A Golden Chain

The second duty in this general preparation is, that every man must daily endeavour to take away from his own death the power and strength thereof. And I pray you mark this point. The Philistines saw by experience that Sampson was of great strength, and therefore they used means to know in what part of his body it lay: and when they found it to be in the hair of his head, they ceased not until it was cut off. In like manner the time will come when we must encounter hand to hand with tyrannous and cruel death: the best therefore is, before hand now while we have time to search where the strength of death lies, which being once known, we must with speed cut off his Samsons locks, and bereave him of his power, disarm him, & make him altogether unable to prevail against us. Now to find out this matter, we need not to use the counsel of any Delilah: for we have the word of God ⟨p. 788⟩which teacheth us plainly where the strength of death consists, namely in our sins, as Paul saith, The sting of death is sin. Well then, we knowing certainly that the power and force of every mans particular death lies in his own sins, must spend our time and study in using good means that our sins may be removed and pardoned. And therefore we must daily inure our selves in the practise of two duties. One is to humble our selves for all our sins past, partly confessing them against our selves, partly in prayer crying to heaven for the pardon of them. The other is for time to come to turn unto god, and to carry a purpose, resolution, and endeavour in all things to reform both heart and life according to Gods word. These are the very principal and proper duties, whereby the strength of death is much rebated, and he is made of a mighty and bloody enemy so far forth friendly and tractable, that we may with comfort encounter with him and prevail too. Therefore I commend these duties to your Christian considerations, and careful practise, desiring that ye would spend your days ever hereafter in doing of them. If a man were to deal with a mighty dragon or serpent hand to hand, in such wise as he must either kill or be killed, the best thing were to bereave him of his sting or of that part of his body where his poison lies:

The second dutie in this generall preparation is, that euery man must daily indeauour to take away from his owne death the power and strength therof. And I pray you marke this point. The Philistims sawe by experience that Sampson was of great strength, and therefore they vsed meanes to knowe in what part of his bodie it laie: and when they found it to bee in the haire of his head, they ceased not vntill it was cutte off. In like manner the time will come when we must encounter hand to hand with tyranous and cruell death: the best therefore is, before hand nowe while wee haue time to search where the strength of death lies, which beeing once knowne, we must with speede cutte off his Sampsons lockes, and bereaue him of his power, disarme him, & make him altogither vnable to preuaile against vs. Now to finde out this matter, we neede not to vse the counsell of any Delilah: for wee haue the worde of God