ANTHONY: Yes, peradventure suddenly they would, before they gather
their wits unto them and well weigh the matter. But, cousin, those
who will consider the matter well, reason, grounded upon the
foundation of faith, shall show they very great substantial causes
for which the dread of those grievous qualities that they see shall
come with death--shame, I mean, and pain also--shall not so sore
abash them as sinfully to drive them to that point. And for the
proof thereof, let us first begin at the consideration of the shame.
XXIII
How can any faithful wise man dread death so sore, for any respect
of shame, when his reason and his faith together can shortly make
him perceive that there is no true shame in it at all? For how can
that death be shameful that is glorious? Or how can it be anything
but glorious to die for the faith of Christ, if we die both for the
faith and in the faith, joined with hope and charity? For the
scripture plainly saith, "Precious in the sight of God is the death
of his saints." Now if the death of his saints be glorious in the
sight of God, it can never be shameful in very deed, however
shameful it seem here in the sight of men. For here we may see and
be sure that not only at the death of St. Stephen, to whom it
pleased him to show himself with the heaven open over his head, but
at the death also of every may who so dieth for the faith, God with
his heavenly company beholdeth his whole passion and verily looketh
on.
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