The Ambassador Between Heaven and Earth, Prayers · Prayer 19
Another Meditation againſt the feare of death, & for ſtrength & patience in that laſt houre.
Statutum eſt omnibus ſemel mori.
THe mettall and ſubſtance wherof we are made, being but duſt & aſhes, ſlime & corruption, might alone, without▪ further motiue & reaſon, perſwade vsus that we are not euerlaſting, nor made for continuance, what is man therefore, O Lord, that he ſhould be proud? or what are our bodies, that we ſhould ſo regard them, the beauty & delicaſie whereof ſo much pampered and adorned, ſo much accounted & eſteemed of, ſo curiouſly & carefully preſerued & kept, muſt ſo ſuddenly diſcend to corruption amongſt the wormes & creepers of the earth, and to rubble and aſhes. This mutation and diſſolution of our bodies, the ſeparation and ſeuering of two antient Inne-mate-friends, muſt needs, as in the act, ſo in the conſideratiō therof, ſtrike a ſtrange amazement in a weake and vnreſolued Chriſtian, that truly vnderſtands not what death is, which is indeed to the godly, and thoſe that hauehave made a preparation thereunto, the gate and paſſage to a better life, the end of ſorrow, and a reſt from labour: yet O Lord, conſider the weakenſſe of our nature, and helpe vsus in that, which euen thy bleſſed Saints, Prophets, and Apoſtles, that knew thee in a meaſure aboue our knowledge, that hauehave giuen rules, and motiues, and reaſons againſt the …eare thereof; yet in the tryall and accompliſhment thereof, hauehave found the imbecility of fleſh and nature repugnant againſt it; and for the adding of a few lingring dayes of further cares and ſorrowes, ſome hauehave forſworne thee, others hauehave wept vntounto thee, and all hauehave beene willing to ſtretch it out to the laſt minute; and yet it is but a prolonging, not a preſeruing. Ezechias may turne to the wall and weep, and mourne like a Doue, and pray for life, yet at the laſt hee muſt render it vp. O Lord, giuegive vsus therefore patience to part with it, being no inheritance to vsus, but debt to thee, beeing moſt certaine, and aſſuredly perſwaded, that thou wilt one day reſtore it to his former, nay fuller perfection▪ leſſen our louelove toward the world, and our ſelues, and increaſe it towards thee, and thy Kingdome. Make this, good Father, the frequent thought and meditation of our hearts, to thinke that wee muſt dye, that it may breed in vsus humility and godlineſſe, as a happy preparation thereunto: let vsus reſolue patiently and reſolutely to vnderunder-goe that taſke aſſigned by thee, the diſſolution of nature: for the corruption of nature, the ſting is gone, and wee neede not feare it, beeing but that which all the ſeuerall ages and generations of the world that are paſt, hauehave accompliſhed; and in the…r times and ſeaſons deſcended to corruption, and others hauehave taken their places, and all that are to come muſt drinke of the ſame portion. Mathuſalem. though he liue 969 yeares, yet muſt he not liue euer: the portion neuer ſo long, the perſon neuer ſo eminent, his preſeruation neuer ſo great, to this at laſt hee muſt ſurely come, and all mankinde beſides, although not all by one meanes, yet all brings to one end, though ſome by water, ſome by fire, ſome by famine, ſome by peſtilence, ſome by the iawes of wilde beaſts, ſome by the hand of an enemy, ſome in the bed, others in the field, Haman by the gallowes, Ieſabel by dogges, Herod by wormes, the Sonnes and daughters of Iob by the fall of an houſe, the Mothers and Infants of Ieruſalem by famine. One cryeth my head, my head, as the Shunamites ſonne, another my bowels, another my feet, feet, as Aſa, the Stone, the Gout, the Feuer, and a thouſand other puniſhments, not yet equall to our ſinnes, thy iuſt Executioners of that ſentence: Thou ſhalt dye the death, pronounced againſt our firſt Parents, and in them to the whole race of mankinde: Remember thy end, ſaith the wiſe man, & thou ſhalt not do amiſſe. Teach vsus, O Lord, to remember it, and make vſe thereafter, that will in time remember vsus, if we gorget it, Though we eſcape the pit we ſhall be taken in the ſnare, we ſhall fly from a Lyon and a beare ſhall meet with vsus, or leane our hand vponupon a wall and a ſerpent ſhal bite vsus: we may be deliuered from ſix troubles and the ſeauenth ſhall diſpatch vsus, for neyther councel nor art, nor meanes can preſerue vsus euer for it is the will of God and the cannon of his own lippes, againſt the which there is no euaſion, no conuenant to be made with death & the graue, let this meditation be vntounto vsus as the ſtarre that lead the wiſemen vntounto Bethleem, where Chriſt then lay in a māger in a… inne that now ſittes at the right hād of his father in heauen, from whence he ſhall come to iudge both the quicke and the dead yt it may lead vsus to the throne of his maieſty where now he raigneth in glory for euermore, ſweeten O Lord this remembrance of death and the graue vntounto vsus with this cogitation that it was thy bed, that in our ſtrength and youth our veynes full of bloud, and our bones of marrow, in our liuelihood and iollity we may thinke of our diſſolution with a quiet mind, and with S. Paul deſire to be diſſolued & to be with Chriſt, whoſe preſence in ſuch full and ample meaſure as we ſhall there inioy it, far exceedeth all the pleaſure and delight that this tranſitory world afford thee: giuegive vsus more wiſedome O Lord then to eſteeme the ruinous and rotten cottages and houſes, we liue in fortreſſes and caſtles of euerlaſting refuge, not built vponupon rockes for continuance, but vponupon tottering heapes of ſand & aſhes, ſhaken about our eares with the windes and ſtormes of infinit caſualties and afflictions, gaping ſtill for ruine and confuſion, teach vsus to know that heare, wee hauehave no abiding Citty, but we look for one to come, that we paſſe not our time in this vale of miſery day & night, youth and age, in pleaſure and delight, that ſo we make our end, & the remembrance thereof bitter vntounto vsus, neyther let vsus thinke that becauſe we hauehave fatneſſe in our bones and health in our ioynts, that therefore we ſhall liue many yeares, and ſe the ſucceſſion of our ſons and nephewes, if we doe, what will become of this? if we flatter our ſelues, ſoule take thy reſt and vponupon the ſuddaine are ſnacht to hell, once more let vsus ſpeake like Abraham, one thing, and one thing more we will beg at thy handes, that ſince thy decree is ſet downe and thy word is paſt, the accompliſhment whereof neuer fayles in the leaſt title, that all ſhall dye, confermed by ſo many millions of creatures, ſince the beginning of the world to this preſent, which ſhall not ceaſe to runne on whilſt there are creatures breathing vponupon the circle of the earth to the end of the world & deſſolution of all things, ſince we muſt all wax ould as doth a garment, and from one defect to another drawe thereunto, ſince the ſonne of God himſelfe vponupon the earth was not priuiledge, that now in this time of preparation we make ſwéet and hony our paſſage, by a due and godly preparation thereunto, that when our friends and our children forſake vsus with griefe and ſorrow on both ſides, the Phiſition giues vsus ouer, (wiſheth vsus well but can doe vsus no good) that then when no comfort, is left vntounto vsus, beſides we hauehave cōfort in our ſouls through the forgiueneſſe of our ſins, and though we hauehave a graue before our eyes, greedy, inexorable, vnſatiſfied, opening her mouh to receiue vsus, and hauing receiued vsus cloſing hereuerlaſting iaiawes vpō vsus, neuer to returne vsus backe againe till the wormes and vermine of the earth hauehave deuoured vsus, we deſpaire not though the ſtrongeſt man liuing a hart of marble & iron ſhall find terror enough in the thought & accōpliſhment of theſe things, yea Ariſtippus feareth death as well as the common people, but if the wrath of God which conſumes like a riuer of brimſtone for our former tranſgreſſions ſhal accompany them, thriſe wo vntounto vsus, our dull and heauy cogitations will then exclude all thought of mercy, and our ſoules ſhall ſleepe in death clogged with a burthen of ſinnes which were neuer repented of: therefore O Lord teach vsus true and timely repentance for our ſins that the extremity which then outragiouſly wil aſſault vsus may be leſſened, and the ſting thereof pulled away before hand that now we may liue the life of the righteous, that then we may die the death of the Godly, that we now gird on our armour before the battayle begine, that we now thinke of repentance and doe it before it be to late, before this wellcome or vnwellcome gueſt, as we our ſelues make him, commeth, which brings in his hand, either tydings of great ioy or a meſſage of euerlaſting ſorrow giuing we all ſuch grace, vntounto vsus to poſſeſſe theſe tranſitory things, that they poſſeſſe not vsus, that we may ſo vſe this world as if we vſed it not: to paſſe through this vale of miſery, our few and euill dayes, with ſuch regard to our life, ſuch louelove to thy law, ſuch obedience to thy precepts, that wee may inioy the firſt, and avoyde▪ the later, which graunt Lord for thy mercies ſake. Amen.
Sir Thomas Moore.
Fleres ſi ſcires vnum tua tempora menſem.
Rides quid non ſic forſitan vna dies.
Kneweſt thou a monethmonth ſhould end thy dayes it would giuegive cauſe of ſorrow.
And yet perhaps thou laughes to day, when thou muſt die to morrow.