The fifth consideration

THe fifth consideration is this: Peraduenture after that thus by your repentance & askyng mercy, you were taken to this grace of your God, yet far more gréeuously, and farre more vnkindly you fell againe to sinnne, and kepte not ye purpose and promyse that before you did make, but more without shame and dread of hys hyghnesse, tooke your libertie in your sinfull wayes, abusing his gentlenes, & presuming vppō hys mercie, not regarding any benifite or kindenesse shewed by his most excelent goodnesse vnto you before, so defiling your soule by innumerable wayes, and makyng it filthie & more vngoodly then is the Sowe that waltereth hir self in the foule myrie puddle, and more pestilently stinketh in the sight of God, then is the stinking carion of a dead dogge, being rotten and lying in a ditch, yet neuertheles for all these misbehauiors, your Lord God of his farre passing goodnes hath called you agayne from your sinfull life, and hath graciously stirred your soule to forsake your sin, & to leue this wretched worlde, & to enter the holy relygion. Wherby after the sentence of holy doctors, your soule is made as cleane as it was at your baptisme, and restored agayne to the puritie and cleanenesse of your first innocencie: And not onely that, but also hée hath appointed you to be of the number of them, that be assigned for hys best beloued spouses. And what hygh point of singular fauour is this? How many weomen farre better then you, be lefte behinde in this worlde not called to this high dignitie, nor admitted to thys most speciall grace? When the noble Kinge Asuerus as it is written in the scripture commaunded many fayre yong maydens to be chosen out, and to be séene vnto with all things yt might make them fayr[…] and beautifull and pleasaunt to his sight, to the intent that they at all tymes when it should like him to appoynte any of them to come to his presence and to be his spouse, they might be ye more readie. This thing no doubt of it, was to them yt were thus chosē a comfort, that they were preferred before other, and also euerie one of them might lyue in hope to come to ye kings presēce, & haue some likelihood to be accepted for his spouse in so much yt all other but they were excluded. In like maner it is with religious women. All they by the gracious calling of the great king of heuen be gathered into Gods religion and disseuered from thother seculer women that be of the world, there a season to abide, vntill they be sufficiently prepared by the holy sacraments, and the holy obseruacions of religiō to come to his gracious highnesse presence, and to be brought into his secret chamber aboue in heauen, there to abide with him in endles ioy and blisse. Blessed is that religious woman, that so doth prepare her selfe for this litle time that héere she shal tarry by prayer, by meditation by contemplatiō by teares of devocion, by harty loue & burning desyre yt after this transitory life she may be admitted to the most excellēt honor & not with shame & rebuke be repelled therfro, whē ye day shal com.