An expository comment, doctrinal, controversial, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…An expository comment, doctrinal, controversal, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…

Secondly, Seeing that death is thus connatural, and the effect of sin and ¹the Devil, Hence it is that which maketh Death far more terrible than otherwise it would be, is sin. Whatsoever bitterness and gall is in death, it doth chiefly come from sin, 1 Cor. 15. 56. The sting of death is sin. So many sins as thou committest, thou puttest so many stings into death to make it more dreadful. Could a man die, and have not any sin laid to his charge, though it would be pain, yet it would not be terror. When Aristotle calleth death [Greek or Hebrew], The terrible of terribles. He speaketh of death as now it is. Now in death, as ordinarily men die, there is not a bare apprehension of the dissolution of soul and body, but there is the guilt of sin likewise interposing, whereby a dying man is usually terrified with the thoughts of what he hath done, and in Christians, what will become of them when they are dead. Animula blandula, quae nunc abibis in loca. Die I dare not, live I cannot; and thus his soul is miserably in agonies, and grievous tormenting fears, and all because sin is the sting of death. Oh it were easy to die were it not for sin, for hell, for judgement, were it not for conscience accusing and condemning. But this is it which maketh the thoughts of it so grievous and terrible.²

Secondly, Seeing that death is thus connatural, and the effect of sinne and ¹the Devil, Hence it is that which maketh Death farre more terrible than otherwise it would be, is sinne. Whatsoever bitterness and gall is in death, it doth chiefly come from sinne, 1 Cor. 15. 56. The sting of death is sinne. So many sinnes as thou committest, thou puttest so many stings into death to make it more dreadfull. Could a man die, and have not any sinne laid to his charge, though it would be pain, yet it would not be terrour. When Aristotle calleth death 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, The terrible of terribles. He speaketh of death as now it is. Now in death, as ordinarily men die, there is not a bare apprehension of the dissolution of soul and body, but there is the guilt of sinne likewise interposing, whereby a dying man is usually terrified with the thoughts of what he hath done, and in Christians, what will become of them when they are dead. Animula blandula, quae nunc abibis in loca. Die I dare not, live I cannot; and thus his soul is miserably in agonies, and grievous tormenting fears, and all because sinne is the sting of death. Oh it were easie to die were it not for sinne, for hell, for judgement, were it not for conscience accusing and condemning. But this is it which maketh the thoughts of it so grievous and terrible.