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A07790
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A short treatise of death in sixe chapters Together with the ænigmatick description of old age and death written Ecclesiastes 12 chap. exponed and paraphrased in English meetre. Written by Mr. William Morray minister of Gods word.
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Morray, William.
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1631
(1631)
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STC 18167; ESTC S121485
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18,101
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56
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often meditation of death dying often we may in end die both easily and well Cicero sayeth that the whole life of wise men is the meditation of death Somnium Scip. And it is recorded of the Macedonian King that he commanded his Page once everie day to come and say to him Remember thou art mortall That holy man Hieronimus had alwayes in his studie besides him a dead mans skull and running glasse to keepe him in mynd of shortnesse of his life and certaintie of his death Secondly the often meditation of death is necessare and profitable to make vs liue and die well because it is a strong bitte and bridle against sinne Remember thy death sayeth Ierome and thou shall not sinne and GOD speaking by Moses of his people Israell sayeth Deuter. 32.29 O that they were wise then would they vnderstand this they would consider their latter end and IEREMIE Lament 1.9 Her filthinesse is in her skirts she remembered not her last end Eccles 11.9 and SALOMON scorning the folly of youth sayeth Rejoyce O young man in thy youth and let thy heart cheare thee in the dayes of thine youth and walke in the wayes of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes then he addeth as water to their wyne but know thou that for all these things GOD will bring thee to judgement Thirdly often meditation of death causeth vs to contemne this short vaine life wherein all is vanitie and vexation of Spirit which is like to a dreame a shaddow a vapour like to the way of a ship in the sea or like to an arrow shot foorth of a bow which both when they are past their trace is no more seene and man in this life is like the flower of the field which sor a tyme is greene but afterwards withereth and falleth downe so I may say with one Vita quid est hominum nisi vallis plena malorum Principio medio fine dolenda suo That is to say What is mans life a valley full of ill Beginning mids and end lamenting still And with an other What if a day or a month or a yeare Crowne thy delights with a thousand wisht contentings Essex lament Can not the chaunce of a night or an houre Crosse thy delights with as many sad tormentings Finally this often meditation of death prepareth vs for it and armeth vs against it so that it commeth not to vs vnawars as a thiefe in the night but wee looke for it wee watch and pray for strength and comfort in the houre of it and when it commeth will say with old Simeon Now LORD thou lettest thy servant depart in peace and also with David and CHRIST In thy hands O LORD I commend my Spirit and with the first Christian Martyre Stephen LORD IESUS receaue my Spirit The second Chapter What death is and of the causes of naturall death IN holy Scripture death is taken in diverse senses as first and most properly for the dissolution of soule and body Secondly for the separation of soule from GOD his grace and favour Thirdly for the separation both of bodie and soule from GOD his grace and glorie eternallie Death then beeing taken into the first sense is commoun to all mankynd since the fall of Adam and Evah our first Parents as witnesseth the Apostle saying As by one man sinne entered in the world Rom. 5.12 and by sinne death and so death went over all men for all men haue sinned In the second sense death since the fall of our first Parents is also common to all mankind vntill they be quickned againe by the Spirit of regeneration as testifieth this same Apostle saying And you hath he quickned who were dead in sinnes and trespasses Ephes 2.1 In the third sense Death is only proper to the Reprobate and it is called in holy Scripture the second death as posterior to the first which wee call naturall death from this death there is a promise of GOD that all such shall bee delivered Revel 20 6 who are partakers of the first resurrection that is of true faith and repentance Now in order of time death in finne is first that is to say the separation of soule and body from GOD his grace and favour Naturall death which is the separation of soule and body is next Everlasting death which is the separation of both soule and body from the grace and glory of GOD for ever last The first sort of death is verie fearefull but the feare of it apprehended by few because it floweth from the wrath of GOD and is a death in sinne a spirituall death yet it is not desperate for Christ died for vs Rom. 4.25 and rose againe to justifie and sanctifie vs And GOD for his sake freely forgiues our sinne who beleeue in his Sonne his Spirit is given vs with his word and Sacraments to regenerate and quicken and at last to perfectly sanctifie vs. 2 Cor. 3.18 The second sort of death is also fearefull because in the owne nature of it it is the punishment of sinne Also because in this dissolution of soule and body that haue beene straitly and long joyned together and acquaint one with other as two neare and deare friends they are loath to sunder So nature abhorreth and feareth this very naturall death but faith and grace overcommeth this horror and feare and maketh the true Christians to triumph over death As witnesseth the Apostle when hee said O wretched man that I am who shall deliver mee from this body of death Rom. 7 24.25 I thanke GOD through Iesus Christ And in an other place O death where is thy sting 1 Cor. â—5 55.56.57 The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the Law But ihanks bee to GOD who giveth vs the victorie through our LORD IESVS CHRIST The third sort of death is most terrible because from it there is no redemption nor delyverie if once wee bee plunged therein It is therefore called the second death the wrath to come everlasting fire everlasting paine everlasting destruction from the which both living and dying wee should labour and pray to bee delivered seeing wee are warned to flie from the wrath to come Math. 37 And IESUS CHRIST hath delivered all true Christians from thence This much of the diverse sorts of death 1 Thess 1.10 whereof the holy Scripture maketh mention Now I minde chiefly to speake of naturall death which I define The dissolution of soule and body The causes there of are these following First the efficient cause of death is sinne for if man and woman had not sinned they should not haue died Thus GOD did signifie to our first Parents by the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evill which grew in the midst of the Garden in Eden The first was to him a Sacrament or signe that so long as they continued in GODS obedience they should liue happily The
A SHORT TREATISE OF DEATH IN SIXE CHAPTERS Together with the aenigmatick description of old age and death written Ecclesiastes 12 Chap. exponed and paraphrased in English Meetre Written by Mr. WILLIAM MORRAY Minister of GODS Word PSAL. 90.12 LORD teach vs to number our dayes Vive memor lethi fugit hora. EDINBVRGH Printed by Iohn Wreittoun Anno DOM. 1631. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE AND WORTHIE LADY DAME AGNES MORRAY MISTRESSE OF STORMONTH MADAME AFter that I had receaved some woundes inâ—â— the house of my friends Zach 13.6 I contracted much melancholy which brought vpon me so great sicknesse and weaknesse 2 Cor. 1.9 that I receaved in my selfe the sentence of death In the which estate your L. may easily consider that such a man as I both should and would haue deepe meditation of death and so indeede I had being resolved to die at that tyme yet it was the goodwill of GOD to continue my life which hath continued since that tyme some sixe yeares or more therefore I thought it was good for me to make better preparation against the next assault of that enemie which to all true Christians as witnesseth the Apostle is the last enemie 1 Cor. 15.26 and so I set my selfe to recognosce both my terrours and consolations in that first conflict for remedie against the one and confirmation of the other I read in Scripture in good Christian mens works and in Heathen writers so much as could come to my hand concerning death and gathered the same together as I thought meete for my purpose mixing them in this treatise as you may see The trueth is my first intention in writing was only to revise the same for mine owne vse but after that I did let some of mine acquaintance see it men learned and fearing GOD who told me I did not well to obscure it seing it might doe good to others I gaue way to their counsell and remembered the common axiome Bonum quo communius eo melius The naturall gift that I haue of vtterance being more Laconick than Atticke I haue vsed in writting heereof yea the shortnesse not only of sentences but of purpose also I purposely affectate in treating of this subject Death yet labouring to bee plaine for I thinke if either information or consolation concerning death might be well contryved in as few short aphorismes as there be letters in an A B C it were the better both for the mynd and memory of the patient in that agonie Now the reasons wherefore I haue dedicated this little treatise to your L are first because I haue this honour to be your L. kinseman and of your surname Secondly because for honour vertue viz. Pietie charitie sobrietie I esteeme more of your L. than any one of my kinsfolk and surname Thirdly because your L. is not ashamed to professe I was the man who first taught you the rudiments of religion to make you thinke of the way how to liue well Now I pray GOD that the reading and meditation of this treatise may be a meane to helpe your L. to die well I thinke it needlesse to put a longer Epistle before so little a Booke least the head should bee bigger than the bodie and so the birth monstrous So I rest Your H. Cousine to serue you in the LORD Mr. WILLIAM MORRAY AD GVLIELMVM MORAVIVM VERBI DIVINI APVD CARALIENSES PRAECONEM APPRIME ILLVSTREM BIS denos cum laude gregem sex insuper annos Pavisti illustris praeco liquore sacro Optima trivisti celebris sic tempora vitae Iucieio ambiguum major an ingenio Nescio quis maeror pullum statione gravisque Invasit morbus detinuitque diu Hinc excita tibi prodit meditatio mortis Seria post cineres non peritura tuos Si languor morbique graves producere fructus Hos valeant quales ederet ergo saluit ROB. CRAFORDUS alias Lunnaeus AD EVNDEM ET LECTOREM HIC liber est cultus labor vtilis optimus Author Sancta verecundo verba lepore refert Perlege invenies quâ tu sis morte beatus Morte docet vitam vivere morte viam Si cupias mortis sanctae simulachra tenere Quae Domino placeant collige monstrat iter Vt legi obstupui perpendens singula mente Inveni Ambrosio rore odore fragrant Et cellas inopum turres regumque superbas Pallida mors pulsat limina nulla timet Ast hâc morte potes non mortis vincta timere Si bene si sanctè singula corde premas Vndas majoris somni stygis atque perennis Tu fluctus spernes cum legis hunc Mora vum Haec paucis docuit rimeniur singula dices Stigmare quam sancto condere mente vola Macte diu felix qui vitae limina lustras Per mortis varios per vada pura gradus Vade liber Moravi preconia funde per orbem Laudis quae scripsit dicere ne pudeat Buccina si Buchanani esset si vena Maronis Encomium nequeo quod meret exprimere Quique Toâ—em carpsit quod tauri cornua fronti Imposuit non is quod reprehendat habet DAVID MAXUELLIUS The contents of this treatise CHAP. 1. Of the meditation of death Chap. 2. What death is and of the causes of naturall death Chap. 3. Of the feare of death Chap. 4. Remedies and comforts against the feare of naturall death Chap. 5. Remedies and comforts against the feare of death which proceedeth from ignorance infidelitie or despaire Chap. 6. Of the desire of death and how we may die both peaceably and well A SHORT TREATISE OF DEATH The first Chapter Of the meditation of death THE oft meditation of death is both necessare and profitable to make vs liue well and die well First because there is nothing more sure than that we must once die and it is most vncertaine how when or where we shall die An Auncient sayeth well Nemo tam divos habuit faventeis Seneca in Traged Crastinum vt possit sibi polliceri That is to say The Gods to none such favour giue They promise may the morne to liue Therefore wee should meditate often of death alwayes preparing vs for it according to the counsell of the Poet Inter spem curamque timores inter iras Omnem crede diem tibi diluxisse supremuÌ„ That is to say Amidst thy hope Horat. Epist 1. thy care thy feare thy wrath Thinke everie day thy last looke for thy death Qui non vult hodie cras minus aptus erit That is This day who is not readie the morne shall lesse bee Ovid. In actions which are both of difficultie and weight we draw to perfection by often vse It is an hard matter to die either willingly or well the errors whereof may turne vs to the torments of hels fire for that which commeth last is everlasting Wee ought therefore both tymelie and diligently to search the step of the dark and stonie way of death that by