Cfhe right »>ay ofdying liJel!. 497 regard ofthe kinole of death and puni£hment A m<rcifull death makes league with no man:.& laid vpon him , but blcffed m regard of vs. vet tho Prophet fai>h,Efo. 2&.15. thatthewic· Thirdly, we mull: often meditate on the pre-' k!d""'n maktS<IcagHn•ithdearh.Hqwcanthis fence ofdeath, whkh we doe When by Gods bel there is no league made indeed,butonely grace wee make an account ofeucry prcfent io the wicked imagination ofman; wbo falfly, day,asifit were tbe prefentdayofour death, thinkes that death will not come neere him, & reckon.wi.thourf~l.u.es when wegoc to bed thoogh all the world £hould bedd'croyed. See as though we fl10uld neuer rife againe ; and an exampk in the parable ofthe rich man, when weerife, as though we £ho.uld neuer he that hauing fiored vp abundanceofwealth for downe againe. .· . .many yearcs,(tid to his own foule,L"l(, f2·I9. This meditationof.death is offpeciall vfc, Sou/e,thouh.jl muchgoods l•id vpfor mMyyem, Ill brings forth maoy fruits in the life ofman. li•eat taft,eate,drink_,andtak£thyfaflime,whcr· And fir{\ of all it ferues to humble vs vnder as his foule was ferchedaway prefently. And. the hand of God. Example we haue of .Abra. feeing this namrall corruptio is in euery mans ham, who faid,Gen. 18. 'J· 'JJeholdI haue~egun hem, we murtdaily fight againfi it, & l.tbuur toJPeai'( to my Lord; andt amb•t dujl"ndafhes. B by all might and maine thar it taf<c no place Marke here, how the con!iderarioo of his ~nvs:for folong asidhall preuaile,wdhallbe mortality made him to abafeand calt downe vrredy vnfit to make any preparati6 to death· himfclfeinthe fight ofGod: and thus tfwee Wee ought rather to indeauour te> attaine to could,reckonofeuery day as ofthe lafl day, it the minde and meditation ofS. Hierome,who would firaight way pull downe our peacocks rdlifieth ofhimidfe on this rn•nner. Whether feiuhers, and make vs with l•b to ahhore our Iwak£ orflrepe. orwhArfom<Y rdoe, mnhink!_ 7 felues in dult and a£hes. hearr thefound of thetmmpet • Rifeyi dead,an!i Secondly this meditation is a meanes to ome t(} indgcmenr. · , . further repentance. When Iona. came to '/>(j· c The iecond thing which we are to pratlif: niueandcried,Ion,3·4,5 .Tetfortj""!Jes,&1'{!- that wemaycomo to a fcrious meditation of niuejhaOb~dejlf~ed, .the whole ciry,repemed our owne ends; is, to make prayer vnto God in fackcloth and a£he<; ·When Ellm. came to that\vc might be inablcd to refolue our fdbes .Aha~ ~nd told him fhat the dogs !hould eatc of death continually. Thus '])auid prayed Iefobelby the wallofiezreel, andhimalfoof Pf,J. 39·4· Lordmal,tmctok!Jowmineend, aiid .Ahabs fiocketh>t died in the city,&.c.it made (he meafure of my dayes, let mee ~(_now hot• long 'f him to hq,mblc himfelfe fo,as the Lord faith to c ha1uto liue. And Mofts. P fol 90.1 z, Lordteacli Eli.u,t ,Kin_,zt ·•9·SreJl tho~<how .Ahab u hllm. mero nNm~ir my dtiyes • th.r f may 4pp/y mine bitdbefore""I Now if the remembrance of heart vnto wiftdome. It may bee laid- What death was offuch forceinhim thatwas but an neede men pray to God that they might be a· hypocrite; how excellent a meanes of grace ble to number their dayes I cannot they of will it be in them that repent? themfdues reckon a few yeeres anddayes,that • Thirdly, this meditation fcrncs to !Hrrevp are able by art to meafure the globe of the conrcntation in eucry eflate and condition of e>rth, and rhe fphcares of heauen , and the life that !hall befall vs.Rightous lob in the ve. quantities ofthe llars, with rhdr longitudes; ry middefiofhisafflic.'l:ions,comfortshimfelfe latirudes,altitudes,motions, & dillance; frqni withthisconfideration; Na'<!d(faithhee,{ob. the earth!No verily. For howforuerby age· I·ZI.) came I forth of my motherswombe, and . nerall fpeculation wethinkefomcthing ofotit 11a'<£dfhall{retHrneagaine,&c.bliffodbethename ends, yet vnleffe the fpi,it ofGod bee our ofthe Lord. And furcly the often meditationof fchoole-ma{lcr toteach vs ourdudo, we £hall this, that a man ofal his abundance can carry neuer be able foundly to refolue our felues of nothing with him buteither acoffin orawinthe prefence and fpe:dinesofdeath. And therding•0Jeere, or both , !hould bee a forcible D fore let vs pray with D.111idandM'fis, that meanes to reprcffc the vnfatiable defire ofri- · .God would inlighten our minds with know; chesand theloue·ofrhis world. ledge; and fill our hearrs with his grace,rhat Thus we fee what an eff<[luall mcanesthis we might rightly confider of death , and e• meditation isto encreafe& furthetthc grace fleemeof euery day and houre as if it were ofGod inthchearrsofmen.Now I commend the day and hoore of death. this firfr dnrieto your Chrifii.m confiderariThe fecond dmy in this geuetall prcparati. on, de!iring the practife ofit, in your liues: on is, tliat euery man mu{\ daily endeauour to' which prac'tife that itmay take place. two take away from his owne death the power things mufi bee performed. Fir{\, llbour to and {frength thereof. And I pray )'OU marke plucke out ofy<>ur hearts awicked and erro· this point: The Phililtims faw by experience neous imagination, whereby c:uery man natuthat Sampfon was of great ilrcngrh, and rally bicifeth himfelfe and thinkes highly of therefore rhey vfed rr.eanes to know in what. himfclfe : and though he hath one foot in the part of the body it lay, and when they found graue,yet he p:d\vades himfelfe that he £hall itro bee in the hair~ of his head, they ceanotdie yet. Thereis no man almofr fo old but fed not vntilt it was cutoff.!nlike manner theby the corruption of hisheart he rhinkes that time will come wh:n wemufl: t:ncouhter hand he £hallliue one yeare longer. Cruelland vnto hand with tyrannous and cruel! death: the bell 'n epift,
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