Certain Sermons or Homilies (First Book of Homilies)

All those therefore, have great cause to be full of joy, that be joined to Christ with true faith, steadfast hope, and perfect charity, and not to fear death nor everlasting damnation. For death cannot deprive them of Jesus Christ, nor any sin can condemn them, that are grafted surely in him, which is their ⟨image 58⟩only joy, treasure, and life. Let us repent our since, amend our lives, trust in his mercy and satisfaction, and death can neither take him from us, nor us from him. For then, (as s. Paul sayeth) whether we live or dye,¹ we be the Lords own. And again he sayeth: Christ did dye, and rose again, because he should be Lord, both of the dead & quick. Then if we be the Lords own, when we be dead, it must needs follow, that such temporal death, not only cannot harm us, but also, that it shall much be to our profit, and join us unto God, more perfectly: And thereof the christian hart may surely be certified by the infallible truth of holy scripture. It is God (sayeth saint Paul) which hath prepared us unto immortality, and the same is he, which hath given us an earnest of the spirit. Therefore let us be always of good comfort, for we know, that so long as we be in the body, we be (as it were) far from God in a strange country, subject to many perils, walking without perfect sight, and knowledge of almighty God, only seeing him by faith, in holy scriptures. But we have a courage & desire, rather to be at home with God and our saviour Christ, far from the body, where we may behold his Godhead, as he is, face to face, to our everlasting comfort. These be saint Pauls words in effect, whereby we may perceive, that the life in this world, is resembled to a pilgrimage, in a strange country far from God:² and that death, delivering us from our bodies, doth send us straight home, into our own country, and maketh us to dwell presently with God for ever, in perpetual ⟨image 58⟩rest and quietness. So that to dye is no loss, but profit and winning to all true christen people.

All those therefore, haue great cause to be full of ioye, that be ioyned to Christ with true faythe, stedfast hope, and perfyt charitie, and not to feare death nor euerlastynge dampnacion. For deathe cānot depriue them of Iesu Christ, nor any sinne can cōdempne them, yt are graffed surely in him, which is their