CHAPTER XXIII

Of meditation upon death

Very quickly will there be an end of thee here; take heed
therefore how it will be with thee in another world. To-day man
is, and to-morrow he will be seen no more. And being removed out
of sight, quickly also he is out of mind. O the dulness and
hardness of man's heart, which thinketh only of the present, and
looketh not forward to the future. Thou oughtest in every deed
and thought so to order thyself, as if thou wert to die this day.
If thou hadst a good conscience thou wouldst not greatly fear
death. It were better for thee to watch against sin, than to fly
from death. If to-day thou art not ready, how shalt thou be
ready to-morrow? To-morrow is an uncertain day; and how knowest
thou that thou shalt have a to-morrow?

2. What doth it profit to live long, when we amend so little?
Ah! long life doth not always amend, but often the more
increaseth guilt. Oh that we might spend a single day in this
world as it ought to be spent! Many there are who reckon the
years since they were converted, and yet oftentimes how little is
the fruit thereof. If it is a fearful thing to die, it may be
perchance a yet more fearful thing to live long. Happy is the
man who hath the hour of his death always before his eyes, and
daily prepareth himself to die. If thou hast ever seen one die,
consider that thou also shalt pass away by the same road.