charity of Holy Church — is acceptable and precious in the sight of God. As Saint John saith in the Apocalypse: Beati mortui qui in Domino moriuntur. [Rev 14:13] Blessed be all dead men that die in God.
And therefore God saith in the fourth chapter of the Book of Sapience: Justus si morte procupatus fuerit, in refrigerio erit. [Wis. 4:7] A rightful man though he be hasted, or hastily or suddenly dead, he shall be had to a place of refreshing. And so shall every man that dieth, if it be so that he keep himself stably, and govern him wisely in the temptations that he shall have in [the] agony or strife of his death; as it shall be declared afterwards. And therefore of the commendation of death of good men only a wise man saith thus: Death is nothing else but a going [out] of prison, and an ending of exile; a discharging of an heavy burden, that is the body; finishing of all infirmities; a scaping of all perils; destroying of all evil things; breaking of all bonds; paying of [the] debt of natural duty; turning again into his country; and entering into bliss and joy.
And therefore it is said in the seventh book of Ecclesiastes: Melior est dies mortis die nativitatis. [Eccles. 7:1] The day of a man's death is better than the day of man's birth. And this is understood only of good men and the chosen people of God. For of evil men and reprovable, neither the day of their birth, neither the day of their death, may be called good. And therefore every good perfect Christian man, and also every other man though he be imperfect and late converted from sin, so he be verily contrite and
