* Vitellius, looking for the messenger of death, made himself drunk to drown the thoughts of it.
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end, and thou shalt never do amiss,' be apocryphal, yet the truth asserted is canonical, i I have read a story of one that gave a young prodigal a ring with a death's-head, on this condition, that he should one hour in a day, for seven days together, think and meditate upon death, which accordingly he did, and it bred a great change and alter- ation in his life and conversation. 0 man ! thou dost not know but that the serious thoughts of death may work that desirable thing in thee, viz., holiness, which yet has not been wrought in thee by all the holy counsels, the gracious examples, the fervent prayers, and the sorrowful tears of thy dearest friends. Thou dost not know but that the serious meditation of death may do thee more good than all the sermons that ever thou hast heard, or than all the books that ever thou hast read, or than all the prayers that ever thou hast made, or than all the sighs or groans that ever thou hast poured out ; and why then shouldst thou put the thoughts of death far from thee ? Cer- tainly as he is a sinner in grain that dares look death in the face and yet sin, that dares cut a purse when the judge looks on ; so he is a monster rather than a man, that dares look death in the face, and yet satisfy himself to live without hoKness ; that dares look death in the face, and yet say I '11 drink and be drunk, I '11 swear and swagger, I '11 roar and whore, I '11 cheat and cozen, I '11 hate and oppose, I '11 quarrel and kill, and my hands shall be as bloody as my heart, and let death do her 2 worst ; if such a person be not in the ready way of being miserable for ever, I know nothing.
1. Firstly, Well, sirs, remember these three things: [1.] First, That there is nothing more certain than death. That sta- tute law of heaven, ' Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return,' Gen. iii. 19, will take hold of all the sons of men. ' There is no man that lives and shall not see death,' Ps. Ixxxix. 48. Though Jacob wrestled with an angel and prevailed, yet death was too hard for him, Gren. xxxii. ; though Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe, yet he could not outrun death, and Absalom could not outride it, nor Pharaoh outdrive it; though Saul and Jonathan were as swift as eagles, and as strong as lions, yet were they slain among the mighty : it was not Solomon's wisdom that could deliver him, nor Samson's strength that could rescue him, nor Haman's honour that could secure him, nor Goliath's sword that could defend him, nor Dives's riches that could ransom him from the grave ; and therefore why should men put this day so far from them ? But,
[2.] Secondly, As there is nothing more certain than death, so there is nothing more sudden than death. When the old world, when Sodom, when Pharaoh, when Hagar, when Amalek, when Haman, when Nebuchadnezzar, when Belshazzar, when Dives, when the rich fool, and when Herod, were aU in their prime and pride, when they were in their most flourishing estate, when they were at the very top of their glory, ah, how suddenly, how sadly, how strangely, how unex- pectedly, and how wonderfully were they brought down to the grave, yea, to hell ! Oh, the thousand thousands of crosses, losses, diseases, sicknesses, calamities, dangers, and deaths which attends the life of
^ Ecclesiasticus vii. 36. — G.
* First occurrence that I have found of ' death' as feminine.— G.
HeB. XII. 14.] AND BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 207
man, and by the least of which, he may be suddenly surprised and carried into another world ! and therefore why should man cry out eras, eras, to-morrow, to-morrow, when he does not know whether he shall have a to-morrow, when he does not know but that he may die before he has begun to live ? Waldus, a rich merchant of Lyons, in France, seeing one suddenly drop down dead in the streets, went home, repented, changed his life, studied the Scriptures, and became a worthy teacher, father, and founder of the Christians called the Waldenses, or poor men of Lyons. And oh that the serious thoughts of the suddenness of death might have that happy effect upon your souls, as to work you to break your league with sin, and to fright you, as it were, into a love of holiness, and into a life of holi- ness ! 0 swearer, what dost thou know but that death may seize on thee whilst the oath is in thy mouth ? And what dost thou know, O drunkard, but that death may step in between the cup and the lip, as it did to Belshazzar ? And what dost thou know, 0 adulterer, but that a poisoned dart may strike through thy liver whilst thou art in the very flagrancy of thy lust, as it did through Zimri's and Cozbi's ? And what dost thou know, 0 proud Haman, but that thou who art thus nobly feasted one day, mayest be a feast for the crows the next day ? And what dost thou know who art so crafty, 0 Ahithophel, but that if thy subtle counsel be rejected one hour, thou mayest hang thy- self the next hour ? And what dost thou know, 0 thou opposing and murmuring Korah, but that the earth may suddenly open and swallow thee up ? and therefore why should you put that day so far from you, that may so suddenly overtake you ?
Berline, in Germany, charged St Paul with a lie in the pulpit, and was suddenly smitten with an apoplexy, and fell down dead in the place. 1 And what dost thou know, who art so apt to charge the people of God with lying, but that God may strike thee both dumb and dead whilst the lie is in thy mouth ? Bibulus, a Roman general, riding in triumph in all his glory, a tile fell off from a house in the street and knocked out his brains. And what dost thou know, 0 vainglorious man, but that whilst thou art triumphing in thy world- glory, by some unexpected blow thou mayest be sent into another world ?
Lepidus and Aufidius stumbled at the very threshold of the senate and died ; the blow came in a cloud from heaven. God by an irjvisible blow may send thee out of this visible world.
Sophocles died suddenly by excessive joy, and Homer by immode- rate grief ; excessive joy or excessive grief may suddenly bring thee to thy long home. Olympus the Arian heretic, speaking against the Holy Trinity as he was a-bathing himself, was struck dead by a threefold thunderbolt. 2 We may run and read some men's sins in the very face of their punishments. Mr Perkins speaks of one who, when it thundered, scoffingly said, it was nothing but Tom Tumbrel a-hooping his tubs, &c., and presently he was struck dead with a thunderbolt from heaven. There would be no end of recounting the several judgments that have suddenly surprised all sorts of sinners.
" Theatre of God's Judgments, lib, i. cap. 9, p. Qi.
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Let these few instances suffice to stir up every unholy heart to take heed of putting far off the day of death. But,