes was well acquainted with this manner of â—ckoning when he tooke so short a mete wand to measure his life by a cubit is too long a span is enough Behold thou hast made my daies as an hand Psal 39. 5. breadth and mine age is nothing in respect of thee Psal 39. 5. There are foure reasons why God hath appointed mans time to be so short The Rauen the Eagle the Elephant the Lion the Hart fulfill their hundreds But man dieth before his eye be satisfied with seeing or before his eare be satisfied with hearing Reason 1 First lest they should deferre to do good as our manner is vpon hope of long life Reason 2 Secondly to withdraw our hearts from the loue of this world Reason 3 Thirdly because so long as we liue in this world we â—e absent from the Lord. 2. Cor. 5. â— Reason 4 Fourthly because this world is full of miseries Iob â—4 1. The pleasures of this world are but the painted â—â—ce of Iezabel euen but an outside of pleasure Indeed the wicked seeme to liue a pleasant life none like them but there is a worme that gripeth and gnaweth them inwardly they haue many times a trembling heart and the King of feare doth almost kill them in their secret chambers The pleasure of this world is but like lightning simul oritur moritur it suddenly appeareth suddenly againe vanisheth away It is sweete but withall short like hunting and hauking much cost â—nd care for a little sport Vse 1 Our conuersation then must be in heauen euen while we liue heere on earth and we must vse this world as though we vsed it not There is but one way of comming into the world Vnus introitus but a thousand waies of going out of the world Mille exitus Our life is full of holes and weâ— are readie to take let in water at a thousand breaches Ferro peste fame vinclis algore calore Mille modâ—â— miseros mors rapit vna viros Our time slippeth away with great velocitie It was a worthy answere of Artabanus to Xerxes that mightie Emperour of Persia when the Emperor had viewed his great armie athousand thousand drinking riuers dry as they went hee fell a weeping because it came into his mind that within the space of an hundred yeeres not one of that goodlie companie should be left aliue I would that were the worst said Artabanus It would grieue a man viewing at this present so great a congregation of so many worthy and worshipfull persons so many of our good friends and honest neighbours to consider that within an hundred yeeres peraduenture fourescore or threescore and tenne for the Psalmist saith Mans age Psal 90. 10. is therabout to consider I say that not one in this assembly shall be left aliue but another Preacher in this Pulpit and other hearers in those pewes and seates sitting and treading vpon your dead bodies where you now you sit and tread vpon others but I would that were the worst Vse 2 Secondly because our time is short we must worke and walke while wee haue the light the night commeth Iohn 9. 4. wherein no man can worke we haue a great taske and a short time allowed we had need to listen to the clocke and to count the houres your life is short and the art of saluation is long in learning The way to heauen cannot be trodden in a short time Astronomers say that the space betweene heauen and earth is nine hundred thousand miles some speake of much more The ascent then will aske both time and labour ease and delay neuer brought any thither Our Sauiour when he found his Disciples sleeping said vnâ—o Math. 26. 4â— them What could ye not watch one houre So may â— say Can you not be contented to feare God to heare his word and to pray vnto him for a few dayes It may bee thou hast yet twentie yeeres longer to liue in this world and wilt thou not bee contented to serue God as a Christian for twenty yeeres that thou maist liue as an Angell for a thousand It may bee thou hast but ten yeeres to continue in this world and wilt thou not addict thy selfe to the honourable seruice of God for ten yeeres that thou mayst liue and raigne for euer with Christ in his presence Thou wouldst for a worldly preferment serue tenne yeeres and canst thou so far vndervalue eternall glorie as to thinke that any thing on earth deserues more cost and paines in the seeking and obtaining then the ioyes of heauen do But it may be thou art an old man hast one foote in the graue already then I say as Bias one of the seauen wise men of Greece said of a Mariner Nec inter viuos â—ec inter mortuos Thou art not to be reckoned among them that liue nor among them that be dead And as Paul speaketh of a widdow liuing in pleasure that she 1. Tim. 5. 6. â—â— dead while she liueth When wil ye begin to abound and to be rich in good workes Is it not time to begin to be religious when the pillars of your house begin to shake when your windowes begin to bee darke doe you meane to goe away in a sleepe and shall your life passe away like a dreame Came ye naked of goodnesse from your mothers wombe and will ye goe backe againe naked brought
ye nothing into the world with you of the best and blessedst riches and will you cary nothing out A great many of you heere present are brought to the eleuenth houre of the day and there is but a twelfth a few minutes between you and iudgement what do you tarry to be started with the shrillest Trumpet that euer blew or to be awakened with the fearefullest voice that euer sounded The night is comming wherein no man can worke Then there will be euerlasting throbbings and throwes of the heart for endlesse miseries then the eies will labour for teares which shall euer runne downe and then the teeth will grinde one another without ceasing Oh saith our Sauiour that you had knowne in this your day and thus Luke 19. 42. much for the shortnesse of mans life Doct. 4 The fourth doctrine that is remarkable is this that man is more apt to forget death then any thing else Moses was willing to remember death but still his mind did turne from it and it did slip out of his mind Solomon bids vs remember that we must come to iudgment Eccle. 11. 9. and yet the wicked pleade against it saith S. Peter It is a strange kind of Arithmeticke that no man 2. Pet. 3. 4. can learne it except God be the schoolemaster and teach it Men can number their Coine their Cattell their corne and their land But no man without the assistance of Gods Spirit can number his dayes as though our daies were infinite This prayer of Moses may seeme strange Men are able by art to measure the Globe of the earth and the Spheares of heauen the quantitie of the Starres with their longitudes latitudes altitudes motions and distances from the earth Flectere per varios docuit qui nomina Casus Heu cadit hunc casum flectere non potuit The Grammarian that declineth all Nounes and euery case cannot decline death in any case It is a hard matter to remember Death and we striue to forget it Teach vs to number our dayes Oh no! hold your peace wee may not remember Amos 6. 10. Teach vs to number our dayes Amos. 6. 10. nay teach vs to multiply our dayes Teach vs to remember Death nay teach vs to forget death to prolong life is the common language of our times Men cannot abide to thinke of death they are sicke to â—eare the name of it they say to death as Pharaoh said Exod. 10. 28. â—o Moses Get thee out of my sight There are two reasons why we ought to remember â—eath and there are foure reasons why we do forget it Reason 1 The first reason why we should remember it is beâ—ause when death comes the greatest matter that did â—â—er concerne vs will then be in question to wit the â—erlasting Saluation or else the euerlasting condemâ—ation of our soules Reason 2 Secondly then it will bee too late to repent to aâ—end to pray and to obtaine pardon The rich man â—ryed Oh Father Abraham send Lazarus to lip the tâ—â— Luke 16. 42. of his finger in water to coole my tongue Desideraâ—â—t guttam saith Saint Austin qui non dedit micam â—â—e deâ—ired a droppe of water that would not giue a â—â—um of bread but it was too late Hee should haue beene picifull repented and prayed in his life time before his death For in death there is no remembrance Psal 6. 5. of thee saith Dauid and in the graue who shell praise thee Reason 1 The first reason why many doe forget Death is because Death commeth oftentimes like a â—aylour to â—ale to prison Reason 2 Secondlie the remembrance of death maketh a man sinne fearefully and taketh away the pleasure of sinne Reason 3 Thirdly Death is against nature a dissolution of nature and therefore no man naturally can delight in it Reason 4 Lastly the diuell gaines much by forgetfulnesse in this kinde and therefore will be sure if by any meanes he can to put that conceit out of mens heads They are hence to be reprooued that will not suffer this meditation to settle in their hearts Behold you despisers and wonder at the hand of God you â—hat are in league with death make a couenant and truce with the graue you that say to your soules Takâ— your ease and liue at rest for many yeares your lifâ— Luke 12. 19. Amos 6. 3. hangeth by a small thread Put not the euill day farrâ— from you which the ordinance of God hath put so neare walke not alwaies with your faces towards the East sometimes haue an eye to the West where the Sunne goeth downe sit not alwaies in the prow of thâ— shippe sometimes goe to the sterne stand in your watch towers as the creature doth in the 8. to the Romanes and waite for the time of your deliuerance Rom. 8. 19. your bodies are not brasse your strength is not the strength of stones The earth is the wombe thaâ— hath bred you and the earth is the wombe that will againe receiue you Searecloathes spices Balme the Immuring stone or lead or a timber coffin cannot so closely hide you but the earth will challenge you for her naturall children and say You are my bowels the earth I say your naturall mother will know you againe and receiue you into her possession Remember 2. Tim. 3. 4. your mortalitie you that are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 louers of pleasure more then louers of God when Adam and Eue became subiect to death because of their Gen. 3. 2â— sin God cloathed them with the skins of dead beasts So that the cloathes we weare vpon our backes and the graues vnder our feete and the meate which goeth into our bodiesies crie vnto vs that we must die like the fishes fowles and beasts which a little before were liuing in their elements and are now dead in our dishes Vse 2 Let vs pray as Moses did That God will giue vs grace to meditate vpon our last end Though we forget other things though we forget our owne names and to eate our bread yet our memorie doth sufficiently stand vs in stead if we can remember our last end Sathan perswaded our first parents that they shold Gen. 3. 4. not die at all Now though he cannot make vs beleeue that yet he perswades many that they shall not die â—t yea though they be at the brinke of the graue and â—t a steppe betweene them and death Many there be â—â—t are condemned in hell and there doe suffer the â—ngeance of eternall fire who would giue the whole â—orld if it were in their power for one day or houre in â—is world that they might repent and turne vnto God What they wold do if they might let vs do while wâ— may their glasse is already runne and ours stands â—â—t still yet a little while and the time of hope grace and mercy will be past Let vs not then be so much our oâ—ne enemies as to forget what belongs to our peace
â—â—e doe not reade that Moses who made this prayâ—â— did oppose himselfe by the least thought of his heart to the ordinance of God when it was told him Behold the daies are come that thou must die though Deut. 34. 7. hâ— might haue liued longer for his eies were not yet dâ—mme nor his naturall strength abated But rather he sâ—ake to the people with alacritie of spirit and chearefulnesse of heart imbracing the tidings of death He was not pulled like a beast by violence from his den â—â—t on the other side if a man will not pray as Moses â—â—d Death will be a death indeede and little profit or â—â—se to be found in it Oh pray that the flight and depâ—rture of your spirits be not vpon the Sabbath day that is in the rest and tranquilitie of your sinnes pray â—â— God that your departure be not in the frost and winâ—â— of your hearts Oh pray to God that your departure be not in the midnight of your securitie Wee worth the man whome the Lord when he commeth shall finde sleeping The vntimely fruite is better then that man it had beene much better for him neuer to haue beene borne Doct. 5 I am now come to the last part of my text and the doctrine thereof is this That the remembrance of â—eath will cause vs to apply our hearts vnto wisedome There are many benefits which come by death anâ— there bee many benefits that come by the remeâ—brance of death Moses considered the shortnesse â— his life and therefore was carefull to spend his tiâ—â— well He chose rather to suffer affliction with thâ— Heb. 11. 25. children of God then to enioy the pleasures of sinnâ— for a season The Prophet Ieremie imputeth all the calmities Lam. 1. 9. and sins of Ierusalem to this that shee remembred not her last end Reason 1 There is no greater enemie to repentance then â—â— thinke we haue a long time to repent hereafter me doe not vse to thinke vpon death when they go aboâ— euill things but they say as the serpent said We shal not die It is hard for a man to thinke vpon short life and to thinke well Reason 2 Though death come after life yet it guideth the whole life as the sterne doth the ship but for deatâ— there would be no rule but euery mans lust would be his law As the bird guideth her flight by her taile sâ— the life of man is best directed by a continuall recourse vnto the end Reason 3 Though death the king of feare differ his sessions and stay his execution yet the remembrance thaâ— death will come maketh the proudest peacocke lay downe his feathers and is like a dampe that puts ouâ— all the light of pleasure Hereupon Salomon Eccl. 11. 9 opposeth this memorandum against all vanities as â— Eccl. 11. 9. counterpoise Remember for al these things thou shalâ— come to iudgement Reason 4 The remembrance of death serues to humble vs vnder the mightie hand of God Abraham is an example Gen. 18. 27. hereof I am but dust and ashes Vse We know not when our great Landlord will come and recken with vs. Quo hora mora incertior est eo magis vigilandum By how much the more the houre oâ— our departure is vnknowne we must be so much the more watchfull and vigilant Ideolatet vltimus dies vt â—eruetur omnis dies Other farmers know certainly the â—me of their lease But wee are all Gods tenants at â—l he may put vs out of house and home when hee â—â— Some landlords set leases for three liues But God â—uer demiseth any tenement longer then for one â—â— we cannot be secured an howre The rememâ—â—â—nce of death therefore is like a strainer all our thâ—ughts words and actions which come through it â—â—clensed and purified like a cloath that cometh out of the water The thought of death causeth many siâ—â—es to avoide as Sathan avoided when Christ alleâ—â—ed Math. 4. 11. Scripture Surely if a man did perswade himself that this were the last day that euer he should liue hee would not deferre his repentance till to morrow If he did thinke that this were the last meate that euer hee â—oâ—ld eate he would not surfeit if he did beleeue that thâ—se are the last wordes that euer he shall speake hee â—â—uld not offend with his tongue if he were perswaded that this were the last Sermon that euer he should heâ—â—e he would attend better then euer he did to any Râ—member your last end Alas what are our Churches and Church-yards but Humanarum cladium miseranda â—â—â—â—pta the lamentable pinfolds of the deaths of 〈◊〉 Beware that you offer not to God the dregs of your life lest God make you drinke the dregs of his anger Remember that death ere it be long will set her 〈◊〉 vpon your heads and your lippes must kisse the dust of the ground remember that the grauell slime of the graue shall dwell betweene your hawtie eyeâ—â—â—â— I haue not leasure to say any more Quid superbis terra cinis Oh earth and ashes why art thou so pâ—â—ud And thus much out of my text And now right worshipfull and beloued I know you looke that I should speake something of this gentlâ—â—an whose shadow is here presented vnto our view I confesse the licenciousnes of many preachers in câ—mending the dead contrarie to desert is worthily â—â— be censured as that which grieues the godly hardneth the wicked and makes the ministery of the Goâ—pell to be euill spoken of And yet I haue euer thoughâ— it not onely lawfull but necessarie to speake somewhâ—â— liberally so it might bee done warrantably of magâ—strates and publike persons deseruing well of thâ— Church and Common-wealth my iudgement aâ— practise in the present occasion shall accompanie eacâ— other while by your patience I speake a few words â— Chrys lib. de sacerdo his life and death Sed vereor ne tanti viri laudes oratâ— mea eleuarem magiâ— quam exornâ—rem I feare lest while â— striue to set forth this gentleman in his owne worth rather lessen and diminish his praise then any way dorne it But as I intend not to deny or with hold froâ— him any part of his due so if all your expectations not fully satisfied let me alleadge Bernards words foâ— Bern. ser in Cant. 34. my excuse Culpetur sanè ingenium non voluntas The faâ— is not willingly committed blame them my vnskilfuâ—nesse But I will hold you no longer in suspence Aâ—â— therefore first of all I say as Dauid said vpon the deaâ— of Abner Hodie cecidit princeps in Israele This day there fallen a great man in Israel I will not speake much 2. Sam. 3. 38. his birth progenitours though it be worthy respeâ— to descend from the loines of those that are worthâ— and worshipful But alas Stemmata quid faciunt Ancieâ— and noble pedigrees what are they worth when tâ— line of well doing continueth not