The house of weeping, or, Mans last progress to his long home fully represented in several funeral discourses, with many pertinent ejaculations under each head, to remind us of our mortality and fading state / by John Dunton ...

Sect. 5. The contempt of Death is a Chri∣stian Generosity.

NO Man ever govern'd his Life well, but he that contemned it. VVe are not so silly, but that we understand we must one day die; yet when Death approaches, we hang back, we tremble, we lament: But would not he appear to thee a very Fool, that should weep because he had not lived a thousand years before? These things are well coupled, thou neither wert, nor will be: thou art ordain'd for that point of time wherein thou liv'st, with that thou mayst extend, how far wouldst thou prolong? Why weepest thou? what is it thou wouldst have? thou losest thy labour: Thou shalt go thither, whi∣ther all things created go. What is there that thou canst call a Novelty? Thou wert born under this Law: This hapned to thy Father, to thy Ancestors, to all before thee, and will happen to all that come after thee. It is established and decreed; Death seizes upon all; we are born to die. Consider in thy Mind the vast throng of those that went before thee, of those that are to follow thee, and those that are to go along with thee. Many thousands of Men and Creatures at this very moment that then fearest to die, are now making several and

various Exits out of this World. Take a view of the whole World; the new, the unknown: Most certain it is, that every moment Millions are born and die, and many die the same death. Now couldst thou think that thou shouldst never come to that end, to which thou art always going. Death is a safe Road to Rest; neither is there any thing of evil in Death, but only the fear of Death: there∣fore if we would live quietly, the Soul must be al∣ways ready. Shall I fear my end, when I know I must have an end? when I know that all things have their end? Shall I fear my last gasp, that puts an end to all my Sighs? Why should I fear to restore that which I received upon that condition? But you will say, it is a difficult thing to contemn Death. 'Tis Death, but to him that knows how to Live.

He that his hours on Vertue doth expend, Neither doth wish for, nor yet fears his end.

We do not deny, but that there is something ter∣rible in Death••, there we must learn, not to be afraid of it. No Man learns to be contented upon a Bed of Roses, to sit down at a Banquet; but this to be exercised, not to give way to Grief. He chearfully embraces Death, who has long composed himself to wa••t for it: And this is the greatest Ar∣gument of a generous Mind, not to fear thy depar∣ture: For he knows whither he shall go, that re∣members from whence he came. Such a person was Theodosius the Emperour, of whom Saint Am∣brojs was wont to say, I loved the man, whom when he died, was more grieved for the state of the Church, than for his own Condition. Therefore do thou make it thy business not to fear Death.