Fonseca - Houston-Packer Collection. BX1756.F66 D5713 1629

4%t I Sudden death table feareared of Chriftiaa. Vpon theThurfdayafter Ncithet youth nor age can priuikdge earndeath. Pfat.7. As foon goes the Rich as the Poore, the ftrong asths weake. rar.r. denand vnlookedfor. lidiam the fimperourdying ofa mortal' wound gaue thankesvnto the gods, thatthey didnot take him out of this life, tormenting him with force prolix and tedioushckeneffe, but by a haftieand fpeedie death. And for thatthey doenot beleeue the immortalitie of the foule , they hold a fudden death akindof happinefl'e : but aChriftian, whoconfefïèth that there is a iudgement after death, defireth a more lingring and leifurely kindof dying, for to preuent future danger both of foule and bodie. In Leuiticus God commanded, That they fhould not offer anycreature vnto himwhich did not chew the cud,orwhich hadnot aclouen hoofe: And he therefore ioyned thefe two things together ; for,tofwallow the meatdowne whole is verle dangerous for the health ; and the foot not clouen, verle aptto flip and Elide : and ina my- iticallkindof fence is asmuch as if he fhould haue faid,That he that (hall fwal- low down fo fearefull & dangerous a thingas Death, withoutchewing &medi- tating thereon, (hall doubtleffe flide, ifnot takea fall as low as Hell. Theonly fonneof his mother . In theorder of conueniencie it feemeth fit- ter thattheold mother fliould haue died thanthe young fonne. But as there is nothingmore certainthan death, fo is herenothingmore vncertaine than the time ofour death ; the young Bird as foone falls into the fnare as the old one ; and your greaterFifh as foone taken with the hookeasyourlefierFrìe. If the Wickedtarnenot, Godwill whet his(word, bendhis Bow, and prepare for him the inftruments of death, and ordaine his Arrowes againft them. For oldmen that ítandvpon the grauesbrinke, death bathaSythe to cut them downe ; for young menthat Rand farther off, he bath his Bow and his Arrowes. Saint %..tugaffine faith, That God taketh away the Goodbefore their time,that theymay not re- ceiue hurt from theBad ;and theBad, becaufethey fhouldnot doe hurtto the Good. The onlyfonne ofhis mother . Not that hewas her onelyfonne, but her bell: beloued fonne. Salomon (tiles himfelfe, Vnigenitammarlsfua, HÙmothersanel y ' begottenfonne ; not that hewas the onely tonneofBerfhabe,as it appeareth in the firft of Chronicles ; but becaufe he was fo deerely belouedofhis mother, as if hehad beene her only fonne : hewas his mothers darling,her belt beloued, the light of her eyes,and her heartscomfort,fhecherifhedhim,mademuch ofhim, would not let him want anything; yet all this care andprouidence ofhers could not fhieldhim fromdeath. There is a man in the Citie that is of a irong and ablebodie, and abounding in all worldlyhappineflë ; There is another ( faith lob) that is weak; hungerftarued, and his wealth wafted and confumed ; both thefedeath feesvpon, and layes them in the graue. He exemplifies in the King and the Gyant; for thereft,he makesnomorereckoning of them thanof fo ma- nie little Birds,whomthe leafi tap ftrikerh dead : but hefets vpon a King like a Lyon ; a poore man hath many meanes to haften his death, but Kings feldome dieofhunger, ofpenurie, of heats , or of' colds , &c. And a Gyant feemes tobe aperdurableand immortall Tower of flefh; but in the end, both Kings andGyants fall by the handof Death. And fine that Death did dare to feevpon the Sonneof God, and his bleffedmother, let neither High nor Low, Rich nor Poore, hope to findany fauourat Deaths hands. Tofluoshdid flop the Surine inhiscourfe, cMofes the watersofthe red Sea, lofephdid prophecie of things to come, andmanyof Gods Saints wrought great Myracles: but there is no myracletobe wrought a, ainft Death. leremie tells vs of certain Serpentsthat cannot be charmed,charm the charmer neuer fo wifely : ofthis nature isDeath. Ecclefiafficau introduceth adead man,who fpeaketh thus by way ofaduice to the

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