Chapter 60

How much the Meditation of death, doth profit towards the knowledge of a man's self; and of the manner how it is to be meditated, for as much as concerneth the death of the body.

AFTER¹ this, give over to pray vocally; and convey thyself into the most inward part of thy hart; and make account, that thou art appearing in the presence of Christ Jesus; and that there are no more in the world, but thou, & he. Consider, that before thou camest into the world, thou wert nothing; and how that Omnipotent goodness of our Lord God, drew thee out of that profound bottom of not being, and made thee his creature; and that, not after an ordinary manner; but he made thee a reasonable creature. Consider, how he gave thee a body, and a soul; to the end that with them both, thou mightest labour in doing service to him. Make account that thou art then, in the very passage, out of life into death; and having the most true feeling of it that may be, say to thyself, This hour of my end is once to arrive; and I know not whether it shallbe to night, or to morrow; and since it must certainly come, it is reason that I take it into my thought. Consider, how thou shalt fall into thy bed; and how thou must sweat, that sweat of death. Thy breast shall beat, and rise upward; the very strings of thine eyes shall break; the colour of thy face shall vanish; and through the excess of pain, that, so friendly society of thy body, and soul, shallbe cut off.

They shall prepare thy body for burial; & lay it upon a Bear; and they shall carry thee to the earth, some weeping, and others singing; & they shall cast thee into a straight grave; and load thee with dust; and when they have trodden well upon thee, thou shalt remain alone, and be soon forgotten. Consider all this, by which thou must pass; and think what kind of thing thy body will be under ground, and how soon it will come to such a pass, as that whosoever he be that love's thee most, will not endure to see thee, or smell thee, or come near thee. Behold then, with attention, to what end this flesh, and the glory of it doth arrive; and thou wilt see, what fools they are, who being to go out of the world so poor, do now walk on, with so much anxiety, of being rich; and being so soon to be so defeated and forgotten, have such thirst to rank themselues in higher places than others: & how deeply they are deceived who regale their body, and walk in conformity of their desires; since thereby they have done nothing, but make themselves cooks for worms; being curious to dress the meat which they are to eat: and, the while, they have made, by those short delights, a purchase of certain torments, which shall never end. Consider, and behold with great attention, and leisure, thy body stretched a long in thy grave; and making account that already thou art there, procure to mortify thy desires, of flesh & blood, as often as they shall come to thy mind; and so also mortify thy desires of pleasing, or fearing to displease the world; and of making any reckoning of whatsoever thing, is most flourishing, since thou art to leave both it, and thyself, so suddenly, and so miserably. And considering how thy body (when first it shall have been fed upon by worms) will be converted into filth, & dust, do not think of it hereafter, but as of a dunghill covered with snow; the very remembrance whereof, may turn thy stomach. And possessing thy body in this manner, thou wilt not be deceived in the estimation thereof; but thou shalt obtain the true knowledge of it; and shalt understand how thou art to govern it; looking forward upon the full point to which it must arrive, as he that placeth himself in the poop of, the ship, that so he may direct it the better.