CHAP. XIII. The First Consolation against the Fear of Death,-GOD will not forsake us in our most grievous Agonies. MAN AN is naturally afraid of pain, and abhors sufferings and griefs. Now the most of us are persuaded, that it is impossible to die without enduring great torments; therefore they abhor Death, not so much for its own sake, as for the evils it inflicts upon us. That we may be able to drive away this ill-grounded fear, and strengthen our minds against all apprehensions, we must first consider, that death is not so dreadful and painful as is commonly imagined. The Holy Ghost calls it a sleep, and the Heathens themselves have said, that sleep is Death's cousin-german, and the image of frozen Death. Now sleep creeps upon us insensibly, it charms our senses softly, and with invisible fetters it ties and stops all our most active faculties. Though we sleep every night, we are not able to discover how this happens to us. It is said of Socrates, one of the most famous men of the first ages, having in obedience to the decree of the Athenian judges, drank poison, when he felt the venom benumbing his senses, and Death creeping into his veins, he declared with a pleasant countenanee, "That he had never swallowed any thing more sweet and comfortable." Nothing can be imagined more pleasant than the death of the old patriarchs. The holy scripture tells us, that when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, Gen. xlix. The same is related of king David,that when he had persuaded Solomon to "fear God, and to do justice, he slept with his fathers," 1 Kings ii. God is as merciful to many in these latter days, to cause them to die in speaking and calling upon his holy name. Their souls are not plucked from them by violence; but of their own accord they leave the body, and fly into heaven with an holy cheerfulness. The separation of such souls happens without pain, grief, or suffering.Such are like to a taper, that goes out without any blast of wind, of its own accord, when the wax that keeps it alive, and nourishes its flame, is totally spent. If you perceive some tossed and tortured with grievous pangs on their deathbed, they are not properly the pangs of death, but the last strugglings and motions of life: for I cannot imagine, that at the moment of the separation of our souls from our bodies, we suffer any pain; because at that instant the senses are then lulled asleep, and our bodies have no more strength, nor life, to hinder the soul's departing. Death is so far from being so dreadful and painful as we commonly imagine, that, on the contrary, it is that very thing that puts an end to all our pains and miseries. And I am persuaded, that the diseases that bring us to our graves are not so grievous as the other distempers that we endure whilst we live here on earth; such as are the cruel gout, a stone in the kidneys, or a cancer in the breast; for they are tortures that rack us continually, and a fire that consumes us without ceasing. But if our pains should be far more sensible, and that we should have reason to impute them to Death, we have no reason therefore to fly from it, or abhor its approaches: for we have as good cause to curse the hour of our birth, and weep for our victories; for there is no birth without pain, nor victory without struggling; the most glorious and flourishing laurels are watered with blood and sweat. The most excellent things are attained with the greatest difficulties; and to speak according to the common saying, as one nail drives another," so one evil is a remedy to many other evils. We commonly seek, as a good thing, that 7. Ii evil evil that frees us from the violent pains that we can scarce endure. To be healed of our distempers, we swallow bitter pills and potions, to gripe and torment our bowels. To be freed from the stone, we suffer a most painful cutting; and that the gangrene, which infects one of our limbs, might not get to our heart, we endure it with patience to be cut off, whether it be arm or leg. Therefore, though death should be much more grievous, bitter, and more cruel, than is commonly represented, yet we ought to embrace it willingly, because it delivers us not only from some one disease, or some particular pain, but in general from all pains, aches, and distempers. The physic expels not always the humour that disquiets us. When we have drawn out a stone from the bladder, many times others grow in the place, that are worse. The surgeon's hand, let it be ever so expert, answers not always to the patient's expectation; instead of removing his pain, it sometimes increaseth it. But the working and cure of Death is always certain, and never fails; the success is always happy to a christian soul. That I may supply thee with some comfort in the midst of thy great pains and sufferings, my brother, or my sister, remember that these things happen to thee not by chance, but God appoints them as his wisdom judges convenient. Ascribe not thy disease to the influence of the stars, to blind fortune,&c. but lift up thine eyes to his appointment, who hath stretched out the heavens, and commanded the succession of the seasons, and who is the Author and Lord of thy life. We need not tempt God as the Philistines of old, and require from him a miracle, to know if it be his hand; for God assures us, that he himself inflicts the wound, and binds it up; that his hand strikes, and heals again, 1 Sam. v." Affliction cometh not forth of the dust; neither doth trouble spring out of the ground," Job v. Who is able to say that these things are come to pass, and the Lord hath not commanded them? Doth not evil and good proceed from the appointment of the Most High? There is no evil in the city but God hath done it; that is to say, that there is no distemper, nor affliction, but he over-rules and governs it by his wonderful providence. This persuasion will stop our murmuring in the midst of our greatest trouble and violent pains. It will cause us to say with David," I have held my peace, Lord, and have not opened my lips, because it was thy doing." Or if we offer to speak, it will be in the language of a blessed servant of God, "Lord, thou troublest me; but it is sufficient for me to know that it is thy hand," Job ii. As if he should have said, This physic is very bitter, O great Physician of my soul and body; but I will freely drink it up, because thou hast prescribed it. It is not just to receive good at the hand of God, and refuse evil; to complain of a disease that he hath sentus for a few days, instead of blessing him for the health he hath continued to us many years. In short, when our souls shall be troubled with anguish of death, when drops of blood shall come out of our veins, we must in such a case lift our eyes to heaven, and say with our Lord and Saviour, "Father, if it please thee that this cup shall not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done." The same consideration will keep us from falling into despair, and from fancying, that the evils will swallow us up. For since God sends both evil and good, and that he is faithful and just, that he is true and merciful, he will not suffer us to be tempted, that is, that we should be afflicted, above that we are able, but with the temptation he will make a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it, 1 Cor. x. He kindles not all his wrath at once, and employs not all his fury. He discovers not all the strength of his arm, Psa. lxxviii. but when his anger is hottest, he remembers to have pity and compassion on the afflicted; for he knows of what we are made, made, and that we are but dust and ashes, Hab. iii. He remembers that we are but flesh, that is to say, weakness itself, a wind that passeth away and returneth not again, Psl. lxxviii. He regulates his chastisements, not according to the horridness of our sins, but according to our great weakness, Gen. xviii. Psa. lxxviii. Therefore when God speaks of David's son, the true and lively image of the holy Seed, with whom he had concluded an eternal covenant, he speaks in this manner; "If he commit sin, I will chastise him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men; but my mercy shall not depart away from him," 1 Sam. vii. And St. Paul, treating in general of the afflictions with which God visits his children, 1 Cor. x. he styles them "human temptations," to assure us that they shall never exceed the strength and power of human nature. The wise and experienced physician appoints neither physic nor bleeding to the patient, until he hath well examined his pulse, and understood thereby the disposition of his body: and shall not God's eternal wisdom, that never acts without good reason, and that perfectly knows the pulse and temper of our souls, that searcheth our reins, and sees our very heart, proportion his physic and remedies to our weaknesses? For his design is to heal, and not to destroy us. He once inflicted punishments upon Babylon by measure, and numbered the phials of his wrath which he poured upon the seat of the beast: and shall not this good God measure the rods, and weigh the afflictions, with which he reproves his children? Shall not he number their sighs and tears? This consideration comforts king David, "Thou (said he)O God, tellest my wanderings; put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not written in thy book?" Psa. Ivi. Although flesh and blood may think otherwise, I am persuaded, that diseases may be looked upon as the sweetest and most favourable affliction. It was David's persuasion; for when he was to choose one of these three |