N01109:21
Meditations on death. Delivered in several sermons, wherein is showedMeditations on death. Delivered in several sermons, wherein is shewed
Meditations on death. Delivered in several sermons, wherein is showed; I. That some true believers on Christ are afraid of death, but that they have no just cause to be so. II. That good men as well as others may be taken out of the world by a sudden death. III. That not earth but heaven is the Christians home. / By Increase Mather, D.D. ; [Two lines from Hebrews]Meditations on death. Delivered in several sermons, wherein is shewed; I. That some true believers on Christ are afraid of death, but that they have no just cause to be so. II. That good men as well as others may be taken out of the world by a sudden death. III. That not earth but heaven is the Christians home. / By Increase Mather, D.D. ; [Two lines from Hebrews]
printed by Timothy Green, 1707
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.
PROPOSITION I.
That Death is a Formidable Evil. To Nature it is so. Although' there are those in the world that through Faith and the Fear of God, are carried above the fear of Death; Nevertheless, tis in it self considered a Formidable Evil; and is therefore called, The King of Terrors, Job 18.14. It exceeds other Evils as much as a King exceeds other men. It is a most terrible thing: Job 24.17. They are in the Terrors of the shadow of Death. Look as there is nothing to Nature more pleasing and desirable than Life: Eccl. 11.7. Light is sweet; That is to say, the light of Life, that is sweet to Nature; and says Solomon, It is a pleasant thing to behold the light of the Sun: His meaning is, to live here in the world; For when men are in the dark Grave they behold the light of the Sun no more. So on the other hand, to be deprived of Life, to be subject to Death is the most unpleasant & undesirable thing to Nature ⟨p. 5⟩that can be. And therefore it is that men Naturally do choose any thing rather than Death: Job 2.4. All that a man has will he give for his L•fe. Men had rather be Poor than Dye, rather be Sick than Dye; they had rather Live miserably than not at all: So then Death is a Formidable Evil.
That Death is a Formidable Evil. To Nature it is so. Altho' there are those in the world that through Faith and the Fear of God, are carried above the fear of Death; Nevertheless, tis in it self considered a Formidable Evil; and is therefore called, The King of Terrors,