John Donne, 1633 Sonnet, “Death be not Proud”


Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me…
One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

“There are different degrees of happiness and glory in heaven…The glory
of the saints above will be in some proportion to their eminency in holiness
and good works here…All shall he perfectly happy, everyone shall be
perfectly satisfied. Every vessel that is cast into this ocean of happiness is
full, though there are some vessels larger than others; and there shall be
no such thing as envy in heaven, but perfect love shall reign through the
whole society.”

-Jonathan Edwards