The.vii. Chapter. A great comfort maye be in tribulacion, that euery tribul • cion is, if vve our selfe vvyl,

☞Vincent. YOu haue good vncle well opened & declared the question y• I demaūded you, yt is to wyt, what maner of comforte a mā might praye for in triblaciō, & nowe procede forth good vncle, and shewe vs yet farther some other spiritual comfort in tribulacion.

☞Anthony. This may be, thinketh me good cosin great comforte in tribulacion, that euery trybulacion which any time falleth vnto vs, is either sent to be medicinable if men wil so take it, or maye become medicinable if men will so make it, or is better thā medicinable, but if we wil forsake it.

☞Vincent. Surely this is very comfortable if we may well perceyue it.

☞Antony. These thre thinges that I telle you, we shal consider thus: euery tribulaciō yt we fal in, cometh either by our owne knowen deseruing dede, bringyng vs therunto as ye sycknes yt foloweth our intemperate surfayte, or the prisonment or other punishement put vpon a man for his heynous cryme, or els is it sente vs by god without any certaine deseruing cause opē and knowen vnto our selfe, eyther for punishment of som sinnes passed. Certainly we know not for which, or for preseruing vs frō some sinnes in which we were els lyke to fal, or finally for no respecte of the mannes sinne at al, but for ye profe of his paciēce and encrease of his meryte. In all the former cases tribulacion is (if he wil) medicinable: in this last case of al it is better than medicinable.