$ a Iaerrgnrana doubt, that he fh)uldend his dales in all manner of peace. As fbr them which are tempted, though theircafe be very troublefome andperplexed, yet their faluation is not further off, by reafonoftheviolence and cxtremitie .of temptation. hor God is then prefent by theunfpeakable comfort of his fpirit, andwhen we are moil weake,he is moil ftrong in vs; becaufe his manner is to Phewhis power in weaknes. And for this caute, euen in the time ofdeath thedeuillreceiues the greater: foijk, when helookes for the greatel}vi6orie. Thefixt obieetion is this. Violent and fuddesz death is a gricuous en*, and ofall cullswhich befall man in thisltfe, none is fo terrible:thetfore it may feeme, that the day of fuddait.e.death is mole miferable. .nf, It is true indeede that fuddaine death is a curie and a gricuous judgement of God, and therefore not without caufe feared of men in the world: yet all thingsconfidered, weought more to be afraidofen impenitent andeuil! life, then offudden death. For though it beeuill, asdeath it felfc in his owsm nature is, yet we muí not thinke itto be imply euill:becaufe it is noteulli ro all men, not in alirefpe&s mill. I fay it is not euill toall men, confidering that no kindofdeath is culll or a curie vnto them that arein Chri(l, who are freedfrom the whole curfe ofthe law. And therefore the holy Ghoft faith, Apoc.r4.13. 731eJedare they that die the Lordfor they refffrom their labour: whereby is fignified that they whichdepart this life, beeingmembers of (Thrift, enter intoeuerlaflinghappines ;ofwhat death fo euer they die, yea though it be fuddaine death. Againe I fay, that fuddain death is not cuill in all refpeds. For it is nor euill,becaufe it is fueldain, but becaufe it commonly takes men vnprepared,and by that mea,nes makes the day of death a blackeday, and as it were a very fpeedie downefall to theguile ofhell. Otherwife if a man be ready and prepared todie, fuddaine death is in effed no death, but a quicke and fpeedyentrance toeternalllife. Thefë obieetions being thus an9weared, it appeares to be a manifefi truth whichSalomon faith, that the day ofdeath a better ìa,deede then the day of birth. Now I come to the third point, in which the reafons andrefpeeis are to beconfidered that makethe dayofdeath to furpaíie the day of a mans birth: and theymayall be reduced to this one, namely that the birth day is anentrance into all woe and miferie; whereas the day of death ioyned with godly and reformed life, is an entrance or 'degree to eternal! life. Which I make manifeflthus:Eternal life !lath three degrees, one in this life, when a man can truly faythat he lines nor, but that Chrill hues in him:and this all mencan fay that repent and belecue and are hit-lifted and fan6lified, and haue peaceofconiciencewith othergifts of Gods spirit, which are the earnefloftheir faluation. The fecond degreb is in this lire, when the bodie goes to the earth, and the foule is caned by theAngels into heauen. The third is in the endeofthe worldat the laa judgement, whenbodie and foule revnited, doe ioyenlyenter intoeternal! happines in heauen. Now ofthefc threedegrees..cdeath it fejf ;e beeing ioyned with the feare ofGod, is the fcz cotid:
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