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The next subject of our meditati∣ons is is Death: Life and Death are common accidents to all living crea∣tures saith Aristotle, God made not death, but death crept and entred into world through the envy of Satan, and man's disobedience: If God had made death, he would not with tears have bewayled dead Lazarus, whom
therefore he restored to life, that the Devil might see, it is but lost labour, with rage to pursue the children of God to take them out of the world, forasmuch as those whom men may deem utterly lost and destroyed do live unto God.
The meditation of Death belong∣eth to all sorts of persons, seeing it is appointed to all men once to dye, and that by reason of sin, Rom. 6.23.
Obj. The Pelagians say, That Adam should, and must have dyed, though he had not sinned, even by the necessity of nature, and by the condition of his creation, being made of corruptible, or mutable matter, and with a mortal body.
Resp. I answer, That as some things are mutable, which nevertheless shall never be changed, as the good An∣gels might have fallen (as the evil did) before they were confirmed, so there may be something mortal, which yee for all that need not dye; for as the Learned have observed, A thing may be called mortal two wayes, either that which must dye by the necessity of nature, or that which may dye by the de∣sert of sin.
For the first, Adam's body was not so mortal, that it must have dyed by condition of his creation, for he was created to live, and not to dye, being made in the Image of God, whereof immortality is a part; and therefore it was directly concluded by one of the Councils, that whoso∣ever should say, that Adam the first man was made mortal, so that he should have dyed corporally, whe∣ther he had sinned, or not sinned, that is, that he should have gone out of the body, not by the desert of sin, but by the necessity of nature, let him be accursed; and God doth not make it the cause that Adam should dye, because his body was made of the dust of the earth, as the Pelagians falsely collect from, Gen. 3.19. but be∣causs he had disobeyed the voice of God, hearkning to the voice of his seducing wife, Satan's Instrument to tempt him, and so took and eat the forbidden fruit, as appeareth vers. 17. therefore he should dye; and that which cometh afterward, doth not declare the cause why he should dye, but onely let him understand,
that there was no impediment but that he might dye; and that his body which was before onely mortale, of that nature that it might dye, he now by sin had made morti obnoxium, sub∣ject and liable to death; thus Paul tells us plainly, that sin brought in death as the wages thereof.
It may be demanded, seeing Jesus Christ hath abolished death, and that by him we are reconciled to God to obtain eternal life, how is it then that we are subject to death?
St. Austin answereth, that hereto∣fore death came and was by sin brought into the world; but now death takes away our temporal life, to the end we should cease from sin, and that the meditation of our death doth keep us in our duty, and so by Gods mercy the punishment of sin is become a shield against our sins. Chrysostome censureth those wretches, who fear death, and fear not sin wherein they are insnared, nor the unquenchable fire which ga∣peth for them; to fear death is an evill more dreadfull than death it self: A wise mans life is the meditation
of death, saith Stella: Good reason it is that we should betimes meditate on death, and think upon the free∣dome, liberty, life and immortality which ensue; he giveth death a joy∣full welcome, who is before hand prepared for it: Shall any man think that death doth not approach because he thinketh not of it, or shall he think it draws nearer because he meditateth upon it; Whether thou thinkest upon it or no, saith one, it hangeth alwayes over thy head, life was lent unto thee, not gi∣ven thee as a freehold. Verily, the me∣ditation of death is not irksome, nor ought we to defer it from one year to another, but on the contrary, to think that nothing doth so much safeguard us in the midst of adver∣sities and dangers as the meditation of death; it is that which makes us sober in prosperity, and ready pre∣pared for all events; death would be vanquished as soon as it should come, if it were well thought on before it cometh; and indeed he is unworthy of comfort in his death, who in his whole life is forgetfull of death.
Guericus hearing those words out
of Gen. 5. read in the Church, And all the dayes that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he dyed; and all the dayes of Seth were nine hun∣dred and twelve years and he dyed; and all the dayes of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years, and he dyed, &c. Hearing, I say, these words read, the very thoughts of death wrought so strongly upon him, that he gave up himself wholly to a de∣vout life, that he might dye the death of the righteous, and attain to eter∣nal life: I have read a story of one that gave a costly Ring to a young gallant with a death's head in it, upon this condition, that for some weeks he should spend one hour every day in looking and meditating upon it; he took the Ring in wantonness, but per∣formed the condition with dili∣gence; but it pleased God, after a fre∣quent view and meditation thereof, it wrought a notable change upon him, so that he became an excellent Christian; well were it, if men of all ranks would frequently meditate on death; and then by the grace of God they would finde a great change
upon their lives; there is nothing doth so effectually call a man back from sin as the frequent meditation of death. Lewes the eleventh King of France did on his death-bed restore two Counties to the heirs of John King of Arragon, to which before in his life time he would never con∣descend. Death is the clock by which we set our life in an order, and the memory thereof doth restrain our immoderate love to worldly things; did we frequently meditate on death, we should finde a bitterness in those things which now seem sweet unto us; the meditation hereof clean∣seth the heart, as a strainer cleanseth all the liquor that is poured into it: A man is never more heavenly minded, then when he meditateth on his own frailty, and thinketh that he must shortly dye. Let us herein take heed of the arrogance of the Stoicks, and the vain confidence of the Epicures, who never think on death, but think they are in league with it, perswading them∣selves, it shall be easie for them to put by the blows of death; and let
us have no part in their effeminency, who are affrighted at the very name of death, not thinking that in death it self there is so much evil, as in the solicitudes and fears with which ma∣ny times in a day they kill them∣selves, without any ease to their un∣beleeving hearts. Such meditations of death are foolish and unprofitable, seeing as the Prophet tells us, There is no man living that shall not see death, and be able to save his life out of the hand of the grave, Psal. 89.90.
The eighth sub∣ject of medita∣tion is death.
Mortale du∣plicitèr voca∣tur; viz. vel quod naturae necessitate mori oportet, vel quod pec∣cati merito mori potest. Quod quicun∣que dixerit, Adam primum hominem, mortalem fa∣ctum, ita ut si∣••è peccaret, sive nòn pec∣caret, more∣retur in cor∣pore, hoc est, de corpore exiret, non peccati merito ed neessitate naturae, Ana∣thema sit, Concil. Melevit. cap. 1.
Vid. Polan. Syntagm.
Lumb. Sent. lib. 2. Distinct. 9.
Object.
Resp.
Stella de con∣tempt mundi.
Gerrard Medi∣tat. 43.
Drexel. consi∣derat. de aeter∣nit.
Nil sic revocat a peccato, quam frequens mortis medi∣tatio, August. Nebrissens. Dec. 2. lib. 3. cap. 1.
Cùm igitùr mortem nòn meditamur, molestior vitae finis expe∣ctandus nobis est. Diogenes in Epist. ad Mo∣nemum.
Sicut cibis omnibus panis utilior est & magis necessa∣rius, ita prae∣stat omnibus operibus mor∣tis cogitatio. Climacus Grad. 6. de discret.
Mons. Goulart. Viel.