246 9ods Efieem ofthe DeathofIii.r Saints. vfi.4. If there be Tome Saints of God here, let uschoofeto bedtheir acquain'y tance, and keep their company, becaufe they do heft of all know the way to hea -I ven ; and it is good to go fafely that journey, by direftion of the heft and molt skilful guides, left we mifs it in thofe places where the way turns , dr where the path is.not fo well beaten as the other Road. z. Gods Saints do alto die. The Death ofhis Saints] Hones frees not from death. Abel, Noah , Abraham; Mofes, David, the Prophets , the Apoftles, the Fathers, are all dead. Tour Fathers, where are they ? and the Prophets , do they livefor ever? Zach. t. S. Godcats of both the righteous and thewicked; Ezek. °,eNdasdsdxa- tr. 4. The righteous perifheth and the (hhafidim) the merciful men , or the Men. men of godlinefs are taken away, Ifs. 57.e. Yea, and often -times as e.Sb(enander, wasable toobferve it, whomGod loves bell he takesfooneft. An obfervation much like that, in r King. t4. 12, 53. That fonof jeroboam, who only ofthatfamily had fomegood thingin him, was tat enawayyoung. oaf. But whether fooner or later, theirholinefs frees not from death : rich gilding upon anearthen pot,keeps it not frombreaking. Theyare made ofthe famemettal, 4 dreot,oes ofthe fame clay with other men. The Apofiles that brought the treafures ofgrace ,11.1.01r. ;, to the world , were themfelves , Tefiacea vefa; foSaint Fiierome: Yafa fitu lia, r'eje, Such a fo Saint Gregory ; but only earthen veils, z Cor. 4.7. clay in the handofthe pot_ tyle, brick, or tents Ifa. 64.8. And therefore all things in this refpeft come alike to al, Eccl pot, as is made 9 Z. ofburnt thy. vfe r. if fuch die, then Death is not alwayes evil; for lure it is not evil to them, to whom all things workfor good , Rom. 8. z8. The fling of it is gone. And though it have not a pleafant look to entertainus wití, it is but as a rude Groom that opens the gate by which we muff pafs to a better place, and to better compa- ny. The godly have many advantages by death, r. Refifrom their labours. z. A Crown when theyhave fînifht the race, z Tim. 4. 7. 8. g. Freedom from danger offinning any more, Rom. 6. y. 4. Death frees from a pofiibility of furtherdy- Mosior? Def. ing, z Cor. S. I. Let me die , faith Seneca, andwhat hurt comes by that I Ican bm "an, allgar bound no more, I can bejiekno more, Icandie no more. p /f <' d, ¡"» Theygo refend to God: while weare at home in the body, we areab ent a8ro,arel /fe, 5. Y g p Y } f de¡nam poffe from the Lord: We are willing rather to beabfent from the body , and to be prefent 'mi.' with the Lord , z Cor. i. 6, 8. 1 de/ire to be difjolved ; to be soil! (hrifi , Phil. i. 23. z Tim. 4. 6s We wrong death, when we call it horrid, it is fin whichmakes it to be fo, elfe it is butconceit. There is often morepain in a tooth-ach, than in dying. Tears, and black cloth, and the tremblings of the guilty dodifguife Death, and make it look terrible. He that faid, it was of all terrible things, the mote ter- rible, was himfelfan Heathen, and knew not what Chrift had done -to alter the property. Once indeed it was uncouth and hideous , but lince Chrift died , it bath a more fair and pleafant face. There can be no danger in that way ,. which all the Saints have gone. As Phocion Paid to one, that by the fame fentenceofthe Judges was to die with him ; Art thou notglad to fare na Thotiondoth ? So are we not glad to fare as the holy Patriarchs, Prophets, and Apoftles have done, and to go after them? He that went this way the fief! of than-kind, was holy, a Saint, it was Abel whom God accepted. We ufe CO call thofe pail-ages and Streigbts, which have been firlt found and difcovered by any,by the names of the ErnDilco- verers,' as the Streights ofe.2'(ageaanua, and that a little lower, Schouten Streeght, or Fretam le mairi ; So if it may afford us any comfort for the pairage, let us call Death no longer Death, but Abel: lb-eights. Let us learn, if not to love, yet to contemn Death, that fo we may have themore eafie ccnqueft over all other hard things. It was a bravery in Damindas an heathen (which Chriffians fhould be afltamed to come ¡bore of.) When Philip had broke into Peloponefeu, and forte Lacedemoniam laid ; Theywere likely tofeflain machevil, unlefi they could reconcile then,felves to Philip ; Damindas Paid, O Semiotit-i quid nobis poserit acetbt meidere, qui mortemcontemnimus ? eAb poor lJiritedmen , what can be/harp of lard ante us, who have learnedtodol/ife death itPelf? vie z. BecaufeSaints, orholy men, do alto die, let usmake the belt afe of them vvhtle
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=