A62047:399
The fading of the flesh and flourishing of faith, or, One cast for eternity…
The fading of the flesh and flourishing of faith, or, One cast for eternity with the only way to throw it well : as also the gracious persons incomparable portion / by George Swinnock ...The fading of the flesh and flourishing of faith, or, One cast for eternity with the only way to throw it vvell : as also the gracious persons incomparable portion / by George Swinnock ...
London: printed for Tho. Parkhurst, 1662
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
As they are happy without us, for God is their portion; so we are happy without them. We have our God still; that stormy wind which blew out our candles, did not extinguish our Sun; Our Friend when on his or her death-bed, might bespeak us, as Jacob his Sons. I die but God shall visit you, I go from you, but God shall abide with you. ⟨p. 182⟩I leave you, but God will find you, he will never leave you nor forsake you. Reader, If God live, though thy friends dye, I hope thou art not lost, thou art not undone. May not God say to thee, when thou art pining and whining for the death of thy relations or friends, as if thou wert eternally miserable, as Elkanah to Hannah, Am not I better to thee then ten Sons? Am not I better to thee then ten Husbands, then ten Wives, then ten thousand worlds? O think of it and take comfort in it.
As they are happy without us, for God is their portion; so we are happy without them. We have our God still; that stormy wind which blew out our candles, did not extinguish our Sun; Our Friend when on his or her death-bed, might bespeak us, as Jacob his Sonnes. I die but God shall visit you, I go from you, but God shall abide with you. ⟨p. 182⟩I leave you, but God will find you, he will never leave you nor forsake you. Reader, If God live, though thy friends dye, I hope thou art not lost, thou art not undone. May not God say to thee, when thou art pining and whining for the death of thy relations or friends, as if thou wert eternally miserable, as Elkanah to Hannah, Am not I better to thee then ten Sons? Am not I better to thee then ten Husbands, then ten Wives, then ten thousand worlds? O think of it and take comfort in it.
1Secondly, It is comfortable against thy own death. God is thy Portion, and at death thou shalt take possession of thy vast estate. Now thou hast a freehold in law, a right to it; but then thou shalt have a freehold in deed, make thy entry on it, and be really seized of it: Its much that heathens who were purblind and could not see afar off into the joys and pleasures of the other world (the hopes of which alone can make death truly desirable) should with less fear meet this foe then many Christians. Nay 'twas more difficult to persuade several of those Pagans to live out all their days, then 'tis to persuade some amongst us to be willing to die when God calls them. Codrus could throw himself into a pit,