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THE second Propertye of Deathe is, that concer∣ning the Day, Place, & Manner it is most secre∣tly hidden from all men, & manifest onely to God. 1. In the which I will ponder first, that wee are not able to knowe the Day, nor the Hower wherein wee are to dye; neither the Place, nor the Occasion, nor Seas on wherein Deathe may attache vs, nor the
manner how wee are to dye whither its hal bee with a naturall Deathe, by Sickenesse, & by what kinde of Sicknesse: or whither it shalbee with a violent Deathe, by Fier, or VVater: by the handes of men, or by Beastes: or by some Lightning, or by the tile of a houset, hat may fall downe vpon vs. This onely wee knowe, that Deathe shall come sodainely, or Sicknesse, and the Occasion thereof: and that when a man is most carelesse, * 1.1 it comes like a Theefe in the night to scale his house, and robbe him of his VVealthe. So (saieth Christ our Lorde) shall the Sonne of man come to scale your house, which is the bodye, and to robbe, and sacke the Soule of it, and to giue Iudgement thereof.
2. Secondly, I will consider what endes our Lord had in this plot of his Prouidence, that is to say, to oblige vs to bee alwayes watchefull, * 1.2 fearing this hower, prouiding ourselues for it, doing penance for our Sinnes before Deathe seaze vpon vs, and making haste to merit, * 1.3 and to labour before our light bee ended, least the Candle dye sodainely, and wee remaine in the Darke. This Christe our Lord concluded in his Parables concerning this matter. Sometimes hee saide. * 1.4 Vigilate, qnia nescitis diem no{que} horam: VVatche daily, and howerly, because you knovve not the daye, nor the hovver of your Deathe. Other sometimes hee saide: VVatche, because you knovve not vvhat hovver your Lord vvill come: and bee you readye, for at vvhat houre you thinke not, the Sonne of man vvill come. VVith these wordes I will often exhort my selfe, saying: Girde thy body with the mortification of thy vices, and passions: and take in thy handes the burning torches of Ver∣tues, and good workes, and bee allwayes watche∣full expecting the comming of Christe, for hee shall come when thou leaste thinkest of it, and that ho∣wer wherein thou are most forgetfull, shallbee
peraduenture the hower that hee hath assigned, and if hee finde thee not well prouided, thou wilt bee miserably deceiued.
3. Thirdly, I will ponder that all sodaine vnex∣pected Deathes that haue happened, and daily doe happen, are remembrances of this Veritie giuen mee by our Lord, that I may feare, and prepare my∣selfe; for Deathe that striketh euery man, may li∣kewise strike mee. And therefore when I see, or heare say, That some dye sodainely by the sworde, some by the handes of their Enemyes; and other some lying downe to sleepe in good healthe, slept the last sleepe of Deathe: out of all this, I am to drawe feare, and aduise: for that it may possibly happen, that such a kinde of Sodaine Deathe shall light vpon mee.
4. VVhereupon I am deepely to consider, that any mortall Sinne whatsoeuer, if I doe not penance for it, deserueth that Gods Iustice should chastize mee with this Deathe, as Christe our Lord aduerti∣sed to the purpose, in two like cases, that happened in his time: the one, That Pilate killed sodainely certaine Galileans: the other, * 1.5 That the Tower of Siloe fell vpon eighteene men: thinke you (saithe hee) that these men were the greatest Sinners of Galiley, or Ierusalem? Non, dico vobu: sed nisi poe∣nitentiam habueritis, omnes similiter peribitis. No, I say vnto you, for this hath happened that you may vnderstand, that vnles you doe Penance, you shall all likevvise perishe: as if hee should saye: VVhen you see any dye sodainely, and of a disastrous Deathe, bee not vainely secure, saying: This happened vnto them, because they were greate Sinners: for verily I say vnto you, that what Sinner soeuer hee bee, though hee bee not so greate, if hee doe not I e∣nance, hee is worthy of Punishment, and shall pe∣rishe, as these perished. Then if this bee truthe,
as indeede it is, why doe not I tremble to liue one hower in mortall Sinne, in what sorte soeuer it bee? VVho can secure mee that the Punishment shall not fall vpon mee, that I so justly haue deserued? VVho hath excepted mee from this generall threa∣tening, that Christe our God menaceth to all Sin∣ners? * 1.6 O miserable Sinner, bee mercifull to thyne owne Soule, and endeuour to appease God with Penance, before so horrible miserye light sodainely vpon thee.
Luo. 12.39. 1. Ad Thes. 5.2 Apoc. 16.15.
Eccles. 9.2.
Ioan. 12.35.
Matt. 25 13. Matt. 24 42. Luc. 12.40.
Lue. 13.2.
Eccles. 30 24.