A defense against the dread of death, or, Zach. Crofton's meditations and soliloquies concerning the stroak of death sounded in his ears in the time of his close imprisonment in the Tower of London, anno 1661 and 1662 : digested for his own private staisfaction and support in the vale of the shadow of death, and now made publique for the advantage of such as abide under Gods present visitation in London by the pestilence.

SECT. II.

DEath is not more certain to me, * 1.1 then common to men: this is the lot of all men; the man liveth not who shall not feel the stroak of Death; strong or weak, rich or poor, noble or ignoble, good or bad, must all die: * 1.2 The power of Princes may precipitate and hasten the death of others, but it cannot protect themselves from the stroak of death, no not for a moment; as for those who have riches, * 1.3 there is not one of them can redeem his brothers, no, nor yet his own life

from death; when I die I shall rest with Kings and Counsellors of the earth; * 1.4 with Princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver: Death hath subdued the most dreadful Conquerors of the world, and devoured the most puissant Armies: * 1.5 Where are now the Sons of Anack? what is become of the Giants of whom we read? are they not dead? could Samp∣sons strength repel, or Davids Worthies stand under and against the stroke of death? * 1.6 Piety is no priviledge against the arrest of death; * 1.7 are not the Patriarcks faln asleep? where are the Fathers of old? do the Prophets live for ever? the best that ever lived, died: death is an high way, a beaten road, this tract is trodden; Abel, Adam, E∣noch, Noah, Abraham, David, Da∣niel, Peter, Paul, James, John, yea the Lord Christ himself are all dead; these with multitudes of all sorts, ranks, qualities, langua∣ges

and degrees, have gone this way before me; why then do I fear to follow after them?

Death is not more common in its general nature, * 1.8 then in its speci∣al kind: Violent death by all ways of ignominy, and instruments of cruelty are common to men; espe∣cially to Martyrs, and Gods most faithful Ministers: this way Gods Prophets, Ʋrijah, Isaiah, Zechariah, and others: Christs Disciples, Pe∣ter, Paul, James, John and others: The Primitive Fathers of the Church, Polycarpus, Ignatius, Ju∣stinius and others: And our first Reformers from Popish blindness, and abominations, Cranmer, Ridley, Latimer, Hooper, Rogers, Bradford, Taylor, Saunders, and many others went out of the world: What day returneth without the death of men? what age of the world hath passed not stained with the blood of Martyrs, or violent death of holy men? what kind of death pe∣culiar

to malefactors, hath not Gods Ministers and Martyrs, the zealous reprovers of publick sin, been subjected to, and under∣gone?

My Soul! be thy condition what it can, thou must conclude, there doth no temptation befall me but what is common to man, * 1.9 yea to the best of men, and to the cheif of Martyrs: what if the way be dirty and dreadful, tedious and tiresome; shall I draw back? or not drive after so many, so good, such excellent men as are gone be∣fore me, Levius communia tangunt, say men by nature; how easie is a common yoke? whilst then mine is the common state of men, and good men; abate thy fears, ad∣vance thy courage; follow with chearfulness and content: Let the motto of the happy, unhappy Lady Jane Gray give check to the admi∣ring censures of the spectators of my death;

Non aliena putes, homini qua obtingere possunt;

Sors hodierna mihi, tunc erit illa sibi. I tread no untroden tract; I am not the first, I shall not be the last that dye; I go the way that many, most, and best have gone before me; and others must daily and hourly follow after me: what∣soever is my chance, death is the condition common to men; and the grave doth know no difference be∣tween them who run out the course of nature, and those who are cut off by violence; One dieth in his full strength, * 1.10 being wholly at ease, and quiet, his breasts are ful of milk, and his bones are moist∣ned with marrow; another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure; these both lye down alike in the dust, and the worm shall cover them, without any dif∣ference or distinction; Let me dye which way God hath deter∣mined, by sickness, or by sword,

in my bed, or on a publique stage, in old age, or in the prime of my days; in course of nature, or by the hands of violence, I can but dye; and dye I must, for I am a man; and death is common, cer∣tain, and natural unto man.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Death is a common state.
• * 1.2

  Great men die.
• * 1.3

  Ps. 49.7, 8.
• * 1.4

  Job 3.13, 14.
• * 1.5

  Strong men die.
• * 1.6

  Best men dye.
• * 1.7

  John 8.52, 53.
• * 1.8

  The kind of death is also common.
• * 1.9

  1 Cor. 10.13.
• * 1.10

  Job 21.23, 24, 25, 26.