A Counterpoison, Religious treatise · Chapter 29
CHAP. XXIX.
Because they have respect unto Gods Commandement.
2. BEcause they have respect unto Gods Commandement, who saith, By your patience possesse your soules, Luke 21. 19. Bee patient towards all men, 1 Thess. 5. 14. And Let your patient minde be known unto all men, Phil. 4. 5. More especially, Let not the Sunne goe downe upon your wroth, neither give place to the Devill, Ephes. 4. 26, 27. From whence observe this by the way; that he which lies downe in wroth, hath the Devill for his bedfellow.
See, saith Paul, that none recompence evill for evill unto any man, 1 Thess. 5. 15. And againe, Be not overcome with evill, but overcome evill with goodnesse, Rom. 12. 21. Yea, saith our Saviour, Love your enemies, doe well to them that hate you, blesse them that curse you, and pray for them which hurt you; Luke 6. 27, 28. And in case thine enemy hunger, instead of adding to his affliction, give him bread to eate; if hee thirst, give him water to drinke; or else thou breakest Gods Commandement touching patience: Prov. 25. 21. Rom. 12. 20. and consequently, art in the sight of God a transgressour of the whole Law; and standest guilty of the breach of every Commandement. James 2. 10, 11. We know the frantick man, though hee be sober eleaven moneths of the yeare, yet if hee rage one, hee cannot avoid the imputation of madnesse.
Now as Gods Children should doe whatsoever he commands cheerefully, and take whatsoever hee doth thankefully: so God suffers such wrongs to be, that hee may exercise thy patience; and hee commands thee to forgive those wrongs, that thou mayest exercise thy charity, and approve thy sincerity: Many say, Lord, Lord, but if you love me, saith Christ, keepe my Commandements. It is an idle Ceremony to how at the name of Jesus, except wee have him in our hearts, and honour him with our lives. Phraates sent a Crowne as a present to Caesar, against whom he was up in Armes; but Caesar returned it back with this answer, let him returne to his obedience first, and then I'le accept of the Crowne, by way of recognizance. God admits none to Heaven (saith Justine Martyr) but such as can perswade him by their workes, that they have loved him.
And indeed, take a man that truly loves God, he will easily be friends, not easily provoked. True, take him unexpectedly, he may have his lesson to seeke, (even hee that was the meekest man upon Earth, threw downe that in a sudden indignation, which in cold bloud hee would have held faster then his life, Exod. 32. 19.) but when hee bethinkes himselfe what God requires, it is enough. When Teribazus a noble Persian was arrested, at first he drew his sword, and defended himselfe; but when they charged him in the Kings name, and enformed him they came from his Majesty, he yeelded presently, and willingly.
If then wee will approve our selves true obedienciaries, let our revenge be like that of Elisha's to the A…ramites, in stead of smiting them, set bread and water before them: Or like that of Pericles, who as Plutarch reports, when one had spent the day in rayling upon him at his owne doore, least he should goe home in the darke, caused his man to light him with a Torch. And to doe otherwise is Ammonite-like, to entreat those Embassadours ill, which are sent in kindnesse and love: for these afflictions are Gods Embassadours, and to handle them ruffely; yea, to repine or grudge against them, is to intreat them evill. And certainly, as David tooke it not well when the Ammonites ill intreated his Embassadours; so God will not take the like well from thee, 1 Chron. 19. But secondly, as the Law of God binds us to this, so doth the Law of Nature: Whatsoever you would that men should doe unto you, even so do you unto them, Matth. 7. 12. Our Saviour doth not say, doe unto others, as others do unto you; but as you would have others doe unto you. Now if wee have wronged any man, we desire that he should forgive us, and therefore we must forgive him. Lex Talionis was never a good Christian Law. If I forgive not, I shall not be forgiven, Mar. 11. 26. So to say of our Enemies, as Sampson once of the Philistims: even as they did unto me, so have I done unto them, is but an ill plea. For the Law of God, and the Law of Nature forbids it; and doth not the Law of Nations also? Yes, throughout the whole world, either they have no Law, or else a Law to prohibit men from revenging themselves. Oppression or injury may not be righted by violence, but by Law: (and to seek revenge by Law, when it is not expedient to passe it by, is lawfull) the redresse of evill by a person unwarranted, is evill.
O…. But thou wilt say, the Law doth not provide a just remedy in all cases of injury, especially in case of reproach and s…ander, which is now the Christians chiefe suffering; or if in part it doth, yet he that is just cannot bee quit in one Terme, or two. Nay, if hee have right in a yeare, it is counted quick d…spatch; and he is glad that hee met with such a speedy Lawyer.
Answer. If thou knowest the remedy to bee worse than the disease, I hope thou wilt leave it, and commit thy cause to God; who, (if thou wilt give him the like time) will cleare thy innocency, and cost thee nothing.
When wee have suffered some evill, the flesh, our owne wisedome, like the King of Israel, 2 Kings 6. 21. will bid us returne evill to the doer; but the Spirit or wisdome of God, like Elisha, opposeth, and bids us returne him good, notwithstanding his evill: But the flesh will reply, hee is not worthy to be forgiven; I, but saith the Spirit, Christ is worthy to be obeyed, who hath commanded thee to forgive him. Now, whethers counsell wilt thou follow? It is not alwayes good to take our owne counsell; our owne wit often hunts us into the snares, that above all wee would shun. Wee oft use meanes of preservation, and they prove destroying ones. Againe, wee take courses to ruine us, and they prove meanes of safety. How many flying from danger, have met with death? And on the other side, found protection even in the very jawes of mischiefe, that God alone may have the glory. It fell out to be part of Mithridates misery, that he had made himselfe unpoysonable. All humane wisedome is defective; nor doth the Fooles Bolt ever misse: whatsoever man thinketh to doe in contrariety, is by God turned to be an helpe of hastning the end he hath appointed him. Wee are governed by a power that wee cannot but obey, our mindes are wrought against our mindes to alter us. In briefe; man is oft his owne Traytor, and maddeth to undoe himselfe. Wherefore take the Spirits and the Words direction, Render good for evill, and not like for like, though it bee with an unwilling willingnesse: as the Merch … casteth his goods over-board; and the Patient suffers his arme or legge to bee cut off, and say with thy Saviour, Neverthelesse, not my will, but thy will be done.
But yet more to induce thee hereunto; consider in the last place, That to avenge thy selfe, is both to lose Gods protection, and to incurre his condemnation. Wee may be said to be out of his protection, when we are out of our way which hee hath set us; he hath promised to give his Angels charge over us, to keepe us in all our wayes, Psal. 91. 11. that is, in the wayes of obedience, or the wayes of his Commandements. But this is one of the Devils wayes, a way of sinne and disobedience; and therefore hath no promise or assurance of protection: wee may trust God, we may not tempt him: if we doe, what s…conds soever wee get, Christ will not be our second. Where is no commandement, there is no promise; if wee want his word, in vaine we looke for his ayde. When wee have meanes to keepe our selves, Gods omnipotency is for the present discharged. If Eutichus had falne downe out of a saucy malipartnesse, I doubt whether hee had beene restored by S. Paul, Acts 20. 9. Weftes and strayes, are properly due to the Lord of the soyle: and you know what the Devill said to our Saviour, Luke 4. 6. which in a restrained sence is true. And therefore when one in Gods steed rebuked Satan, touching a Virgin whom he possest at a Theater, saying, how durst thou be so bold, as to enter into my house: Satan answers, because I found her in my house: as Chrysostome delivers it. I am sure Din…h fell into foule hands, when her Fathers house could not hold her: and Sampson the like, when he went to Dali…ah; and Jonah, when he went to Tarshish; and the seduced Prophet, when he went beyond his Commission, set him by God: and many the like, who left the path of Gods protection, where the Angels guard and watch, to walke in the Devills by-way of sinne and disobedience. The Chickens are safe under the wings of their mother, and we under the providence of our Father; so long as we hold the tenure of obedience, wee are the Lords subjects; and if we serve him, he will preserve us: neither need wee vex our selves with cares, as if wee lived at our owne cost, or trusted to our owne strength: but when a man is falne to the state of an Out-Law, or Rebell; the Law dispenseth with them that kill him; because the Prince hath excluded him from the benefit of his protection. Now this being our case, say there shall happen any thing amisse, through thy taking revenge, what mayest thou not expect to suffer, and in thy suffering, what comfort canst thou have? Whereas, if God bring us into crosses, hee will bee with us in those crosses, and at length bring us out of them more refined. You may observe, there is no such Coward, none so vali…nt as the beleever: without Gods warrant hee dares doe nothing; with it, my thing. Nothing without it, Those saith Basil (to a great man that perswaded him to yeeld) who are trained up in the Scriptures, will rather dye in an holy quarrell, than abate one syllable of divine truth. When the Tormentors of Mar…s Arethusius (which laid to his charge the pulling downe of an Idolatrous Temple) offered him his pardon, in case he would give so much as would build it up againe, he refused it; and being further urged to give but halfe, hee still refused it: at last, being told that if hee would give but a little towards it, they would release him; he refused to give them so much as an halfe penny: saying, no not an halfe penny; for it is as great wickednesse, faid he, to conferre one halfe penny, in case of impiety, as if a man should bestow the whole. A good conscience being in the greatest torture, will not give one halfe penny to bee released, with hurt to his conscience: hee scans not the weight of the thing, but the authority of the Commander; and such have no good consciences, that dare gratefie Satan in committing the least sinne, or neglect God in the smallest precept. The conscionable Nazarite, Numb. 6. did not onelyonly make scruple of guz…ing, and quassing whole Flagons of Wine, but of eating onelyonly an huske, or a kernell of the grape: knowing the one was aswell forbidden as the other. Will any man eate poyson, because there is but a little of it. A small Bullet may kill a man, aswell as a great one. Goliah was as much hurt by Davids little stone, as Sampson by the weight of a whole house. And Ely dyed aswell by falling backe in his Chaire, as Jesabell by being throwne downe from an high window. And what saith our Saviour to the unjust Steward, hee that is faithfull in that which is least, is faithfull also in much; and he that is unjust in the least, is unjust also in much; Luke 16. 10. He that will corrupt his conscience for a pound, what would hee doe for a thousand. If Judas will sell his Master for thirty pence, what would hee not have done for the Treasury.
Alas, there are no sinnes small but comparitively, these things (speaking of Mint and Cummin) ought yee to have done saith our Saviour, and not have left the other undone, Luke 11. 4…. Wherefore it is with a good and tender conscience, as it is with the Apple of the Eye, for as the least haire or dust, grieves and offends that which the skin of the Eyelid could not once compl…ine of: so a good and tender conscience is disquieted not onelyonly with Beames but Moats, even such as the World accounts trifles: it straines not onelyonly at Cammels, but Gnats also.
A sincere heart is like a neate spruce man, that no sooner spies the least speck or spot on his garment, but he gets it washt or scrapt off: the common Christian like a nasty sloven, which though hee be all foule and besmeared, can indure it well enough: yea, it offends him, that another should bee more ne…te than himselfe. But such men should consider, that though they have large consciences, that can swallow downe any thing, yet the sincere and tender conscience is not so wide. A strait sho…e cannot indure the least pibble stone, which would hardly be felt in a wider; neither will God allow those things in his Children which he permits in his enemies, no man but will permit that in another mans Wife or Child, which he would abhorre in his owne. A box of precious oyntment, may not have the least fly in it; nor a delicate Garden the least weed, though the Wildernesse bee overgrowne with them.
I know the blind World so blames the Religious, and their Religion also, for this nicenesse; that they thinke them hypocrites for it: but this was Jobs comfort in the aspersion of hypocrisie, my witnesse is in heaven, and my record on high. And as touching others that are offended, their answer is, take thou O God (who needest not our sinne to further thy worke of grace) the charge of thy Glory, give us grace to take charge of thy Precepts. For sure we are, that what is absolutely evill, can by no circumstance be made good; poyson may be quallified and become medecinall: there is use to bee made of an enemy; sicknesse may turne to our better health, and death it selfe to the faithfull, is but a doore to life, but sinne be it never so small, can never be made good.
Thus you have seen their feare, but looke also upon their courage, for they more feare the least sin, than the greatest torment.
All the feare of Satan and his instruments, ariseth from the want of the due feare of God: but the more a man feares God, the lesse he feares every thing else. Feare God, honour the King, 1 Pet. 2. 14, 1…7. Hee that feares God, doth but honour the King, hee need not feare him, Rom. 13. 3. the Law hath not power to smite the vertuous.
True, many have an opinion not wise, that Pie…y, and Religion abates fortitude, and makes vallour Feminine: but it is a foundation-lesse conceit. The true beleever feares nothing but the displeasure of the high…st, and runs away from nothing but sin.
Indeed he is not like our hot-spurs, that will sight in no cause but a bad; that feare where they should not feare, and feare not where they should feare; that feare the blasts of mens breath, and not the fire of Gods wrath; that feare more to have the World call them Cowards for refusing; then God to judge them rebels for undertaking: that tremble at the thought of a Prison, and yet not feare Hell fire: That can governe Townes and Cities, and let a silly woman over-rule them at home; it may bee a servant or a Child, as Themistocles Sunne did in G…eece: What I will, said hee, my Mother will have done, and what my Mother will have my Father doeth. That will undertake a long journey by Sea in a wherry, as the desperate Marriner hoyseth saile in a storme, and sayes none of his Ancestors were drowned: That will rush fearelesly into infected houses, and say the Plague never seaseth on valiant blood, it kils none but cowards: That langushing of some sicknesse, will strive to drinke it away, and so make hast to dispatch both Body and Soule at once: that will runne on high battlements, gallop downe steep hils, ride-over narrow Bridges, walke on weake Ice, and never thinke what if I fall, but what if I passe over and fall not.
No, he is not thus fearelesse, for this is presumption, and desperate madnesse, not that courage and fortitude which ariseth from faith, and the true feare of God; but from blindnesse and invincible ignorance of their owne estate: as what thinke you? would any man put his life to a venter, if he knew that when hee dyed he should presently drop into hell? I thinke not. But let the beleeving Christian (who knowes hee hath a place reserved for him in Heaven) have a warrant from Gods Word, you cannot name the service, or danger that he will stick at. Nor can he lightly faile of successe. It is observed that Trajan was never vanquished, because he never undertooke warre without just cause. In fine, as he is most fearefull to offend, so hee is most couragious in a good cause; as abundance of examples witnesse, whereof I'le but instance two, for the time would be too short to tell of Abraham, and Moses, and Caleb, and David, and Gideon, and Barack, and Sampson, and J…ph…ha, and many others; of whom the Holy Ghost gives this generall testimony, that by faith, of weake they were made strong, waxed valiant in Battell, turned to slight the Armies of the Aliants, subdued Kingdomes, stopt the mouthes of Lyons, quenched the violence of the fire, &c. Heb. 11. 22. to 35. Nor will I pitch upon Joshua, whom neither Caesar, nor Pompey, nor Alexander the Great, nor William the Conquerour, nor any other ever came neare, either for valour or victories: but even Jonathan before, and the Martyrs after Christ, shall make it good. As what thinke you of Jonathan, whom neither steepnesse of Rocks, nor multitude of enemies, could discourage, or disswade from so unlikely an assault: Is it possible if the d…ine power of faith, did not adde spirit, and courage, making men more than men, that two should dare to thinke of encountring so many thousands, and yet behold Jonathan and his Armourbearer put to flight, and terrified the hearts of all the Philistims, being thirty thousand Charrets, sixe thousand Hose-men, and Foot-men like the sand of the Sea shore, 1 Sam. 14. 15. O divine power of faith, that in all attempts and difficulties makes us more than men, and regardes no more Armies of adversaries, than sworntes of flyes.
A naturall man in a project so unlikely, would have had many thoughts of discouragement, and strong reasons to disswade him, but his faith dissolves impediments, as the Sunne doth dewes; yea, he contemnes all feares, over-lookes all impossibilities, breakes through all difficulties with a resolute courage, and flyes over all carnall objections with celestiall wings; because the strength of his God, was the ground of his strength in God.
But secondly, to shew that their courage is no lesse passive, then active; looke upon that Noble Army of Martyrs, mentioned in Ecclesiasticall History, who went as willingly, and cheerefully to the stake, as our Gallants to a Play; and leapt into their beds of flames, as if they had beeue beds of Downes: yea, even weake women, and young striplings, when with one dash of a pen, they might have beene released. If any shall yet doubt which of the two (the Religious o… Prophane) are most valiant and couragious; let them looke upon the demeanor of the twelve spyes, Numbers the 13. and 14. Chapters; and observe the difference between the two faithfull, and true hearted, and the other ten: then will they conclude, that Piety and Religion doth not make men Cowards; or if it doe, that as there is no feast to the Churles, so there is no fight to the Cowards. True, they are not soone, nor easily provoked; but all the better, the longer the cold fitt in an Ague, the stronger the hot fitt.
I know men of the Sword will be loth to allow of this Doctrine: but truth is truth, aswell when it is not acknowledged, as when it is: and experience tolls us, that he who feares not to doe evill, is alwayes afraid to suffer evill. Yea, the Word of God is expresse; that none can be truly valorous, but such as are truly religious. The wicked fly when none persueth, but the righteous are as bold as a Lyon: Prov. 28. 1. The reason wheroof is, If they live, they know by whom they stand; if they dye, they know for whose sake they fall.
But what speake I of their not fearing death, when they shall not feare even the day of Judgement, 1 John 4. 17. Hast not thou O Saviour bidden us when the Elements shall bee dissolved, and the Heavens shall bee flaming about our eares, to lift up our heads with joy, because our redemption draweth nigh, Luke 21. 25. to 29. Wherefore saith the valiant beleever, come death, come fire, come whirlewind, they are worthy to bee welcome that shall carry us to immortality. Let Pagans and Infidels feare death, saith Saint Cyprian, who never feared God in their life, but let Christians goe as travellers unto their native home; as Children unto their loving Father; willingly, joyfully. Let such feare to dye, as have no hope to live a better life; well may the brute beasts feare death, whose end of life is the conclusion of their beeing: well may the Epicure tremble at it, who with his life looketh to lose his felicity: well may ignorant and unrepentant sinners quake at it, whose death begins their damnation: well may all those make much of this life, who are not sure of a better; because they are conscious to themselves that this dying life will but bring them to a living death; they have all sowne in sin, and what can they looke to reape, but misery, and vanity; sin was their traffique, and griefe will be their gaine; detestable was their life, and damnable will be their decease.
But it is otherwise with the godly, they may bee killed, but cannot be hurt; for even death that fiend, is to them a friend, like the Red Sea to the Israelites, which put them over to the Land of Promise: while it drowned their enemies. It is to the faithfull as the Angels were to Lot, who snatcht him out of Sodome, while the rest were consumed with fire and brimstone. Every beleever is Christs betrothed Spouse, and death is but a messenger to bring her home to her husband: and what chaste or loving Spouse, will not earnestly desire the presence of her Bridegroome, as Saint Austin speakes. Yea, the day of death to them, is the day of their Coronation: and what Princely heire does not long for the day of his instalment, and rejoyce when it comes. Certainly it was the sweetest voyce that ever the Theefe heard in this life, when Christ said unto him, this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise, Luke 23. 43. In a word, as death to the wicked, puts an end to their short joyes, and begins their everlasting sorrowes: so to the Elect, it is the end of all sorrow, and the beginning of their everlasting joyes.
The end of their sorrow; for whereas complaint of evils past, sence of present, and feare of future, have shared our lives amongst them; death is
1. A Supersedius for all diseases; the Resurrection knowes no imperfection.
2. It is a writ of ease, to free us from labour, and servitude; like Moses, that delivered Gods people out of bondage, and from brick-making in Aegypt.
3. Whereas our ingresse into the world, our progresse in it, our egresse out of it, is nothing but sorrow, (for we are borne crying, live grumbling, and die sigthing) death is a medicine, which drives away all these, for we shall rise triumphing.
4. It shall revive our reputations, and cleere our names from all Ignominie, and reproach; yea, the more contemptible here, the more glorious hereafter. Now a very duellist will goe into the field to seeke death, and finde honour.
5. Death to the godly is as a Gaole delivery, to let the Soule out of the Prison of the body, and set it free.
6. Death frees us from Sinne, an Inmate that (spite of our teeth) will Roust with us, so long as life affords it house-roome: for what is it to the faithfull, but the funerall of their vices, and the resurrection of their vertues.
And thus we see, that death to the Saints is not a penalty, but a remedy; that it acquits us of all our bonds, as sicknesse, labour, sorrow, disgrace, imprisonment, and (that which is worse than all) sin; that it is not so much the death of nature, as of corruption, and calamity. But this is not half the good it doth us; for it delivers us up, and let us into such Joyes, as eye hath not seene, nor eare heard, neither hath entred into the heart of man to conceive: 1 Cor. 2. 9. Yea, a man may as well with a coale, paint out the Sunne in all his splendor, as with his pen, or tongue expresse; or with his heart (were it as deepe as the Sea) conceive, the fulnesse of those joyes, and sweetnesse of those pleasures, which the Saints shall enjoy at Gods right hand for evermore: Psal. 16. 11. In thy presence is the fulnesse of joy, and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore. For quality, they are pleasures; for quantity, fulnesse; for dignity, at Gods right hand; for eternity, for evermore: and millions of yeares multiplyed by millions, make not up a minute to this eternity.
Our dissolution is nothing else but aeterni natalis; the birth-day of eternity, (as Seneca calls it, more truly than he was aware) for when we are borne, we are mortall; but when we are dead, we are immortall: yea, even their mortall wounds make the sufferers immortall; and presently transport us from the contemplation of felitity, unto the fruition. Whereas if the corne of our bodies be not cast into the earth by death, we can have none of this increase: which is the reason, first, that we celebrate the memory of the Saints, not upon their birth-dayes, but upon their death-dayes; to shew how the day of our death, is better than the day of our birth: And secondly, that many Holy men have wisht for death; as Jeremy, Job, Paul, &c. As who can either marvaile, or blame the desire of advantage: for the weary traveller to long for rest, the prisoner for liberty, the banished for home; it is so naturall, that the contrary disposition were monstrous.
And indeed it is our ignorance, and infidelity; at least our impreparation, that makes death seeme other than advantage. And looke to it, for he hardly mournes for the s…nes of the time, who longes not to be freed from the time of sinne: he but little loves his Saviour, who is not willing to goe unto him: and is too fond of himselfe, that would not goe out of himselfe to God.
True, he that beleeveth will not make haste; Isay 28. 16. that is, he will not goe out by a back doore; seeke redresse by unlawfull meanes, for though here he hath his paine, and in Heaven hee lookes for his payment, yet hee will not make more haste than good speed. Though he desires to be dissolved, and to be with Christ, which is best of all: Phil. 1. 23, 24. Yet he is content to live, yea, hee lives patiently, though hee dyes joyfully: In his wisedome hee could chuse the gaine of death, but in his obedience he refuseth not the service of life: and it is to be feared, that God will refuse that soule, which leaves the body before himselfe calls for it: as Seneca speaks like a Divine.
Now, what are we to learne from this double lesson, but a twofold instruction; Is a calling a good warrant, and can it not want danger to goe unsent; is death to the godly no other then the Brazen Serpent to the Israelites; which was so farre from hurting them, that contrarily it healed them. And wouldst thou not feare death; (for to labour not to dye is labour in vaine, and Kings in this, are Subjects.)
First, looke through death at glory, as let but the unfolded heavens give way to Stevens eyes, to behold Christ in the glory of his Father: how willing is he to ascend by that stony passage, Acts 7. 56. 59.
Secondly, feare to commit the least sinne, which is forbidden by so great a God, and suffered for, by so loving a Saviour.
Now God hath so farre forth forbidden revenge, that he hath forbidd…n all kinde of hatred, and malice; for the Law in every Commandement is spirituall, and bindes the heart aswell as the …and; and to thy power thou hast slaine him, whom thou batest: he is alive, and yet thou hast kil'd him, saith S. Augustine: and therefore these two, hatred, and inurther, are coupled together as yoake-fellowes, in that long Teame of the fleshes beastly workes, which draw men to perdition: Rom. 1. 29. Gal. 5. 21. and wherein doe they differ, but as the Father and the Sanne, or as Devill and evill, onelyonly in a letter. Yea, saith Christ, in the places before coated, Love your enemies, doe well to them that hate you, overcome evill with good, &c. Luke 6. 27. Rom. 12. 21. Be so farre from snatching Gods weapon out of his hand, that you rather master unkindnesse, with kindnesse.
And as this is Gods word, so hearing what the word speakes, is an eare-marke of Christs sheepe, as witnesseth the chiefe sheepheard; John 8. Hee that is of God, beareth Gods word: and he is of an uncircumcised eare, and one of the Devils Goates, that wants this marke: for he heareth it not, because he is not of God. Vers. 47. Wherefore lay it to heart, lose not the priviledge of Gods protection, by an unwarrantable righting of thy selfe: Doe not like the Foole, that leapt into the water, for feare of being drowned in the Boat. But above all feares, feare him which after he hath kil'd, hath power to cast into hell: Luke 1▪ 2. 5. compare the present with the future, the action with the reward; thinke thou seest beyond pleasing thy appetite, and doing thine owne will, sinne against God: beyond that, death; beyond death, judgement; beyond judgement, bell; beyond that, no limits of time, or torments; but all easelesse, and endlesse. Thou cryest, God me mercifull to me; but be thou also mercifull to thy selfe: Feare God, feare sinne, and feare nothing; for sinne is the sting of all troubles: pull out the sting, and deride the malice of the Serpent. Yea, have but Gods warrant for what thou goest about, and then let death happen, it shall not happen amisse; for the assurance of Gods call and protection, when a mans actions are warranted by the Word, will even take away the very feare of death: for death (as a Father well notes) hath nothing terrible, but what our life hath made so. He that hath lived well, is seldome unwilling to dye; life or death is alike welcome unto him; for hee knowes, whiles hee is here, God will protect him; and when hee goes hence, God will receive him. I have so behaved my selfe (saith Saint Ambrose to the Nobles of Millaine) that I am not ashamed to live; neither having so good a Lord, am I affraid to dye. And old Hilarion, these seaventy yeares and upwards, thou hast served the Lord; therefore now goe forth my soule with joy, &c. Whereas he that hath lived wickedly, had rather lose any thing, even his soule, than his life: whereby hee tels us, though his tongue expresse it not, that hee expects a worse estate hereafter. How oft doth guiltinesse make one avoid, what another would wish in this case? Yea, death was much facilitated by the vertues of a well-led life, even in the Heathen. Phocion being condemned to dye, and the e…ocutioner refusing to doe his office, unlesse he had twelve Drachmes paid him in hand; Phocion borrowed it of a friend, and gave it him: ne mor a fieret morti. Againe, Cato was so resolute, that he told Caesar, hee feared his pardon, more than the paine he threatned him with. And Aristippus, as I take it, (though I may be mistaken) told the Saylers (that wondred why he was not, as well as they, afraid in a storme) that the oddes was much; for they feared the torments due to a wicked life, and he expected the reward of a good one. Its a sollid and sweet reason, being rightly applyed. Vice drawes death with a horrid looke, with a whippe, and stames, and terrors, but so doth not vertue. Whence it was that death was ugly and fearefull unto Cicero; wished for, and desired of Cato, and indifferent to Socrates.
Objection. But a violent and painefull death, is by farre more terrible and intollerable then a Naturall.
Answer. Seldome have the Martyrs found it so, but often the contrary: which made them kisse the wheele that must kill them, and thinke the stayres of the scaffold of their Martyrdome, but so many degrees of their ascent to glory. Besides Elias his fiery Chariot, or they which stoned Steven, tooke no more from them, than an ordinary sicknesse did from Lazarus; and let death any way crumble the Body to dust, the Resurrection shall restore it whole againe. Indeed if wee live (and God by some lingring sicknesse, shall in mercy stay, till we make us ready) we shall doe well, but if we dye as the Martyrs did, halfe burnt, and halfe blowne up, we shall doe better. And thus much to prove that the godly indure reproaches and persecutions patiently, because God hath commanded them so to doe.