Heb. x.

through fin, (as the holy Apoftle faith) fo long as they live here in this world: but (everlafting thanks be to Almighty God for ever) there is never a one of all thefe caufes, no, nor yet them all together, that can make a true Christian 1 Cor. iii. man afraid to die (who is the very member of Chrift, the temple of the Holy Ghoft, the Son of God, and the very inheritor of the everlafting kingdom of heaven :) but plainly contrary, he conceiveth great and many causes, undoubtedly grounded upon the infallible and everlasting truth of the Word of God, which moveth him not only to put away the fear of bodily death, but alfo, for the manifold benefits and fingular commodities, which enfue unto every faithful perfon by reafon of the fame, to wifh, defire, and long heartily for it. For death fhall be to him no death at all, but a very deliverance from death, from all pains, cares, and forrows, miferies, and wretchedness of this world, and the very entry into reft, and a beginning of everlasting joy, a tafting of heavenly pleafures, fo great, that neither tongue is able to exprefs, neither eye to fee, nor ear to hear them; no, nor any earthly man's heart to conceive them. So exceeding great benefits they be, which God our heavenly Father by his mere mercy, and for the love of his Son Jefus Chrift, hath laid up in fiore, and prepared for them that humbly fubmit themfelves to God's will, and ever more unfeignedly love him from the bottom of their hearts. And we ought to believe, that death, being flain by Chrift, cannot keep any man that Readfastly trufteth in Chrift, under his perpetual tyranny and fubjection: but that he thall rife from death again unto glory at the laft day, appointed by Almighty God, like as Chrift our Head did rife again, according to God's appointment, the third day. For St. Auguftine faith, The head going before, the members truft to follow and come after. And St. Paul faith, If Chrift be rifen from the dead, we fhall rise alfo from the fame. And to comfort all Chriftian perfons herein, holy Scripture calleth this bodily death a fleep, wherein man's fenfes be (as it were) taken from him for a feafon; and yet when he awaketh, he is more fresh than he was when he went to bed. although we have our fouls feparated from our bodies for a feafon, yet at the general refurrection we fhall be more fresh, beautiful, and perfect than we be now. For now we be mortal, then fhall we be immortal; now infected with divers infirmities, then clearly void of all mortal infirmities: now we be fubject to all carnal defires, then we fhall be all spiritual, defiring nothing but God's glory, and

So,

things eternal. Thus is this bodily death a door or entering unto life, and therefore not fo much dreadful (if it be rightly confidered) as it is comfortable; not a mischief, but a remedy for all mischief; no enemy, but a friend; not a cruel tyrant, but a gentle guide, leading us not to mortality, but to immortality, not to forrow and pain, but to joy and pleasure, and that to endure for ever, if it be thankfully taken and accepted as God's meffenger, and patiently borne of us for Chrift's love, that fuffered most painful death for our love, to redeem us from death eternal. Accordingly hereunto St. Paul faith, Our life is bid Col. iii. with Chrift in God: but when our life fhall appear, then fball we also appear with him in glory. Why then fhall we fear to die, confidering the manifold and comfortable promifes of the Gospel, and of holy Scriptures? God the Fa- 1 John v. ther bath given us everlasting life, faith St. John, and this life is in bis Son. He that hath the Son hath life, and be that bath not the Son bath not life. And this I write, faith St. John, 1 John v. to you that believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you bave everlafling life, and that you do believe upon the name of the Son of God. And our Saviour Chrift faith, He that believeth in me bath life everlasting, and John v. I will raile bim from death to life at the last day. St. Paul Cor. ix. alfo faith, that Chrift is ordained and made of God our rightcoufnefs, or boliness, and redemption, to the intent that be which will glory fhould glory in the Lord. St. Paul did contemn and let little by all other things, efleeming them as dung, Phil. iii. which before he had in very great price, that be might be found in Chrift, to have everlafting life, true holinefs, righteoufnefs, and redemption. Finally, St. Paul maketh a plain argument on this wife, If our heavenly Fa- Rom. viii. ther would not fpare bis own natural Son, but did give him to death for us; bow can it be, but that with him he should give us all things? Therefore, if we have Chrift, then have we. with him, and by him, all good things whatfoever we can in our hearts with or defire, as victory over death, fin, and hell: we have the favour of God, peace with him, holinefs, wifdom, juftice, power, life, and redemption; we have by him perpetual health, wealth, joy, and blifs everlasting.

The

2 Cor. v.

The Second Part of the Sermon against the Fear of
Death.

T hath been heretofore fhewed you, that there be three caufes, wherefore men do commonly fear death. First, the forrowful departing from worldly goods and pleasures. The fecond, the fear of the pangs and pains that come with death. The laft and principal caufe is, the horrible fear of extreme mifery, and perpetual damnation in time to come. And yet none of thefe three caufes troubleth good men, because they stay themselves by true faith, perfect charity, and fure hope of the endless joy and blifs everlafting.

All thofe therefore have great caufe to be full of joy that be joined to Chrift with true faith, fteadfast hope, and perfect charity, and not to fear death, nor everlafting damnation. For death cannot deprive them of Jefus Chrift, nor can any fin condemn them that are grafted furely in him, which is their only joy, treafure, and life. Let us repent of our fins, amend our lives, truft in his mercy and fatisfaction; and death can neither take him from us, nor us from him. For then (as St. Paul faith) whether we live or die, we be the Lord's own. And again he faith, Chrift did die, and rofe again, because be should be Lord both of the dead and quick. Then if we be the Lord's own when we be dead, it must needs follow that fuch temporal death not only cannot harm us, but also that it shall be much to our profit, and join us unto God more perfectly. And thereof the Chriftian heart may furely be certified by the infallible or undeceivable truth of holy Scripture. It is God, faith St. Paul, which hath prepared us unto immortality; and the fame is he which hath given us an earnest of the Spirit. Therefore let us be always of good comfort; for we know that fo long as we be in the body, we be (as it were) far from God in a ftrange country, fubject to many perils, walking without perfect fight and knowledge of Almighty God, only feeing him by faith in holy Scriptures. But we have a courage and defire rather to be at home with God and our Saviour Chrift, far from the body, where we may behold his Godhead as he is, face to face, to our everlafting comfort. Thefe be St. Paul's words in effect, whereby we may perceive, that the life in this world is refembled and likened to a pilgrimage in a

ftrange

frange country, far from God; and that death, delivering us from our bodies, doth fend us ftraight home into our own country, and maketh us to dwell prefently with God for ever, in everlasting reft and quietnefs: fo that to die is no lofs, but profit and winning to all true Chriftian people. What loft the thief, that hanged on the crofs with Chrift, by his bodily death? Yea, how much did he gain by it? Did not our Saviour fay unto him, This day thou shalt be with Luke xvi. me in Paradife? And Lazarus, that pitiful perfon, that lay before the rich man's gate, pained with fores, and pined with hunger, did not death highly profit and promote him, which by the miniftry of angels fent him unto Abraham's bofom, a place of reft, joy, and heavenly confolation? Let us think none other, good Chriftian people, but Chrift hath prepared, and made ready before, the fame joy and felicity for us, that he prepared for Lazarus and the thief. Wherefore, let us ftick unto his falvation and gracious redemption, and believe his word, ferve him from our hearts, love and obey him; and whatfoever we have done heretofore contrary to his moft holy will, now let us repent in time, and hereafter study to correct our life: and doubt not, but we shall find him as merciful unto us, as he was either to Lazarus, or to the thief, whofe examples are written in holy Scripture for the comfort of them that be finners, and fubject to forrows, miferies, and calamities in this world, that they fhould not defpair in God's mercy, but ever truft thereby to have forgivenefs of their fins, and life everlasting, as Lazarus and the thief had. Thus I truft every Chriftian man perceiveth by the infallible or undeceivable word of God, that bodily death cannot harm nor hinder them that truly believe in Chrift, but contrarily fhall profit and promote the Chriftian fouls, which being truly penitent for their offences, depart hence in perfect charity, and in fure truft that God is merciful to them, forgiving their fins, for the merits of Jefus Chrift his only natural Son.

fear death.

The fecond caufe why fome do fear death is fore fick- The fecond nefs and grievous pains, which partly come before death, caufe why and partly accompany or come with death, whenfoever it fome do cometh. This fear is the fear of the frail flesh, and a natural paflion belonging unto the nature of a mortal man. But true faith in God's promifes, and regard of the pains and pangs which Chrift upon the crofs fuffered for us miferable finners, with confideration of the joy and everlafting life to come in heaven, will mitigate thofe pains, and moderate this fear, that it fhall never be able to overthrow the hearty de

fire and gladnefs, that the Chriftian foul hath to be feparated from this corrupt body, that it may come to the gracious prefence of our Saviour Jefus Chrift. If we believe fteadfaftly the Word of God, we fhall perceive that fuch bodily fickness, pangs of death, or whatfoever dolorous pangs we fuffer, either before or with death, be nothing elfe in Chriftian men, but the rod of our heavenly and loving Father, wherewith he mercifully correcteth us, either to try and declare the faith of his patient children, that they may be found laudable, glorious, and honourable in his fight, when, Jefus Chrift fhall be openly fhewed to be the Judge of all the world, or elfe to chaftife and amend in them whatsoever offendeth his fatherly and gracious goodness, left they fhould perith everlastingly. And, this his correcting rod is common to all men that be truly his. Therefore let us caft away the burden of fin that lieth too heavy on our necks, and return unto God by true penance and amendment of our lives; let us with patience run this courfe that is appointed, fuffering (for his fake that died for our falvation) all forrows and pangs of death, and death itfelf joyfully, when God fendeth it to us, having our eyes fixed and fet faft ever upon the Head and Captain of our faith, Jefus Chrift: who (confidering the joy that he thould come unto) cared neither for the fhame nor pain of death, but willingly conforming and framing his will to his Father's will, moft patiently fuffered the moft fhameful and painful death of the crofs, being innocent and harmless. And now therefore he is exalted in heaven, and everlastingly fitteth on the right hand of the throne of God the Father. Let us cali to our remembrance therefore the life and joys of heaven, that are kept for all them that patiently do fuffer here with Chrift, and confider that Chrift fuffered all his painful paffion by finners, and for finners: and then we fhall with patience, and the more eafily, fuffer fuch forrows and pains, when they come. Let us not fet at light the chaftifing of the Lord, nor grudge at him, nor fall from him, when of him we be corrected : for the Lord loveth them whom he doth correct, and beateth every one whom he taketh to be his child. What Heb. xii. child is that, faith St. Paul, whom the Father loveth, and doth not challife? If ye be without God's correction (which all his well-beloved and true children have) then be you but baflards, finally regarded of God, and not bis true children. Therefore feeing, that, when we have on earth our carnal fathers to be our correctors, we do fear them, and reverently take their correction; fhall we not much more be

Phil. ii.