ing togither these
exhalati[on]s of the earth: for the heauens shall be ours, and this
masse of earth, which euer drawes vs towards the earth, shalbe
buried in the earth. No more shal we ouerwearie our selues with
mounting from degree to degree, and from honor to honor: for we
shall highlie be raysed aboue all heights of the world; and from
on high laugh at the folly of all those we once admired, who
fight together for a point, and as litle childr[en] for lesse then
an apple. No more to be brief shal we haue combates in our
selues: for our flesh shall be dead, and our spirit in full
life: our passion buried, and our reason in perfect libertie.
Our soule deliuered out of this foule & filthie prison, where,
by long continuing it is growen into an habite of crookednes,
shall againe draw her owne breath, recognize her ancient
dwelling, and againe remember her former glory & dignity. This
flesh my frend which thou feelest, this body which thou touchest
is not man: Man is from heauen: heauen is his countrie and his
aire. That he is in his body, is but by way of exile &
confinement. Man in deed is soule and spirit: Man is rather of
celestiall and diuine qualitie, wherin is nothing grosse nor
materiall. This body such as now it is, is but the barke & shell
of the soule: which must necessarily be broken, if we will be
hatched: if we will indeed liue & see the light. We haue it
semes, some life, and some sence in vs: but are so croked and
contracted, that we cannot so much as stretch out our wings,
much lesse take our flight towards heauen, vntill we be
disburthened of this earthlie burthen. We looke, but through
false spectacles: we haue eyes but ouergrowen with pearles: we
thinke we see, but it is in a dreame, wherin we see nothing but
deceit. All that we haue, and all that we know is but abuse and
vanitie. Death only can restore vs both life and light: and we
thinke (so blockish we are) that she comes to robbe vs of them.
We say we are Christians: that we beleeue after this mortall,
a life immortall: that death is but a separation of the body and
soule: and that the soule returnes to his happie abode, there to
ioy in God, who only is all good: that at the last day it shall
againe take the body, which shal no more be subiect to
corrupti[on]. With these goodly discourses we fill all our bookes:
and in the meane while, wh[en] it comes to the point, the very name
of death as the horriblest thing in the world makes vs quake &
tr