architectonick cause of these two former subordinat appointments for it is the cause of causes and without damnable curiositie we ought not to go further it is a precipice and wee must not cast our selves headlong off it it is a great gulfe too deep for our shallow wits let us admire adore it But to leave the infinite names which Lullists Rabbines Caballists Paganes Divines give to God he is tearmed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the best deviser 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 goodnesse it self 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of most free will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 him very self and so his appointment must bee holy righteous perfect irresistible whose appointment is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for whatsoever God ex voluntate beneplaciti hath first concluded within himself or acted in the parliament or secret counsell of himself before all time that ex voluntate signi must bee execute by nature and taught by experience in time seeing these two are his loyall and faithfull servants who must not nor cannot nor will not controll their masters uncontrollable will who even trystes with them for the reall and effectuall accomplishment of all actions Therefore because it is ratified from all eternitie in that supernall throne of Gods justice that for sinne all men must once die then for the execution and exhibition of the same on earth nature must play its part and experience its part for of necessitie the severe sentence of a soveraigne and inappellable judge must be reverently obeyed But so it is Job 14. 5. All the dayes of man are determined and the number of his moneths is with God and he hath set him bounds that he cannot passe And 7. 1. There is an appointed time to man upon earth The poet saith well Stat sua cuique dies Hence it is that Deut. 30. 20. God is called by Moses the length of the peoples dayes and David Ps 31. 15. saith that his time is in Gods hands who as he hath begun to spin the thredof mans life so he is onely able to spend it And this is it which the fabulous Poets forge of their three fatall sisters Clotho Lachesis Atropos the spinster twister and cutter of the small thred of mans life We acknowledge no Chaldaick fates no poetick sisters no blind fortune no coactive necessitie of destinie but the wise just good Almightie providence of God which not only extends it selfe ad vermiculos in coeno but also angelos in coelo and man who was made a little inferiour to the Angels and alas now by his default hee is lower then the wormes Indeed Naturalists may know that there is a God in nature forming reforming performing confirming perfecting all things without the which they could not stand one moment this is only a Theoretick knowledge and it may be without sanctification But we who are enlightned with the light of grace and the sunshine of the Gospel and taught and inspired by Gods Spirit have a practique and saving knowledge whereby we not only admire his power in the creation his wisedome in the administration his constancie in the conservation his beautie in the decoration his bountie in the augmentation of all things but also are particularly informed and fully perswaded Deum esse vitae necisque arbitrum Vtramque vero saith Tertullian disponendo praescivit praesciendo disposuit that God is the commander of life and death who in disposing foreknew and in foreknowing hath disposed of them both The Lord saith Deut. 32. 39. I kill and make alive God is not carelesse of us as the Epicures have dreamed but by his speciall providence he hath such an extreame fatherly regard to us that one hair cannot fall out of our head one cubit cannot be added to our stature with it without the which a little sparrow cannot fall to the ground So that ye may evidently perceive that nature experience and God himself prove the truth of this assertion It is appointed c. The uses of this generall doctrine are especially these two The first use is of instruction It is appointed c. Then let not us be so foolish as to fret against nature so stubborne as to grudge against experience so profane as to dispute against God Why hast thou made us thus for Esay 45. 9. Wo unto him that striveth with his Maker shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it What makest thou That threefold appointment is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the bottomelesse deep of the unsearchable waies of God It is a labyrinth we may well finde the entry but never get the outgate of it it is a steep rock we may well climbe up but the downfall is great it is an Ocean and our boat is too light and shallow for it not unlike the head of that great river Nilus which could never be found out So that seeing our dayes are short let us say with Moses Psal 90. Lord teach us so to number our dayes that we may apply our hearts unto wisedome And with that notable patterne of patience that excellent doctor upon this point Job 14. 14. All the dayes of my appointed time will I wait til my change come alwayes in much humiliation and reverence prostrating our souls before the sacred and dreadfull Majestie of our God who rideth upon the heavens and dwelleth in that inaccessible light cloathed with ravishing glory armed with innumerable legions of angels crowned with unspeakable blessednesse at whose presence the Cedars of Lebanon are throwne down the forrests denuded the earth trembleth the sea roareth the mountaines melte like waxe and all the inhabitants of the earth are as stubble before the fire the sun and moone obscured the stars darkned the powers of heaven weakened the Cherubims and Seraphims cover their faces not able to behold the brightnesse of him whom the angels adore the thrones worship the devils fear So that wee must confesse whether wee lie or stand wee run or walk we sleep or awake or whatsoever we do we can neither by force subtiltie or request recall his irrevocable decree by whose unsearchable wisedome and unchangeable providence and almighty power all befalleth us that doth befall us Is it then Gods ordinance to day to deprive our king of a valiant subject the nobles of a peere the countrey of a baron the house of a head the obedient son of a dear father and our selves of a welbeloved and worthie friend Let us be taught that the rarest and highest spirits live shortest and have the swiftest course and that these whom God tendereth most are earliest taken to himself and let us not be so ignorant as to lay the blame upon second causes such as the influence of heaven the aire the dyet the complexion untimely disease the company the mediciner but let us look higher to the cause of causes GOD who is as the first wheele of the horologe which leadeth the rest as the primum mobile which draweth about with it all the inferiour sphears
pleasures for evermore How shall we then conclude but with a hopefull and eternall farewel till it please God that wee all meet together on that great day on Sion hill and go into these everlasting tabernacles of the temple of the most High in the holy citie supernall Jerusalem amongst the Hierarchies of that innumerable companie of Angels the generall assemblie and church of the first borne written in heaven by the finger of God and the bloud of the Lambe When and where they with us and we with them and the whole multitude of the militant and triumphant Church reunited under Christ the head shall bee fully and finally glorified O fooles that we are wee long with a vehement desire to see our earthly princes coronation in this earthly kingdome I pray you let us wish with an holy impatience redoubled sighes unfained groanes to be dissolved and to bee with Christ that wee may see our owne glorious coronations in that kingdome of glory For O what solemnities O what festivities O what exultations O what exclamations O what triumphs shall be there when the heavens and earth shall clap their hands for joy Why do these base minds of ours creep any more like wormes on earth and soare not with the wings of heavenly contemplation that our conversation may be in heaven Why do we not flie with the golden feathers of faith hope to embrace in the armes of our souls our gracious redeemer who is at hand stretcheth forth his powerfull hand unto us O let us lift up our heads open the everlasting gates of our souls that the king of glory may enter in and finde roome therein howbeit the heaven of heavens is not able to containe him who is the joy of the heavens the hope of the earth the light and life of the world the ease of the oppressed the comfort of the afflicted the advocate of sinners the reward of the just our only Saviour O let us set our affections upon him and behold him whose love shed abundantly in our hearts should swallow all other love who is the wisedome of God and ours before the world set as a rose of starres upon our head when others shall bee confounded Therefore bow downe the knees of your hearts with your voices your hands and eyes unto heaven saying O come thou whom our soules both love and long for Lord Jesus yea come quickly and tye us unto thy selfe by the band of perfection the coards of thy unspeakable loue Wee die wee divine after thee O sweet life O dear love Tarrie not while we are ready but take us to thy selfe and cover us with the banner of thy love and present us holy harmelesse acceptable before thine heavenly father that wee may dwell with thee and in thee eternally and through thee possesse the things which neither eye hath seen nor ear hath heard nor the heart of man was ever able to conceive Now to this Jesus our redeemer to the Father our Creator to the holy Ghost our comforter one GOD in three persons let us render from the bottome of our soules all Honour all Praise all Glory for ever and ever AMEN AMEN VIRI NOBILIS JOANNIS CRAFORD II D. KILBVRNII aeternae memoriae sacravit hoc epicedium Ninianus Campbellus SIccine Kilburni florentis stamina vitae Ante diem rupit Parca severa tuae Attamen exultas quoniam mens inscia fati Praepetibus pennis caelica templa subit Haurit ubi puros latices Nectaris uvas Caeleftis diâ vivit Ambrosiâ Ponite luctificos gestamina tristia cultus Ponite funereas vos pia turba faces Vivit quem fletis votum super omne vigetque Despectans oculis inferiora suis Non est mortalis quantum mutatur ab illo Qui colit aetherei culmina celsa poli Atque Dei vitam degit felicibus ausis Humano major nomine voce vice Idem hoc nati patris matris qui uno eodemque mense obierant Epitaphium POst natum Genitor post hunc dulcissima Mater Hoc gaudent tumulo corpora trina simul Natus praecessit Genitorem funera Mater Tertia subsequitur Mensis unus erat Felices animae quibus his excedere terris Sic datur vitâ jam potiore frui VIRI CONSULTISSIMI SCAEVOLAE SAMMARTHANI Galli memoriae sacravit hoc carmen NINIANUS CAMPBELLUS VMbrosas Heliconis inter oras Pimplaei nemoris sacros recessus Me jam Pierio calore raptum Cerno dum me ditor polire carmen Cultum nobile molle delicatum Indictum ore alio beatiori Venâ progenitum sinuque Phoebi Quo te prosequar omnibus canendum Seclis magne senex tuique dotes Vrbani genii facetioris Docti judicii politioris Aequem Sceptrigeri polo Tonantis Si fas sit numeris phaleuciorum Te laudare virum disertiorem Phoebo Mercurioque gratiisque Quem circumvolitat novena turba Longaeva Themis severa Pallas Testes aetherii tui caloris Cujus fama vigens virûm per ora Doctorum advolat aureis quadrigis Ast nobis cadis ah tuis ademptum Lumen proh dolor orbi universo Extinctum jubar aurei nitoris Ni jam stellifero polo micares Despectans humiles soli jacentis Tractus ut simul omnibus renatus Es lux fulgidior priore luce Quâ nostros oculos rapis sequaces Et totos animos sereniori Perfundis radio tui decoris Fulgens clarior hespero recenti Multò pulchrior imminente lunâ Vt diam nequeam videre lucem Quam praebes tremulis meis ocellis Et toti patriae tuae decorae Ex quâ nasceris alma fax futuri Secli gloria orbis universi Cui tu perpetuum diem reducis Aut mentis faculâ benigniori Dicatae sophiâ secretiori Sermone aut nitidam indicante mentem Cui cedunt veneres Catullianae Et limphâ liquidâ suaviores Melliti latices Terentiani Cum vis vincier aspero Cothurno Et cedunt lyrici canora plectra Et grandes numeri Maroniani Et fervens genius Lucretianus Quicquid Gallia parturit decori Quicquid Graecia protulit venusti Et quicquid Latium dedit politi Id vincis Licet invidae Caemaenae Certent ambiguam facis coronam Cunctis vatibus stupente Phoebo Cingis tempora Laureâ perenni Vt corpus jaceat licet sepultum Fatali tumulo O beate vivas Auctor maxime carminis tenelli Limati sapidi aurei politi O quantum tibi nominis paratur Dum cantaberis orbe note toto Nullis Scaevola conticende linguis Sed quò tendimus alta musa Siste Gressum Quove rapis novâ tumentem Laude aut insolito furore plenum Sustollis modo vitreo daturum Ponto nomina caetibusque centum Misces Mercurialium virorum Quos mens ardua vexit ad bicornis Montis culmina Pegasique celsos Pennis vestiit Ast apis sagacis Jnstar libo rosas amoeniores Et gratas violas Thymumque dutce Propter
the dust to the balance or a sparke to the bucket or a bucket to the boundlesse bottomelesse Ocean or a candle can adde to the matchles sun in his pride at the mid-day And thus far of the exposition of the third word Man The assertion It is appointed c. NOw I come to the doctrines The first is generall and it is the pillar whereupon I prop the rest viz. The demonstration of the invincible truth of this assertion It is appointed for men c. by these strong and forcible reasons The first reason is taken from the mother of all things and especiall hand-maid of God Nature for it hath appointed that all flowers from the stinking weed to the fair lilie that all trees from the Hyssope upon the wall to the Cedar in the forrest that all herbs from the green grasse to semperviva that all minerals from the iron to the gold from the rough stone to the precious pearle that all the fishes from the greatest Leviathan to the least minime that all fowles from the Eagle to the midge that all the creeping creatures from the Elephant or Crocodile to the basest wormes have their owne beginnings progresses ends Because the very foure elements whereof they are made are naturallie subject to their combined transmutations the earth being subtilized to the water the water unto the aire the aire unto the fire and these unto their prima materia their chaos and it unto nothing And this nature is so pregnant sedulous and wise that it keepeth its own appointed time as the wise man saith Ecles 3. There is an appointed time for every thing under heaven If time then there must bee a prius and a posterius a last as well as a first As for example the crane the swallow the stork the woodcock the cuckow with her titling know the seasons of the year according to the course of sun and moone from which proceedeth the beautie of the spring the heat of summer the fruitfulnesse of the harvest and the cold of winter one following after another and as one cometh so the other goeth by an alternative vicissitude of time which at the last seeing now it consumeth all things must be consumed by it self when it shall finde nothing to feed upon For now wee may say Where are those ancient works made of brick and stone yea of flint brasse adamant by the most cunning artificers are they not redacted unto their originall informe disforme dust Where is the tower of proud Babel the church of Ephesian Diana and that glorious one of Solomon Where is the Capitoll of Rome and the invincible Byrsa of Carthage where Thebes with her hundred ports spacious Nineve and beautifull Jerusalem Hath not time devoured all and much more with their builders indwellers upholders And shall not London Paris Rome Constantinople Cairo Quinsay go that same way Yes assuredly for things artificiall as well as naturall have their owne periods which they cannot outreach otherwise they were infinite a propertie which cannot be attributed to any thing created properly The second reason is taken from experience the schoolemistresse of fools for it is the surest that ever man got and it appointeth and teacheth that our life is a dying life and that the first step to it is the first step to our death and that the longer we live the nearer we are to death and our being here is equally divided between life and death Na scentes morimur finisque ab origine pendet Quidquid habens ortum finem timet ibimus omnes So that the continuall worke of our life is a building of death in us for we die daily and if we live but one day we see all so all dayes are alike it is that same day and night that same sun and moone these same elements and heaven which our forebears have seen before us and there is no new thing under heaven But to repeat things from the beginning doth not experience teach us that where there is one come to fiftie years there are ten not come but to see a man passe his climacterick and then 80. years it is rara avis in terris Never man yet lived a 1000 years which are but one day in the sight of God for one age is the death of another childhood the death of infancy youthhood the death of both manhood the death of these three old age the death of these foure death the death of all even so one generation is the death of another To the Hebrews succeeded Babylonians Chaldeans Assyrians Medes Persians Egyptians Sycionians Greeks Romanes and to them wee who live in this deficient and vicious age and as they have transferred the lamps of their lives to us so we by continuall succession of time must lay down the same without any contradiction to our posteritie That sun which ye see setting over your heads the ebbing and flowing of the sea which environeth us that earth whereupon we walk lately renewed now growing old and to come nearer these graves whereupon yee trode in your entrie this Church-yard these through stones that dead bell that beir that dolefull convoy these two corps and that wide opened sepulchre telleth us that we must die And as Catullus saith Ostentant omnia lethum Death is painted with the net of a fowler and with this ditto Devoro omnes I devoure all All things above us beneath us about us within us and without us tell us that we must die Doe not all the creatures summon one another to it the least is swallowed up by the most the weakest by the strongest And such is the gluttonie and insatiable appetite of man that he hath not spared one of them but from the tame to the wilde beasts from the fowle of the aire to the fish of the sea his wombe is become the tombe or rather filthie retract of them So that seeing he is nourished with perishingthings he cannot according to the maximes of Philosophy but perish himself too being corruptible in his conception of frothing sperme corruptible in his mothers belly of excrementitious bloud corruptible on her breast of vaporous milk corruptible in his whole life of earthly food but most of all corruptible in his death from the which he is called in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in latine mortalis that is subject to death and this is so experimented by man that one premonisheth another our forebears our fathers and they us and we our posteritie to our journeys pilgrimages warfares end Death The third reason is taken from GOD whom the Egyptians call Theut the Persians Syro the Arabians Alla the Magicians Orsi the Latines Deus the greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Hebrews Jehovah Elohim Adonai all in foure letters to let you see that he is the God of all nations the God of gods who appointed all things to come to passe according to his good wil pleasure whose appointment is the Cardinal supreme
compared by profane and divine writers to a passenger to a walking to a pilgrimage to a race to a post to a chariot to a whirlegig to a warfare to a tabernacle to the flitting of a tabernacle to a turning wheel to a stage-play to a table-play to dice to counters to a tale to a tennice-court to a weavers shutle to the dayes of a hireling to the moneths of vanitie to the wing of an eagle to an eagle in the aire to a span or hand-breadth to a smoak to a blast to a breath to winde to a passing cloud to a vanishing vapour to a bell to a space to a tyde to an ocean of waters to a ship sayling through the sea to a gowne soon put off or on to a sleep to a night watch to grasse to hay to a fading flower to a leaf to a thought to a dream to a shadow to the dream of a shadow to vanity to vanity of vanities to nothing to lesse then nothing This Epicharmus alludeth unto while he calleth man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a blowne bagge Aristophanes and Plutarch 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like the flies of Aristotle at the river Hipanis which appear in the morning are in their full strength at noone and die at night like Jonah his gourd which sprung in one night and withered in another wee are like a blast and away with us as ye say in your trivial proverb And this we shall see more clearly if we look more narrowlie to our life Euripedes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This Augustine expoundeth I know not whether to call this a mortall life or a vitall death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith one is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our life is a violence or trouble 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our body a sepulchre 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our beauty and colour a carion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our frame and shape a band 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our generation is a casting of us unto earth another funus est fumus our buriall a rieke So that this is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a life not a life And this shall be more manifest if wee take a view of our ages First our infancie is full of infirmitie and tears when we are in our mothers bellies the least fall of her may crush us into pieces the smoak of a candle may smother us and she is so ashamed of our birth that no honest matron desireth to be delivered of us in publick And are we once come to light we creep in our own filth when other creatures take them to their feet or wings to feed themselves Secondly our child-hood is full of wantonnesse and foolishnesse we hunt after toyes and trifles not able to govern our selves wearisome of the instruction of our parents and masters and when they have much troubled themselves with us we are not worthie perhaps the paines taking on Thirdly our youth-hood is full of vaine idle and rash pleasures leading us to debauchery lulling us asleep in their bosome for to cut our throat like so many pillules of gold which under their outward beauty keep an inward sowrenesse like so many Dalila's to betray us to our enemies or like so many Syrens to devour us or like so many Judases to kill us with a kisse Fourthly our man-hood is full of pride emulation ambition with thousands of carking irking and pricking cares so that in this life we walke upon briars and he who hath the crowne on his head his heart is full of thornes and neither his purple nor his precious stones nor the magnificence of his fare or his court can keep him from traitours flatterers and assasinates So that some princes have thus spoken of their purple O cloath more glorious then happy Fifthly our old age is full of sicknesse complaints miseries for when a man hath done what he can to make himself honourable rich learned wise then it cometh to the which few winne many wish to come to it but they are no sooner arrived but they would bee far from it for with it are catarrhs colick gravell gout fever c. till that death give the stroak so that we begin in tears and end in miseries Astrologers such as Proclus Ptolemee and Aliben have more subtilly then solidly compared our ages looking to the perfection of the seventh number to the seven planets in this manner First our infancy humide moveable to the moone in the which having none or very little use of reason we live and grow like plants and in this only we differ from them as Philo Judaeus saith that other plants have their roote on earth but ours is in the heaven Secondly our child-hood to Mercurie wherein wee are taught and instructed Thirdly our youth-hood to Venus the dayes of love dalliance and pleasure Fourthly the Zeni of our youth the prime of our beauty to the sun in his goodly array Fifthly our ripe and full man-hood to Mars when we bend our desires intentions determinations towards preferment honour and glory Sixthly our raw old age to Iupiter when we begin to number our dayes and to apply our hearts unto wisedome Seventhly our rotten and decrepit age to Saturne when we are overclouded with sorrow tending to the doore of death which lyeth wide open at all times to all persons when the tyde of our dayes shall have a perpetuall ebbe without a full plemmura our leaf once fallen shal never spring up againe till that the world be no more So that ye see howbeit the spaces of our short time be compared to the heavens above yet they make us not immortall For as they have their owne courses which beginne and end according to their proper motions even so wee are wavering and wandring planets till that our first mover God settle us with eternall rest In the mean time we may say with Job ch 14. 1 Man that is borne of a woman is of few dayes and full of trouble And with Jacob Few and evil are the dayes of my pilgrimage Therefore let us live as sojourners aiming at our journeys end as runners looking for the prize as fighters sweating for the crowne for this is a strange land and this world is a banishment and heaven is our countrey and paradise our native soile and GOD our Father and Christ our Brother and the Spirit our comforter and the spirits justified our kindred and the holy angels our companions Why doe we not long for them But alas poore miserable wretches that we are wee fix not the eyes of our soules upon that life which is hid in Jesus otherwise wee would bee willing to lay downe this transitorie uncertain calamitous life for to regain that permanent secure and glorious life Oh if wee could see with the eyes of faith the things that are not seen by the eyes of a naturall man and which wait for us then ten thousand
remedia cum mortis imminent pericula It is no time to prepare remedies against imminent death Foreseen dangers harme least But let us studie it in the morning that the evening of our dayes may bee calme and peaceable Yea let us gather our selves together before the supreme decree of death passe out against us at unawares that so wee may meet it with as much readinesse of minde as it is willing with greedines to receive us who should not be drifters off of repentance like Salomons sluggard or any more supersede flatter or foster our selves with vaine and deceitfull conceits of the immortalitie of this melting mortalitie or admire this dying carcasse which the wormes must feed upon ere it be long or be ravished with the astonishing fabrick of our bodies which are but clay tabernacles and death at our flitting will dissolve the pinnes thereof Therefore O young man remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth O strong man go not a whooring from the living God! O old man who hast one foot in the grave already let death be set before thy eyes And thinke not O beastly drunkard O devouring glutton but as thou insultest over thy companions in the excesse of meat and drinke so thy liver will faile thee and the powers of death and of the grave shall triumph over thee ere it be long O leacherous man who sowest where thou darest not reap deflowring virgines defiling the honourable bed of marriage the fierie heat of thy concupiscence shall be quenched in the flouds of oblivion ere it be long O avaricious extortioner O ambitious worldling howbeit now thou canst pledge whole monopolies devoure widows houses eat up the poore rob the altar yet thou shalt get one morsell that thou canst not digest ere it be long O generous man howbeit thy heart now erected in thy breast inthe forme of a restlesse piramide be the fountaine of thy life it shall be dryed up like a summer strype ere it be long And as it was primum vivens so it shall bee ultimum moriens ere it be long O brave man thy noble and straight face which now contemplates the heavens shall bee defaced in the slimie valley ere it be long O wise man who knowest the estates of kingdomes the secrets of princes the mysteries of nature and hast made up a store-house within thee of all commendable vertues thou and they shall perish together ere it be long O eloquent man whom of all men I thinke to be most compleat thy tongue which now floweth like milk and honey and powreth Nectar and Ambrosia upon the famished and thirstie souls of thy hearers and drowneth as it were the soyle of their hearts with a soft-silver running river shall lick the dust ere it be long O thou comely Rachel beautifull Bethsheba alluring Dalilah thy pampered and well covered skinne in the grave shall be like that of a drudge or vile kitchin-maid ere it belong O young gallant who art enamoured with thy beautie thinking thy self another Adonis Nereus Narcissus thou shall be like Aesope or Thersites ere it bee long And whatsoever thou be O man hear what I say Thy force once must languish thy sense faile thy body droup thine eyes turne in thine head thy veines break thy heart rent and thy whole frame like an old rotten oak shall fall to the ground or like a leaking ship shall sinke into the harbour of thy grave The wise man compares thee to a ruinous house which decayeth piece and piece but that comparison is familiar to those who are acquainted with scripture The certaintie whereof should weane and spean our affections from the base things of this earth and should worke in us an ardour of minde a vehemencie of spirit a serious and sedulous endeavour to bee delivered from the prison of this body the Red sea of the miseries of this life the captivitie of sinne the thraldome of our corruption the tyrannie of Satan Yee know if a couragious man be many years in a stinking solitarie and dark prison he would be glad to change his infamous life with a glorious death But if the judge command the jailour to bring him forth to bee set at libertie I pray you when he seeth the brightsome light of the sunne and tasteth of his wonted joyes in meat drink apparell companie is he not ravished within himself Even so it is with us while we are in Mesech in the Egypt of sinne under our spirituall Pharaoh the devil being compassed about with robbers on the land pirates on the sea hereticks in the church few or no godly men we cannot but be plunged in a deep dungeon of grief and sorrow But when it will please that unappealable judge that high possessour of heaven and earth to command the jaylour Death to loose us from the prison of this body then we shall behold the glorious face of the Sonne of righteousnesse and eat and drink of him who is the bread and fountain of life and be clad with the robe of his justice and enjoy the blessed companie of Saints and Angels in the highest degree of happinesse This heavenly meditation so possest many godly ones of old that long before-hand not hating their naturall but longing after a supernaturall life welcomed and invited death This made Moses to preferre the reproach of Christ before the court of Pharaoh This made Elias to cry out It is enough O Lord take my soul for I am no better then my fathers This made David to say Into thy hands O Lord I commend my spirit because thou hast redeemed my soul This made Polycarpus to say Receive me Lord and make me partner with thy Saints of the resurrection This made Ignatius Pauls disciple Bishop of Antioch to say I care not for things visible or invisible so that I may winne Christ And in another place fire gallows beasts breaking of my bones quartering of my members crucifying of my body all the torments of the devil together let them come upon me so that I may enjoy my Lord Jesus and his kingdome This made Hilarion to say Depart my soule why fearest thou why tremblest thou thou hast served CHRIST now almost seventy yeares and art thou afraid to depart This made Jerome to say Let us embrace that day viz. of death which shall assigne every one of us to his house which shal free us of the snares of this age and restore us to paradise and the kingdome of heaven Which made Gregory Nazianzen to say That that day shall make us partakers of that fruition and contemplation of the soveraigne good and place us in the bosome of Abraham and shall unite us to the assemblie of Saints and congregation of the just where saith Epiphanius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viz. The garners are sealed and the time fulfilled and the combate ended and the field empty and the crownes are given This made Augustine to say I desire to die that I may see Christ and I refuse
minded the meek as well as the angrie or angerlesse the courteous as well as the flatterer or churlish the sincere as well as the dissembler or bragger the civilized man as well as the rustick or the scoggen or the officious pleasant the just as well as the unjust must all once die The stout man may fight against death the temperate man keep a sober dyet to prolong his life the liberall propine it the magnificent make expences the magnanimous disdain it the modest smile at it the meek embrace it the courteous cherish it the civilized welcome it the just man execute judgements upon others but none of them can overcome death Look to the superiour faculties The religious divine in foro poli the curious lawyer in foro soli the skilfull mediciner in his shop must all once die The first of these may teach of it the second may make a testament after it the third may prescribe a recipe against it but none of them can cast off its yoke Look to the arts and sciences the experimented Grammarian may finde out sundrie significations of the word Death in divers languages the dainty Poet may make an Epitaph or Epicede the flowing oratour a funerall Sermon the subtile Logician may dispute pro contra the ingenuous moralist may discourse trimly upon it but what can these do but what mortall men can do after all that they can do die Therefore let not the beaten warriour thinke that all his stratagems can defend him or the polished polititian dreame that all the maximes of Matchiavel or the counsell of Achitophel can preserve him Let not the Geometer bee so busie as to search out the place or the Arithmetician number the day or the Astrologue tell the manner of his death let not the profound naturalist wade into the deep thereof nor the transcendent Metaphysician flee from it for there is no art nor science under heaven which will learn a man not to die Looke to the ages the embrion in its mothers bellie the babe on its mothers breast the wanton child the rash young man the strong man the wittie man the old man the decrepit man all must once die Look to the conditions of men Prince pastor and people all must once die And to compendize that which I thought to enlarge both elect and reprobate all must once die they for the abolition of their miseries and position of their happinesse these for the position of their miseries and remotion of all happinesse They to be glorified in soule and body these to bee damned in both So that the godly die that they may live to God and with God in heaven the ungodly die that they may live to the devill and with the devill in hell God preserve us from hell and reserve us to heaven I prove the second point of this doctrine which is this There is nothing more uncertain then the time place and manner of death as a poet saith Nemo novit mortis tempusve locumve modumve The time whether in the spring summer harvest winter of the year or of mans years whether at the point of the day morning mid-day evening night midnight it is uncertain He that dieth early in the morning is the babe he that dyeth at the third houre is the young man he that dieth at the sixt houre is the strong man he that dieth at the ninth houre is the old man and he that dieth at the eleventh houre is the decrepit man And therefore the Greek poet compareth man to an apple which is either pulled off before the time or else in time falleth off on the ground And Epictetus to a candle which is exposed to winde it may shine a little and then goeth out The place whether in thy house or in the temple in thy bed or at the table in the mountain or in the valley in the wildernesse or in the fields on sea or by land in or out of thy countrey it is uncertain The manner whether by sword famine pestilence sicknesse heat cold hunger thirst racke rope by peace or warre by a naturall or violent death it is uncertain Of all these I might bring both exotick and domestick examples but I leave them to your daily reading and hearing of divine and profane histories Onely I inferre these uses upon the precedent doctrine by way of direction from the dead and consequently from these two dead corps lying before us Receive first then three directions upon the first point viz. The certainty of death The first direction is Vive memor lethi fugit hora Persius In thy life remember of thy death for thy houre slippeth Time is precious but short and this is a hard lesson Memento mori This was accustomed to be said to the Emperours in that great triumph at Rome Memento mori homo es mortalem te esse memineris Remember to die man thou art and remember that thou art mortall All these did follow Philip Alexander the greats father who commanded his chamberlain thrice every day to round the same sentence in his eares To this effect when the Egyptians did solemnize their natall dayes they had a dead scull upon their table to put them in minde of their mortalitie One Church-yard in Paris I remarked hath moe sculls then there are living heads in Scotland St. Jerome was wont to have in his studie before him a dead mans scull with a running glasse But alas such is our follie that scarcely can wee remember of death when wee see the same painted upon the mort-cloath wee may lose a legge to day an arme to morrow an eye the third day and these will not teach us to prepare our selves towards it Consumption in the lights a stone in the bladder the gout in our feet the palsie in our hands 2000 known sicknesses in our bodies to omit unknown for every member of our bodie is subject to diverse diseases will not advertise us Our house is ruinous but we cannot flit out of it Chance telleth us that death is latent infirmitie that it is patent old age that it is present as saith Hugo What for all this we cannot be enough admonished And this is it that Jerome findeth fault with Quotidie morimur quotidie commutamur tamen aeternos esse credimus We die daylie we are changed daily yet we think our selves eternall In the mean time in our most lively life we may perceive the verie print and footstep of death For we do see continually and hear the cryes of mothers for their children of spouses for their husbands of servants for their masters visitation of sick mediciners preachers in our houses at our bedheads all warning us that we are besieged by death The second direction is Fac hodie quod moriturus agas so lead thy life as if thou wert even now dying Every day that we live complaineth Anselmus wee come from our countrey to our banishment from the sight of God to darknesse from