Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A08889
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The meditat[i]ons of saint Bernard; Tractatus de interiori domo. English
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Bernard, of Clairvaux, Saint, 1090 or 91-1153.
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1499
(1499)
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STC 1917; ESTC S108390
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30,253
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66
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done in prosesse of longe tyme. sodenly he is rauysshed with dethe vnware without prouisyon he is take fro the body ¶ How a synfull soule is vexed and trowbled after her departynge fro the body cao. .iijo. WHan the soule with greate fere moche sorowe is departed fro the body angels come to take her to presente her tofore the ferdfull Iuge And thenÌ„e she remembrynge her euyll wicked werkes the whiche she dyde by nyght or day trembleth quaketh loketh how she myght escape or flee desyreth truesse sayenge O yeue me space though it be but an houre Thenne shal the werkes as in maner of spekyng say Thou hast wroughte vs. we ben thy werkis We shall not lese the. but abyde styll with the go with the to the Iugemente And they shal accuse her of many synnes trespaces and sholl fynde many fals wytnesse ayenste her al though true wytnes were suffycyent to her dampnacion The euyll fendes with ferdfull loke and terryble countenaunce shalle feere her and purswe her wyth grete cruelte and woodnesse and shall catche her with greate drede and feere and holde her styll yf she be not delyuered frome theym by the helpe socoure of oure lorde ThenÌ„e the soule beholdynge the eyen the mouth other bodely wyttes closed and spered by whom she was wont to passe forth to take her sportes playsyre in worldly thynges shall retorne to herselfe And whan she seeth herself alone lefte naked without body smytten with grete fere and drede she shall fayle in herself by dyspeyre And by cause she folysshly lefte the loue of god for the loue of the worlde and flesshly plesyre she shall be forsake of oure lorde lyke a wretche in that tyme of so grete nede of helpe And shall be delyuered to the deuylles to be punysshed and tormented cruelly for her mysdedes ¶ On this wyse is the soule of a synner not knowynge the daye ne the hour of his passynge rauysshed w e deth spared departed fro the body tremblynge quakynge she passeth of her Iourneye full of sorowe wretchydnesse And hauynge none excuse to alledge and shewe for her synnes she trembleth for drede to appere before almyghty god She is smyten with grete and wonderful fere vexed with many troublous thoughtes whan at her departynge fro the body all other thynges sette a syde she coÌ„sydereth only herselfe hym to whom the tyme draweth nyghe that she muste gyue accomptes rekenyng And knoweth that he may neuer be declyned ne chauÌ„ged frome ryghtwysnes she consydereth well how streyght a Iuge shall sytte on her what reasons she shall alledge and put for her dyscharge in couÌ„tynge of her lyf at soo streyghte a Iugement of soo precyouse Iustyce And though it be so that she remembre no thynge ne fynde in her self ony offence wherof she sholde be ferde dredfull Yet whan she shall come before that streyghte Iuge she fereth there be somwhat that is not in her remembraunce Her fere drede encreaseth wexeth the more whan she thynketh that she coude not escape that tyme of this lyfe withoute synne And also suche werkis as she thynketh be good coÌ„mendable that she hath done in her lyfe yet they be not all fawtles yf they sholde be streyghtly Iugyd pyte mercy set a syde who can coÌ„sydre call to mynde how many euyll werkys we do by processe of lytyll tyme. And what good thynges we by our neclygence leue vndo Sothely lyke as iâ— is synne trespaas to do euyll soo it is a mysse defawte to leue good thynges vndo And soo it is greate hurte peryll to vs whan we nother do wel ne thyÌ„ke wel But suffre our mynde to be occupyed abowte tryfles thynges that ben varyaunt vnprouffytable Sothly is is full harde to kepe oure mynde surly frome euyll thoughtes it is also very harde to be moche occupyed in worldely thynges without synne And therfore there can no man Iuge rebuke hymself perfytly· For he is soo moche occupyed troubly with soo many thoughtes that he in maner knoweth not himself soo that he knoweth not well what he doth or suffreth Wherfore he is smyte with sodeyne fere drede in his coÌ„scyence at his passage out of this world For though he fynde no thynge to his knowelege that greueth his conscyence yet he dredyth suche thynges as he knoweth not ne hath in his remembraunce ¶ Of the dygnyte noblesse of mannys soule Of the wretchydnesse of the body And how wretchyd the soule is made by the body cao. .iiijo. O Thou soule of man aourned with thymage of god made fayre bewteuous with his symylytude spoused and wedded to hym by fayth endoured wyth his holy spyryte redemed with his precyous blood deputed and putte to be kepte with his blessyd angellys pertener of his Ioye blysse the Inherytoure of his goodnes induyd with reason vnderstondynge What plesyre hast thou to be so coÌ„uersaunte with the vyle body wherby thou suffrest so moche greuauÌ„ce tribulacion payne By the body thou arte punysshed for the synnes of other thou arte broughte to nought repute a thyng in vayne of lytyll valour That carcas that thou louest cheryseste so moche with whome thou art so coÌ„uersauÌ„t is fowle lothsom matere torned in to flesshe couered wyth freyll vnsure bewte and hastely shall be stynkynge roten caryon and meete to wormes For though man exalte and magnefye himselfe neuer so moche yet he abydeth styll a foule vnclene carcas Certeynly yf thou consyder wel what fylth auoydeth by thy mouth thy nose other partes of thy body thou sawest neuer a fowler dounghyll Yf thou woll nombre couÌ„te all his wretchydnes howe greuous it is oppressyd with the heuy burden of synne bounde fretyd with vyces moued styâ—ed with concupicence trauayled and troubled with dyuers passyons affeccions defowled with Illusions euer pâ—â—oe redy to euyl hasty to euery vyce thou shalte fynde it full of shame confusyon Thorugh the flesshe man is made lyke vnto vanyte For thorugh it he is enfecte wyth the vyce of concupycsence vnleful desyre Wherby he is kept as thral in bondage and made so crockyd that he loueth vanyte and werked wyckydnesse ¶ Of the myserye and wretchydnes of man in his conceyuynge his byrth his lyfe and his deth Of the noblesse of the soule And of the sodayne myschyef of wycked men cao. .vo. MAn takehede what thou were before thy natyuyte What thou arte fro the begynnynge vnto thyne endynge And what thou thalte be after this lyf O man fyrste fylth lothsom matere Afterwarde a stynkynge sackefull of dounge And at the last mete to wormes to gnawe on in the grouÌ„de How sholdest thou be proude Sothly thou was fyrste as nought thenÌ„e thou made brought forth of vyse and fylthy matere wrapped in vnclene clothynge garmentes in thy moders
wombe where thou was fedde nuorysshed with a fowle lothsome matere And thy cote was not very honest ne pleasauÌ„t thus cladde nourysshed came thou to vs And yet thou haste not in mynde how vyle and wretched thy begynnynge was For bewty fauour of people youth ryches make the that thou knowest not what man is The whiche is not els but fowle and stynkynge matere A sacke of douÌ„ge fynally wormes meete Wherof thenne is man prowde that is conceyued in synne broughte forth with payne lyuynge in moche laboure vexacion finably must nedes deye Thus is man torned in to vermyn stenche abhominacion And euery man is torned in to no man Wherfore thenne arte thou proude man consyderynge that thou was somtyme vyle foule sede blood coagulate in thy moders wombe Afterwarde broughte forth Ieoparded putte to wretchydnesse of this lyfe to synne and fynally shall become wormes and mete to wormes in thy graue O thou duste powdre wherfore arte thou prowde that arte conceyued in synne broughte forth with wretchydnes lyuest in payne trybulacion shalt deye with angwysshe vexacyon Wherto fedeste that thy carcas soo delycyously with precyous meetes· adurnest it with soo gaye precyous garmentes that whyche wythin fewe dayes shall fede wormes in the sepulcre and leuest thy soule naked bare of vertues gode werkes that is to be presented tofore almyghty god his blessyd angellys in heuen O why settest thou soo lytyll pryce by thy soule cheryssheste more thy body than it Sothly it is grete abusion that maystresse lady to serue to be kepte in subieccyon the hondmen to rule haue domynacyon For sothely all the worlde maye not be estemed reputed ryghtfully to the value pryce of one soule For our lorde wolde not gyue his lyfe for all the worlde the whiche he gaue for mannis soule therfore the pryce of the soule is grete what coÌ„mutacyon chaunge thenne shall thou gyue for thy soule that gyuest it for noughte Dyde not the sone of god restyng in the bosom of his fader desceÌ„de frome his regall sete to delyuer her fro the power of the deuyll the whiche whan he sawe teyed fettred with snares of synne in poynt to be lost deuoured with fendes and damned to perpetuell deth he had pety on her wepte for her that coude not wepe for her selfe And not oonly wepte but suffred hymselfe to be slayne to redeme her with the raunson of his precyous blood ¶ O thou man mortall beholde how precyouse an oblacion was yeuen for the. Take hede man vnderstonde how moche noble thy soule is And how greuous her wouÌ„des were for whoo 's helth it behouyd Cryste that was god man to be so greuously wouÌ„ded Yf they had not ben mortall wouÌ„des of dethe euerlastyyge the sone of god sholde neuer haue suffred deth to hele them Beware therfore that thou vylupende not sette at lytyll the hurte payne of thy soule of whome thou seeste that hyghe mageste of god haue so greate compassyon He morned wepte for the. Wepe thou wasshe thy bedde euery nyghte with coÌ„punccion of herte plente of teerys He shed his precyous blood for the shed thou thyne for hym by dayly punysshemente of thy body Whiche syth thou mayste not spende at ones by martyrdom or deth for loue of hym At the leest wyse spende it by more ease but by more lenger mardyrdome Take no hede ne regarde to that vnleefull concupyscence of thy flesshe but by the goostly desyre of thy soule O how gloryouse shall the soule be whan it shal torne to his lorde yf it be not defoyled with the flesshe but hath wasshed away all fylthe and is made pure and clene Perauenture thou wylte saye that this is an harde thynge I can not despyse the worlde hate myne owne body I praye the tell me where be the louers of the worlde that somtyme dwelled amonge vs. of whome there remayneth not but powdre wormes Take good hede what they be now and what they were somtyme They were men as thou arte ete drynke and made mery And spended theyr dayes in playsyre And in a momente they be descended to the pytte of helll And here theyr bodyes ben deputed to wormes and thyer soules to hote fyre vnto suche tyme as they felsshypped and Ioyned togyder ayene in an vnhappy company be put to euerlastynge fyre The whyche were felowes in synne wyckydnesse for lyke as they were knytte togyder in one wyll playsyre in synne Soo shall they be punysshed wyth lyke payne ¶ What hath prouffyted theym vayn glory shorte myrth worldly power or domynacyon flesshely pleasyre false vnsure rychesse greate housholde wycked concupysâ—â—nce Where is theyr myrth where is theyr play and sportes where is theyr boste where is theyr pryde Beholde what sorowe wretchydnesse cometh of soo greate myrth and gladnesse What payne foloweth â—o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They ben fallen frome Ioye myrth in to greate myschyef and hyghe tormentynges And lyke as it befell to theym soo it maye befall to the. For thou arte a man erthe made of erth Man cometh of erthe of erth thou arte Of erthe thou lyuest and in to erthe thou shalte be torned whan thy laste daye cometh The whyche shall come hastely And perauenture it shall come this daye O syth we ben but fylth and dunge and erthe the whiche shall â—orne to erthe How or where of maye we be prowde ¶ Of the dethe and also of the paynes of wycked men after deth cao. vio. CErtayn it is that thou shalte deye but it is vncerten whan how or where For deth makyth hym redy ayenste the in euery place and yf thou be wyse thou wylte alwaye make the redy agaynst hym whersoeuer thou be Of all thynges that ben vncerten there is no more vncerten than is the hour of deth And there is none thynge more certen than dethe is For deth is sure vndowted but the houre of dethe is preuy and vnknowen Yf thou lyue after the flesshe thou shalte be punysshed in the flesshe Yf thou desyre precyous clothynge vermyn shall be strewed vnder the for fresshnes of thyn araye thy coueryng shal be wormes He that loueth better worldly thynges than god gloteny beter than abstynence foloweth the deuyll shall goo with hym in to euerlastynge payne but yf he amende What mornynge trowest thou what sorowe heuynesse shall be whan wycked people shall be departed fro the blessyd company of sayntes fro the syghte of god shall be taken in to the hondes of deuylles goo with them in to euerlastynge fyre where they shall abyde euer â–ª withoute ende in sorowe waylynge Sothly they banysshed outlawed ferre fro the blessyd couÌ„trey of paradyse shall be tormented in perpetuell paynes of helle They shall neuer see lyghte Neuer haue socoure ne refresshyng but by thousandes thousandes yeres