e_ ay:tag wen. inne,an enen,ieofChrifi andof all his members, and the curieof the law, yeathe very fuburbs and the gates ofhell: yet in the fecond refpeI,itis not fo. For by the vertucofthe death ofChrift,it ceafeth tobe aplagueor puni- flament,and ofa curie it ismade a blefi:ing, and is becomevnto vsapaffage or mid-way betweene this life and eternal' life, andas it were a litlewicket or dome whereby we paffe out ofthis world and enter into heauen. And in this refpec`i: the laying of Salomon is moll true. Forin thedayofbirth,men areborne and brought forth into the valeofmiferie, butafterwardwhen they goehence,hauing death altered vnto them by the deathofChriíf,they enter into eternal! byand happines with all the SaintsofGod for euer. The third obie&ion is taken from the examplesofmolt worthie men, who haue made their praiers againfl death.As our Sauiour Chrilt,whoprai- cdon this manner, Fatherif it be thy will, let this cvppe paffe(roar me,yet not Pfal. . > my will but thf wilibedone. And Dauidpraied, Returne,® L.ord,delwermy Mlle,fame mefor thy mercies fake :1or indeath there is noremembrance ofthee: in thegrauewho fballpraifethee? AndEzechiah,when theProphet Efai bad him let his houfe inorder,and told him that he mutt die,wept fore, and that Eta ®a in refpeet ofdeath: Now by the examples ofthcfe moli worthie men, yea by the exampleofthe Sonne of God himfelfe, it may feeme that the dayof death is themoll terribleand dolcfulldaieofal 1. enf. When our Sauiour (thrift praied thus tohis Father , he was in his agonie, and he then as our Redeemer flood in our roome and :lead, to fuller all things that wefhould haue Coffered in our owne perlons for our finnes: and therefore he praied not limply againft death, but againfl the coifed death ofthe croffe, andhe feared not death itfelfe,which is the feparationof bodie and foule, butthe curieofthe law which went with death,natnely the vnfpeakable wrath and indignation ofGod.The firft death troubled him not, but the firfl & fecond ioyned together. TouchingDauid, whenhe made the fixt Pfalme,he was not onelyficke in bodie,but alfoperplexed with thegrcateft temptation of all,in that he wraflled inconfcience with the wrathofGod, as appearesby the words ofthe text,where he faith, Lord,rekket me not in thy rerath.And by this we fee thathe praiednot limply again death, but against death at that iuílant when he was in that grieuous temptation. For atother timeshe had no fuch feare ofdeath, as he himfelfe tcaifieth,faying, ï hotgh 1Chassidwake pjal.,14... through the valleyofthe;iadowof:bath,íra i:lferre nomill. Therefore he prai- cd againll death onely as it was ioyned with the apprehenfion of Gods wrath. LaIIly,Ezechiair praied againll death, not onely becaufe he deli- red to line anddoe feruice to God in his kingdome, but vpon a further and more fpeciall regard ; becaufe when the Prophet brought themeffage óf dcath,hewas without i 4te, and had none of hisowne bodie to fucceede him in ,his.kingdome.lt will be faid,what warrant hadEzcchiah topraya- gainit death for this caule. ArfHis warrant was good: for God hadmade a particular promife to Dauid and his pofleritie after him, that fo long as 1,Kiatg.L2 . they fearedGod andwalked in his commau:r,demerrts , they fhould not want
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