A Cordial Against the Fear of Death, Title page – Dedication
A CORDIALL AGAINST THE FEARE of DEATH.
Delivered in a Sermon before the Vniverſity of OXFORD, May 28. 1654.
By THOMAS HODGES B. D. Rector of Souldern in Oxfordſhire.
OXFORD, Printed by H. H. for Thomas Robinſon. 1659.
To his much Honoured Friend Mr WALTER PELL of Aldermanbury in LONDON Merchant.
SIR,
SHould I be blamed for Printing this ſingle Sermon, I deſire the great and Univerſall concernment of the Subject here treated on, the ſeaſonableneſſe of it at all times, eſpecially in theſe ſickly times, after the obſervation of three generall Faſts for the diſeaſes and mortality in ſeverall parts of the Nation, together with the eminency of the Auditory, to which for the main, it hath been Preached, namely, the two Univerſities ſucceſſively, may be my Apology for adventuring it to the preſſe. And if you ſhould admire my confidence in this manner of addreſſe to you, I pray you be pleaſed in part to charge it upon your own account, and to aſſure your ſelfe, that your late civilities and favours to me, and reſpects for me, have encouraged me to this undertaking.
And if the obſervation hold good elſewhere, which I lately heard from a Neighbour Mr Wilde of Ayno.Miniſter at a Funerall Sermon, namely, that God in this viſitation ſeemed eſpecially to levell at aged perſons, having taken away 10 perſons of his pariſh in one yeer, all of them about or above threeſcore yeers old; when you ſhall number your own daies, and behold your own face in a glaſſe, and ſee how the fields are already white unto the harveſt, and conſider how the very ſtreets you walke in might in ſome meaſure be paved with the skuls of thoſe, who have dyed ſince you firſt lived in the City, though you ſhould cenſure the Preacher as impertinent, yet may you judge the Sermon here preſented not altogether improper. Tis true indeed, the mention of Death is an unpleaſing note in the eares of thoſe uſually, who are full of the comforts of this life: I have heard or read of a King, who upon pain of death forbad any to mention Death in his preſence; and of a great Queen, who was highly diſpleaſed with a favourite, for preaching a Sermon minding her how age had furrowed her face, and beſprinckled her haire with its meal: but I hope you have better learned Chriſt, and ſure I am, dare talke of death, and touch this harſh key your ſelfe; and will not therefore (I perſwade my ſelfe) judge me your enemy, meerly becauſe I tell you the truth.
Now Sir, whilſt I preface this Sermon to you, I deſire I may Preach to my ſelfe, and to all that read this Epiſtle, whether old men or maidens, young men or children. Let us get oyle in out lamps before the Bridegroome comes; and all things ready for death before death comes: for who now ſo young, ſo ſtrong, ſo good, but there are younger, and ſtronger, and better already in their graves? The Jewes have a proverb, there are skulls of all ſizes in Golgotha: and the Apoſtle John tells us, he ſaw the dead ſmall and great ſtand before God, Rev. 20.11, 12. Let us not then put farre from us the evill day; but conſider, that ſome ſudden blaſt may blow out the Candle, as well as it may goe out in the ſocket. Phyſitians ſay there are 300 diſeaſes incident to the body of man: but if we eſcape all other diſeaſes, old age, that incurable diſeaſe, reckoned one of the three meſſingers of Death, will creep upon us ere we are aware, if we do not think of it. Oh! that we could as we dye daily, ſo get our ſelves more ready for death daily. Let us meditate often how the two axes of time, day and night, are continually chopping at the root of the tree of every mans life; and how ſome fruits are blown off the tree, whilſt in the bud or green, aſwell as ſome others fall off, when they are ripe; and how ſome flowers of the field are trod down or crop'd by man or beaſt, aſwell as others ſtand and wither till they be cut down.
1 Let us know that death is the wages of ſin: and foraſmuch as all have ſinned, it is a Statute enacted by the Parliament of Heaven, that all muſt dye once, ſo tis ordinarily: for it is thought, Lazarus dyed twice; and thoſe who ſhall be found alive at the day of judgment, ſhall not dye at all, but be changed. Now if death be our wages, let us Conſider, that wages may be payd in any lawfull coyne, gold, ſilver, or braſſe; in any place, the houſe, ſtreet, or field; at any houre of the day, or watch of the night, as the maſter pleaſeth: and ſo Death may be inflicted diverſe wayes and manners, at any time, and in any place. Further, know we, that tis a ſolemn thing to dye, becauſe after death the Iudgment: Eternity treads on the heels of death; ſo that theres no place here for a ſecond Error.
2 Let us often think of Death. Tis obſerved that Beaſts cannot think of dying: lets ſhew our ſelves therefore men, meditate of it, not put far from us the day of Death, that may be a meanes to make us ſecure: for we read that the wiſe virgins ſlumberd as well as the fooliſh, whilſt the bridegroom delayed his coming; and tis obſerved, that God therefore keeps ſecret from us the day of death and judgment, that men ſhould watch alway, and be ever prepared.
3 Though we think of death, which the beaſts cannot doe, yet let us not ſlaviſhly feare it, but therein endeavour to be as the Angels of heaven, who though they underſtand Death, yet doe not feare it, being out of the reach of it. Conſider we may, that the ſting of Death, which is ſin, is taken out, and our death is the Death of Death to us; that out of this eater comes meat, and out of the ſtrong, out of the bitter, comes ſweetnes. Indeed if we looke upon death as the puniſhment of ſin, as the diſſolution of the moſt excellent creature on earth, as the parting of two old friends and intimate acquaintance, the ſoul and the body, as an end and period of ſervice to God and man in the Church and comonwealth on earth, ſo tis rather terrible than deſirable: yet again, if we conſider that tis a period to ſin and ſorrow, an inlet to glory, a dark entry to a lightſome palace, no other than the Portall or entry into the houſe of God, and the gate of heaven to the godly, and that death is ours, for our benefit and advantage, as well as life; that our death is precious in Gods eyes; and that when we are dead, and our vile bodies in the duſt, when the wormes are ſpread under them, and the wormes cover them, even then are we Gods Jewels; when we are diſſolved, then are we like gold melted in the furnace, precious in the eyes of the owner thereof. Lets conſider that we goe to our friends and acquaintance, who are gone before us to heaven; yea we goe to God, Chriſt, and the holy Angels, and all the company of heaven; and though our body and ſoul part, yet the myſticall union betwixt us and Chriſt the Head, continues firme and indiſſoluble, and we are ſtill members of his body; that death is a ſleep after our labour and travell here, and who feares to put off his clothes to goe to ſleep in his bed? that Chriſt our Lord dyed to free us from the ſlaviſh feare of death: I ſay if we conſider all theſe things, we ſhall not need to be alway way in bondage through feare of death. Though death was odious and accounted an enemy to the *foreign Heſio. foreign.Gods of the Heathen, yet it hath been welcomed and entertained as a friend by godly Chriſtians: I have heard or read of a godly man, who rejoyced exceedingly when he ſaw the plague ſpots upon his arme, looking on them as certain ſignes of his approching diſſolution; and of a gracious Gentlewoman, who, being told by a friend, that her change probably was not far off, brake out after ſuch a manner, ſaying, Now bleſse the Lord O my ſoul, and all that is within me bleſſe His Holy Name; I would not goe back again for a world, or to the like effect.
And 4ly, that we may not feare the approach of Death, lets prepare and provide daily for his comming; put on the whole armour of God, eſpecially the ſhield of Faith, and the ſword of the ſpirit, which is the word of God: Cant. 4.4.this is like the Armory of Solomon, wherein hung a thouſand ſhields, even the ſhields of the mighty; Keep cloſe to our Captaine Chriſt, who leads us, and loves us, and laid down his life for us, and ever lives in heaven to make interceſſion for us; through him we ſhall doe valiantly, through him we ſhall tread down our enemies, and be more then Conquerors over Sin, Death, and the Divel. Lets take heed of every Sin; get and grow in, and act (as we have opportunity) every grace; labour to be abundantly fruitfull in every good thought, word, and worke; and be ſure to be found upon our watch, and upon our guard when death comes.
And now Sir, to return unto you: having never preached to you from the Pulpit, accept I pray this Sermon from the Preſse. You who feare God, do not you feare Death: Let not ſuch a man as you ſeek to flee; but rather ſtand in your tent door, ready to meet him, when he comes. To this end be rich in Faith, and rich in good Works: let your own eyes be your Overſeers, and your own hands in ſome good meaſure your Executors. Be eyes to the blind, feet to the lame; deale your bread to the hungry, cloath the naked, ſhew your faith by your works. Thus whilſt others may be compared to Dives, or to the rich fool in the Goſpell, we ſhall behold you as the wiſe Merchant in the Parable, who, though you have indeed a great portion in the things of the world, yet are not contented to have the world for your portion: and though you have had your ſhare of the treaſures hid in the ſands, yet not ſatisfied therewith, lay up for your ſelfe treaſures in Heaven.
Thus returning you hearty thanks for the favours and reſpects you have been pleaſed to doe me, hoping ſince you are reputed a lover of Miniſters, you will give a Miniſter leave ſtill to love and honour you; I ſhall conclude, praying for you, that when you ſhall have ſerved your Generation according to the will of God, and fall aſleepe, your ſoule may be received up into Heaven, and your body reſt in the Lord; ſo that when you ſhall awake in the morning of the reſurrection, and your body and ſoule be reunited, you may be ſtill and ever with the Lord, which is beſt of all.
Sir, This is, and ſhall be the Prayer of your Humble Servant in the Goſpell of Chriſt THOMAS HODGES. Souldern, Decemb. 23. 1658.