The Christians Defense Against the Fears of Death, Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
That there is nothing more dreadful than Death, to ſuch as have no hope in God.
AN Holy Man ſtiles Death very ſignificantly, The King of Terrors; that is to ſay, The moſt terrible of all other things: for there is nothing that we can imagine in the world more dreadful and more odious than Death. It is poſſible to decline the edge of drawn ſwords, to cloſe the Lyons jaws, to quench the Fires fury; but when Death ſhoots its poiſoned Arrows, when it opens its Infernal Jaws and when it ſends forth its Devouring Flames, it is altogether impoſſible to ſecure our ſelves; impoſſible it is to prevent or decline its mercileſs fury. There is an infinite number of Warlike inventions, by which we commonly defeat the evil deſignes of the moſt powerful and dreadful Enemies, but there is no ſtratagem of the moſt Renowned General, no Fortification never ſo Regular and Artificial, nor Army never ſo victorious, that can retard but for a moment, the approaches of Death, this laſt Enemy. In the twinkling of an eye it flies through the ſtrongeſt Bulwarks, the deepeſt Walls, and the moſt prodigious Towns. It leaps over the largeſt Ditches, the moſt prodigious Caſtles, and the moſt inacceſſable Rocks. It blows down the ſtrongeſt Barricadoes, and laughs at all our military Trenches, every where it finds the weakneſs of our Armour, and through the beſt temper'd Breaſtplates it ſtrikes the proudeſt Hearts. In the darkeſt Dungeons it finds us out, and ſnatcheth us out of the hands of our moſt Truſty and Watchful Guards. In a word, Nature and Art can furniſh us with nothing that is able to protect us from Deaths cruel and inſatiable hands.
There is no man ſo barbarous, but ſuffers himſelf to be overcome ſometimes by the Prayers and Tears of ſuch as caſt themſelves at his feet to implore his Mercy; Nay ſuch as have loſt all ſence of Humanity and Goodneſs, do commonly ſpare in their rage, the weakeſt Age and Sex. But unmerciful Death hath no more regard of ſuch as humble themſelves to her, as of others that reſiſt her Power. It takes no notice of Infants Tears, and cries, It plucks them from the Breaſts of their tender hearted Mothers, and cruſhes them in pieces before their Eies. It ſcorns the Lamentations of dainty Dames, and delights to trample upon their moſt raviſhing Beauties. It ſtops its ears to the Requeſts of trembling old Age, and caſts to the ground the Gray Heads, as ſo many withered Oaks.
At a Battel when Princes and Generals of the Enemies Army, are taken priſoners, they are not Treated as the common Soldiers: but unmerciful Death treads under feet as audaciouſly, the Subject as the Prince, the Servant and the Maſter, the Noble and the Vaſſal, the begging Lazarus and the rich Abraham together. It blows out with the ſame blaſt, the moſt glorious Luminaries, and the moſt loathſome Lamps. It hath no more reſpects for the Crowns of Kings, the Popes Miter, and the Cardinals Caps, than for the Shepheards Crook, or the Slaves Chains; It heaps them all together, ſhuts them in the ſame Dungeon, and in the ſame Mortar it pounds them all to powder.
There is no War never ſo furious and bloudy, but is interrupted with ſome days, or at leaſt ſome hours of Ceſſation and Truce: Nay, the moſt inhumane minds are at laſt tired with their bloody Conqueſts, but unſatiable Death never ſaith it is enough: At every hour and moment it cuts down whole Nations and Kindreds; the Fleſh of all the Animals that have lived and died ſince the Creation of the World, hath not been able to glut this horrid Monſter.
All warfare is doubtful, he that wins the Victory to day, may ſoon after be put to flight. He that rides at preſent in a Triumphing Chariot, may become the footſtool of his Enemy; but Death is always victorious, it triumphs with an inſufferable inſolency over all the Kings and Nations of the Earth; it never returns to its Den but loaden with ſpoils and full of Blood. The ſtrongeſt Sampſons and the moſt victorious Davids who have torn in pieces and overcome Lions, Bears, and cut off the Heads of Giants, have at laſt themſelves yielded, and been cut off by Death. The Great Alexanders, and the Triumphing Caeſars, that have made all the World to tremble before them, and conquered the moſt part of the habitable Earth, could never find any thing that might protect them from Deaths power; when glorious Statues and ſtately Trophies were rais'd to their Honor, Death did laugh at their Vanity, and make ſport with their Perſons. The rich Marbles, where ſo many proud Titles are Engraven, cover nothing but a little rotten Fleſh and a few Bones, which Death hath broken and reduc'd to Aſhes.
We read in the Revelations of the Prophet Daniel, That King Nebuchadnezar ſaw in a Dream a large Statue of Gold, both Glorious and Terrible; Its head was of pure Gold, its Breaſt and Arms were of Silver, its belly and thighs of Braſs, its Legs of Iron, and its Feet were partly of Clay and partly of Iron. As the Prince was beholding it, with aſtoniſhment, a little Stone cut out of a Mountain, without hands, was roll'd againſt the feet of this prodigious Statue, and broke it all to pieces; not only the Clay and the Iron were broken, but alſo the Gold, the Silver, and the Braſs; all became as the chaffe which the wind blows to and fro: This great Image repreſents the four Univerſal Monarchies of the World; That of Babylon, that of the Perſians and Medes, that of the Greeks, and that of the Romans; It repreſents alſo the Vanity and unconſtancy of all things under the Sun; for what is the Pomp, the Glory, the Strength and Dignities of this World, but a ſmoak that the wind drives before it, and a vapor that ſoon, vaniſhes away; All is like a ſhadow that flies from us, or like a Dream that diſappears in an inſtant; when crazy Man that was created in the Image of God, riſeth out of the Duſt, he ſeems to be very glorious for awhile, and becomes terrible, but aſſoon as Death ſtrikes at his Earthly part, and begins to break his Fleſh and Bones; all the Glory, Pomp, Power, and Magnificence of the richeſt, of the moſt terrible and victorious Monarchs are chang'd into a loathſome Smell, into contemptible Duſt, and reduc'd to nothing; Vanity of vanities all is vanity.
Seeing therefore that Deaths cruelty is ſo notable, that it ſpares none, and that its power is ſo great, that none can eſcape or reſiſt it; It is no wonder if Death is become ſo terrible, and fills with fears, grief and deſpair, the minds of all Mortals, who have not ſetled their Faith and Aſſurance upon God; for there is no condemned priſoner but trembles when he beholds the Scaffold erecting, upon which he is deſigned to be broken upon a Wheel, or when he ſpies in the fire the Irons with which he is to be pincht to death. In the midſt of a ſumptuous Feaſt, King Belſhaſar ſaw the fingers of a Mans hand writing theſe words upon his wall of the Palace, Mene, Mene, Tekel Ʋpharſin, which the Prophet Daniel hath thus interpreted: Mene, God hath numbred thy Kingdom, and finiſhed it; Tekel, Thou art weighed in the balances and art found wanting; Perez or Ʋpharſin, Thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Perſians; As ſoon as this Great Monarch had caſt his eyes upon this miraculous writing, it is ſaid that his countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, ſo that the joynts of his Loyns were looſed, and his Knees ſmote one againſt another. Certainly; the profound Worldling hath a greater cauſe to be diſmayed in the midſt of his Glory and Pleaſures, when he may perceive Death writing upon every wall of his Houſe in viſible Characters, and printing upon his Forehead, that God hath numbred his days, and this in which he now breaths, ſhall be ſoon followed by an eternal night; That God hath weighed him in the ballance of his Juſtice, and found him lighter than the Wind; And that the terrible Creator, unto whom vengeance belongs, will ſoon diveſt him of all his Glory and Riches, to cloath therewith his Enemies; what comforts can be found by the wretched ſinners, who do not only underſtand the particulars of their final ſentence, but do alſo hear the thundring noiſe of the Great Judge of the world, offended at their impieties; They may now perceive Hell prepared to ſwallow them up, and the fiery Chains of that doleful priſon ready to receive them; They may at preſent feel the hands of the executioner of Gods juſtice, that ſeizeth upon them already, and ſee themſelves before ſtretcht and tortur'd in that place, where there ſhall be nothing but weeping, and horrible gnaſhing of Teeth: at preſent they feel the fierceneſs of that fire and brimſtone, for it may juſtly be ſaid of theſe wretched Varlots, That Hell comes to them before they go to Hel; and that in this life they are tormented with the grievous pangs of the ſecond Death; therefore ſome of them in deſpair, do offer violence to themſelves, and commit an horrid murder upon their own perſons, as if they were afraid not to dye by a hand wicked enough: the expectation of Death to them, is more inſufferable than Death it ſelf, and they had rather caſt themſelves into the bottomleſs pit of Hell, than endure the apprehenſions and fears of Hell in their guilty Conſciences, to be delivered of the flaſhes of Hell-fire, that mounts up to their ſouls in this life, they caſt themſelves in a brutiſh manner into that unquenchable Burning.
That which is moſt terrible is, that the horrid and unſufferable fears that ſeize upon the wicked, are not only for a moment; for as a Criminal that knows that there is a ſentence of Doom pronounced againſt him, doth continually fancy and think upon thoſe torments that are preparing for him; aſſoon as he hears the door unlocking, or a Fly buſſing about his ears, he imagines that ſome are entring to drag him from his priſon to execution; in ſome ſenſe he deſires what he apprehends, and haſtens the approaches of that, for which he wiſhes, and cannot avoid. Thus deſperate ſinners that know there is a ſentence of eternal Death pronounced againſt them in the Court of the King of Kings, and that from this Sentence there is no Appeal nor Eſcape, muſt needs be in continual fears. Such foreſee the fearful image of Death, that diſturbs their quiet, and as St. Paul expreſſeth himſelf. Through fear of death they are all their life-time ſubject to bondage, Heb. 2. That is, They are like ſo many wretched Slaves that daily tremble under the inhumane power of a mercileſs Tyrant.
I am not ignorant that there be ſome Atheiſts who talk of Death, with contempt and ſcorn, and who make an open profeſſion of braving Death without the leaſt ſence of fear; nevertheleſs they feel in their ſouls ſome ſecret Thorns, with which death doth often gaul them; ſome fears and apprehenſions with which it tortures and diſquiets them when they dream leaſt of her. It is true, they do for the moſt part boaſt of not fearing the approaches of Death, and laugh at it when they imagine that ſhe is at a diſtance from them, but theſe are they who are moſt apt to tremble at the grim countenance of Death; and ſooneſt to diſcover their weakneſs and deſpair.
If there be any that ſeem to laugh at Death, their laughter is only in appearance upon the Lips; they are like a Child newly born, that ſeems to laugh when he is inwardly tormented in its Bowels, or like thoſe that have eaten of the famous Herb, mentioned by the Herbaliſts, that cauſeth a pleaſant laughter to appear upon the Lips of ſuch, into whoſe noble parts it conveys a mortal poiſon, to bring them to an inevitable end.
There be ſome, I confeſs then, die without expreſſing any fear or dread of Conſcience; but theſe are either bruitiſh or ſenſleſs Perſons, much like unto a ſleeping Drunkard, who may be caſt down a Tower without any knowledge or foreſight of the danger; or they be pleaſant mockers who are like the fooliſh Criminals that go merrily to the Gallows; or they be ſuch as are full of Rage and Fury, whom I may very well compare to an enraged wild Bear, that runs himſelf into the Huntſmans ſnare; ſuch Monſters of Men deſerve not to be reckoned amongſt rational and underſtanding Creatures.