what may separate vs from our selues rather imbrace we what will conuey vs to Christ Death is deomed to vs all and why feare we what we cannot eschew Our willingnese to dye is the onely way to preuent the necessity of death Chrys in Mat. 10. Offeramus Deopro munere quod debito teneamur reddere Let vs therefore offer God our liues as a free gift which hee will otherwise require as a due debt Deaths comming is vncertaine and shall any vncertaine thing cause in vs a certaine feare Incertum est Sen. ep 26. quo te loco mors expectet itaque tu illam omni loco expecta Rather seeing it is vncertaine at what time or in what place death will ouertake vs let vs therefore bee sure to expect death at all times and in euery place Death is equall and impartiall to all this also should make vs lesse afraid of death Sen ep 30. Quis queri potest in ea conditione se esse in qua nemo non est Who can complaine when himselfe is but in such a case or condition in which none are not Who lookes that shee should spare any that knowes her indifferent to all When the like ruine is threatned to an whole world who expects that himselfe should escape alone Some comfort against the cruelty of death is her equality There are diuers wayes of dying and should that make vs afraid of death No matter how we dye seeing the most is but to be dead Non multum curandum est eis Aug. lib. 1. Ciu. Dei qui necessario merituri sunt quid accidet vt moriantur sed moriendo quo ire cogantur Since wee must dye it skilleth not how we dye but whether we must goe after death Lastly death is a thing fearefull to flesh and bloud yet should not all this make vs afraid of death For it is not death but the feare of death that is so fearefull This feare fulnesse is rather from our owne ignorance then according to the nature of the thing Chrys ad pop hom 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 did we but know death wee would not so feare death The feare of death is the punishment of our ignorance and negligence which make vs apprehend things as new and strange things which otherwise are neither strange nor new The onely way then to make death not so fearefull to vs is by a daily meditation thereof to make it more familiar to acquaint our selues withall before the comming that we may lesse feare it when it comes And thus first learning not to feare death at last come wee to dare death O death where is thy sting 1 Cor. 15.26 Death is not yet destroyed for the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death but death is already disarmed O death where is thy sting The Text is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Captaines song of victory as also the Souldiers song of deliuery The words are of a mighty Conquerour brauely insulting ouer a base and wretched enemy And who is this conquerour of death but Christ Iesus the Lord of life It was hee spake in the Prophets words O death Hos 13.14 I will bee thy death and in his power speakes the Apostle here O death where is thy sting Greg. hom 22. Quia in electis funditus occidit mortem mors mortis extitit Christ did once subdue death for vs O death I will be thy death and we may now deride death in Christ O death where is thy sting Olim morti nostrae Leo serm 8. passion mortis suae potentiam minabatur Christ once threatned his death to our death O death I will be thy death wherefore wee now may glory in the vertue of his death against the malice of our owne O death where is thy sting Christ ouercame death by dying nay through death destroyed be not death onely but him also that had the power of death the Deuill Heb. 7.14 Our Captaine both beate our enemy at her owne weapon and caught the Hunter in his owne snare Hee but yeelded to death to take aduantage against her yea therefore dyed the life that death might no longer liue Chrys in Math. 12. Wherefore Non Christum mortuum in morte credimus sed mortem mortuam in Christo Wee doe not thinke that Christ is dead in death but beleeue that death is dead in Christ Death that greedy Whale durst deuoure Christ our Ionas who was therefore cast forth into the sea of the world that so the stormes and tempests of the deuill and sinne might cease but hee was preserued aliue in the Fishes belly the belly of hell the iawes of death to preach repentance to the Niniue of the Church This same Whale swallowed the baite of Christs humanity but the hook of his diuinity intangled her and made her vomit vp her bowels Hieron lib. 1. ep ad Heliodor together with the baite Deuorasti deuorata es Death thought to haue swallowed Christ downe in obscurity and so death her selfe was swallowed vp in victory Death that Serpent was bold to sting Christ but he made her lose her sting for her labour His humanity could but receiue her sting of which his Diety did depriue her So that wee may well aske her in him O death 1 Cor. 15.56 Ioh. 1.29 where is thy sting The sting of death is sinne Christ the Lamb of God hath taken away the sins of the world In Christ Iesus therefore may we securely say O death where is thy sting Iob askt of man Man dyeth and where is he Iob 14.10 but wee may aske as much of death Man dyeth and where is death yea wee may aske concerning the worst of death deaths sting O death where is thy sting Iacob thus bewailed the death of Ioseph Ioseph is dead Ioseph is not Gen. 42. And Rachel wept for her children and would not bee comforted because they were not Math. 2. Because death was there they thought their children to bee no where But now death does but conuey vs where we should be and death it selfe is no where O death where is thy sting Death is quite vndone since the Crosse of Christ When death entred first into the world Exod. 15. it was like the waters of Marah exceeding bitter but since the Tree of the Crosse of Christ was cast therein it is now seasoned and sweetned vnto vs. Wee might once cry out with the children of the Prophets 2 King 4. death is in the pot death is in the pot But since Christ hath said This Cup is the new Testament in my bloud we may now say with the Saints of God The Cup of Saluation Saluation is in the Cup. There is now no more death since the Lord of life Vita cius instruxit nostram mors destruxit nostram His life hath instructed our life his death destroyed our death his life quickened ours his death sweetned ours his
life tooke away death from our life his death gaue life to our death The Text askes not this question O death what is thy sting yet doe the words following make answere to such a question The sting of death is sinne Death belike is not the sting of sinne but sinne the sting of death peccato enim morimur Anselm in lâ— non morte peccamus Sith we dâ—e indeed by sinning but sinne not by dying And as the words following answere to a question they aske not So my Text askes a question to which it answeres not O death where is thy sting It does not tell you where it is to tell you it is no where Death hath now no sting I am non est stimulus sed sibilus immo iubilus Reioyce all and be glad This Serpent may hisse at vs this Bee may buzze about vs but now can neither pricke nor sting The sting of death is gone there remaines but the name of death nay not the name of death to them that are in Christ Iesus Mors piorum non mors dicenda c. The death of the godly is not to bee called a death but a sleepe a resting from their labours a deliuery from their prison a laying downe their loade a flitting to their home Death hath lost her sting Death is now no punishment but a passage not so much an end of this present life as an entrance to a better not a destruction now but a dissolution separating body and soule for a time that so both may be conioyned with Christ to eternity Thus haue I askt this one thing of death O death where is thy sting Now let me aske this one thing of you why are you so desperately and forlornely afraid of death hauing heard and knowne how death hath lost her sting Oh saithlesse man and faint hearted Why tremblest thou now to incounter with thy last enemy since her weapon is taken from her Shrinkest thou so at the coldnesse of the Serpent when thou knowest her poyson and sting are both away Oh faithlesse and faint-hearted to be so afraid of a shadow Ah wretches why feare wee death so desperately that are not lost but sent before whom death vtterly destroyes not but eternity once receiues It is for them to feare death so desperately that passe from one death to another namely from a death of the body once on earth to the death of body and soule in hell for euer It is for them so forlornely to feare a temporall death that are either ignorant or desperate of eternall life It is for them so to feare their flittings that goe from their prison to the place of their execution But as for vs that are in Christ Iesus wee passe from a Prison to a Palace from a Dunghill to a Throne from a crazy and wretched Tabernacle to a certaine and blessed home Cypr. de mortal Eius est mortem timere qui non vult ad Christumire It is for them to feare to be dissolued that hope not to be with Christ A forlorne feare of death is but a despaire of life after death Men had rather suffer a great deale of paine and liue then dye but with a little paine the which betokens that it is something after death that is so fearefull and not death it selfe Let them then desire to linger in the miseries of this present life that so but delay awhile the torments of the life to come But as for vs that are in Christ Iesus after many our stormes and shipwracks why feare wee to arriue at our Hauen Hauing fought a good fight and finished our course why doubt we to goe and haue our crowne hauing runne our race why are we so loath to obtaine our price Why should we feare the threatnings of a temporall death that may reioyce in the promises of eternall life Rom. 14.8 Whether we liue wee liue vnto the Lord whether we dye we dye vnto the Lord therefore whether wee liue or dye we are the Lords Neither let vs bee so dissolute and prophane of life as therefore ashamed to liue nor so ignorant and negligent of death as therefore afraid to dye But at the instant of our seuerall flittings say euery one as a dying Saint Egredere quid times Hieron in vita Hilarion egredere anima mea c. Goe forth my soule why fearest thou goe forth Learne each soule to say at the last passage of his pilgrimage what though I dye I know my Redeemer liueth though I be dissolued from my selfe yet shall I bee conioyned with Christ Lye then downe my body and returne vnto thy dust mount thou aloft my soule and meet thy Sauiour in the ayre my body may be but wormes-meate for a while my soule I am assured shall be an Angels fellow for euer I haue done with my Text as concerning you before whom it hath beene vttered I am now onely to apply it to this honourable party for whom it was intended This honourable party your doletull spectacle and my Texts vntimely occasion This honourable party our Master Father Brother this honourable party whose honour for his person now lyes in the dust for his succession Lord let it long and much both continue and increase The blessed Saints of God learne many good lessons in their liues which they both teach and vse at their death Concerning this Saint now departed wee that heard can witnesse how well he had learnt to adapt the prayers and sayings of the faithfull and former Saints to his owne and instant necessities Luk. 2. He sang with Simeon Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace Hee prayed with Saint Paul desiring to be dissolued Phil. 1. and to be with Christ Yea said hee with both the lingring and longing Saints How long Lord how long Euen so come Lord Iesus Reu. 6. Reu. 22. come quickly One of these sweet sayings of his owne application had giuen me my Text to treat of saue that I considered this Text that I haue chosen did as much as intimate them all For to pray to depart to desire to be dissolued to call for the hasâ—ening and to complaine of the deferring What other is all this but as in my Text earnestly to summon death O death and stouâ—y to daredeath where is thy sting Hee mentioned the departing hee expected the dissoluing but he neuer feared the stinging Hee knew hee should not be lost he should but depart therefore sayes he Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart c. He knew well death could but dissolue him it could not destroy him he therefore said I desire to be dissolued c. And this is no more then as if hee had demanded of death here in defiance O death where is thy sting As hee had thus said O death thou art death indeede and thou mayest dissolue mee but where is thy sting Sting hast thou none and therefore thou canst not destroy me It hath beene
the longer wee haue liued the lesse we haue to liue Quotidie morimur Senec. lib. 3. epist 24. quotidie enim demitur aliqua pars vitae tunc quoque cum crescimus vita decrescit We dye daily euery day passes away a part of our life and while wee are yet waxing does our life decrease Ibid. Hunc ipsum quem agimus diem cum morte diuidimus This very day that we now liue doe we diuide with death Hieron ad Heliodor in Epitaph Nesoliani Hoc ipsum quod dicto quod scribitur quod relego qnod emendo de vita mea tollitur As by the times of eating sleeping working playing so by the instants of speaking reading writing our liues are lessened Yea brethren this houre these moments of my preaching and your hearing are taken away from both our liues We dye daily our times dye daily our actions dye daily our persons dye daily Our times dye daily the time past is dead to the time present the time present is dying to the time to come yesterday is dead to To-day and To-day is dying to To-morrow Our actions dye daily what is done and past is dead to what is now doing and what is now doing is dying to what hereafter must bee done We neither remember what we haue done nor conceiue what wee haue done nor delight in what wee haue done so daily dye our actions to our memories to our vnderstandings to our affections Our persons dye daily our infancy dyes into childhood our childhood into youth our youth into manhood our manhood into old age and our old age dyes into death A man is in a continuall consumption of himselfe His dayes spend him also as hee spends his dayes Euery day one part or piece oâ— him languisheth or perisheth corrupteth and is cast away Seneca vt supra Non repente in mortem incidimus sed minutatim procedimus We dye by piece-meale and not all at once There is no day in which our spirits vanish not our bloud cooles not our moysture dryes not our stomack fayles not our liuer corrupts not our lungs consume not our bowels yearn not our heart faints not our head akes not euery day either some veine stops some sinew shrinkes or some bone breakes either is some skinne withered some flesh bruised or some member decayed Euery day more then other either the eyes grow dimme of seeing the eares dull of hearing or else the palate vnsauory of tasting Thus dye the parts by little and little and thus is the whole dead at last The Candle still consumes from the time it first beginnes to burne so wade the oyle and marrow of a mans life from the time that he begins to liue Man is a Candle that either consumes himselfe vpon the candlesticke of the world or else sweales away vnder the bushell of his Mothers wombe The houre-glasse runnes continually from the time it is turned Man is an houre-glasse but a running sand or mouing dust And as the sand in the houre-glasse fals corne by corne or mite by mite till the heape bee runne out so a man drops away by little and little till the whole lumpe be done A Traueller goes many dayes onward to his iourneyes end Man is this Traueller this life the way and death the iourneyes end And is it a strange thing to dye when our whole life is but the way to death Sen. ep 78. Tu non putabas te aliquando peruenturum ad id ad quod semper ibas Can we thinke not once to come to what wee alwayes goe to There is no way on earth without an end the intricatest labyrinth hath a way out at last Wee goe towards death continually how should we but meet withall at last Wee dye daily how should wee but once be dead Bern. ser Miser homo quare te omni hora non disponis cogita te iam mortuum quem scis necessitate moriturum Wretched man then who euer thou art seeing thou dyest daily why dost thou not daily dispose thy selfe for death thinke thy selfe now dead whom thou knowest needes must dye Woe to vs wretches all that so many of vs are so neare death and yet put it so farre from vs so neere it in the euent and yet put it so farre from vs in the consideration Death is ready to take vs by the hand in the naturall execution ere wee are willing to take death to heart by a christian meditation Wee goe toward the graue with our faces backward our feet are at poynt to fall into it ere our eyes once looke vpon it We many feele Death before we know Death are brought wofully to hazard or experience it ere we are drawne wisely to consider and conceiue it though we see it dayly in others yet can we not be led to consider it in our selues hereof haue we daily warning Eucher epist Paraen yet will we make it vnawares Nihil ita quotidie homines vt mortem vident nihil ita obliuiscuntur vt mortem Men daily behould nothing more then Death and yet then Death they forget they neglect nothing more But to bring you beloued to the knowledge the consideration remembrance of Death I haue taken this text O Death where is thy sting both to instruct you concerning it as also to incourage you against it Where note first an Appellation secondly an Interrogation an Appellation or Death summoned O Death an Interogation or Death dared Where is thy sting Where I haue 1. Something to say to Death for your instruction O Death 2. One thing to aske of Death for your incouragement Where is thy sting I. The Appellation or Death summoned where I am to say something to Death for your instruction O Death O Death what art thou a Chimaera a Fable a Buggebeare a Dreame a Shadow a nothing O Death thou art a strange thing consider Thou art none of Gods Creature Wisedom 1.13 God made not Death neither hath he pleasure in the destruction of the liuing God is the God of our being he delights not in our destruction Death was intended not for vs but for our Sinne therefore are we mortall that sinne might not bee immortall Wee must therefore dye once that it might not alwayes liue O Death what dost thou thou dissoluest the rarest compact of Heauen and Earth thou distinguishest betwixt our Spirit and our Clay Body and Soule thou separatest sharper art thou then any two edged sword and entrest to the diuiding a sunder of the Soule and Spirit thou euen diuidest betwixt the marrow and the bone Thou makest our Dust returne to the Earth whence it was taken and our Spirit to God that gaue it Oh Death thou makest our Spirit vanish our Breath stop our blood coole our colour change our Beauty fade our Strength fall Eccles 12. Thou makest the keepers of the house our hands to tremble and the strong men our feet to bow themselues Thou makest the