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MEDITATION IV. Of the Horror of Death.

1. Under the law, when a fowl was to be offered for a burnt-sacrifice unto the Lord, the head was to be wrung off; the crop, with the feathers, to be cast into the place of ashes: intimating mystically, that the way to mortify the swellings of pride and luxury, and make all the feathers of secular pomp and vanity to flag, is to turn our eyes unto the ashes of the dead, and see the horrid state of such as lie in the grave, even of the most high, powerful and pompous that ever lived upon earth.

"St. Augustine being with his mother Monica invited to Rome by Pontianus the prefect, to view the stately edifices, and ancient monuments of that eminent city, amongst other rarities, he saw the great Cæsar's sepulchre, and therein his carcase, of a livid, ghastly colour; his face fallen away to such a meagre leanness, as scarce of skin and bone consisting; his lips being rotted away, his teeth were seen black and corrupted; his nose so consumed, that

only the wide hollows of his nostrils appeared; his belly burst, and swarming with worms and serpents; his eyes quite sunk into his head, and in the two holes thereof two loathsome toads were feeding- -Then turning towards his mother, he said, 'What now, dear mother, is become of the great Cæsar, whose pomp, and power, and policy, whose riches, honour and dignity, whose many victories, conquests and triumphs, rendered him the most admired hero the world afforded? Where now is all his glory? Where the conquering armies he commanded? the cities, nations, countries he subdued?

the numerous train of nobility, gentry, soldiery that attended him? the vast riches and boundless authority he acquired ?'

"Whereunto the pious matron answered, ‘Oh, my son! no sooner did his spirit fail, and his breath expire, but all his splendid enjoyments, all his flattering worldly felicities forsook him; his riches, his friends, his attendants, all

Levit. i. 16.

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Such is the end of all flesh: “All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field." The flower is more gay and gaudy than the grass, for a little space; but when the verdure of both decays, they have the same withered complexion, they rot and corrupt both alike; and commonly the more gaudy flower is more ugly and stinking than the grass: it is even so with the rich and the poor, the honourable and the base in this world; they differ only in their outward fashion and appearance; but when death doth seize them, they are equally obnoxious to the same solitude, poverty and nakedness, to the same stench, corruption and rot

tenness.

It is as true of the greatest prince as of the meanest peasant: "when a man is dead, he shall inherit creeping things, beasts and

h Isaiah xl. 6.

worms!" All the difference in the grave betwixt the rich and the poor is this; that the dust of the rich, through the luxury, lasciviousness, and intemperance of their life, is more corrupt and loathsome after their death than is the dust of the poor, whose food and nourishment was more coarse and sparing.

Why then, my immortal soul, art thou so fond of thy corruptible companion, the body? Remember its beginning is uncleanness, and its end rottenness: it is thy servant for the present; but if thou too much cocker and pamper it, it will rebel, subdue, and lead thee captive to a worse death than that whereunto itself is liable, even the death of the nether hell; "where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched*.”

2. "Death is the wages of sin':" and I have sinned, vile wretch that I am, I have sinned; and "what shall I do, or what shall I say unto Thee, O Thou preserver of man?" All that I can say is the same still, I have sinned; and as long as I have a day to live, I will say it : "I will confess my wicked

i Ecclus. x. 11.

1 Rom. vi. 23.

Job vii. 20.

k Mark ix. 44.

ness, and be sorry for my sins"."

Mercy, good Lord; mercy, I humbly beg: "O why dost Thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity?"

"Are not my days few? Cease then, and let me alone, that I may bewail my sins, and take comfort a little," in the hopes of the pardon of them, through faith in the blood of my dear Redeemer, "before I go to the place from whence I shall not return, to the land of darkness, and of the shadow of death P."

3. I know that to flesh and blood death is of all terribles the most terrible, but my blessed Redeemer hath pulled out the sting, and quelled the terrors of death. He hath also destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the

I.

devils. So that now when death approacheth, through faith and a good conscience, I shall have hope, with all patience and contentment, to drink off that cup, how bitter and painful soever, saying with my blessed Lord and Master, upon His approaching death, "Father, not my will, but Thine be donet."

The Prayer.

Assist me, mercifully, O Lord, to subject my rebellious flesh to the guidance of the Spirit, and my spirit to the laws of my Redeemer; that when my body shall be the inheritance of worms and creeping things, my soul may possess an inheritance uncorruptible and undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in the heavens," through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

MEDITATION V.

66

OF PREPARATION UNTO DEATH.

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and shall not see death" ?"
so there is nothing more
uncertain than the time of
death; "for of that day and
hour knoweth no man."

P Job x. 20, 21.
Heb. ii. 14.

n Psalm xxxviii. 18. • Job vii. 21. r1 Cor. xv. 55-57. u Psalm lxxxix. 47.

- Mat. xxiv. 36.

a Job xviii. 14. Mat. xxvi. 42.

It is therefore unknown, that it might be alway suspected and awaited: "the Son of man cometh in an hour when you think not":" that His coming may be hourly thought upon; latet dies ultimus, ut observentur omnes dies: the day of our death is hidden from us, that all our days should be no other but a preparation thereunto, the certainty of the one engaging us unto sincerity in the other.

Every danger foreseen is best prevented: and thus death, the greatest of dangers, may be rendered the least dangerous, by a prudent fear and careful provision for the same: Qui pavet, cavet; qui negligit, incidit: which may best be Englished in the language of the Holy Ghost; The wise man feareth, and departeth from evil; but the fool rageth, and is confident"."

II.

The great end of this mortal life is to prepare for death, or rather for a safe passage through death to life

y Luke xii. 40.

. Aug.

immortal: for upon the well or ill spending of the few minutes of this present life depends either a blessed or a miserable eternity.

It was the advice of a wise man to his friend, to have engraven in capital letters, in some such place of his house as might be most frequent in his view, to be often considered, MOMENTUM UNDE PENDET ETERNITAS.

III.

There is no consideration our blessed Lord hath so frequently inculcated by commands, counsels, exhortations, admonitions, parables, similitudes, arguments, and reasons, as this of the Christian watch, i. e. to prepare, to provide, to be ready, to wait for the coming of the Lord, or for the approach of death: whether shall come in the first, or in the second, or in the third watchd:" whether in the time of youth, or manhood, or old age at all times, and in all ages, He commands all men to be upon their watche.

"He

Veri hominis Christiani vita, nihil aliud quam continua ad mortem præparatio esse debet.

• Prov. xiv. 16.

evadere velit.

d Luke xii. 38.

b Bern.

Timeat semper in vita mortem, qui mortis metum

e Mark xiii. 34-37.

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This watch implies many | found in any corner there, particulars, which are as so many preparatives unto death.

1. To watch, is to have our eyes open, or our minds enlightened by the holy true Christian faith.

2. That the affections of our hearts, and the actions of our lives, be framed according to what we rightly profess to believe.

3. To have our eyes not only opened, but uplifted towards heaven above, and not still poring upon the carth below.

4. In our watch, we must carefully observe all the orders and commands given us by Christ the captain of our salvation.

5. That we shake off all drowsiness and sluggishness, being active and vigorous in the execution of all such commands; and in all the respective duties we owe to God and man.

6. That when the Lord cometh, and knocketh at the door, by the batteries of death, we be both willing and ready to open unto Him: and in order hereunto,

7. That our hearts be prepared to receive the Lord, being so swept and cleansed, that nothing be

which may offend Him Who is the searcher of all hearts.

8. We must stand upon our watch "with our loins girded," or all irrational lusts restrained; that we may be expedite and ready to execute whatever our duty to God or man requires : thus St. Jerome stood upon his watch, professing that whether he did eat or drink, rest or labour, sleep or wake, he alway heard the voice of the last trumpet sounding in his ears, "Awake and come to judgment."

9. Lastly, in this watch we must persevere, not to be taken off by any wiles of Satan, concerns of the world, or allurements of the flesh; but to stand fixed and immoveable in our respective stations of Christian duty, until the great Captain and Lord of life and death shall remove us hence.

And may I thus, blessed Lord, continually wait for Thy coming, with my loins girt, in the restriction of all the unruly lusts of my heart, and of all the irrational imaginations of my head also: and my lamp of the holy Christian faith burning continually, being fed with the oil or unction

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