The forerunner of eternity, or, Messenger of death sent to healthy, sick and dying men / by H. Drexelius.

§ 42. The sickman speaks to his friends, to the Diseas••, to the entrance in∣to Death it selfe, to Christ our Lord.

DEpart (I pray you) as unsea∣sonable with your vaine and fruitlesse mourning. Here is no place either for Complaints or

Petitions. You may thinke I goe from you to soon. Too soon? look, that you bee not deceived. I was fit for Death's sicle, as soone as I was born: nay, before I was born. Why should I complaine? I know what I was born. Was I not a weak frail body? Cast forth to contume∣lies, the food of Diseases, Deaths object? whosoever thou art take h••pes to thee, or undergo thy bur∣then, perhaps thou mayest be de∣jected to morrow, or if no, re∣mov'd from hence.

To the disease.

ANd is Deaths Harbing••r ap∣proach'd? must I now lie un∣der sicknesse? the time is now come, I must put my selfe to the triall: Valour is not onely seene in a storme, or in a bat••aile; Cou∣rage may be tried upon a pillow in a bed of affliction. I must be sick therefore; It cannot be avoi∣ded.

Well; I shall either end my Feaver, or it me. Wee cannot be always together. Hitherto I have onely trafficked with health, now I must exchange some time with my disease. Saint Gregory tels it to me, piously and truly. The Lord (saith he) knocks, when hee sig∣nifies to us that death is neere us by troublous sicknesses, to whom we readily open, if wee receive with comfort his chastizements.

Some relations may cause mee to give admittance to this serious Embassadour.

It is reported of a certaine old man; who lay grievous sick, and when as Death made an approa••h to take him away, the sick old man entreated Death to forbeare his blow a little while, untill he could make his Will, and set things in readines for so long a journey. To whom Death re∣plyed, ô crooked old man! couldst thou not prepare thy selfe in so many years? being so often warn'd by me? to whom the old man said

again, I beseech thee lend me thy faith, for I doe not remember that ever thou didst admonish me; but Death answer'd briefly, then I perceive that old men will lie; An hundred, six hundred, a thousand warnings hast thou had from mee, when I daily in thy sight, to thy griefe, not onely tooke away thy equals (of which for years there are few left) but also before thy eyes young men, and little in∣fants. Nay, I will appeale to thy own soul (forgetfull old man) didst thou want admonishments, when thy eyes grew dim, thy haires wax'd white, were f••lne off, thy nose lost its smell, thy eares grew deafe, and all thy other sences and members grew defective in their performances? and thy whole body languish'd & wasted? these, all these were Messengers from me, and shoul•• have been as so many warning pieces to pre∣pare thee to march on. These all have knock'd at thy doors, though thou wouldst not acknowledge thy selfe to be within. Often e∣nough,

and long enough hast thou bin admonish'd, I stay not: Come away and enter the Dance of Death now presently. He seldome prepares himselfe well, which prepares so extraordinary late.

To his Death-bringing sicknesse.

WHen I meditate on my life, & consider the multitude of my sins and the smalnesse of my good duties. Alas, alas! oh my God how am I straitned? and how am I beset and encompassed with sor∣row? but it is better to fall into the Hands of the Lord, (for great are his mercies and his compassi∣ons faile not) then that I should adde more days to my years, and more sin to my days. What an one I would have prov'd thou onely (ô Lord) knowest. Perhaps I might have Apostated, and falne from life. Since (ô death) thou art present, doe thy message unto me, rid mee from misery and the malice of men. I am ready and

willing to part wi h life. onely let me retaine thy Grace (ô Lord) or rather let it preserve me, which I doe earnestly with all my heart beg of thee (ô sweet Iesus Christ, and through thee. Amen.

To Dea••h it selfe.

DEath, why in so long wastings dost thou like? What needs there such great charge? I doe yield, strike What need'st thou empty all thy quivers? when One blast w ll drive, one puffe will stroy most men.

For indeed what is man? but a tossed and leaking ship, which one lusty wave sends to the bot∣tome. There needs no furious charge of tempests, wheresoever thou (ô Death) placest thy mur∣thering Ram, it will force passage. Mans bodie is wove up of weake, and fluid materials; glistering in outward lineaments, impatient of

heat, cold; or travail: of it's own inclination apt to languishments, gathering corruption even from his sustentation; sometimes hurt by want, sometimes by excesse, his nutriment wants not discommo∣dity, a brittle piece of mortalitie preserv'd and upheld with griefe and anxietie: holding his very spirit and breath at anothers di∣sposing, which easily departs, full of innumerable diseases, and though he should want diseases to ruine him, yet of his own accord he would fall, perish, and descend to Death. Can wee wonder to see that die, in which Death is fed and nourish'd, and hath a thousand places to enter & possesse? and if man doth fall, is it any such re∣markable losse? his very smell and taste, his wearinesse and watching, his humours, and food without which he cannot live, are all mor∣tifero••s and deadly.

To Iesus Christ.

I Would not Death but life, hee seeks it right (O Christ) who in thy love de∣parts to light.

I am not afraid with them, whom thou speakest o in wrath Goe, &c. I will follow thee (ô loving Saviour) with will, with delight: and what should I doe else, when as thou thy self callest me to come and approach neerer? to be dissolv'd and to be with Christ is much the better This is the height of my desires, for Chr••st is to mee both in life and death advantage.

Notes

• Homil. 13 in Evang.
• 1 Phil 1.23.