A Golden Chain

The preparation unto death is an action of a repentant sinner, whereby he makes himself fit and ready to die, and is a duty very necessary, to which we are bound by Gods commandment. For there be sundry places of Scripture which do straightly enjoin us to watch and pray, and to make our selves ready every way against the second coming of Christ to judgement. Now the same places do withal bind us to make preparation against death, at which time God comes to judgement unto us particularly. Again, look as death leaveth a man, so shall the last judgement find him, and so shall he abide eternally: there may be changes and conversions from evil to good in this life, but after death there is no change at all. Therefore a preparation to death can in no wise be omitted of him that desires to make an happy and blessed end.

The preparation vnto death is an action of a repentant sinner, whereby he makes himselfe fitte and readie to die, and is a dutie very necessarie, to which we are bound by Gods commaundement. For there be sundrie places of Scripture which doe straightly inioyne vs to watch and pray, and to make our selues readie euery way against the second comming of Christ to iudgement. Now the same places doe withall binde vs to make preparation against death, at which time God comes to iudgement vnto vs particularly. Againe, looke as death leaueth a man, so shall the last iudgement finde him, and so shall he abide eternally: there may be changes and conuersions from euill to good in this life, but after death there is no change at all. Therefore a preparation to death can in no wise be omitted of him that desires to make an happie and blessed ende.

This preparation is twofold: general, and particular. General preparation is that whereby a man prepares himself to die through the whole course of his life. A duty most needful which must in no wise be omitted. The reasons are these. First of all death which is certain is most uncertain. I say it is certain, because no man can eschew death. And it is uncertain three ways: first, in regard of time: for no man knoweth when he shall die: secondly, in regard of place: for no man knows where he shall die, whether in his bed or in the field, whether by sea or by land: thirdly, in respect of the kind of death: for no man knows whether he shall die of a lingering or sudden, of a violent or natural death. Hence it follows, that men should every day prepare themselves to death. Indeed if we could know when, where, and how we should die, the case were otherwise, but seeing we know none of these, it stands us in hand to look about us. A second reason serving further to persuade us is this. The most dangerous thing of all in this world, is to neglect all preparation. To make this point more manifest, I will use this comparison. A certain man, pursued by an Unicorn, in his flight falls into a dungeon, and in his fall takes hold and hangs by the arm of a tree: now as he thus hangs looking downward, he sees two worms gnawing at the root of the tree, and as he looks upward he sees and hive of most sweet honey, whereupon he climes up unto it, and sitting by it feeds thereon. In the mean season while he is thus sitting, the two worms gnaw in pieces the root of the tree: which done, tree and man and all fall into the bottom of the dungeon. Now this Unicorn is death; the man that flieth is every one of us, and every living man: the pit over which he hangeth, is hell: the arm of the tree is life it self: the two worms are day and night, the continuance whereof is the whole life of man: the hive of honey is the pleasures and profits and honours of this world, to which when men wholly give themselves not considering their ends, till the tee root, that is, this temporal life be cut off: which being once done, they plunge themselves quite into the gulf of hell. By this we see, that there is good cause that men