A
man,
after
his
death
and
before
his
burial,
is
still
among
the
living
:
he
still
has
the
face
of
a
man,
though
he
is
an
object
of
terror;
thus
the
soul,
in
the
commencement
of
this
degree,
still
bears
some
resemblance
to
what
it
was
before
;
there
remains
in
it
a
certain
secret
impression
of
God,
as
there
re-mains
in
a
dead
body
a
certain
animal
heat
which
gradually
leaves
it.
The
soul
still
practises
devotion
and
prayer,
but
this
is
soon
taken
away
from
it
It
must
lose
not
only
all
prayer/
every
gift
of
God,
but
God^Himself
to
all
appearance
—
that
is,
so
far
as
He
was
possessed
selfishly
by
the
ego
—
and
not
^lose
Him
for
one,
two,
or
three
years,
but
for
ever.
All
facility
for
good,
all
active
virtue,
are
taken
from
it
;
it
is
left
naked
and
despoiled
of
everything.
The
world,
which
formerly
esteemed
it
so
much,
begins
to
fear
it
Yet
it
is
no
visible
sin
which
produces
the
contempt
of
men,
but
a
powerlessness
to
prac-tise
its
former
good
works
with
the
same
facility.
Formerly
whole
days
were
spent
in
the
visitation
of
the
sick,
often
even
against
natural
inclination
;
such
works
as
these
can
be
practised
no
longer.
The
soul
will
soon
be
in
an
entire
oblivion.
Little
