Section 10
The tenth subject of meditation is, meditate on death. We say we must all die, but who is he that meditates seriously upon it? Meditate, first, of the certainty of death, statutum est; It is appointed for all once to die, Hebrews 9:27. There is a statute out. Second, meditate upon the proximity of death, it is near to us; Et mors atra caput fuscis circumvolat alis. — We are almost setting our feet upon the dark entry of death. The Poets painted time with wings; it not only rides Post, but flies, and carries us upon its wings. The race is short between the cradle and the grave: the sentence of death is already passed, Genesis 3:19. To dust you shall return; so that our life is but a short reprieve from death which is granted to a condemned man; My age is [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉], as nothing, Psalm 39:5. Nay, if it were possible to take something out of nothing, our life is less than nothing, reckoned with eternity. Third, meditate upon the uncertainty of the time. We have no Lease, but may be turned out the next hour; there are so many casualties, that it is a wonder if life be not cut off by untimely death. How soon may God seal us a lease of ejectment? Our grave may be digging before night. Today we lie upon a pillow of down, tomorrow we may be laid upon a pillow of dust. Today the Sermon-bell goes, tomorrow our passing-bell may go. Fourth, think seriously, that to die is to be but once done, and after death, there is nothing to be done. If you die in your impenitency, there is no repenting in the grave. If you leave your work at death half done, there is no finishing it in the grave, Ecclesiastes 9:10. There is no work nor device, nor wisdom in the grave whither you go. If a garrison surrender at the first summons, there is mercy, but if it stay till the red flag be hung out, and the garrison is stormed, there is no mercy then. Now it is a day of grace, and God holds forth the white flag of mercy to the penitent, if we stay till God hold forth the red flag, and storm us by death, now there is no mercy. There is nothing to be done for our souls after death. Oh meditate on death. It is reported of Zeleucus, that the first piece of household-stuff he brought into Babylon, was a tombstone: think often of your tombstone. The meditation of death would work these admirable effects.
First, the meditation of death would pull down the plumes of pride; you are but pulvis animatus; shall dust and ashes be proud? You have a grassy body, Isaiah 40:6, and shall shortly be mown down; I have said you are gods, Psalm 82, but lest they should grow proud, he adds a corrective, you shall die like men, verse 7, you are dying gods.
Second, the meditation of death would be a means to give a death's wound to sin, nihil sic revocat a peccato, etc. No stronger antidote against sin, says Austin, than the frequent meditation of death; am I now sinning, and tomorrow may be dying? What if death should take me doing the devil's work, would it not send me to him to receive double pay? Carry the thoughts of death as a table-book always about you, and when sin tempts, pull out this table-book, and read in it, and you shall see sin will vanish. We should look upon sin in two glasses, the glass of Christ's blood, and the glass of death.
Third, the meditation of death would be a bridle for intemperancy; shall I pamper that body which must lie down in the house of rottenness? Our Savior at a feast breaks forth into mention of his burial, Matthew 26:12. Feeding upon the thoughts of death would be an excellent preservative against a surfeit.
Fourth, the meditation of death would make us husband time better, and crowd up much work in a little room. Many meet in Taverns to drive away time; the Apostle bids us redeem it; Redeeming the time. Our lives should be like jewels, though little in bulk, yet great in worth. Some die young, yet with gray hairs upon them; we must be like grass of the field, useful, not like grass of the housetop, Psalm 129:6, which withers before it be grown up. To live, and not be serviceable, is not vita, but tempus.
Fifth, the meditation of death would make us lay in provision against such a time. It would spur us on in the pursuit after holiness. Death is the great plunderer, it will shortly plunder us of all our outward comforts; our feathers of beauty, and honor must be laid in the dust, but death cannot plunder us of our graces. The Commonwealth of Venice in their armory have this inscription, happy is he that in time of peace thinks of war; he that often meditates on death, will make preparation against its coming.
