death and directly fixe the eye of his faith vpon eternall life The second practise is to looke vpon death in the glasse of the Gospel and not in the glasse of the Law that is we must consider death not as it is propounded in the Lawe and looke vpon that terrible face which the law giueth vnto it but as it is set forth in the Gospel Death in the law is a curse and the downe-fall to the pit of destruction in the Gospel it is the entrance into heauen the lawsets forth death as death the Gospel sets forth death as no death but as a sleepe onely because it speakes of death as it is altered changed by the death of Christ by the vertue whereof death is properly no death to the seruants of God Whē men shall haue care on this manner to consider of death it will be a notable meanes to strengthen and stablish them against al immoderate feares terrours that vsually rise in sicknesse The meditations which serue for this purpose are innumerable but I wil touch onely those which are the most principall and the grounds of the rest and they are foure in number The first is borrowed from the speciall prouidence of God namely that the death of euery man much more of euery childe of God is not onely foreseene but also foreappointed of God yea the death of euery man deserued and procured by his sins is laid vpon him by God who in that respect may be said to be the cause of euery mans death So saith Anna The Lord killeth and maketh aliue The Church of Hierusalem confessed that nothing came to passe in the death of Christ but that which the foreknowledge and eternal counsel of God had appointed And therfore the death also of euery member of Christ is foreseene and ordained by the speciall decree and prouidence of God I adde further that the very circūstances of death as the time when the place where the manner how the beginning of sickenes the continuance the end euery fitte in the sicknes the pangs of death are particularly set downe in the counsell of God The very haires of our heads are numbred saith our Sauiour Christ and a sparrowe lights not on the groūd without the will of our heauenly father Dauid faith excellētly My bones are not hid from thee though I was made in a secret place and fashioned beneath in the earth thine eyes did see me when I was without forme for in thy booke were al things written which in continuance were fashioned whē there was nine of them before And he praies to God to put his teares into his bottle Now if this be true that God hath bottles for the very teares of his seruants much more hath hee bottles for their blood much more doth he respect and regard their paines and miseries with all the circumstances of sicknesse and death The carefull meditation of this one point is a notable meanes to arme vs against feare and distrust impatience in the time of death as some examples in this case will easily manifest I held my tongue said nothing saith Dauid but what was it that caused this patience in him the cause followes in these words because thou Lord diddest it And Ioseph saith to his brethren Feare not for it was the Lord that sent me before you Marke here how Ioseph is armed against impatience and griefe discontentment by the very consideration of gods prouidence and so in the same māner shall we be cōfirmed against all feares and sorrowes and say with Dauid Pretious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints if this perswasion be once setled in our hearts that all things in sicknes death come to passe vnto vs by the prouidence of god who turnes all things to the good of them that loue him The second meditation is to be borrowed from the excellent promise that God hath made to the death of the righteous which is Blessed are they that die in the Lord for they rest from their labours and their workes follow them The author of truth that cannot lie hath spoken it Now then let a man but throughly consider this that death ioyned with a reformed life hath a promise of blessednes adioined vnto it and it alone will be a sufficient meanes to stay the rage of our affections and al inordinate feare of death and the rather if we marke wherein this blessednesse consists In death we are indeede thrust out of our olde dwelling places namely these houses of clay earthly tabernacles of our bodies wherein we haue made long abode but what is the ende surely that liuing dying in Christ we might haue a building giuen of God that is an house not made with hands but eternall in heauen which is vnspeakeable immortall glory If a poore man should bee commanded by a Prince to put off his torne and beggery garments and in stead thereof to put on royal and costly robes it would bee a great reioycing to his heart oh then what ioyfull newes must this bee vnto all repentant and sorrowfull sinners when the king of heauen and earth comes vnto thē by death and bids them lay downe their bodies as ragged and patched garments and prepare thēselues to put on the princely robe of immortalitie No tongue can be able to expresse the excellency of this most blessed and happy estate The third meditation is borrowed from the estate of all thē that are in Christ whether liuing or dying He that dieth beleeuing in Christ dieth not forth of Christ but in him hauing both his body and soule really coupled to Christ according to the tenour of the couenant of grace and though after death body soule be seuered one from another yet neither of thē are seuered or disioyned from Christ. The coniunction which is once begun in this life remaines eternally And therefore though the soule goe from the body the body it selfe rot in the graue yet both are still in Christ both in the couenant both in the fauour of god as before death both shal again be ioined togither the body by the vertu of the former cōiunctiō being raised to eternall life Indeed if this vniō with Christ were dissolued as the cōiunctiō of body soule is it might be sōe matter of discomfort and feare but the foundation and substance of our mysticall coniunction with Christ both in respect of our bodies and soules enduring for euer must needes be a matter of exceeding ioy and comfort The 4. meditation is that god hath promised his speciall blessed and comfortable presence vnto his seruants when they are sicke or dying or any way distressed When thou passest thorough the waters I will bee with thee saith the Lord and through the flouds that they doe not ouerflowe thee when thou walkest thorough the very fire thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the
he rehearsed the whole one fiftie psalme with deepe sighes froÌ„ the bottome of his breast 7. a litle after Saue me Lord Iesus Of Luther My heauenly Father God and father of our Lord Iesus Christ God of all comfort I giue thee thanks that thou hast reuealed vnto me thy son Iesus Christ whom I haue beleeued whom I haue professed whome I haue loued whome I haue praised whome the Bishop of Rome and the whole companie of the wicked persecuteth and reuileth I pray thee my Lord Iesus Christ receiue my poore soule my heauenly father though I be taken from this life and this bodie of mine is to be laid downe yet I know certeÌ„ly that I shall remaine with thee for euer neither shall any be able to pull me out of thy hand Of Hooper O Lord Iesus son of Dauid haue mercie on me and receiue my soule Of Annas Burgius Forsake me not O Lord least I forsake thee Of Melancthon If it be the will of God I am willing to die and I beseech him that he will graunt me a ioyfull departure Of Calvine 1. I held my tongue because thou lord hast done it 2. I mourned as a doue 3. Lord thou grindest me to powder but it suffiâ—ceth me because it is thy hand Of Peter Martyr that his body was weake but his minde was well that hee acknowledged no life or saluation but only in Christ who was giuen of the father to bee a redeemer of mankinde and when hee had confirmed this by testimonie of Scripture he added This is my faith in which I will die and God will destroy them that teach otherwise This done he shooke haÌ„ds with all and said Farewell my brethren and deare friends It were easie to quote more examples but these fewe may bee in stead of many the summe of al that godlymeÌ„ speake in death is this Some enlightned with a prophetical spirit foretell things to come as the Patriarkes Iacob and Ioseph did and there haue bin some which by name haue testified who should very shortly came after them and who should remaine aliue and what should be their condition some haue shewed a wonderfull memorie of things past as of their former life and of the benefits of God no doubt it was giuen them to stirre vp holy affections and thanksgiuing to God some againe rightly iudging of the change of their present estate for a better doe reioyce exceedingly that they must be translated from earth to paradise as Babylas Martyr of Antioch when his head was to be chopped off Returne saith he O My soule vnto thy rest because the lord hath blessed thee because thou hast deliuered my soule from death mine eies from teares and my feete froÌ„ falling I shall walke before Iehoua in the land of the liuing And some others spake of the vanity of this life of the imaginatioÌ„ of the sorrowes of death of the beginnings of eternall life of the comfort of the holy Ghost which they feele of their departure vnto Christ. Quest. What must we thinke if in the time of death such excellent speeches bewanting and in stead thereof idle talke be vsed Answ. We must consider the kinde of sicknesse whereof meÌ„ die whether it be more easie or violent for violent sicknesse is vsually accompanied with frensies and with vnseemely motions and gestures which we are to take in good part euen in this regard because we our selues may be in the like case Thus much of the first duty which is to die in faith the second is to die in obedience otherwise our death cannot be acceptable to God because wee seeme to come vnto God of feare and constraint as slaues to a master and not of loue as children to a father Now to die in obedience is when a man is willing readie and desirous to goe out of this world whensoeuer God shall call him and that without murmuring or repining at what time where and when it shall please God Whether we liue or die saith Paul we doe it not to our selues but vnto God and therefore mans dutie is to be obedient to God in death as in life Christ is our example in this case who in his agonie praied Father let this cup passe froÌ„ me yet with a submission not my will but thy will be done teaching vs in the very pangs of death to resigne our selues to the good pleasure of God When the prophet tolde king Ezechias of death presently without all manner of grudging or repining hee addressed himselfe to praier We are commanded to present our selues vnto God as freewill offerings without any limitation of time and therefore as well in death as in life I conclude then that we are to make as much conscience in performing obedience to god in suffering death as wee doe of any conscience in the course of our liues The third dutie is to render vp our soules into the handes of God as the most faithfull keeper of all This is the last duty of a Christian and it is prescribed vnto vs in the example of Christ vpon the crosse who in the very pangs of death when the dissolution of bodie soule drewe on said Father into thy hands I commend my spirit and so gaue vp the ghost The like was done by Steuen who when he was stoned to death said Lord Iesus receiue my spirit And Dauid in his life time beeing in daunger of death vsed the very same words that Christ vttered Thus we see what be the duties which we are to perform in the very pangs of death that we may come to eternall life Some men will happily say If this be all to die in faith and obedience and to surrender our soules into Gods hands we will not greatly care for any preparatioÌ„ before-hand nor trouble our selues much about the right manner of dying well for we doubt not but that when death shall come we shall be able to performe all the former duties with ease Answer Let no man deceiue himselfe by any false perswasioÌ„ thinking with himselfe that the practise of the foresaid duties is a matter of ease for ordinarily they are not neither can bee performed in death vnles there be much preparation in the life before Hee that will die in faith must first of all liue by faith and there is but one example in all the whole Bible of a man dying in faith that liued without faith namely the thiefe vpon the crosse The seruants of God that are indued with great measure of grace do very hardly beleeue in the time of affliction Indeed when Iob was afflicted hee said Though the Lord kill me yet will I trust in him yet afterward his faith beeing ouercast as with a cloude he saith that God was become his enemy that he had set him as a marke to shoote at sundrie times his faith was oppressed with doubting and distrust How then shall they that neuer liued by faith nor inured
but that God in a newe regard and consideration may both will ordaine death namely as it is a due and deserued punishment tending to the execution of iustice in which iustice God is as good as in his mercie Againe it may be obiected that if death indeede had beene ordained of God then Adam should haue bin destroied that presently vpō his fal For the very words are thus Whēsoeuer thou shalt eat of the forbidden fruite thou shalt certenly die Ans. Sentences of scripture are either Legall or Euangelical the law the gospell beeing two seuerall and distinct parts of Gods word Now this former sentence is legall must be vnderstood with an exception borrowed from the Gospel or the couenāt of grace made with Adam and reuealed to him after his fall The exception is this Thou shalt certenly die whensoeuer thou eatest the forbidden fruite except I doe further giue thee a means of deliuerance from death namely the seede of the woman to bruise the serpents head Secondly it may be answered that Adam and all his posteritie died and that presently after his fall in that his bodie was made mortall and his soule became subiect to the curse of the law And whereas God would not vtterly destroy Adam at the very first but onely impose on him the beginnings of the first and second death he did the same in great wisedome that in his iustice he might make a way to mercie which thing could not haue beene if Adam had perished The executioner of this punishmēt is he that doth impose and inflict the same on man that also is God himselfe as he testifieth of himselfe in the prophet Esai I make peace and create euill Nowe euill is of three sorts naturall morall material Natural euill is the destruction of that order which God set in euery creature by the creation Moral euill is the want of that righteousnesse and vertue which the law requires at mans hands that is called sin Material euill is any matter or thing which in it selfe is a good creature of God yet so as by reasō of mans fall it is hurtful to the health life of man as henbane wolfe-bane hemlock all other poisons are Now this saying of Esai must not bee vnderstood of morall euils but of such as are either materiall or naturall to the latter of which death is to be referred which is the destruction or abolishment of mans nature created The procurer of death is man not God in that man by his sin and disobedience did pull vpon himselfe this punishment Therefore the Lord in Oseah O Israel one hath destroyed thee but in me is thine helpe Against this it may be obiected that mā was mortall in the estate of innocencie before the fall Answ. The frame and composition of mans body considered in it selfe was mortall because it was made of water earth other elements which are of thēselues alterable and changeable yet if we respect that grace and blessing which God did vouchsafe mans bodie in his creation it was vnchangeable and immortall and so by the same blessing should haue continued if man had not fallen and man by his fall depriuing himselfe of this gift and blessing became euery way mortall Thus it appeares in part what death is yet for the better clearing of this point we are to consider the difference of the death of a man and of a beast The death of a beast is the total and finall abolishment of the whole creature for the body is resolued to his first matter and the soule arising of the temperature of the bodie vanisheth to nothing But in the death of a man it is otherwise For though the bodie for a time bee resolued to dust yet must it rise againe in the last iudgement and become immortall and as for the soule it subsisteth by it selfe out of the body and is immortall And this being so it may be demaūded how the soule can die the second death Ans. The soule dies not because it is vtterly abolished but because it is as though it were not it ceaseth to be in respect of righteousnes and fellowship with God And indeede this is the death of all deaths when the creature hath subsisting and beeing and yet for all that is depriued of al cōfortable fellowship with God The reason of this difference is because the soule of man is a spirit or spirituall substance wheras the soule of a beast is no substance but a naturall vigour or qualitie and hath no being in itselfe without the bodie on which it wholy dependeth The soule of a man contrariwise being created of nothing breathed into the bodie and as well subsisting forth of it as in it The kindes of death are two as the kindes of life are bodily and spirituall Bodily death is nothing else but the separation of the soule from the body as bodily life is the conujnction of bodie and soule and this death is called the first because in respect of time it goes before the second Spiritual death is the separatiō of the whole man both in body and soule from the gratious fellowshippe of God Of these twaine the first is but an entrance to death and the second is the accomplishment of it For as the soule is the life of the body so God is the life of the soule and his spirit is the soule of our soules and the want of fellowship with him brings nothing but the endles and vnspeakable horrours and pangs of death Againe spirituall death hath three distinct and seuerall degrees The first is when a man that is aliue in respect of temporall life lies dead in sin Of this degree Paul speakes when hee saith But shee that liueth in pleasure is dead while shee liueth And this is the case of all men by nature who are children of wrath and dead in sinnes and trespasses The second degree is in the very end of this life whē the body is laide in the earth the soule descendes to the place of torments The third degree is in the day of iudgement when the body and soule meete againe and goe both to the place of the damned there to bee tormented for euer and euer Hauing thus found the nature and differences and kindes of death it is more then manifest that the text in hand is to be vnderstood not of the spiritual but of the bodily death because it is opposed to the birth or natiuitie of man The words then must cary this sense the time of bodily death in which the body and soule of man are seuered asunder is better then the time in which one is borne and brought into the world Thus much of the first point now followeth the secōd that is how this can be true which Salomon saith that the day of death is better then the day of birth I make not this question to call the scriptures into controuersie which are the
themselues to beleeue bee able in the pang of death to rest vpon the mercie of God Againe he that would die in obedience must first of all leade his life in obedience hee that hath liued in disobedience can not willingly and in obedience appeare before the iudge when hee is cited by death the sergeant of the Lord he dies indeed but that is vpon necessitie because he must yeeld to the order and course of nature as other creatures doe Thirdly hee that would surrender his soule into the hands of God must bee resolued of two things the one is that god can the other is that God will receiue his soule into heauen and there preserue it till the last iudgement And none can be resolued of this except he haue the spirit of God to certifie his conscience that he is redeemed iustified sanctified by Christ and shall bee glorified Hee that is not thus perswaded dare not render vp and present his soule vnto God When Dauid said Lord into thy handes I commend my spirit what was the reason of this boldnesse in him surely nothing else but the perswasion of faith as the next wordes import for thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of truth And thus it is manifest that no man ordinarily can performe these duties dying that hath not performed them liuing This beeing so I doe againe renew my former exhortation beseeching you that ye would practise the duties of preparation in the course of your liues leading them daily in faith and obedience and from time to time commending your selues into the hand of God and casting all your workes vpon his prouidence They which haue done this haue made most happie and blessed endes Enoch by faith walked with God as one that was alwaies in his presence leading an vpright and godly life and the Lord tooke him away that he should not see death And this which befell Enoch shall after a sort befall them also that liue in faith and obedience because death shal be no death but a sleepe vnto them and no enemie but a friend to bodie and soule On the contrary let vs consider the wretched miserable endes of them that haue spent their daies in their sinnes without keeping faith a good conscience The people of the old world were drowned in the flood the filthy Sodomites and Gomorrheans were destroyed with fire from heauen Dathan and Abiram with the company of Core were swallowed vp of the earth Core himselfe as it seemes by the text being burnt with fire wicked Saul and Achitophel and Iudas destroy themselues Herod is eaten vp of wormes and gaue vp the ghost Iulian the Apostata smitten with a dart in the field died casting vp his blood into the ayre blaspheming the name of Christ. Arius the hereticke died vpon the stoole scouring forth his very entralls And this very age affoards store of like examples Hoffemeister a great Papist as he was going to the councill of Ralisbone to dispute against the defēders of the Gospel was suddenly in his iourney preuented by the hand of God and miserably died with horrible roaring and crying out In the Vniuersitie of Louaine Guarlacus a learned Papist falling sicke when he perceiued no way with him but death he fell into miserable agonie and perturbation of spirit crying out of his sinnes how miserably he had liued and that hee was not able to abide the iudgement of God so casting out words of miserable desperation saide his sins were greater then they could be pardoned and in that desperation ended his daies Iacobus Latromus of the same vniuersitie of Louaine after that he had beene at Bruxels and there thinking to doe a great acte against Luther and his fellowes made an oration before the Emperour so foolishly and ridiculously that he was laughed to scorne almost of the whole court then returning frō thence to Louaine againe in his publike lecture he fell into open madnesse vttering such wordes of desperatiō and blasphemous impietie that other Diuines which were present were faine to carie him away as he was rauing and to shut him into a close chamber From that time to his very last breath he had neuer any thing else in his mouth but that he was damned and reiected of God and that there was no hope of saluation for him because that wittingly and against his knowledge he withstood the manifest truth of Gods word Crescentius the Popes Legat and Vicegerent in the councell of Trent was sitting all the day long vntill darke night in writing of letters to the Pope after his labour when night was come thinking to refresh himselfe he began to rise and at his rising behold there appeared to him a mightie blacke dogge of an huge bignesse his eyes flaming with fire his eares hanging low downe well neare to the grounde which beganne to enter in and straight to come towardes him and so to couch vnder the boord The Cardinall not a little amazed at the sight thereof somewhat recouering himselfe called immediately to his seruants which were in the outward chamber next by to bring in a candle and to seeke for the dogge But when the dogge could not be found there nor in any other chamber about the Cardinall thereupon stricken with a sudden conceit of minde immediately fel into such a sicknesse whereof his Physitians which he had about him could not with all their industrie and cunning cure him and thereupon he died Steuen Gardiner when a certaine Bishop came vnto him and put him in minde of Peter denying his master answered againe that he had denied with Peter but neuer repented with Peter and so to vse M. Foxes words stinkingly and vnrepentantly died More examples might be added but these shall suffice Againe that we may be further induced to the practise of these duties let vs call to minde the vncertentie of our daies though we now liue yet who can say that he shall be aliue the next day or the next houre No man hath a lease of his life Now marke as death leaues a man so shall the last iudgement finde him and therefore if death take him away vnprepared eternall damnation followes without recouerie If a thiefe be brought from prison either to the barre to bee arraigned before the iudge or to the place of execution he will bewaile his misdemeanour past and promise all reformation of life so be it he might be deliuered though he be the most arrant thiefe that euer was In this case we are as fellons or theeues for we are euery day going to the barre of Gods iudgement there is no stay or standing in the way euen as the ship in the sea continues on his course day night whether the marriners be sleeping or waking therefore let vs all prepare our selues and amende our liues betime that in death wee may make a blessed ende Ministers of the Gospel doe daily call for the performance of this dutie but where