And when all things did put all things under Him. shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all. Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead? and why stand we in jeopardy every hour? I protest by your rejoicing which I have in CHRIST JESUS Our LORD, I die daily. If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to-morrow we die. Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. Awake to righteousness and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of GoD: I speak this to your shame. But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die and that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: but GoD giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: it is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natu ral; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the LORD from Heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the Law. But thanks be to GoD, which giveth us the victory through our LORD JESUS CHRIST. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the LORD, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the LORD. Prayers. A Christian close, without sin, without shame, at the dreadful and fearful judgment-seat O ALMIGHTY GOD, Who hast knit together Thine elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical Body of Thy SON, CHRIST Our LORD; Grant us grace so to follow Thy blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those unspeakable joys which Thou hast prepared for them that unfeignedly love Thee; through JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD. Amen. LORD, bow Thine ears unto our prayers, wherein we call devoutly upon Thy mercy, that Thou wilt bestow the souls of Thy servants, which Thou hast commanded to depart from this world, in the country of peace and rest, and cause them to be made partners with Thy holy servants; through CHRIST our LORD. Amen. - Give me, LORD, Thy grace, that my faith waver not, but be ever firm and constant; that the hope of Thy mercy and life everlasting never decay in me; that charity wax not cold in me; finally, that the weakness of my flesh be not overcome with the fear of death. Grant me, merciful SAVIOUR, that when death hath shut up the eyes of my body, yet that the eyes of my soul may still behold and look upon Thee; that when death hath taken away the use of my tongue and speech, yet that my heart may cry, and say unto Thee, Into Thy hands I commend my spirit: LORD JESU, receive my soul! Amen. O LORD JESU! give what Thou commandest, and command what Thou wilt. Make my soul ready for Thy coming, come when Thou wilt. Give me patience at least sufficient, and if it please Thee, most peaceful; and come how Thou wilt, O Thou Who art the Salvation of all who hope in Thee. And besides, I beseech Thee, O LORD JESUS, place Thy Death, Cross, Passion, Burial, and Blood between Thy judgment and my soul, now and ever, and especially in the hour of my death. And may my Death, I humbly beseech Thee, never be sudden, nor find me unprepared; nor be so fierce in its approach but that I may keep my faith, hope, and charity, memory and understanding sound to the last breath. So come, so come, O LORD JESUS, and have mercy upon me. LORD, make my service acceptable to Thee while I live, and my soul ready for Thee when I die. Amen. Glory be to the FATHER, &c. As it was in the beginning, &c. CHAPTER XI.-THE DEATH OF THE FAITHFUL. d ALTHOUGH We should strive to conform our will to GOD'S Will, and to desire only that which He intends, yet we are not forbidden to wish, if we wish tempe-rately and submissively. We may wish for health, if we are prepared to suffer sickness; we may wish to die, if we are prepared to die, and willing to live. In God's saints there has been a variety of feeling; some have approached death with joy, some with awe. saints have different tempers by nature, and different gifts by grace. Let us judge no man; nor let us force The ourselves to feel that which is strange to us. If we are fit to die, it will not harm us to shrink from death to the very last, if we submit in faith; nor are we forbidden to have a joy and delight in it, if such arise in our hearts. Thus writes the great saint, Augustine: who on his own death-bed, caused the penitential psalms to be written up on the walls of his chamber, and recited them continually with many tears, A.D. 430. "There are men who die with patience; but there are some perfect men who with patience live. What have I said? He who as yet desires this life, when the day of death is come patiently endures death; he struggles against himself to follow the Will of God; and he aims rather in his mind at that which God chooses, not at that which the human will chooses; and from the desire of the present life comes a struggle with death, and he applies patience and fortitude that he may die with calmness. That man dies patiently. But he who desires, as the Apostle says, to depart and be with CHRIST, does not die patiently; but lives patiently, dies joyfully."" And again; "We groan being burdened. If thou groanest lay down that burden willingly. Surely the Apostle said that he groaned under this burden, that he was weighed down under this load of the corruptible body; see whether he wishes to be unclothed of this burden under which he is burdened, under which he groans. This does not follow, but what says he? 'Not that we would be unclothed.' O voice of nature, confession of penalty. Heavy is the body; burdensome is the body; corruptible is the body; we groan under it, and do not willingly leave it, and do not willingly lay it aside. We are unwilling, he says, to be unclothed. Wilt thou remain thus lamenting? And if thou groanest being burdened, why art thou not willing to be unclothed? No, he says. See what follows. Not that we would be unclothed but clothed upon. I groan under the earthly garment, I hasten to the heavenly; I wish to receive this. I am unwilling to lay that aside. Not that we would be unclothed but clothed upon." The death-beds of holy men are full of profit to those who will meditate upon them. This eminent saint, during the last ten days of his life, requested that none should see him, except when the physicians entered, or when his food was brought; and thus he prayed away his life." S. Ambrose also, who converted him, no less a saint, and who had lived to GoD devoutly, beyond our highest thoughts in these cold days, when he came to die stretched out his hands in the form of a cross, 1 S. Aug. in Ep. Johan. c. iv. Tract. ix. s. 2. 2 S. Aug. Serm. 299, s. 9. 8 Possidius. Vita ap. Op. Ed. Ben. |