The Sick Mans Catechism, Chapter 6
The sixt Chapter. Of the diuers sortes of death, and of the degrees of spirituall death.
Question. OF how many sorts is death?
A. Of two sorts, …mely …ily, or spirituall.
Q. What is bodily death?
An. It is the first death, or the separation Phil. 1. 23of the soule from the body.
Q. Is the particular time of bodily death made knowne to any directly before hand?
Ans. No, for that time in respect of vsus, is most vncertaine, and God hath reserued it in his owne power and disposition only.
Q. Why so?
Ans. That wée should not defer and put off our repentance from day to day, but labour to be in a readinesse and waking, yea and waiting for our Lords Luk. 12. v. 40.comming eueryevery day. Mark. 13. v. 37.
Q. What then may this present life in consideration of his short continuance and vncertaintie, bée compared vntounto?
Ans. To a vapor, to smoake, to a shaddow, to a weauers shutle, to grasse and to the flowre of the field, which are of short and vncertaine continuance.
Qu. But why doe the children of God die this temporall death, séeing that their sinnes which are the cause thereof, are forgiuen?
A. First, because their sinnes (howsoeuer forgiuen) are not wholy in regarde of the corruption and remainders of them, taken away and abolished before death.
Secondly, this corruptible flesh and bloud, cannot inherite the kingdome of God, 1. Cor. 15. 50.
Thirdly, that they may be (in some Rom. 8. v. 29sort) made conformable to Christ his death.
Lastly, that the godly may learne and finde by experience, the difference betwéene this mortall life, and that immortall glory, in the world to come, and that they may hauehave experience of Gods power in raysing vp the dead.
Q. What is spirituall death?
A. It is a separation of the whole man both in body and soule, from the fauour and gratious fellowship of God, and a subiecting of him to eternall condemnation and hell fire, begun in this world, and accomplished in the world to come,
Q. What is the cause of the spirituall death?
Ans. Sinne, so farre foorth as it is ioyned with vnbeliefe and impenitencie, Luk. 13. v. 3. & 15.for not sinne simply, but sinne not repented of, damneth.
Que. Are there degrées of spirituall death?
Ans. Yes, there are thrée in number.
Q. What is the first degrée of spirituall death?
A. It is, when a man by reason that his soule is depriued of spirituall life, faith and repentance, and for that his Rom. 6. 2body is a fitte instrument to put any sinne in execution, is subiect to Gods wrath, and appointed to punishment.
Quest. What is the second degrée of it?
An. Condemnation, or euerlasting forment, whereby▪ the soule immediatly Luk. 12. 20. & 21. Luk. 16. 23after the departure of it out of the body, is carried by the diuells into hell?
Quest. What is the third and last degrée of it?
An. When in the nay of iudgement the soule and body being reunited and ioyned together, shall for euer-more féele Gods intollerable indignation, and endure the vengeance of eternall death.
Quest. How can this last kinde of death, be so called properly▪ séeing that both the bodies and soules of the reprobate shall alwayes suruiue and remaine a…ue?
Answ. That life is no true life, for such an vnhappy condition deserueth rather to be called death then life, for the damned are vniuersall▪ excommunicated from the fauour and glory of GOD, and are vtterly and for euer 2. Thess. 1. vers. 9.bereaued of all holynesse and happynesse.
Qu. Are Gods children fréed and exempted from these kindes of spirituall death?
An. Yea, for they are deliuered from the first degrée of spirituall death by regeneration, whereby they are renewed in all the part of their soules & affections. They are deliuered from the second kinde, when their soules (forthwith after their departure out of the bodie) are carryed vp into heauen. Apoc. 14. 13.
The third degrée they are fréed from, at the day of iudgement, when both body and soule shall be glorified together, and liue together for euer in heauen.
Q. Is it not good, yea and the entrance into eternall blisse, for the godly to dye?
A. Yes certainly, for it is better to dwell with God then with men.
Secondly, they hereby forth-with enter into the possession of euerlasting happinesse.
The sick-man. Q But there are many fearefull accidents and occurrences, to which the godly themselues are subiect in their sicknesses and deaths, & therefore how can it be good for Gods children to dye?
A. Propound and impart them vntounto me, and I will giuegive thée the best satisfaction that I can.
The sick-man. 1. Obi. Death is the wages of sinne, the curse of the lawe, and the enimy of Christ and his children: how then can Rom. 6. v. 23 Gal. 3. 10.it be good?
A. It is not such by it owne nature, and in it selfe, but it is changed, and the property thereof is altered by Christ his death; in so much that of a curse and punishment it is turned into a gentle and fatherly correction, and is made a narrow entrance and a short cut into euerlasting life. And in this last respect it may bée aptly compared to the redde sea, which drowning the AEgiptians, A similitude.gaue a miraculous passage to Gods people into the blessed land of promise: and euen so death which sendeth the reprobate spéedily to hell, doth in a moment let in the godly into the kingdome of heauen.
Q. In what respects and considerations may death be said to be an enemy?
A. First, in respect of the originall of it (for the enuie of the deuill brought it into the world) namely as an outward and remote cause. Secondly, because it is opposite to Gods promise touching mans immortality in Paradice. Thirdly, because by meanes hereof Satan séeketh to remooue good men out of the world, that they may not crosse and hinder his purposed designes.
Lastly, because hée through feare of (violent) death, laboureth to kéepe men from the practise of holy duties, Math. 13. vers 21.
Que. HaueHave you any more obiections against death, that I may doe mine vtmost endeuour to resolue you herein?
Ans. Yes truly, and they are fiue in number.
Q. What is the first of them?
Obiecti n.
Ob. Ch…st Iesus, Dauid, Ezechias, pray… against death, therefore it is euill.
A. … ar…ment foll…weth not: For first, Christ praye… not against death simply, for …o died willingly, and otherwise he could not hauehave merited ought, but hée prayed for the remoouall of the curse of it, and destred his heauenly father to take away the cup of his wrath, Math. 26, v. …9.which was the beginning and part of the second death; & of this iudgement are maister Caluin, Beza, Whitaker, Perkins Fulke, Maister Doctor Willet; and in a word, all sincere diuines, &c. And as for Dauid, when Dauid prayed against death, it was onelyonly in time of some grieuous temptation, in distresse of minde, and as it was ioyned with the sence of Gods wrathfull indignation. Thirdly, touching Ezechias that good King, hée prayed against death, that he might bée more reconciled vntounto GOD before his death, and that hée might establish and farther the true worship of God in his kingdome, which by his death was like to be defaced. And lastly, that according to Gods promise made to godly Kings, he might hauehave an heire and successour out of his owne loynes, which prayer God heard, otherwise he was willing enou…h to dye.
Quest. What is your second doubt or obiection?
Ob. Gods children often séeme to dye in desperation, how then can death be good and desirable?
A. This is not to be imputed to want of louelove toward God, but to weaknesse of nature, and tendernesse of conscience for sinne, and therefore they may, notwithstanding all this, bée saued. For God in the matter of saluation, worketh by contraries, and by the gates of hell bringeth his seruants to heauen, 1. Sam. 2. vers 6. 7.
Que. What is the third exception or obiection against death? Gods children doe some-times in their sicknesse, raue, blaspheme, and behaue themselues like frantick men.
A. These, and the like effects, are not to be assigned to any deliberate purpose of the godly, but onelyonly to be imputed, to melancholy, burning feuers, the cholick and other violent diseases, and (in a word) to their infirmity onelyonly.
Q. What conclude you hence?
A. We are not vponupon these occurrences, rashly to iudge them, much lesse to condemne them. For first, if they euer recouer the vse of reason, they repent of those infirmities, and if it fall out otherwise, these with all other vnknowne sinnes, are pardoned, yea and buried in Christ his death.
Secondly, we must not like arrogant Critikes condemne them of impiety and hypocrisie, but wee must iudge charitably of them, as wée would bée delt with-all in the like case.
Lastly, wée must not so much giuegive iudgement of a man by his death, as by the former course and conuersation of his life.
Obiect. 4. What is your fourth exception?
Ans. The Saints and seruants of God, when death approacheth, are most of all and more then other people, tempted assaulted, and molested by satan how then can death be good?
An. First, it is no good argument, hence to conclude that they are none of Gods seruants but rather the contrary: they are Gods deere children, ergo satan must now or neuer séeke to sift them, whereas the wicked are his own and refist him not.
Secondly, I answere that it is not generally true that the Godly are thus in death assaulted for many with Simeon die as a torch or fire-brand without Luk. 2. ve. 29.sense of paine. Isay. 57.
Lastly in the very agony of death, God doth so assist and strengthen them by his spirit in so much that when satan looketh for the greatest victory, hée receiueth the greatest foile.
Q. How must we behaue our selues in this temptation?
A. We must flie vntounto Iesus Christ, commit the managing of our cause to him, for he absol…ing vsus what néede we wee feare satans assaults.…om. 8. v. …3. & 34.
Lastly we must hold our selues to Gods promises, and not depart an haires bredth from them.
Obiect. But satan is mighty, subtill, diligent, bold, cruell, malicious, and I am weake simple, remisse, fearefull, and how then can I resist and ouercome him?
Ans. Thou must not yéeld to him, but by praier, faith and Gods word resist Math. 4. ve. …4 et 7.him, and hée like a Crocodile pursued will flée from thée. Iames 4. verse 7. 1. Pet. 5. 9.
Secondly, thou must make God thy strong hold, and firmely beléeue and trust in him, and then the gates of hell shall not preuaile against thée.
Qu. What is the fift and last exception against death?
Answ. Sudden death is an euill, but many men die suddainely, ergo death is euill.
Ques. How answere you this argument?
Answ. I answere to the first proposition, that death is not euill, because it is suddaine (for the last iudgement shall come suddainely, and yet it is not euill) but good to GODS children; but because it findeth onelyonly the wicked vnrepentant and vnprepared. Luk. 12. v. 20. and 21.
Secondly, CHRIST by his death and suffering hath taken away the course of the lawe and the feare of condemnation which is the very sting of death, therefore death though neuer so suddaine, is not accursed to the true beléeuers, but a speedie conueyance of them into the hauen of eternall rest and happinesse.
Lastly séeing that with Ezechias wee hauehave no lease of our life, if any of GODS seruants, with good Mephibosheth, and Iobs Godly children and the young infantes that Herode caused to bée massacred, die suddainely and violently, wée must iudge charitably and the best of them; for the manner and time of the ending our life is onelyonly in Gods power and not in our owne will.Psal. 31. 15
Questi. But what if a professour of true religion and formerly of an vnblameable behauiour, bee brought through the extreamity of temptation, kill himselfe, is not he certainely damned and so death euill to him?
A. Although this be a ticklish point, and albeit Saul, Achitophell and Iudas that killed themselues bée noted in scripture for reprobates, and albeit they that late violent hands on themselues neuer for the instant may bée iudged to thinke on hell torments, yet séeing that God neuer finally forsaketh his chosen, seeing that his mercy is bottomlesse, and that he may giuegive them repentance (for ought we know to the contrary) at the last point of time, let vsus if they hauehave béene formerly good professors, iudge the best of them, and pray vntounto God that he would giuegive vsus grace neuer to yéeld to the like temptations.
Q. But why must not a man kill himselfe?
Ans. First because he shall not hereby escape misery but runne into it. Secondly, it is not lawfull to kill another to ease him of his paine, muchlesse to kill a mans selfe.
Thirdly it is commonly a note of a reprobate. And thus much touching the obiections.