Lam. III. 24.] an aek for all god's noahs. 71
should I die, being so rich ? If the whole realm would save my life, I . am able either by policy to get it, or by riches to buy it ; fie, quoth he, will not death be hired ? will moaey do nothing ?^ It is reported that Queen Elizabeth could not endure so much as to hear death named ; and Sigismund the emperor, and Louis the Eleventh, king of Fraace, straitly charged all their servants, that when they saw them sick, they should never dare to name that bitter word death in their ears. Vitellius, an emperor of Rome — a notorious glutton, as you may easily judge, by his having at one supper two thousand fishes, and seven thousand birds — when he could not fly death, he made himself drunk that he might not be sensible of the pangs of death.* It was a very prudent and Christian speech of Charles the Fifth to the duke of Venice, who when he had shewed him the glory of his princely palace and earthly paradise, instead of admiring it, or him for it, he only returned him this grave and serious Tnemento, Hcec sunt qucB faciunt invitos mori, these are the things which make us unwilling to die, &c. And by daily experience we find that of all men wealthy men are most un- willing to die. Oh, but now God is such a portion as fits and disposes the soul to die, yea, as makes the soul look and long for death, and that makes death more desirable than life itself. A man that hath God for his portion, that hath God in his arms, may well sing it out with old Simeon, ' Lord, let thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word : for mine eyes hath seen thy salvation,' Luke ii. 25, 29, 30 ; and with Paul, ' 1 desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ,' Philip, i. 23 ; and with the church, ' Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like a roe, or to a young hart upon the mountain of spices,' Cant, viil 1 4 ; and, ' Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly,' Rev. xxii. 20. Did Christ die for me that I might live with him ? I will not therefore desire to live long from him. All men go willingly to see him whom they love, and shall I be unwUling to die that I may see him whom my soul loves ? Surely no. Augustine longed to die that he might see that head that was once crowned with thorns. The dying words of my young Lord Harrington were these : ' O my God, when shall I be with thee ?'^ Cyprian could receive the cruellest sentence of death with a Deo gratias; and holy Andrew saluted the cross on which he was to be crucified, saying, 'Take me from men, and restore me to my master.' And so Laurence Saunders, when he was come to the stake at which he was to be burnt, he kissed it, saying, * Welcome the cross of Christ, welcome everlasting life.* But,
(12.) Twelfthly, If God be the saints' portion, oh then let the saints still think of Ood, and look upon God under this notion. A man that hath God for his portion should always have very high, noble, sweet, and precious thoughts of God. It becomes not those that have God for their portion to be always looking upon God as an angry God, or as a displeased Father, or as an incensed judge, or as an enraged enemy, or as a bitter friend. When God would make known his name, his nature, his glory to Moses, he proclaims himself to be, 'The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-sufifering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keep-
* A great man wrote thus a little before his death, Spes et fortuna valete.
• Erasmus hit it when he said, Timor mortis p^OT quam ipsa mors.
» Funeral Sermon by Stock, 1610.— G. * Clark, at b^ore.—0^
72 AN ARK FOR ALL GOD's NOAHS. [LAM. III. 24.