Death was at first inflicted as a curse
But woman’s seed hath broke the serpent’s head,
His bitter death for us hath gained life,
His agony hath freed His own from dread.
Death is that guest the goodly wish to see;
For when it comes, their troubles ended be.
All things do work together for the best
To those that love and are beloved of God;
If all things, then must also sin and death,
Sickness and sorrow, world’s own scourging rod:
For in despite of flesh, the world, and devil,
Good to His children brings good out of evil.
First, we by death are freed from present woe,
And such God’s Spirit hath pronounced blest,
As in the Lord depart our irksome life;
For from their labours they for ever rest.
‘Tis death conducts us to that land of peace;
Then welcome death, which doth all sorrows cease.
If man were fettered in a loathsome gaol,
Without one spark of hope to come from thence,
Till prison walls were level with the ground,
He would be glad to see their fall commence.
The body’s ruin then rejoice to see,
That out of gaol thy soul may loosed be.
What worse bocardo for the soul of man,
Than is this body, which with filth is fraught;
Witness the sinks thereof, through which doth pass
The excrements, appointed for draught.
Evacuations, loathsome to the smell,
Egested filth, unfit for tongue to tell.
From out of prison bring my soul, O Lord,
Was David’s earnest and sincere desire,
Eliah in the anguish of his heart,
Did death in stead of irksome life require.
Vile, live, and evil, have the selfsame letters,
He lives but vile whom evil bonds in fetters.
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Dear corporal in fine is as a door,
Through which our souls do pass without delay
Into those joys which cannot be conceived;
This truth is proved plain, where Christ doth say,
Today thou shalt be with me to that thief,
Which at last gasp did be his soul’s relief.
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