VPright Adam was made im­mortall: but sinfull Adam begat all his Sonnes mor­tall, like as hee had made him­selfe. [Page 2] Adam then is dead, and so all Adams Sonnes but liue to dye. The sentence of death past vpon vs in him; wee are but borne to the execution thereof in our selues. Euen as Adam himselfe, for the necessity of dy­ing, Gen. 2.17. dyed the same day that hee sinned; though, for the euent, and issue of death, hee liued an hundred and thirty yeares after that day. Gen. 5.5. So in him wee vnderwent the same necessity; though it be for thousands of yeares af­ter, that wee are brought out to such an euent. As a Malefactor is a dead man according to the law, at that instant the sentence is pronounced vpon him: though for some few dayes af­ter, the execution be deferred: So according to Gods law and decree, we are all dead in Adams doome: though God bee yet pleased to prolong those things of ours, wherein we must liue to dye, accordingly as hee hath [Page 3]doomed vs. A malefactor is not executed sometimes of one, two, three, foure, fiue, or sixe dayes after his iudgement: Euen so were we all adiudged to dye, be­fore wee were; but God (with whom a thousand yeeres is but as one day) hath appoynted the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixt thousand yeare of the world, to be the day of our exe­cution.

There is a more necessity vp­on our death, then our life. No such need, that hee that is not, should be, as that he that now liues, should once dye.

The former may be supposed, but this other is expressed: It is appoynted for all men once to dye. Heb. 9.27. There is alwaies a more neces­sity of the End, then Meanes. Not onely in execution, but in­tention, is death the end of life. Mortinati sumus, wee are borne to dye, and dye from the time that we are borne. Our birthday, [Page 2] [...] [Page 3] [...] [Page 4]what is it, but the begin­ning of our death-day? our death-day, what, but the end of our birth day? our birth-day precedes, or happens before our death-day: but our death-day is preferred before our birth-day: The day of death is better then the day that one is borne. Eccles. 7.3 Did wee so consider it, our birth-day is in­deed a punishment, and our death-day (in comparison) a re­ward. Vt suppliciam non sit nasc [...], mors efficit. Death is as the re­medy against the miseries of life: and to dye, is but to rest from those labours, and cease from those sorrowes, whereunto wee were borne. What a plague and punishment were our birth-day into a sinfull and miserable world, did not our death-day giue an end to all such euils, both of sinne, and paine?

I said, our birth-day is the beginning of our death-day: and our death-day but the end of [Page 5]our birth-day. We are deceiued, to call the day of our departure onely, the day of our death. On our last day indeed we cease to liue, but from our first day, wee beginne to dye. Consummat hora mortem extrema, non facit. Our last day doth not cause death, but consummate it, doth rather finish, then beginne it. It is not the extream and vtmost minute of our life, that brings death vp­on vs: it rather but manifests, that death was alwayes with vs. As spake the Prophet of persecuti­ons, Wee are killed all the day long, Psal. 44.22 1 Cor. 15.31. and the Apostle Paul concerning his owne sufferings, I dye daily: So, though no violence come against vs, euen through natures owne frailty, wee dye daily, and by fatall mortality, we are killed all the day long. We dye daily, from the time we first beginne to liue: On our first day, our life is the longest: euery day after, takes one day from our [Page 6]liues; and the longer wee haue liued, the lesse we haue to liue. Quotidie morimur, Senec. lib. 3. epist 24. quotidie enim demitur aliqua pars vitae: & tunc quoque cum crescimus, vita de­crescit. We dye daily, euery day passes away a part of our life; and while wee are yet waxing, does our life decrease. Ibid. Hunc ip­sum quem agimus diem, cum morte diuidimus: This very day that we now liue, doe we diuide with death. Hieron. ad Heliodor. in Epitaph. Nesoliani. Hoc ipsum quod dicto, quod scribitur, quod relego, qnod emendo, de vita mea tollitur. As by the times of eating, sleeping, wor­king, playing: so by the instants of speaking, reading, writing, our liues are lessened. Yea (bre­thren) this houre, these mo­ments of my preaching, and your hearing, are taken away from both our liues.

We dye daily: our times dye daily, our actions dye daily, our persons dye daily. Our times dye daily: the time past, is dead [Page 7]to the time present; the time present, is dying to the time to come: yesterday is dead to To-day, and To-day is dying to To-morrow. Our actions dye daily: what is done and past, is dead to what is now doing: and what is now doing, is dying to what hereafter must bee done. We neither remember what we haue done, nor conceiue what wee haue done, nor delight in what wee haue done: so daily dye our actions to our memo­ries, to our vnderstandings, to our affections. Our persons dye daily: our infancy dyes into childhood, our childhood into youth, our youth into man­hood, our manhood into old age, and our old age dyes into death. A man is in a continuall consumption of himselfe: His dayes spend him also, as hee spends his dayes Euery day one part or piece o [...] him languisheth or perisheth, corrupteth, and is [Page 6] [...] [Page 7] [...] [Page 8]cast away. Seneca vt supra. Non repente in mor­tem incidimus, sed minutatim pro­cedimus. We dye by piece-meale, and not all at once. There is no day in which our spirits vanish not, our bloud cooles not, our moysture dryes not, our stomack fayles not, our liuer corrupts not, our lungs consume not, our bowels yearn not, our heart faints not, our head akes not: euery day, either some veine stops, some sinew shrinkes, or some bone breakes: either is some skinne withered, some flesh bruised, or some member decay­ed. Euery day more then other, either the eyes grow dimme of seeing, the eares dull of hearing, or else the palate vnsauory of tasting. Thus dye the parts by little and little, and thus is the whole dead at last. The Candle still consumes, from the time it first beginnes to burne: so wade the oyle and marrow of a mans life, from the time that he begins [Page 9]to liue. Man is a Candle, that either consumes himselfe vpon the candlesticke of the world, or else sweales away vnder the bushell of his Mothers wombe. The houre-glasse runnes conti­nually, from the time it is turned. Man is an houre-glasse, but a running sand, or mouing dust. And as the sand in the houre-glasse fals corne by corne, or mite by mite, till the heape bee runne out: so a man drops a­way by little and little, till the whole lumpe be done. A Tra­ueller goes many dayes onward to his iourneyes end. Man is this Traueller, this life the way, and death the iourneyes end. And is it a strange thing to dye, when our whole life is but the way to death? Sen. ep. 78. Tu non putabas te aliquando peruenturum ad id, ad quod semper ibas? Can we thinke not once to come to, what wee alwayes goe to? There is no way on earth without an end: the [Page 10]intricatest labyrinth hath a way out at last. Wee goe towards death continually, how should we but meet withall at last? Wee dye daily, how should wee but once be dead? Bern. ser. Miser homo, quare te omni hora non disponis? cogita te iam mortuum, quem scis necessi­tate moriturum. Wretched man then, who euer thou art, seeing thou dyest daily, why dost thou not daily dispose thy selfe for death? thinke thy selfe now dead, whom thou knowest needes must dye. Woe to vs wretches all! that so many of vs are so neare death, and yet put it so farre from vs: so neere it in the euent, and yet put it so farre from vs in the considerati­on. Death is ready to take vs by the hand, in the naturall execu­tion; ere wee are willing to take death to heart by a christian me­ditation. Wee goe toward the graue, with our faces backward: our feet are at poynt to fall into [Page 11]it, ere our eyes once looke vpon it. We many feele Death before we know Death: & are brought wofully to hazard, or experi­ence it; ere we are drawne wise­ly to consider, and conceiue it, though we see it dayly in others; yet can we not be led to consi­der it in our selues: hereof haue we daily warning; Eucher: epist: Paraen. yet will we make it vnawares. Nihil ita quo­tidie homines vt mortem, vident; nihil ita obliuiscuntur vt mortem. Men daily behould nothing more then Death, and yet then Death, they forget, they neglect nothing more. But to bring you (beloued) to the knowledge, the consideration & remembrance of Death; I haue taken this text (O Death, where is thy sting) both to instruct you concerning it; as also to incourage you against it. Where note first an Appella­tion, secondly an Interrogation: an Appellation, or Death sum­moned; O Death! an Intero­gation, [Page 12]or Death dared; Where is thy sting? Where I haue 1. Something to say to Death, for your instruction; O Death! 2. One thing to aske of Death, for your incouragement; Where is thy sting?

I. The Appellation, or Death summoned; where I am to say something to Death, for your instruction: O Death!

O Death! what art thou? a Chimaera, a Fable, a Buggebeare a Dreame, a Shadow, a nothing. O Death, thou art a strange thing consider: Thou art none of Gods Creature: Wisedom. 1.13. God made not Death, neither hath he plea­sure in the destruction of the liuing. God is the God of our being, he delights not in our destructi­on. Death was intended not for vs, but for our Sinne: therefore are we mortall, that sinne might not bee immortall: Wee must therefore dye, once, that it might not alwayes liue.

O Death, what dost thou? thou dissoluest the rarest com­pact of Heauen and Earth; thou distinguishest betwixt our Spirit, and our Clay; Body and Soule thou separatest, shar­per art thou then any two edged sword, and entrest to the diui­ding a sunder of the Soule and Spirit, thou euen diuidest be­twixt the marrow and the bone. Thou makest our Dust returne to the Earth, whence it was ta­ken; and our Spirit to God that gaue it.

Oh Death! thou makest our Spirit vanish, our Breath stop, our blood coole, our colour change, our Beauty fade, our Strength fall, Eccles. 12. Thou makest the keepers of the house (our hands) to tremble, and the strong men (our feet) to bow themselues: Thou makest the grinders (our Teeth) to cease, and them that looke out of the windowes (our Eyes) to waxe darke: Thou [Page 14]shuttest the Doores of our lippes and stoppest our windpipes, the Daughters of our singing: Thou cuttest short the siluer cord of Marrow; and breakest the gol­den Ewer of our Brainpanne: Thou breakest the Pitcher of our veines, at the Well of our Liuer; at the Cesterne of our Heart, there breakest thou the wheele of our Head.

O Death, Heb. 9.27. thou art doomed to vs all. It is appointed for all men once to dye. We all walke this one way, all tread this one path; we must all sleepe, our last sleepe; and that darke night of Death, will once ouertake vs all, Patres nostri praeterierunt, nos abimus, po­steri sequuntur. Eucher: Paraen. Our Fathers are dead, our Friends are dead, and our selues also must dye. Some are gone before vs, some accom­pany vs and some come after vs, like waue after waue are we dasht against the hard and cold stone Death, Serius aut citius, me­tam [Page 15]proper ammad vnaus. And thus soone, or late we dye all at last. We are borne, with con­dition to dye: We therefore put on the Garment of our Body, to put it off. and at first take vp the load of Nature, to lay it dowen at last. Death is Natures Law; and to dye, is but to pay Natures Tribute. It is as natu­rall for vs to liue, and dye; as for to wake, and sleepe:

O Death, Thou art certainely comming, yet vncertaine is it when thou wilt come. Nil cer­tius morte, at hora mortis incertius nihil. Nothing more certaine then Death; but then the houre of Death, nothing more vn­certaine; Matth. 24.36. Of that day, and houre knoweth no man. That is, of the day of Iudgement, & the houre of Death. Death comes as a Thiefe in the night, both sud­denly, and violently: it takes vs, one vpon the house top, ano­ther in the Field; one working [Page 16]in the Vine-yard, another grin­ding at the Mill: one vpon the house top of honours, another in the field of Pleasures; one a­bouring in the Vineyard of a Christian Calling, another grin­ding at the Mill of worldly af­faires. Eccles. 9.12. A man knoweth not his time, that is, the time of his death. God will not tell vs the time, when Death shal come vpon vs; because hee would haue vs thinke it neuer but neere vs: He will not let vs know our last day; because he would haue vs suspect and expect euery day to be our last. Latet vltimus dies vt obseruentur omnes dies. Aug de discipl: Christiana. This one houre, the houre of Death is hidden from vs; that all the houres of our life might the ra­ther be obserued by vs.

O Death, thou art impartiall, and indifferent to all. Pauperam tabernas, regumque turres: thou knockest equally at the Pallace, as the Cottage doore: thou like­nest [Page 17]a Kings scull to a Beggers, and makest no difference be­tweene their dust. Neither hast thou pitty vpon the Poore, nor respect vnto the Rich; neither scornest thou the foolish, nor dost thou reuerence the wise: Eccles. 2.16. How dyeth the wiseman? as doth the Foole. The oldman, thou long threatnest; the yong man, thou soone betrayest, Neither sparest thou for Age, Sexe, Degrees, nor Gifts. No Power of ours can forbid thee; no Diligence auoyd thee; no teares moue thee; Price hire thee; no art, or Eloquence perswade thee.

O Death, thou art manifold: thou commest to vs in sundry hues and shapes. Thou approa­chest pale, and leane, to the old man; bloody, & boysterous, to the yong man; blacke as hell, to the bad man, and but vgly, vnto euery man. Thou comest to vs, sometimes in Mens hands, some­times in Beastes mouthes, some­times [Page 18]in a flame of fire, some­times in a waue of water, some­times in a blast of wind; some­times in the slipping of a foote somtimes in the faling of a stone Thou comest to vs, sometimes in our cloaths, and sometimes in our Meate and Drinke. We dye diuersly: Some by warre, some in Peace; some by Sea, some by land; some in the Field, some on our Beds; some by our own violence, or Intemperance some by a sudden wound, and some by a languishing disease Mille modis lethi miseres mors vnafatigat. And thus, by a thou­sand wayes of dying, one Death destroyes vs all.

O Death, how bitter is the re­membrance of thee, Ecclus. 41.1.2. to a man that liue that rest in his possessions, &c. O Death, how acceptable is thy iudgement vnto the needfull, &c. O Death thou art a shadow in­deed, thou fleest those that fol­low thee; and followest those [Page 19]that flee thee, Mors optata re­cedit; at cum tristis erit, praecipi. tata venit. Thou hastnest then, when we wish to eschue thee; then delayest thou, when we seeke to imbrace thee. Death is the rich mans Feare; and the poore mans Desire: Often cal­led vpon, in Aduersity; neuer thought vpon in prosperity. In prosperity, we complaine, and cry with Hezekiah, Isa. 38. to haue it further added into our dayes: But in aduersity, we can be con­tent euery one to wish with Elijah; It is enough now O Lord, 1 King. 19.4. take away my Soule, for I am no better then my Fathers.

O Death! How fearefull a thing art thou to flesh and blood? How abhor we, to haue the graue, forour house; to make our bed in darkenesse; to say to Corruption, thou art my Father; and to the Worme, thou art my Sister, and my Mo­ther? How doe we hate to in­herit [Page 18] [...] [Page 19] [...] [Page 20]serpents, and wormes; to be separated from our selues; to be returned to our dust? how does Death terrifie vs, not onely in our owne experience, but o­thers example? In others Exam­ple; so oft as we see or heare an­other is dead; it troubles vs to thinke, that wee also must dye. For our owne experience; how are we then agast, not know­ing either what we must be or whither we must goe? Wee are afraid to dye, euen we, who haue good hope after Death: Euen we that looke for an house not made with hands; are notwith­standing loath to leaue this house of clay: we that haue the promise of a Kingdome, are but vnwilling to forgoe our Prison: There is a Feare in vs, to be dissolued; notwithstanding our Desire to be with Christ: and we many irke to vndergoe the Passage, that euen reioyce to approach to the Home.

[Page 21] 2 An interrogation, or death dared, where I am to aske this one thing of death, for your in­couragement: where is thy sting?

Not onely this I am now to aske of death but that I haue al­ready said to death, (truely con­sidered) serues to incourage vs against death. Death is a sha­dow, [...], Chrys. ad pop. hom. 5. but a very Bug-beare: and are we (like children) afraid of Hobgoblings onely? death is a nothing, and are wee afraid of we know not what? Death se­parates betwixt soule and body; why feare wee so it should dis­solue vs, when wee ought to re­ioyce rather, that it cannot de­stroy vs? Feare wee what may separate vs from our selues? ra­ther imbrace we, what will con­uey vs to Christ. Death is deo­med to vs all, and why feare we, what we cannot eschew? Our willingnese to dye, is the onely way to preuent the necessity of [Page 22]death. Chrys in Mat. 10. Offeramus Deopro munere, quod debito teneamur reddere. Let vs therefore offer God our liues, as a free gift, which hee will o­therwise require as a due debt. Deaths comming is vncertaine, and shall any vncertaine thing cause in vs a certaine feare? In­certum est, Sen. ep 26. quo te loco mors expe­ctet; itaque tu illam omni loco ex­pecta. Rather, seeing it is vncer­taine, at what time, or in what place death will ouertake vs; let vs therefore bee sure to expect death at all times, and in euery place. Death is equall and impartiall to all; this also should make vs lesse afraid of death. Sen ep. 30. Quis queri potest, in ea conditione se esse, in qua nemo non est? Who can complaine, when himselfe is but in such a case or conditi­on, in which none are not? Who lookes that shee should spare any, that knowes her in­different to all? When the like ruine is threatned to an whole [Page 23]world, who expects that him­selfe should escape alone? Some comfort against the cruelty of death, is her equality. There are diuers wayes of dying, and should that make vs afraid of death? No matter how we dye, seeing the most is but to be dead. Non multum curandum est eis, Aug. lib. 1. Ciu. Dei. qui necessario merituri sunt, quid ac­cidet, vt moriantur; sed moriendo, quo ire cogantur. Since wee must dye, it skilleth not how we dye, but whether we must goe after death. Lastly, death is a thing fearefull to flesh and bloud; yet should not all this make vs afraid of death. For it is not death, but the feare of death, that is so fearefull. This feare fulnesse is rather from our owne ignorance, then according to the nature of the thing, Chrys. ad pop. hom. 5. [...]: did we but know death, wee would not so feare death. The feare of death [Page 24]is the punishment of our igno­rance and negligence, which make vs apprehend things, as new and strange things, which otherwise are neither strange, nor new. The onely way then to make death not so fearefull to vs, is (by a daily meditation thereof) to make it more fami­liar; to acquaint our selues with­all, before the comming, that we may lesse feare it when it comes. And thus, first learning not to feare death, at last come wee to dare death; O death! where is thy sting? 1 Cor. 15.26.

Death is not yet destroyed, for the last enemy that shall be de­stroyed is death; but death is al­ready disarmed; O death, where is thy sting? The Text is an [...]: The Captaines song of victory, as also the Souldiers song of deliuery. The words are of a mighty Conquerour, braue­ly insulting ouer a base and wretched enemy. And who is [Page 25]this conquerour of death, but Christ Iesus, the Lord of life? It was hee, spake in the Prophets words, O death, Hos. 13.14. I will bee thy death; and in his power, speakes the Apostle here, O death, where is thy sting? Greg. hom. 22. Quia in electis fun­ditus occidit mortem, mors mortis extitit. Christ did once subdue death for vs; O death, I will be thy death; and we may now deride death in Christ, O death, where is thy sting? Olim morti nostrae, Leo serm. 8. passion. mor­tis suae potentiam minabatur. Christ once threatned his death to our death, O death, I will be thy death; wherefore wee now may glory in the vertue of his death, a­gainst the malice of our owne, O death, where is thy sting?

Christ ouercame death by dying: nay, through death, de­stroyed be, not death onely, but him also that had the power of death, the Deuill. Heb. 7.14. Our Captaine both beate our enemy at her owne weapon, and caught the [Page 26]Hunter in his owne snare. Hee but yeelded to death, to take ad­uantage against her: yea, there­fore dyed the life, that death might no longer liue. Chrys. in Math. 12. Where­fore, Non Christum mortuum in morte credimus, sed mortem mor­tuam in Christo. Wee doe not thinke that Christ is dead in death, but beleeue that death is dead in Christ. Death, that gree­dy Whale durst deuoure Christ, our Ionas, (who was therefore cast forth into the sea of the world, that so the stormes and tempests of the deuill, and sinne, might cease) but hee was preser­ued aliue in the Fishes belly (the belly of hell, the iawes of death) to preach repentance to the Ni­niue of the Church. This same Whale swallowed the baite of Christs humanity, but the hook of his diuinity intangled her, and made her vomit vp her bowels, Hieron. lib. 1. ep. ad Heliodor. together with the baite. Deuorasti, & deuorata es. Death [Page 27]thought to haue swallowed Christ downe in obscurity, and so death her selfe was swallow­ed vp in victory. Death, that Serpent, was bold to sting Christ; but he made her lose her sting for her labour. His huma­nity could but receiue her sting, of which his Diety did depriue her. So that wee may well aske her in him: O death, 1 Cor. 15.56. Ioh. 1.29. where is thy sting? The sting of death is sinne: Christ, the Lamb of God, hath taken away the sins of the world. In Christ Iesus therefore may we securely say: O death, where is thy sting?

Iob askt of man, Man dyeth, and where is he? Iob 14.10. but wee may aske as much of death: Man dy­eth, and where is death? yea, wee may aske concerning the worst of death, deaths sting; O death, where is thy sting? Iacob thus bewailed the death of Ioseph, Ioseph is dead Ioseph is not. Gen. 42. And Rachel wept for her children, and would not bee comforted, [Page 26] [...] [Page 27] [...] [Page 28]because they were not. Math. 2. Because death was there, they thought their children to bee no where. But now, death does but con­uey vs where we should be, and death it selfe is no where. O death, where is thy sting? Death is quite vndone since the Crosse of Christ. When death entred first into the world, Exod. 15. it was like the waters of Marah, exceeding bitter: but since the Tree of the Crosse of Christ, was cast there­in, it is now seasoned and sweet­ned vnto vs. Wee might once cry out with the children of the Prophets: 2 King. 4. death is in the pot, death is in the pot: But since, Christ hath said, This Cup is the new Testament in my bloud: we may now say with the Saints of God; The Cup of Saluation, Saluation is in the Cup. There is now no more death, since the Lord of life. Vita cius instruxit nostram, mors destruxit nostram. His life hath instructed our life, [Page 29]his death, destroyed our death; his life quickened ours, his death sweetned ours. his life tooke a­way death from our life; his death, gaue life to our death.

The Text askes not this que­stion; O death, what is thy sting? yet doe the words following make answere to such a questi­on; The sting of death is sinne. (Death belike is not the sting of sinne, but sinne the sting of death: peccato enim morimur, Anselm. in l [...]. non morte peccamus; Sith we d [...]e in­deed, by sinning, but sinne not by dying.) And as the words following answere to a question, they aske not; So my Text askes a question, to which it answeres not; O death, where is thy sting? It does not tell you where it is, to tell you, it is no where. Death hath now no sting. I am non est stimulus, sed sibilus, immo iubilus. Reioyce all, and be glad; This Serpent may hisse at vs, this Bee may buzze about vs, but now [Page 30]can neither pricke nor sting. The sting of death is gone; there re­maines but the name of death; nay, not the name of death to them that are in Christ Iesus. Mors piorum, non mors dicenda, &c. The death of the godly is not to bee called a death, but a sleepe, a resting from their la­bours, a deliuery from their pri­son, a laying downe their loade, a flitting to their home. Death hath lost her sting. Death is now no punishment, but a passage; not so much an end of this pre­sent life, as an entrance to a bet­ter; not a destruction now, but a dissolution, separating body and soule for a time, that so both may be conioyned with Christ to eternity.

Thus haue I askt this one thing of death, O death; where is thy sting? Now let me aske this one thing of you, why are you so desperately and forlornely afraid of death, hauing heard [Page 31]and knowne how death hath lost her sting? Oh saithlesse man, and faint hearted! Why tremblest thou now to incoun­ter with thy last enemy, since her weapon is taken from her? Shrinkest thou so at the cold­nesse of the Serpent, when thou knowest her poyson and sting are both away? Oh faithlesse, and faint-hearted, to be so afraid of a shadow? Ah wretches! why feare wee death so desperately; that are not lost, but sent before; whom death vtterly destroyes not, but eternity once receiues? It is for them to feare death so desperately, that passe from one death to another; namely, from a death of the body once on earth, to the death of body and soule in hell for euer. It is for them so forlornely to feare a temporall death, that are either ignorant, or desperate of eternall life. It is for them so to feare their flittings, that goe from [Page 32]their prison, to the place of their execution. But as for vs that are in Christ Iesus, wee passe from a Prison, to a Palace; from a Dunghill, to a Throne, from a crazy and wretched Taberna­cle, to a certaine and blessed home. Cypr. de mortal. Eius est mortem timere, qui non vult ad Christumire. It is for them to feare to be dissolued, that hope not to be with Christ. A forlorne feare of death, is but a despaire of life after death. Men had rather suffer a great deale of paine, and liue, then dye but with a little paine: the which betokens, that it is something after death, that is so fearefull, and not death it selfe. Let them then desire to linger in the mise­ries of this present life, that so but delay awhile the torments of the life to come. But as for vs that are in Christ Iesus, after ma­ny our stormes and shipwracks, why feare wee to arriue at our Hauen? Hauing fought a good [Page 33]fight, and finished our course, why doubt we to goe and haue our crowne? hauing runne our race, why are we so loath to ob­taine our price? Why should we feare the threatnings of a tem­porall death, that may reioyce in the promises of eternall life? Rom. 14.8 Whether we liue, wee liue vnto the Lord, whether we dye, we dye vnto the Lord: therefore whether wee liue or dye, we are the Lords: Nei­ther let vs bee so dissolute, and prophane of life, as therefore a­shamed to liue, nor so ignorant and negligent of death, as there­fore afraid to dye. But at the in­stant of our seuerall flittings, say euery one, as a dying Saint; Egredere, quid times? Hieron in vita Hila­rion. egredere anima mea, &c. Goe forth my soule! why fearest thou? goe forth. Learne each soule to say at the last passage of his pilgri­mage: what though I dye. I know my Redeemer liueth; though I be dissolued from my [Page 34]selfe, yet shall I bee conioyned with Christ. Lye then downe (my body!) and returne vnto thy dust; mount thou aloft (my soule!) and meet thy Sauiour in the ayre; my body may be but wormes-meate for a while, my soule (I am assured) shall be an Angels fellow for euer.

I haue done with my Text as concerning you, before whom it hath beene vttered. I am now onely to apply it to this honourable party, for whom it was intended. This ho­nourable party, your doletull spectacle, and my Texts vntime­ly occasion; This honourable party, our Master, Father, Bro­ther; this honourable party, whose honour, for his person, now lyes in the dust; for his suc­cession, Lord let it long, and much, both continue and in­crease.

The blessed Saints of God [Page 35]learne many good lessons in their liues, which they both teach, and vse at their death. Concerning this Saint now de­parted, wee that heard, can wit­nesse, how well he had learnt to adapt the prayers and sayings of the faithfull, and former Saints, to his owne, and instant neces­sities. Luk. 2. He sang with Simeon, Lord, now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace. Hee prayed with Saint Paul, desiring to be dissolued, Phil. 1. and to be with Christ. Yea, said hee, with both the lingring and long­ing Saints, How long Lord, how long? Euen so come Lord Iesus, Reu. 6. Reu. 22. come quickly. One of these sweet sayings of his owne application, had giuen me my Text to treat of, saue that I considered, this Text that I haue chosen, did as much as intimate them all. For, to pray to depart, to desire to be dissolued, to call for the has [...]e­ning, and to complaine of the deferring; What other is all [Page 36]this, but as in my Text, earnest­ly to summon death, O death! and stou [...]y to daredeath, where is thy sting? Hee mentioned the departing, hee expected the dis­soluing, but he neuer feared the stinging. Hee knew hee should not be lost, he should but depart; therefore sayes he, Lord, now let­test thou thy seruant depart, &c. He knew well, death could but dissolue him, it could not de­stroy him; he therefore said, I desire to be dissolued, &c. And this is no more, then as if hee had demanded of death here in defiance; O death, where is thy sting? As hee had thus said; O death, thou art death indeede, and thou mayest dissolue mee; but where is thy sting? Sting hast thou none, and therefore thou canst not destroy me.

It hath beene alwayes the Churches vse, not onely to re­late, but commend the liues of the Faithfull, being dead, that so [Page 37]the liuing might come to know their conuersation, and bee brought to follow their exam­ple. Both for our information, and imitation of this Saint de­ceased; I could gladly, (as I might iustly) inlarg my selfe to a volume of [...]is prayse. I flatter him not to say the best I can of him, that is now better then I can tell how to say. To p [...]ayse a good man after his death, is not to flatter him, but to prayse God for him: besides, a dead mans commendation, is the liuings admonition. Then wh [...] should we forget, whom we ought to imitate? Why should his ver­tues dye with him, before men on earth? whose graces are gone before him, and liue before the face of Christin heauen. Let vs yet therefore speake of him, when wee cannot now speake with him. Let vs haue him now in our mindes, while he is now no more before our eyes: hauing [Page 38]now lost his presence, let vs inioy him yet in his remem­brance.

The life of our Honourable and deare Brother departed, must I remember vnto you, ac­cording to the two-fold state of life; his prosperity, his aduersity; and in them both, I commend vnto you his Christianity. Hee is worthy the consideration in either state: In as much as hee dranke deepe of a mixed Cup; both had he his share of the ho­ney-combe, and withall, was vineger and gall made his por­tion to drinke: as a large talent was giuen him, so an heauy load was layd vpon him. God won­derfully both blessed, and af­flicted him, because in both (as himselfe both found and said) God would try him to the full. And indeede, neither state did more then exercise, and exa­mine him: for, neither did the height of his prosperity, puff [...] [Page 39]him vp, nor could the depth of his aduersity depresse him. In his prosperity I neuer heard but that he was iust, and temperate. This I can say, hee was both humble and thankefull in his affliction.

1. For his prosperity in par­ticular; and there to beginne with him as soone as he began to prosper. He was a man (as it is well knowne) worshipfully borne, religiously educated, wisely instructed, honorably promoted; A man happy in a loyall wife, ioyfull in vertuous children, prosperous in worldly wealth. Nor were his prosperi­ty so commendable, but for his Piety, and charity. For his Pie­ty, he serued his God, hee reue­renced the Church, hee heard the word, he beleeued the truth, he endeauoured the good; His sighs and teares, could witnesse his tender heartednesse; so his prayers, and meditations, his [Page 38] [...] [Page 39] [...] [Page 40]heauenly mindednesse. For his Charity, it is well noted, where euer he had any thing to dee, the first thing he did, was alwaies to doe good. Besides his oft, and priuate almes, his light moreouer shines in publique, and both in City, and country, men may see his good workes. Were I (for memory, and imi­tation sake) to catel [...]gue, or re­cord his works, I could declare when, how, where, hee spared neither for hundreds, nor for thousands, to doe good. But such a thing I rather thinke wor­thy a wide worlds eye, then but only a small peoples care. What he hath bestowed to pious and charitable vses amount to more then 11000. pounds. And this the seuerall places endowed can truely witnesse, and Parties be­nesitted shall thankfully con­fesse. Both liuing and dying was he largely and variously benefi­cent. As for the most things of [Page 41]common vse, and neede, these were the obiects of his liberali­ty. Hale, Hospitals, Prisons, Schooles, Colledges, and Chur­ches; of some was he sole Foun­der, to some a free Benefactour I might (not amisse) call him a man of good workes. Hee was food to the hungry, a garment to the naked, comfort to the sicke, a reliefe vnto the prisoner, and an harbour euen to the stranger: For, besides those of his acquaintance, many one had cause to blesse him, that scarce euer saw his face. One thing I may not here omit, that when he had done much good for many, hee further demanded of vs, Who was there would haue him doe any thing for them? And when he had freely and orderly giuen the last he gaue, hee yet ask [...], what else was for him to doe? Though his good deeds were many and munificent, yet such words shewed a minde, [Page 42]beyond his deeds; that wh [...]n he had done well, and sufficient, yet was he not satisfied with do­ing good.

2 Touching his aduersity; his heauenly Father, as hee had for a long time imbraced this his Sonne, in the armes of his blessings: so did his heauy hand scourge him sore, now that hee receiued him. Hee so cherished him, as not to let him escape the whip. And all to tell him, he could not be so happy here, as not to be miserable, and must be miserable a while, to be hap­py for euer, During the time of his sinknesse, his sufferings were both tedious and extreame, so that (comparing h [...] p [...]ines co­gether with his yeares) we won­dred he could be so mightily af­flicted, and yet so [...] subsist in his afflictions. Both were his paines great, and groanes many, and (for many [...] together) his [...], [Page 43]and sleepe (in comparison) small, or none. His Bed was but as his Racke; the place of natu­rall refreshment, as an engine of extreame torment. Nor was any time so restlesse to him, as the common time of rest. For all which, he was neuer heard to charge God foolishly, but al­wayes, in his wholesome Admo­nitions, his holy Confessions, his hearty Inuocations; so im­prooued hee his breath to the last. All those godly and com­fortable sayings that proceeded from him, should I now vtter them in particular, I suppose it would bee another Sermon to recite them. Lastly, hauing both appoynted, and perfected his whole bequests, and so set his house in order, and now quite renounced the world, setting himselfe (as he said) to present his soule before God in Christ: after a long and bitter agony, and now towards the doomed [Page 44]and expected moment of this peaceable passage: while our hearts groaned, and eyes distil­led in their deuotions his soule beganne already to be rauished in her heauenly visions, and bles­sed contemplations: and so, he cheerefully flitting from vs, left vs sadly looking on.

To insist long vpon the ver­tues of the Dead, is (in some case) to adde vnto the sorrowes of the liuing: For, to heare his goodnesse praysed, cannot but this way grieue vs, namely, in that wee haue lost so great a good. We haue lost him, w [...] haue lost him; nor indeed is he lost, but to vs. We haue some lost a Lord, some lost a Friend, some lost a Magistrate, some lost a Master, some lost a Pe [...]re, some lost a Patron, one lost a Husband, some lost a Father, and (to mine owne particular) next a Father, his losse was mine. To reckon so manifold [Page 45]a losse, my Teares begin to stop my speech; and bid me bewaile it rather in sobbes, then words. But I refraine the rather to let loose mine owne passion at this time and place; considering how vnfitting he is to comfort others, whose owne sorrowes o­uercome himselfe. It is not for me now to shew sorrow in my face, that am now to speake comfort to your heatts.

Comfort we our selues there­fore (Brethren) in the Lord, in whom (wee beleeue) this our Brother doth now reioyce. Let vs be content to lose him whom it hath pleased God to gaine: How iustly might he take him away from vs, that euen gaue him to himselfe? Letvs not only bewaile that we want him, but reioyce rather, that once we had him, He is dead, neither the first, nor last: we must follow after, whither he is but gone be­fore. Neither was he violently [Page 46]nor vntimely snatcht away from vs, but he slept peaceably, and dyed in a good age. Let it not then so afflict vs, to thinke how wee may misse him here on earth, as reioyce vs to expect how we must meet him in the Ayre, at the last comming of the Lord Iesus. To which com­ming of thine (Lord Iesu) not only hasten, but prepare: that when thou shalt descend from Heauen with a shout, with the voyce of the Archangell, and the Trumpe of God; we which shall then liue and remaine, may be caught vp with them (euen this our Brother, and all thine holy Saints and Angels) in the clouds; and so be, & be blest with thee our onely Lord and Sauiour, for e­uer and euer. Amen.