The xiii. Chapter. That a man ought to be comfo • table to hymselfe and haue good hope and be ioyful also in t

☞Anthony. COsin, it wer a long worke to peruse euery comfort that a man may well take of tribulacion. For as manye comfortes you wote well may a man take thereof, as there be good commodities therein: and that there be surely so manye, that it woulde be verye long to rehearse and treate of them. But me semeth we cānot lightly better perceiue what profite and commoditie, and therby what comfort the[…] maye take of it that haue it, than yf we well consyder what harme the lacke is, and thereby what discomfort the lacke therof should be to them that neuer haue it: So is it nowe that all holye menne agree, and all the Scripture is full, and oure own experience proueth at oure iye, that we be not come into thys wretched worlde to dwell here, nor haue not as Saincte Paule sayeth, oure dwellynge Citye here: but wee be sekyng for that Citie that is to come, and therefore Saincte Paule sheweth vs that we dooe seke for it as they that are good folke, and fayne woulde come thyther dooe. For surely whoso setteth so lyttle thereby that he lysteth not to seeke therefore: it wyll I feare me be long ere he come thereat, and merueylous greate grace yf he euer come thyther. Sic […]urrite, sayeth Sainct Paule Vt comprehendatis. Runne so that you may geat it: If it must than be gotten with runnyng, when shal he come at it that list not steppe towardes it? Now because that this worlde is as I tell you, not our eternall dwellyng, but our lytle whyle wanderyng, God woulde that we shoulde in suche wyse vse it, as folke that were wearye of it, and that we shoulde in thys vayle of laboure, toyle teares and myserye, not loke for reste and ease, game, pleasure, wealthe and felicytye. For they that so dooe, fare lyke a fonde felowe, that goyng towardes hys owne house where he shoulde bee wealthye, woulde for a tapsters pleasure beecome an hostler by the waye, and dye in a stable, and neuer come at home. And woulde GOD that those that drowne them selfe in the desyre of thys worldes wretched wealthe, were not yet more fooles than so. But alas theyr folye as farre passeth the foolyshenesse of that other fonde felowe, as there is dystaunce beetwene the heyghte of heauen and the veraye depth of hell. For oure Sauyoure sayeth. Ve vobis qui ridetis nunc, quia lugebitis & flebitis. Woe maye you bee that laughe nowe, for you shall wayle and wepe. Est tempus flendi, (sayeth the Scrypture) & est tempus ridendi. There is tyme of wepyng and there is tyme of laughyng. But as you see, he setteth the weping tyme before, for that is the tyme of this wretched worlde, and the laughynge shall come after in heauen. There is also a tyme of sowyng and a time of reapyng too. Nowe must we in thys worlde sowe, that wee maye in the other worlde reape: and in this shorte sowyng tyme of thys wepyng worlde, muste we water oure sede with the showres of oure teares, and then shall we haue in heauen a merye laughyng harueste for euer. Euntes ibant & flebant (saith the Prophete,) mittentes semina sua. They wente foorth and sowed theyr seedes wepyng, but what sayeth he shall folow therof. Venie[…]tes autem venient cum exultacione po[…]ta[…]tes manipulos suo[…]. They shall come agayne more than laughing, wyth greate ioye and exultacion, with theyr handes full of corne in theyr handes. Loe, they that in theyr goyng home towardes heauen, sowe theyr sede with wepyng, shall at the daye of iudgemente come to theyr bodies agayne, wyth euerlastyng plentye laughyng. And for to proue that thys lyfe is no laughyng tyme, but rather the time of wepyng: we finde that oure Sauiour hymselfe weped twyse or thryse, but neuer fynde we that he laughed so much as once. I wyll not sweare that he neuer did, but at ye least wise he lefte vs no ensā ple of it. But on the other syde, he lefte vs ensaumple of weping. Of wepyng haue we matter inough. bothe for oure owne synnes and for other folkes too: for surelye so shoulde we dooe, bewayle theyr wretched synnes, and not be glad to detracte them nor enuye them neyther. Alas selye soules, what cause is there to enuie them that are euer wealthye in this worlde, and euer oute of tribulacyon? whiche as (Iob sayeth.) Du[…]unt in bo[…]is dies suos, & in puncto ad inferna descendunt. Leade all theyr dayes in wealthe, and in a momente of an houre descende into theyr graue and be paynefullye buryed in hell. Saincte Paule sayeth vnto the Hebrues that GOD (those that he loueth) he chastyseth. Et flagellat omnem filium quem recipit. And he scourgeth euerye sonne of hys that he receyueth. Sayncte Paule sayeth also. Per multas tr[…]bulaciones oportet nos introire in regnum dei. By manye trybulacyons muste we goe into the kingdome of GOD. And no meruayle, for oure Sauiour Christ sayd of him selfe vnto hys two dysciples that wer goyng into the castle of Emaus. An nesciebatis quia oportebat Christum pati, & sic introire in regnum su[…]m? Knowe you not that Christe muste suffer and so goe into hys kyngdome? and woulde wee that are seruauntes looke for more priuiledge in oure Maysters house, than oure Maister him selfe? Would we […]eat into hys kyngdome with ease, when he hymselfe gote not into his owne but by payne? Hys kyngdom hath he ordayned for hys discyples, and he sayeth vnto vs all. Qui v[…]lt esse meus discipulus, tollat crucem suam & sequatur me. Y[…] anye manne wyll be my disciple, lette hym learne at me to dooe as I haue done, take his crosse of trybulacion vpon his backe and folowe me. He saieth not here loe, lette hym laughe and make merye. Nowe if heauen serue but for Chrystes dysciples, and thei be those that take theyr crosse of trybulacyon: when shall these folke come there that neuer haue tribulacyon? And if it be true that Saincte Paule saieth, that GOD chastyseth all them that he loueth, and scourgeth euerye chylde whome he receyueth, and to heauen shall none come, but suche as he loueth and receyueth: whan shall they come thyther whom he neuer chastyseth, nor neuer dooeth vouchesafe to fyle hys handes vpon them, and geue them so muche as one lashe? And yf wee can not (as Saincte Paule sayeth we can not) come to heauen, but by manye trybulacions: howe shal they come thither than, that neuer haue none at all? Thus see we well by the verye Scripture it selfe, howe true the woordes are of olde holye Sainctes, that wyth one voyce in a maner saye al one thing, that is to wit, that we shall not haue bothe contynuall wealth in thys worlde, and in the other too. And therefore, syth they that in thys worlde without anye trybulacion enioye their long continuall course of neuer interrupted prosperitie, haue a great cause of feare and of discoumforte lest they bee farre fallen out of gods fauor, and stande depe in his indignacion and displeasure, whyle he neuer sendeth them trybulacion, whiche he is euer wonte to sende them whome he loueth. They therefore, I saye that are in trybulacion, haue on the other syde a greate cause to take in theyr gryefe great inwarde coumforte and spyrytuall consolacion.