The Marrow of the Oracles of God, Chapter 21
CHAP. XXI.
Shewing the cure of this feare of death by practice.
HItherto of the way of curing this feeare of death by meditation. It remaines now, that I proceed to shew how the cure is to be finished & perfected by practice; for there are diuers 7 Things tha… cu…e the feare of death in practice.things to be heeded by vsus in our daily conuersation, which serue exceedingly for the extinguishing of this feare, without which the cure will hardly euer bee soundly wrought for continuance.
The first thing we must frame … The contempt of the Word.our liues to, for this purpose, is the contempt of the VVorld: wee must striue earnestly with our owne hearts, to forgoe the louelove of worldly things. It is an … thing …o be willing to dye, when our hearts are cleansed of the louelove of this world. Wee must leaue the world before the world leaue vsus, and learne that lesson heartily, To vse the world as if wee vsed it not. Neither ought this to seeme too hard a precept: for they that striue for masterie, abstaine from all things, when it is but to obtaine a corruptible crowne; how much more should we be willing to deny the delights of this world, and striue with our natures herein, seeing it is to obtaine an incorruptible crowne? 1. Cor. 9 24, 25.
VVe must learne of Moses, who brought himselfe to it willingly, to …orsake the pleasures of Egypt, and to choose rather to suffer affliction with Gods people, then to be called the sonne of Pharaohs daughter, Heb. 11. 26.
And to this end, we should first How the contempt of the world may …ee wrought in vsus.restraine all needlesse cares, and businesse of this world, and study so to be quie…, as to meddle with our owne busines, and to a…idge th…m into as narrow a scantling as our callings will permit. Secondly, we should auoid, as much as may be, the societie with the fauorites and minions of the World: I meane such persons, as admire nothing but worldly things, and know no other happinesse then in this life; that speake onelyonly of this World, and commend nothing, but what tends to the praise of worldly things, and so to the enticing of our hearts after the World: And withall, wee should sort our selues with such Christians, as practise this contempt of the World, as well as praise it, and can by their discourse make vsus more in louelove with heauen. Thirdly, we should daily obserue, to what things in the world our hearts must run, and striue with God by prayer to get downe the too much liking and desire after those things. Fourthly, we should daily be pondering on these meditations, that shew vsus the vanitie of the world, and the vilenesse of the things thereof. Thus of the first medicine.
Secondly, we must in our practice soundly mortifie our beloued 2. The mortification of beloued sins.sins: our sins must dye before we dye, or else it will not be well with vsus. The sting of death is sin, and when we hauehave pull'd out the sting, we need not feare to entertaine the Serpent into our bosome. It is the louelove of some sin, and delight in it, that makes a man afraid to dye; or it is the remembrance of some foule euill past, which accuseth the hearts of men: and therefore men must make sure their repentance, and iudge themselues for their sins, and then they neede not feare Gods condemning of them. If any aske me, how they may know when they hauehave attained to this rule; I answer, VVhen they hauehave so long confessed their sinnes in How wee may know when sin is mortified.secret to God, that now they can truely say, there is no sinne they know by themselues, but they are as desirous to hauehave God giuegive them strength to leaue it, as they would hauehave God to shew them grace to forgiue it. Hee hath soundly repented of all sin, that desires from his heart to liue in no sin. And vntounto this rule, I must adde the care of an vpright and vnrebukeable conuersation. It is a maruellous encouragement to dye with peace, when a man can liue without offence, and can iustly plead his integrity of conuersation; as Samuel did, 1 Sam. 12. 3. and Paul, Acts 20. 26, 27. and 2 Cor. 1. 12.
Thirdly, Assurance is an admirable 3. Assurancemedicine to kill this feare: And to speake distinctly, wee should get the assurance first of Gods fauour, and our owne calling and election; for hereby an entrance will bee ministred into the Heauenly Kingdome: And therefore hauehave I handled this doctrine of the Christians assurance, before I meddled with this point of the Feare of Death. Simeon can dye willingly, when his eyes hauehave seene the saluation. Feare of death is alwayes ioyned with a weake faith; and the full assurance of faith, doth maruellously establish the heart against these feares, and breeds a certaine desire of the comming of Christ. Paul can be confident, when he is able to say, I know whom I hauehave beleeued, and that hee, is able to keepe that which I hauehave committed to him, 2. Tim. 12.
Besides, wee should labour to get a particular knowledge and assurance of our happinesse in death, and of our saluation: Wee would study to this end, the Arguments that shew our felicitie in death. And to this purpose, it is of excellent vse to receiue the Sacrament often: For Christ by his Will, beq…eathed heauen to vsus, Ioh. 17. and by the death of the Testator, this Will is of force, and is further daily sealed vntounto vsus, as internally by the Spirit, so externally by the Sacraments.
Now if wee get our Charter sealed and confirmed to vsus, how can we be afraid of the time of possession? He is fearelesse of death, that can say with the Apostle, Whether I liue or dye, I am the Lords, Rom. 14. 8.
4. That charge giuen to Hezekiah, 4 The setting of our houses in order.concerning the setting of his house in order, Esay 38. is of singular vse for this cure. Men should with sound aduice settle their outward estates, and dispose of their worldly affaires, and according to their meanes prouide for their wife and children. A great part of the feare and trouble of mens hearts is ouer, when their Wills are discreetly made: but men are loth to dye, so long as their outward estates are vnsettled and vndisposed. It is a most preposterous course for men to leaue the making of their Wils to their sicknesse: for besides their disabilities of memory, or vnderstanding, which may befall them, the trouble of it breedes vnrest to their mindes; and besides, they liue all the time in neglect of their duty of preparation for death.
5. Wee may much helpe our 5 To make fri…nds with riches.selues, by making vsus friends with the riches of iniquity: we should learne that of the vniust Steward, as our Sauiour Christ sheweth. Since wee shall be put out of the Stewardship, we should so dispose of them while wee hauehave them, that when wee dye, they may receiue vsus into euerlasting habitations, Luk. 16. An vnprofitable life is attended with a seruile feare of death.
6. It would master this feare, 6. A frequent meditation of death.but to force our selues to a frequent meditation of death. To learne to dye daily, will lessen, yea, remooue the feare of dying. Oh this remembring of our latter end, and learning to number our daies, is an admirable rule of practice. It is the forgetfulnesse of death, that makes life sinfull, and death terrible, Deu. 32. 29. Psa. 90. 12. And wee should begin this exercise of meditation betimes; Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth, Eccles. 12. 1. This is that is called for, when our Sauiour Christ requires vsus, and all men, so to watch: and here in lay the praise of the fiue wise Virgins, Matth. 25. 3. Thus I…b will waite till the time of his change come, Iob 14. 14. And of purpose hath the Lord left the last day vncertaine, that we might eueryevery day prepare. It were an admirable method, if we could make eueryevery day a life to begin and end, as the day begins and ends.
7. Lastly, because yet we may find this feare cumbersome, and 7. Heartie prayer for this thing.our natures extremely deceitful; there is one thing left, which can neuer faile to preuaile, as farre as it is fit for vsus; and that is hearty prayer to God for this very thing. Thus Dauid prayes, Psal. 39. 4. and Moses, Psal. 90. 13. and Simeon, Luke 2. 19. And in as much as Christ dyed for this end, to deliuer vsus from this feare, wee may sue out the priuiledge, and by prayer striue with God to get it framed in vsus. It is a suite God will not deny them that aske in the name of Christ, because it is a thing that Christ especially aimed at in his owne death.
To conclude then; wee hauehave prooued, that it is possible to be had, and most vncomely to want it; and likewise the way hath beene shewed how both by meditation and practice, this Cure may be effected. If then it be not wrought in any of vsus, we may here finde out the cause in our selues: For if wee would hereby be soundly aduised and ruled, we might attaine to it all the dayes of our life, to sing with the Saints, that triumphant Song mentioned both in the Old and New Testament: Oh death, where is thy sting? O hell, where is thy victory? so as we are now the conquerors through him that loued vsus, and gaue himselfe to death for vsus, euen Iesus Christ the righteous; to whom with the Father and the holy Ghost, bee all praise in the Churches, throughout all ages for euer.
AMEN.
FINIS.
End of the text · Nicholas Byfield, The Marrow of the Oracles of God (1630)