Paul was. For the longing that he had to be with God, he
would fain have been dead, but for the profit of other folk he was
content to live here in pain, and defer and forbear for the while
his inestimable bliss in heaven: _"Desiderium habens dissolvi et
esse cum Christo, multo magis melius, permanere autem in carne,
necessarium propter vos."_
But of all these kinds of folk, cousin, who are loth to die (except
for the first kind only, who lack faith), there is I suppose none
who would hesitate, for the bare respect of death alone, unless the
fear of shame or sharp pain joined unto death should be the
hindrance, to depart hence with good will in this case of the
faith. For he would well know by his faith that his death, taken
for the faith, should cleanse him clean of all his sins and send
him straight to heaven. And some of these (namely the last kind)
are such that shame and pain both joined unto death would be
unlikely to make them loathe death or fear death so sore but what
they would suffer death in this case with good will, since they
know well that the refusing of the faith, for any cause in this
world (seemed the cause never so good), should yet sever them from
God, with whom, save for other folk's profit, they so fain would
be. And charity it cannot be, for the profit of the whole world,
deadly to displease him who made it.
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