The.xviii. Chapter. Of them that in tribulacion • eke not vnto god, but some to the fleshe, and some to the vv

☞Vincent. UErely good vncle with this good aunswere I am well contente.

Antony. Ye Cosyn but many mē are there with whom god is not cōtent, which abuse this great goodnes of his, whom neither faire treating nor hard hādlyng canne cause to remembre their maker, but in welth they be wantō and forgeat god, and folowe their luste: and whan god with tribulacion draweth them towarde him, than waxe they woode and drawe backe al that euer they may, and rather runne and seke helpe at any other hande than to goe feke it at his. Some for comforte seke to the fleshe, some to the worlde, and some to the deuil hymselfe. Some man that in worldlye prosperite is verye dull of welth, and hath depe stepped into many a sore sinne: whiche sinnes when he did them, he counted for part of his pleasure: god willing of his goodnes to call the man to grace, casteth a remorse into his minde amonge after hys firste slepe, and maketh him lye a lyttle while and bethinke him[…] Than beginneth he to remēbre his life, and from that he falleth to thinke vpon his death, and how he must leaue all this worldly welthe within a while behinde here in this world, and walke hence alone, he woteth not whither, nor howe sone he shall take hys iourney thyther, nor can tel what company he shal mete there. And than beginneth he to thinke that it were good to make sure and be mery so, that we be wyse therewyth, leste there happe to be such blacke bugges in dede as folke cal deuilles[…] whose tormētes he was wōt to take for Poetes tales. These thoughtes if they sinke depe, are a sore tribulacion. And surely if he take holde of the grace that god therein offereth hym, his tribulacion is holesome, & shalbe ful comfortable to remēbre, that god by tribulacion calleth him and byddeth hym come home out of the countrey of sinne that he was bred and broughte vp so longe in, and come into the lande of beheste that floweth mylke and honey. And then if he folowe this calling (as manye one full well doeth) ioyfull shal hys sorow be, and glad shal he be to chaūge his life, leaue his wanton lustes, & do penance for his sinnes, bestowing his time vpō better busines.

But some men nowe whan this callyng of GOD causeth them to be sadde, they be loth to leaue their sinfull lustes that hange in theyr heartes[…] and specyallye if they haue anye suche kynde of lyuing as they must nedes leaue of or fal deper in sin: or if they haue suche greate wronges done that they haue manye myndes to make, that must (if they folowe god) mynyshe much of theyr money, than are these folkes (alas) wofully bewrapped, for God prycketh vpon them of his greate goodnes stil and the griefe of thys greate payne pyn […]heth them at the harte and of wyckednes they wrye awaye and for thys tribulation they turne to theyr fleshe for helpe and labour to shake of thys thought, and then they mend theyr pyllowe and leye theyr hed softer, and assaye to slepe, and then that will not bee: than they finde a talke a while with them that lye by […]hem. If that cannot be neyther, than they lye and longe for daye, and then gette them forth about theyr worldely wretchednes the matter of theyr prosperyte, the selfsame sinful thinges with which they displease God most, & at length wyth manye tymes vsing thys maner, god vtterly casteth them of. And thē they sette noughte nother by GOD nor deuill. Peccator cum in profundum venerit, contemnit. When the synner cometh euyn into the depth, than he contemneth and setteth nought by nothing, sauing worldlye feare that maye fall by chaunce, or that nedes muste (they wote well) fall once by deth?

But alas when death cometh thā cometh agayn theyr sorowe, than wyll no softe bed serue nor no companye make hym merye than he muste leaue his outwarde worshippe and comforte of hys glorye and lye panting in his bed as it were on a pyne banke, thā cometh his feare of his euill lyfe, and of his dreadeful death. Thā comme[…]h the tormēt of his cōbred cōscience and feare of his heauy iudgement. Than the deuill drawyth him to dyspayer with imagination of hel, and suffreth hym not than to take it for a fable. Ah, wo worthe the while that folke thinke not of this in time.

God sendeth to some mā great trouble i[…] his minde, & greate tribulaciō about his worldly goodes, because he would of hys goodnes take his detite & his cōfidence frō them. And yet ye man wythdrawith no part of hys fonde fantacies, but falle[…]h more feruently to them then before, and setteth his whole harte like a foole, more vpon them: and he taketh him all to the deuyll of hys worldly counsaylers and wythout any counsayle of god or anye tru[…]t putte in hym maketh manye wyse waies as he weneth[…] and al turne at length vnto foly, and one subtyll drifte dryueth an other to naught. Some haue I sene euyn i[…] their last sycknes sytte vp in theyr death bed vnderproppted wt pillous take ther play fel[…]o[…]es to thē & comfort them selfe wyth cardes and thys they sayde dyd ease them well to put fantasies out of their heades, and what fantasies trowe you, such as I tolde you ryght nowe of their owne lewde lyfe and peryl of there soule, of heauen and of hell that i[…]cked them to thinke of, and therefore cast it out wyth carde playe as longe as euer they might tyll the pure panges of death pulled theyr harte fro theyr play and put them in the case they coulde not recken theyr game. And then lefte them ther gamners and slily slong awaye. And long was it not ere they galpeb vp the goste: And what game they came than to, yt god knoweth and not I. I praye god it were good, but I feare it very sore. Some men are there also y• doe (as did kyng Saule) in tribulaciō go seke vnto the deuil. This king had commaunded al suche to be destroyed as vse the false abhomynable supersticion of this vngracious wichecraft & Necromancye and yet fel he to such foly afterwade him selfe yt ere he wente to battayle he sought vnto a wytch & besought her to raise vp a dead man to tell him how he shoulde spede. Nowe had god shewed him before by Samuel that he should come to nought, and he wente aboute none amendement, but waxed worse and worse, so that god lust not to looke to him: and when he soughte by the Prophetes to haue answere of god, there came none āswere to him, which thing he thoughte straunge: and because he was not with god heard at his pleasure, he made suite to ye deuil, desiring a woman by witchecrafte to rayse vp dead Samuel: but spede had he such therof, as cōmēly they haue al yt in their busines medle with such matters. For an euil aunswere had he, & an euil spede therafter, his army discomfited and him selfe slayne. And as it is rehearsed in Paralipomenon the.x. Chapter of the first boke. One cause of his fal was for lacke of truste in god, for which he left to take coūsayle of god, & fel to seke counsayle of the witch against gods prohibicion in the lawe, and against his owne good dede: by which he punished & put out all witches so late afore. Such spede let them looke for that playe the same parte as I see manye doe that in a great losse sende to seke a coniurer to geat theyr geare againe: and merueilous thinges there they see sometyme, but neuer grote of theyr good agayne. And many fond fooles there are, that when they lye sicke, will meddle with no physicke in no maner wyse, nor sende his water to no cūning mā, but send his cappe or his hose to a wyse womā, otherwyse called a wytche. Then sendeth she worde agayne yt she hath spyed in his hose, where whē he toke no hede, he was taken with a sprite betwene two dores as he went in the twylight, but the spirite would not lette him fele it in.v. dayes after: and it hathe all the whyle festred in hys bodye, and that is the griefe tha[…] payneth him so sore: but let him go to no leache craft, nor any maner of phisicke, other then good meate or strōg drinke, for sirroppes should sowce him vp. But he shal haue.v. leaues of valerian that she enchaūted with a charme, and gathered with her lefte hande: lette him laie those.v. leaues to his right thombe, not binde it fast to, but let it hang lose therat by a greene threde: he shall neuer nede to chaunge it, loke it fal not away. but let it hang till he be whole, and he shall nede nomore. In suche wyse wytches, and in such madde medicines haue there in many fooles more faith a great deale thā in god. And thus Cosin as I tel you, al these kynde of folke that in their tribulacion call not vpon God, but seke for their helpe and for their ease otherwhere, to the fleshe and the worlde, and some to the flinging fiende him self: The tribulacion that goddes goodnes sendeth them for good, thēselfe by their foly […]r[…]e vnto their harme. And thē that on thother side seke vnto God therein, both comforte and profite they greatly take therby.