well Isaac sonne of the free woman as Ishmael sonne of the bond woman as well Iacob whom God loued as Esau whom God hated as well chast Ioseph as incestuous Ammon as well meeke Moses as rayling Rabshekah as well zealous Phineas as the luke-warme angell of Laodicea as well Dauid a man according to Gods owne heart as Saul from whom God tooke his spirit and mercy as well Salomon the wise as Nabal the foole as well tender hearted Iosiah as hard harted Pharaoh as well the humble Publican as the proude Pharisie as well poore Lazarus to bee caried into Abrahams bosome as the rich glutton to be caried into hell as well Iohn the beloued disciple as Iudas the traytour as well Simon Peter the Apostle as Simon Magus the sorcerer Mercilesse death doth exercise her crueltie vpon all alike Why should this be so Hath not Christ dyed for the righteous why then should they dye Death is the reward of sinne Christ hath satisfied for all their sinnes wherefore should they beare this penaltie of sinne The righteous must dye the first death though Christ haue died for them and suffered for their sinnes His death shall free them from the second death but not from the first death which is the separation of soule and body He hath onely altered the nature and vse of the first death but not quite taken it away Whereas at first it was ordained for a punishment of sinne he hath made it a passage into heauen it was threatned and inflicted as a curse but he hath turned it into a blessing It did at first depriue men of good but now it putteth them in possession of good Christ hath taken away the sting of it and therefore Paul saith O death where is thy sting So as it can no more hurt vs then a Bee which hath lost his sting It doth not hurt vs but help vs not hinder vs but further vs in obtaining of glory Iacob not long before his death pronounced this as a curse from the Lord vpon the tribe of Simeon and Leui for their crueltie I will diuide them in Iaakob and scatter them in Israel Yet when the children of Leui shewed their zeale and obedience in killing the idolaters at Moses commandement the Lord turned this curse into a blessing Their scattering was a furtherance vnto them to make them more fit to teach the people in euery citie and receiue the tythes of euery tribe So at the first the Lord threatned death at the punishment of sin but by faith in Christ it is made the end of sinne and beginning of glorie He who could at the beginning bring light out of darkenes could afterward bring a blessing out of a curse If Phisicians by their arte can extract an antidote or preseruatiue against poyson out of poysonfull things why may not God by his infinit power and wisdome drawe good out of euill a mercy out of iudgement and a blessing out of curse Yea and as Augustine teacheth death remaineth still for the righteous to exercise their faith withall If immediatly vpon remission of sin there should follow immortality of the body faith should be abolished which waiteth in hope for that which is not yet enioyed Yea the Martyrs could not testifie their faith their patience their courage their constancie and loue vnto Christ in suffering death for his sake But now let vs more particularly consider the titles giuen to the death of the righteous First it is said that he perisheth which must not so be vnderstood as if he were quite destroyed brought to nothing and had no more being as it befalleth bruite beasts at their death whose soules being traduced with their bodies are mortall and perish with their bodies the righteous hath a being euen after death yet may be said to perish in regard of outward appearance in the iudgement of flesh and blood he seemeth to perish Yet we must know that the righteous consists of soule and bodie his soule being immortall cannot perish by any meanes it can liue out of the bodie as well as in the bodie When it leaues the bodie it goes vnto the Lord. This Salomon taught Dust returnes to the earth as it was and the spirit returnes to God that gaue it This Paul wished desiring to bee loosed and to be with Christ. This Lazarus enioyed at his death being carried by the Angels into Abrahams bosome And this Iohn in a vision saw performed to the Martvrs vnder the Altar hee sawe the soules of them which were killed for the word of God But the bodie of a righteous man may bee saide to perish because it loseth the forme the nature and propertie of an humane body It is within a short space eaten vp of wormes and turned into dust and ashes so as there can appeare no signes of a body Though wee make neuer so much of our bodies yet can wee not keepe them from perishing though we feed them most daintilie clothe them most costly and cherish them most carefullie yet at last they will become a thing of naught the beautie of them will fade they shall be deformed and most ougly to behold The strength of them will be taken away so as they shall not stirre an hand or a foote the agilitie of them will be lost they shall remaine stiffe and be nummed the parts and members of them shall perish and fall away one after another The flesh blood and bones shall be so strangely turned to dust and earth that there shall not remaine any propertie or qualitie of them and a man if he knew it not before would neuer iudge that dust and earth to haue been flesh and blood and bones of a liuing man yea so greatly shall our bodies be altered that men shall not be able to discerne which dust came of them and which came of the earth Yet one thing I must needs adde for the comfort of the righteous that although his body seeme thus to perish in the iudgement of men yet it still hath a being in the sight of God and doth euen at that time and in that case remaine a member of Christs mysticall body For the vnion betwixt Christ and the faithfull is not of soules only but also of bodies the body of euery faithfull man and woman is truely vnited to Christs bodie And this vnion cannot be broken death cannot dissolue it though death doth breake the vnion betwixt man and wife yet it cannot breake the vnion betwixt Christ and the faithfull As death did not make a separation betwixt the two natures of Christ at the time of his suffering but his soule and bodie being farre distant the one in heauen the other in the graue were at that time and in that case personally vnited to his godhead no more can death make a separation betwixt Christ and the faithfull though their bodies doe putrifie and lie rotting in their graues yet stil they remaine
they cannot tell Men heape vp riches and cannot tell who shall enioy them they bequeath them to some and others goe away with them We had neede to thinke of this before hand that we may vse this world as if we vsed it not and when we haue foode and rayment to be therewith content and to be more willing to leaue these things when death approcheth If a man doe not in his heart deeply and seriously consider of these things a long time and often before death he shall be as vnwilling to leaue all these things at the howre of death as the young man was to sell his goods and giue them to the poore when he was commaunded by Christ. In things that be of waight and importance and yet very difficult it is needful to vse preparation before hand for without it we shal be vnfit when we come to the pinch Souldiers which be chosen and appointed for the wars do exercise themselues with their weapons before hand and are content to be trained by others which haue better skill experience that so they may learne in time of peace how to behaue themselues in time of war So had we need in time of our life to learne how to die and to be taught by others which die before vs what we must do at the howre of death 3 Thirdly we must coÌ„sider the cause or end of their death Some of the righteous are taken away in iudgement and some in mercie In iudgemeÌ„t when God in displeasure doth strike them with death to correct them for their sinnes Thus was the man of God taken away which came out of Iudah and cried out against the Altar in Bethel that Ieroboam had set vp because he beleeued the lie of an old prophet in Bethel and did eate and drinke with him there contrarie to Gods commandement a Lyon met him by the way and slew him Thus also were many of the Corinthians taken away for abusing the Lords supper For this cause many were sicke and weake and many did sleepe yet they were righteous persons as Paul before had testified of them Ye are washed yee are sanctified yee are iustified in the name of the Lord Iesus and by the spirit of our God afterward he reputeth them which were sicke and did so sleep to be iudged of the Lord because they should not be condemned with the world The Lord is sometimes so sharp with his owne children that for the example of others hee will inflict a bodily death vpon theÌ„ as a correction for their sinnes That should be regarded of all others that their harmes may make them wise moue them to speedie repentance least they be more sharpely dealt withall For as Christ saith If these things be done to a greene tree what shall be done to the dry And as Peter saith If iudgement first begin at the house of God what shall the end be of theÌ„ which obey not the Gospell of God If the maister of a family do sharpely correct his owne children for their faults let not the seruants thinke that they shal escape vnpunished if they coÌ„mit the like faults If any one which sitteth at table with vs by eating of some dish or drinking of some cup do surfet or fall sick or into a swoune or die presently it will greatly moue vs and we cannot bee perswaded by anie to tast of that dish or drinke of that cup for feare of the like Euen so when we see Gods children that liue amongst vs to bee taken away by death for practising of some sinne it should greatly moue vs and wee should so abhorre that sinne that nothing in the world could perswade vs to practise it Againe others are taken away in mercy for their benefite and for a reward of their righteousnes to free theÌ„ from those iudgements which the Lord intendeth to bring vpon the world and thus were these righteous men taken away which here are mentioned Their death should be considered as a warning giuen vnto men of some fearfull iudgement to come therfore should cal theÌ„ to repentance that they might preuent the iudgement but of this I wil speake more afterward in the last circumstance 4 Lastly we must consider the manner of their death for thereby we may learne how to die it may be as a patterne or example to direct vs in our death The wicked die either sottishly or impatiently or else desperatly Sottishly like blocks idiots hauing neither penitent feeling of their sins nor comfortable assurance of saluation Being like vnto Nabal whose heart ten daies before his death died within him and he was like a stone Such men die like lambes and yet shall be a pray for the deuouring Lion they go quietly like fooles to the stocks for correction Others dye impatiently who doe not willingly beare the Lords correction deserued by their sinnes but rage fret and murmure as if God dealt too rigorously with them and through impatiencie will vse vnlawfull meanes for their recouery as Ahaziah did who being sicke sent messengers to enquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron if he should recouer of his disease Others dye desperately their consciences accusing them most terribly for their sins without any hope of pardon as Caine who said my sinne is greater then can be forgiuen or Iudas who despairing of pardon for his sin in betraying our Sauiour went and hanged himselfe The consciences of many wicked men lye quietly and neuer trouble them all their life time but are stirred vp at their death and then rage and torment them like a mad dog which is lately awaked out of sleep But the righteous die most comfortably they beleeuing in Christ and hauing repented of their sinnes are assured in their owne soules that all their sins are pardoned in Christ they will make confession of their faith and giue testimonies of their repentance vnto others for their comfort and example They will patiently indure all the paines of their sicknes â—s Iob did knowing that al comes from the Lord and that it is his fatherly correction and a signe of his loue because he chasteneth whom he loueth yea they receiue their sicknesse as the Lords messenger speaking to their soules as the Prophet Isaiah did to Hezekiah Put thine house in order for thou shalt dye and not liue and therefore they prepare themselues for another world Yea further in their sicknes they can pray most feruently as king Hezekiah did Isai 38. and then they will giue most fruitfull and comfortable instructions to those which they leaue behinde As the Swan sings most sweetly a little before his death so the righteous speake most diuinely a little before their end Whosoeuer searcheth the scriptures may reade the diuine prophecy of Iacob vnto the twelue Patriarches Gen. 49. the holy blessing of Moses vpon the twelue tribes Deut. 33. the godly exhortation of Ioshua to the people of Israel placed by him
liue are subiect vnto these as wel as others yea oftentimes more then others He which will bee Christs Disciple must take vp his crosse daylie and follow him Through manie tribulations wee must enter into the kingdome of heauen Iudgement begins at the house of God The Lord doth chastise his children by his iudgements least they should be condemned with the world A father hath two sons the one offends and is corrected the other also offendeth is not corrected why is the one corrected and not the other because the father hath hope of his amendment and reserues the inheritance for him but he hath no hope of the other and therefore will not correct him but doth disinherite him and cast him off so doth God deale with men Those which hee seeth incorrigible hee letteth alone though they offend yet he seldome correcteth them but casts them off but others which may by correction bee brought to repentance and kept in awe he often correcteth and for them is reserued an inheritance immortall and vndefiled in heauen yea the world hateth them because they are not of the world yea among men they shall oftentimes suffer euill for righteousnes sake And God hereby will make triall of their faith of their patience constancie and herein make them examples vnto others so that they must looke for afflictions so long as life lasteth but death makes an end of them al. Life and miserie are two twins which were borne together must die together And therefore Iohn heard it from heauen was commaunded to write it for the comfort of men on the earth blessed are the dead which die in the Lord for they rest from their labours and their works follow them Then shall God wipe all teares from their eyes then shall there be no more sorrow nor crying nor paine Then shall they haue euerlasting rest and no labour continuall ioy and no sorrow perpetuall pleasure and no paine great plentie of all good things and no want all manner of happines and no miserie The spirituall euils from which they are freed by death are three First their combat with the diuell Here we are in continuall warfare this is the militant Church so long as wee liue and abide in it wee must fight as the Lords souldiers not against flesh and bloud but against principalities against powers and against worldlie gouernours the Princes of the darkenesse of this world and not for a naturall or temporall but for a spirituall and eternall life not for an earthlie but for an heauenlie kingdome And in this battell there is no time of truce If the diuell be ouercome at one time he will on a sodame and none knowes how soone giue a fresh assault againe but death ends tho battell not as if the diuell got the victorie by our death as it is commonly seene among warriours on the earth if the one die in fight the other getteth the vpper hand but the faithfull at their last end get a finall conquest and then ascend to heauen there to triumph The diuell cannot assault them there He may compasse the earth but he cannot enter within the lists of heauen He neuer came thither to assault any since he was first cast out though he tempted Adam in the earthly Paradice and got him thrust out of it yet can he not tempt any in the heauenly Paradice to cause them to be thrust thence And therefore as a souldier which hath endured an hard and dangerous battell a long time doth greatly reioyce when he hath gotten the victorie so may the faithfull reioyce at the houre of their death because then they make a finall end of their spirituall enemies and begin their triumph ouer them 2 Another miserie from which they are freed is the practise of sinne Who liueth and sinneth not as Salomon saith In many things we offend all Though we be â—ruely sanctified yet it is but in part and therefore we may say with S. Paul I allow not that which I doe for what I would that I doe not but what I hate that doe I. And further I delight in the law of God concerning the inner man but I see another law in my members rebelling against the law of my minde and leading me captiue vnto sinne And nothing is more grieuous vnto a true Christian heart then the practise of sinne and therefore euerie one in this case will cry out with the same Apostle O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the bodie of this death But death destroyes sinne Sinne brought in death and death driues out sinne After death all the righteous shall be perfectlie sanctified and made like the Angels to do the will of the Lord readilie willinglie and cheerefullie As herbs and flowers breed wormes in them yet those wormes at last will kill the hearbes and flowers so sinne bred death in it selfe but at last death will kill sinne And as Sampson could not kill the Philistims who were his greatest enimies but by his owne death no more can the righteous kil sin which is not their least enimie but by their own death At the first death was ordained as a punishment for sinne but now it is vsed as a meanes to stop the course of sin It was then said vnto man if thou sinne thou shalt die the death but now it is said thou must die least thou sinne that which theÌ„ was to be feared that men might not sin must now be suffered least they should sinne Sinne hath taken such deepe roote in our bodies that it cannot be destroyed vnlesse the bodie be as it were quite plucked vp by the roots least any roots remaining new buds of sinne doe sprout from the same If a wild figgetree doe grow in the walles of a faire temple and spread the roots of it al along ouer all the stones of the whole building it will not cease from springing till all be pulled downe if the stones be pulled downe they may afterward bee set vp a gaine in their owne places and the temple made as faire as euer it was and so the fig-tree may be pulled vp by the rootes will grow no more this comparison haue the learned vsed In the same manner the Lord a skilfull workeman hauing made man for his temple there sprung sinne in him like a wilde figtree which was spread wholie ouer all parts of man and it could not be destoryed vntill the bodie was destroyed by death and God hauing destroyed the bodie by death that so hee might quite roote out sin will build it vp againe to be a new temple vnto him yea mans bodie was in this respect like vnto a faire and beautifull picture of gold which an enuious and ill disposed person doth so mangle and disfignre as that it cannot be brought vnto the same forme and beautie vnlesse the owner doe melt it againe and fashion it all a new 3 Furthermore it
should consider their death 1. Because it is Gods worke 2. Because it is a thing precious in Gods sight 3. It tends to Gods glorie 4. It serues for the instruction of theÌ„ which remaine aliue 2. The matter what thinges we should coÌ„sider at their death 1. The certaintie of our owne death 2. The nature of death in all defacing Gods image and making a separation betwixt them and those things which they loued most deerely 3. The cause of their death for they are taken away either in Iudgement or Mercie 4. The manner of their death for thereby we may learne how to dye 3. The abuse of it which is committed by Not considering their death at all CoÌ„sidering it amisse and that Fondly through naturall affection when our friends and kinsfolke are taken away Frowardly thinking theÌ„ to die il because 1. Their death is sudden and extraordinarie 2. They are strangelie assaulted with temptations 3. They speake idlâ—e and blasphemously by reason of their disease 4. The ende of their death to free them froÌ„ euils to come which euils be Ordinary and that either Corporall as diseases losses and all maner of crosses Spirituall in their soules namely 1. Their combat with the diuell 2. Their practise of sin 3. Their societie with the wicked Extraordinarie to wit those iudgements which for some late and grieuous sinnes the Lord was readie to bring vpon the people amongst whom they liued W. Harrison Deaths aduantage little regarded ISAI 57. 1. The righteous perisheth and no man considereth it in heart And mercifull men are taken away and no man vnderstandeth that the righteous is takeÌ„ away from the euill to come THe holy Prophet of the Lord in the 9. verse of the Chapter immediatly going before hath fore-told of a fearefull iudgement which was like to fall vpon the Iewes He calles for the wild beasts of the field and the forest to come and denoure them meaning thereby the Gentils which should bee the executioners of the Lords iudgements vpon them And because the Lords iudgements are alwayes righteous hee afterwards shewes the causes which would prouoke him to inflict them The first cause is set downe at large in the rest of the verses following in the same Chapter the blindnes idlenes couetousnes and securitie of them which were appointed for teachers among them the neglect of their dutie being a speciall occasion of the peoples sinne is alleadged as the first cause of the iudgement ensuing The second cause was in the common people set downe in the first verse of this Chapter and that was their carelesse regard of the death of righteous men though many of them were taken away to forewarne them of some strange iudgement to come yet they regarded it not but still proceeded forward in their sins and therefore were like to caste of some miseries from which the righteous were freed by their speedy death In these words foure seuerall circumstances are to be obserued 1. The persons who did dye 2. The manner of their death 3. The contempt and carelesse regard of their death 4. The end of their death 1. The persons which dyed are described by two properties 1. the righteous 2. mercifull men 2. The manner of their death is set foorth by two seuerall tearmes perisheth are taken away 3. The contempt and carelesse regard of their death is also set downe by two phrases no man considereth it in heart and no man vnderstandeth it Lastly the end wherefore they dyed was to preuent future euils the righteous is taken away from the euill to come of these in order 1. For the persons which dyed the Prophet saith the righteous perisheth Concerning whom two things are to be considered first the meanes by which men are made righteous secondly the markes by which wee may know who are righteous For the former you must know that by nature all are corrupt and vnrighteous but yet may be made righteous by iustification and sanctification for there is a righteousnes of imputation and also a righteousnes of sanctification the one to make vs righteous before God the other to make vs righteous before men The righteousnes of imputation is the righteousnes of Christ imputed vnto vs by faith for our iustification Our owne inherent righteousnes is not sufficient to make vs truely and perfectly righteous before God and therefore this Prophet saith afterward in the name of himselfe and of all the people All our righteousnes is as filthie cloutes And Daiud one of Gods faithfull seruants thus framed his prayer vnto the Lord Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant for in thy sight shall none that liueth bee iustisted And Paul thus speaketh of himselfe in regard of his Apostleship I know nothing by my selfe yet am I not thereby iustified Nothing can satisfye the iustice of God and make vs appeare righteous in his sight but onely the righteousnes of Iesus Christ imputed to vs. And therefore the same Saint Paul said I haue counted all things losse and do iudge them to be dung that I might winne Christ and might be found in him not hauing mine owne righteousnes which is of the lawe but that which is through the faith of Christ euen the righteousnes which is of God through faith The same doctrine he taught vnto others whose saluation he desired as well as his owne As by one mans disobedience saith he many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many bee made righteous Whence we may reason as Augustine and others haue done against the Pelagians that as Adams eating of the forbidden tree was imputed to all his posteritie though they neuer tasted of the fruit with their lips so the righteousnes and obedience of Christ shall make all them which are of him righteous before God though they themselues haue as yet practised no righteousnes Againe hee saith that God hath made him sinne for vs which knew no sinne that we should be made the righteousnes of God in him As therefore Christ was made sinne for vs not by infusion of sinne into his person but by imputation of our sinnes vnto him so must we be made righteous before God not by infusion of righteousnes into our owne persons but by imputation of Christs righteousnes vnto vs. As the Moone and all the Starres borow all their light from the sunne so the Church and euery member of it borow all their righteousnes from Christ the sunne of righteousnes If this he true then the heathen Philosophers and wise men which liued most vprightly in the sight of men and yet wanted the knowledge of Christ and faith in him could not be righteous before God They wanting the law did by nature many things contayned in the law yet could not be made righteous thereby that was but a righteousnes by which an vngodly man is lifted vp that he might fall into punishment And in this respect the Iewes which reiected Christ how holy soeuer their
lie is taken you all do well know which haue any experience in the world whither he is brought the Apostle teacheth when hee saith Ye are come to the mount Sion and to the citie of the liuing God the celestiall Ierusalem and to the companie of innumerable Angels And to the congregation of the first borne which are written in heauen and to God the iudge of all and to the spirits of iust and perfect men and to Iesus the mediatour of the new testament Who would be vnwilling thus to be taken away And why should the righteous be afraid of death by which they are thus taken away Had the Israelites anie cause to be vnwilling or to feare to be taken out of the land of Egypt the house of boÌ„dage and to bee caried as it were vpon Eagles wings into the land of Canaan a land that flowed with milke and honie No more cause haue the righteous to feare death which would carie them from the bondage of this world to the heauenly Canaan a place of eternall rest And why then should we mourne immoderately for the death of the righteous WheÌ„ Ioseph was taken from prison to be made a chief ruler in Egypt if his father Iacob had bin in prison with him and had beene acquainted with his preferment should he haue had anie iust cause to be grieued So soone as hee heard of it he reioyced and was willing to go vnto him When Saul was takeÌ„ froÌ„ seeking his fathers asses and annointed to be king ouer Israel had his father Kish any reason to lament WheÌ„ Dauid was taken from following the Ewes great with yong ones and ordained King to feed the Lords people had his father Ishai anie iust occasion of sorrow No more cause haue anie of vs to bewaile the death of the godly seeing they are as highly preferred as any of theÌ„ When Hester was takeÌ„ from Mordecai who had brought her vp as his own daughter to be maried vnto king Ahashuerosh and crowned as Queen did he lament it was he not most willing to leaue her Why then should anie man be so vnwilling to leaue either daughter or wife though neuer so deare vnto him seeing that shee is but taken vp into heauen there to be maried vnto Christ the husbaÌ„d of his Church and there to be crowned as a Queene to raigne in glorie with him But in this taking away there is great difference betwixt the godly and the wicked They are also taken away but why The godly are taken out of the world because the world was not worthie of them but the wicked are taken away because they are vnworthie to liue in the world Those are taken away in mercie these in iudgement those in the Lords fauour and these in his displeasure And whence are these taken or whither They are taken from the practise of sinne to suffer punishment for sinne from ease to torment from the first life to the second death from men to diuels from earth to hell from prison to the place of execution In a woful taking shall they be when they are thus taken away Their lamentable taking away is described in him that will not in time be reconciled to his brother The iudge deliuereth him to the sergeant the sergeant takes him and casts him into prison whence he must not come till hee haue paide the vtmost farthing Likewise in him that would not forgiue his fellow seruant an hundred pence his master being wroth deliuered him to the iayler who tooke him and cast him into prison till he should pay all that was due Also in him that wanted the wedding garment at the marriage feast of the kings sonne the king saith to his seruants binde him hand and foote take him away and cast him into vtter darkenes there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Likewise in the vnprofitable seruant which would not imploy his maisters talent the talent must be taken from him he must be taken and cast into vtter darkenes where is weeping and gnashing of teeth Lastly in them which would not suffer their king to raigne ouer them he shall say those mine enemies which would not that I should raigne ouer them bring hither and slay them before me It is a grieuous thing for one that is making merrie among his companions to be sodainely apprehended by a sergeant or officer for a traitour theefe or murtherer and presently without baile or mainepâ—ise to be taken from his companie and carried to prison and from thence to the place of execution As grieuous is it for a wicked man that liues in the pleasures of sinne to be taken away by death which is the Lords sergeant to apprehend him and bring him to the prison of hell As his entrance into the world was euill and his continuance in the world was worse so his taking out of the world shall be worst of all Oh then let vs take heede least we be thus taken away Let vs learne to liue in the world as the righteous doe and then shall we be taken away as the righteous are Balaams wish is vsed by many Let me die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his And yet they will not liue the life of the righteous but few of these obtaine their desire Looke what way a tree boweth while it stands and groweth the same way it commonly falleth when it is cut downe euen so looke how men are inclined in their life time to righteousnes or vnrighteousnesse so shall they fall at their death Men can hardly begin righteousnesse at their last end Late repentance is seldome sound repentance Men drawing neere to their end shall be so affrighted with death so troubled with paine and grief that they shal not be able to set themselues to repent soundly They shall then rather seeke ease for their bodies then mercie for their sins or grace for their soules The beginning of euerie thing is hardest and therefore he which hath begun wel is said to haue done halfe his worke As it is in other things so is it with repentance it is a harder matter to begin repentance at the first then to renue it afterward therfore the fittest time should be taken for the beginning of it that is rather the time of our life then the time of our death rather the time of our health then the time of our sicknesse In the time of our life and of our health we be scarse able and fit to begin serious repentance but much more vnable and vnfit shall we be in the time of sicknes death We read in scripture but of one which became righteous at his last end the theefe on the Crosse wee reade of one that no man might despaire though hee haue deferred his repentance so long we reade but only of one that no man might presume to deferre it so long The surest and safest way is to begin
in Canaan Iosh. 23. the wise counsell of Dauid vnto Salomon who was to succeede him in the kingdome 1. King 2. Whosoeuer readeth the Ecclesiasticall histories may not onely see the vertuous liues but also the christian like ends of the Saints and Martyrs in the Church And whosoeuer will be present at the death of those which truly feare God may thereby learne how they themselues ought to dye for when the outward man doth decay the inward man is renewed more and more They shew that the neerer they do approch vnto their end the neerer they draw toward heauen But in these our dayes many may bee found who either do not at al consider the death of the righteous or else do consider it amisse Though it be a matter worth consideration yet some do not consider it at all because they see so many die they make the lesse reckoning of it til death knock at their owne doores they neuer regard it they must needes die themselues before they can be brought to consider of death they care not who sinck so they swimme nor how many die so they may liue yea this is greatly to be lamented that some do regard the death of a Christian no more then they regard the death of a dog But seeing we may learne so many profitable instructions by their death let vs now begin to consider it better then euer we did before Others do consider it but yet amisse eyther fondly or frowardly Fondly through naturall affection arising from kinred affinitie or familiaritie If a stranger dye it nothing moues them but if one of their owne friends dye they sigh and sob they howle and lament If the father lose his sonne hee cryes most pitifully as Dauid did for Absolom O my sonne Absolom my sonne my sonne Absolom would God I had dyed for thee O Absolom my sonne my sonne If the mother lose her children she behaueth her self like Rachel weeping for her children and would not be comforted because they were not If children lose their parents they cry after them as Elisha did after Elias wheÌ„ he was taken vp my father my father If a sister lose her brother she weepeth for him as Mary did for Lazarus If the husband lose his wife he weepeth for her as Abraham wept for Sarah Yea he mourneth like a Turtle Doue which hath lost his marrow If the wife lose her husband she dealeth like Naomi who would not be called Naomi that is beautiful but Mara that is bitter because the Lord had giuen her much bitternes If one familiar friend lose another he lamenteth his death as Dauid did the death of Ionathan wo is me for thee my brother Ionathan very kinde hast thou been vnto me thy loue to me was wonderfull passing the loue of women Indeede I can not deny but yâ— we ought in a speciall manner to consider the death of those which are neere and deare vnto 〈…〉 for it may be they are takeÌ„ from vs because we were vnworthy of them or because we gloryed trusted ouer-much in them and were not so thankfull for them as we ought If we had any help by them we must consider whether God haue not depriued vs of them for the punishment of our sins as the widow of Sarepta did at the death of her son saying vnto Eliah Art thou come vnto me to call my sinne to remembrance and to slay my sonne Yet this consideration must be ordered by wisdome it must not be ioyned with excessiue sorrow Neither must we consider their death alone but also the death of others which dye in the Lord and to learne to make an holy vse thereof For as Sampson found sweete hony in the carkas of a dead Lyon so we may finde some sweet instructions in the dead corps of euery righteous man yea the more righteous that they are which do dye the more should their death be considered because it may yeeld greater store of instruction vnto vs. And it may be that God doth take away those which are neere vnto vs because we doe carelesly regard the death of those which be farre off Againe some consider the death of the righteous very frowardly and peeuishly yea I may say malitiously preposterously For if any of them be taken away by a sodaine and extraordinary death they presently censure them as plagued of God and coÌ„demne their former profession thinking that God would not haue so dealt with them if he approued either of them or their profession But they must be instructed in this point by wise Salomon who sayth that no man knoweth loue or hatred of all that is before him All things come alike to all and the same condition is to the iust and the wicked to the good and the pure and to the polluted to him that sacrificeth to him that sacrificeth not Eli was a Priest and a good man yet brake his neck by falling backward from his â—eate Ionathan was a sworne brother vnto Dauid a godly and faithfull friend yet was he slaine in battaile by the hands of the Philistines That Prophet of God which came out of Iudah to Bethel to speake against Ieroboam and the altars which he had built for idolatry was no doubt an holy man yet was he killed in yâ— way by a Lyon Iosiah was a good King like vnto him there was no King before him neither after him rose any like him yet was he slaine in the valley of Megiddo by Necho King of Egypt Iobâ— children were wel brought vp by their godly father and it is sayd that before Iob offered sacrifice for them they were sanctified yet within a while after as they were eating and drinking in their eldest brothers house a violent wind ouerthrew the house and killed them all We must not therefore iudge of men by their death but rather by their life Though sometime a good death may follow an euill life yet an euill death can neuer follow a good life Correct thine euill life and feare not an euill death he can not die ill that liues well saith Augustine And afterward answeres the obiections of these men and makes this the foote of his song Thou wilt say vnto mee haue not many iust men perished by shipwracke Certainely hee can not dye ill which liued well Haue not many iust men beene slaine by the enemies sword Certainly he can not die il which liued well Haue not many iust men been killed by theeues Haue not many righteous men bin torne in pieces by wild beasts Certainly hee can not die ill which liued wel c. But I wil say vnto such as censure the righteous for their strange and violent death as Christ said of those eighteen vpon whom yâ— tower of Siloam fell and flew them Thinke ye that these were greater sinners then others I tel you nay but except ye repent ye all shall likewise perish
As for sodaine death it is euill to them which lead an euill life because it findes them vnprepared it carries them away â—odainelie vnto torment but it is not euill to them which liue well because it finds them prepared it frees them from much paine which others endure through long sicknes and carries them forth-with to the place where they desire to be The righteous doe so dispose of themselues in the morning as if they might dy before night and at night as if they might die before morning and therefore whensoeuer death comes it finds them prepared and is a benefit vnto them 2 Againe if the righteous a little before death be dangerouslie tempted by Sathan and shew their infirmitie by vttering some speeches which tend to doubting or desperation though after ward they get victory and triumph ouer the diuell carnall people think there is no peace of conscience and therefore no saluation to bee had by that religion and so speake euill of it Let such consider the estate of Iob in his miserie who cursed the day of his birth saide that the arrowes of the almightie did sticke in him the venome whereof had drunke vp his spirit that the terrours of God did fight against him that the Lord was his enimie did write bitter things against him and did set him as a butte to shoote at As also the estate of Dauid through terrour of conscience while hee concealed his sinne His bones consumed he rored all the day long his moysture was turned into the drought of sommer Againe let him know that the diuell doth most tempt the best He then tempted Christ when he was baptized and filled with the holie Ghost so will hee most tempt Christians when they haue receiued greatest gifts of Gods spirit As theeues labour to breakedowne and rob those houses onlie where great store of treasure or wealth is laid vp and as Pyrats desire to take that ship which is best loden with the dearest merchandise so the diuell doth most seeke to make a pray of them which are endued with the greatest measure of spirituall graces When the strong man armed keepeth the house the things that he possesseth are in peace but when a stronger then he ouercommeth him then hee gathereth greater forces and makes a new assault to enter againe In any commotion whom doe rebels kill and spoile not those which submit themselues vnto them and ioyne with them in their rebellion but those which are faithfull to their Prince fight for their Prince against them as hath appeared of late in the rebell of Ireland Now the diuell is as a rebell in the Lords kingdome whome then will he most trouble and assault not the wicked which submit themselues vnto him and ioyne with him in rebellion against God but the godlie which abide faithfull and fight vnder the Lords banners against him Whosoeuer would raigne with Christ in heauen must ouercome the diuell on earth for he promiseth To him that ouercommeth will I graunt to sit with mee in my throne euen as I ouercame and sit with my father in his throne How can there be a victorie wherothere is no battaile And how can there be any battaile where there is not assaulting and resisting And no meruaile though the diuell do most assault the righteous at their death for hee taketh the opportunitie of the time his wrath is theÌ„ great knowing that he hath but a short time He must either ouercome theÌ„ at that instant or els not at all yea hee takes the aduantage of their present weakenesse and those sinnes which before hee perswaded people to bee small and light at the time of death he maketh great and heauie Euen as a tree or peece of wood while it swims in a riuer seemeth to bee light and one may easilie draw it but when it comes to the shore and is laid vpon drie ground can scarcelie be drawne by ten men so sin is made light by the diuell so long as men liue that so hee may still encourage them to practise it but when it comes to the shore of death then he makes it heauie and begins most to trouble their consciences with it that if it were possible they might by it bee brought to desperation In the midst of the temptation when the godlie seeme most to be ouercome they are but like to a man in a traunce who lies as though he were dead yet he hath life in him and therfore as Paul saw that life was in Eutiches embraced him and deliuered him aliue when the people tooke him vp for dead so God seeth life in the righteous being tempted when men take them for dead and hee will at last so restore them as that they shall liue for euer with him 3 Lastlie others beholding them which were reputed righteous to die very stranglie to raue to blaspheme to vtter many idle and impious speeches to be vnrulie and behaue themselues verie foolishlieâ— they begin to suspect their profession but let them know that these things may arise from the extremitie of their disease For in hote feuers and burning agues the choler ascending into the braine will hinder the vse of their vnderstanding and so cause theÌ„ thus to misbehaue themselues rather like madmen then Christians And therefore as Paule said of himselfe after regeneration it is no more I that doe it but the sinne that dwelleth in me so may I say of them it is not they which doe it but the disease which is vpon them All sinnes committed by the righteous in those extremities are but sins of ignorance because they want the vse of reason to iudge of sinne they are also sins of infirmitie arising from the frailtie of their flesh and for them they will afterward repent if they recouer the vse of reason and be able to know them to be sins or if they doe not they are freelie pardoned in the death of Christ as well as other such sins be Wherefore I say to those which censure them vncharitablie for that their end as Christ said to the Iewes fontheir carnall censure of him Iudge not according to the appearante but iudge righteous iudgment yea iudge not that yee be not iudged 5 In the last place the finall cause and end of their death is to bee considered They be taken away from euill to come The speciall euils from which these righteous persons were taken are mentioned in the former Chapter to be deuoured in a cruell manner by the wilde beasts of the forrest But we must further vnderstand that the euils from which the righteous are taken are either ordinarie or extraordinarie The ordinarie euils are those which eyther all men or most men doe suffer And these are eyther corporall or spirituall corporall as sicknes and diseases aches and paines in their bodies griefe and sorrow toyle and labour crosses and losses outward troubles and persecution Gods children so long as they
is some euill for the righteous to dwell among ill neighbours It greatly greeueth them to see others commit sinne and dishonour God Lot being righteous and dwelling among the Sodomites in seeing hearing their vnlawfull deeds vexed his righteous soule from day to day And Dauid said Mine eyes gush out with riuers of water because they keep not thy law And also woe is me that I remaine in Meshech and dwell in the tents of Keaar Hee which is truelie grieued for sin in himselfe wil also be grieued for sinne in others Now the world is so fraught with sinners that if a man would not keepe companie with fornicators or with the couetous or with extortioners or with idolaters then as Paul saith he must go out of the world Death therefore frees men from this euill because it taketh them out of the world and suffereth them not to behold eyther the sinnes which men commit against God or the euils which God doth bring vpon them yea death doth carrie them into heauen to the holie angels and spirits of iust and perfect men which sinne not at all but fulfill the will of God in all perfection They shall haue cause to reioyce for them and not to be grieued at them There be also extraordinarie euils from which the righteous are deliuered by death and those are extraordinarie iudgements which the Lord bringeth vpon the people and countrie where they dwelt for some late and grieuous sins Thus was a young child of Ieroboam dealt withall The Lord threatned to bring euill vpon the house of Ieroboam and to sweepe off the remnant of his house as a man sweepeth away dung til it be all gone Yea the dogs should eate him of Ieroboams stocke that died in the Citie and the foules of the aire should eate him that died in the field yet that childe should die in his bed and all Israel as it is said shall mourne for him for he onlie of Ieroboam shall come to the graue because in him there is found some goodnes toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Ieroboam Thus also was good king Iosiah dealt withall The Lord told him before hand because thine heart melted and they hast humbled thy selfe hast rent thy clothes and wept before mee behold therefore I will gather thee to thy fathers and thou shalt be put in thy graue in peace and thine eyes shall not see all the euill which I will bring vpon this place And thus was Luther dealt withall as some haue obserued who was taken away in peace not long before the Lord brought that miserable calamitie vpon Germanie which he had often foretold would come vpon that people for the contempt of the Gospel Who also desired that hee might be called out of the world before he saw those grieuous punishments which hee greatly feared Though this be no perpetuall law for sometime the righteous perish in the common destruction among the wicked as Ionathan did with Saul other Israelites in battell against the Philistims And in the Pestilence Christians haue dyed with the Infidels Sometime God spareth the wicked for the righteous mens sake which liue among them The Lord promised Abraham that if he could finde ten righteous men â—n Sodome hee would not destroy the citie for those tennes sake And Iob sayd The innocent shall deliuer the yland and it shall be preserued by the purenes of his hands Yea wheate and tares must grow together till the haruest that is good and bad must liue together in the world vntil the end of the world Yet oftentimes God pluckes his children out of fire which shall consume the wicked and prouides a place of safety for them in heauen before he powre forth his iudgements vpon the earth Lot was commaunded to make haste vnto the citie of Zoar to saue him there because the Lord could doe nothing vnto Sodom till hee was come thither And when the Lord would destroy Ierusalem for the abominations committed in it he shewed to the Prophet in a vision the destroyers comming forth with their weapoÌ„s to destroy yet they must not touch any vntill they were all marked in their fore heads which mourned for all the abominations done in the midst of it And the destroying Angels must not hurt the earth neither the sea nor the trees till the seruants of God were sealed in their foreheads As the righteous are carefull to serue the Lord so is he carefull to preserue them As they haue not bin partakers with the common sort in the practise of sin so shall they not bee partakers with them in suffering punishment He takes them from among the wicked and then executeth his iudgements vpon the wicked alone The Egyptians did vse to gather their corne out of the fields and laid it vp in their barnes and then caused the Israelites to gather the stubble to make bricke withall and in some Countreys Farmers first carry the corne into their barnes and then burne the stubble in the field where it growes so the Lord first gathereth the righteous into the kingdome of heauen and then consumeth the wicked on the earth It is farre from the iudge of all the world to slay the righteous with the wicked 1. In this respect those which suruiue the righteous haue iust cause to feare some present euils and labour by vnfained repentance if it be possible to preueÌ„t them Their death is a plaine prognostication of some euils to come and should be as a trumpet to awaken others out of the sleepe of sinne Many of the wicked reioyce when the godly are taken away froÌ„ them they loue their roomes better then their company they hated them and their profession in their life time because as they say they are not for our profit and they are contrary to our doings they checke vs for offending against the law it grieueth vs to looke vpon them for their liues are not like other men and therefore at their death they are glad that they are rid of them when indeede they haue greater cause to howle and weepe for the miseries that shall come vpon them The righteous need not to imitate the vngodly practise of Herod who being ready to dye thinking that his death would be a great ioy to many shut vp in prison some noble men of euery towne and required his sister Salome her husband Alexa that so soone as he was dead they should kil those noble men and then all Iudaea would lament his death The Lord himselfe doth often make the death of the righteous to be lamented by sending of extraordinary iudgements immediatly after their death When Noah enters into the Arke the world is drowned with the floud when Lot departs out of Sedome it is burnt with fire 2 In this respect also yâ— righteous haue no cause to feare death but rather to desire it for what is it
but an ending of some troubles and a preuenting of others They may with Paule desire to be loosed and to be with Christ which is best of all It is true which Salomon saith That the day of a mans death is better then the day of his birth For the day of a godly mans birth is the beginning of his misery but the day of his death is the end of his misery Indeede the day of a wicked mans death is the most wofull day that euer befell him for hee is not taken away from the euill to come but he is taken vnto euill to be tormented in hell for euermore And therefore he feares death as much as a malefactour feareth a Sergeant that commeth to carry him to prisoÌ„ where he is like to abide till the day of execution That is true in them which the Diuell sayd Skin for skin and all that euer a man hath will he giue for his life And as the Gibeonites were content rather to bee bondmen and hewers of wood and drawers of water then to be killed by the Israelites as other nations were So they had rather indure any kinde of misery then to die as others doe because they feare a worse estate after death and therefore must bee pulled from the earth with as great violence as Ioab was pulled from the hornes of the altar vnto which he had fled as to a place of refuge But the godly knowing what an happy exchange they make by death they desire to dye so soone as it pleaseth the Lord. Indeede none ought for the ending of present calamities or preuenting of future miseries to shorten their own dayes as Saul did by falling on his owne sword nor yet for the present enioying of eternal happines procure their own deatâ— as Cleombrotus did who reading Plato his booke of the immortalitie of the soule cast himself headlong from a wal that he might change this life for a better He onely who gaue life must take it away and the Lord may say to such I will receiue no soules which against my will haue gone out of the body the Philosophers which died so were martyrs of foolish philosophie Yet seeing that death freeth the righteous from present and future miseries they may be most willing to dye so soone as the Lord calleth for them and when death approacheth may say with Simeon Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace 3 Lastly in this respect we must learne not to mourne immoderately for the death of the righteous Though we receiued great comfort and inioyed some benefit by them while they were aliue yet seeing that death is an aduantage vnto them we should be content patiently to beare our owne losse in respect of their great gaine If two friends should lye in prison together or should dwell together in a strange countrey where both of them were hardly vsed were many wayes iniured endured great want and sustained much miserie though they loued one another dearely and the one were an helpe and comfort to the other yet if the one should be taken from the other and brought to his chiefest friends and among them be not onely freed from all such miseries as before he had endured but also be aduanced to great preferment will the other which is left behind him be discontented at it Will he not rather wish himselfe to be there with him in the like case then desire that either he had stayed with him or might returne againe This our life is as a prison or straunge countrey in which we indure great miserie and may euery day looke for more if therefore our deerest friends be taken from vs freed from these miseries and aduanced to great glorie with Christ and his Saints in the kingdome of heauen we haue no cause to wish that either they had stayed longer with vs or might returne againe vnto vs but rather desire that we might quickly go vnto them to be glorified in like sort Though we may thinke that they dyed too soone for vs yet they dyed not too soone for themselues for the sooner they come to rest and happines the better it is for them Their condition is farre better then ours for they are freed from misery we are reserued for further misery they are already arriued at the hauen of eternall rest and we are stil tossed on the sea of this world with troublesome waues and dangerous tempests they haue ended their iourney with lesser trauaile and making a shorter cut and wee are yet trauailing with wearâ—â—omnesse in our iourney If any one of them could speake after their death he would say vnto those which weep for him as Christ sayd to the daughters of Ierusalem Weepe not for me but weepe for your selues and for your children because of the dangerous dayes which shall ensue Or as Christ said vnto his disciples If ye loued me ye would verily reioyce because I go vnto the Father But if examples do moue any thing at al I may apply al that hath bin spoken to our present occasion A righteous woman is perished a mercifull woman is taken away let vs lay it to our hearts and consider that she is taken away from euill I am fully perswaded that she is deliuered from ordinary euils and it may be her death hath in her self preuented some extraordinarie iudgements which remaine for vs that are left behinde Sin is now so riâ—e and ripe among vs that we may iustly feare some strange future euils God graunt that as she hath preuented them by her death so we may preuent them by our vnfained repentance I know that she being receiued into the society of the Saincts in heauen neither careth for nor seeketh mans praises she neither needeth our prayers nor yet our prayses if she desire any thing it is our imitation Yet to praise the dead is a thing lawfull in it self and profitable vnto the liuing If it had not bin a thing lawfull neither Dauid would so highly haue commended Ionathan for his feruent and constant loue 2. Sam. 1. 26. neither would the holy Ghost haue commended king Iosiah for his integrity aboue all others 2. Chro. â—5 23. Neither would the author to the Hebrews haue so greatly praised the Patriarchs and Prophets for their excellent works of faith Nâ—ither would Christ haue commaunded that wheresoeuer the Gospell should be preached throughout all the world that which the woman had done in â—anointing him should be spoken of for a memoriall of her God would not haue the vertuous deedes and holy examples of the righteous to bee buried with them but to bee kept in remembrance for the imitation of others Christ commended some while they were aliue as the Centurion for the greatnes of his faith Math. 8. Iohn Baptist for his constancie his â—obrietie in his apparell and the dignitie of his office Math. 11. May we not then praise the dead For
so great a cloud of witnesses wee doe not cast away euerie thing that presseth downe and the sinne that hangeth so fast oâ— tunning with patience the race that is set before vs and looking vnto Iesus the authour and finisher of our faith who for the ioy that was set before him endured the crosse and despised the shame and is set at the right hand of the throne of God And here me thinks vpon the sense and sight of sin which swarmeth euerie where to the subersion of states and destruction of soules I finde no cause of such so great excesse as that with men there is no passion of their mortalitie there is no impression of their eternitie For and if there were assuredlie then oderunt peccare 〈…〉 i virtutis amore oderunt peccare mali for midâ—ne poenae The good they would not sinne in loue of vertue and the euill they durst not sinne for feare of punishment Did the sinner but think of this that Tophet is prepared of old and that euen for the mightie as well as the meanâ— it is prepared That the gulfe thereof is deepe large and tâ—e burning is fiâ—â— much wood with the breath of the Lord like a riuer of bâ—imstone still to kindle it I say had hee but a passion of these things little do I doubt but his heart would fall his soule would shrinke and he would leaue sinne for feare of punishment To passe ouer a due regard of these things and to come to the tenth of our lost time and carelesse dayes pittifullie spent and wasted in wofull securitie Did we but affoord out soules though extraordinarie yet any the least meditation of the shortnes of our life more brittle theÌ„ glasse more light then smoke more swift then winde 2. Of the day of our death sure in the end vnsure in the time and bitter when it commeth 3. Did we but with feare foresee diem Deum vltionis a day and a God of reuenge by a iudge infallible for his wisedome inflexible for his iustice infugable for his power when to cal vpon the mountaines cadite cadite fall vpon vs fall vpon vs will be too late 4. And finallie to close with hell to the horrour of all hellish hearts could we but feele in heart and semblance the intolerable paines of hell endles easeles and remediles in the damned would much abate the heate of our sinning strike it in the blade breake it in the head and kill it at the heart But alas and woe vnto vs that euer wee liued to see such excesse of sinning with all states in all securitie Hanibal ad portas Imminet mors iudicium det infernus omnia horrenda et quasi nihil ad nos ridemus ludimus peccataque peccatis adiâ—cimus Death is at our doores iudgment is oueâ— our heads hell is at hand all horrible and yet without horror we laugh we leape we daunce we play we lie vpon beds of iuorie and stretch our selues to the full of our follie wee eate the lambs of the flocke and the calues our of the stall â—e sing to the sound of the viollvaine delights and we inuent to our selues instruments of musicke like Dauid as hee to the seruice and honour of his God so we to please our vnsanctified affections and extrauagant lusts But good Lord how long how long without measure shall wee prouoke thy maiestie How long without repentance shall wee behold our miserie How long without compassion shall we looke vpon him whom wee haue pierced how long by swearing and lying and killing and stealing and whoring shall sinne breake out and blood touch blood Oh Lord thou knowest Pedibus timor addidit alas feare forceth flight Oh set thy feare Lord before our face so settle it in out hearts as henceforth wee doe no more consult with flesh and blood but readilie obey thy heauenlie call by flight from sinne for feare of iudgement 2 As for the second cause of our excessiue sinning to wit the insensibilitie of peace to come of future rest of heauenlie being passions of our ioy and impressions of our eternitie I say the want is wofull but the feeling is of force to beate backe Sathan with all his retinue either of sinne death hell or doome It made Paule to forget not only sinne but himselfe to and say whether in the bodie or out of the bodie I cannot tell God he knoweth but I feele things that are vnutterable It made the Disciples in the transfiguration vpon the mount to translate their thoughts from mortall mould say in sense and feeling of that heauenlie being Bonum est esse hic It is good Lord for vs to be here let vs make tabernacles It made Simeon say with solace wheÌ„ hauing layd in his heart what hee lapt in his armes euen sweet Christ the rauishment of his soule Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peâ—ce according to thy word mine eyes haue seene thy saluation I feare no sinne I dread no death I haue liued enough I haue my life I haue longed enough I haue my loue I haue seene enough I haue my light I haue serued enough I haue my Saint I haue sorrowed enough I haue my ioy sweet Babe let this Psalme serue for a lullabie to thee and a funerall for mee Oh sleepe in my armes and let me sleepe in thy peace And here out of Simeon would I raise a doctrine Simeon had it by reuelation from God that hee should not taste of death till hee had seene the Lords Christ nor doe I thinke but that God in like lenitie doth and will deale with al his Saints and neuer suffer the good and righteous to depart out of this world comfortles Moses saw the land of promise before he died Aaron saw his sonne Eleazar in his roome before he died Dauid saw Salomon his successor ere he died Ezekià s saw his house in order ere he died Christ was glorified vpon the holy mount ere he dyed Stephen saw yâ— glorie of God and Iesus standing at the right haÌ„d ere he died And Simeons sight of Christ ere he died shall be to me and I hope to all the Elect of God an assured symboll or sacrament of the certaintie of our saluation by faith in and by the sight of our sweet Sauiour whom wee shall behold in soule and spirit ere we leaue this life Amor transit in amatum nec sinit amantem esse sui ipsius sed amati Loue doth symbolize and the minde is not where it liues but where it loues Terram diligis terra es aurum diligis aurum es Deum diligis non audeo dicere Deus es audi tamen scripturam dicentem an non ego dixi quod dij eâ—â—is Dost thou loue earth thou art earth Dost thou loue gold thou art gold Dost thou loue God I dare not say thou art God yet heare
the Scriptures speaking haue not I said ye are Gods As and if the authour should say out of the familiaritie we haue with God wee are made partakers of the diuine nature according as his diuine power hath giuen vnto vs all things that pertaine vnto life and godlinesse thorough the knowledge of him that hath called vs vnto glorie and vertue Good Ignatius confirmed this doctrine as in life so in death for qualis vita finis ita Of whom it is reported that being opened they found in his heart the fruit of his faith and daylie meditation written in letters of gold to this effect Amor mens crucifixus est my loue is crucified Learned Cruciger confirmed the same when dying he said Inuoco tâ— Deus fiducia filii tui licet languida tamen aliqua fide Oh God I call vpoÌ„ thee in confideÌ„ce of thy son thogh with a faint faith yet with some faith and I am encouraged so to doe for I see him in glorie whom I haue followed in grace Nor can I passe in silence what fel out in experience not long sithence at the memorable death of a memorable Saint in this our countrie a Gentleman Scholler and Preacher rarelie qualified both in life and death Oxford will witnes the one and Heaton hall the other where it pleased God to call to his mercie that worthie man and powerfull preacher maister Iohn Holland batchelor of diuinitie a burning lampe consuming it selfe to lighten others for God in mercie called him by a lingring sicknes which staid till hee was readie and pared him to such an end as seldome I haue heard but yet neuer saw the like in any To passe the course of his sicknes in much patience yet with great passion and to come to his end when he put in practise the fruit of his godly life It pleased him the day before he dyed as formerly often so then more egerly to call for the holy Bible with these very words Come O come death approcheth let vs gather some flowres to comfort this howre and turning with his owne hands to the 8. Chapter of Paules Epistle to the Romaines he gaue me the booke and bade me reade at the end of euery verse he made a Selah or pause and gaue the sence in such sort and feeling as was much wee saw to his owne comfort but more to our ioy wonder Pity it were those speeches with other his writings should bee buried with him and kept in priuate from the publicke good of many Hauing thus continued his meditation exposition for the space of two howres or more on the sodain hee sayd O stay your reading what brightnes is this I see Haue you light vp any candles To which I answered no it is the Sunne-shine for it was about 5. a clock in a cleere Summers euening Sunne-shine sayth he nay my Sauior shine now farewell world welcome heauen the day-starre from an high hath visited my hart O speake it when I am gone and preach it at my Funerall God dealeth familiarly with man I feele his mercy I see his maiesty whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell God he knoweth but I see things that are vnutterable So rainshed in spirit he roamed towards heauen with a chearefull looke and soft sweete voice but what he said we could not conceiue At last shrinking downe againe he gaue a sigh with these words Ah yet it wil not be my sins keepe me from my God Thus that euening twise rising and twise falling with the Sunne in the morning following he rise then neuer to fall when againe raysing himselfe as Iacob did vpon his staffe hee shut vp his blessed life with these blessed words O what an happy change shall I make from night to day from darkenes to light from death to life from sorrow to solace from a factious world to a heauenly being O my deare brethren sisters friends it pitteth me to leaue you behinde yet remember my death when I am gone and what I now feele I hope you shall â—â—idâ—ere you dye that God doth and will do â—â—â— familiarly with men And now thou firy Chariot that came donne to fetch vp Eliah carry me to my happy hold and all ye blessed Angels who attended the soule of Lazarus to bring it vp to heauen beare me O beare me into the bosonâ— of my best beloued Amen Amen come Lord Iesus come quickly and so he fell a slâ—ope I say the truth my brethren I lie not my conscience bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost with an appeale from my own credit to the right worshipfull his brother and all the standers by to iustifie what I haue sayd in comfort of their owne soules and warrantie of the doctrine â—ayme at which is to proue That God neuer suffereth his elect to depart this life comfortlesse nor wil I am perswaded call them hence till they haue seene with Simeon the Lords Christ either in soule spirit body or both The life of this perswasion is the death of sinne and such hope of eternity is the reuenge of iniquity Fie vpon sinne whilst I behold my Sauiour fie vpon shame whilst I behold my glory Heauen is my hope the visions of my hart are the imprâ—â—sions of my ioy and reuelations are expâ—ations to all Gods children they haue bin they are and they will be neuer wanting in supplementum fidei to helpe faith And for conclusion of this point remember Lots wife was Christ his aduertisement to inure vs with a forgetfulnes of our owne people and our fathers house that the Lord might haue pleasure in our beawty But so to looke vpon Zoar and flee thither was Lots sanctuary O it is but a little one and my soule shall liue What is Sodome other then this sinfull world And what is Zoar other then that heauenly being O let me take you by the hand bring you out and say with the Angell Escape for thy life looke not behind thee neither tarry thou in all the plaine escape into the mountaine least thou be destroyed And let this suffice for the first circumstance of my text as balme from heauen to sweeten our miseries in this life and to bury our iniquities in the graue Now passe we from the peace of the soule to the rest of the bodie and quiet of both vrged by the spirit in the second place as an Antidote to preuent a poyson much infecting all flesh who without all comfort of future blessednes do to the hazard of their soules stand doubtfull of the resurrection as also of the rest of their soules after they be departed The one sort are the Atheists the other are the Papists of these dayes times But the text is powrefull to put back both Iordans that the Israel of God may enter Canaan without crosse or feare For if the Lords elect shal rest in their beds they shal rise from their beds Rest implyeth
a resurrection when the time of refreshing shall come It is an improper speech to say hee resteth who neuer riseth It may be some go to bed who neuer rise strooken with a deadly sleepe or lâ—thargie but none to the graue but out he must at the generall sommons of all the world for the trumpet shal sound and the dead shall rise If a man dye shall he liue againe Then all the dayes of mine appointed time will I watch till my changing do come Againe for the second If after our death we rest in our beds and as it is in another place such blessednes accompanteth saints who dâ—e in the Lord that ther rest from their labours then after death no place of paine no punishment no Purgatory Is there light in darkenes is there truth in error Is there life in death Is there fire in water Is there ease in paine rest in labour good in euill sweete in sowre Is there a purging fire in hell must fyne vs for heauen Sweete Christ where then is thy bloud which alone say we nothing else and none other purgeth our sinne pleadeth our cause and purchaseth our place We neede no other sacrifice we neede no other aduocate wee neede no other key to open to vs the pâ—rt of the paradise of God And if the bloud of Iesus pleade better things then the bloud of Abel for the bloud of Abel cryed reuenge but the bloud of Christ cryed pardon pardon then stay your bulles and drops of your leaden diuinity downe with your Dagon and Babel of all confusion by shrift shrine merit or medall all too light to ballance with the bloud of the Lambe for what is chaffe to corne It pities my heart to see the desolations of Christendome of this my deare Country in many places where millions of souls are â—illily lead by bad and blinde guides factious Iesuits and seditious seedsmen lead I say from the bloud of Christ to the bloud of Hales and Becket from the fire vpon the Mount to the painted fire of Purgatory Poets sayes and heathenish helps Romish institutions decretals apostaticall lying oracles illusions and flattering diuinations This they doe and this they dare doe without care of conscience feare of God of faithfulnes to his cause which wittingly and willingly I verely thinke they do betray to make good their hellish Hierarchie and Babel of all confusion For what grosnes is this besides the impiety to thinke a people euer so foolish as should take out this lesson to carry to their graues from the liuing to the dead yea and that in plea of saluation to from the liuing God to dead idols from the liuing word to dead traditions from the liuing bread in heauen to a dead â—alfe or cake at Dan and Bethel from the bloud of Christ that giueth life to the fire of Purgatory that bringeth death When Christ bleeding vpon the tree had vttered this voyce consâ—mmatum est it is finished he gaue â—â— the ghost Thâ—n he said and 〈…〉 hee â—ustered not for himselfe is a priuate person but for vs his members a publicke good Shall he say it is finished and shal we say it is not finished The Lyon hath rored who will not be afrayd The Lord hath spoken who can but tremble O tremble for feare ye faithles generation who dare yet say it is not finished Pray saints in heauen help fire in hell Purgatory play thy part purge to the full and thou Pope president of this Limbo lake rule at thy pleasure help in help out and if vpon displeasure thou thrust Myriades of soules into hell yet let none be so bold as to aske Why doest thou so It is enough ò it is inough to make good with this all your doctrine Sic volo sic iubeo stet pro ratione voluntas Aske no questions search no scriptures seeke no reasons I haue sayd is inough my pleasure is a precept counsell a commaund and my will is a reason And now mee thinks whilest I heare them say without worde of God or warranty of reason Heare heauen help purgatory pardon pope that is to say pray saints purge fire speake indulgence for the rest and ease of soules departed a check to the bloud of my Christ to the truth of my text quiet of the saints that gone arâ— I cannot but say as Iob sayd of his friends Miserable comforters are ye all Suffer me a little to speake and when I haue spoken mocke on 1 I say the saints in heauen vpon whom you call to whom you pray and before whose images you so prostrate your selues I say they heare you not and for that they help you not they rest from their labours and their works follow them and not yours I say no such works of wickednes as your prayer to them is whereby you rob God to cloth a Saint To the proofe wherof for that you say our doctrine is new and of yesterdayes birth The dayes shall speake and the multitude of yeares shall teach wisedome Saints in heauen heare not Saints in heauen help not Saints in heauen haue no sense of our miseries it is no new doctrine it is ancient it is heauenly and hee that hath eares to heare let him heare Augustine in his booke de cura habenda pro mortuis teacheth Animas Sanctorum in coelis esse nec interesse nostris his terrents negotijs That the soules of the blessed are in heauen nor doe they respect our affaires here on earth as and if he should say cease your praying for no more doth their affection reach yours then your prayer doth reach them And this doth hee proue by these reasons sound and good vnanswerable if truth might preuaile when it pleadeath on earth as wheÌ„ it iudgeth in heaueÌ„ And first he beginneth with his mother Monicha dead and gone whose affection towards him in life was euer such as hee thought could not but reach him from heauen if Saints had feeling of our miseries here on earth Vt volet accipiat quisque quod dicam sayth the Father Let men iudge of my words as they please for that I may say nothing of others yet dare I say of her Si rebus viuentium interessent animae mortuoruÌ„ me ipsum pâ—a mater nulla nocte desereret quem terra marique sâ—cuta est vt mecum vineret If the soules of the dead did respect the affaires of the liuing then my deere mother would neuer faile me night or day who by sea and by land followed me in this life to liue with me Absit enim vt facta sit vita foeliciore crudelis c. Be it farre away that a blessed life should make her more vnkind or cruel so as in all yâ— anguish of my soule I neuer felt her solace who whilest shee liued could neuer abide to see me sad But without al doubt quod sacer
the comming of the holie Ghost for so dainelie it fell and shall we surmise a delay after the dissolution after wee haue fought the good fight finished our course and kept the faith No â—o there is a crowne of righteousnes laide vp for thee Paul and for all them that loue his appearing I meane Christ who standeth readie with a crowne in his hand ouer the head of all his saints euen when the flesh is off to put it on To goe by the streame of all the Fathers to wash out this errour would carrie me to a sea of matter for the time impasâ—ible and therefore I am enforced of much to take a little and of manie a few Leonem ex vnguibus Ignatius bath these verie wordes truelie translated Alwaies reasoÌ„ requireth that whilest we haue space and time wee should amend and correll our faults whilest in this life wee haue occasion giuen of repentance for it is truelie said after death there is no place nor time to confesse our sinnes whereunto accordeth that of Ierome Whilest we are in this present world either by prayer counsel or comfort we may help one another but after not Iob not Daniel or Noah shall obtaine by any intreatie but euery one shall beare his owne burden Chrysoâ—lâ—â—e giueth the reason of both hoc eniâ— cunaorum tempus est illud verò coronarum retributionum praemiorum this is the time of swadles bands and bickeâ—ings but that of crownes rewards and garlands Cyprian in his first treatise against Demetrian doth fullie subscribe to the same truth where hee saith that after we be once departed our of this life there is no more place of repentance there is no more effect or working of satisfactions life is here eyther lost or won euerlasting saluation is here prouided for by the due worshipping of God and fruits of faith Augustine vpon his first conuersion sauouring of gentilisme was doubtful said of purgatory it may be there is such a place and it may be there is none but being further grounded in doctrine and confirmed in faith is resolute at the last and said Let no man deceiue himselfe there are but tâ—â— places and as for anie third pâ—â—â—â— there is noâ— at all he that reigneth not with Christ shall perish with the diuell without all â—â—â—â—â— And in his booke Hypognosticon he is yet more plaine morefull more abounding in the â—â—â—ting backe of that deuised 〈…〉 be these The first place the 〈…〉 by Gods authoritie beleeueth to be the 〈…〉 of heaueÌ„ the second place the 〈…〉 faith beleeueth to bee hell where al runnagates whosoeuer to without the faith of Christ shall tast euerlasting punishment As for any third place we vtterly know none neither shal we find in the holie Scriptures that there is any such And as if he would neuer off this grouÌ„d till he had built vp the truth and remoued all rubbish he is yet vpon that againe and againe There be two habitations or dwelling places the one in fire euerlasting and the other in the kingdome that neuer shall haue end There is no other place to correct our manners and conditions but onlie in this life for after this life euerie man shall haue that that hee hath purchased vnto himselfe in this world So then with these few to shut vp the streame of the rest that still runne in the same current and to close with their rectified spirits in triall of the truth I conclude with themselues In quo quemque inuenerit suus nouissimus dies in hoc comprehendeâ— mundi nouâ—ssimus dies quontam qualis in die isto quisquis moritur tales in die illo iudicabitur And againe vnusquisque cum causa sua dormit cum causa sua resurgit Wherein euerie mans last day shall leaue him therein Gods day shall finde him as we die so shall we be iudged and euerie man shall sleepe and rise againe with his owne cause As for that our aduersaries straynd distinction of good to heauen bad to hell and meanely mannerd to purgatorie it is a heathenish help a Panâ—â—s Poêm found in the Schoole of Plato and there first forged vpon the anuill of errour who maketh by the report of Eusebius himselfe in his booke of the soule three degrees of men Some in the Elisian fields who liued well and vertuouslie blessed soules in blessed places Others in Tartaro whom he calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 past hope of amendement cursed soules in cursed places But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as are curable and veniall he casteth into burning flouds there to make perfect their repentance and after their purgation receiue absolution Virgil describeth it at large in his sixt booke of his AEneidos Alijs sub gurgite vasto infectuÌ„ eluitur scelus aut exuritur igne Donec long a dies perfecto temporis orbe concretam exemit labem c. Englished thus Some fleeting bin in floods and deepe in gulfes themselues they tire Till sinnes away be washt or clensed cleare with purging fire Till compassâ— long of time by perfect course hath purged quite Our former cloddred spots and pure hath left our ghostly sprite c. And hereat no doubt Augustine aymed when hee said that purgatorie was one of Platoes doctrines as also some of their greatest Clarkes and Iesuits who doe not let to confesse that purgatorie is found there And for conclusion of all these points of doctrine controuersed betwixt vs and our aduersaries I say of popish pardons and indulgences which lastly they pleade in releefe of their dead and ease of soules departed that rest should come by theÌ„ I say though they be nearest to their true game yet are they furthest from their due proofe as may appeare by their owne Doctors to too doubtfull yet doting vpon the doctrine ex ore tuo c. Siluester Prierias hath these very words Pardons saith he are not knowne vnto vs by the authoritie of Scriptures but by the authoritie of the Church of Rome and of the Popes which is greater then the authority of the scriptures Desinat in piscem mulier formosa superne A milde beginning but a wild and woodie ending Iohn Maior is no lesse doubtfull when he aâ—oucheth that of pardons little may bee said of certaintie for the Scripture expresly saith nothing of them Touching that Christ said vnto Peter Vnto thee will I giue the keyes c. We must vnderstand this authoritie with a corne of salt Alphonsus de Castro in his eight booke of pardons saith There is nothing in the Scriptures lesse opened or whereof the olde Fathers haue lesse written then pardons of pardons there is no mention Let Bernard of Clunice blaunch the deuise and tell the truth of this toy The deuising of pardons saith he is a godly guile a hurtlesse deceit to the intent that by a deuoâ—â— kinde of errour the people may be drawne to
professors In Sionis gaudium Anglo-Papistarum luctum Amen Amen FINIS A BRIEF DISCOVRSE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE and death of Mistris Katherin Brettergh late wife of Master William Brettergh of Bretterghoult in the Countie of Lancaster Gentleman who departed this world the last of May. 1601. With the manner of a bitter conflict she had with Satan and blessed conquest by Christ before her death to the great glorie of God and comfort of all beholders Micha 7. 8. Reiovce not against me O mine enemies though I fall I shall rise againe And when I sit in darkenes the Lord shall be a ligâ—â— vnto me Psalm 37. 37. Marke the vpright man and behold the iust for the end of that man is peace LONDON Imprinted by Felix Kyngston 1602. TO THE CHRISTIAN Reader grace and peace in Iesus Christ. WHen Achimaaz the sonne of Zadoc requested that he might be the messenger to bring Dauid word of Absoloms death Ioab would not suffer him Thou shalt not saith he be the messenger to day but thou shalt cary newes another time but to day thou shalt cary none for the Kings sonne is dead He knew Dauids affection was such that the newes of his childs death would be most heauie to him and the messenger himselfe not welcome for his message sake This is all our infirmity no tidings more grieuous to vs then when wee heare of the death of those whom wee loue The Parent bewayles his Child the Husband his Wife the Friend laments the death of his Friend and we thinke it the losse of another friend to depart with this our griefe Iacob mourned for Ioseph his son that he would not be comforted of a long season but thought he would weepe for him as long as he liued When the Amalekites had burned Ziklag and led away captiue the mens wiues and their children Dauid and his company wept till they could weepe no more When Lazarus dred his sisters Martha and Mary were much discomforted for him Gâ—egory Nazianzen reports that when Basil the great died euen the wisest men in the city stroue to exceede one another in weeping and complaining for his death And as for my selfe saith he now I am bereaued of the fellowship of such a man what shall I do but either dye or liue in miserie Which way shall I turne me What shall I do What counsell shall I take now I haue lost him that was my comfort So heauy a thing we see it is to be seuered for a time from those that are deere vnto vs. One only thing there is which is able in this case much to temper our affections when we see our friend to die in the Lord that is in comfort of conscience assurance of saluatioÌ„ through Christ. And this his comfort he expresseth outwardly vnto vs by performing those duties which are required of a man when he dyes and so he makes a ioyfull and a holy end When our friend departeth this life in this maner we haue iust cause to take his death the more comfortably And thus it pleaseth God many times to stirre vp some especiallie such as in their life time haue a care to pursue Religion and to keep themselues vndesiled of the world at their death to expresse wonderfull comfort of spirit and to shew forth such fruit of Religion that we wonder at it and acknowledge the extraordinary worke of Gods spirit in them They wrastle against temptations they confesse their faith feele the assurance of their saluation condemne their sinnes exhort the beholders praise God sing Psalmes wish to dye that in their death they are better Christians then euer they were in their life This blessed departure God giues to many for diuers good purposes 1. That the world may know that peace is the end of the iust and comfort in death is the portion of the righteous 2. That his eternall truth in our holy profession may appeare to be able to comfort vs not onely in our life but in our death also when all other comforts forsake vs. 3. That our enemies may see our faith is not in vaine 4. That the weake by their example may be incouraged to a holy life when they see it bring with it so happie a death and that they may be strengthened against the feare of death seeing it is alwaies comfortable to those that leade a godly life 5. and finally that the friends of the departed by their heaueÌ„ly departure may be admonished not to mourne so much for their death as to reioyce for their life and to thanke God that euer it was their lot in any degree to be ioined or matched with so blessed seruants of God This Gentlewoman Mistresse Katherine Brettergh was one of this number her life as long as God continued it was deere to those among whom she was as the life of a friend might be Her husband friends kinsfolks brethren sisters and all the godly that knew her inioyed a great blessing of God of her and her death no doubt was grieuous to her husband as the death of a vertuous yoke-fellow And if worldly affection would haue holpen it it was the same in him that Dauids was to Absolom his sonne when he mourned for his death O my sonne Absolom my sonne my sonne Absolom would to God I had dyed for thee ô Absolom my sonne my sonne But sure her death was such her behauiour in her sicknes so religious her heart so possessed with comfort her mouth so filled with the praises of God her spirit so strengthened against the feare of death her conquest so happy ouer her infirmities that such as loued her most haue greatest cause to reioyce in her death and by seeing the wonderfull worke of God in her to learne to renounce their owne affections This is the thing I thought with profit might be presenâ—â—d to the view of others also that knew her not for when I had for my own priuate vse and the vse of my friends faithfully collected out of the fresh memories of those that were present and eye-witnesses as wel as my selfe and set downe the manner of her sicknes and death I considered that the knowledge thereof could not but be welcome to al those that desire to die the death of the righteous And so the same causes that moued me to collect it gaue me also occasion to publish it I remembred the saying of one That it is great pietie to set foorth the vertues of the departed if they haue excelled therein yea it is a meanes to increase grace in our selues I thought so great mercie of God shewed to one among vs ought not to be forgotten but should remaine to vs our childre an example to teach vs how good God is to them that loue him and to assure vs that he will neuer forsake vs but in like manner as he did her helpe and comfort vs when we shall by death be called vnto him I considered the vngodly
had plentifull gifts and continually vsed the same at such times as were fitting for her state sex and calling At the exercises of Religion as prayer and instruction in her familie she would not be wanting besides priuate prayer and meditation which she omitted not but vsed daily both in her chamber as also abroad secretly and solitarily in the orchard garden or fields as Isaacs manner was In reading the Scriptures she vsed euermore to taske her selfe eight chapters a day at the least and for the time which she saw euill or idlely spent without doing some good she vsed to call the time of temptation Many times also she would reade some godly writer or expositer of Scripture or in the booke of Martyrs and was seene to weepe most bitterly when either shee had read of that which touched her affections neere or of the cruell matyrdome which the deere children of God were put vnto by the cruell and wicked tyrants of former daiâ—s For Poperie she saâ— it â—o grosse and foolish that shee would not one name it except it were to argue against â—â— but neuer for it so zealous was she of Gods glorie and loued the truth so intirely that shee would not once open her mouth to pleade for Baal Sinne aboue all things was hatefull vnto her for there at she would haue grieued as well when shee had seene it in others as in her selfe O 〈…〉 or two examples I cannot omit wherein she bewrayed a worthie spirit sanctified by the spirit of God and prepared for all the assaults of Satan On a time as her husband and shee were riding toward the Church he was angry with his man Alas husband quoth she feare your heart is not right towards God that can bâ— thus angry for a trifle And weâ—ping she said further you must pray against this your affection and alwaies bee sure your anger be of God 〈…〉 else how dare you appeare this day before his minister And offer vp your prayers in the publike congregation of the saints of God Another time a tenant of her husbands being behinde with his rent she desired him to beare yet with him a quarter of a yeere which he did and when the man brought his money with teares she said to her husband I feare you doe not well to take it of him though it bee your right for I doubt he is not well able to pay it and then you oppresse the poore So great a compassion had she of other mens wants that all things being duly considered and rightly weighed mee thinkes I may say of her as Paul said of Timothie I know none like minded Thus after she was maried she continued in the things she had learned and held her profession with such sinceritie that the common enemies to our religion the verie Papists had nothing to say against her but confessed her life was vnreproouable And as for the godly that knew her they alwaies acknowledged that modestie and vertuous carriage in her ioyned with knowledge and practise of all the duties of religion that they had iust cause to report of her as of a sound and faithfull professor of the Gospell Two yeeres and something more she liued with her husband till about Whitâ—ontide it pleased God to send her that sicknes whereof on Whitsunday 1601 she died Her sicknes tooke her in the manner of a hot burning Ague which made her according to the nature of such diseases now and then to talke somewhat idly and through the tempters subtiltie which abused the infirmitie of her bodie to that end as he oftentimes vseth to do in many from idle words to descend into a heauie conflict with the infirmitie of her owne spirit from the which yet the Lord presently and wonderfully deliuered her giuing so ioyfull an issue to the temptation that shee might well vse the words of the Prophet as afterwards shee did For a moment O Lord thou diddest hide thy face from me for a little season but with euerlasting mercie thou hadst compassion on me On Saturday seuenight before Whitsunday what time she sickened she began to feele some little infirmitie and weaknes of faith more then she had wont to shew but shee soone ouercame it On Munday night it increased vpon her and the assault of the enemie began to be sharp and so continued till the next day at afternoone what time God deliuered her and sent her peace and comfort of conscience and so increased the same in her continually till she died The manner of her affliction was this First the seueritie of Gods iustice and the greatnes of her sinnes began to come into her minde which much afflicted her and she would often speake of it Then shee accused her selfe of pride that she had delighted too much in her selfe and her beautie Afterwards shee thought shee had no faith but was full of hypocrisie and had not imbraced religion so earnestly nor glorified God so worthily especially with her tongue which oft she repeated nor loued him so sincerely as she ought to haue done Sometime she would â—ast her Bible from her and say It was indeede the booke of life but she had read the same vnprofitably and therefore feared it was become to her the booke of death Sometime she would say her sinnes had made her a pray to Satan a spectacle to the world a disgrace to religion and a shame to her husband kinred and all true Christians and here shee would weep bitterly Sometime the originall corruption wherein shee was borne troubled her and the sinnes of her parents and the common parents of all the eaters of the forbidden fruite as if that had made her vnworthie of God and were then laid to her charge Many times she accused her selfe of impatience bewailing the want of feeling Gods spirit and making doubt of her election and such like infirmities She wished that she had neuer been borne or that shee had beene made any other creature rather then a woman She cried out oftentimes Woe woe woe c. a weake a wofull a wretched a forsaken woman and such like pitifull complaints against her selfe with teares continually trickling from her eyes She complained of grieuous thirst such as all the water in the sea could not quench and yet when drinke was giuen her sometimes refused it sometimes tooke a very little of it Sweate burst out vpon her exceedingly and sometime her bodie burned extreamely So it seemed the sorrowes of death hemmed her in and the griefes of hell laid hold vpon her Sometimes she was very dull in prayer and once when she should haue said Leade vs not into temptation shee made a stop saying I may not pray I may not pray being interrupted as she said by Satan so shewed much discoÌ„fort howbeit she was not left till she could both pray and make confession of her faith with speciall application to her self Besides these firie darts of Satan
Princes say Pesants say all corruption thou art my father rottennes thou art my mother wormes and vermine yee are my sisters yee are my brethren say graue thou art my bed sheet thou art my shrine earth thou art my couer greene grasle thou art my carpet death demaund thy due and thou gathering host Dan come last sweepe all away And now my brethren that all is gone where is the remaine of our religious hope spes in olla nay spes in vrna There is hope in the graue â—o saith Isaiah the sonne of Amos in this place of all the Prophets most Euangelical and of al the Euangelists most Propheticall In which Scripture for the better carrying away of the whole you may obserue these special points First gladsome tydings from heauen and what it is peace to the soule and rest to the bodie Secondly gladsome tidings from heauen and to whom it is to all such as walke before him Euerie word if you weigh well truely Euangelicall I meane good newes from a farre countrie gladsome tidings of heauenly things What more acceptable then the welles of sweete water to a thirstie soule what more pleasing then to heare of peace in the time of warre what so to be desired in this moyling world as after toyle to heare of rest And what so comfortable to check all miserie as to heare of mercie And fully to be assured that in the middest of death we are in life and that peace shall come This impression of immortalitie and assured hope of deliuerance from daunger death and miserie hath euer possessed the hearts of Gods Saints and beene as it were a naile of the sanctuarie to keepe them in life and fasten them to a further hope of future perfection Thus peace shall come Iob in the plea of all his miseries as hee thought endles easeles and remediles to the weake and sillie eye of flesh and blood yet vpon a better suruey with the single eye of faith helde by this verie hope and none other Peace shall come For when hee had grieuouslie complained that the Lord had hedged vp his waies that hee could not passe and set darkensse in his paths when hee had spoiled him of his honour and taken the Diadem from his head when he had destroyed him on euerie side and remooued his hope like a tree when his armies of afflictions came together made their way vpon him and camped about his tabernacle when his brethren were remoued farre from him and his acquaintance were strangers vnto him when his neighbours had forsaken him and his familiars had forgotten him when his houshold seruants both men maides tooke him for a straunger and would not answere him though hee prayed them with his mouth when his breath was straunge vnto his wife though he besought her too for the childrens sake of his owne bodie when the wicked despised him his secret friends abhorred him and those whom he loued were turned against him finallie when beside these great losses and most cruel vnkindnesses he was tucht in his own person so as his bone claue to his flesh and he onlie escaped with the skin of his teeth yet in all these dolours thus he demurred Peace shall come though in different words yet in equall sense hee made it the issue of all his maladies Scio quod redemptor meus viuit I know that my redeemer liueth and hee shall stand last on the earth and though after my skin wormes destroy this bodie yet shall I see God in my flesh peace shall â—ome Oh that these wordes were now written Oh that they were written euen in a booke grauen with an iâ—on pen in lead or in â—â—one for euer to the â—â—lace of al distressed Saints I know that my Redeemer liueth that peace shall come Dauid euen distressed Dauid anchored vpon this hold when tossed vpon the â—eas of worldlie woes he felt the froth and furie of Saules rage and Doegs despite the rebellion and incest of his owne children besides the horror of his proper sinnes which night by night caused him to water his couch with teares all these surges had sunke his soule had not his eyes been fixed vpon this prâ—montorie bonae spei Peace shall come which vndoubtedly he felt in his heart when he spake with his mouth and said to the solace of his shrinking soule I should vtterly haue fainted but that I beleeued verely to see the goodnes of the Lord in the land of the liuing O tarrie then the Lords leasure be strong and he shall comfort thy heart Paul is powerfull in this kinde of pleading and if you marke it well in the course of all his Epistles you shall finde that euer as afflictions were multiplied his ioyes were increased Death was to him an aduantage dissolution was his desire and to be with Christ was best of all Peace shall come was his plea against all the issues of death and doome When in labours more abundant in stripes aboue measure in prison more plentiously in death often when of the Iewes fiue times he had receiued fortie stripes saue one when thrise beaten with roddes once stoned thrise hee had suffered shipwracke and beene in the deepe sea both night and day when in iourneyings often in perils of water in perils of robbers in perils of his owne nation in perils among the gentiles in perils in the citie in perils in the wildernes in perils in the sea in perils among false brethren in wearines and painefulnes in watchings often in hunger and thirst in fasting often in cold and nakednes and to conclude when beside the things that were outward hee was combred day lie and had the care of all the Churches yet here was his hold and to this hope was hee fastned I account that the afflictions of this present time are not worthie of the glorie which shall be shewed vnto vs. Therefore we faint not saith the blessed Apostle vpon the like plea but though our outward man perish yet the inward man is renewed daylie for our light afflictions which is but for a moment causeth vnto vs a farre more excellent and eternall waight of glorie while wee looke not on the things which are seene but on the things which are not scene for the things which are seene are temporall but the things which are not seene are eternall Peace shall come â—â—ul Paul this issue of life and soule-solace his heauenlie hold and spirituall rauishment hath made thee to forget all that is behind and to hold hard vnto that marke which is before euen Iesus Christ the authour and finisher of thy faith Here in grace thy life was hid in Christ and for that now in glorie it doth appeare in Christ happie place happie Paul happie shrine happie Saint so to bee blessed both in life and death woe vnto vs vpon whom the ends of this world are come if being compassed with