That thoughwedieyet:weare redeemedfromdeath. 5 Y S phane wicked men, who grieue the very foules ofthe righ- teous, and make them to crie out withDauid ; Were is me that mi. $ao s; 1remaine ira illefhech,emidtvell in the tents ofKedar;it whol- ly freeth vs fromfinne, and purgeth away thofc corruptions which in this life cleaue fo faß veto vs ; fo that thoughhere- tofore there was great amitie betweene finneand death, for finne was the only caufewhich inlarged deaths dominions, and made all the world to become his tributaries, yet now theyare at oddes, and death now is the meares to free vsout offinnes thraldome and vtterly to deflroy it. And thus hath the Viper finne, bred a youngone which eatethout it owne belly; for finnebrought foorth death, and death deftroyed finne : hadit notbeen for finne, death had neuer entred into the world,andwere it not for death, finnewouldneuer goe out oftheworld. More9uer, by death we obtaine a full and perfe6t viétorie ouer the flefh, the world,and thediuell; for whereas in this life wee are in a continual' fight,and fome- times Ameleck, fometitne Ifrael hath the vpper hand : death putsan end to this battell,and giueth vs full vidtoryotter the flefh,the world,and the diuell; fo as they (hall neuer after- wards not onely not preuaile, but not fo much as aífault or troublevs : and thus doth Query Chriflian.,withDauidcut off Goliahs head with his owne fword; for deathWas the wea- ponwhich Satan vied to deßroyvs,andwith this weaponwe glue Satan afinal ouerthrow.Laftly,death which heretofore was thehighway to hell and deftru6tion,is now become the readie entrance into Gods kingdome, and like a foule gate whereby weenter intoa faire palace ; heretofore it was a fi- rie ferpent which by flinging killed and de!_troyed vs, but now our Suiour hath pulled out the fling, it is becomefo harmeleffe that we may lately put it into our befome, with- out recciuingany hurt : and in thisref-pea it maynot vnfitlie be compared to the brafen Serpent, which looked like other Serpents, but in Bead of wounding it prefeixtlie cured, in Read of killing it prefertted life; fo though death retaine his former Chape, fo that wee-are afraid and readie to flee from it, yet it is but inoutward appearance; for indeadof an euer dying life,it giuethvs poffefitîon.ofa'neuer dying life X 4 and
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=