saying vnto me Write Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours and their workes follow them Your friend is dead in the Lord and therefore blessed will you then weepe and lament for him his workes follow him and the Lord in mercie hath crowned his obedience according to his promise and will you looke awry at it God forbid Againe consider with your selfe that your friends walk with God and are gone to their heauenly Father in peace they are gathered vnto their people they are not dead but sleepe and their flesh resteth in hope they are gone the way of all flesh and doe now behold the face of God in heauen and what cause of sorrow is this to any friend that loueth them If your friend were discharged and released out of prison and miserie and preferred to the palace of an earthly prince and to his Court to his great and exceeding ioy and content would you shewe your loue and contentment toward him in bewailing the same how much lesse then should you lament his preferment into Gods euerlasting Court and kingdome to his vnspeakable ioy and comfort Thus may you gather many places of holy Scripture and on this sort meditate on them For sweet is the word of God against all sorrowes and griefes and by name against this But it may happily be obiected it is your child that is dead and it died before it could well be baptized this grieueth me more then otherwise it would and so you feare your childs estate Answ God forbid that we should either speake or think so seeing the Lord neuer said so but contrariwise the Scripture witnesseth that they are in the Couenant of God and so in state of saluation so soone as they are borne and Baptisme doth not make them Christians that were none before but is the Sacrament the seale the signe the badge of them that are Christians before Besides it is not the want of the Sacrament that depriueth a man of Gods fauour for the children of the Israelites were not circumcised all those fortie yeeres which they liued in the wildernesse the reason whereof was because they were euer to remoue and iourney whensoeuer the pillar of the cloud that was their guide ascended and went forward Numb 9.18 c. so that they were alwaies to attend vpon the cloude both night and day not knowing when it would remooue and therefore could not circumcise their children in the wildernesse as yee may read Iosh 5.2 c. but it is the contemning or despising of the Sacrament that depriueth men of Gods fauour when they make no more account of it then Esau did of his birth-right Gen. 25.32 then Ahaz did of the Lords helpe Esay 7. and it is also the neglecting of it when God offereth time and opportunitie that we might haue it Againe the Lord neuer said that whosoeuer died vncircumcised or vnbaptized should be wiped out of the booke of life but hee hath said Gen. 17.12.14 that whosoeuer contemneth or carelesly neglecteth the Sacraments shal be cut off from among his people And so read you the notes vpon that seuenteenth chapter of Genesis and I hope they shall content you for this matter God is not tyed to the Sacrament nor euer was The contempt hurteth but not the want when it is against your will Obiect Happily your child was of ripe yeeres and withall so toward that it could not be but that he should come to some great place and preferment if he had liued both for the good of himself and his friends and that he in his youth and the flower of his age should thus bee taken away is a great losse say you Answer True it is that the losse is great in respect of the world but what is that if we consider God God is also able to supplie all that some other way if we take it well This is apparant that what good or preferment could haue come to him any way or to his friends if he had liued the Lord for some purpose as yet happily hidden hath preuented but yet his arme is not shortened as I said to doe vs good some other way but it might perhaps prooue otherwise contrarie to our expectation if he had liued longer and then it would haue beene a great griefe vnto vs. But admit that it would haue beene as you hope if he had liued longer yet he is more highly preferred euen to the highest heauens and to the presence of God and this no earthly preferment can match And except we be wholy earthly our selues we cannot but sauour this and not let his youth grieue vs for no youth nor age is too good for God when he is pleased to take them A foole or a child seeing a goodly cluster of grapes thinketh it pitie to put them into the presse to deface them but he that is wise knoweth that thereby the liquour which is in them is preserued and that this timely gathering is a meanes to keepe them from corruption So we thinke sometime Oh it is great pitie such a one should die so soone so towardly a youth so good a creature can hardly be spared but God in his wisedome knoweth it to be good And if he cut off the life of that good and godly king Iosiah as it were in the middle of the stemme 2. Kings 22.20 doubtlesse it is for this cause that his eies may not see the manifold euils to come If you will be ruled to weigh things with reason you may well see mercie euen in this timely death for many are the perils both of bodie and soule that young men auoid when they are taken hence false doctrine heresies errours and many grieuous sinnes wounding the very conscience with a biting worme that euer gnaweth publike calamities and ruine of state many priuate miseries great and grieuous which no man can thinke of beforehand more bitter to good men then any death from all which this happie deliuerance in time of youth doth free your child and set him safe that you shall neuer mourne with him nor for him that way And herein we haue Dauid an example of godly fortitude who hauing a child sicke did while it liued afflict his soule besought God for the child and fasted and wen◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and lay all night vpon the earth and would not be comforted Thus while there was hope of remedie he gaue way to the sorrow of his heart 2. Sam. 12.16 but when Dauid perceiued that the child was dead then he arose from the earth and washed and anointed himselfe and changed his apparell and came into the house of the Lord and worshipped and after came to his owne house and bad that they should set bread before him and he did eate His sorrow ended when he once saw there was no hope of enioying any longer the companie of his child Now this course seemed vnto
THE ANATOMIE OF MORTALITIE Deuided into these eight heads viz. 1 The Certaintie of Death 2 The Meditation on Death 3 The Preparation for Death 4 The right behauiour in Death 5 The Comfort at our owne Death 6 The Comfort against the death of friends 7 The Cases wherein it is vnlawful and wherin lawfull to desire Death 8 The glorious estate of the Saints after this life Written by GEORGE STRODE Vtter-barister of the middle Temple for his owne priuate comfort and now published at the request of his friends for the vse of others MATTH 13.52 Euery Scribe which is taught vnto the kingdome of heauen is like vnto an housholder which bringeth forth out of his treasure things both new and olde Vita mihi Christus mors lucrum patria coelum LONDON Printed by William Iones and are to be sold by EDMVND WEAVER dwelling at the great North-doore of Saint Pauls 1618. TO THE HONORABLE SOCIETY OF THE MIDLE TEMPLE ALL HEALTH AND PROSPERITIE WHen it came neere my turne to reade and that I had entred into the choice of my Statute euen then my body wasted with long sicknes and disease called vpon me to consider rather of my death and that so withdrew my minde from the positiue Lawe I had in hand as that it setled my thoughts vpon that eternall law of God wherby Statutum est hâ—minibus c. It is appoynted vnto men that they shall once dye and afterward come to iudgement and when I had spent some time thereon it did not only disswade me from mine intended enterprise to reade and perswade me to giue way to a more fit Reader but gaue me also such comfort and content as that thereout I straight way affected to impart it vnto you to whom I shall euer wish as your Foster-brother all satisfaction in the things of best vse toward your prosperitie in this life and glorious estate in the life to come excuse I pray you the forme it coÌ„meth to you in as issuing from a minde affected at that instant with the order of a Temple reading and therefore could receiue no other impression then of the same kinde which neuerthelesse as it is I doe not presume to addresse vnto you for your instruction but for your incoragement and incitation that you knowing me to be heauie and slow by nature and little bettered by any art and yet to haue by constant and diligent hearing of godly sermons and that only at our appoynted houres and by addition of some things sorting with the matter collected out of my readings gathered such store of Diuine notes as that thereout I may present you with such a common place as this might from thence consider what excellent things may be compassed by you who as well for your naturall endowments as your liberall bringing vp doe farre exceede not only my selfe but many other every way afore me and this also you may performe without the least preiudice to your prescribed studies for if your indeauours this way be but accompanied with delight the one will be a recreation yea a very apt helpe to the other For what maxime of the Common Law of this kingdom can you cite whereby our infinite and those most variable poynts and questions are decided that is not grounded or originally deriued from the eternall law of God either by direct precept or by consequent implication What I haue done in this my poore and simple labours is a part of my negotiation with that one Talent I haue receaued from the Lord which I am desirous to put to the vttermost profite And although perhaps for my selfe to be seene in the presse in a matter of this kinde will be to some as great a wonder as Saul among the Prophets yet had I rather by doing of some good this way lay open my infirmities to the censure of men then with the idle seruant to hide my Talent in the earth Accept therfore I pray you this my present with that kinde affection I doe intend it and then I hope it shall either profit you in the reading as it hath done me in the compiling or at least stirr you vp to correct and amend it by your owne endeauours for your better vse and comfort And so wishing to you as to my selfe I rest euer at your seruice GEORGE STRODE The eight Diuisions 1 The certaintie of Death page 1 2 The meditation on Death 61 3 The preparation for Death 90 4 The right behauiour in Death 130 5 The comfort at our owne Death 176 6 The comfort against the Death of friends 228 7 The cases wherein it is vnlawfull and wherein lawfull to desire death 241 8 The glorious estate of Gods children after Death 276 THE ANATOMIE OF MORTALITIE THE Statute which I haue chosen to reade vpon wanteth neither time to settle authoritie to bind nor notice to auoid excuse For in time it precedeth all time for it was and is from all eternitie in authoritie of the Law-maker it exceedeth all that euer were for all the three Estates in that Parliament were now are and euer shall be infinite in power glory wisdome foresight mercie and Iustice and hath beene proclaimed to the World by many meanes first in Paradise then by the Prophets and lastly by this holy Author to the Hebrewes where it is thus written Heb 9.27 THE STATVTE It is appointed vnto men that they shall once die and afterward commeth the Iudgement MY reading vpon this Statute may for the better apprehension of the Law-makers meaning be aptly put into these eight Diuisions following viz. 1 The certaintie of death 2 The meditation on death 3 The preparation for death 4 The right behauiour in death 5 The comfort at our owne death 6 The comfort against death of friends 7 The causes wherein it is vnlawfull and wherein lawfull to desire death 8 The glorious estate of the children of God after death THE FIRST DIVISION OF THE certaintie of Death THis first Diuision containing the certaintie of death is properly subdiuided into three parts The first is into the death which is naturall of the bodie the second is the spirituall death of the soule in sinne and the third is the eternall death of both body and soule in hell To these three deaths are opposed three liues the life of Nature of Grace and of Glorie Naturall or bodily death which is called the first because in respect of time it goeth before the third in our vnderstanding is a dissolution or separation of the soule from the bodie for a time namely vntill the resurrection The spirituall death which is termed the second is a perpetuall separation of the soule principally but consequently of body and soule from God of which Sinne is the mother the Diuell is the father and Damnation is the daughter and this is when men die not to sinne but in sinne Eternall death is the hire and wages of the second and this euer followes the reprobate after the first Both these
Moses that they vnderstood this that they would consider their latter end or that wee did conceiue the happinesse and felicitie of our end and this we should doe if we would thus meditate in this sort on our end When Salomon hath spoken of all the vanities of man at last he opposeth this Memorandum as a coūterpoyse against them all Eccle. 11.9 Remember that for all these things thou shalt come to iudgement As if he should haue said men would neuer speak as they speake thinke as they thinke nor doe as they doe if they were perswaded that their thoughts words and deeds should come to iudgement For surely if a man could perswade himselfe that this day were his last day as God knoweth it may bee hee would not deferre this meditation on Death If he could thinke that the meate now in eating is his last meat or his drinke now in drinking his last drinke he would not surfet nor be drunke therewith If he could beleeue that the words which he speakes this day shall bee the last that euer he shall speake Psal 39.1 he would with the Prophet take heed to his wayes that he offend not with his tongue in lying swearing rayling and blaspheming Pambus one without learning came to a certaine man to be taught a Psalme who when he had heard this first verse of the 39. Psalme would not suffer the next verse to bee read saying this verse is enough if I could practise it and when his teacher blamed him because hee saw him not in sixe moneths after he answered that hee had not yet done that verse And one that knew him many yeeres after asked him whether he had yet learned the verse I am saith he fortie yeeres old and haue not yet learned to fulfill it Now then the harder it is to rule the tongue the more care is to be had therein especially seeing the words wee speake may be the last words for ought wee know that euer wee shall speake If he were or would be perswaded that this were the last lesson admonition or sermon that euer God would afford him for his conuersion hee would heare it with more care diligence and profit then euer he had done before Let vs therefore remember our selues whilest it is called to day Psal 95.7.8 lest our meditation on Death come too late For which of vs all can assure himselfe of life till to morrow or what if he should liue one two three foure or fiue yeeres longer or what if twentie yeeres longer who would not liue like a godly Christian so many yeeres for to liue in heauen with Christ for euer Wee can be content to liue seuen yeeres Apprentise with great labour and toile to bee instructed in some trade that we may liue the more easily the rest of our dayes and about this we spend our thoughts and meditations and cannot we then be well contented to labour a little while in the matters of our saluatiō spend our thoughts endeauours and meditations therein that we may rest from all our labours for euer after in heauen Matth. 26.40 Our Sauiour Christ said vnto his Disciples when he had found them sleeping What could yee not watch one houre And so I say vnto all men What can you not meditate on Death some few houres Which meditation on Death we must not make a naked discourse or bare reading onely but a vehement application of the minde to the thing it selfe with an inward sence and feeling of the heart all the distractions of our thoughts being abandoned For meditation is an action or worke of the soule bending it selfe often earnestly and orderly to think vpon a thing and it is either of Gods word or works and Death is one of Gods workes euen a worke of mercy to his elect and chosen children but a work of iustice to the vngodly and reprobate Therefore that thou mayest meditate profitably on Death whereby it may proue a worke of Gods mercie vnto thee put thy selfe humbly in the sight of God who beholdeth thee in all thy actions and thus present begge of him that all thy thoughts words and works yea and all thy meditations may wholly be guided and directed to his glory and thy owne saluation and intreate thy God with heartie affections to giue thee grace that thou mayest take profit by the consideration and the meditation of thy last end And let vs not imitate foolish men who looke and thinke vpon present things only but let vs meditate on things to come and so by the grace of God we shall bring to passe that the same houre which to others that are inconsiderate is the beginning of sorrowes and miseries to vs shall be the entrance into all ioy and happinesse The end of the second Diuision THE THIRD DIVISION OF THE PREPARATION FOR DEATH NOw by way of preparation vnto death let vs obserue that the greatest worke we haue to finish in this world is to die well they which die well die not to die but to liue eternally That man doth finish his daies in his best sort that euery day esteemeth the last day of his life to be present or neere at hand and that a man may die well Gods word requireth a preparation for Death The Preparation for death is an action of a repentant sinner whereby he makes himselfe fit and ready euery day to leaue this life and to die well And it is a dutie very necessarie and of great waight and importance to which we are tied and bound by Gods Commandement and therefore it can in no wise bee omitted of him that desires to make a happie and blessed end Wherefore this preparation is two-fold Generall and particular Generall preparation is that whereby a man prepares himselfe to die through the whole course of his life The reasons are these viz. First Death which is certaine is most vncertaine I say it is certaine because no man can auoid it and it is vncertaine three wayes First in regard of the time for no man doth know when he shall die Secondly in regard of the place because no man knoweth where he shall die and thirdly in regard of the kind of death for that no man knowes whether he shall die of an ordinary or extraordinary death whether of a lingring or sodaine death whether easie or violent Therefore from thence it followes that we should euery day and in all places prepare our selues for death Indeede if wee could know when where and how wee should dye the case were otherwise but seeing we know none of all these but are ignorant therof therfore it stands vs greatly in hand to looke about vs to prepare our selues for our latter end A second reason seruing further to perswade vs to the performing of this duety is this that the most dangerous thing in all the world to the hazard of our soules is to neglect this preparation It must not be put off till sicknesse for then it
experience by a most memorable example and be comforted with it The husband died being one of the sonnes of the Prophets 2. Kings 4.11 and a man that feared God he died much in debt not by reason of any prodigalitie or vnthriftinesse as many doe but by the hand of God and he left his poore wife and children to the crueltie of the cruell Creditor who came in fierce manner to take away the childreÌ„ froÌ„ their mother to answer the debt by bondage This was a heauie crosse to a man fearing God to liue in debt and dye in debt especially debt being so dangerous to his poore wife childreÌ„ yet this it was that we may not be discouraged our selues or be ouer headie to censure too far 1. Sam. 2.7 if the like befall any one of vs. For the Lord doth make poore and the Lord maketh rich he bringeth low and lifteth vp Prou. 27.24 And as the Wise-man saith Riches are not for euer Happily this man wished that he might liue till he had paid his debt as you doe and with condition of Gods good liking 1. Tim. 5.8 it was but well if he did so For a man is tyed and bound to prouide for his owne family But it so pleased not God for he died and left the debt vnpaid and his Creditors will be answered with the bodies of his poore crying children which hee left with a very sorrowfull and heauy mother behind him how now shal this woful widow and fatherlesse children doe Now see if God faile to prouide for that thing he saw this poore widow had need of to relieue her selfe and her children He directeth his Prophet to bid her borrow vessels of her neighbours and himselfe by his powerfull mercie and mercifull power so encreased and multiplied that little oyle which shee had in a cruse that it paid her Creditors and yeelded her further maintenance for her and hers to her vnspeakable ioy and comfort you know the story Thus then behold and thinke of it and write this in the palmes of your hands that you neuer forget it Deut. 11.12 Abac. 2.2 And write it vpon the doore-postes of thine house and vpon thy gates yea write it and make it plaine vpon tables that he may run that readeth it God is not the God of this man alone or of his wife and children which hee left behind him but he is your God and our God yea Iohn 20.17 hee is a God most mercifull to all those that doe wholly rely and depend vpon him If you may liue to free things your selfe it is to be wished and you may with condition aske it if it may stand with the good will and pleasure of God but if it please God to haue it otherwise then grieue not to depart lest you appeare to tye God to your prouidence life and meanes when you see by this example what hee can doe when you are gone and not what he can doe but what he will doe Iam. 1.6 if you wauer not but beleeue God was to this Widow in stead of her husband and farre better so shall he be to your wife God was to these children in stead of their father and better farre so shall hee bee to yours God was the Executor and paid this debt and the ouerseer that all was wel friends were not wanting to mother or children but God was a friend in the greatest need that most fully mercifully and bountifully performed all and suffered not the care of his deceased seruant to be vncared for nor vncomforted Wherefore let it not grieue thee to die but thereby receiue comfort if God will haue it so leaue all to him and remember his promises together with this practise committing your wife and children to God and he will protect and prouide for them Therefore what is vnpaid by thee he will pay as shall be best and effect what you cannot thinke of to giue testimony of his mercy to you and yours So God is not tyed to your leases and liuings when they shall descend vnto you if he please he will vse them if not he can well want them and yet pay all 1. Sam. 2.8 and set vp the poore fatherlesse child euen with the rulers of the people as hee hath done in all ages The end of the fift Diuision THE SIXT DIVISION THE COMFORT AGAINST THE DEATH OF FRIENDS RIght well said Chrysostome of the word of God Rom. 3.2 Hast thou the Oracles of God care not for any other teacher for there is none shal teach thee like them So say I for comfort in this case as Chrysostom doth for doctrine Hast thou the holy Scriptures care not for other comforters for none shall comfort thee as these doe nay without these there is no comfort to be had at all and as Dauid said to Abimelech the Priest concerning the sword of Goliah 1. Sam. 21.9 so let vs say of these holy Scriptures There is none like vnto this giue it me For if these will not serue then nothing will serue For whatsoeuer woe wringeth whatsoeuer sorrow nippeth whatsoeuer crosse grieueth and whatsoeuer losse troubleth there is for them all in the word of God most sweet comfort if it be diligently sought and truly and carefully applied Gen. 27.38 We reade in the booke of Genesis that prophane Esau mourned vpon his father Isaac and cryed out most pitifully to him saying Hast thou but one blessing my father Not one but many and infinite are the consolations of God our heauenly Father for the storehouse of his consolations can neuer be emptied he hath not dealt with vs niggardly or sparingly but a good measure of consolations pressed downe Luke 6.38 and running ouer hath he giuen to vs in our bosome For euery crosse and losse he hath seuerall comforts and consolations in the holy Scriptures 2. Cor. 1.3.4 Blessed be God saith the Apostle euen the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ the Father of mercies and God of all comfort who comforteth vs in all our tribulations that we may bee able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we our selues are comforted of God No maruell therefore if Chrysostome saith againe in the true feeling thereof Euer I exhort and I will neuer cease exhorting that not onely here in the Church of God you would attend vnto those things which are there saide and taught and to say as Cornelius said vnto Peter Acts 10.33 Now therefore are we all here present before God to heare all things that are commanded thee of God But at home also that you would daily giue your selues with the men of Beâ—ea to the searching and reading of the holy Scriptures Acts 17.11 Search the Scriptures saith our Sauiour Christ for in them ye thinke to haue eternall life and they are they that testifie of me Iohn 5.39 If you will not vtterly warre against all truth and reason and