A Discourse of Life and Death
The Willingness to Die
To end life well is to end it willingly by fearing God and hoping for a better life, so that death becomes sweet and all earthly terrors are scorned.
To end this life well is simply to end it willingly, by following God's will and direction with full consent, rather than letting ourselves be dragged along by the necessity of fate. To end it willingly, we must hope for death, not fear it. To hope for it, we must certainly look past this life toward a better one. To look for that, we must fear God; whoever truly fears Him fears nothing in this world and hopes for everything in the next. For someone well-resolved in these points, death can only be sweet and agreeable, knowing that through it they are to enter a place of all joy. Any grief found there will be allayed by sweetness; the suffering of evil will be swallowed up by the confidence of good; and the sting of death itself—which is nothing but fear—will be dead. In fact, I will go further: not only will all the evils imagined in death be nothing to them, but they will even scorn all the misfortunes people dread in this life and laugh at all these terrors. After all, what can someone fear whose death is their hope?
Unshaken by Worldly Threats
The believer, whose death is his hope, remains unmoved by exile, imprisonment, or any manner of death, knowing that each is but a passage to eternal life.
Do we think to banish him from his country? He knows he has a country elsewhere, from which we cannot banish him, and that all these countries are merely inns he must leave at the will of his host. Do we put him in prison? He cannot have a tighter prison than his own body—more filthy, more dark, and more full of racks and torments. Do we kill him and take him out of the world? That is what he hopes for; that is what he aspires to with all his heart. Whether by fire, sword, famine, or sickness—within three years, three days, or three hours—it is all the same to him; it makes no difference at what gate or at what time he passes out of this miserable life. For his businesses are ever ended, his affairs all dispatched, and by whatever way he shall go out, by the same he shall enter into a most happy and everlasting life.
The Fear of God Conquers Death
For the one who fears God, the worst men can do—death—becomes the best he hopes for, turning threats into promises and mortal wounds into immortality.
Men can threaten him with nothing but death, and death is all he promises himself. The worst they can do is to make him die, and that is the best he hopes for. The threats of tyrants are to him promises; the swords of his greatest enemies are drawn in his favor, because he knows that by threatening him with death, they threaten him with life. The most mortal wounds can only make him immortal. Whoever fears God does not fear death, and whoever does not fear death does not fear the worst of this life.
Read the original English
Now to end well this life, is onely to ende it willingly: following with full consent the will and direction of God, and not suffering vs to be drawen by the necessetie of destenie. To end it willingly, we must hope, and not feare death. To hope for it, we must certainely looke after this life, for a better life. To looke for that, wee must feare God: whome whoso well feareth, feareth indeede nothing in this worlde, and hopes for all things in the other. To one well resolued in these points death can be but sweete and agreeable: knowing that through it hee is to enter into a place of all ioyes. The griefe that may be therein shall bee allaied with sweetnes: the sufferance of ill, swallowed in the confidence of good: the sting of Death it selfe shall bee dead, which is nothing else but Feare. Nay, I wil say more, not onely all the euilles conceiued in death shall be to him nothing: but he shall euen scorne all the mishappes men redoubt in this life, and laugh at all these terrors. For I pray what can he feare, whose death is his hope?
Thinke we to banish him his country? He knows he hath a country other-where, whence wee cannot banish him: and that all these countries are but Innes, out of which he must part at the wil of his hoste. To put him in prison? a more straite prison he cannot haue, then his owne body, more filthy, more darke, more full of rackes and torments. To kill him and take him out of the worlde? that is it he hopes for: that is it with all his heart he aspires vnto. By fire, by sworde, by famine, by sickenesse: within three yeeres, within three dayes, within three houres, all is one to him: all is one at what gate, or at what time he passe out of this miserable life. For his businesses are euer ended, his affaires all dispatched, and by what way he shall go out, by the same hee shall enter into a most happie and euerlasting life.
Men can threaten him but death, and death is all he promiseth himselfe: the worst they can doe, is, to make him die, and that is the best hee hopes for. The threatnings of tyrants are to him promises, the swordes of his greatest enemies drawne in his fauor: forasmuch as he knowes that threatning him death, they threaten him life: and the most mortall woundes can make him but immortall. Who feares God, feares not death: and who feares it not, feares not the worst of this life.
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