Meditations, Meditation 55
55
Death, at ye diuels first bringing in of it, was a fearfull punishment, cutting off man from all ioy and comfort: But when God in his mercy annexed infinite and euerlasting ioies vntounto death, death became then aduantage, and that an especiall one, as being the gate of eternall happinesse. But the naturall man seeing onelyonly with naturall eies, beholdeth therfore only the sensible and visible comforts of this life, not knowing the second ioyes; wherfore his desire being bounded with his knowledge, resteth onelyonly in them, and accordingly he accounts death a chiefly miserable & feareful thing, by which he must be depriued of such ioyes. But the spirituall man by the spirituall eye of faith (which the other hath not) discerning spirituall things, beholdeth euidently the infinite & endles ioyes which are in the glorious presence of the highest happines, euen God the Creator: and valuing them according to the ods of their worth, hee longeth after them, he thirsteth to inioy them, hee accounteth death that which it is, euen a great aduantage; as that which doth not take away life altogether from a Christian man, but most happily changeth it, turning a life fraile, miserable and sinfull, into a life mortall, secure, holy and happie. And as that which doth not take away ioy, but changeth it, turning the impure narrow and the interrupted ioyes, which here we take in the creatures, into a pure, vnbounded, & incessant ioies in God the Creator. Now herein is the great difference betweene a naturall man and a Christian. The naturall man is in bondage while he liueth for feare of death; hee goes on, casting an eye still on this vizard, as a thing of terror & affrightmēt; he is troubled with the darknesse of not being, the fearefull shadow of death. But the true Christian is bold as a Lion, hee treadeth vponupon death, as hauing lost the sting, by which it may kill vntounto a second death: he gladly makes vse of it, willingly giuing himself to it as to a messēger of God, which comes to fetch him from earth to heauen, from miserie to felicitie, from the workes of the sixe daies which could not blesse their daies, to that blessed rest of the Maker of those workes, which rest blessed the seuenth day; it being indeed blessednesse it selfe, and there being no other blessednesse but it selfe. Be it therefore the high priuiledge of the Christian, to enioy death, to reioyce in it, & to account it the dore of felicitie. And that eueryevery Christian may make vse of this priuiledge, this must also be the practise of a Christian; euen often with the eie of faith cleared by prayer and meditation, to behold the ioyes which are at the right hand of God, euen the glory of the new Ierusalem, whereof God is the Sunne. For as much as we se it, so much shall we see it to surmount all worldly ioy; and as much as we see it to surmount, so much shall our desire to it, surmount our desire to the world, and finally so much greater shal be our louelove of death, as our desire to that ioy is greater. Wherefore if thou louest death but a litle, thy sight of that ioy is but little; but see it more, & thy affection to death shal be more. If nature run to the eie and eare, to draw thee to life, run thou to the word & spirit to draw thee to heauen. These will shew thee more reason why to desire God, thē flesh can why to louelove this life. But thou likest, as thou saist, the bargaine well, and dost account it gainfull exchange: but thou likest not the means; death is painful, and thou art not cōtented to be happy by paine. Surely sicknes is paine, but death absolutely in it self seemes not to be paine. For the setting of a ioint is many times more paine, then death by a consumption. The conuulsions which appeare, are cōmonly from the strife of nature with diseases; but death followeth vsually after nature is ouercome, and then life goes out gently like a consumed taper. But if it must be cōfessed, that there is paine in the sicknesse of death, or in death it self, get thou again into the spirit, & yet shalt thou see, that death is aduātage. Al the suffrings of this life, are not worthy of the glory that shal be reuealed. For the weight of yt ioy is an exceeding weight, and ouerweyes farre all temporall and momentany affliction. Therefore if by lesser weight of temporall griefe, thou purchase ye exceeding weight of eternall ioy, thou art yet a great gainer, thou hast made a most profitable exchange, thou maist yet reioyce, and goe gladly through paine vntounto a surpassing happines. Go thou therefore, and follow the patterne of our faith Christ Iesus, who for the ioy set before him, endured the crosse, & despised the shame. Follow the seruants of Christ, who reioyced in tribulations, and went ioyfully through all persecutions, scourgings, stonings, burnings, and death it selfe, vntounto that glory which is aboue. Yea, let vsus say with the seruants of God, If God commanded vsus yet a greathing, should we not doe it? for the end shall aboundantly recompence the way; the end which is happines, the way which is griefe, and the way passeth away, but ye end is endles, & endures for euer. Let vsus go on therefore hopefully and chearefully, through al sorrowes & bitternesses, limited & transitory, vntounto happines large without end or bound; solid without lightnes, & continuing without cessation: let ye sight of this felicity counterpoise, yea ouerwey with comfort, the trouble imparted by the feeling of griefe.