2 The PraifeofMourning, or, Beat!. t. Out (elves are benefitedby it felves,the works of God in the world,fpecially the { death ofmen of all men good and bad, for we muff give 'it the fame latitude, and extent, and (cope that the Texts clothhere: he (peaks here ofthe death ofmen ingeneral , and he faith ofall men that their death!hall be laid to heart by the living. Secondly, as there is reafon that we fhouldtake to'heart the deathof others, in refpe& of the glory that cometh to God thereby : fo in refpc& ofour (elves alto, . muchbenefit cometh toour felves,by laying to heart the deathofother men.Ther be three fpecial things confiderable in the deathof any one, that is matter ofpro- fit, and 'benefietotthoftthatlive, and furtiveafter them Certainty, Therein we fee the Nature, ofDeath. Caufc & End Firft , therein we fee the Certainty ofdeath: For now we have notonly the r. Therebywe word of God that tels us that w e (hall die, but the works of God taking others come to tee before us: that as the Sacraments are called vifible inftru&ions, becaufe they teach the ecttai ofdeath.my by the eye, and theoutward fenfes , fo the death ofothers are vifible inftru&ions to the living , it teacheth by the eye: a man is guided by the eye , to feehis own condition, and as it were in a glaffe , there is reprefented td him his own Rate: what we are, theywere once: the time was that theyconverfl with menas we do, that they fpcak for Gods glory upon earth as we do ; andwhat they arenow we !hallbe in the placeofpence , as they are. I fay, it confirmethto us the former certainty, and affurance of our death, when we fee others fall before us. And there is great profit and and benefit that arifethout of this. This is neceffary toa- waken mens drowfinefs, and to quicken up mens dulnefs toa ferious confideration of that that is to ufeful to themfelves. A man would wonder, that in the Wilder- nefs , where fo many thoufands died, ( for the handof God wasout againftthem for their murmuring and rebellion, and they were deftroyedby the deftroyer , as the Apoftle (peaks a ¿for. io. ) that thereMofes fhould pray, Lordteach US to num- berour dayes , that we may apply our hearts to wifdem : though they had a fight offo manydying before them, and that continually, yet they needed to be flirted up topray , that God would teach them to make ufe of it. So it is with us. We have feén not only one or two die before us, but there was a time not long finte ( andyou cannot forget it ) wherein the deflroying Angel did walk at liberty about the City,and kill thbufands in our ftreets,yet when fo many died,what fecurity was there even among thofe that lived ? in fo much that afer a while the ficknefsgrew common, and ufual, and fo, unregarded. Have we not need then as muchas ever Motes had in theWildernefs, to cry to God, to teach su tonumber our dales , that we may applyour hearts to wifdom ? Nay , much more now, when there is !came one, or none, in comparifonof thole multitudes that were (weptaway in that vi- feation, wehaveneed of fuch helps as thcfe are, and to joys our prayers with them too, that we maybe ftirredup to a ferious application of it to our felves. That's the firft thing ; it is neeeffary for livingmen to take to heartthe deathofchafethat are departed, that theymay fee, and be brought ferioufly to think ofthe certainty of their own death. Secondly, therein alto we fee the nature ofdeath, what the proper workofitin s: Thereby the world is; It is of fingular ufe too. The nature ofdeath, the properwork of we come to it, is to difLucite, to fepatate, to dif-joynthings: here you have the foul feparated tote tee the na- ol.death. from the body: the eftate feparated from the man; the man feparated from his Thepropel friends, and all by Death. Firft (I fay) ye have the body feparated from the foul: workeof and this is a ufeful confideration. The foul and the body, while they keep together deco. in a man, they may be helpful, and ufeful one to another; the time will come a. the ratte e cbody when they mull be feparated. Alas! the not confideringof this, is thecaufe of from the thofe great errours, that are in the lives of men: that they bellow fo much time upontheir bodies, thatthey fomuch mind the prefent thingsof this life and their outward
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