The first consideration

THe first consideration may be this: First consider by your owne mynde and reason, that almightie God of his owne singular goodnesse & frée will dyd create you and make you of naught, whervnto he was not bounde by any necessitie, nor drawen by any commoditie that might ryse vppon him by your creation. No other thing moued him but his verie goodnesse and speciall fauor yt he bare vnto you, long or euer he did make you. This good sister take for a very truth & firmly beleue it, for so it is in verye déede innumerable creatures more then euer were made or euer shall be made, hee myght haue made if it had bene so pleasing vnto him. For how many suppose you maryed men and maryed weomen haue bene and shall be héereafter in thys world, that neuer had ne neuer shall haue any children, yet they full gladly would haue had, and by possibilitie of nature might haue had many, if it had so pleased almightie God to haue made and to haue giuen vnto them children. But all those be lefte vnmade, and amongest them he myght haue lefte you also vnmade, and neuer haue put his hande to the making of you, if he had so would. Neuerthelesse as I sayde it pleased his goodnes herein to prefer you of his special fauour yt he bear vnto you, leauing vnmade other moe innumerable, electing you, & appointing you to be made refusing & setting apart all thē which wold peraduēture haue cōsidered his speciall grace & fauour more louingly thē you hitherto haue don. And wold haue studied more for his plesure and seruice then euer you did, and you occupie the roome and place that some of them might haue occupyed by lyke fauour, as almightie God hath shewed vnto you. Ah deare sister howe much should this one consideration moue you to the earnest loue of thys our so gracyous a Lorde, that thus hath appoynted and chosen you to bée his creature, before so many other where hée might haue, taken any of them at his pleasure, & repelled you, and left you as naught, without any maner of being.