Cogitations upon DEATH, OR, The Mirrour of Mans MISERY
Being very choise and profitable Lessons, for putting all Christians in a prepared condition for Mortality.
The Sixth Edition Corrected and amended.
EDINBURGH, Printed in the Year, 1688.
The Mirrour of Mans Miserie.
I Have such Dread when
I should die,
Not knowing where, nor in what place
[...]
Through course of kind he comes to m
[...]
Into his Armes would me imbrace:
He spares not the Rich for their riche
[...]
Nor on the Poor hath no pitie,
This causeth me to say alas,
And have such Dread, when I should Die.
When Ily sick on my Death bed,
And all my life brought to an end;
Then all the sins that ever I did,
Will all compear into my mind.
Crying, we are all workes of thine,
And now we are to go with thee;
To bear witness what thou hast done,
This makes me Dread, when I
should Die
[...]
Then growth of grief, and great despair
Will melt my heart, and break my gall
That for my flesh
I took such care,
But gain'd no grace for my poor Soul:
And now no time remains at all,
To mend my life that none may see;
But go to judgement generall,
This makes me Dread, when I should Die,
Then when my Breath begins to fail,
My feet and Hands they lose their might,
My fear is for the Fiends of Hell,
For they come fleeing on a flight,
And every on shall see that sight,
For at our ending they shall be,
Reaving our souls if they have right,
This makes me Dread when I should die.
And then
I fear that bitter Pain,
How Death shall come and break my heart
With many Thrach and grievous Groan,
When he shall strick me with his Dart:
He will make me to feel the smart,
And streams of death most cruellie;
Before my Life from me departs,
Which makes me Dread when I should Die.
And then
I fear that wilsom way,
Where I must wend when I am gone;
For none comes back by night nor day,
Their friends and Neighbours to forwarn,
whether they be in joy or Pain,
They must remain continuallie,
For we are valu'd to our worth;
This makes me Dread, when I should die.
I fear what shall become of me,
In that great day of God's just wrath,
When furious flames of fire on hie,
O're spreads the face of all the earth.
Who will consume all his Creatures,
Both Man and Beast; and Fowls that flie.
And every thing that draweth breath
This makes me dread, when I should die.
Then Christ the King of righteousness,
Who ruleth all at his command,
Will come with glory through the skyes,
With Angels bright a full great band:
Then round about him they shall stand.
Beholding still his Majestie,
His face shal shine through all the land,
This makes me dread when I should die,
Then shall he send his good Angels,
Wich trumpets found both loud, and shril,
Throughout the parts of all the earth,
To raise the dead and bring them till;
Although it be against their will,
To come before his Majesty,
Yet force and might will them compel,
This makes me dread, when I should die.
The heavens and earth shall flee away,
And hide them from his angry face;
Before that he begin to try,
All sinners for their wickednesse:
Alas that is a wofull case,
For sinners then in each degree,
When heaven and earth shal take the chase;
This makes me dread, when I should die.
Then when the dead both great and small,
Shal be brought in for breach of law;
Then Christ shall charge his servants all;
To set them right upon a raw:
And he his bloody wounds will shaw,
Saying, what hast thou done for me?
Then sinfull men shall stand great aw;
This makes me dread, when I should die.
And thus our counts begin to make,
When we are call'd for our misdeeds,
None shall escape for any ones sake,
But every one his own roll reads:
He shall tell forth with all good speed,
Both good and evil what ever it be,
And every man his sins shall read:
This makes me dread, when I should die.
Into these books there
[...] be written,
All their misdeeds and wicked works;
All prophane words that they have spoken
With all unclean and wandring thoughts,
Their love to sin shall be dear bought,
For then they shal both prove and see,
Their wage shal be as they have wrought
This makes me Dread when I should Die.
The large market of Gods free Grace,
That stood ay since Christ Jesus came,
Shal be cry'd down but longer space,
And ne're to be proclaim'd again:
Because they would not take their time
Therefore the gates of His mercie,
For ever shall be closed on them,
This makes me Dread when I should die.
Then
Sathan with a great Armie,
Of damned Spirits, will come on flight;
Crying O Judge who sits on hie:
On Sinners all now do me right:
Who set thy law far out of sight,
And served me most bussilie,
With care and Pains both day and night,
This makes me dread when I should die.
What malice have ye had at me,
Then Christ shal say to sinners all;
That ran to serve mine Enemie,
And me disdain'd when I did call;
Was
I and my Reward so small?
That ye disdain'd to worship Me;
Therefore I now disdain you all;
This makes me dread when I should die.
I gave you Life like to my self,
With wisdom, wit, and Holiness:
And made you Lords over all the Earth,
Both Fish and Fowls, and its fulness:
Yea, over all these my Creatures,
Which were for your Commoditie,
Yet where is all your Thankfulness,
And duty ye did ow to Me:
And after ye broke my Commands,
And brought your selves in snare of death:
I less my glorie in the Heavens,
And came to earth for your relief:
To suffer sorrow, pain and grief,
With scorn disgrace and miserie;
Yet where is all your thankfulness,
For these my good deeds done for thee.
For you they bound me like a thief,
My naked Skin with scourges dang;
They plet and put upon my head,
A Crown of thorns both sharp and lang:
My sight grew dim, my head down han
[...]
I lost my life most painfullie;
But now where's all your thankfulnesse
For these my sufferings done for thee?
And then they led me to the cross.
And nail'd me fast both feet and hand,
Full oft they spat into my face,
A spear out through my sides they ran:
The streams of blood that then out spran
[...]
Ran down my side most pitteouslie;
But now no part ye have therein,
Which may thee dread, when thou'rt to die.
You have imbrac'd more joyfulnesse,
In one hours pleasure of your sin,
Than all the love you had to me,
Since I put life your breast within:
Although for you my blood did ran,
Out through my sides abundantlie,
Yet now no part you have therein,
Which may thee dread, when thou
[...]rt to die.
When Christ begins for to propone,
The dreadful doom of life and death;
The hopless soul shall faint and groan,
Before the sentence pafs their teeth:
With weeping eyes and doleful voice,
They shal lament most pitteouslie,
That ever they were made alas!
This makes me dread, when I should die.
They shall be safe I dare well say,
Who are well rul'd at his right hand;
And pass to heaven the self same day,
With musick, mirth, and Angels sound:
But wretches all who have done wrong,
Shal cry to hills and mountains hie,
That they would fall down upon them,
This makes me dread, when I should die.
Then in his wrath he shall cry forth,
Depart from me ye cursed band,
For on the poor ye had no truth,
Nor stood in aw at my command:
Therefore go hence from my right hand,
My face again ye shal ne're see;
But ay in darknesse to remain,
This makes me dread, when I should die:
Then fra
[...] their doom be once out gone,
Remeed shal then be past for ay;
Tho they would weep & make great moan,
Even while their eyen would melt away:
And tho they would both kneel and pay,
Even till their flesh wore from their knee,
Yet all shal not avail that day,
This makes me dread when I should Die.
And then though all the Saints in Heaven,
And eke the Glorious Angels all;
Would kneel down at the feet of Christ,
And Mercy beg for one poor Soul:
Yet Christ would then deny them all,
And say, nay, nay, that may not be:
They would not hear when I did call,
This makes me dread when I should die.
Then hope of Health they shal give o're,
When Crys and Tears can make no stead,
And then Blaspheme for great despair;
And curse the thing that did them good:
Yea, curse the Father them begat,
The Mother them bear in her Bellie;
And eke the Earth whereon they sa
[...],
This makes me dread, when I should Die.
Then God who gave them Life and Breath
[...]
And made them all of Dust and Clay,
They shal Hish curse into his Face,
Because he hath cast them away:
Crying, wo, wo, and well-away,
That ever we this day did see,
[...]or we are lost for ever and ay;
This makes me dread, when I
should die
The precious blood of Christ Jesus,
They shall it curse with great disdain;
That bought so many thousand souls,
Because no drop was shed for them:
To save them from that bitter pain,
Which by no craft they now can flee,
[...] or yet by force or might or main,
This makes me dread when I should die.
But Christ he will not suffer long,
Them to blaspheme in his presence:
But soon will bid east over them,
In the black vail of his Vengeance:
And then lead them away from thence,
And cast them in with that menzle,
Into that pit of endless pain,
This makes me dread when I should die
Then Christ shall close the mouth of Hell,
And bar from the light of day;
Then shal they all both shout and yell,
When Flesh and Blood begins to fry:
In fyrie flames most furiously,
Without all hope to be set free,
For ever more therein to ly,
This makes me dread, when I should die.
Then shal they swarm in that great flame
Like worms into an earthly fire:
And they therein shal still remain.
Whilest that Gods wrath begin to tyre;
But sure that time will never come,
That Gods just wrath reveng'd will be,
Upon their filly sou
[...]s for sin,
This makes me dread, when I
should die.
Alas! it is a longsome night,
Where day will never dawn again;
Alas it is a fearful sight,
Where there is everlasting pain.
Alas, that we ary longsome cry,
Which God nor man will not pittie,
Nor hear their moan wherein they lie,
This makes me dread, when I should die.
These blasphemers who stand no aw,
Gods holy name for to abuse;
But makes it like a childi
[...] ba,
To catch it on where ever they please:
Their souls shal then get no more ease
But in those flames shal scorched be,
By wicked spirits and damned devils,
This makes me dread, when I should die.
[...]ese Glurtons and these Drunkards all,
[...]ho makes a god of their bellie;
[...]t gains no grace for their poor soul,
[...]al then be forc'd to cry sorelie;
For one smal drop of cold water,
[...]nd yet it shal not granted be,
[...]o cool their tongues in flaming fire,
[...]is makes me dread, when I should die.
[...]hese whores who had no modestie,
[...]or anie shame, or saving grace;
[...]t lived in lust and lecherie.
[...]nting their preys in every place:
Their armes shal then be made imbrace,
[...]oth night and day continuallie,
[...]he doolful flames of black darknesse,
[...]is makes me dread, when I should die.
[...]hese proud persons who brags and boast
[...]f honour wealth and their great Kin;
[...]t cares nothing to honour Christ,
[...]ejecting saints belongs to him:
These Idols Christ shal put from them,
[...]nd cloath them all most dolefullie,
With long black Robs of lasting shame,
[...]is makes me dread, when I should die.
[...]hese covetous and worldlie wormes,
Who puts their trust in their Riches,
And will not deal the Poor their Alms,
When they stand crying at their Gates:
Therefore in Hell they shal be sure,
To cry out for recoverie,
VVhere there is none them to relieve,
This makes me dread, when I should die:
These Murderers and common Thieves,
VVho labours not with honestie,
But sets themselves to Steal and Reave,
As if there were no God to see;
The Lord shal then bereave them all,
Of all his Gifts and his Glorie,
And banish them all to Hells pain;
This makes me dread, when I should die.
To sing I will no longer stay,
For fear that
[...] do you molest;
Of choises now I have but two,
Therefore be sure to choise the best:
The first is Love, Joy, Peace and Rest
The next is Pain without pitie,
For we are call'd away in haste,
This makes me dread, when I
should die:
Therefore my counsel to us all,
Is to
[...] and mend with speed;
And to prepare for the poor soul,
Before the time be past remeed:
And ay hold Sin at deadly feed,
And serve our God most carefullie,
Then shall we have no cause to dread
Nor fear the time that we should die.
FINIS.
A Dialogue bewtixt Charon (i. e. Satan, the ferry-man of Hell) and Contention, that dangerous, wicked and horrid hellish Sin.
To the Tune of,
Through and through the Rainy Bow,
Contention.
HAve o're, have o're the
Stygian
Charon, why do'st thou stay man?
Quickly prepare they Sails and Oares,
And make no more del
[...]y man:
They Ferrie-Boat is now on float,
Through favour of the tyde man;
Therefore make haste to have me plac'd
Upon you yonder side man.
Charon.
Who's there that calls, and makes such brawl
[...]
Because that I do tarrie?
I will not come till I see some
To be a fraught to carrie:
For I am old, both stiff and cold,
Besides the sea's so ragious,
And I suppone for one alone,
A two pence is small wages.
Contention.
It's idle chate that thou dost prat,
Behold, I have a groat man,
May serve to be a double fee,
For rowing of thy boat man:
Besides I send, as is well kend,
Though thou esteem it nought man,
Of Souls each year a thousand near,
And thou receives their fraught man.
Charon.
&c.
Any person who hath any more of those Verses, which was an excellent good Ballant 50. years ago, let them send them to the Printers hands in writ, whereby they may be printed and published.