The Life of Faith in Death Exemplified, Part 1
THE LIFE OF FAITH IN DEATH.
THat which hath bin already spoken of the Life of Faith, is to the naturall man aboue all Faith. And yet if that bee all it can doe, then is all little better then nothing. Say it could fill the minde of man with all content, satiate his life with all delight, and sweeten the bitternesse of all afflictions, yet if for all this, there lurke in his breast a secret and slauish feare of Death, the least peece of this leauen but in a corner of the pecke, is enough to sowre the whole lumpe of his ioyes: the least dram of this Coloquintida will marre the relish of all his sweetes: and make him crie out, There is death in the pot. And, Oh Death, how bitter is thy mention and memory?
Aske Nature, and call to Philosophy, and see if they can affoord any ayd▪ must they not confesse themselues heere quite posed and plunged? hath not death set & foyled their whole army: for pouertie, shame; and sicknesse, and other such pettie Crosses, some poore cures, and lame shifts hauehave they found out: but when death comes all their courage hath fayled, and all their rules hauehave left them in darke and desperate vncertainties. It is possible for Pharaoh with much a do to stand out the stormes of Haile, the swarme of Flies and Lice: but when once the crie of Death is in the houses, then is there no way but yeelding: his Enchaunters and Mountebancks could abide the crie of Frogs and other such vermine; but this Basiliske affrights them. OnelyOnly Faith takes it by the tayle, handles it, and turnes it into an harmlesse wand, yea into a rod budding with glory and immortalitie.
Quartane agues are not so much the shame of Phisicke, as Death is of all naturall skill and valour. Death is Faiths euill. Faith onelyonly professeth this Cure, vndertaketh and performeth it with the least touch of Christs hand: and that as familiarly as the richest Balme doth the least cut of the finger. Faith turneth feares into hopes, sighings and groanings, into wishings and longings, shaking and trembling into leaping and clapping of hands.
Alas, all troubles are but as PigmyesDr. Tayler. Tho. Hawkes. to this Gyant, who defies all the hoste of Infidels: holds them in bondage all the dayes of their liues: and makes their whole life no better then a liuing Death and dying life. Only Faith encounters this Gyant, singles him out for her chiefe prize, and grapples with him not as a match, but as with a vanquished vnderling: insulting ouer him as much as he doth ouer the sonnes of vnbeliefe: sets her foot vponupon the necke of this King of feares, and so easily becomes Conquerour and Emperour of all pettie feares, which are therefore onelyonly fearefull, because they rend to Death; the last, the worst, the end and summe of all feared euils. Here, and here onelyonly is the incomparable crowne of Faith: here only doth she euidently and eminently honour her followers, and difference them from all others with a noble liuery of true magnanimitie and alacritie.
It is true, if wee had windowes into the breasts of men, a difference one might see in the inward bearing of aduersitie: but for the face and outside, both may seeme alike hardy, both may seeme alike resolute: But when it comes to the poynt of Death, then the speech, the behauiour, the countenance, palpably distinguish the dull patience perforce of the worldling from the cheerfull welcome of the Christian. Let Death put on her mildest vizards, come in the habit of the greatest sicknes, to the stoutest Champion on his owne Downe bed, yet shall his heart tremble and his countenance waxe pale. Let her dresse her selfe like the cruellest Fury: Come with all her rackes, fires, strappadoes, wilde beasts, all her exquisite tortures: Faith will set a woman, or a childe to make sport with her, to dare and to tyre her, and her tormentors.
Alas what doe they tell vsus of their Socrates, their Cato, their Seneca, and a few such thinne examples which a breath will rehearse, a fewe lines containe their poore ragged handfull, to our Legions, whose names or number one may as soone reckon as the sand of the Sea shore: theirs a fewe choyce men of heroycall spirits trayned vp either in arts or armes: Our of the weakest sexes and sorts, onelyonly strong in the Faith: theirs either out of windy vaine-glory childishly reckoning of a short death and a long fame, or out of blockish ignorance venturing vponupon Death as Children and mad men vponupon dangers without feare or wit: Ours out of mature deliberation and firme beliefe in Christ: who hath drunke out of Deaths bitter Cup an eternall health to all mankind, taken the gall and poyson out of it, and made it a wholesome potion of immortalitie. Faith heere proclaimes her challenge and bids nature or arte out of all their Souldiers or Schollers produce any one, who hauing free option to liue or die, and that vponupon equall tearmes hauehave embraced Death: Whereas infinite of hers hauehave bin offered life with promotions, and yet would not bee deliuered expecting a better resurrection.
If any shall challenge these for Thrasonicall flourishes, or Carpet vaunts, I appeale and call to witnesse not the Cloud now, but the whole skye of witnesses, such I meane as hauehave dyed either in the Lord, or for the Lord, who in the very poynt and Article of Death hauehave liued, and expressed liuely testimonies of this their life, partly in their incredible sufferings, partly in their admirable sayings. For their Acts and Monuments if they had all been penned, all the world would not hauehave conteined their Histories: the very summes would swell to large Volumes. The valour of the Patients, the sauagenesse of the Persecutours, striuing together, till both exceeding nature and beleefe, bred wonder and astonishment in beholders and Readers. Christians hauehave shewed as glorious power in the faith of Martyrdome as in the faith of Myracles. As for their last Speaches, and Apothegmes, pitie it is no better marke hath been taken, and memory preserued of them. The choyce and the prime I hauehave culled out of ancient Stories, and latter Martyrologies, English, Dutch, and French. The profite and pleasure hath paid me for the labour of collecting, and the like gaine (I hope) shall quit the cost of thy reading. Sweetly & briefly they comprise and couch in them the foundation, the marrow of large & manifold precepts, prescribed by the learned Diuines for preparation against Death. The Art of dyingBeza. Perbins. Hall. Byfield. well is easier learned by examples then by directions. These chalk the way more plainely, these encourage more heartily, these perswade more powerfully, these chide vnbeleefe with more authoritie: if some worke not, others may: some will affect some, some another. Read them ouer to a sicke or to a dying Christian, if they quicken not, if they comfort not, it is because there is no life of Faith in them: if there be the least sparke, these will kindle it, cherish and maintaine it in the doore, in the valley, in the thought, in the act of Death.