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<DATE>2014-04-22</DATE>
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<NAME>Alexis Jakobson</NAME>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1">
<P><HI>A</HI> TREATISE TENDING TO <HI>TAKE AWAY THE</HI> feare of death, and make the <HI>faithfull man de&s;ire the &s;ame.</HI></P>
<P>WRITTEN FIRST <HI>IN FRENCH, AND</HI> Dedicated to the mo&s;t illu&s;tri|ous and vertuous Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Ia|queline</HI> of <HI>Rohan,</HI> Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Cha&s;tel-aillon, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Newly tran&s;lated out</HI> of the <HI>French.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Reuel.</HI> 9.6.</BIBL> In tho&s;e dayes men &s;hall &s;eeke Death, and &s;hall de&s;ire to dye, and death &s;hall flee from them.</Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> printed by <HI>W. I.</HI> dwelling in <HI>Red-cro&s;&s; &s;treete.</HI> 1619.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD><HI>THE</HI> AVTHOVR TO THE Reader.</HEAD>
<LG>
<L>THat wofull man, with|in who&s;e heauy heart.</L>
<L>The dreadfull feare of death doth alwaies re&s;t.</L>
<L>Which doth him wa&s;t, and daily much afflict,</L>
<L>And with &s;trong griefe and torments fils his bre&s;t.</L>
<L>He, that one backe, and in his wretched bones</L>
<L>Such painfull, heauy clogge doth euer beare;</L>
<L>And he, that doth the force and power of death,</L>
<L>(VVhich &s;ure will come) &s;o &s;triue to &s;hun with feare:</L>
<L>Vnhappy is, his loath&s;ome
<PB REF="3">troubled life,</L>
<L>That liues inthrald in &s;o great troubles &s;till;</L>
<L>For &s;ure it is, &s;trange euill, and fierce a&s;&s;aults,</L>
<L>With &s;orrow, paine, &amp; wo, his thoughts doth kill;</L>
<L>But this great griefe mo&s;t common is to all,</L>
<L>Becau&s;e no man is free from deaths &s;harpe &s;ting,</L>
<L>And there is none, that liues, which is not fraught</L>
<L>VVith that great weight, which heauy him doth bring;</L>
<L>He that would liue, &amp; from this feare be free,</L>
<L>The~ this &s;mal book vouch|&s;afe to reade with care,</L>
<L>And if he Chri&s;tian be; loe
<PB REF="3">here the meanes,</L>
<L>To make him liue, mo&s;t ble&s;&s;ed from this feare.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<HEAD>Added by M. C.</HEAD>
<L>Here &s;hall he find that pre|cious balme will cure,</L>
<L>And driue, all griefe &amp; &s;or|row from his heart,</L>
<L>And that wil cau&s;e him liue in ioy mo&s;t &s;ure,</L>
<L>And bani&s;h cleane all do|lour, care and &s;mart.</L>
<L>Thou ble&s;&s;ed man, who&s;e labour merits prai&s;e,</L>
<L>For this good worke, which will thy glory rai&s;e.</L>
<L>Send boldly forth thy little booke, and giue</L>
<L>Comfort to all true people that doe liue.</L>
</LG>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="4">
<HEAD>TO THE CHRISTI|AN READER.</HEAD>
<P N="1"><HI>I</HI> Am not ignorant (Chri&s;ti|an Reader) how many lear|ned men haue written worthy workes of Death. As namely, <HI>M. Strode</HI> in his <HI>Anatomi|zing of mans mortalitie,</HI> as al&s;o that reurend Diuine <HI>(Mr. Samuel Crooke)</HI> in his lear|ned Treati&s;e of <HI>&s;ubduing of Death,</HI> lately publi&s;hed; yet
<PB REF="4">this Treati&s;e among&s;t the re&s;t is worthy thy reading; where|in thou &s;halt finde many nota|ble documents, as namely; to take away thy feare from em|bracing of Death; who is very terrible to many, yea; often times to the chiefe&s;t of the Saints: but &s;till in their per|plexities, they pa&s;t through the feare of Death; onely by ca&s;ting them&s;elues on the Lord as <HI>Dauid</HI> did; when that his owne &s;eruants were ready to &s;tone him, it is &s;aide that <HI>Da|uid</HI> comforted him&s;elfe in the Lord his God, teaching all the children of God in the like ca&s;e, euen in the midde&s;t of death to cleaue fir&s;t to the Lord, per|u&s;e gentle Reader this Trea|ti&s;e,
<PB REF="5">though &s;mall, yet much worth thy meditation, and if thou reape&s;t any comfort thereby, giue God the glory.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Thine in the Lord Ie&s;us, W. I.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="treatise">
<PB REF="5">
<HEAD><HI>A</HI> TREATISE TENDING TO take away the feare of <HI>death, and make the faith|full</HI> man de&s;ire the &s;ame.</HEAD>
<BYLINE>By M. D. S. A.</BYLINE>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL><HI>1. Corint. CHAP. 2.</HI></BIBL>
<Q>THe eye hath not &s;eene, nor the eare heard, nei|ther haue entred into the heart of man, the things that God hath prepared for them that loue him: But God hath reuealed them vnto vs by his Spirit.</Q>
<Q><PB N="2" REF="6">
<BIBL><HI>PSAL. 103.</HI></BIBL>
<L>The daies and time of mortall men are like the withering hay:</L>
<L>Or like the flower full faire in field, that fades full &s;oone away.</L>
<L>Who&s;e glo&s;&s;e and beauty &s;tor|my winds, doe vtterly di&s;|grace.</L>
<L>And make that after their a&s;|&s;aults, &s;uch blo&s;oms haue no place.</L>
<L>But yet the goodne&s;&s;e of the Lord, with his &s;hall euer &s;tand.</L>
<L>Their childrens childrens doe receiue his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e at hand.</L>
<L>I meane, which keepe his coue|nant, with all their whole de&s;ire.</L>
<PB N="3" REF="6">
<L>And not forget to doe the thing, that hee doth them require.</L></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P><HI>_PLato</HI> &s;aid that the Philo&s;ophie wher|in ma~ ought chiefe+ly to exerci&s;e him&s;elfe while he liueth in this world, is the meditation of death. That is to &s;ay, of his fraile, weake, and mortall e&s;tate, of diuers accidents of this humaine life, and of his houre incertaine and vn|knowne, to the end that con&s;idering the&s;e things, hee may humble him&s;elfe, he may draw away his tru&s;t and affection out of the world: hee may di&s;pi&s;e it, and all temporall things, in
<PB N="4" REF="7">the which hee &s;ees and markes &s;o much incon&s;tan|cy, and &s;o variable and fre|quent mutations, and that through this contempt of incertaine and mutable things, hee may rai&s;e him|&s;elfe vp into a contemplati|on of diuine and caele&s;tiall things: and that leauing be|hind him that which is here corruptible and tran|&s;itorie vnto worldlings, hee may chu&s;e his part in hea|uen, and bee content with that which is eternall and permanent. For the like cau&s;e <HI>Philip</HI> the father of <HI>A|lexander</HI> the great a man en|dued with very great wit &amp; vnder&s;ta~ding to the intent
<PB N="5" REF="7">that in time of his great pro&s;peritie hee might not forget his dutie, gaue charg that one of the groomes of his chamber &s;hould come and &s;peake vnto him at his ri&s;ing euerie day the&s;e words, <HI>O King, remember thou art a mortall man,</HI> Chri&s;t Ie&s;us al&s;o our Saui|our and mai&s;ter, to the &s;ame purpo&s;e, doth often exhort vs, to watch and lay vp &s;tore in heauen, and not on earth where all things are incer|taine and mutable. We per|ceiue thereby, that during our life, we cannot doe bet|ter then meditate on death, and the body being buried to accu&s;tome our &s;elues to
<PB N="6" REF="8">haue our &s;pirit and hearts alwaies in heauen. Now for &s;o much as the remem|brance of death is dreadfull vnto many, I haue determi|ned, to the ende that I may driue away melancholly, &amp; refre&s;h my &s;elfe from my &s;tudies, and likewi&s;e may te&s;tifie vnto you, how farre do think my &s;elfe bound to you, as well for good deeds receiued at your hands, as for the good will you beare me, to write and offer vnto you this litle treati&s;e, wher|in I haue touched briefely certaine points wherby the faithfull may bee armed a|gain&s;t death. Which hee ought to go about betimes,
<PB N="7" REF="8">and prepare him&s;elfe to re|ceiue it with boldnes when|&s;oeuer it &s;hall plea&s;e God to &s;end the &s;ame vnto him. For that which a&s;toni&s;heth ma|ny, when they perceiue death to be at hand, is that the comming thereof was not expected by them, and that they were taken vna|wares. We &s;ee through ex|perience in a frontier town, that when it is well furni|&s;hed with victuals, and pro|uided with all nece&s;&s;arie things, to endure a long &s;iege, tho&s;e that bee within are &s;o much the more en|couraged, &amp; become more confident: whereas if the &s;ame were vnprouided they
<PB N="8" REF="9">would all bee amazed and quake for feare, if pur|chance they did perceiue the enemy to make his ap|proaches that he might be|&s;iege them. Hence it is ea&s;ie to bee iudged of what im|portance it is to haue pre|uented dangers, &amp; to haue beene prepared.</P>
<P>That the faithfull man therefore may be prouided, and armed again&s;t death, it is to be marked that there be two &s;orts thereof, the one temperall of the body, which Chri&s;tians ought to de&s;ire. The other eternall of the body and the &s;oule, which they ought not to feare whiles they per&s;euere
<PB N="9" REF="9">in the faith of our Lord.</P>
<P>That this is true, all man|ner of feare pre&s;uppo&s;eth &s;ome euill and danger.</P>
<P>We are not afeared of a good thing, but doe affect the &s;ame, wee de&s;ire it, wee purcha&s;e it, and when it is offered to vs, we receiue it chearefully. But an euill thing we are a&s;cared there|of, and abhorre the &s;ame, we flie there from, &amp; when it happeneth vs, we become &s;orrowfull and doe lament therefore: if then it doth appeare by good and eui|dent proofes, that the faith full man is not in danger of this &s;econd death, may wee not thence conclude, that if
<PB N="10" REF="10">wee are the &s;ame, it is foo|li&s;hly and without cau&s;e? And verily, if wee had any iudgement, and neuer &s;o litle faith, it would be &s;uffi|cient to deliuer vs immedi|ately from all feare.</P>
<P>For fir&s;t, the true nature of faith, is to animate and giue life to our heart im|mediatly after it is receiued thereinto. <HI>The iu&s;t man,</HI> (&s;aith the Prophet) <HI>&s;hall liue by his faith.</HI></P>
<P>Now as the body &s;o long as the &s;oule remaineth ther|in, liueth, and dieth not, vn|till &s;uch time that they bee &s;eparated: &s;o likewi&s;e doth the faithfull man, &s;o long as he per&s;euereth in the faith
<PB N="11" REF="10">which hath beene in&s;pi|red and planted in his heart through the grace of God. <HI>Although</HI> (&s;aide Dauid) <HI>I walke in the midde&s;t of the &s;hadow of death, yet wil I feare nothing. For thou art with me,</HI> Lord. What was the cau&s;e of this confidence? Was it through faith? Wherewith wee ought not to feare death, more then we doe &s;ickne&s;&s;e while wee are in perfect health, in good ca&s;e and lu&s;ty: or po|uertie while we haue plen|tie and aboundance of all good things.</P>
<P>Secondarily, by faith, we haue a remi&s;&s;ion and di&s;|charge for all maner of of|fences
<PB N="12" REF="11">that wee haue com|mitted. What doe we feare then? death? There is no death where no &s;inne is. <HI>By &s;inne death entred into the world,</HI> &s;aith S. <HI>Paul:</HI> and in another place: <HI>the reward of &s;inne is death,</HI> &s;inne is the cau&s;e why God is angry with vs, and that in his an|ger hee adiudgeth vs vnto death. <HI>As righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is the &s;eede of life,</HI> &s;o <HI>al&s;o is &s;in the &s;eede of death.</HI> Now all manner of &s;eede bringeth forth fruit according to his kind and nature. Wheate bringeth forth wheate, and Rye bringeth foorth rye. And there can be no hope of any fruit, vnle&s;&s;e &s;ome
<PB N="13" REF="11">&s;eede hath beene &s;owen be|fore. This being true there|fore and made manife&s;t in a thou&s;and places of Scrip|ture, that all the &s;innes and debts of a Chri&s;tian are for|giuen him through the grace and mercy of God that they are <HI>forgotten,</HI> that they are <HI>couered,</HI> that they are not <HI>imputed vnto him,</HI> that they are <HI>forgiuen and pardoned,</HI> that <HI>they are ca&s;t a|way from vs as farre, as the Ea&s;t is from the We&s;t:</HI> &s;ince there is no more &s;eede, wee ought to expect no more fruit. That is to &s;ay, that if there be no more &s;in, there is no more wrath of God, nor &s;in: &amp; by con&s;equence
<PB N="14" REF="12">that there ought likewi&s;e to be no more feare.</P>
<P>Thirdly, by faith wee haue the word, and promi|&s;es of God, whereon it is grounded. Among&s;t others this. <HI>Hee that belieueth &s;hall not die, but hath pa&s;&s;ed from death to life.</HI> Now this pro|mi&s;e can no more faile vs, then he that made the &s;ame. And all what&s;oeuer God &s;peakes, is as certaine and permanent, as the heauen, or the earth. For this cau&s;e when we doe behold them wee ought to con&s;ider the vertue, and force of this word, by which they were once created. And &s;ince haue euer beene con&s;er|ued
<PB N="15" REF="12">and kept in the &s;tate wherein we &s;ee them: and from thence to inferre that hee being of the like power &amp; vertue in al other things, nothing is doubtfull or vn|certaine, of all what&s;oeuer God &s;aith or promi&s;eth vs. And for this cau&s;e, as Saint <HI>Iames</HI> &s;aith, <HI>by receiuing his holy word into our hearts,</HI> &amp; the promi&s;es which hee hath made vnto vs, to giue vs life euerla&s;ting, we ought to a&s;&s;ure our &s;elues, &amp; &s;hake off all maner of feare &amp; ap|prehen&s;ion of death. What was the cau&s;e of our fall, &amp; of our fir&s;t fathers? was it becau&s;e they did for&s;ake Gods word, to follow after
<PB N="16" REF="13">their owne fancies, and the counfell of Satan? If con|trariwi&s;e then, wee will re|maine &s;teadfa&s;t without go|ing backward a whit, either towards the right, or to|wards the left hand, we &s;hall liue thereby, &amp; in the &s;ame. <HI>Giue eare vnto me,</HI> &s;aith God &s;peaking by E&s;ay, <HI>and your &s;oules &s;hall liue.</HI> And <HI>Zacha|rie</HI> in his &s;ong: <HI>He hath giuen vs the knowledge of &s;aluati|on.</HI> And St. <HI>Peter</HI> &s;peaking to Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, <HI>thy words are the wordes of euerla&s;ting life.</HI> If God, the Prophets and Apo&s;tles, doe a&s;&s;ure vs that the word of God, being re|ceiued through a &s;incere faith into our hearts, gi|ueth
<PB N="17" REF="13">life if it be retained &amp; kept, what rea&s;on haue we to feare death?</P>
<P>Moreouer by faith wee dwell in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, and he in vs, who hauing life in him&s;elfe, as his father hath, doeth impart life vnto vs, and to all tho&s;e vnto whom he doth co~municate him|&s;elfe. Wherefore then wee being his <HI>members, fle&s;h of his fle&s;h, and bones of his bones,</HI> briefly <HI>being one with him,</HI> &s;hall wee feare Death? Hath hee not vanqui&s;hed the &s;ame, not for him&s;elfe onely, but al&s;o for vs? Hee &s;aith Saint Cyprian, <HI>that hath once ouercome death for our &s;ake, &s;hall &s;till ouercome
<PB N="18" REF="14">the &s;ame in vs.</HI> Hath he not ouerthrowne, di&s;po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed, cha&s;ed, and &s;poiled Satan, the Prince and Lord of death? Hath hee not fulfil|led the Law? And through his perfect obedience to|wards his Father, hath ap|pea&s;ed his wrath, fulfilled his de&s;ire, &amp; aboli&s;hed the cur&s;e of the Lawe, which is no other thing then death? Hath hee not died that hee might cau&s;e the &s;ame die al&s;o? When he ro&s;e againe, did he not breake and di&s;&s;i|pate the dolours thereof, brui&s;e the gates of hell, and triumph ouer them and all their forces? Say not hence forth, &s;aith Saint Paul, <HI>who
<PB N="19" REF="14">&s;hall a&s;cend into heauen,</HI> or <HI>who &s;hall goe downe into the pit to bring life vnto vs? For Chri&s;t Ie&s;us hath died and ri&s;en againe from death, that hee might deliuer vs from death, and hath ri&s;en againe that he might re&s;tore vs vnto life.</HI> He is our Pa&s;tor. And for this cau&s;e, we ought not to feare, that any creature is able to raui&s;h and carry vs away through violence out of his hands, or let him from giuing vs life euerla|&s;ting. Hee is our <HI>Aduocate,</HI> we ought not to bee feared then to be ouerthrowne in iudgement, nor that the &s;entence of death bee pro|nounced again&s;t vs. Hee is
<PB N="20" REF="15">out <HI>Mediator.</HI> Then wee ought not to feare the wrath of God. Hee is our <HI>light,</HI> wee ought not to bee afeared of darkene&s;&s;e. He is our <HI>&s;hadow</HI> and our <HI>clowde,</HI> we ought not then to be a|feared of the heate of euer|la&s;ting fire, no more then the children of I&s;rael were of the heate of the Sunne in the de&s;ert being hid vn|der the pillar.</P>
<P>Let vs for the&s;e rea&s;ons &s;hake off &amp; ca&s;t away farre from vs all manner of feare &amp; horror of death. Which hauing had no power, or aduantage ouer the head, can likewi&s;e haue none o|uer his members.</P>
<PB N="21" REF="15">
<P>Moreouer, by <HI>faith</HI> wee haue with Chri&s;t Ie&s;us God his father, and are allied &amp; ioined with him, as he &s;aith by his Prophet, <HI>I &s;hall marry thee,</HI> prouiding that thou wilt promi&s;e and giue thy faith to me. And Chri&s;t Ie|&s;us in S. <HI>Iohn: he that loueth me will keepe my words, &amp; my Father and I &s;hall come, and &s;hall dwell in him.</HI> For this cau&s;e likewi&s;e wee are na|med his <HI>temples,</HI> for as much as wee are con&s;ecrate &amp; de|dicate by the holy Spirit, to the ende that hee may dwell in vs. Thus &s;eeing God to be with vs, we haue the origne, the &s;pring, the cau&s;e, the beginning and
<PB N="22" REF="16">author of life. We haue the great <HI>Iehoua,</HI> of whom all things depend, <HI>by whom all things are &amp; moue,</HI> in whom the <HI>Angels, Archangels, Prin cipalities,</HI> the heauens and elements doe con&s;i&s;t. Wee haue him, who is the true <HI>Zeus,</HI> of whom all creatures both vi&s;ible and inui&s;ible receiue their <HI>life</HI> and <HI>being,</HI> through the participation which they haue with him. Wee haue him who is the true <HI>Prometheus</HI> a mo&s;t per|fect and &s;oueraigne worker of all things, who through his breath &amp; blowing doth animate and giue life to them. We haue <HI>ton Theon,</HI> that is to &s;ay, him who pe|netrating
<PB N="23" REF="16">and pa&s;&s;ing ouer all things by his infinite vertue, doth con&s;erue and nouri&s;h them in their own e&s;tate. We haue to be briefe <HI>El,</HI> that is to &s;ay, him who alone is able to &s;uffice, and through his pre&s;ence work that of life, and all other good things wee &s;hall both haue and thinke that wee haue plentie. Shall wee bee afeard of death then being with &s;uch company? <HI>If,</HI> as Saint: <HI>Au&s;tin</HI> &s;aith, <HI>God is the &s;oule of our &s;oule,</HI> we can|not die but through the &s;e|paration of him and vs: which <HI>Dauid</HI> confirmeth in one of his <HI>P&s;almes,</HI> &s;aying, <HI>tho&s;e &s;hall peri&s;h Lord, that
<PB N="24" REF="17">depart &amp; goe away from thee.</HI> For this cau&s;e, let vs onely endeauour to keepe him &s;til with vs through faith and obedience, and let vs in ende &s;hake off all feare of death what&s;oeuer.</P>
<P>Moreouer by <HI>faith</HI> wee haue the &s;pirit of God, <HI>you are not carnall,</HI> &s;aith St. <HI>Paul</HI> to the Romanes, <HI>but &s;piri|tuall oncs.</HI> For <HI>who&s;oeuer hath not the &s;pirit of God, is none of his.</HI> And in another place &s;peaking to the <HI>Galatians; Haue you not the &s;pirit of God through faith?</HI> Now this &s;pi|rit is the &s;pirit of life, if God take away the &s;ame from his creatures, they die, they peri&s;h, and &s;uddenly turne
<PB N="25" REF="17">to nothing. Contrariwi&s;e when hee doth &s;end and powre downe the &s;ame vp|on them, hee renueth and re&s;toreth them againe in a moment of nothing. Like as we behold the <HI>Hen</HI> when &s;he hath &s;itte on her egges, thereafter through a &s;ecret vertue to hatch them and giue life thereto, though before they were without life or &s;en&s;e: &s;o likewife doth the Spirit of God vn|to all creatures through his diuine power, hee beareth witne&s;&s;e, and a&s;&s;ureth vs in our hearts, that wee are Gods children, to the end that through a certaine and a&s;&s;ured hope we may looke
<PB N="26" REF="18">for life from him, as from our Father. Hee is a <HI>paund</HI> to vs in ca&s;e we &s;hould bee di&s;tru&s;tfull. Hauing &s;uch an earne&s;t-penny of life: ha|uing his te&s;timony, whobe|ing the &s;pirit of verity, can|not lie or deceiue: hauing him&s;elfe who is the pre&s;er|uer of all creatures, &s;hall we be a feared of death? It is as much as if one &s;hould bee afeard of darkene&s;&s;e in the noone-day. <HI>The &s;pirit of him who hath rai&s;ed againe Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, and who hath vpholden him, that he might not bee bea|ten downe and &s;mothered by death, being in vs, will quie|ken vs likewi&s;e,</HI> &s;aith Saint <HI>Paul, and will pre&s;erue vs.</HI>
<PB N="27" REF="18">Let vs ca&s;t away all feare then.</P>
<P>Faith likewi&s;e is the cau&s;e, why God doth a|dopt and repute vs for his children. <HI>You are all the chil|dren of God through faith,</HI> &s;aith <HI>S. Paul.</HI> And <HI>S. Iohn, He hath giuen power vnto all tho&s;e that &s;hall receiue him,</HI> and &s;hall <HI>belieue in his nane, to become the children of God.</HI> Now being his children, <HI>we are heires &amp; coheires with Chri&s;t Ie&s;us.</HI> And by the meanes of this adoption we are a&s;&s;ured, that we &s;hall obtaine life and re&s;t, and enter into that glory, wher|in he &s;hall reigne eternally, with his Father. Moreo|uer,
<PB N="28" REF="19">being Gods children, we are his <HI>dome&s;tickes.</HI> Now it is not in his hou&s;e that death dwelleth: it is in hell and in the Diuels hou&s;e. In heauen and where God dwelleth there is an inac|ce&s;&s;ible light, a felicitie and happine&s;&s;e &s;o great, that in regard thereof, <HI>Dauid</HI> cried out and &s;aid, <HI>O how ble&s;&s;ed are they that dwell in thy hou&s;e:</HI> And in another place <HI>In this doth my chiefe felici|tie con&s;i&s;t, to bee neare vnto the Lord.</HI> Further being children, wee are free and francke of &s;inne, free of death, free of the condem|nation and rigour of the Law, free from bondage,
<PB N="29" REF="19">and likewi&s;e from the for|ces of the Diuell. What doe we feare being the children of God, and con&s;equently brethren with Chri&s;t Ie|fus. Is it po&s;&s;ible that hee can euer misknow or aban|don his fle&s;h, and his blood, or &s;uffer them to decay, ha|uing the power to &s;aue them? To conclude, be|ing the children of God who is our Futher, who lo|ueth vs with a &s;indere and fatherly affe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">tion. And if, as Saint <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>while we were yet his enemies hee had forgre it aware of vs, that not hauing &s;pared his owne &s;onne, hee deliuered him to death, that wee might bee &s;aued and
<PB N="30" REF="20">reconciled vnto him:</HI> Now being his friends and in fa|uour with him, will he not &s;aue vs? who is he, that ha|uing con&s;idered the&s;e rea|&s;ons doth not incontinent per&s;wade him&s;elfe, &amp; &s;hake off all feare of death? That which ought likewi&s;e to &s;trengthen vs again&s;t death, and remooue from vs what|&s;oeuer feare we haue there|of, of di&s;honour, of tribula|tion, of horror, and angui&s;h prepared for the reprobate and damned, is our vocati|on: that God of his mercy hath <HI>daigned</HI> him&s;elfe to free vs from the darkene&s;&s;e wherein we were, and to il|luminate vs through his
<PB N="31" REF="20">holy &s;pirit, in teaching vs by his word, wherein wee &s;hould put our tru&s;t, and where wee ought to &s;eeke for our &s;aluation, and what wee ought to doe to plea&s;e him, and obey him, to the end that by walking in his Law, &amp; &s;eruing him whol|ly in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &amp; ho|line&s;&s;e, wee may, after that wee haue endured in this world for a little &s;ea&s;on, in end be glorified with him. For that which God hath begun, he will fini&s;h. And when hee hath determined to call vnto him any man and &s;aue him, hee doth ne|uer alter his re&s;olution, nor repent him of any good
<PB N="32" REF="21">thing that hee is to be&s;tow on him. Hee is vnchangea|ble, and is &s;o con&s;tant in his de&s;irings and purpo&s;es, that what hee hath once willed and ordained, hee will exe|cute the &s;ame, not doing a|ny thing to the contrary. If then wee doe feele in our &s;elues, that God hath giuen vs the grace to heare, to be|leeue, &amp; loue his word, and to reiect and flie from all that is contrary thereto: Moreouer to haue an ear|ne&s;t de&s;ire to keepe his commandements, and bee &s;orry, if perhaps through infirmitie or other-wayes wee &s;hould commit any thing again&s;t his Lawe: let
<PB N="33" REF="21">vs not doubt but we are re|generate, elected and pre|ordained vnto euerla&s;ting life, and con&s;equently rid of all danger of death. Let vs therefore ca&s;t away all manner of feare, &amp; &s;ay with Saint <HI>Paul: Who &s;hall bee a|ble to &s;eparate vs from the loue and charitie of God?</HI> Who &s;hall bee able to per|&s;wade vs, that hee hath no de&s;ire to &s;aue vs? <HI>It &s;hall not be afflictio~, famine, per&s;ecuto~i, nor any &s;ort of aduer&s;ity. Nei|ther death, nor any creature what&s;oeuer &s;hall euer make vs doubt of his loue towards vs, by the fauour of Chri&s;t, Ie&s;us:</HI> and that hauing cho&s;en, called, &amp; iu&s;tified vs in him,
<PB N="34" REF="22">hee &s;hall in end glorifie vs through him.</P>
<P>The Sacraments which Chri&s;t Ie&s;us left vnto vs for confirmation of our faith, ought likewi&s;e to a&s;&s;ure vs again&s;t death.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>Bapti&s;me,</HI> by which <HI>we are buried and die with Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, that with him al|&s;o wee may bee rai&s;ed againe.</HI> Wherein wee are wa&s;hed from all our filthine&s;&s;e, and cloathed with his innocen|cy, to the ende that pre&s;en|ting vs vnto the father thus adorned, and couered with the Robes of our elde&s;t brother, wee may receiue his holy ble&s;&s;ing, and be &s;a|ued in the time of the great
<PB N="35" REF="22">deludge, wherein all the vn|faithfull doe peri&s;h, as <HI>Noah</HI> was in his time in the <HI>Arke.</HI> Hauing therfore Gods pro|mi&s;es, as wee haue &s;aide be|fore, &amp; moreouer his zeale, whereby hee hath bound him&s;elfe to re&s;tore vnto vs the life that wee had lo&s;t through our &s;inne, why doe wee feare death? doe wee thinke that hee will reuoke that which hee hath done, or that hee will deny and di&s;aduouch his zeale?</P>
<P>Secondarily the holy <HI>Sup|per,</HI> where wee receiue the <HI>bread</HI> and <HI>Wine,</HI> that wee may be admitted vnto the communion and participa|tion of the body and blood
<PB N="36" REF="23">of our Lord Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, and con&s;equently vnto the fruites thereof. This is to bee partakers of his obedi|ence, of his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, of his &s;atisfaction and re|demption, of his new Te|&s;tament and Couenant, and generally of all Gods pro|mi&s;es, which haue beene ra|tified by his death. It re|&s;teth now that wee &s;hould conclude this matter, and inferre from the&s;e things preceeding: that if we bee afeared of death, it is be|cau&s;e wee doe not weigh them: or if wee doe, that it is through want of Faith. For there is no man &s;o fear|full, hauing &s;urely per&s;wa|ded
<PB N="37" REF="23">him&s;elfe of that which is &s;aid, but he will ca&s;t away all feare of death, and &s;ay with <HI>Dauid, I &s;hall not die, but &s;hall liue for euer, that I may declare perpetually the workes of the Lord, and prai&s;e him:</HI> And who would not euen mocke death, with St. <HI>Paul,</HI> and in&s;ult ouer the &s;ame, &s;aying: <HI>O death where is thy victory? Where is thy &s;ting? Where is thy &s;trength?</HI> Where is that feare &amp; dread which men had of thee? <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us</HI> our <HI>Sauiour,</HI> &s;ee|ing the time of his death to draw neare, &s;aid, <HI>that &s;hortly hee was to pa&s;&s;e out of this world, and goe vnto God his father,</HI> naming death a pa&s;|&s;age.
<PB N="38" REF="24">Which ought to be a &s;ingular comfort vnto vs. We are almo&s;t all po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with this opinion, and it is this that terrifieth vs &s;o, that it is a dangerous and difficult pa&s;&s;age. But to de|liuer vs from thence, and that wee may bee encoura|ged, hee hath pa&s;&s;ed the &s;ame before vs, and as it were tried the foord, to the end that wee hauing &s;eene that he peri&s;hed not might be encouraged thereby.</P>
<P>As wee &s;ee the <HI>Prophets, Apo&s;tles, Martyres</HI> and o|ther famous per&s;ons to haue done both before and after him: who hauing pa&s;|&s;ed the &s;ame without any
<PB N="39" REF="24">feare or apprehen&s;ion of death, and hauing e&s;caped with &s;afetie and ioy, doe now reioyce with God, af|ter that they are come into the land and port, where|vnto the a&s;pired. Shall wee be &s;uch cowards then, &s;hall our hearts faile vs &s;o farre, and our courage become &s;o &s;oft and womanly, that we &s;hall bee afeard, to pa&s;&s;e through a place &s;o frequen|ted, and a way &s;o broad and beaten, that it is gone blind fold, as one of the ancients &s;aid, yea and where we per|ceiue that not one: of all tho&s;e, that haue put their tru&s;t in God, by calling for his helpe, hath beene lo&s;t in
<PB N="40" REF="25">this pa&s;&s;age. When the children of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> feared to pa&s;&s;e through the red &s;ea, <HI>Moy&s;es</HI> declared vnto them that if they would <HI>tru&s;t in God,</HI> they &s;hould behold his <HI>glory</HI> &amp; <HI>power.</HI> Which they &s;aw, while they were pa&s;|&s;ing &s;urely through the midde&s;t of the da~ger, where their enemies were drow|ned. So likewi&s;e &s;hall all the faithfull doe through the &s;traits of death: prouiding that they reco~mend them to God, and repo&s;e wholly on him. Tho&s;e being in the wilderne&s;&s;e, although they were &s;tung by <HI>Serpents,</HI> yet were they pre&s;erued from danger, through beholding
<PB N="41" REF="25">the <HI>Serpent,</HI> which <HI>Moy&s;es</HI> had cau&s;ed &s;et vp. Howbe|it al&s;o that the cure&s;ed and ennious Serpent, hath in|fected vs with his poy&s;on, yet we die not, if through <HI>faith</HI> we behold <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us crucified.</HI> Let death come, let her &s;ea&s;e on vs, let her bind vs, yet wee &s;hall bur&s;t her bands a &s;under, as <HI>Samp|&s;on</HI> did tho&s;e of the <HI>Phili|&s;tins</HI> his enemies. Let her deuour and &s;wallow vs vp, as the <HI>Whale</HI> did <HI>Ionas,</HI> yet &s;hall &s;hee bee compelled to ca&s;t vs out againe, and re|uomite vs, if out of the mid de&s;t of the bottomle&s;&s;e pit, we be mindfull and call on God. Let her enterre and
<PB N="42" REF="26">bury vs, as &s;hee did once <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us,</HI> yet &s;hall wee ri&s;e againe as he did, and it &s;hall be impo&s;&s;ible for that Tyrant to detaine vs vnder her power. After it hath beene declared, how wee ought to guard our &s;elues, again&s;t the apprehen&s;ions of eternall death; let vs de|clare likewi&s;e, that not one|ly wee ought not to bee a|feared of temporall death, but moreouer ought to de|&s;ire it, and when it plea&s;eth God to vi&s;ite vs with the &s;ame, to thanke him, to re|ioyce, to embrace her and &s;ing for gladne&s;&s;e: whether it bee in regard of the mi&s;e|ries, of the woes and vexa|tions
<PB N="43" REF="26">of this life, from which &s;he riddeth vs: or of the profite, the &s;ollace and contentment of euerla&s;ting life, whereunto &s;he leadeth vs.</P>
<P>Concerning the pouer|tie. mi&s;erie, incertitude, fra|gilitie, accidents and chan|ges of this life, not onely the Scripture, but likewi&s;e many wi&s;e and great <HI>Philo|&s;ophers</HI> doe teach vs the &s;ame. And there is one of them, who declaring the origine of the Greek terme &s;ignifying life, &s;aith, <HI>bios pa|ra ten bian.</HI> Which is, <HI>that life hath beene &s;o termed by the Grecians,</HI> becau&s;e of the violence, a&s;&s;aults, exce&s;&s;es,
<PB N="44" REF="27">paines and mi&s;eries that we &s;uffer, which are innumera|ble both in body and &s;oule.</P>
<P>Our bodies are &s;ubiect to cold, to heare, to hinger, to drouth, to time, to age, and to &s;o many di&s;ea&s;es, that there is no part that hath not the owne peculiar di&s;ea&s;e. The feete are &s;ub|iect to the goute, the belley to gnawing, the &s;ides to pleuri&s;ies, the &s;tomacke to rawne&s;&s;e: the lungs to the cough, the head to a thou|&s;and dollours. There neede but a &s;pider, or &s;ome other little worme to kill vs, there needes but a haire, or a grape-&s;tone to &s;trangle vs. Briefely the fle&s;h, with all
<PB N="45" REF="27">its maine force, glory, and great magnificence, is no o|ther thing but <HI>gra&s;&s;e.</HI> Is it to day greene and plea&s;ant, let the &s;ith once go throgh, it will make fall ten thou|&s;and &s;talkes at one &s;troke, which in an houres &s;pace &s;hall become drie and wi|thered. The <HI>Grecians</HI> doe terme the body of man in their language <HI>&s;&oacute;ma</HI> &amp; <HI>D&egrave;|mas,</HI> wherof the one is bor|rowed from a word that &s;ignifieth to binde, and the other draweth neare vnto that which &s;ignifieth a &s;e|pulchre: to &s;hewe vnto vs that in what &s;tate and di&s;|po&s;ition &s;oeuer it be, it re|pre&s;enteth vnto vs rather
<PB N="46" REF="28">death, then life, and bon|dage rather then libertie. Concerning the &s;oule, &s;hee is fir&s;t &s;ubiect vnto all the euils and di&s;ea&s;es of the bo|dy, for it is vnpo&s;&s;ible, this being &s;icke, that for the coniunction and &s;ympathy which is betweene them, &s;hee &s;hould not &s;uffer and endure torment. Moreouer &s;he hath her owne di&s;ea&s;es, as well of ignorance, of &s;in, of di&s;tru&s;t, of &s;u&s;pition, of iealou&s;ie, of hatred and en|uy, of lu&s;ts, of de&s;ire, of am|bition, &amp; of pa&s;&s;ions, which like hangmen drawe the &s;ame, &s;ome one way, &s;ome another, euen as if they were to cut her in quarters.
<PB N="47" REF="28">I omit a thou&s;and cares that &s;hee hath, and which man taketh, that he may attaine to his ends, that hee may liue in peace and ea&s;e, that hee may obtaine honour, that hee may keepe good corre&s;pondence with his friends and allies, that hee may bee ware of his ene|myes, that hee may rai&s;e his hou&s;e, that he may con|&s;erue and keepe it in the owne greatne&s;&s;e, which things doe often torment vs in &s;uch &s;ort, that we can|not take our food, nor &s;leep in quietne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>And we mu&s;t not thinke, that any e&s;tate is exempted from this mi&s;ery. Begin at
<PB N="48" REF="29">the greate&s;t Prince and Em|perour that euer hath ben in the world: and by di&s;|cour&s;ing, de&s;cend euen vn|to the poore&s;t beggar that euer the earth did beare, you &s;hall not finde one that is content: neither Trad&s;|man nor the Merchant, neither the Lawyer, nor the Gentleman, nor the Duke, nor the King, enter into their clo&s;ets, you &s;hall often finde them, as <HI>Menander</HI> &s;aid, laid on their beds, cry|ing with a lamentable and pittifull voice, <HI>Alas. Valeri|us</HI> writeth of a King, vnto whom the Scepter and Di|ademe were offered, who before hee would &s;uffer the
<PB N="49" REF="29">&s;ame to be &s;et on his head, tooke it in his hand, and af|ter he had viewed it a great while, cryed out lowde, <HI>O Diademe, if the mi&s;eries and &s;orrowes were knowne which doe accompany thee, there is no man that hauing found thee would &s;toupe downe to the ground to take thee vp.</HI> Declaring by this exclama|tion, that the life of Kings, is not &s;o happy as the life of meane per&s;ons. <HI>Tiberius Cae&s;ar,</HI> vnder whom <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us</HI> was crucified, &amp; who commanded that he &s;hould be acknowledged and wor|&s;hipped as a God, as <HI>Tertul|lian</HI> witne&s;&s;eth, after the death of <HI>Augu&s;tus</HI> his pre|dice&s;&s;or,
<PB N="50" REF="30">who by te&s;tament had made him heire as well vnto his goods, as vnto the Empire afterwards offered vnto him (as the manner was) by the Senat, doubted a long while, if hee &s;hould embrace the &s;ame, for the feare he had of the weight of this charge, and of the toile which hee behoued to endure in executing there|of. <HI>Diocletian,</HI> after hee had po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed the Empire about twenty yeares, gaue it ouer of his own accord &amp; good|will, and during the re&s;t of his life time chu&s;ed a peace|able &amp; homely life. Where|in after the great perturba|tions and &s;tormes of di&s;|plea&s;ure
<PB N="51" REF="30">which he had had during the time of his go|uernment, he found ea&s;e to be &s;o &s;weete, and his &s;pirit &s;o content, and free, that of|tentimes among his friends he affirmed, <HI>that no time had euer &s;eemed more beautifull vnto him, nor the &s;unne and dayes more plea&s;ant.</HI> Shewing by the&s;e words, how much he abhorred the imperiall life, although fewe Empe|rours before or after him; had obtained &s;o many ho|nours, victories, and pro|&s;perities as he had.</P>
<P>The&s;e examples do &s;hew manife&s;tly that the life of Kings is not &s;o fortunate, as &s;ome take it to bee, more
<PB N="52" REF="31">through error then rea&s;on. And they are &s;o farre from the fruition of re&s;t, &amp; want of &s;orrow, that in re&s;pect of the care and angui&s;h that they haue, the ancient Gre|cians haue named them <HI>anacas, dia</HI> to <HI>anac&ocirc;s &eacute;chim,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Plutarch,</HI> in expoun|ding this word, which ac|cording to his expo&s;ition is as much, as who would &s;ay <HI>carefull;</HI> The higher a tree is planteth &amp; groweth vp, it is the more &s;ubiect vnto winds. So likewi&s;e are the great ones vnto diuers for|tunes and accidents, more then meane per&s;ons. The thunder and lightnings fall commonly vpon high pla|ces: &s;o al&s;o doe great and
<PB N="53" REF="31">lamentable di&s;a&s;tres vpon great and famous per&s;ons.</P>
<P>And if in this world, tho&s;e offices &amp; places which we e&s;teeme of mo&s;t, be &s;ub|iect vnto &s;o many calami|ties, what may wee thinke of others, which wee ou+&s;elues becau&s;e of the incon+uenients that are ioyned therewith, doe abhorre and repute vnhappie. Thus we perceiue, that there is no manner of e&s;tate, which of the &s;elfe is able to procure felicitie and contentment to any. And like as in e|&s;tates, be&s;ides common mi|&s;eries, euery one hath with all his priuate &s;orrowes, &s;o all the ages of man haue
<PB N="54" REF="32">their owne peculiar mi&s;e|ries. In his youth hee is weake, without vertue, without knowledge &amp; v&s;e of rea&s;on, without &s;peach or &s;pirit, and mu&s;t be aboue fifteene yeares of age be|fore hee can bee capable to choo&s;e a fit e&s;tate for him|&s;elfe. Wherein mo&s;t often hee deceiueth him&s;elfe, in choo&s;ing that which is vn|fitting for him.</P>
<P>Hauing entred into his <HI>adele&s;cency,</HI> hee is ra&s;h, ven|turous, fooli&s;h, pa&s;&s;ionate, voluptuous, prodigall, a drunkard, a contentious Player, whereof en&s;ueth of|ten, that while he is of this age, he falleth into great in|conuenients
<PB N="55" REF="32">and dangers, as to be impri&s;oned, to be hanged, to loo&s;e his goods, to procure death vnto his parents through angui&s;h &amp; &s;orrow.</P>
<P>When this raging heate beginneth by little and lit|tle to a&s;&s;wage and dimini&s;h, and that hee is become a perfect man, then mu&s;t hee labour day and night, to maintaine his family, nou|ri&s;h his children, and pro|uide for the time comming. Hee is be&s;ieged, &s;ometimes by couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e and aua|rice, &s;ometimes by feare that his children be left vn|prouided, that they go|uerne not them&s;elues well,
<PB N="56" REF="33">and bring &s;ome di&s;honour vpon their hou&s;e.</P>
<P>The age of vertue &amp; per|fection now declining, be|hold old age commeth on foftly and vnawares, where|in man waxeth &s;ickly, fee|ble, cold, &amp; de&s;titute, &amp; like as among the foure &s;ea&s;ons the la&s;t that is winter, is the mo&s;t tedious, &s;o is olde age among&s;t all other ages.</P>
<P>That which I haue &s;aide is not the hundreth part of tho&s;e euils, whereunto the life of man is thralled &amp; ne|uetherle&s;&s;e this litle that we haue alleadged, is &s;ufficient to declare, that in all maner of e&s;tates, in all ages the &s;ame is mi&s;erable, and as
<PB N="57" REF="33"><HI>Menander</HI> &s;aid, <HI>that life and mi&s;ery bee two twinnes.</HI> For they are borne, they grow, they are nori&s;hed, and liue together alwaies, which na|ture hath taught vs in two things.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, in &s;o farre as little children comming into this world, weepe continually as for&s;eeing what mi&s;eries they are to endure, if they liue long therein. Second|ly, in &s;o farre as co~ming out of their mothers wombe, they are bathed in blood, and re&s;emble rather a dead man, that hath had his throate cut by a thiefe, then any other thing. Two anci|ent Philo&s;ophers hauing
<PB N="58" REF="34">con&s;idered the&s;e things, the one &s;aid, <HI>that God loueth tho&s;e whom in their infancy hee ta|keth out of the world:</HI> the o|ther, <HI>that it were good, not to be borne at all, or to die imme|diately thereafter.</HI> Truely it is a wonderfull thing, and which declareth euidently, that wee lacke iudgement, that although the &s;ame bee &s;o vgly and deformed, that through all the parts there|of, there is neither grace nor beauty to recommend it, wee notwith&s;tanding are &s;o enamoured therewith, that wee de&s;ire to keepe &s;till the &s;ame, being vnwilling to heare of any change. But we are much deceiued: For
<PB N="59" REF="34">it is yet more incertaine then mi&s;erable. To declare vnto vs the incertitude, the ancients called it a <HI>&s;hadow</HI> and <HI>dreame,</HI> which bee the two things in the world, that are mo&s;t vaine and lea&s;t &s;etled after one manner. <HI>Py|thagoras</HI> being once deman|ded, what thing the life of man was, &s;aid neuer a word. For it was his cu&s;tome to an&s;were, and teach mor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> by &s;ignes then wordes: bu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> went into a chamber and came out againe &s;uddenly: &s;ignifying that the life o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> man is but an entry and &s;u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">+den departing out of this world. And Chri&s;t Ie&s;us exhorting vs to <HI>watch,</HI> doth
<PB N="60" REF="35">ground him&s;elfe on no o|ther thing, then the incon|&s;tancy and incertitude of this life (<HI>watch</HI> &s;aith he) <HI>for you knowe not at what houre the Lord will come.</HI> Who is he, in what good ca&s;e and felicity &s;oeuer hee bee, that can promi&s;e vnto him&s;elfe, to hold out, and continue one day. Tho&s;e of <HI>Samaria</HI> feared nothing, who were &s;uddenly oppre&s;&s;ed, by the fall of the Tower of <HI>Silo.</HI> In time of the flood, they were <HI>building,</HI> they were <HI>marry|ing</HI> and <HI>fea&s;ting,</HI> when &s;ud|denly, again&s;t the opinion &amp; expectation of the whole world, the &s;howers powred downe in faire and cleare
<PB N="61" REF="35">weather, and drowned the whole earth. That rich man of whom mention is made in the twelfth of St. <HI>Luke,</HI> thought him&s;elfe in &s;ecuri|tie, who hauing &s;uch plen|tie and riches, that he knew not where to lay the~, made his account to take his plea|&s;ure, and liue thenceforth in ea&s;e. When thus purpo&s;ing with him&s;elfe, behold Gods Sergeant that comes to &s;ummon him, to appeare that &s;ame day, and <HI>giue an account</HI> before him, of all the precious things, and goods which hee had left behinde him, and hea|ped together with &s;o great paines.</P>
<PB N="62" REF="36">
<P>But it is lo&s;t labour, to goe about to proue &s;o ma|nife&s;t a thing, whereof wee haue experience, &amp; which we &s;ee daily. For there is no thing more ordinary, and frequent in this world, then that which <HI>Ouid</HI> &s;aith, <HI>that the life of man and all humaine things doe hang, and haue no other hold then by a little thread.</HI></P>
<P>Let vs behold then, con|&s;idering on the one part the great euils wherewith it is repleni&s;hed, and on the other part the incon&s;tancy of the goods belonging thereto: if we haue iu&s;t rea|&s;on, to aske of God, that he would prolong the &s;ame
<PB N="63" REF="36">vnto vs, or to complaine &amp; bee di&s;content with death, when hee &s;horteneth the &s;ame vnto vs.</P>
<P>Wee haue heard what e|uils death deliuereth vs fro~, let vs now con&s;ider what good it bringeth vnto vs, from thence wee &s;hall yet knowe the better, that wee ought not to feare her, to flie away, or goe backe: But rather to de&s;ire the &s;ame with our whole affection. For one good thing which we po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e by her meanes is greater then all tho&s;e which wee can haue from the world, although wee &s;hould liue for euer.</P>
<P>By her wee repo&s;e, as St.
<PB N="64" REF="37">&s;aith in his <HI>Reuelation.</HI> And after that we haue &s;uffered, and are almo&s;t con&s;umed through innumerable trou|bles and vexations, in dy|ing our &s;pirit returneth in|to heauen, and our body into the earth, as into a bed there to re&s;t and repo&s;e. The poore trade&s;men are very glad, when it groweth late, and the night approa|cheth, hoping then to bee paied for their daies labour, &amp; retire them&s;elues to re&s;t in their hou&s;es: or when after they haue laboured the &s;ixe dayes of the weeke, Sonday comes, whereon they hope to recreate them &s;elues, &amp; recouer the force and vigour as well of their body as of their &s;pirit. Wee
<PB N="65" REF="37">ought to be no le&s;&s;e ioyfull when the time of our death approacheth, which wee ought to de&s;ire and wi&s;h as &s;ome fea&s;t, wherein wee hope to repo&s;e, &amp; through the plea&s;ure wee are to re|ceiue, to forget immediatly all the &s;orrowes &amp; griefes, that wee haue endured in this world. The end of all that which wee doe, and which wee propound vnto our &s;elues, is it not our re&s;t? Wherfore do we gather ri|ches with a thou&s;and toyles and a thou&s;and daungers? Wherefore doe wee &s;tudy? Wherefore doe wee make warres? Wherefore is it that wee doe all other things? It is not that by this
<PB N="66" REF="38">meanes may attaine to the re&s;t and quietne&s;&s;e which we &s;eeke and labour, for as a &s;upreme felicitie? What is the chiefe reward that God promi&s;eth vnto his people, and to all tho&s;e that &s;erue him faithfully? Is it not a perpetual re&s;t, where|in him&s;elfe hath continu|ed euer &s;ince the creation of the world. When wee pray vnto him <HI>that his king|dome may come,</HI> is it not to the end that wee may enioy peace and re&s;t? What doe wee hope for of him in the end? Is it not this? Now the ea&s;e that God hath pro|mi&s;ed vs, which wee aske from him, which we looke
<PB N="67" REF="38">for, briefely which we aime at as at a but and co~clu&s;ion of all that wee doe, and vn|dertake, is giuen to vs by no other meane then death. Some &s;eeke after it among &s;uch goods as they affe<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> thinking there to finde it, &s;ome in their &s;tudies, others in voluptuou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and worldly plea&s;ures. But all this is meere deceit. For it is to be found no where but in death, which wee ought to loue more for this cau<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters"> then the world doth p<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> &s;ures, nor the couetous <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> trea&s;ure, nor the &s;cho<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> his bookes, nor the amb<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="3 letters">+ous his honours; for <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> much as in an houre, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word">
<PB N="68" REF="39">deliuereth into our hands, and giueth them the fruiti|on of tho&s;e goods which they cannot finde through great labour all their life time, in tho&s;e things which we haue mentioned.</P>
<P>Moreouer death is the cau&s;e why we become con|tent, &s;atisfied, and happy. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are tho&s;e that depart in the faith of our Lord,</HI> &s;aith <HI>S. Iohn.</HI> Now this felicity is the &s;oueraigne good wherunto we a&s;pire, &amp; which we can|not finde in this vvorld, where vve are neuer conte~t. If vve haue wealth, we de|&s;ire learning, if we haue lear|ning vve de&s;ire honours, if we haue honours, we de&s;ire
<PB N="69" REF="39">health, if vvee be in health, vvee vvi&s;h to be young: to be briefe, vvee lacke alwaies &s;omething, vvhich vvee &s;eeke for: and vvhen vvee cannot attaine to it, it is the cau&s;e that vve become hea|uy and di&s;content. Now vve &s;hall be &s;atiated and ful|ly &s;atisfied, as <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;aith, <HI>When through death wee &s;hall arriue in the kingdome of God, and his glory &s;hall be made ma|nife&s;t vnto vs.</HI></P>
<P><HI>In him are all things,</HI> he is the &s;oueraigne good, which comprehendeth and con+taineth in him all othe<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> Wherefore vvhen vve ha<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> obtained him our appet<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> and de&s;ire &s;hall repo&s;e in
<PB N="70" REF="40">him. Wee &s;hall pau&s;e there without going any further, without &s;earching or &s;ee|king for any other thing. Then &s;hall it bee fulfilled which Chri&s;t Ie&s;us promi|&s;ed vnto all his faithfull, that <HI>beleeuing in him</HI> with a whole faith, and &s;uch as God requireth in his word, <HI>in their hearts &s;hall be a foun|taine of water, &s;pringing vp into euerla&s;ting life. Wee &s;hall feare no more,</HI> being no more in danger. Wee &s;hall de&s;ire no more hauing all things in our hands. We &s;hal hope no more, for all promi&s;es &s;hall be fulfilled. Wee &s;hall demand no more, for wee &s;hall haue no more neede.
<PB N="71" REF="40"><HI>God &s;hall bee all in all,</HI> if wee would be <HI>rich,</HI> we &s;hall haue him who inricheth all &s;uch as call on his ble&s;&s;ed name, if wee <HI>de&s;ire knowledge,</HI> wee &s;hall haue heauenly wi&s;e|dome: if wee would be<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> <HI>mighty,</HI> wee &s;hall haue th<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> omnipotent: if wee woul<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> be <HI>good,</HI> wee &s;hall haue th<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> onely excellent good: i<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> we would be <HI>beautifull,</HI> we<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> &s;hall haue the great Archi+tect &amp; worker of all things<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> if wee would bee healthfu<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> and liue long, we &s;hall hau<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> the eternall. All our &s;oules &s;hall bee raui&s;hed through greatne&s;&s;e of the plea&s;ure, which they &s;hall receiue &amp; feele. Our eyes, in behol|ding
<PB N="72" REF="41">the great &s;umptuous and &s;tately Pallace of our God, in beholding the per|fect and &s;oueraigne beautie of his cleare and gli&s;tering face, in beholding the <HI>Son of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, the foun|taine of liuing water, the tree of life, Paradi&s;e,</HI> that is to &s;ay, the plea&s;ant garden of our God, his goodly and noble company of <HI>Angels,</HI> of <HI>Apo&s;tles, Patriarches, Mar|tyrs,</HI> and all the <HI>ble&s;&s;ed &s;pi|rits,</HI> and if the onely &s;ight of <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us</HI> transfigured in the mountaine was of &s;o great efficacy that Saint <HI>Pe|ter</HI> hauing forgotten all o|ther things, was in an in|&s;tant tran&s;ported out of
<PB N="73" REF="41">him&s;elfe, &amp; wi&s;hed <HI>to dwell there perpetually.</HI> What may wee thinke of the ioy and plea&s;ure that hee receiueth that &s;eeth Chri&s;t Ie&s;us glo|rified, and with him his Fa|ther, his Spirit, and all the fore&s;aid a&s;&s;embly? <HI>The eye hath not &s;eene, the eare hath not heard, the heart hath ne|uer conceiued the greatnes of the good things,</HI> plea&s;ures, ea&s;e and contentment, that <HI>are prepared for tho&s;e whom God hath cho&s;en to bee &s;a|ued.</HI></P>
<P>Our eares likewi&s;e &s;hall be raui&s;hed, when we heare the talke and &s;peach of the incomprehen&s;ible wi&s;dome of God: further the good
<PB N="74" REF="42">mu&s;icke, the &s;weete and ple&s;ant harmonies of An|gels, and Saints, that raigne with him, who &s;ing ince&s;|&s;antly. <HI>Vnto the holy, vnto the holy, vnto the holy God of ho&s;tes be honour and glory for euer and euer. Salomon</HI> while hee was on earth made the world a&s;toni&s;hed &amp; wo~der at the great wi&s;edome, and knowledge, wherewith he was endued. So likewi&s;e did <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us</HI> &s;o long as hee preached; What is hee able to doe now in heauen then, where all the great trea&s;ures of his diuine eloquence are di&s;plaied &amp; opened? <HI>Ae&s;chi|nes</HI> hauing rehear&s;ed vnto the <HI>Rhodians</HI> the oration of
<PB N="75" REF="42"><HI>Demo&s;thenes,</HI> which had cau+&s;ed him to bee bani&s;hed, perceiuing them to wonder thereat: <HI>What would you haue done</HI> (&s;aid he) <HI>if you had heard him pronounce the &s;ame?</HI> We likewi&s;e that are raui&s;hed with the onely reading of the holy Scriptures when we &s;hall heare Chri&s;t Ie&s;us pronounce them, and talke continually &amp; aboundant|ly with vs, &s;hall wee not be|come mute before him in the like ec&s;ta&s;is that Saint <HI>Paul</HI> was, being <HI>raui&s;hed vn|to the third heauen?</HI> Shall not our eyes be &s;till fixed, in be|holding our mai&s;ter ince&s;|&s;antly? And our eares al|waies li&s;tning and hearke|ning
<PB N="76" REF="43">vnto him? <HI>Plaiot</HI> thankt God ofte~ for three things: <HI>For that hee was a man, for that hee was a Grecian borne, and for that hee had beene &s;o fortunate and happy, as to heare Socrates.</HI> And we, &s;hall we not thanke him becau&s;e we are Chri&s;tians, becau&s;e we are heauenly ones, and becau&s;e through the means of death wee hope once to obtaine fauour to heare the wi&s;edome of God?</P>
<P>We haue &s;poken of that which we &s;hall &s;ee &amp; heare. What &s;hall wee ta&s;t? Wee &s;hall bee &s;et at the table of the Lord, where wee &s;hall haue plentie of all good things, it &s;hall bee couered
<PB N="77" REF="43">with meates, which he hath kept and prepared a long time, for this fea&s;t. We &s;hall eate of the bread of Angels. Wee &s;hall drinke of a riuer of plea&s;ures. Wee &s;hall al|wayes bee filled and &s;tuft with all manner of good things, we &s;hall haue conti|nuall fea&s;ting and banque|ting. We &s;hall forget all the delicate things of the world in a moment, hauing ta&s;ted tho&s;e of heauen, as the companions of <HI>Vly&s;&s;es</HI> did all other meates, after they had eaten of <HI>l&ocirc;tos</HI> &s;o much mentioned by <HI>Homer.</HI> It is another &s;ort of <HI>manna,</HI> then that of the children of <HI>I&s;ra|el.</HI> For they loathed the
<PB N="78" REF="44">&s;ame in the <HI>wilderne&s;&s;e: and de&s;ired to eate of the garlicke, melons and fle&s;h which they had left in Egypt.</HI> But wee being in heauen when fir&s;t we &s;hall ta&s;t of tho&s;e meates that &s;hall bee &s;et before vs, we &s;hal loath the ta&s;t of frit|ters, of &s;weete cakes, and of all the delicates of this world. <HI>We haue eaten heere of the fruite of the tree of know|ledge of good and euill,</HI> con|trary to the <HI>Phy&s;icians</HI> rule and co~mandement, where|of hath proceeded &s;ickne&s;&s;e vnto all, and death vnto tho&s;e that haue not beene &s;uccoured and healed by Chri&s;t Ie&s;us. But in the Kingdome of God, and in
<PB N="79" REF="44">his <HI>Paradi&s;e</HI> we &s;hall eate of the fruite <HI>of the tree of life,</HI> which &s;hall make vs to bee alwayes young and Iu&s;tie. And which is more, &s;hall cau&s;e vs become incorrup|tible and immortall, this is it that wee &s;hall ta&s;t. What &s;hall wee &s;mell? A roome full of perfumes, the gar|ments of the bridegrome &amp; of the &s;pou&s;e perfumed with all manner of oderife|rant &amp; aromaticke odours: It &s;hall bee then that the Church &s;hall triumph, and that the vine being coue|red with his flowers, &s;hall yeeld &s;uch a plea&s;ant &s;mell, that the whole heauen &s;hal be filled therewith. There
<PB N="80" REF="45">&s;hall bee no &s;tinke or filth, for there is no corruption likewi&s;e. Wee &s;hall &s;mell perfectly the odour of the &s;acrifice, which <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us</HI> hath made for vs on earth, &s;o great and &s;o &s;weete, that the <HI>Father</HI> for the delight that he hath taken therein, <HI>hath reconciled him&s;elfe with the world, and hath pacified his wrath towards vs.</HI> What plea&s;ant &s;acrifice and preci|ous incen&s;e is that al&s;o, namely the prai&s;es of all the Saints, who with one voice doe glorifie God, and &s;an|ctifie his holy name? More|ouer what good &s;mell doth that goodly flower yeeld, which came out of <HI>the roote
<PB N="81" REF="45">and &s;tocke of Ie&s;&s;e,</HI> being now in his prime and &s;trength? In the end we can not choo&s;e but &s;mell good odours. For then our Win|ter &s;hall bee pa&s;t, and wee &s;hall bee in a perpetuall &s;pring, wherein all things &s;hall growe greene and bud foorth, for the delight and plea&s;ure of the Church.</P>
<P>To &s;atiate our de&s;ire, and giue contentment to the la&s;t of our &s;en&s;es, wee &s;hall touch no more, and likewi&s;e &s;hall not bee touched by a|ny thing that is able to pro|cure any dolour vnto vs. Wee &s;hall bee receiued by <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us</HI> our <HI>Sauiour,</HI> who &s;hall come and meete
<PB N="82" REF="46">vs in the entry: &s;aying, <HI>Come thou faithfull &s;eruant: thou ha&s;t &s;erued me faithfully, &s;o long as thou wa&s;t in the world. Enter now into the ioy and re&s;t of thy Lord,</HI> he &s;hall ki&s;&s;e vs, he &s;hall embrace vs, and &s;hall keepe vs alwayes by him, not &s;uffering vs euer to depart, or goe farre from him.</P>
<P>Now if the chiefe&s;t good and that whereunto all o|thers are referred, be this felicitie which con&s;i&s;teth in the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion and fruition of all good things, and gi|uing contentment to our will, and to all our &s;en&s;es: with what de&s;ire ought we to expect death, where|by
<PB N="83" REF="46">wee attaine vnto the ame.</P>
<P>Moreouer, death freeth and deliuereth vs from all dangers: in this world, day and night: within and with out we are in feare and dan|ger. Our life is a cruell and bloody warre. Wee haue a multitude of enemies that kill vs continually, and la|bour by all meanes to de|&s;troy vs, the diuels lay waite for vs, and cea&s;e not to goe about like rauening Lions, and hungry Wolues, &s;ee|king to &s;urpri&s;e &amp; deuoure vs, the world &s;ometimes by allurements and inti&s;ing, &s;ometimes by threatning &amp; violence, endeauours to
<PB N="84" REF="47">withdraw &amp; diuert vs from the right way. Our fle&s;h for her part doth flatter vs, tikle vs, and dally with vs, and the better to &s;uborne vs, through great &s;ubtiltie propoundeth, &amp; &s;etteth al|waies before vs &s;uch things, wherein wee take mo&s;t de|light. Sometimes al&s;o &s;hee mourneth, that &s;hee may moue vs to take compa&s;si|on on her, her whole inten|tion being to ouercome vs, and that without any capi|tulation or agreement wee may &s;urrender our &s;elues wholly vnto her, and that &s;hee may become our mi|&s;tre&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>If we con&s;ider our infir|mitie
<PB N="85" REF="47">now, our &s;tupiditie, our &s;louth, the &s;mall cun|ning and vigilancy that is in vs, wee &s;hall bee able to iudge what danger wee liue in. It is impo&s;&s;ible for vs to liue in this world in the midde&s;t of &s;o many pe&s;ti|lentious per&s;ons, and of &s;o great a contagion, without falling often into &s;ickne&s;&s;e. Is it po&s;sible for vs to wra|&s;tle &s;o ofte~, again&s;t &s;o &s;trong and pui&s;&s;ant enemies, with|out falling and being bea|ten downe &s;ometimes? Is it po&s;&s;ible for vs to tra|uell through &s;o deepe and foule wayes without dirtying our &s;elues? Wee &s;ee this in the example of
<PB N="86" REF="48">tho&s;e holy men of times pa&s;t, who were not able to gouerne them&s;elues &s;o wel, but that the Serpent that waites alwaies at our heeles did infect them with his poy&s;on, and that they com|mitted diuers faults, &s;ome falling into incredulitie, &s;ome into idolatry, others into fornication, others in|to &s;urfeits and drunkennes, others into murder, no man but he hath had &s;ome fault. And &s;ometimes &s;o great &amp; hideous, that they had beene brui&s;ed to pieces, if God had not vpholden them with his hand. Ought wee not then to imitate the example of Saint <HI>Paul,</HI> and
<PB N="87" REF="48">cry out as he did: <HI>Who &s;hall deliuer vs from the&s;e daun|gers, among which wee liue &s;o long as our &s;oule is in this mortall and mi&s;erable body?</HI> Let vs confe&s;&s;e that it is our gaine and profite to die, to the end that through death wee may be wholly deliue|red from all mortall things. Moreouer death giueth vs full po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of all Gods promi&s;es, and of the goods, which <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us</HI> hath purcha&s;ed vnto vs, &amp; which wee hope to receiue from him here. <HI>He in dying</HI> hath enfranchi&s;ed vs and obtai|ned libertie, and notwith|&s;tanding wee perceiue that we are yet &s;till in great bon|dage.</P>
<PB N="88" REF="49">
<P>We are <HI>Kings, Lords, Iudges, heires to God, coheires with Chri&s;t Ie&s;us</HI> Prince of hea|uen and earth: yet doth it not appeare &s;o long as wee are in this world, for we are beaten &amp; v&s;ed like &s;eruants: like children that are in mi|noritie, wee haue not as yet the free v&s;e of our goods: though we be all <HI>Kings</HI> and great <HI>Lords,</HI> wee are often driuen vnto &s;uch nece&s;&s;itie, that we haue neither bread to eate, nor water to drink, nor wool to couer vs. More|ouer, <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us hath pur|cha&s;ed vnto vs the grace of God, a perfect Iu&s;tice, life euer|la&s;ting, glory,</HI> and vertue vn|to our bodies, and to our
<PB N="89" REF="49">&s;oules <HI>peace</HI> and <HI>&s;ure re&s;t, ioy and contentment.</HI> But this gift is not yet deliuered to vs. For wee haue often|times had experience of the wrath and iudgement of God. Wee feele the concu|pi&s;cences and vicious de|&s;ires of our fle&s;h. In our bo|dies there is corruption, mortalitie, and weakene&s;&s;e: and in our &s;oules troubles, angui&s;h, and like a &s;editious and inte&s;tiue warre of good and euill de&s;ires, which fight one again&s;t another, and how much the&s;e euils be more grieuous, &s;o like|wi&s;e are the fore&s;aid goods greater or more to bee de&s;i|red. If then although they
<PB N="90" REF="50">be already purcha&s;ed vnto vs, and that they bee ours, neuerthele&s;&s;e wee attaine not vnto the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, and fruition thereof, but by death, are we not in this re|&s;pect much beholden to her? &s;hould wee not loue and de&s;ire her. The chil|dren of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> being come to the riuer of <HI>Iordan,</HI> &s;ee|ing on the other &s;ide there|of the fertilitie and plentie that was in the land which God had promi&s;ed the~, and that hauing pa&s;&s;ed through the &s;ame, they &s;hould be|gin to enioy it and to take re&s;t, had they not great cau&s;e to reioyce, and pa&s;&s;e through the riuer with
<PB N="91" REF="50">great alacritie? And wee what? When wee drawe neare to death, that is to &s;ay, the pa&s;&s;age, beyond which is our countrey, our hou&s;e, our city, our parents, our re&s;t, our ea&s;e, our plea|&s;ure? The child who du|ring his minoritie hath al|wayes liued in feare, and halfe &s;lauery, doth hee not reioyce whe~ the day comes wherein hee hopeth to bee emancipated, and to haue libertie to enioy his goods peacably. So likewi&s;e ought euery faithfull man to doe when hee perceiueth day of his death to approach, wherein hee &s;hall bee made po&s;&s;e&s;&s;or of all the goods
<PB N="92" REF="51">that God hath giuen him, and the donation thereof regi&s;tred at length.</P>
<P>VVhen any man, that hath vndertake~ a very long iourney, hauing gone many dayes together, and being weary and faint through trauell perceiueth a farre off the gate of the Citie, that hee is bound to, doth hee not reioyce, and leape a little for ioy that hee recei|ueth? Doth he not, entring into the City, thanke God, that hath done him the fa|uour to conduct and bring him thither. Now &s;ince we vvere borne, vve haue euer beene like &s;trangers in this world, vvee haue done no|thing
<PB N="93" REF="51">but trauaile in the&s;e low parts as in great de&s;erts, vvee are become faint and vveary: then &s;eeing death neare vnto vs, that is to &s;ay the gate to enter, into the Kingdome of our God, and the &s;taires to <HI>a&s;cend into his holy hill,</HI> haue wee not cau&s;e to leape and be merry, con|&s;idering how that vvee are vpon the point of arriuing at that place where wee hope to re&s;t perpetually? If poore <HI>Adam</HI> being cha&s;ed out of earthly <HI>Paradi&s;e,</HI> after hee had ta&s;ted of the mi&s;e|ries, whereunto he did pre|cipitate him&s;elfe through his &s;inne, had beene reuo|ked and re&s;tored to his for|mer
<PB N="94" REF="52">e&s;tate, what cau&s;e &s;hould hee haue had to re|ioyce? And vve al&s;o vvho after &s;o many diuer&s;e affli|ctions are called foorth by God, through the meanes of death, into the <HI>Paradi&s;e</HI> not earthly, but heauenly, not of <HI>Adam,</HI> but of God, where one cannot &s;inne, where there is no &s;erpent, where there is no forbid|ding, where briefely there is neither feare nor &s;hame? When <HI>Noah</HI> after the flood and ouerflowing of the wa|ters which had demoli&s;hed and ouerthrowne all, began to &s;ee the maine land a|gaine hee reioyced, and for gladne&s;&s;e <HI>offred &s;acrifice vn|to
<PB N="95" REF="52">God,</HI> to giue thankes to him, although the &s;ame was accur&s;ed and brought forth bryars and thornes onely, as it had done in times pa&s;t. What greater cau&s;e &s;hal we haue, when after the great deludges and de&s;olations that wee haue &s;eene in this world, we &s;hall beginne to &s;ee and &s;alute the land of the liuing, <HI>the ble&s;&s;ed land, the land promi&s;ed</HI> and kept for the godly, <HI>the land that floweth with milke and hony,</HI> and with all &s;weete and &s;a|uory things. When <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> after hee had beene a long time pri&s;oner in great cala|mitie, &s;uddenly not thin|king thereon was exalted
<PB N="96" REF="53">vnto &s;uch honour, that in <HI>Egypt</HI> hee <HI>was the &s;econd per|&s;on of the Kingdome,</HI> was ma|king lawes and &s;tatutes for the well of the &s;tate and af|faires of the countrey, had hee not matter enough to comfort him&s;elfe with?</P>
<P>Wee haue no le&s;&s;e, but farre more, when after our impri&s;onment, captiuitie, &s;lauery, bani&s;hment, and &s;o many other afflictions, that we &s;uffer in this world, wee through death are in a mo|ment exalted fro~ the dung|hill and puddle vnto hea|uen, that there wee may raigne with <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us,</HI> and be partakers of his glory, of his honour, of his faith, of
<PB N="97" REF="53">his ea&s;e, and of his table. Was it not great comfort vnto the Iewes that were captiues &s;ixtie yeeres in Ba|bylon among the Idola|ters, in great mi&s;ery, depri|ued of the commoditie of &s;pirituall exerci&s;es, as to a&s;+&s;emble them&s;elues to pray to God, &amp; heare his word and to performe &s;uch othe<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> things as belonged to th<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> dutie of a Chri&s;tian: &s;om<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> times lamenting with them+&s;elues in priuate, <HI>and han+ging their harpes and in&s;tru+ments on willowe trees,</HI> &s;o &s;orrowe they had becau&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> they might not &s;erue Go<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> after their plea&s;ure, nor &s;in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> prai&s;es vnto him among
<PB N="98" REF="54">&s;trangers to obtaine letters of the King to returne in|to their country and build their <HI>Temple,</HI> and there af|ter their old cu&s;tome, at full libertie, to &s;erue God, to prai&s;e him, to wor&s;hip him, and pray to him? Is our ioy any thing le&s;&s;e, when after a long and tedious captiui|uitie, which we haue endu|red in this world, while we conuer&s;ed with idolaters, vnbelieuers, bla&s;phemers, contemners of God and his Word, we are deliuered and haue obtained a licence to depart into the heauen|ly Ieru&s;alem, and into the holy Temple of our God, that there wee may perpe|tually
<PB N="99" REF="54">prai&s;e him, and in beholding his goodnes glo|rifie and &s;anctifie his holy name?</P>
<P>Death likewi&s;e is to b<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> wi&s;hed for, for as much<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> &s;he putteth an ende to o<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> griefes and &s;orrowes both together. In this world we<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> are alwaies heauy, &s;ad an<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> melancholicke. We weep <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> we &s;igh: wee are alwaies i<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> mourning apparrell: b<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> when through death we d<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> part, that wee may goe int<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> the hou&s;e of our <HI>Brid<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">|grome,</HI> wee put off and lea<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> behind vs at our departu<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> tho&s;e mourning garment<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> that wee may put on o<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> goodly and rich apparrell.</P>
<Q><PB N="100" REF="55">
<L>In robes well wrought with needle worke.</L>
<L>And many a plea&s;ant thing</L>
<L>With virgins faire on her to waite,</L>
<L>She commeth to the King.</L></Q>
<P>Saith our Diuine Poet. <HI>E&s;ay:</HI> a perpetuall ioy &s;hall bee powred on them that haue ben faithfull &s;eruants to God. And then &s;hall it be fulfilled which was pro|mi&s;ed vnto them: <HI>ble&s;&s;ed are you that weepe in this world, for you &s;hall laugh.</HI> There &s;hall be no more do|lour, nor complaints, nor teares: for God &s;o &s;oone as wee enter into his King|dome,
<PB N="101" REF="55"><HI>&s;hall wipe them away from our eyes.</HI> Wee &s;hall receiue comfort and re&s;t in <HI>Abra|hams bo&s;ome,</HI> as <HI>Lazarus</HI> doth, we &s;hal haue no mo<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> to doe, but to &s;ing and<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> euery one to his &s;oule.</P>
<Q><L>My &s;oule giue laud vnto the Lord,</L>
<L>My &s;pirit &s;hal doe the &s;a<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"></L>
<L>And all the &s;ecrets of<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> hearts,</L>
<L>Prai&s;e yee his holy name.</L></Q>
<P>To &s;ay to the <HI>Harpe</HI> and <HI>P&s;alter goe to, awake</HI> that you<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> may bee tuned and made ready to &s;erue God, a<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> prai&s;e him for his bou<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> fulnes: to &s;ay vnto the wh<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> Church.</P>
<Q><L>O giue yee thankes vnto the Lord,</L>
<PB N="102" REF="56">
<L>For gracious is he:</L>
<L>Becau&s;e his mercy doth endure</L>
<L>For euer toward thee.</L></Q>
<P>To &s;ay vnto all creatures: <HI>Prai&s;e God all his works, prai&s;e and exalt his name, prai&s;e God you Angels of Heauen, Sunne, and Moone, fire, aire, water, earth, trees and bea&s;tes.</HI> The <HI>maide</HI> that hath beene a long while &s;ure to her loue, de&s;ireth that the day may come whereon &s;hee &s;hould be married: &amp; when it is come &s;he reioyceth, &s;ee|ing that &s;hortly &s;he &s;hall be led into her husba~ds hou&s;e, that &s;hee may dwell with him for euer. VVee ought in like manner to comfort our &s;elues when the time
<PB N="103" REF="56">approacheth that our Lord &s;hall come, and we ought to waite for the &s;ame by watching, as did the <HI>fiue wi&s;e Virgins,</HI> to the end that &s;o &s;oone as hee &s;hall co<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> we may goe in to the wed|ding with him, and that<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> doore may not be &s;hut <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> vs, as it was on the <HI>fiue<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">|li&s;h ones,</HI> becau&s;e they<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> &s;lept.</P>
<P>Another rea&s;on why de<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> is to bee wi&s;hed for, is<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> cau&s;e &s;he maketh vs &s;ee<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> Sauiour, and friend <HI>Ch<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> Ie&s;us,</HI> of whom hethert<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> haue &s;eene nothing but<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> pourtraict, the <HI>Prophets<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> Apo&s;tles</HI> haue de&s;cribed<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> &s;o beautifull &amp; of &s;o goo<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">
<PB N="104" REF="57">a &s;hape, and &s;uch a milde behauiour, &s;o courteous, &s;o vertuous, &s;o tru&s;ty, &s;o elo|quent, &s;o amiable, &s;o noble, &s;o rich, &s;o louing vnto vs, that to <HI>&s;aue vs hee gaue his life?</HI> which ought to moue vs more then any thing el&s;e: what maide hauing heard of &s;o many perfections and good parts that are in her loue, would not burne with in her, and bee incontinent tran&s;ported with de&s;ire and affection to &s;ee him? If our King or any Prince of great worth, come into our coun|trey, we haue a de&s;ire to &s;ee him, for the fame that go|eth of his vertue and vali|ant actes. If <HI>Hercules, Alex|ander</HI>
<PB N="105" REF="57">the Great, <HI>Cae&s;ar, Cato,</HI> who&s;e olde pourtraicts wee e&s;teeme &s;o much, were now in the world, we would goe an hundreth miles through curio&s;itie to &s;ee them.</P>
<P>With what earne&s;t de&s;ire then ought wee to a&s;pire vnto the day, whereon wee hope to &s;ee face to face this faire &amp; potent Prince, who by an inuincible force hath brui&s;ed the heads of all our enemies? Who like a vali|ant <HI>Io&s;ua,</HI> in de&s;pite of them hath led vs through the daungers and pa&s;&s;ages into the land which God had promi&s;ed vnto vs. What plea&s;ure will it bee vnto vs, to behold him in glory, in a
<PB N="106" REF="58">triumphing manner &amp; fur|niture, &amp; enuironed about with his goodly trophees reared vp for a memoriall of his great victories? It is reported that <HI>Alexander</HI> af|ter hee had vanqui&s;hed <HI>Da|rius</HI> King of the <HI>Per&s;ians,</HI> en|tring into the place where his abode was, hee &s;et him|&s;elfe downe in his throne, and that immediately a Greeke Gentleman of his company began to weepe for ioy in vttering the&s;e words, <HI>O happy iourney wher|in wee &s;ee our King victori|ous ouer the Barbarians, and their pride abated and trod on:</HI> O that whole Grecia might now enioy this &s;ight and
<PB N="107" REF="58">plea&s;ure of this &s;pectacle. Con&s;ider likewi&s;e what ioy it &s;hall be vnto euery faith|full man to behold Chri&s;t Ie&s;us in his royal &s;eate, trea|ding vnder his feete all his enemies and ours, &amp; chiefly the Serpent, who&s;e head is already brui&s;ed, and hath no more power but onely to &s;tirre his taile, looking al|wayes when one &s;hal come and di&s;patch the remnant of his life at the day of iudg+ment. <HI>Many Kings and Pro|phets haue earne&s;tly de&s;ired to &s;ee him while hee was yet on earth, cloathed like a &s;eruant.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Simeon</HI> becau&s;e hee had &s;eene him &s;o, was &s;o much reioyced, and &s;o well plea|&s;ed,
<PB N="108" REF="59">that he feared no more to die. Ought we not more to de&s;ire to &s;ee him in hea|uen in his royal robes, with a company, greatnes, maie|&s;tie, &s;tate, and as he is Lord? The <HI>Queene</HI> of <HI>Sheba</HI> which hauing heard the great fame that went al the earth ouer, of the great Court of Salomon, <HI>came from the far|the&s;t and remote&s;t countries of the South to &s;ee him, and heare his wi&s;edome:</HI> after that &s;he had diligently remarked <HI>his great &amp; profound knowledge, the order, &s;tate, and magnifi|cence of his hou&s;e was a&s;toni|ed,</HI> and &s;aid with great ad|miration. <HI>Happy are thy &s;er|uants, which &s;tand euer before
<PB N="109" REF="59">thee and heare thy wi&s;edome.</HI> Let vs &s;ay al&s;o, O thri&s;e &amp; foure times happy are the faithfull who in dying goe &s;traight to heauen to be|hold the face of Chri&s;t Ie|&s;us who is far greater then <HI>Salomon.</HI> For the onely con|templation of the &s;ame ma|keth a man fully content, and by taking from vs the memory and &s;en&s;e of all o|ther plea&s;ures, maketh vs &s;o bent toward this, that wee are not able, neither yet wil turne our eyes and our co|gitations from it. Now death maketh vs &s;ee not onely <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us,</HI> but like|wi&s;e with him the <HI>Angels,</HI> the <HI>Patriarhes,</HI> the <HI>Prophets,</HI>
<PB N="110" REF="60">the <HI>Apo&s;tles,</HI> the <HI>Martyrs,</HI> who haue excelled in ver|tues and graces. And if eue|ry man who&s;e heart is to|ward the Lord, de&s;ireth to &s;ee the Church well gouer|ned in this world, and pre|ferreth this vnto all the goods of the earth, al|though the order can neuer bee &s;o good, but many things are &s;till ami&s;&s;e: with what vehemency &amp; affecti|on ought wee to wi&s;h to &s;ee the &s;ame in heauen, with|out blemi&s;h, without &s;pot gli&s;tering like the Sunne, cloathed with robes white like &s;now, in nuptiall gar|ments and attire.</P>
<P>The la&s;t rea&s;on why we
<PB N="111" REF="60">ought to de&s;ire death, is be|cau&s;e through her our &s;pi|rit being &s;eparated from the body that maketh it heauy, is more free, &amp; more capable to contemplate the the mi&s;teries of God. Wee liue all in this world, with a naturall appetite and de|&s;ire of knowledge. Hence it is, that to finde out con|tentment for our &s;elues we labour alwayes to &s;ee and heare &s;ome new thing. But it is not po&s;&s;ible that heere beneath wee can attaine to a very high knowledge, namely of the truth, as well becau&s;e in it &s;elfe it is diffi|cult &amp; ob&s;cure to be known, as for the cares, angui&s;hes,
<PB N="112" REF="61">perturbations, motions, af|fections, and pa&s;&s;ions wher|with our &s;pirit is manacled and letted &s;o long as it re|maineth in the body, which be vnto the &s;ame as du&s;t in the eye, which keepe it from being able to behold &s;tedfa&s;tly or di&s;cerne any thing. This is the cau&s;e, why God &s;aid vnto <HI>Moy&s;es,</HI> that during the time of our life, <HI>we can not &s;ee him cleare|ly,</HI> for which cau&s;e Saint <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith likewi&s;e, <HI>that wee knowe but in a part,</HI> St. <HI>Iohn, wee &s;ee not the mi&s;teries of God, but in a mirrour, and as it were through a gla&s;&s;e.</HI> But when our &s;oule &s;hall depart out of the body, and the
<PB N="113" REF="61">vaile &s;hall be remoued that couered her eyes, then &s;hall &s;hee behold God face to face, then &s;hall &s;hee haue a full knowledge of him and of Chri&s;t Ie&s;us his &s;onne, and therein life euerla&s;ting. We &s;hall &s;ee that which we wor&s;hip now. For we &s;hall enter into the &s;anctuary of our Lord, and there &s;hall behold him ince&s;&s;a~tly, with the <HI>propitiatorie</HI> and <HI>Cheru|bins,</HI> there &s;hall be no more of the Law and Go&s;pell hid from our knowledge. God &s;hall &s;hewe vnto vs as to his friends and familiars the whole riches of his hou&s;e, he &s;hall talke with vs in pri|uate, and declare all things vnto vs.</P>
<PB N="114" REF="62">
<P>A certaine famous per|&s;on being returned home with his marchand goods, and hauing entred into the hall, where <HI>Demetrius Phale|reus</HI> was teaching, after hee had heard him a while, be|gan to lament and &s;ay, <HI>O vn+happy man that I am, haue the goods of this world beene the cau&s;e why I haue beene &s;o long depriued of &s;uch goods as the&s;e be.</HI> Let vs in like manner &s;ay, O mi&s;erable life, art thou to continue yet any long &s;ea&s;on, wilt thou not &s;uffer vs to goe by and by into the place whereunto we a&s;pire, which is into the &s;choole of our God? Mu&s;t wee loo&s;e &s;o many dayes?
<PB N="115" REF="62">Ble&s;&s;ed death wilt thou not make ha&s;t to come vnto vs and conduct vs thither?</P>
<P>Wee &s;ee in the fore&s;aide rea&s;ons what cau&s;e we haue to feare, to flie, or com|plaine of death, which is a re&s;t and mo&s;t &s;ound &s;leepe, &amp; plea&s;ant aboue all others: for there is no noi&s;e nor dreames, nor vexations that can di&s;turbe or interrupt the &s;ame to vs. It is whole|&s;ome Phy&s;icke which &s;o &s;oone as it is taken doth cure vs of all manner of di&s;|ea&s;es, and rid vs of all do|lours. Which <HI>Socrates</HI> ha|uing con&s;idered, after that he had drunke the hemlock by &s;entence and comman|dement
<PB N="116" REF="63">of the <HI>Athenians,</HI> who had wrongfully con|demned him, the poy&s;on beeing already di&s;per&s;ed through all his members, his friend <HI>Crito</HI> a litle before he gaue vp the Gho&s;t, ha|uing demanded him <HI>if hee mould commaund him in any thing: No &s;aide hee, but one|ly that thou woulde&s;t offer &s;a|crifice vnto Ae&s;culapius God of the Phy&s;icians to giue thanks to him; for I neuer tooke Phy|&s;icke that had &s;uch vertue, and wrought &s;o well.</HI> It is great &s;hame that tho&s;e Gen+tiles in their ignorance and infidelitie, &s;eeme to be bet|ter taught, and more ver|tuous then wee. For we flie
<PB N="117" REF="63">and feare death as &s;ome de&s;|a&s;tre, and they e&s;teeme and embrace the &s;ame, as a mo&s;t happy and incomparable good thing. <HI>Epaminondas</HI> at the houre of his death ha|uing perceiued his friends that were about his bed to weepe did comfort them, &s;aying, <HI>be merry my friends, for your friend Epaminondas is going to beginne to liue.</HI> Is death then an euill thing, which hath nothing el&s;e of that which wee e&s;teeme to be death, but the name and reputation? for in truth it is a life, and can this life bee any wayes good when it ca|rieth onely the name and opinion? for in effect it is
<PB N="118" REF="64">death verily. The one and the other, as &s;aith St. <HI>Chry|&s;o&s;tome, is masked, and haue both twaine fal&s;e vi&s;ages. The life that is &s;o vgly, hath the faire one, which cau&s;eth it to be e&s;teemed and loued, death that is &s;o faire hath the vgly and fearefull one, which cau|&s;eth it to be feared and hated. When the &s;ame doth pre&s;ent the &s;elfe vnto vs thus masked it &s;eemeth terrible and hide|ous vnto vs. But if we take off the maske we &s;hal find her vn|der the &s;ame to bee &s;o faire and well complexioned, that im|mediately wee &s;hall be kindled with her loue.</HI> Let vs then ca&s;t away this vaine feare of death. Let vs belieue (as
<PB N="119" REF="64">it is true) that it is the grea|te&s;t good that can happen vnto vs.</P>
<P>Which <HI>Apollo</HI> an&s;wered to <HI>Pindarus</HI> in old times, be|ing demaunded what was the be&s;t and mo&s;t profita|ble thing that could befall vnto men, <HI>to die, &s;aid he.</HI> It is written of <HI>Cleobis</HI> and <HI>Biton,</HI> that God had a de&s;ire to re|ward them for their pietie, honour &amp; obedience which they had carried toward their mother. Now hauing giuen them their choi&s;e to aske what they would, <HI>they referred them&s;elues to his iudgment, as to one that knew better what is good for vs then our &s;elues doe.</HI> VVhat
<PB N="120" REF="65">came thereof? they died that &s;ame day. Wherein it appeared, that there is no|thing better for man then death, by the meanes wher|of we are led into a place of plea&s;ure where we beginne to liue. In olde times the monuments of the dead were builded in gardens, which was done not onely to put vs in minde of our end whiles wee were &s;por|ting our &s;elues, and taking plea&s;ure, and by this meane to v&s;e the &s;ame moderately: but likwi&s;e to teach vs, that plea&s;ure &amp; delectation are a con&s;equence of death, and that this is a pa&s;&s;age, to en|ter into a goodly and plea|&s;ant
<PB N="121" REF="65">garde~. This is the cau&s;e why in <HI>Athens when they bu|ried their dead corpes, they turned their faces toward the Ea&s;t, and not toward the We&s;t,</HI> to declare that our life and light haue their beginning in death. Wherfore doe we lay our bodies in the <HI>graues</HI> as it were in <HI>coffers,</HI> vnle&s;&s;e it be to &s;hewe that they are not lo&s;t: but laide vp like precious ve&s;&s;els of the holy Gho&s;t, and that with time they &s;hall be taken out, and &s;hall bee brought to light, that they may become or|naments for the hou&s;e of the Lord? The&s;e things being con&s;idered let vs ca&s;t away all feare and appre|hen&s;ion
<PB N="120" REF="66">
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<PB N="121" REF="66">
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<PB N="122" REF="67">of death, let vs re|ioyce, and &s;ing as the &s;wans doe when they are neare their death: Let vs &s;ay with <HI>Dauid, Lord I haue reioyced when they &s;aid vnto me, come let vs goe vnto the hou&s;e of the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>It remaineth yet before we fini&s;h this pre&s;ent Trea|ti&s;e, to declare after what manner wee ought to take the death of our friends, &amp; to moderate the griefe that we receiue thereby: to doe this wee mu&s;t con&s;ider that which followeth.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the ineuitable nece&s;|&s;itie vnto all men, which cannot be &s;hunned neither by coun&s;ell nor any other
<PB N="123" REF="67">meanes. Dauid in regard thereof did comfort him|&s;elfe after the death of his little child, for whom hee had lamented &s;o much, and praied during his &s;ickne&s;&s;e, while hee yet hoped to ob|taine of God through his humble prayers that hee might bee re&s;tored to his health. But &s;eeing all hope was pa&s;t, and that thereaf|ter all teares were but &s;u|perfluous and vnprofita|ble, he left off mourning &amp; began to be chearfull. <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us</HI> &s;aith, <HI>that euery day bringeth thought enough with it to torment vs,</HI> although we adde no other thereunto, or of the times pa&s;t, by re|fre&s;hing
<PB N="124" REF="68">the &s;ame through remembrance thereof, or of tho&s;e to come, by anticipa|ting the &s;ame through feare and coniecturing. This is a mo&s;t profitable in&s;truction and which wee ought all to embrace for the tranquility and re&s;t of our &s;pirits.</P>
<P>Secondarily when our friends die wee mu&s;t con&s;i|der that it is Gods will. Who doth and ordaineth nothing but for the will of his children, as Saint <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith; <HI>To tho&s;e whom God lo|ueth, all things turne to their weale &amp; profit.</HI> If we belieue this wee ought not to be|come weary of any thing that happeneth vnto vs: for
<PB N="127" REF="68">euery thing redoundeth vn+to our weale &amp; profit. Now wee haue but &s;mall cau&s;e to be angry at our gaine. The Soueraigne wi&s;edome of God is the cau&s;e why no|thing is better done then that which hee doth: and his goodnes why nothing is better. If nothing be bet|ter, nor better done, then that which he ordaineth &amp; di&s;po&s;eth: and that hee di&s;|po&s;eth of vs and of our af|faires, and generally of all that happeneth vnto vs, why are we &s;ad? why de&s;ire we any other thing? For we can come by nothing that is better. Why do we com|plaine? for all is well, and
<PB N="126" REF="69">cannot be better ordered.</P>
<P>We mu&s;t thirdly thinke, that to die is a thing gene|rall and common to all. We pa&s;&s;e and &s;lide away &s;wiftly, like the water of a riuer that runneth &s;trong. And it is a &s;tatute &amp; decree of our God, that <HI>we mu&s;t all die,</HI> if then it doth befall vnto vs which is ordinary &amp; com|mon to all men, is it not great folly and arrogancy to de&s;ire to bee exempted from the common conditi|on, and wi&s;h to be &s;ingular? What hath hapned vnto vs for that our frie~ds are dead? So doe our neighbours friends likewi&s;e. <HI>Menander</HI> writing to a certaine friend,
<PB N="127" REF="69">that he might comfort him did alleadge this rea&s;on: <HI>Thou &s;houlde&s;t haue iu&s;t cau&s;e to become &s;orrowful, if thy for|tune and de&s;tinie were wor&s;er then other mens. But if it bee equall, why doe&s;t thou com|plaine?</HI> There is yet more that if wee would con&s;ider diligently, and compare our &s;elues with others, wee &s;hall finde that there is an infinite number more infor tunate then wee. And it is true that <HI>Anax<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">goras</HI> &s;aid, as <HI>Valerius Maximus</HI> reporteth that <HI>although it were po&s;sible to gather al the mi&s;eries of the world in one heape, and there|after to di&s;tribut<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> them by e|quall portions vnto each one,
<PB N="128" REF="70">yet wee &s;hould finde none that vvould not rather choo&s;e his owne then his portion of the vvhole heape.</HI> Sith wee are not alone that haue lo&s;t our friends, and that if wee will &s;earch, wee &s;hall finde that there be many that liue not at &s;o great ea&s;e as we do, let vs bee content with that which hath plea&s;ed God, &amp; let vs not craue that our friends may bee immortall, when as wee &s;ee tho&s;e of o|ther men to be mortall.</P>
<P>Moreouer let vs con&s;ider that it is a naturall thing to die, as it is, that winter &s;hould be cold, and &s;ommer hot, <HI>Our bodies,</HI> &s;aith <HI>S. Paul, are mortall.</HI> Now we won|der
<PB N="129" REF="70">nothing if in winter there be raine, fro&s;ts &amp; cold nipping weather: for the &s;ea&s;on &s;o requireth. Wee maruell not that the night &s;ucceedeth the day, &amp; that man after that hee hath la|boured goeth to &s;leepe at night: for all this is natural. Likewi&s;e for the &s;ame rea|&s;on we ought not to bee a|&s;toni&s;hed, when a man di|eth, <HI>no more</HI> (&s;aith St. <HI>Ba&s;ile,</HI>) <HI>then vvhen he vvas borne &amp; came into the vvorld; for both the one and the other is ordi|nary.</HI> And this not being con&s;idred is the cau&s;e mo&s;t often why at the death of our friends wee become as much amazed, as if it were
<PB N="130" REF="71">&s;ome prodigious &amp; &s;trange thing. When word was brought to <HI>Anaxagoras</HI> that his &s;onne was decea&s;ed, hee was not a whit moued ther|at, but &s;aid onely <HI>that it was no new or &s;trange thing th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t a mortall man &s;hould die, &amp; that vvhen he beget him not im|mortall.</HI> What moued him to be &s;o con&s;tant, but that hee had fir&s;t fore&s;eene and con&s;idered often that it &s;hould &s;o come to pa&s;&s;e, the ca&s;e being naturall.</P>
<P>Furthermore wee ought to con&s;ider that death is a tribute, which we are bou~d and ought to pay to nature. <HI>Thou art du&s;t and earth, and to du&s;t &s;halt thou return</HI> (&s;aith
<PB N="131" REF="71">God) &s;peaking to man af|ter he had &s;inned. When one of our friends dieth, then wherefore are wee di&s;|contented? becau&s;e he hath quited him&s;elfe, and payed that which hee was owing? If he had paied the tribute and ordinarie dutie to his King wee would approue that as a mo&s;t equitable and dutifull obedience towards his Prince, and if hee hath payed the like to nature, what cau&s;e is there to bee angry? Moreouer that our reque&s;ts are granted in that. For we craue of God euery day, <HI>that his kingdome may come, and that his vvill may be done.</HI> What doe we mock
<PB N="132" REF="72">God? asking of him that which wee de&s;ire not, and are feared to obtaine, and chaffing and murmuring in &s;tead of giuing thankes to him when hee hath heard vs. We &s;hew manife&s;tly that we take no heede what we pray: For if we tooke heed: either wee would not pray &s;o: or in praying &s;o if God grant our reque&s;ts we ought not to be &s;orry.</P>
<P>Moreouer that when our friends die, wee loo&s;e them not, for our Lord to whom they belong before and af|ter their death, <HI>is not the God of the dead, but of the liuing. Cyrus</HI> &s;peaking to his frie~ds before his death, that hee
<PB N="133" REF="72">might comfort them, &s;aide; <HI>Thinke not, when I am dead, that I am lo&s;t and turne to no|thing.</HI> When wee &s;owe the grou~d, the graines of wheat that we &s;ow doe not peri&s;h, they putrifie: but it is to the end that they may encrea&s;e and fructifie the better: &s;o are our bodies in the earth, that they may be once reui|ued and rai&s;ed againe in in|corruption, immortalitie, glory, &amp; vertue. When like|wi&s;e any man goeth a long iourney, doe wee hold him to be lo&s;t? When any of our kin&s;men is at court with his Prince, who will not &s;uffer him to depart, hauing rai&s;ed him to honors, and aduan|ced
<PB N="134" REF="73">him to great places, are we &s;orry therefore? Why more for our friend then, whom we knowe a&s;&s;uredly to bee in the hou&s;e of God in honour &amp; credit, and to liue &s;o contentedly, that he would not change for al the felicitie of the world. Fur|ther that it is an vnhone&s;t and vn&s;eemely thing for a faithfull man to mourne &s;o immoderately &amp; like a de&s;|perate per&s;on. A Chri&s;tian ought to haue an inuinci|ble force &amp; courage again&s;t all aduer&s;ities, and namely, <HI>again&s;t the gates of hell.</HI> Hee ought to be like a hou&s;e <HI>buil+ded on a &s;trong rocke, that is a|ble to hold out again&s;t &s;tormes,
<PB N="135" REF="73">tempe&s;ts, winds</HI> and al incon|uenie~ts that can a&s;&s;ault the &s;ame, he mu&s;t not be &s;oft or yeeld ea&s;ily vnto aduer&s;ity, melting away in teares and &s;obs, <HI>wa&s;hing</HI> (as <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;aid) <HI>his bed.</HI> The <HI>Licians</HI> had in old times a Law, whereby it was ordained, <HI>that who&s;oeuer would mourne for the death of any kin&s;man or friend &s;hould put on womans apparrell, to de|clare that it was more fit and conuenient for tho&s;e that bee cowardly and effeminate, then for &s;uch as bee of a manly cou|rage.</HI> And as it happeneth in mens bodies, that when they are tender &amp; delicate, they are neither able to en|dure the cold of winter, nor
<PB N="136" REF="74">the heat of &s;ommer, &s;o may the like be thought of tho&s;e courages, that if they be not able to &s;uffer aduer&s;ity with patience, in like maner they &s;hal be vnable to beare pro|&s;peritie without in&s;olency.</P>
<P>In end we mu&s;t con&s;ider that by the teares and com|plaints which wee powre foorth at the death of our friends, we find no cure for our fore no more then doth the &s;icke per&s;on for his di&s;|ea&s;e by his &s;obs, but doe ra|ther encrea&s;e our mi&s;erie, and may &s;ay that like as by ordinary experience &amp; the report of Phy&s;icians we per+ceiue in cholericke per&s;ons, that the more they fret and
<PB N="137" REF="74">chafe, the more doth their gall and choler augment &amp; encrea&s;e: &s;o it is al&s;o with &s;ad and melancholick per&s;ons, who continuing in their teares and lamentations, do redouble and fortifie their griefe. Thus &s;pake an anci|ent Philo&s;opher to <HI>Arcino</HI> that he might comfort her, <HI>if &s;aide hee thou loues teares, they will loue thee againe, and like friends will alwaies be rea+dy to accompany and frequent thee.</HI> What doth this great &s;orrow profit vs then, vnles it bee to make vs become more mi&s;erable? But yet &s;ome to excu&s;e them&s;elues will &s;ay, that it is a naturall thing to mourne in &s;uch a
<PB N="138" REF="75">ca&s;e, I graunt the &s;ame, nei|ther will I finde fault with the dolour, when it is mo|derate. A certaine man ha|uing perceiued an auncient Philo&s;opher to mourne for the death of his &s;on, &amp; ha|uing reproached vnto him his incon&s;tancy, was an&s;we|red very well by him in the&s;e words, <HI>&s;uffer me friend to be a man.</HI> We mu&s;t not be like barbarous people, or wild bea&s;ts without huma|nitie, without affectio~, with out pitie, or &s;en&s;e, <HI>I wi&s;h</HI> (&s;aid <HI>P<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">darus) not to be &s;icke, but if I he I de&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e not to be with|out feeling, for it is a bad &s;igne vvhen vv<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> become &s;tu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">id &amp; &s;en&s;ele&s;&s;e in our &s;ic<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ne&s;&s;es.</HI>
<PB N="139" REF="75">When&s;oeuer then we keep a mediocritie in our mour|ning, e&s;chew the two extre|mities, which (St. <HI>Ba&s;ile</HI>) co~|demneth as vicious, to wit, <HI>Phylotrynon</HI> and <HI>thiriodian,</HI> which is, <HI>that vve become not Stoikes,</HI> that is to &s;ay, <HI>vvith|out affection: neither yet on the other part effemin<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">te by &s;uffring our &s;elues to be van|qui&s;hed and ouercome through griefe I &s;hal approue that.</HI> If in weeping wee declare our &s;elues to be men, let vs de|clare likewi&s;e that wee are Chri&s;tians furni&s;hed with faith &amp; hope, by correcting &amp; moderating our &s;orrows.</P>
<P>Others will &s;ay, I loued him &s;o dearly. If thou did&s;t
<PB N="140" REF="76">loue him &s;o wel as thou &s;ai|e&s;t, &s;hew the &s;ame in reioy|cing for his welae and his ea&s;e. I belieue rather that the cau&s;e of our great grief, is the loue we beare to our &s;elues, which maketh vs to lament the lo&s;&s;e of our friends, not for any regard we haue to them, but to our &s;elues that are &s;orry to bee depriued of the plea&s;ure &amp; comfort that wee receiued by them. Which <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us</HI> &s;aid to his Di&s;ciples, when he perceiued them to waxe heauy, for that he had &s;aide vnto them that &s;hortly <HI>hee was to &s;uffer death: it is not for the loue you beare toward me that you are &s;o &s;ad, for if
<PB N="141" REF="76">you loued mee you would bee glad: for &s;o much as it is good for me to die.</HI></P>
<P>Other will &s;ay, hee was &s;uch a good man, for this cau&s;e did God take him, as hee did <HI>Enoch</HI> for feare that hee might bee changed through the malice &amp; cor|ruptio~ of the world. When any fruite is ripe, ought it not to be gathered for feare of rotting on the tree.</P>
<P>Others &s;ay he died in the prime of his age. So much the happier. For as <HI>Anachar|&s;is</HI> &s;aid, <HI>the &s;hip that commeth to land fir&s;t is the happie&s;t.</HI> Moreouer there is no cer|taine time, appointed for all men to die. But like as wee
<PB N="142" REF="77">&s;ee in the &s;ea&s;on of fruictes, &s;ome are pulled more time|ly then others, &s;o is it a|mong men. Some &s;ay al&s;o that wee mu&s;t honour the dead body by mourning af|ter this manner: falling into the &s;uper&s;titio~ of the Iewes, who being of this opinion, hired certaine &s;ingers, and mu&s;icians to &s;ing doleful &amp; funerall &s;ongs at the death of their friends. Which Chri&s;t Ie&s;us reproued in the hou&s;e of the Prince of the Synagogue. And not with|out rea&s;on, for it is no good cu&s;tome to prai&s;e any one by mourning for him. Tears and weeping are rather a token of mi&s;ery then of any
<PB N="143" REF="77">thing el&s;e. Wee lament not for the ble&s;&s;ed Martyres now: which wee &s;hould bee &s;till bound to doe if any ho|nour did con&s;i&s;t in teares. But wee honour them by the remembrance we haue of them, and by the labour and care we take to imitate them. If likewi&s;e we haue a friend, whom wee de&s;ire to honour after his death, it mu&s;t not bee by teares and lamentations; but by ho|nourable mention made by vs of him and his vertues, &amp; by a de&s;ire that we haue to re&s;emble him and follow his good and laudable acti|ons.</P>
<P>It is time to conclude this
<PB N="144" REF="78">pre&s;ent Treati&s;e: and ga|ther from the&s;e rea&s;ons pre|ceeding, that wee mu&s;t nei|ther flie nor feare death: But loue and de&s;ire the &s;ame more then life, and pre|ferre the day of our de|cea&s;e, vnto the day of our Natiuitie. For by our birth wee enter into &s;orrowe and affliction, and dying, wee goe to God and a perpetu|all re&s;t, which the Grecians haue &s;hewed mo&s;t euident|ly vnto vs. For in their tongue the day of our Na|tiuitie is named <HI>genethlia,</HI> that is to &s;ay in the &s;ame tongue, <HI>gene&s;is t&ocirc;n athl&ocirc;n,</HI> and in our vulgar language the <HI>beginning of mi&s;eries:</HI>
<PB N="145" REF="78">and death is named <HI>theana|tos,</HI> which according to the interpretation of <HI>Themi&s;ti|us,</HI> is as much as who would &s;ay, <HI>on high to God.</HI> Let vs iudge with rea&s;on, that the feare of the one, and the exce&s;&s;iue loue of the other may be remoued from vs. God graunt vs the grace, through his Holy Spirit. <HI>So be it.</HI></P>
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