A16577:29
A fruitful treatise and full of heavenly consolation against the fear of death Whereunto…A frutefull treatise and ful of heauenly consolation against the feare of death Wherunto…
A fruitful treatise and full of heavenly consolation against the fear of death Whereunto are annexed certain sweet meditations of the kingdom of Christ, of life everlasting, and of the blessed state & felicity of the same. Gathered by that holy martyr of God, John Bradford.A frutefull treatise and ful of heauenly consolation against the feare of death Wherunto are annexed certeine sweet meditations of the kingdom of Christ, of life euerlasting, and of the blessed state & felicitie of the same. Gathered by that holy marter of God, Iohn Bradford.
London : Perused corrected & augmented according to the original, & imprinted in Fletestrete near to saint Dunstons Churche by William Powell, ca. 1564London : Perused corrected & augmented according to the originall, & imprinted in Fletestrete neere to saint Dunstons Churche by William Powell, ca. 1564
¶ A treatise against the fear of death.¶ A treatise agaynst the feare of death.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
make him good cheer, for of all enemies he is the least. In ennemy quod I? nay rather of all friends he is the best, for he bringeth thee out of all danger of enemies, into the most sure & safe place of thy unfeigned friend for ever.
make hym good chere, for of al enemies he is the leaste. In ennemy quod I? nay rather of all frendes he is the beste, for he bringeth thee out of all daunger of ennemies, into ye most sure & safe place of thy vnfained frende for euer.
Let these things be often thought 1upon. Let death be premeditated, not only because he cometh uncertainly (I mean for the time, for else he is most certain) but all so because he helpeth much to the contempt of this world: out of the which, as nothing will go with thee, so nothing canst thou take ⟨image 23⟩with thee: because it helpeth to the mortifying of the flesh, which when thou fedest, thou doest nothing else but feed worms: because it helpeth to the well disposing & due ordering of the things thou haste in this life: because it helpeth to repentance: to bring thee unto the knowledge of thy self, that thou art but earth and ashes, and to bring thee the more better to know God. But who is able to tell the commodities that come by the often and true consideration of death? whose time is therefore left unto us uncertain and unknown (although to god 2it be certain, and the bounds there of not only known, but appointed of the Lord, over the which none can pass) because we should ⟨image 23⟩not prolong and put of from day to day the amendment of our life, as did the rich man, under hope 3of long life. And seeing it is the ordinance of god, & cometh not but by the will of god, even unto a sparrow, much more then unto us, which are incomparably much more dear than many sparrows: and in that this will of god is not only just but also good (for he is our Father) let us, if there were nothing else but this, submit our selves, our senses, & judgements unto the pleasure of him, being content to come out of the room of our soldiership, whensoever he shall send for us by his pursuivant death. Let us render unto him, that which he hath lent us so long (I mean life) least we be ounted unthankful. And in that