A16577:55
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
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.
¶ A Meditation of the blessed state and felicity of the life to come.
¶ A Meditacion of the blessed state and felicitie of the lyfe to come.
This body is but a prison wherein the soul is kept, and that verily not beautiful & bright, but dark and most dirty, disquiet & fusty, frail, and filled up with much vermin and venomous vipers (I mean it concerning our affections) standing in an air most unwholesome, & prospect most loathsome, if a man consider the excrements of it by the eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hands, feet and all the other partis. So that no bocardo, no little ease, no dungeon, no bishops prison, no gate house, ⟨image 40⟩no sink, no pit may be compared in any point, to be so evil a prison for the body, as the body is for and of the soul. whereby the children of God have been occasioned to cry, and lament their long being in it. Oh saith David, how long shall I lye in this prison? Oh wretch that I am, saith Paul, who shall deliver me out of this body of sin? 1which is an heavy burden unto the soul, as the wise man saith. And therefore the godly cry, now let thy servant depart in peace: Oh 2that I were dissolved & had put of this earthly and frail tabernacle: Take me unto thee, and bring my soul out of this prison, 3that it may give thanks unto thee, O Lord. For so long ⟨image 40⟩as we be in this body, we cannot see the Lord: yea it is an heavy habitation, and depresseth down sore the spirit from the familiarity, which it else should have with God.
THis body is but a prison wherein ye soule is kepte, and that verely not beautifull & bright, but darke and most dirtie, disquiet & fusty, fraile, and filled vp with muche vermine and venemous vipers (I meane it cōcerning our affaccions) standing in an ayre moste vnholsome, & prospect most lothsome, if a man consyder the excrements of it by the eyes, nose, mouth, eares, hands, feete and al the other partis. So that no bocardo, no little ease, no dungeon, no bishops prison, no gate house,