A commentary or, exposition upon the divine second epistle general, writtenA commentary or, exposition vpon the diuine second epistle generall, written

Not nature: Paul calls death an Enemy: Now, no man loves an enemy properly, and for his own sake, quatenus inimicus, so far as he is an enemy. Homicida in se, insepultus abijciatur, saith Seneca. It is pity any hands should bury him, whom his own hands have slain. We may say of a self-murderer, as it was said of Cato; Occidit see, ne dicat, Caesar me servavit: he slew himself, rather than he would say, Cesar hath saved me: so that man kills himself, lest CHRIST should save him. Cleombrotus read Plato's Phaedo unadvisedly; otherwise he would not have destroyed a mortal body to make way for an immortal soul. Scripta Platonis non ita erant animo percipienda tuo. ¹The poet by that natural light condemned such attempts, Qui sibi lethum, Insontes peperere manu, &c. Quam vellent aethere in alto, Nunc & pauperiem & duros perferre Labores! Those that have extricated themselves from misery on earth, by an unnatural violence upon themselves; if they might be restored to life again, they would endure ten thousand times more with patience. God hath tied the soul and body together with such a passionate love, that they cannot part without grief. Man is borne with little insensible pain, but dies with extreme ⟨p. 263⟩anguish. If the wisdom of God had not interposed that let to timorous nature, there would have beeney many Lucreces, Cleopatra's, Achitophels; so many wilful funerals, that good Laws should have found small opportunity of execution. But as God would have our birth bitter to our mothers, that they might love us the dearer: so he would have our death bitter to our selves, that we might the more fear to hasten it. Man saith; it is a miserable privation for him, that hath seen the stars, the sun in his glory, and the heavens reconciled with the fruitful earth, both sympathising in our benefit: for that man to be tumbled into a silent grave, neither seeing nor seen, uncapable of comfort! now what nature loathes, thy own sober heart dislikes, and God detests, do not accomplish.

Not nature: Paul calls death an Enemie: Now, no man loves an enemie properly, and for his owne sake, quatenus inimicus, so farre as he is an enemy. Homicida in se, insepultus abijciatur, saith Seneca. It is pittie any hands should bury him, whom his owne hands have slaine. We may say of a selfe-murderer, as it was said of Cato; Occidit se, ne dicat, Caesar me servavit: he slew himselfe, rather than he would say, Cesar hath saved me: so that man kills himselfe, lest CHRIST should save him. Cleombrotus read Plato's Phaedo unadvisedly; otherwise he would not have destroyed a mortall body to make way for an immortall soule. Scripta Platonis non ita erant animo percipienda tuo.