OF DEATH
DCCXLI.
To die for the sake of Christ's word, is esteemed precious and glorious before
God. We are mortal, and must die for the sake of our sins, but when we die for
the sake of Christ and his Word, and freely confess them, we die an honorable
death; we are thereby made altogether holy relics, and have sold our hides dear
enough. But when we Christians pray for peace and long life, `tis not for our
sake, to whom death is merely gain, but for the sake of the church, and of
posterity.
The fear of death is merely death
itself; he who abolishes that fear from the heart, neither tastes nor feels
death. A human creature lying asleep is very like one that is dead; whence the
ancients said, sleep is the brother of death. In like manner, life and death
are pictured to us in the day and night, and in the change and alteration of
the seasons.
The dream I had lately, will be made true; `twas
that I was dead, and stood by my grave, covered with rags. Thus am I long since
condemned to die, and yet I live.
DCCXLII.
"Whoso keepeth my saying, shall never see
death." Luther expounded this passage of St John thus: We must die and suffer
death, but whoso holds on God's Word, shall not feel death, but depart as in a
sleep, and concerning him it shall not be said: "I die, but I am forced to
sleep." On the other hand, whoso finds not himself furnished with God's Word,
must die in anguish; therefore, when thou comest to die, make no dispute at
all, but from thy heart say: I believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God; I ask no
more.
DCCXLIII.
One's thirty eighth year is an evil and
dangerous year, bringing many heavy and great sicknesses; naturally, by reason
perhaps, of the comets and conjunctions of Saturn and of Mars, but spiritually,
by reason of the innumerable sins of the people.
DCCXLIV.
Pliny, the heathen writer, says, book xx.
cap. 1: The best physic for a human creature is, soon to die; Julius Caesar
condemned death, and was careless of danger; he said: `Tis better to die once
than continually to be afraid of dying; this was well enough for a heathen, yet
we ought not to tempt God, but to use the means which he gives, and then commit
ourselves to his mercy.
It were a light and easy matter for a Christian
to overcome death, if he knew it was not God's wrath; that quality makes death
bitter to us. But a heathen dies securely; he neither sees nor feels that it is
God's wrath, but thinks it is merely the end of nature. The epicurean says:
`Tis but to endure one evil hour.
DCCXLV.
When I hear that a good and godly man is
dead, I am affrighted, and fear that God hates the world, and is taking away
the upright and good, to the end he may fall upon and punish the wicked. Though
I die, it makes no great matter; for I am in the pope's curse and
excommunication; I am his devil, therefore he hates and persecutes me. At
Coburg, I went about, and sought me out a place for my grave; I thought to have
beel laid in the chancel under the table, but now I am of another mind. I know
I have not long to live, for my head is like a knife, from which the steel is
wholly whetted away, and which is become mere iron; the iron will cut no more,
even so it is with my head. Now, loving Lord God, I hope my time is not for
hence; God help me, and give me a happy hour; I desire to live no longer.
DCCXLVI.
We read of St Vincent, that, about to die,
and seeing death at his feet, he said: Death! what wilt thou? Thinkest thou to
gain anything of a Christian? Knowest thou not that I am a Christian? Even so
should we learn to condemn, scorn, and deride death. Likewise, it is written in
the history of St Martin, that being near his death, he saw the devil standing
at his bed's feet, and boldly said: Why standest thou there, thou horrible
beast? thou hast nothing to do with me. These were right words of faith. Such
and the like ought we to cull out of the legends of the saints, wholly omitting
the fooleries that the papists have stuffed therein.
DCCXLVII.
Luther, at Wittenberg, seeing a very
melancholy man, said to him: Ah! human creature, what dost thou? Hast thou
nothing else in hand but to think of thy sins, on death, and damnation? Turn
thine eyes quickly away, and look hither to this man Christ, of whom it is
written; "He was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered, died, buried, descended into hell, the third day arose again from the
dead, and ascended up into heaven," etc. Dost think all this was done to no
end? Comfort thyself against death, and sin; be not afraid nor faint, for thou
hast no cause; Christ suffered death for thee, and prevailed for thy comfort
and defense, and for that cause he sits at the right hand of God, his heavenly
Father, to deliver thee.
DCCXLVIII.
So many members as we have, so many deaths
have we. Death peeps out at every limb. The devil, a causer and lord of death,
is our adversary, and hunts after our life; he has sworn our death, and we have
deserved it; but the devil will not gain much by strangling the godly; he will
crack a hollow nut. Let us die, that so the devil may be at rest. I have
deserved death twofold; first, in that I have sinned against God, for which I
am heartily sorry; secondly, I have deserved death at the devil's hands, whose
kingdom of lying and murdering, through God's assistance, grace, and mercy, I
have destroyed; therefore he justly wishes my death.
DCCXLIX.
"There shall arise false prophets, insomuch
that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." This sentence
was fulfilled, in the fathers; as in Jerome, Augustine, Gregory, Bernard, and
others; they were seduced into errors, but remained not therein. St Bernard
wrote many evil and ungodly things, especially concerning the Virgin Mary; but
when he was near his death, he said: "I have lived wickedly. Thou, loving Lord
Jesus Christ, hast a twofold right to the kingdom of heaven; first, it is thine
inheritance, for thou art the only begotten Son of the Father; this affords me
no comfort or hope of heaven. But, secondly, thou hast purchased the same with
thy suffering and death; thou hast stilled the Father's wrath, hast unlocked
heaven, and presented the same unto me as thy purchased good; of this have I
joy and comfort." Therefore he died well and happy. Likewise when St Augustine
was to die, he prayed the seven penitential Psalms. When these fathers were in
health, they thought not on this doctrine; but when they were upon their death
beds, they found in their hearts what they were to trust to; they felt it high
time to abandon human fopperies, and to betake themselves only to Christ, and
to rely upon his rich and precious merits.
DCCL.
Almighty, everlasting God, merciful heavenly
Father - Father of our loving Lord Jesus Christ, I know assuredly, that
everything which thou hast said, thou wilt and canst perform, for thou canst
not lie; thy Word is upright and true. In the beginning, thou didst promise
unto me thy loving and only begotten Son Jesus Christ; the same has come, and
has delivered me from the devil, from death, hell, and sin. Out of his gracious
will he has presented unto me the sacraments, which I have used in faith, and
have depended on thy Word; wherefore I make no doubt at all, but that I am well
secured, and settled in peace; therefore if this be my hour, and thy divine
will, so am I willing to depart hence with joy.
DCCLI.
The school of faith is said to go about with
death. Death is swallowed up in victory. If death, then sin. If death, then all
diseases. If death, then all misery. If death, then all the power of the devil.
If death, then all the fury of the world.
But these things do not appear, but rather the
contrary; therefore there is need of faith; for an open manifestation of things
follow faith in due time, when the things, now invisible, will be seen.
DCCLII.
When Adam lived, that is, when he sinned,
death devoured life; when Christ died, that is, was justified, then life, which
is Christ, swallowed up and devoured death; therefore God be praised, that
Christ died, and has got the victory.
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