2. The death of a Child of God is called a sleep, propter spem resurrectionis. To intimate unto us the assurance of a Resurrection. 1Thus Christ saith of Lazarus, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth, but I go that I may awake him out of sleep. Death is nothing else (saith St. Chrysostom) but a temporary sleep. 2Sleep is a short death, and death a longer sleep. As he that goeth to sleep, sleeps but for a certain time, and awakes in the morning out of sleep: So he that sleeps the sleep of death, when the Trump of God shall found, shall awake, & arise out of his grave as out of his bed in the morning of the Resurrection: St. Austin saith, That the Scripture saith of those that are dead, that they are but asleep, because of the certain hope of a Resurrection, by which they shall speedily be awakened from the sleep of death, and raised out of their Sepulchres as out of their beds. Hence it hath formerly been, and still is a godly custom amongst Christians when any of their religious friends die, to say of them, They are not dead, but Obdormi•nt in Domino, They are asleep in the Lord. And this they do for the comfort of their Relations, and to create in them a contempt of this present life, and a sure and certain hope of a Resurrection unto life everlasting.
2. The death of a Child of God is called a sleep, propter spem resurrectionis. To intimate unto us the assurance of a Resurrection. 1Thus Christ saith of Lazarus, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth, but I go that I may awake him out of sleep. Death is nothing else (saith St. Chrysostome) but a temporary sleep. 2Sleep is a short death, and death a longer sleep. As he that goeth to sleep, sleeps but for a certain time, and awakes in the morning out of sleep: So he that sleeps the sleep of death, when the Trump of God shall found, shall awake, & arise out of his grave as out of his bed in the morning of the Resurrection: St. Austin saith, That the Scripture saith of those that are dead, that they are but asleep, because of the certain hope of a Resurrection, by which they shall speedily be awakened from the sleep of death, and raised out of their Sepulchres as out of their beds. Hence it hath formerly been, and still is a godly custom amongst Christians when any of their religious friends die, to say of them, They are not dead, but Obdormi•nt in Domino, They are asleep in the Lord. And this they do for the comfort of their Relations, and to create in them a contempt of this present life, and a sure and certain hope of a Resurrection unto life everlasting.
- 1Joh. 11.11.
- 2Mors non est mors, sed somnus & do•miti• temporaria, Homil, 22. ad populum Antinchenum. Somnus est mors quaedam brevior, mors vero somnus longior, — Consanguineus lethi supper. Scriptura cos qui mortui sunt, vocat dormicutes ob spem Resurrectionis, qua celerim• •vigilabunt (x somno mortis, & ex lecto, id est, ex sepulchro. Serm. 32. de Verbis Apostoli. Tom 10.Mors non est mors, sed somnus & do•miti• temporaria, Homil, 22. ad populum Antinchenum. Somnus est mors quaedam brevior, mors vero somnus longior, — Consanguineus lethi soper. Scriptura cos qui mortui sunt, vocat dormicutes ob spem Resurrectionis, qua celerim• •vigilabunt (x somno mortis, & ex lecto, id est, ex sepulchro. Serm. 32. de Verbis Apostoli. Tom 10.
