The seconde Chapter. That for a foundacion men must nedes begin vvith • hyth

SYth al our principal cōfort must come of god, we must first presuppose in him to whō we shal with any gostly counsel geue ani effectual comforte, one grounde to begin withal: wherupon al y• we shall build must be supported & stand, y• is to wit, the ground and foundacion of faith, without which had ready before, al the spiritual comfort that any man may speake of can neuer auaile a flye. For likewise as it were vtterly vaine to lay natural reasons of comfort, to hym that hath no wit, so wer it vndoubtedli frustrate to lay spiritual causes of comfort to him that hath no faith. For excepte a man first beleue, that holye sc[…]ipture is the worde of God, & that the worde of GOD is true, how can a mā take any comfort of that that the scripture telleth him therin? Nedes must the man take litle fruit of ye scripture, if he either beleue not that it wer the worde of God, or els wene that thoughe it were it might yet bee for all that vntrue. This faith as it is more fainte or more stronge, so shall the comfortable wordes of holy scripture stande the man in more stede or lesse. This vertue of faith, can nether any mā geue hymself nor yet any one man another: but though mē may with preachīg be ministers vnto god therin, & the man with his own frewyl obeying freely the inwarde inspiracion of god, be a weake worker with almightye god therin: yet is the faith in dede the gracious gyfte of god himself. For as Saint Iames sayth. Omne datum optimum & omne donum perfectum desursum est descendens a patre luminum Euery good gift and euery perfect gift, is geuen from aboue, descēding from the father of lightes. Therfore feling our faith by many tokens very faint, let vs pray to him that geueth it, that it may please him to helpe & encrease it. And let vs fyrst say with the man in ye gospell. Credo domine, adi[…]ua incredulitatem meam. I beeleue good Lorde but helpe thou the lacke of my belyefe. And after lette vs pray wyth the Apostles. Domine adauge nobis fidem. Lorde encrease oure fayth. And fynallye let vs consider by Christes saying vnto them, that if we would not suffer the strength and feruour of our faith to waxe luke warme, or rather kaye colde, and in maner lese his vigor by scatering our mindes abrode aboute so many triflyng thinges, that of the matters of our faith, we very seldom thinke it that we woulde withdrawe our thought fro the respect and regarde of al worldly fantasies, and so gather our fayth together into a litle narrowe rowme. And lyke the lytle graine of a musterd sede, whiche is of nature hote, set it in the garden of our soule, al wedes pulled out for the better fedyng of our faith, than shall it growe, and so spreade vp in heighte, that the byrdes, that is to witte, the holy Aungels of heauen shall brede in our soule and bryng forth vertues in the braunches of our fayth, and then with the faithfull truste, that throughe the true beliefe of goddes worde we shal put in his promise, we shalbe wel able to commaunde a great mountaine of tribulacion, to voyde from the place where he stoode in our heart, where as with a very feble faith and a faint, we shalbe scāt hable to remoue a litle hillocke. And therefore, as for ye first conclusiō, as we must of necessitie before any spiritual coūfort presuppose the foundacion of faith: So sith no man can geue vs faith, but only god, let vs neuer cease to call vppon God therefore.

☞Vincent. Forsoth my good vncle, me thinketh yt this foūdaciō of faith, which as you saie must be laid first, is so necessarily requisite, yt without it, al spiritual coūfort wer vtterly geuē in vain. And therfore now shall we pray god for a ful & a fast faith. And I praye you good vncle, procede you farther in the processe of your matter of spirituall comfort, againste tribulacion.

☞Antony. That shal I Cosin with good wil.