The Cure of the Fear of Death, Chapter 9
CHAP. IX.
The miserie of life in respect of the world.
3. THirdly, cōsider but vvhat the World is, in which thou liuest; and that either in the apparant miseries of this world, or in the vexations, that accompany the best things the world hath to offer or giuegive thee. First, for the apparant miseries;
1. It is exquisitely like a wildernes, no man but 9. Apparant miseries of life in this vvorld.for innumerable vvants, liues as in a Desart here.
2. It is a true Egypt to the godly, it continually imposeth hard tasks, and seruile conditions. Life can neuer be free frō greeuous burthens, and inexorable molestations.
3. This world is verily like Sodome, full of generall and vnspeakable filthinesse: all the world lyeth in wickednesse, scarce one Lot to be found in a whole Citie, or Parish. If God would seeke but fiue righteous men, that are truly or absolutely godly, they are not to be found in the most assemblies in the world, nay in the Church too.
4. Yet more; this world is a very Pesthouse, spiritually cōsidered. EueryEvery man that a godly man comes neere, hath a mischieuous plague-sore running vponupon him; yea the godly themselues are not without the disease: so as there is a necessity as it were, to infect, or bee infected still in all places, or companies. Oh! who would louelove to liue in a Pesthouse, that may dwell in a place for euer free from all infection?
5. Yet more, this world, why, it is a very Golgotha, a place of dead men, we liue amongst the graues: Almost all we see, or hauehave to deale with, are but men truly dead. Alas! vvhat should wee reckon of the life of mens carkases, whē In this world the dead bury the dead.their soules are dead? and both soule and body sentenced to eternall death? Almost all that wee meete with, are malefactors, vnderunder sentence, ready to be carried to execution, the wrath of God hanging ouer their heads, and vnquenchable fire kindled against them; & shall we be so besotted, as to louelove the dead more thē the liuing? or the societie of vile and miserable malefactors in a prison, rather then the fellowship of the glorious Princes of God, in their Palace of endlesse and matchlesse blisse?
6. Sixtly, why should we louelove the world that hateth vsus, and casts vsus off, as men dead out of minde? Are wee not crucified to the world? Gala. 6. 14. and doe not wicked men hate vsus, and enuy vsus, and speak all manner of euil sayings of vsus, because wee follow good? The World loues her owne, but vsus it cannot louelove, because we are not of this world. Can darknesse louelove light? or the sonnes of Belial oare for the sons of God? In this world we shall hauehave trouble; and if wee found not peace in Christ, we were of al men most miserable, Ioh. 15. 19. Ecclos. 4. 4. Ioh. 17. 14. 2. Cor. 6. 17. Ioh. 16. 33. And if they hate vsus for well-dooing, how will they triumph if our foote doe but slippe? We should desire death, euen to be deliuered from the feare of giuing occasion to the World to triumph, or blaspheme in respect of vsus. Yea, so extreme is the hatred of the World, that a iust man may perish in his righteousnesse, when a vvicked man prolongs his daies in his wickednes, Eccl. 17. 16. and 8. 14.
7. Doe wee fall into any speciall misery in this world? Why, behold the teares of the oppressed, & there is none to comfort them. We are either not pitied, or not regarded: or the compassion of the world is like the morning deaw, it is gone as a tale that is told, our misery wil last, but there wil soone be none to comfort vsus. Miserable comforters are the most that can bee had in this vvorld; and for this reason Salomon praised the dead, that are already dead, aboue the liuing, that are yet aliue, Eccles. 4. 1, 2.
8. There is vsually no Christian, but in this world he hath some speciall miserie vponupon him, either pouertie, or debt, or disease in his body, or the like, &c.
9. We daily suffer the losse of our friends, that were the companions of our life, and the causes of contentment to vsus. Now who would tarry behinde them, or esteeme of this world, when they are gone from vsus?
And thus much of the apparant miseries of this world.