of all is in the pangs of death when friends riches pleasures the outward sences temporall life and all earthly helpes forsake vs. But put thy trust confidence faith in God which neither fadeth nor vanisheth Psal 118.8.9 but abideth continueth for euer Psal 146.3.4 For if thou bee in amity with God the night will bee short and thy sleepe sweete thy graue wil be to thee as a bed of doune there to rest till the day of resurrection thy prayers at that time wil smel as perfume and thy praises sound in thy soule as the harmonie of the heauens where thou shalt raigne for euer and euer And then true faith will make vs to goe wholly out of our selues and to despaire of comfort and saluation in respect of any earthly thing and to rest and rely wholly with all the power and strength of our heart vpon the pure loue and mercies of Iesus Christ When the Israelites in the wildernesse were stung with fiery Serpents and lay at the point of death they looked vp to the brasen Serpent Num. 21.8.9 which was erected for that purpose by Gods owne appointment and then were presently healed euen so when any man feeles death to approach and draw neere with a fiery sting to pierce his heart hee must then presently fixe the eyes of a true and liuely faith vpon Christ his Sauiour exalted lifted vp Iohn 3.14.15 and crucified vpon the Crosse which being done he shall by death enter into eternall life It is recorded by the Author to the Hebrewes Heb. 11.13 that the holy Fathers of the old Testament died in faith and so entred into glory And if wee will looke to be glorified with them then must we follow their steps in dying in the same faith with them And because true faith is no dead thing it must be expressed by speciall actions as namely by the last words which for the most part in them that haue sincerely and truly serued God are very excellent and comfortable and full of grace some choyce examples whereof I will rehearse for instructions sake and for imitation viz. The Last words of Iacob Gen. 49.18 O Lord I haue waited for thy saluation The last words of Moses his most excellent song set downe in Deuteronomy Deut. 32. The last words of Dauid 2. Sam. 23.1.2 The Spirit of the Lord spake by me and his word was in my tongue The last words of Zacharias the son of Iehoiada the Priest when he was stoned to death by King Ioash 2. Chro. 24.22 The Lord looke vpon it and require it The last words of the conuerted Theefe vpon the Crosse Luke 23.40.41.44 first rebuking his fellow for railing on Christ then confessing his and his fellowes guiltinesse thirdly his iustification of Christ that he had done nothing amisse and lastly his sweete prayer Lord remember me when thou commest into thy Kingdome The last words of our Sauiour Christ himselfe Luk. 23.34.43 when hee was dying vpon the Crosse are most admirable and stored with aboundance of spirituall graces First to his Father concerning his enemies hee saith Father forgiue them for they know not what they doe Secondly to the Theefe vpon the Crosse with him Iohn 19.26 I say vnto thee this day shalt thou bee with mee in Paradise Mat. 27.46 Thirdly to his Mother Woman behold thy Sonne and to Iohn his beloued Disciple Behold thy Mother Iohn 19.28.30 Fourthly in his agonie he said My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Luke 23.46 Fiftly he earnestly desiring our saluation said I thirst Sixtly when he had made perfect satisfaction for vs he said It is finished And seuenthly when his bodie and soule were parting hee said Father into thy hands I commend my spirit and hauing thus said hee gaue vp the ghost Act. 7.56.59.60 The last words of the Martyr Saint Stephen at his stoning First Behold I see the heauens open and the Sonne of Man standing at the right hand of God Secondly as they were stoning of him hee called vpon God and said Lord Iesus receiue my spirit And thirdly hee kneeled downe and cried with a loud voice saying Lord lay not this sinne to their charge and when he had said this he fell a sleepe By these and such like examples wee see what a blessed thing it is to learne to die well which is to die in faith at which end true wisdome wholly aymeth and he hath not spent his life ill that hath thus learned to die well For the conclusion of our life is the touch-stone of all the actions of our life which made Luther both to thinke and say that men were best Christians in death and Epamynandas one of the wise men of Greece being asked whom of the three he esteemed most viz. himselfe Chabrius or Ephicrates answered Wee must first see all die before we can answere that question for the act of dying well is the science of all sciences the way whereunto is to liue well contentedly and peaceably But what must we thinke if in the time of Death such excellent speeches bee wanting in some of Gods children and in stead thereof idle talke be vsed Answ We must consider the kind of sicknes whereof men dye whether it bee more easie or violent for violent sicknes is vsually accompanied with frenzies or vnseemely motions or gestures which wee are to take in good part in this regard because we our selues may be in the like case and we must not iudge of the estate of any man before God by his behauiour in death or in a troubled soule for there are many things in Death which are the effects of the sharp disease he dyeth of no impeachment of the faith he dyeth in and these may depriue his tongue of he of reason but cannot depriue his soule of eternall life One dyeth saith holy Iob in his full strength being whole Iob. 21.23.24.25.26 at ease and quiet his breasts are full of milke and his bones are full of marrow another dyeth in the bitternes of his soule and neuer eateth with pleasure they shall lye downe alike in the dust and the wormes shall couer them Wherefore in this case we must iudge none by the eye nor by their deathes but by their liues The second dutie is to dy in obedience otherwise our death cannot bee acceptable to God because else we seeme to come vnto God vpon feare and constraint as slaues to their Master and not of loue as children to their father And thus to dye in obedience is when a man is ready and willing to goe out of this world without murmuring grudging and repining when it shall please God to call him Death is the feare of rich men the desire of poore men but surely the end of all men to this step man commeth as slowly as hee can trembling at this passage and labouring to settle himselfe here the sole memory of Death
death is of no continuance it is buried in its own birth it vanisheth in its own thought and the paine is no sooner begunne but is presently ended Though the flesh bee weake and fraile yet the spirit is strong to encounter the crueltie of Death and to make it rather a kinde kisse 1. Cor. 4.16 then a cruell crosse We faint not saith the Apostle for though the outward man perish yet the inward man is renued day by day Our Sauiour Christ said at his death and last farewell Iohn 17.1 Father the houre is come glorifie thy Sonne that thy Sonne also may glorifie thee Is there glory in death and is death but an houre It is of no long abode that abideth but an houre and little doe I doubt but that in that houre the soule is more rauished with the sight of God then the bodie is tormented with the sence of death Nay I am further perswaded that in the houre of my death the passion of mortalitie is so beaten backe with impression of eternitie that the flesh feeleth nothing but what the soule offereth and that is God from whom it came and whither it would as Saint Augustine saith with as great hast as happinesse And therefore whether you please to define or diuine of death what it is if it bee rightly broken into parts and passages the elect of God shall finde it a very easie passage euen as it were but a going out of prison a shaking off of our giues an end of banishment a breaking off our bands a destruction of toile an arriuing at the hauen a iourney finished the casting off an heauie burthen the alighting from a madde and furious horse the going out of a tottering and ruinous house the end of all griefes the escape of all dangers the destroyer of all euels Natures due Countries ioy and heauens blisse And from hence doe flow those sweete appellations by which the holy Ghost which is the Spirit of truth doth describe the death of the godly in saying that they are gathered or congregated to their people that is to the company of the blessed and triumphing Church in heauen to come to those which haue deceased before them in the true faith or rather haue gone thither before them So that the holy Ghost vseth a most sweete Periphrasis of death as speaking of the death of Abraham Gen. 25.8 Then Abraham gaue vp the ghost and died in a good old age Gen. 35.29 Gen. 49 33. Numb 20.24 Num. 27.13 an old man and full of yeeres and was gathered to his people And of the death of Isaac And Isaac gaue vp the ghost and died and was gathered vnto his people and so likewise of Iacob of Moyses of Aaron c. It is but the taking of a iourney which we thinke to bee death it is not an end but a passage it is not so much an emigration as a transmigration from worse things to better a taking away of the soule and a most blessed conueying of it from one place to another not an abolishing for the soule is taken from hence and transposed into a place of eternall rest it is a passage and ascension to the true life it is an out-going because by it the godly passe out of the slauerie of sinne to true libertie euen as heretofore the Israelites out of the bondage of Egypt into the promised land And as S. Peter termes it it is a laying downe of the tabernacle 2. Pet. 1.14 2. Cor. 5.4 for so he stiles our bodies And as S. Paul termes it it is an vnclothing or putting off of it and a remouing out of the bodie from a most filthie lodging to a most glorious dwelling They are said to be loosed from a port or from a prison and to come to Christ Phil. 1.23 seeing they are led out of the Inne of this present life to the heauenly Countrey and out of the dregs of wicked men to the most blessed societie of Christ and his Saints in heauen They are loosed by death out of the bonds of the bodie for euen as cattell when they haue discharged the labour of the whole day at last about the euening are set free and as they which are bound in prison are loosed from their fetters so the godly are led foorth by death from the yoke of their labours and sorrowes of this life and out of the filthie prison of sinne and by a wonderfull and most sweet translation are caried to a better life Out of all which it clearely appeareth Phil. 1.21 how truely the Apostle hath called the death of the godly aduantage seeing it is aduantage to haue escaped the increase of sinne aduantage by auoyding worse things to passe to better from labour and daunger to perfect rest and security and which is all in all to eternall blessednesse All which appellations of death doe teach vs to be so farre from beeing afraid of it that we ought willingly to welcome it as the easie and ioyfull messenger of our happy deliuerance and not sing loth to depart as all worldlings doe who tremble at the very name of it And thus I passe from the facility of dying to the felicitie of dying of which I may say as Sampson did of his riddle Out of the eater came meate Iudges 14.14 and out of the strong came sweetnesse Now the meat that commeth out of this eater and sweetnesse that proceedeth forth of this strong one is a cessation of all euill and an indowment of all good and by this doore we haue an easie and readie passage to all blessednesse and happinesse where God and with him all good is Man that is borne of a woman saith Iob hath but a short time to liue Iob 14.1 and is full of misery O sweet death that turneth time into eternity and misery into mercie so graciously hath our Sauiour done for vs making medicines of maladies cures of wounds and salues of sores and to his children producing health out of sicknesse light out of darknesse and life out of death Psal 27.13 This made Dauid to daunce in the midst of all his affliction and calamitie when he said I should verily haue fainted vnlesse I had beleeued to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the liuing This hath supported the soules of Gods Saints in the seas of their sorrowes when they thought vpon the day of their dissolution wherein they should be made glorious by their deliuerance For as our Sauiour Christ tooke his flight from the heauen to the Virgins wombe from her wombe to the world from the world to the crosse from the crosse to the graue from the graue vnto heauen againe Euen so from the womb wee must follow his steppes and tread the same path that he hath traced out for vs. Iohn 14.6 I am the way saith our Sauiour the truth and the life He is the way without wandring the truth without shadowing the life without
him to be released and if your selfe belong to God it is best for you also at this time to loose him best I say in the wisdome of God and to some end although not so in your owne reason which seeth not so farre and in all respects best Now thinke with your selfe thus much if you had done good to one and pleasured him much and all the friends he hath or any of them should crie out for it would it not grieue you surely it would grieue you so much the more by how much that vnthankefull dislike should be more vehement and last long So it is with God and therefore see what you doe and whom you moue to anger The Apostles words are plaine All things worke for the best vnto them that feare God if you beleue it and also thinke of your dead friend and your selfe God the holy Ghost who cannot lye concludeth that the same was best both for him and you which now is come to passe When good is done we should not grieue and when the best is done much lesse should we grieue for God calleth him out of this life when he is at his best if he be good that hee turne not to euill if euill that hee waxe not worse Away then with sorrow and sowre lookes and let the Lord for his mercie receiue your thankes from faithfull content and not murmuring and repining from vnbridled affections not onely good is done but the best euen the very best by the best that onely knowes what is best and it should appease and satisfie you God is no lyer neither can he be deceiued but if one houres life might haue been better either for him or you then is not the best done and then the Apostles words are not true but that were wicked once to imagine so Therefore no longer life would haue profited him or you but the very best is done blessed therefore be God for his goodnesse euer Fourthly I consider what the same Apostle saith in another place I desire to be loosed and to be with Christ Phil. 1.23 which is best of all And I aske of you whether your selfe do not the like as you are able if you doe not you are yet ouer earthly and further in loue with this wicked and sinfull world then you should be If you doe it why then grieue you that your friend hath obtained that which you desire this will seeme rather enuie then loue in you to conceiue dislike for ones well doing What againe if your friend wish as the Apostle doth long before he obtained his request and now the Lord hath granted what he so heartily wished this is mercie to be reioyced for and not any miserie to bee wept for A true friend acknowledgeth a debt for the pleasuring of his friend and is not mooued with anger or griefe for the same stay then your teares if you will bee iudged a friend and neither grudge to God the companie of his child nor to the child the presence of his God because this is wicked Thinke of the glorie company immortalitie and ioy and comfort with the blessed Trinity and all the hoste of heauen that now your friend enioyeth thinke of the woes and miseries in this wretched vale of teares from which he is freed and then iudge you if the Apostle say not true that it is best to be loosed and to be with Christ If this best bee now at this instant fallen to your good friend by Gods good mercie blesse God for it and comfort your self that your friend enioyeth such endlesse ioy and comfort and thereby shall you shew your selfe a friend indeed and all that are godly and wise cannot but thinke well of you Againe the Apostle saith 2. Cor. 5.6.8 That we know that whilest wee are at home in the bodie we are absent from the Lord therefore we loue rather to remoue out of the bodie and to dwell with the Lord. From which absence from God your friend is freed and by presence and dwelling with God he is now blessed a true cause and a great cause as hath beene said of good content Then doe not you prouoke the Lord with vnthankfull teares sighes and groanes but stay that course which offendeth greatly and tread the steppes of all such as vpon the like occasion haue walked rightly by their discreet mourning Who are euer patient and moderate in sorrow repressing and ruling their affections and gaue them not a loose reine and so ought you Againe in the first Epistle to the Thessalonians it is said I would not haue you ignorant brethren concerning them that sleepe that yee sorrow not 1. Thess 4.13 as they which haue no hope Reade the place and examine your owne course whether you hope or no. First that your friend is well and then that Almightie God will supply his want to you some other way for both these are necessarie our friends are our comforts if they be good But if I tie God to them and thinke all is gone when they are gone where is my hope what pleasure to God so to trust in him that I trust more in my friends and cry out when they goe how shall I doe how shall I liue what ioy can I now haue Is this hope is this trust is this faith fie that euer affections and passions should carie any good child of God so far from his dutie and from true knowledge I say againe our friends are our comfort while the Lord lendeth them and when our friend returneth to his earth yet the Lord is in heauen where he euer was if I haue lost my father to be my father mother sister friend yea all in all to me whatsoeuer I want Therefore while he liueth which is and shall bee for euer I cannot be friendlesse though my friends die or depart from me but that either for one he will raise me vp another or himselfe supplie the place which is best of all Mourne not then I pray you as one without hope but hearken vnto the Apostle and shew foorth your faith hope and obedience vnto God to the glorie of God and your owne praise Againe wee read in the booke of Leuiticus Leuit. 10.3 that the sonnes of Aaron Nadab and Abihu were slaine by the Lord in his anger for their sinnefull presumption in offering vp strange fire which the Lord commanded them not which was a fearefull sight and spectacle to the fathers eyes to see two sonnes at once and in such sort dead Yet what did Aaron I pray you marke the text I will saith the Lord bee sanctified in them that come nigh me and before all the people I will be glorified And Aaron saith the holy Ghost there held his peace And what an example is this if any thing may mooue you to stay your affections for the death of your friends Againe it is said in the booke of the Reuelation And I heard a voyce from heauen Reu. 14.13
both man and tree fall into the bottom of that deepe pit This hungry Vnicorne is swift death the poore traueller that flyeth is euery sonne of Adam the pit ouer which he hangeth is hell the arme of the tree and slender twigge is his fraile and short life those two wormes are the wormes of conscience which day and night without intermission consume the same the hiue of hony is the pleasures of this world to which while men wholly deuote themselues not remembring their last end the roote of the tree that is the temporall life is spent and they fall without redemption into the pit and gulfe of hell If thou thus seriously ponder this thy vnstable estate I suppose thou wilt take little pleasure in ryot and dissolute liuing Giue those that are condemned to dy Nectar giue them Ambrosia giue them Manna the bread of Angells and will they tast it No they can neither eat drinke laugh or sleepe and wilt thou that art already condemned and guiltie of death perchance this very moment to be inflicted vpon thee securely addict thy selfe to drunkennesse gluttonie excesse and to al manner of riotous and intemperate liuing Remember rather the rich glutton in the Gospell Luke 16.23 who after he had pampered his body all the dayes of his life in the end Death made him a fat dish for the wormes his flesh and bones were consumed into dust but which was most terrible his soule was cast into hell the burning lake of brimstone and at this time calleth for one drop of cold water to coole his tongue which yet is denied him What adamantine and flinty heart can thinke vpon this without relenting I speake not here of the harmes and hurts that intemperance in meates and drinkes bringeth to the body for meate should be vsed as oyle put into a lampe to keepe it burning not to quench it And Galen the Prince of Physitians saith that abstinence is the whole summe or abridgement of Physicke How then can they liue long that liue by so many deaths whose bellies are sepulchers of lusts and very gulfes and sinckes of the shambles to their owne destruction For as he that allowes lesse to his body then he owes to his body kils his friend so hee that giues more to his body then he owes to his body nourisheth his enemie If the glutton did remember that God is able to come against him yea at the very disburdening of nature he would not make his kitchin his Church gurmandizing his Chamberlaine his Table his Alter his Cooke his Preacher the odours of his meate his sacrifice swearing his prayer quaffing his repentance and his whole life wanton fare Did the Drunkard but remember this that God is ready to come quickly against him yea euen in his drunkennesse he would not rise early to follow strong drink Esa 5.11 which doth trouble the head ouerthrow the sences cause the feete to reele the tongue to stammer the eyes to roule and the whole fabrick of his little world to be possest with this voluntarie madnes losse of many friends credit and time It would make too great a volume to insist vpon all other sinnes for the subduing wherof the meditation on Death is a most soueraigne remedy Are we strangers vpon earth and is our countrey in heauen and must we all dye Yea verily this necessitie thē should inforce vs to aspire to our heauenly countrey and let vs rather meete Death in our meditation thē carelesly attend it lest we be surprized by it at vnawares Before thy miserable spirit resigne ouer his borrowed mansion bethinke with thy selfe what thou art and whether thou goest the remembrance whereof will breede in thy heart sorrow sorrow remorse remorse repentance repentance humilty humility godly affection and loue to God-ward And here assure thy selfe that nothing in all the world can inforce a man sooner to liue soberly righteously and godly in this present euill life then the due consideration of his owne infirmities the certaine knowledge of his mortality and the often and continuall meditation and remembrance of his last gaspe death and dissolution when as a man then becommeth no man For when once he beginneth to wax sicke and still by sicknes groweth more sickly then doth a wretched man despaire of life hauing onely his paine griefe in remembrance His heart doth quake his minde is amazed with feare his sences vanish quite away his strength decayes his carefull brest doth pant his countenance is pale neither willing nor able to call for mercy his fauor out of fauor his eares deafe his nose loathsomely foule and sharp his tongue furred with phlegme and choller quite flattereth and faileth his mouth vnseemely froathing and foming his body dyeth and rots at length his flesh consumes his shape his beautie his delicacy leaue him and he returnes to ashes and in stead and place of these succeede filthy wormes as one sayth elegantly Next after man doe wormes succede then stincke in his degree So euery man to no man must returne by Gods decree Behold here a spectacle both strange and dreadfull and assure thy selfe that there is neither skill nor meanes of art nor any kinde of learning that can be more auaileable to quaile the pride of man conuince his malice confound his lusts and abate his worldly pompe and vaine-glorious vanity then the often remembring of these things For in all the world there is nothing so irksome nothing so loathsome and vile as the carcasse of a dead man whose sent is so tedious and infectious that it may not lodge and continue in a house fower dayes but must needs be cast out of doores as dung and deepely buried in the mould Ioh. 11.39 for feare of corrupting the ayre Then blush for shame thou proud peacocke who in death art so vile and wormes meat and shortly shall become most loathsome carrion Thinke therefore vpon these things and thou shalt receiue great profit thereby When the Peacocke doth behold that comely fanne and circle of the beautifull feathers of his taile hee jetteth vp and downe in pride beholding euery part thereof but when he looketh downe seeth his black feete with great misliking he vaileth his top-gallant and seemeth to sorrow Euen so many know by experience that when they see themselues to abound in wealth and honor they glory much are highly conceited of themselues they draw plots and appoynt much for themselues to performe for many yeares to come This yeare say they we will beare this office and the next yeare that afterward we shall haue the rule of such a prouince then wee will build a pallace in such a Citty whereunto wee will adioyne such gardens of pleasure and such vineyards and the like And thus they make a very large reckoning before hand with the rich man in the Gospell Who if they did but once behold their feete that is if they did but see how fast they stoope toward death Luk. 12.16
and considered the shortnesse of their life so fraile so inconstant and transitorie and vpon Death so black and vgly how soone would they let fall their proud plumes forsake their arrogancy and change their purposes their manners their mindes their liues In that they tend and hasten as fast as they can to death some at one miles end some at two some at three and some when they haue gone a little further And thus it commeth to passe that some are taken out of this life sooner and some tarry a little longer Abhorre therefore thy haughtines auoid thy vanities leaue off thy lusts amend thy life For he that is godly wise vieweth his death present and by the meditation and remembrance thereof he armeth himselfe to amend If the greatest man in the world doe in a holy meditation strip himselfe out of his robes and ornaments of state and haue the scanning of this one poynt often in his minde hence I must as great as I am and whether then Like men who trauelling no sooner come to their lodging but they are talking of their next Inne the debating of this question in the minde would bring forth most excellent fruite and so likewise if euery man would thus meditate and reason I must remoue and whither then Hell is my desert how shall I escape it Heauen is the onely place I desire to goe to how shall I come to it And thus one good meditation and thought would make way for another and so lead vs on by degrees vnto the kingdome of God Marke the life and behauiour of the wicked to auoid their steps and of the godly to prouoke thy selfe to a holy imitation of the like course as a thing best pleasing to God It is one way whereby wee honor those that are departed in the faith when wee resemble them in those heauenly graces which like the stars of heauen did shine within them while they were aliue Mark also their death with like diligence think seriously vpon thy owne death how thou must shortly dye and lie downe in the dust and part with whatsoeuer delight thou doest here enioy that this may breede in thee a contempt of the world and a longing after a better life Gregory said that the life of a wise man must be a continuall meditation on Death and he onely is euer carefull to doe well who is euer thinking on his last end It were good that Christians which tender their saluation would among so many houres of the day as they mispend in idle vaine and wandring thoughts talke play or fruitlesse exercise imploy but an houre of the day after the example of a holy man in reading meditating and pondering of one little booke trium foliorum but of three leaues which I wil commit to your Christian cōsideration I haue read of a certaine holy man who at first had led a dissolute life and chancing on a time into the company of an honest godly man he in short time so wrought by his holy perswasions with his affections such is the force of godly societie that he vtterly renounced his former course of life and gaue himselfe to a more priuate austere moderate and secluse kinde of liuing the cause whereof being demanded by one of his former companions who would haue drawne him such is the nature of euill company to his vsuall riot hee answered that as yet he was so busied in reading and meditating on a little booke which was but of three leaues that he had no leisure so much as to think of any other businesse and being asked againe a long time after whether hee had read ouer these three leaues he did reply that these three leaues were of three seuerall colours red white and black which contained so many misteries that the more he meditated thereon the more sweetnesse he alwayes found so that he had deuoted himselfe to reade therein all the daies of his life In the first leafe which is red I meditate quoth he on the Passion of my Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ and of his precious bloud shed for a ransome of my sinnes and the sinnes of all his Elect without which we had been all bondslaues to Satan and fewell for hell fire In the white leafe I cheere vp my spirit with the comfortable consideration of the vnspeakable ioyes of the heauenly Kingdome purchased by the bloud of my Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ a great motiue of thankfulnesse In the third leafe which is blacke I meditatate vpon the horrible and perpetuall torments of Hell for the wicked and reprobate prouided and kept in store who if they behold the heauens from thence they are iustly banished for their sinnes If they looke vpon the earth there are they imprisoned on the right hand they haue the Saints whose steps they haue not rightly followed on the left hand the wicked whose course they haue ensued before them they haue Death ready to arrest them behind them their wicked life ready to accuse them aboue them Gods iustice ready to condemne them and vnder them Hell-fire readie to deuoure them From which the godly are freed by the death of Iesus Christ This booke of three leaues if we would alwayes carrie in our hearts and meditate often therein assuredly great would be the benefit which we should make thereby to restraine our thoughts words and actions within the bounds and limits of the feare of God 1. Sam. 24.10.11 But we are on the other side so busied like Nabal about white earth and red earth and blacke earth in gathering and scraping of transitory trash and in vncharitablenesse and so deuoted vnto fleshly pleasures and deceitful vanities and spending our houres like Domitian in hunting of flyes others like little children in catching of Butterflies and playing with feathers the rest like fooles in toyes and leasings that we haue not leasure at all to reade and meditate on that booke of three leaues nor to thinke on death And so on the sudden the sunne of our pleasure setteth the day of our life doth end the night of our death commeth and we chop into the earth before we be aware like a man walking in a greene field couered with snow not seeing the way runneth on and suddenly falles into a pit Lam. 1.9 When the Prophet Ieremie had remembred all the calamities and sinnes of the Iewes at the last he imputed all to this Shee remembred not her end so if I may iudge why naturall and carnall men care for nothing but their pompe their honor and dignitie why couetous men care not for any thing but their golden gaine why voluptuous Epicures care for nothing but their pleasures and Delicates whose posie is that Death hath nothing to do with them I may say with Ieremiah They remember not their end And with Esay Thou diddest not lay these things to thy heart Esay 47.7 nor diddest remember the latter end of it Deut. 32.29 O that they were wise saith
will be vnfitting by reason of the paine and of other lets and hinderances at that time It must not be put off to bee done when we will for it is not in the power of man to doe this duetie at his pleasure but when God will Ier. 10.23 O Lord saith the Prophet I know that the way of man is not in himselfe it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps And againe this late preparation which consisteth chiefly in repentance is seldome or neuer true It is sicke like the partie himselfe commonly languishing and dying together with vs. This preparation should bee voluntary as all obedience to God ought to bee but preparation taken vp in sicknesse is vsually constrained and extorted by the feare of hell and other iudgements of God For in true and sound preparation wherein chiefely wee must repent men must forsake all their sinnes but in this the sin forsakes the man who leaues all his euill wayes only vpon this that he is constrained whether he will or no to leaue the world Therefore ponder with thy selfe what then thou wouldest that thou hadest done when being neere vnto death thou hast no more time to liue and the same thing which thou wouldest wish thou hadest done when thou art at the point of death the same thing without delay doe while thou art in health that thou maist be ready euery houre to imbrace the message of Death as Seneca perswades Mors vbique nos expectat tu si sapiens eris vbique eam expectabis so it shall neuer take thee at any aduantage To this end remember Augustus his admonition be afraid to liue in such an estate as thou art afraid to dy in And pray vnto God that by his grace these things may penetrate into the bottom of thy heart and bee there so fixed that they may neuer bee quenched and that from this time forward thou maist make such vse of the preaching and hearing of his holy word of the comfortable sacraments of his Church and all other the good meanes of thy saluation that thou maist begin to walke now with a better conscience before him that in the peace of a quiet conscience after this preparation thou maist thereby arriue at the heauen of eternall glory and happines and say with the blessed Apostle Act. 24.16 Herein doe I exercise my selfe to haue alwaies a good conscience void of offence toward God and toward men Thus then this poynt being manifest that a generall preparation must be made let vs now see in what manner it must be done And for the right doing of it fiue duties must be practised in the whole course of our liues The first is the meditation on Death for the life of a Christian is nothing else as was noted at large in the second diuisiâ—n but a meditation on Death A notable practise whereof we haue in the example of Ioseph of Arimathia Mat. 27.60 who made his tombe in his life time in the midst of his garden to this end no doubt to put himselfe in minde daily of his death and that in the midst of his delights and pleasant walkes hee might be the better prepared for Death And in this respect a decent funerall is a dutie to be performed and a debt to be paâ—d to the bodies of all Christians who are the temples of the holy ghost and members of the body of Christ 1. Cor. 6.19 Eph. 5.30 and therefore are to be laid with honor into their graues as into howses of safe custody and beds of rest to remaine there in peace vntill the resurrection to the end that thereby all others might be admonished to meditate hereon to prepare themselues for their end Gen. 23. Gen. 25 9. Gen. 50. And therefore did not onely the fathers in the old testament but the faithfull also in the new performe funerals for their friends departed this life So Abraham performes a funeraâ—l for Sarah Isaac and Ismael for Abraham Ioseph Num. 20.29 Deut. 34.8 the Israelites and the Egiptians a most sumptuous one for Iacob and all Israel at two times kept a solemne mourning thirtie dayes together for Aaron and Moses In the new testament Iohn the Baptist is buried and intombed of his disciples Mat. 14.12 Mark 15.43 Our Sauiour Christ by two great Counsellers And Stephen is carried out to be buried by men fearing God who made great lamentation for him And likewise all the rest of the Patriarches and holy men of God This honor is to be giuen vnto the dead which from the Church was deriued vnto the very gentiles with whom to violate the sepulchers of the dead was euer accounted an hainous offence and the place of buriall sacred But God threatneth it is a iudgment to the wicked that they shall not be buried and lamented and denounceth it twice as a great curse against Iehoiakin the sonne of Iosiah that hee shall bee buried as an Asse is buried Ier. 16.4.6 Ier 22 18.19 Ier. 36.30 and that his dead body shall be cast out with contempt without any pompe or decencie of buriall It appeares also in Ezechiel that it was a custome in old time to enterre valiant men in their armes Ezech. 32.27 to put them into their graues with weapons of warre and to bury them with their swords vnder their heads which thing God seemes there to threaten that his enemies shall not haue giuing vs thereby to vnderstand that the hauing of such funerall pome and ceremonies is an honor a worldly blessing and a gift of God of which he depriues his enemies and therefore threatens in the next verse that they shall ly by them that are slaine wiâ—h the sword that is shall not be honorably enterred like Conquerors but basely buried amongst the conquered And although the wicked doe come to this honor of sumptuous funerals and to be laid in costly and painted tombes and sepulchers as it often falleth out yet it may be said of such a one that he which was not long since clad in silke purple and gold and shined with diamonds is now assaulted with troupes of wormes and breathes forth intollerable sents while that his heire liueth pleasantly in ryot and excesse possessing the fruite of his labours which hee himselfe neuer or a small time enioyed And herein his very dust and corruption doth appeare and his ambition and pride doth rest it selfe within this tombe for then behold stately Sepulchers engrauen stones that report some famous actions and proud titles vpon his tombe set out with false narrations to the end that passengers may say here lyeth a goodly stone but a corrupted bodie But the vse that wee must make of all burialls and funerals for whomsoeuer they be is to admonish and put vs in minde that we must make preparation for our owne end and for the felicitie happines of the life to come Which kinde of preparation is of especiall vse and brings forth many
the Hart desireth the water-brookes Psal 42.1 they labour by religious zeale to approue their liues to God and good men and they are so farre from fauoring their faults as that they seuerely punish them vpon themselues Must then amendement of life yeeld such worthy works and fruits Is care clearing indignation feare desire zeale and punishment required thereunto O then to repent can bee no light matter nor trifling labour which a man may haue at commandement or performe when he listeth no no for much toile and trauell belongeth vnto it Sinne cannot bee cast off as an vpper garment the hearts of sinners must suffer an earth-quake within them and tremble and rend like the vaile of the Temple Mat. 27.51 which was rent in twaine from the top to the bottom and like the earth which did quake and like the rocks which rent at the yeelding vp of the host of our Sauiour Christ for our sinnes so that must torment vs at the heart which delighteh vs in our bodies that must bee soure to our soules which was sweete in our liues wee must chaunge our vices into so many vertues and so turne to our gracious God as if neuer more wee would returne vnto sinne For mourning is in vaine saith Saint Augustin if we sinne againe Great sinnes saith Saint Ambrose craue great weeping lamentation the Angels in heauen sing at this lamentation neither doth the earth afford any so sweete musick in the eares of God And if wee will purge our selues from the filthines of our sinnes wee must often rince our selues with teares wee must vndergoe the agonie of repentance mingle our drinke with weeping water our couches with teares Psal 6.6 yea the very bloud as it were of our soules must gush out of our eyes O that our head saith the Prophet were waters Ierem. 9.1 and our eyes a fountaine of teares that we might weepe day and night for our sinnes Psal 119.136 O that riuers of waters saith the Psalmist would run downe our eyes because we keepe not the law of God Wee must be greeued because wee cannot alwaies be greeued Repentance is a baptisime of teares the greater that our fall hath bin the greater must bee the terrent of our teares It is naturall to men that their lamentation bee in some sort answerable to their losse Naamans bodie must bee seuen times washed in water and our soules seuentie times seuen times purified by repentance Will examples moue vs to the performance of this dutie Looke vpon repenting Dauid and behold there are ashes vpon his head and sack-cloth vpon his backe hee did not braue it in attire nor lye streaking vpon his bed with a bare Lord helpe me in his mouth Looke vpon the repenting Nineuites Luk. 7.37 and behold King and people are strangely humbled men and beasts fast and drinke water they sat not belching at their bordes saying pardon Sir and so post it ouer Looke vpon repenting Magdalen and behold saith Gregory so many pleasures as she found in her selfe she had abused so many sacrifices shee made of her selfe shee had abused her eyes to wanton lookes and therefore now she caused them to ouer-flow with teares she had made her lips the weapons of lasciuiousnesse and gates of vanitie and therefore now shee caused them to kisse her Sauiours feete her haire once set out and frizled after the newest fashion doth shee now make serue in stead of a napkin her pretious oyntment that was her wonted perfume shee now powred vpon Christs feete which her eyes had watred her haire wiped her mouth had kissed so many sinnes so many sacrifices such sinnes such sacrifices notable examples to teach all their duties Haue you delighted in pride of attire Put on sackc-loth haue you offended in surfeting and drunkennes Fast and drinke water Hath your mirth bin immoderate Weepe and strangle that sinne with the streame of teares Haue you robbed oppressed and wronged your brethren Make restitution with Zacheus No restitution no attonement Nay further Luke 19.8 reuenge that sinne vpon your selues by giuing somewhat of your owne Haue you beene vncleane and fleshly liuers Chastise your bodies with Paul and keepe it vnder and br◅g it in subiection by all meanes possible 1. Cor. 9.27 auoid vncleannesse which commonly driueth two at once to the Diuell together Psal 38.8 Roare with Dauid for very griefe of heart and not for one sinne alone but for all Christ cast not six diuils only Luk. 8.2.30 out of the woman but the seuenth also he left not one of a whole legion We are not freed till we be freed from all We must not slay Amaleck onely which is a master-sin 1. Sam. 15.3 but likewise all his cattell euen all our beloued sinnes and say vnto the diuell as Moses said vnto Pharaoh 2. King 5.18 Exo. 10.26 wee will not leaue a hoofe behind which may cause desire of returning into Egipt It is not sufficient to pluck out the arrow but we must apply a plaister to the wound We must leaue off the rotten ragges of Adam and be wholy renued turne vnto our God with a setled purpose euer whilst we liue more and more to amend our liues Hast thou failed in thy faith and repented Luke 22.61 Behold Gods mercy to repenting Peter Hast thou robbed thy neighbour and repented Luk. 23.40 Behold Gods mercy to the repenting theefe Hast thou couetously gained and repented Luke 19.8 Behold Gods mercy to repenting Zacheus Hast thou burned in vncleane lust and repented Luke 7.37 Behold Gods mercy to repenting Magdalen Hast thou committed adulterie and repented 2. Sam. 12.13 Psal 136.2 Behold Gods mercy to repenting Dauid Vnto the repenting person hee giueth a soft heart for his mercy endureth for euer He sendeth the comfort of his holy spirit for his mercie endureth for euer He gi◅h peace of conscience for his mercy endureth And bestoweth on them the ioyes of Heauen for his mercy endureth for euer We must repēt instantly continually without any delay God wil not permit vs to giue the prime daies to the diuell the dog-dayes to him to poure out our wine to the world and to serue him with the dregges Wee may not repent by quauers and starts but goe through stitch We must follow repentance as the widdow in the Gospell did her suite Luke 18.40 and keepe our hold as Iacob did in wrestling Gen. 32.26 Amend to day amend to morrow runne on not for a time but euen our whole time with a continued act immoderately at the first time constantly in the midst and cheerefully to the end All the trees in Gods orchard must bee Palmes and Cedars Palmes which bring forth fruit betimes and Cedars whose fruit lasteth very long And let vs consider well the manifold dangers which follow the want either of speede or continuance in repentance First our liues of all things are most vncertaine as we
saith the Wise man hath hope in his death Againe that sudden death is not euill in all respects is apparant For it is not euill because it is sudden but commonly it takes men vnprepared and therefore euill and so makes the day of death a blacke day and as it were a speedie downefall to the gulfe of hell otherwise if a man be readie and prepared to die as he ought alwaies to bee then sudden death is in effect no death but a quicke easie and speedie passage and entrance vnto eternall life and happinesse For why shouldest thou being the child of God vnwillingly suffer a short death that will bring thee to the fruition of life eternall and all happinesse Rather perswade thy selfe that if thou liue in the feare of God thou shalt doe well and so liuing though thou die neuer so suddenly thou shalt doe better and that the worst hurt that sudden death can doe thee if this may be called hurt is to send thee but a little sooner then peraduenture thy fraile flesh would be willing Ioh. 14.2.3 to thy Sauiour Iesus Christ who is gone but a little before thee through great and manifold dangers and temptations to prepare a place as he himselfe saith for thee and to receiue thee vnto himselfe that where he is there thou mayest be also and remember that that worst is thy best hope The worst therfore of sudden death is rather a helpe then a harme Now all these obiections being thus answered at large it doth appeare plainly to be a manifest truth which the Preacher here saith That the day of death is better then the day of ones birth Now I come to the third point in which the reasons and respects are to be considered that make the day of death to surpasse the day of ones birth and they may all be reduced to this one namely that the birth day is an entrance into all woe and miserie whereas the day of death ioyned and accompanied with a godly and reformed life is an entrance and degree to eternall life and glory Which appeareth thus viz. Eternall life hath three degrees one in this life and that is when a man can truly say with the Apostle Gal. 2.20 I am crucified with Christ neuerthelesse I liue yet not I but Christ liueth in mee And this all such can say as truely repent and beleeue and that are iustified sanctified and haue the peace of a good conscience and are furnished with the giftes and graces of Gods holy Spirit which is the earnest of their saluation The second degree is in the end of this life when the bodie goes to the earth from whence it came and the soule returnes to God that gaue it The third degree is in the end of this world at the last iudgement when bodie and soule being re-vnited do ioyntly enter into the kingdome of heauen Now of these three degrees death it selfe being coupled with the feare of God is the second in as much as death is as it were the hand of God to sort and single out all those that are the seruants of God from amongst the wicked of this wretched world So that death is a freedome from all miseries which haue their end in death and which is the first benefit that comes by death and the first step to eternall life and glory And the second benefit that comes by death is that it giues an entrance to the soule and makes way for it and doth as it were vsher it into the glorious presence of the euerlasting God of Christ of the holy Angels and the rest of Gods Saints in heauen And this is a notable comfort against death for as all other euils of paine are to a godly Christian changed into another nature and of punishments are become fauours and benefits so is it also in this of death for now it is not a token of Gods wrath for sinne but an argument of his loue mercie and fauour to his children It is not properly death but as it were a bridge by which we passe to a better life from corruption to incorruption from mortalitie to immortalitie from earth to heauen that is in a word from vanity and miserie to perfect ioy and felicitie and a way thereby made for the resurrection Now who would not willingly passe ouer this bridge that is so easie whereby he goeth from all cares and sorrowes to all delight and pleasure leauing all miseries behind him and hauing all contentation and happinesse before him The gentiles taking it for granted that either after death we should be happie or not be at all concluded that at least death would free vs from all euill and miserie and thereupon did willingly embrace death as a rich treasure The Egyptians also builded gorgeous Sepulchres but meane houses because the one was to them but an Inne the other as they did thinke an eternall habitation which freed them from all misery And Seneca again exclaimes that our whole life is a penance which the Thracians confirmed by their practise celebrating their childrens birth with weeping and lamentation but their death with great ioy and mirth as diuers ancient Writers record whereby insinuating that our life is nothing but miserie and death the end of miserie But they haue beene all greatly mistaken therin for it is the godly Christian only which enioyeth these benefits by death as namely the exemption and freedome from all cares troubles and miseries For which cause the death of the godly is called in the Scriptures by the names of Bed and Peace Esay 57.2 He shall enter into peace they shall rest in their beds saith the Prophet It is called by the name of Rest Reu. 14.13 They shall rest from their labours saith the Sonne of God And the Author to the Hebrewes saith Heb. 4.9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God Againe the Scripture entitles death by the name of sleep and speaketh of the dead as of such as are asleepe and therfore the Prophet Daniel saith Dan. 12.2 Many of them that sleepe in the dust of the earth shall awake some to euerlasting life and some to euerlasting shame and contempt And our Sauiour Christ speaking of Iairus daughter which was dead seeing all the people weepe and lament her said vnto them Weepe not Luke 8.52 shee is not dead but sleepeth Iohn 11.11.12.13 Act. 7.60 And touching Lazarus death our Sauiour saith Our friend Lazarus sleepeth And touching Stephens death it is said He fell asleepe For this cause our forefathers called the place allotted for the buriall of the dead Dormitorium a bed-chamber wherein their bodies rest expecting the ioyfull resurrection Homer calleth sleepe fratrem mortis the brother of death Diogenes awaked out of a deepe sleepe by the Physitian and asked how hee did answered Rectè nam frater fratrem amplectitur Well quoth he for one brother embraceth another The like is reported of Gorgias Leontinus and
what can come in the whole earth or in hell so that I may enioy Iesus Christ in the end One seeing a martyr so merry and iocund in going to his death Luk. 22.44 did aske him why he was so merry at his death seeing Christ himselfe swet water and bloud before his Passion Christ said the martyr sustained in his bodie all the sorrowes and conflicts with hell and death due vnto vs for our sinnes by whose sorrowes and sufferings saith he we are deliuered from all the sorrowes and feares of hell death and damnation For so plenteous was the passion and redemption of Christ as that faint and cold sweat that is vpon vs in the agonie of our death the same he hath sanctified by the warme and bloudy sweat of his agony and making the graue a quiet withdrawing chamber for our bodies and death which before was so terrible to body soule is now by his meanes become the very doore and entrance into the kingdome of glory And hereof Blessed Hillary who from the fourteenth yeere of his age serued the Lord in singlenes of heart and in sinceritie of life to his liues end spake these words vpon his death-bed Goe forth my soule goe forth why art thou afraid Thou hast serued Christ these seuenty yeeres and art thou now afraid to depart Bishop Ridley the night before he did suffer at his last supper inuited his hostesse the rest at the table with him to his mariage for said he tomorrow I must be married shewing thereby how ioyfull he was to die and how little he feared seeing that hee well knew hee was to goe to Christ his Sauiour So by these examples wee see what great troubles the Saints and seruants and martyrs of God endured and how ioyfull they were as at a royal feast in all those troubles and sufferings of Christ that they might enter vpon that comfortable death of the righteous They were so farre from fearing death as worldlings feare it that they ran gladly vnto it in hope of the Resurrection and reioyced in the welcome day of death as in a day of the greatest good that could befall them Why then should we feare death at all to whom many things happen far more bitter and heauie then death it selfe and yet nothing so bitter and heauie as happened to these Martyrs and Saints of God Therefore when thou commest to die set before thine eyes Christ thy Sauiour in the middest of all his torments vpon the Crosse his body whipped head thorned face spitted vpon his cheekes buffeted his sides goared his bloud spilt his heart pierced and his soule tormented replenished on the crosse with a threefold plenitude as true God true man God and man gloria gratia poena full of glorie and all magnificence because true God full of grace and mercy because God and man and full of paine and miserie because perfect man a paine continuing long various in afflicting and bitter in suffering One saith hee continued in his torments twentie houres at the least others say he was so long in paine on the crosse as Adam was in Paradise with pleasure for it was conuenient that at what time the doore of life was shut against the sinner in the same moment the gate of Paradise should be open to the penitent and at what houre the first Adam brought death into the world by sinne in the same the second Adam should destroy death in the world by the Crosse Others report that Christ slept not for fifteene nights before his Passion in remembrance of the paine yea from the first houre of his birth to the last minute of his death hee did cary the crosse of our redemption In the beholding of which spectacle to thy endlesse ioy and comfort thou shalt see Paradise in the middest of hell God the Father reconciled vnto thee God the Sonne and thy Sauiour reaching forth his hand toward thee for to succour thee and to receiue thy soule vnto himselfe and God the holy Ghost ready to embrace thee and thou shalt see the Crosse of Christ Gen. 28.12 as Iacobs Ladder set vpon the earth and the toppe of it reaching heauen and the Angels of God ascending and descending on it to cary and aduance thy soule to eternall life and glory Then seeing wee are thus graced by God both in our life and at our death be not thou afraid to die And sure it is the will of God Matth. 20.22 that you should drinke of the cup that he hath filled for you and therefore pray that you may suppe it vp with patience and receiue great comfort thereby Againe there be three things that make death tollerable to euery godly Christian The first is the necessitie of dying the second the facilitie of dying the third the felicitie of dying For the first that which cannot be auoided by any power must be endured with all patience Eccles 8.8 There is no man saith the Preacher hath power ouer the spirit to retaine it neither hath he power in the day of death The first age had it and therein may pleade antiquitie the second age felt it and may pleade continuance the last age hath it and may plead propertie in all flesh till sinne and time shall be no more Call it then no new thing that is so ancient nor a strange thing that is so vsuall neither call it an euill properly thine which is so cōmon to all the world Wilt thou feare that to be done which is alwayes in doing I meane thy dying and dost thou feare to die in thy last day when by little and little thou dyest euery day Oh well said the Apostle Saint Paul 1. Cor. 15.31 I protest by our reioycing which I haue in Christ Iesus our Lord I dye daily Then I may well say yee are alwayes dying and death is still in doing Remember my iudgement saith Iesus the sonne of Syrach for thine also shall be so yesterday for me Eccles 38.22 and to day for thee Salomon saith All things haue heere their time you to day and I to morrow and so the end of Adams line is soone runne out Death is the Empresse and Lady of all the world it seaseth vpon all flesh without surrender of any till the day of restauration no place no presence no time can backe it there is no priuiledge against the graue Eccles 41.4 there is no inquisition in the graue there is no pitie to bee shewed by the graue there is no pleading with the graue For there is no worke saith the Preacher nor deuise nor knowledge Eccles 9.10 nor wisdome in the graue whither thou goest And therefore antiquitie neuer made altar to Death or deuotion to the graue because it was implacable euer found to be cruell and neuer felt to be kinde And heere from the necessitie of dying wee come to the facilitie of dying which maketh it lesse fearefull and more tollerable for that the sence of
saying vnto me Write Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours and their workes follow them Your friend is dead in the Lord and therefore blessed will you then weepe and lament for him his workes follow him and the Lord in mercie hath crowned his obedience according to his promise and will you looke awry at it God forbid Againe consider with your selfe that your friends walk with God and are gone to their heauenly Father in peace they are gathered vnto their people they are not dead but sleepe and their flesh resteth in hope they are gone the way of all flesh and doe now behold the face of God in heauen and what cause of sorrow is this to any friend that loueth them If your friend were discharged and released out of prison and miserie and preferred to the palace of an earthly prince and to his Court to his great and exceeding ioy and content would you shewe your loue and contentment toward him in bewailing the same how much lesse then should you lament his preferment into Gods euerlasting Court and kingdome to his vnspeakable ioy and comfort Thus may you gather many places of holy Scripture and on this sort meditate on them For sweet is the word of God against all sorrowes and griefes and by name against this But it may happily be obiected it is your child that is dead and it died before it could well be baptized this grieueth me more then otherwise it would and so you feare your childs estate Answ God forbid that we should either speake or think so seeing the Lord neuer said so but contrariwise the Scripture witnesseth that they are in the Couenant of God and so in state of saluation so soone as they are borne and Baptisme doth not make them Christians that were none before but is the Sacrament the seale the signe the badge of them that are Christians before Besides it is not the want of the Sacrament that depriueth a man of Gods fauour for the children of the Israelites were not circumcised all those fortie yeeres which they liued in the wildernesse the reason whereof was because they were euer to remoue and iourney whensoeuer the pillar of the cloud that was their guide ascended and went forward Numb 9.18 c. so that they were alwaies to attend vpon the cloude both night and day not knowing when it would remooue and therefore could not circumcise their children in the wildernesse as yee may read Iosh 5.2 c. but it is the contemning or despising of the Sacrament that depriueth men of Gods fauour when they make no more account of it then Esau did of his birth-right Gen. 25.32 then Ahaz did of the Lords helpe Esay 7. and it is also the neglecting of it when God offereth time and opportunitie that we might haue it Againe the Lord neuer said that whosoeuer died vncircumcised or vnbaptized should be wiped out of the booke of life but hee hath said Gen. 17.12.14 that whosoeuer contemneth or carelesly neglecteth the Sacraments shal be cut off from among his people And so read you the notes vpon that seuenteenth chapter of Genesis and I hope they shall content you for this matter God is not tyed to the Sacrament nor euer was The contempt hurteth but not the want when it is against your will Obiect Happily your child was of ripe yeeres and withall so toward that it could not be but that he should come to some great place and preferment if he had liued both for the good of himself and his friends and that he in his youth and the flower of his age should thus bee taken away is a great losse say you Answer True it is that the losse is great in respect of the world but what is that if we consider God God is also able to supplie all that some other way if we take it well This is apparant that what good or preferment could haue come to him any way or to his friends if he had liued the Lord for some purpose as yet happily hidden hath preuented but yet his arme is not shortened as I said to doe vs good some other way but it might perhaps prooue otherwise contrarie to our expectation if he had liued longer and then it would haue beene a great griefe vnto vs. But admit that it would haue beene as you hope if he had liued longer yet he is more highly preferred euen to the highest heauens and to the presence of God and this no earthly preferment can match And except we be wholy earthly our selues we cannot but sauour this and not let his youth grieue vs for no youth nor age is too good for God when he is pleased to take them A foole or a child seeing a goodly cluster of grapes thinketh it pitie to put them into the presse to deface them but he that is wise knoweth that thereby the liquour which is in them is preserued and that this timely gathering is a meanes to keepe them from corruption So we thinke sometime Oh it is great pitie such a one should die so soone so towardly a youth so good a creature can hardly be spared but God in his wisedome knoweth it to be good And if he cut off the life of that good and godly king Iosiah as it were in the middle of the stemme 2. Kings 22.20 doubtlesse it is for this cause that his eies may not see the manifold euils to come If you will be ruled to weigh things with reason you may well see mercie euen in this timely death for many are the perils both of bodie and soule that young men auoid when they are taken hence false doctrine heresies errours and many grieuous sinnes wounding the very conscience with a biting worme that euer gnaweth publike calamities and ruine of state many priuate miseries great and grieuous which no man can thinke of beforehand more bitter to good men then any death from all which this happie deliuerance in time of youth doth free your child and set him safe that you shall neuer mourne with him nor for him that way And herein we haue Dauid an example of godly fortitude who hauing a child sicke did while it liued afflict his soule besought God for the child and fasted and wen◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and lay all night vpon the earth and would not be comforted Thus while there was hope of remedie he gaue way to the sorrow of his heart 2. Sam. 12.16 but when Dauid perceiued that the child was dead then he arose from the earth and washed and anointed himselfe and changed his apparell and came into the house of the Lord and worshipped and after came to his owne house and bad that they should set bread before him and he did eate His sorrow ended when he once saw there was no hope of enioying any longer the companie of his child Now this course seemed vnto
persecutions into desarts mountaines and holes of the earth But they were worthy and had farre better company hauing a kind of fellowship with Christ and all the Saints that were gone before them So for the faithfull that now liue if the wicked and vngodly make no more of them then of the filth of the World and as of the of scouring of all things as the Apostles speaketh it is because they are too good to liue amongst them and too precious to be cast before swine 1 Cor. 4 13. that so treade and trample them vnder their feet And where they say away with such fellowes from the earth Math. 7.6 for it is not fitte that they should liue Christ will in his due time take them from the earth by a blessed and most sweet death Act. 22.22 to haue the company and fellowship with him his Angels and Saints and with all the holy company of Heauen and then they shall haue their desire Thirdly it is lawfull to desire death in respect of our sinnes to the end we might not offend God any more by sinning And what a miserie and bondage it is to bee in subiection to sin may appeare by the most earnest and feruent prayer of the blessed Apostle Saint Paul vvho feeling the waight and heauie burden thereof 2 Cor. 12.7.8.9 he desired God with earnest zeale and feruencie and with deepe sighes and groanes that hee might be deliuered from it And againe after the long and lamentable complaint that the Apostle made of the Law that was in his members striuing against the law of the Spirit and leading him captiue into the law of sinne hee breaketh forth into this most patheticall exclamation O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer mee from the body of this death or this body of death I thanke God through Iesus Christ our Lord. Rom. 7.24.25 The Prophet Dauid also feeling the heauy waight of his sinnes maketh his grieuous complaint and mone thereof vnto God saying There is no soundnesse in my flesh Psal 38.34 because of thine anger neyther is there any rest in my bones because of my sinnes for mine iniquities are gone ouer my head as a heauie burthen they are too heauy for me If a man would inuent a torment for such as feare God and desire to walke in newnesse of life and to haue part in the first resurrection hee cannot deuise a greater torment then to be disquieted with this tyranny of sinne and with this vnquiet vnhappy Iebusite euen the rebellion and corruption of our owne flesh and this heauie weight of sinne that doth cleaue and hang so fast vpon vs. O happy therefore and blessed death that dischargeth and freeth vs from so sore combersome and cruell bondage and from further offending of him who dyed for our sins So that death freeth vs from the necessity of sinning also brings vs to bee with Christ And to desire death in this case is not a loathing to liue but a loathnesse to sinne In which case Iob desired death because of his sinnes that he might not offend â—od any more and therefore hee sayth Iob. 6.8.9 10. O that I might haue my request and that God would grant me the thing that I long for euen that it would please God to destroy me that he would let loose his hand and cut me off then should I yet haue comfort Now in the meane while till we can haue our desire in this case accomplished Rom. 6.12 wee must resist and striue against our sinnes that they may not raigne in our mortall bodies and let all our endeauor and care increase against our sins that the force of them may be dayly weakened their number lessened and all occasions of sinning auoyded Fourthly it is lawfull to desire death in respect of the miseries calamities and troubles of this life and for the preuenting of the miseries to come And yet this holy desire must not be simple and absolute but it must bee restrained with certain respects and with these reseruations First it must bee desired so farre forth as it is a meanes to put an end to all our miseries to all the dangers of this life to all the corruption of nature and to the necessity of sinning Secondly as it is a gate by which wee enter into the immediate fellowship with Christ and of God And our desire also for these endes must keepe it selfe within these limits wherein two Caueats must bee obserued First it must not bee immoderate exceeding the golden meane Secondly it must alwayes be with a reseruation of Gods good pleasure and with an humble submission and subiection of our willes to the will of God For if eyther of these be wanting the desire of death is defectiue faulty and dangerous Death frees vs from the miseries and perils of this world abolisheth all present and preuents all future dangers and brings vs to be with Christ What man wearied with labour desires not rest what Mariner tossed vpon the seas wisheth not to come into safe harbour What traueller toiled with a tedious and perilous iorney would not willingly come to his wayes end what sicke maÌ„ accepts not health what slaue imbraceth not freedome what prisoner doth not entertaine inlargement what captiue would not welcome liberty what husbandman would be euer toyling and not at length receiue the fruit of his labour what marchant is content to liue euer in danger by sea and by land amongst Pyrats and robbers not to come at last safe home with his wealth And lastly what man hauing the reuersion of a goodly kingdome would be loath to receyue the possession of it And sure wee are all in this case by reason of the manifold miseries incident to vs in this world that wee haue good cause to wish with a holy desire to be loosed from al these miseries and to be with our Sauiour Christ and in the meane time Luk. 21.19 till we can haue our desire in this case Let patience possesse our soules Fifthly and lastly it is lawfull to desire death for the perfecting and full accomplishment of that coniunction and vnion which wee haue in Christ Iesus our head that wee might be where he is to enioy his presence For we are saith the Apostle members of his body of his flesh Eph. 5.30 and of his bones that is we are most straightly coupled to Christ by the spirituall band of our faith which vnion is most admirable For first wee are vnited to his Godhead that is not by transfusion of the diuine substaÌ„ce but by effectual working by the manhood and secondly wee are one with his manhood that is really and substantially Ioh. 15.5 as appeareth by those Similitudes by which this vnion is expressed in holy Scriptures as namely First of the Vine and branches Ioh. 3.29 Rom. 11.18 Eph. 2.20 Eph. 1.23 Secondly of the Bridegroome and the Bride Thirdly of the Oliue tree and the
heauenly habitation Augustine writing vpon Genesis sayth That the blessed shall haue a three-fold sight of God in heauen To wit they shall first haue a spirituall or they shall see the blessed spirits Angels next a body or corporall sight of the blessed redeemer And thirdly a supernatural or intellectuall sight and a fourth may be added that they shall likewise see the holy Chost For the first their spirites and soules shall behold and see with great comfort and ioy the blessed Angels and Spirites of all the faithfull departed They shall see the bright Court of Angels Math. 18.10 Cherubins Seraphins alwaies beholding the face of our father which is in heauen attending the Dyetie and euer pressing to doe his will faithfully speedily willingly neuer wearie of watching because they are neuer wearie of well-doing They shall see the faire assembly of the Saints of God the Patriarckes Prophets and Apostles Luk. 13.28 with Abraham Isaacke and Iacob in his glorious Kingdome they shall bee tyed vp with them in the bundell of liuing 1 Sam. 25.29 neuer to bee loosed any more As they before them haue done so shall they returne into their rest as into a retiring Campe after the day of battell This is the greatest ioy vpon the first sight And if as Chrysostome sayth to see the Deuill and euill Spirits bee a horrible punishment and a kind of hell then to see good Angels and good Spirites must be a great ioy and the beginning and entrance into heauen Psal 45.1 The second is that corporall and bodily beholding of our Sauiour Iesus Christ standing at the right hand of God the Father 1 Pet. 1.12 and his comfortable face and countenance fayrer then the sonnes of men and whome the very angells desire to behold and whereby in their Spirites the Saintes doe presenly see the naturall and humane bodie of Christ Iesus at the right hand of God the Father from whose glorious sight doth arise a greater measure and degree of comfort and ioy Cant. 3.11 Then come the godly to see in substance that which was spoken of the type by Salomon Math. 12.42 Come foorth O yee daughters of Sion and behold the King Salomon with the Crowne To see then this true Salomon more great then Salomon euen our Redeemer thus standing crowned in glory and haue accesse to him must needes bee a second and higher measure of ioy to the beholders It is sayd when Salomon was crowned 1 Kin 1.40 the people reioiced exceedingly that the earth rent with the sound of thē Oh what ioy and greater ioy is it then to see Christ Iesus thus crowned with glory in Gods Kingdome at home When the Wise-men came a farre iourney seeking Christ anst found him new borne lying most meanely basely in a Cratch amongst the beasts yet did they reioice seeing him in the Cratch and did offer to him Oh how much shall yee reioyce Math. 2.10,12 seeing him that was in the Cratch cloathed with great glory and wearing an immortall Crowne The third sight is that intellectuall and glorious sight supernaturall of Gods essence face to face as Paul nameth it yea God himselfe of so great Maiesty might beauty goodnesse mercy and loue 1. Cor. 13.12 as if a man were filled with all other blessings temporall and eternall and yet without this as Plotin sayth all were but misery and accursednes And this is such a sight in such a manner and after such a measure which notwithstanding shall be infinite as is or can bee possible for the glorified Creatures to beholde the glorious Creator And as the Apostle Saint Peter sayeth to bee made partakers of Gods diuine nature 2 Pet. 1.4 farre beyond that sight of Moyses or Peters when being clogged with mortality they yet did see that was glorious to behold Of this sight of God Iob. 19.23.24,25,26.27 the holy man speaketh in his Booke Oh sayeth he That my wordes were now written O that they were printed in a Booke that they were grauen with an yron penne and layde in the Rocke for euer For I know that my Redeemer liueth and that hee shall stand at the latter day vpon the earth and though after my skin wormes destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see GOD whom I shall see for my selfe and mine eyes shall behold and not another though my raines be consumed within me Yet this sight shall exceed and goe beyond that of our Forefathers before the fall or that of the Apostle Pauls for it is sayde by him that we shall see him face to face And by the Apostle Peter being made partakers of his diuine nature more then euer man could haue dreamed off then shall the Elect see so◠as they shall bee with him for euer yea and serue him continually in singing praises vnto him Which sight is called the spirituall life not in respect of substance but qualities in so farre that after those sightes the elect shall spiritually liue and that without any naturall or bodily helpes or meanes as in this present transitory life In that Life shall bee no neede of meate drinke light artificiall or naturall Candle Starres Sunne or Moone For God shall bee all in all By which sight and supernaturall knowledge it shall come to passe That Philip. 3,21 these our mortall bodies shall bee like to his glorious body Dan 12,3 and shall shine like the Sunne in the firmament and be made like Angels Fulgentius speaking of this most glorious and supernaturall sight sayth thus In a looking glasse wee may see three different things the glasse our selues and what is neere vs So by the glasse of Gods diuine clearenes wee shall see him our selues Angels and saints beside vs yea we shall see God face to face not as now through the glasse of his word but we shal know him as we are known of his Maiesty As a man standing vpon the shore of the Sea seeth not the bredth or depth of it so the Angels in Heauen and the elect on earth may see God really and yet not comprehend the depth of his greatnes nor the height of his euerlasting essence The fourth sight is that we shall likewise see the Holy Ghost proceeding from them both and breathing vpon our saued soules like a gentle soft ayre vpon a garden and more sweet then all the trees of Incense Againe the Apostle sayeth Now I know in part 1 Cor 13,12 but then shall I know euen as I am knowne The Apostle is bolde here to say that all the knowledge wee haue here is as the knowledge and stuttering of a young child yea that his owne knowledge too was such although he were an Apostle and a principall Apostle and thereby hee insinuateth that our knowledge here is as farre inferiour to the knowledge we shall haue there as the knowledge of a childe that stuttereth and stammereth and yet cannot speake plaine is to the
knowledge of the greatest Clearke in the world The very heathen thought this to bee one great benefite that men especially wise men had by death that their knowledge was perefected in the other world and that none could possibly attaine to perfect wisedome knowledge vntill they came thither How much more should wee count this an inestimable glorie and benefite that in the life to come wee shall haue the perfect knowledge of heauenly things yea and of all things in the Kingdom of Heauen yea we shall know God with a perfect knowledge so farre as Creatures can possibly comprehend the Creator Wee shall know the power of the Father the wisedome of the Sonne the grace of the holy Ghost and the indiuisible nature of the blessed Trinity And in him we shall know not onely all our friendes who dyed in the faith of Christ with vs but also all the faithfull that euer were or shall bee For first our Sauiour Christ tells the Iewes in the Gospell of Saint Luke that they shall see Abraham Isaacke and Iacob Luk. 13,28 and all the Prophets in the Kingdome of God and you your selues thrust out Then if the wicked shall know the godly much more shall we know them Gen. 2.23 Secondly Adam in his Innocency knew Eue so soone as hee awaked out of his sleepe to bee bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh much more then shall wee know our kindred and friendes in the faith when wee shall awake and bee perfected and glorified in the Resurrection Mat. 27.52.53 Thirdly the Apostles knew Christ after his resurrectioÌ„ and the Saints which arose with him and appeared in the holy City Mat. 17.4 as is recorded by the Evangelist S. Mathew therefore we shall know one another then Fourthly Peter Iames and Iohn knew Moses and Elias in the transfiguration of Christ much more shall wee know one another in our glorification Luk. 16.23 Fiftly Dines knew Lazarus a farre off in Abrahams bosome much more shall one child of God know another in the Kingdome of God Sixthly our Sauiour Christ in the Gospell of S. Mathew sayth vnto Peter Mat. 19.28 and the rest of his Apostles verelie I say vnto you that yee which haue followed me in the regeneration when the son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory yee also shall sit vpon twelue thrones iudging the twelue Tribes of Israel But this place of Scripture being somewhat obscurely vttered Our Sauiour Christ there alluding to the present state of things the number of the twelue Tribes of Israel and of the twelue Apostles the Apostle Saint Paul in his first Epistle to the Corinthians expresseth more plainely and clearely applying it in generall to all the faithfull vnder the New Testament Affirming that the Saints shall iudge the World 1 Cor. 6,2,3 Yea euen the Angells that is to say Wicked and Vngodly men and wicked and vngodly Spirites And hence Tertullian notably comforteth and encourageth the Martyres that were in durance dayly expecting the Iudges comming to receiue sentence of death perhaps saith he the Iudge is looked for yea but you shall iudge your Iudges your selues But heere by the way wee are to vnderstand that the authoritie of iudgment doth not belong either to the Apostles or Saints and that in their manner of iudgement they resemble Iustices who at an Assise are in a manner Iudges and yet giue no sentence but onely approue the sentence that is giuen The Iudges for the time haue the whole authoritie the Iustices on the Bench are but Assistants and witnesses the definitiue Iudgement is proper to our Sauiour Christ Acts 10.42 who is the supreme Iudge himselfe For he it is 2. Tim. 4.1 saith the Apostle Saint Peter that was ordained of God to bee the Iudge of the quicke and the dead and he it is saith Saint Paul that shall iudge the quicke and the dead at his appearing and in his kingdome The Apostles and Saints are not Iudges but as Iudges hauing no voice of authoritie but of consent So that although our Sauiour Christ our head principally and properly shall be the Iudge yet we that are his members shall haue a branch of his authoritie and shall be as it were ioyned in commission with him so the Bench and not the Barre is our place there in heauen which is part of our glory and ioy Then if the Saints shall be assisting in iudging wicked men and wicked spirits it then followeth that they shall know the wicked from the good the goats from the sheep and then much more shall they know their fellow-Iustices and Commissioners And the Apostle Paul confiâ—meth this in these words before alledged saying But then shall I know 1. Cor. 13.12 euen as I also am knowne And Augustine out of this place comforteth a widow assuring her as in this life shee saw her husband with external eyes so in the life to come she should know his heart and what were all his thoughts and imaginations Then husbands and wiues looke to your thoughts and actions for all shall one day be manifest Seuenthly Gen. 25.8 Gen. 35.29 2. King 22.20 The faithfull in the old Testament are said to be gathered to their Fathers therefore the knowledge of our friends remaineth Eightly The Apostle Saint Paul saith 1. Cor. 13.8 That loue neuer falleth away therefore knowledge one of another being the ground thereof remaines in another life Rom. 2.5.6 Ninthly The Apostle saith That the last day shall be a declaration of the iust iudgement of God who will render to euery man according to his deeds Eccles 12.14 And the Preacher saith That God shall bring euery worke to iudgement with euery secret thing whether it be good or euill And in the booke of the Reuelation it is said Reuel 22.12 Behold I come quickly and my reward is with me to giue to euery man according as his workes shall bee Then if euery mans worke shall be brought to light much more the worker Matt. 12.36 And if as it is in the Gospell wicked men shall account for euery idle word much more shall the idle speakers themselues bee knowne for if the persons bee not knowne then in vaine shall their workes be made manifest and knowne then if the wicked shall be knowne as well as their wicked works much more shall the Saints know one another Tenthly and lastly it is said in the booke of Wisdome Then shall the righteous man stand in great boldnesse Wisd 5.1,2,3,4,5,6 before the face of such as haue afflicted him and made no account of his labours when they see it they shall be troubled with terrible feare and shall be amazed at the strangenesse of his saluation so farre beyond all that they looked for and they repenting and groaning for anguish of spirit shall say within themselues This was hee whom we had sometime in derision and a prouerbe of reproach We fooles
accounted his life madnesse and his end to bee without honor How is he numbred among the children of God and his lot is among the Saints Therefore haue we erred from the way of truth and the light of righteousnesse hath not shined vnto vs and the Sunne of righteousnesse rose not vpon vs. Out of which place it may be gathered that if the wicked themselues shall know the children of God after death whom they haue derided mocked scoffed and wronged nay if the wicked shall at that day know Christ himselfe as it is testified in the booke of the Reuelation Reuel 1.7 where it is said Behold he commeth with clouds and euery eye shall see him and they also which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall waile because of him then much more vndoubtedly shal the Saints of God know the same and their Sauiour Iesus Christ and they shall also know one another but the full and certaine truth hereof shall be reuealed vnto vs in the last day and therefore it is not good to approch nearer this holy flame of Gods secrets lest we be therwith consumâ—d nor diue any deeper into this bottomlesse depth for feare of drowning we herein must not be ouer curious but be wise to sobrietie and especially labour to know those things that more concerne vs in this life and that are more euidently discouered vnto vs that we and our children may doe them it is a learned ignorance not to know that which God would haue vs to be ignorant of but it is a pernicious contempt not to bee willing to know that which God would teach vs true wisdome and modestie in the children of God consisteth in opening the eares to learne when Christ openeth his mouth to teach and in not desiring to learne that which hee is vnwilling to reueale vnto vs the holy Scripture is the schoole of the holy Ghost wherein as there is nothing omitted that is necessarie to saluation so is there nothing taught but what is requisite for vs to know Againe cast thy conceit earnestly vpon the description of the holy Citie new Ierusalem Reuel 21.10 come downe from heauen as a Bride prepared for a husband a Citie of solace whose ports are euer patent whose streets are paued with gold and garnished with all manner of pretious stones euer splendent shall this Citie be and there is represented vnto thee a place full of all glorie pleasures and excellencies that hart can imagine and those perdurable euen for euer The first point is to consider what manner of place it is that the blessed Saints doe inhabite 1. King 8.27 it is the heauen of heauens or third heauen called Paradise 2. Cor. 12.2.4 where Christ in his humane nature ascended farre aboue all visible heauens which by the firmament as by an azured curtaine spangled with glittering starres and glorious planets Psal 19.5 is so hid that we cannot behold it with these corruptible eyes of flesh This place therefore the holy Ghost framing himselfe to our weake capacities describes by things most glorious which no man can estimate by things of most value in the account and estimation of men and therefore he doth liken it to a great and holy Citie named the New holy and heauenly Ierusalem Reu. 21.1.2 where onely God and his people who are saued and written in the Lambes booke doe inhabite and dwell all built of pure gold like vnto cleare glasse or Cristall the walles of Iasper stones the foundations of the walles with twelue manner of pretious stones hauing twelue gates each built of one pearle three gates toward each of the foure corners of the world and at each gate an Angell as so many porters to keepe it that no vncleane thing may enter into the same It is foure square therefore it is perfect The length the breadth the height of it are equall twelue thousand furlongs euery way therefore it is spacious and glorious Thorow the middest of the streets there euer runneth a pure riuer of the water of life as cleere a Crystall therefore it is wholesome And on either side of the riuer is the tree of life euer growing which beares twelue manner of fruits and yeelds fruits euery moneth and therefore fruitfull And the leaues of the tree are health to the nations and therefore wholesome There is therefore no place so glorious by creation so bewtifull with delectation so rich in possession nor so comfortable for habitation for there as Saint Augustine saith the King is verity the Law is charitie the dignitie is equitie the place felicitie and the life eternitie It is in sight most high in space most ample and large in matter most sumptuous in shew and bewtie most spetious and glorious there is no night nor darknesse for the Sunne of righteousnesse which knowes not to be hid doth euer send his beames into it It is a place of holinesse and puritie for no vncleane thing shall enter into it Reu. 21.27.16 Reu. 22. It is a place of brightnesse and beawtie for it is as cleare as Crystall It is a place of roomth and largenesse therefore it is said in Baruch Baruc. 3.24.25 O Israel how great is the house of God and how large is the place of his possession great and hath no end high and vnmeasurable And into this pure bright and large place of glorie shall all the Saints of God enter and possesse it So that it is wholy pleasant wholy desirable remoued from all euill and replenished with all good In which as Augustine saith there is a life prepared of God for his friends a secure life a quiet life a beautifull life a cleane life a chaste life a holy life a life that knowes not death a life without streitnsse without necessi ie without sorrow without corruption without perturbation without variety without mutation a life full of beauty and honour Where as Bernard saith there is nothing present that offends nothing absent that delights Now if the Fabricke of this world which is as it were but a stable for beasts a place of exile and valley of teares to men hath so much beautie and excellencie that it strikes him into admiration that doth contemplate it and doeth astonish him and such plentie of good things that no sences can desire more such varietie of beasts birds fishes fountaines townes prouinces cities disegreeing in institutes maners and lawes such choice of all precious stones of value gold siluer and exquisite silkes naturall and artificiall if I say this building of so smal a frame of the Sun Moone and Starres shine with such brightnesse what shall then our heauenly countrie doe not now the habitation of seruants but of sonnes not of beasts but of blessed soules Where is the hall of the great King of kings the omnipotent God who can and will performe to his beloued children much more then they can conceiue And doubtlesse so farre as this wide world exceedes for
how deckt with stars as with sparkling Diamonds What would wee say if wee could see into it Mat. 17.1 and behold though with Peter Iames and Iohn at a glance or blush superficially the goodly pauement of heauen within whose floore is of gold and wall about it garnished with precious stones Mat. 4.8 And what is a kingdome here where all the kingdomes of the world and the glorie of them were shewed in the twinkling of an eye Luke 4 5. as it is in the Gospel if there were not hope of a better kingdome where all shall be kings and reigne with Christ eternallly And they which here haue reigned as kings vpon the earth shall lose nothing but gaine immeasurably by the change yea kings and queenes which haue beene nursing fathers and nursing mothers to the Church of God as the Prophet speaketh when they come thither Isay 49.23 shall cast away their Crownes as Elias 2. King 2.13 when hee went vp by a whirlewind into heauen let his cloake or mantle fall from him and they shal repent nothing there saue that they came no sooner thither and when they shall compare their earthly and heauenly kingdomes together they shall say as S. Peter said of the mount Mat. 17.4 bonum est esse hic It is good to be here in heauen but for the earth they shall bee as loth to looke backe vnto it as Moyses to goe backe into the land of Egypt For their pallaces shall then seeme prisons their golden chaines golden fetters their crownes crosses and all their earthly honors but burdens and vexations But when they shall looke vpon the face of God they shall say to him with triumph as it is in the Psalme With thee is the well of life Psal 16.11 in thy presence is the fulnesse of ioy and at thy right hand are pleasures for euermore Thirdly if Adams paradise and garden was so delightsome and pleasant how pleasant and glorious is Gods owne seat of his owne residence He spake it with a wondring tongue whose heart could not comprehend so infinite an excellencie in saying as we haue heard before How glorious things are spoken of thee O thou city of God! Psal 87.3 For though in the letter this worthy Prophet spake of that earthly heauen which he confessed to be in the material tabernacle because of Gods presence and the godly exercises of Gods people performed there yet his meaning was vnder the cloud of the phrase to direct Gods children to a higher tabernacle and house of greater glory then that which was earthly and vnder the doome of time Againe saith the blessed Apostle 2. Cor. 3,7,8,9,10,11 If the ministration of death written and ingrauen in the stones was glorious so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance which glory was to bee done away how shall not the ministration of the spirit bee rather glorious For if the ministration of condemnation be glorious much more doth the ministration of righteousnesse exceed in glorie For euen that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect by reason of the glorie that excelleth For if that which was done away was glorious much more that which remaineth is glorious And if the preaching of the Gospel whereby God giueth his quickening spirit working the life of grace in his elect be glorious then much more shall the true professors of the Gospel be made partakers of farre greater glorie in the kingdome of heauen Againe wee doe reade in the first booke of Samuel 1. Sam. 18.23 that when Dauid was perswaded by Saul by the meanes of his seruant to become the Kings sonne in law it is there said by Dauid Seemeth it to you a light thing to be the Kings sonne in law seeing that I am a poore man and lightly esteemed Then if it be accounted a great honor and glory to be a sonne and childe to an earthly King much more honorable and glorious it is to be the sonne and childe of the King of heauen Behold saith Saint Iohn what manner of loue the Father hath bestowed vpon vs 1. Iohn 3.1 that wee should bee called the sonnes of God Which glorie all the tongues of men and Angels as wee haue heard before can in no wise expresse as witnesseth the blessed and glorious Apostle Saint Paul himselfe who was in it 2. Cor. 12.1,2,3,4,5 and saw it and therefore he saith I knew a man in Christ aboue foureteene yeeres agoe whether in the body I cannot tell or whether out of the bodie I cannot tell God knoweth such a one caught vp into the third heauen and heard vnspeakable words which it is not lawfull or possible for a man to vtter So great and infinite are the glory and ioyes of the kingdome of God as they cannot enter into vs and therefore it is appointed that we must enter into them Therefore it is said Matth. 25.21 Well done thou good and faithfull seruant thou hast beene faithfull ouer a few things I will make thee ruler ouer many things enter thou into the ioy of thy Lord. Now if the Queene of Sheba as we heard before pronounced the seruants of King Salomon happie 1. King 10.8 for that they stood continually before him and heard his wisdome then much more happy are the Saints and seruants of God who doe continually with his holy Angels stand and behold the glorious presence of one which is greater then King Salomon Matth. 18.10 euen the God of glory himselfe In which respect Saint Ambrose on his death bed said We are happie in this that we serue so good a Master Yea happie is the people saith the Psalmist that is in such a case Psal 144.15 yea happie is that people whose God is the Lord. Yea blessed and happie are all those which so liue in this world that departing hence they may be assured to come into so glorious a place and presence Wee see by experience when a Country-man hath beene trained vp sometime in the Court he forgetteth his clownish kinde of life and becommeth a Courtier let vs therefore leaue the speeches habite fashion and manners of this wicked world wherein we liue and inure our selues with the customes and course of the Court of heauen let all our thoughts words and communication testifie that in spirit wee are alreadie there Let my minde saith Augustine muse of it let my tongue talke of it let my heart loue it and my whole soule neuer cease to hunger and thirst after it In the meane time till thou come into this glorious place and presence aske of God by heartie and faithfull prayer to giue thee grace entirely and from the bottome of thy heart both to vnderstand and desire the ioyes and glory thereof and so to be affected and rauished with the delight thereof that euer and euery where thou mayest be stirred vp to serue
cherished so long Wilt thou make thy selfe hatefull by making opposition against his loue Wilt thou malitiously oppose thy selfe against the worke of his care while in fatherly loue he is desirous to keepe thee in safety Wilt thou striue more then all the World besides to worke thy owne decay The Angels in heauen vnderstanding the care of God for thee doe willingly pitch their tents about thee and refuse not for thy safety to beare thee in their hands and keepe thee in thy wayes the Diuels of Hell by Gods prouidence are kept off from thee as with a strong hedge which they can neyther clime ouer nor breake through whereby to impeach thy safety Iob. 5.23 And while the Creator of all things remayneth thy keeper the creatures are in league with thee and thou liuest in peace amongst them and while the worke of God that preserueth thy life hath this power amongst all Creatures that the creatures of heauen will not attempt thy hurt the creatures of the earth do not nor dare attempt it and the creatures of Hell cannot Wilt thou alone seeke vnmercifully to crosse the care of God in working thine owne woe Thou art then worthy whom the heauenly Creatures should abhorre whome the earthly creatures should forsake and the hellish Creatures embrace receyuing thee into their Company with this greeting This is he whom God would haue kept but against the loue of the Angels of heauen against the peace of the Creatures of the earth and beyond the power and malice of vs the Angels of darknesse hee hath destroyed himselfe Besides it is God that hath assigned to euery one of vs the measure of our time hee hath appointed to vs the number of our dayes our life did not beginne till hee appointed the first day of it and so long it must last vntill he say this is the last day of it No man did set downe for himselfe when hee would come into the world nor no man may set downe for himselfe when or how hee will leaue the vvorld The soule of man sayth the Orator before her departure from the body doth oftentimes diuine but then it destroyes not it selfe for God sent vs into the world giuing vs life and God must call vs out by taking our life It is the saying of Iob Is there not an appointed time to man vpon earth Iob. 7.1 and are not his dayes as the dayes of an hireling The beginning and end of mans time is appointed by God he cannot lengthen it when the end commeth nor ought to shorten it before the time come Saint Ambrose sayth we are bound to maintaine our bodies and forbidden to kill our soules and bodies they are married together by God himselfe and those whom God hath ioyned together let no man be so bold to put in sunder Cogimur diligere vt sponsus sponsam Adam Euam sayth S. Barnard Wee must bee so farre from hating our owne flesh as that wee are commaunded to cherish it to loue it entirely as the husband ought to loue his wife Adam his Eue. Wee may imploy it in labour but we must not slay it and the more wee shall imploy it the lesse hurtfull and dangerous it will proue vnto vs. His dayes are as the dayes of an Hireling an Hireling is entertained for so many dayes longer then his couenant he may not stay and a shorter time hee may not stay Such is the life of man he is Gods hireling for so many dayes years he hath hired him in this world as in Gods Vineyard to worke in some honest calling When wee haue serued out our time here wee may stay no longer and till wee haue serued out our time here we may not depart Thou wilt therefore be found to bee a fugitiue seruant from God if thou depart his seruice before the time be full out that belongeth to God and not to thee to set downe The Prophet Dauid sayeth of God in one of the Psalmes Psal 68.20 To the Lord God belong the issues of death To God it belongeth and not to man to set downe who shall dye when and by what meanes he shall dye Sometime he vseth the hand of the Magistrate sometime the hand of the violent and so endeth one mans life as wee thinke by the counsell and worke of another man But neuer did hee giue licence to any man to kill himselfe he hath forbidden murther by his commandement Thou shalt not kill Exod. 20,13 Hee condemned it in Cain from the beginning of the World to whom hauing slaine Abel he said Gen. 4,10 What hast thou done the voyce of thy brothers bloud cryes to mee from the ground Now therefore thou art cursed from the earth which hath opened her mouth to receiue thy brothers bloud from thine hand And after the floud when he began again to replenish the earth with Inhabitants he made a Lawe against murder to restraine both man and beast from committing it saying Gen 9.5 I will surely require your bloud wherin your liues are at the hand of euery beast will I require it and at the hand of man euen at the handes of a mans brother will I require the life of man Who so sheddeth mans bloud by man shall his bloud bee shedde for in the Image of God hath he made man So offensiue unto God it is for a man without warrant and authority to kill any because man was made in the Image of God a creature of vnderstanding endued with excellent vertues of knowledge and righteousnesse with resemblance in these vertues vnto God himselfe in making of whom it pleased God to shew his excellent power his wisedome and his mercy Man is Microcosmos sayth one an abridgement of the world hee hath Heauen resembling his soule earth his heart placed in the middest as a Center the Lyuer is like the Sea whence flow the liuely springs of bloud the braine like the Sunne giues the light of vnderstanding and the sences are set round about like the Starres the heart in man is like the roote of a tree the Organe or Lung-pipe that comes of the left cell of the heart is like the stocke of the tree which diuides it selfe into two parts and thence spreades abroad as it were sprayes and boughes into all the bodie euen to the arteries of the head the head is called the Tower of the mind the throne of reason the house of vvisedome the treasure of memory the Capitoll of iudgement the shoppe of affections And concerning man sayeth another God hath made such diuers and contrary elements to meete together in one and the selfe same body and accord in one fire and water ayre and earth heate and colde and all in one and the selfe same place yet hath so tempered them together as that one is the defence and maintenance of another Nay more then this sayth Saint Bernard mirabilis societas in man hee hath made a wonderfull society for in him Heauen
and earth Maiestie and basenesse Excellency and pouerty hee hath matched together What is higher then the Spirit of life what baser then the slime of the earth his soule it was infused into him the Spirit of life his body was made of the dust of the earth This was that which made Gregorie Nazianzen to breake into that exclamation of himselfe What great and wonderfull Miracle was within himselfe I am little sayeth he and yet I am great I am humble and yet exalted I am mortall and yet immortall I am earthly and yet heauenly little in body but great in soule humble as being earth and yet exalted aboue the earth mortal as hee that must dye and immortall as he that shall rise againe earthly as whose body was taken from the earth heauenly as whose soule was breathed from aboue Nay more then this sayeth the Prophet Dauid in one of his Psalmes Ps 8.4.5 6.7.8.9 What is man that thou art mindfull of him and the sonne of man that thou visitest him for thou hast made him a little lower then the Angels and hast crowned him with glorie and honour thou madest him to haue dominion ouer the workes of thy hands c. Therfore no man no beast can destroy this excellent Creature in this fashion framed and bee innocent before God It belongeth onely to him that gaue life to take it away Where hee takes it away none can restore it nor ought to take it away being giuen but only by him that gaue it So that the whole rule of life must remaine in the hands of the Lord of Life who of himselfe sayth I kill and giue life except thou canst doe both Deut. 32.39 doe not attempt to doe eyther First make a liuing man if thou canst and then kill him to whom thou gauest life thou shalt then herein hurt no worke but the worke of thine owne hands but if thou canst not giue life presume not to take away life thou shalt therein violate the worke of another And if thou mayest not kill another thou mayest much lesse kill thy selfe One God made thee them and if thou shalt bee guilty of bloud in killing thy neighbour thou shalt bee guilty of bloud in killing thy neerest neighbour thy selfe When Elias was weary of his life being persecuted by Iezabel he sayde vnto God It is inough O Lord take my Soule for I am no better then my Fathers 1 King 19,4 He was wearie of his trauels and dangers and desired to be out of this vvorld but hee did not lay violent hands vpon himselfe or let out his owne Soule Hee remembreth that God had placed his soule in this earthly Tabernacle and he intreateth God to set his Soule at liberty He held his hands howsoeuer his heart was affected So hold thou thy hands from any fact of violence lifting them vp with thy heart vnto God in heauen desiring him to take thy soule when he thinks good When Saint Paul was in a straight betweene two Phil. 1 23. and vvist not vvhether he should desire life or death because his life should bee profitable to the Church but death gainefull to himselfe he expressed the inclination of his heart to death for his owne aduantage in these vvordes desiring to bee loosed and to bee with Christ which is best of all His reward was in heauen vvhich he desired to obtaine his Redeemer in Heauen with vvhom hee vvished to be And because he could not come to enioy the same except by death he should passe out of this world hee was vvilling to depart and for that end to bee loosed and set at liberty from his flesh but did hee encline to set himselfe at liberty to loose the bondes of his owne life by which his soule was tyed and fast bound to the fellowshippe of his body No hee desired to bee a Patient not an Agent a Sufferer not a Doer in this businesse his vvords are desiring to be loosed not desiring to loose my selfe this he longed for and in time obtained it In these men behold and see how to craue and how to demeane thy selfe Learne of Eliah and Paul to feare God and not of Saul and â—udas Learne not of wicked men that went astray in their doings And tell mee if at any time thy life were so vile in thy sight and the glorie of God so deare vnto thee that thou wert desirous or content to giue thy life vnto God and to put it in hazard for his name and for his truthes sake Where hast thou despised the threatnings of Tyrants Where hast thou contemned the sword the fire or any other death hast thou been cast into the fierie furnace or into the Lyons denne or imprisoned or stoned or suffered rebuke or losse of goods for the name of Christ as diuers the Saintes of God haue done before thee In these cases if thy life had been vile in thy sight it had beene honourable and Christian-like because thou dost not take it thy selfe but yeeld it vp for his sake that gaue it Wherein thou hast the Prophets of God and Apostles of Iesus Christ to bee thy Paterne who were euer ready and willing to lay down and loose their liues in the seruice of God but did not kill themselues to bee deliuered from the furie of Tyrants but they yeelded themselus to the cruell will of Tyrants as Ieremie tolde them that went about to kill him for preaching Ierem. 26.14 as God had commaÌ„ded him As for mee behold I am in your hand doe with mee as you thinke good and right It was all one to him and equally welcome to dye or liue so that hee might faithfully doe his office Of the like mind was Saint Paul saying to the Elders of Ephesus Act. 20.22 Behold I goe bound in the spirit to Ierusalem and know not what things shal come vnto me there saue that the Holy Ghost witnesseth that in euery City bondes and afflictions abide mee but I passe not at all neyther is my life deere vnto me so that I may fulfill my course with ioy c. Heere was a most godly contempt of frayle life If thou hadst resolution in any like quarrell to yeeld thy life when there should bee any attempt to take it thou hast the Prophets of God and the Apostles of Christ thine example and thou hast also the promise of the Lord Iesus to recompence that losse of life with the gaine of eternal life saying Hee that will saue his life shall loose it Math. 10.39 and hee that looseth his life for my sake shall saue it That is if any shall to saue his life deny to confesse mee before men his life shall be taken from him by some such iudgement of God as that hee shall haue no comfort in the losse of it but shall dye eternally but if any constantly confesse me putting his life in danger eyther God shall most miraculously deliuer him and saue his life in this