The Practice of Piety

Oh what a ghastly sight it is, to see him then in his bed, when Death hath given him his mortal wound! what a cold sweat over-runs all his body? what a trembling possesseth all his members? the head shooteth, the face waxeth pale, the nose black, the, nether law-bone hangeth down, the eye-strings break ⟨p. 95⟩the tongue faltereth, the breath shorteneth, and smelleth earthy, the throat rattleth, and at every gasp the heart-strings are ready to break asunder.

Oh what a ghastly sight it is, to see him then in his bed, when Death hath giuen him his mortall wound! what a cold sweat ouer-runnes all his body? what a trembling possesseth all his members? the head shooteth, the face waxeth pale, the nose blacke, the, neather law-bone hangeth down, the eye-strings breake ⟨p. 95⟩the tongue faltreth, the breath shortneth, and smelleth earthy, the throate ratleth, and at euery gaspe the heart-strings are ready to breake asunder.

Now the miserable Soul sensibly perceiveth her earthly body to begin to dye: for as towards the dissolution of the universal frame of the great world; the Sun shall be turned into darkness, the Moon into blood, and the Stars shall fall from heaven: the Air shall be full of storms, & flashing Meteors, the Earth shall tremble, and the Sea shall roar, and mens hearts shall fail for fear, expecting the end of such sorrowful beginnings: So towards the dissolution of man, ⟨p. 96⟩(which is the little world) his Eyes, which are as the Sun and Moon lose their light, and see nothing but blood-guiltiness of sin: the rest of the Senses, as lesser Stars, do one after another fail and fall: his Mind, Reason, and Memory, as heavenly powers of his Soul, are shaken with fearful storms of despair, and first flashings of Hell-fire: his earthly body begins to shake and tremble, and the humours like an over-flowing Sea roar and rattle in his throat, still expecting the woeful ends of these dreadful beginnings.