and indifferently to all men Hyther conferre all the instructyons of pacyence / gentilnesse / peace and vnite ¶ The fulfylling of the syxt is CHaslite sobernes shame fastnesse not of dedes onely but of wordes and maners / ye of thoughtes Besydes that attemperaunce / of meate / drynke / slepe / and what so euer doth helpe chastite / hether applye al places of holy scrypture cōcernyng chastite / fastyng / sobriete / attemperaunce / prayer watching / laboures / and in cōclusyon all thinges that mainteyn chastite ¶ The fulfylling of the seuenth is POuerte of spryte / kyndenesse / liberalyte / wasting of oure owne goodes to profit oure neyghboures / to lyue without couetousnesse and desyre of rychesse Here gather all that is wryten of couetousnesse of goodes vniustly gotten and possessed / of vsury / so tylte / euyll deceyte / of iniury and hurte done / of lettyng thy neyghboures profyt / or dispysing hym ¶ The fulfylling of the eyght is A Peasable and hole tongue whiche hurteth no man / but profyteth all men whiche setteth enemyes at one / whiche excuseth and defendeth theym that are noted viciose parsons and synners Suche simplicite profit is in speakyng Hereto perteyne all thinges whiche are spoken of sylence speakyng / and whate so euer toucheth the good name / honoure / ryght causes / and profyttes / of thy neyghbour ¶ The fulfilling of the last is THe perfyt and absolute purenesse dispysing in the hert of all temporal rychesse pleasures / whiche thing shal be done perfectly in the lyfe to come In all these thinges seest thou none other thinges but to loue other / that is to loue god and thy neyghbour whiche loue seketh not his owne profyt / but onely those thinges whiche belong to god / and to his neyghbour / whiche loue yeldeth gyueth hym sylf playnly to euery man grauntyng theym full rule and auctorite / to vse they re pleasure his goodes and profyttes NOwe seyst thou that in all these tenne cōmaundementes / in a good ordre and briefly are cōteyned / all kyndes of in formacions / that are expedient for mānes lyfe / whiche yf any man will do his diligence to kepe truely he shall neuer be ydel no / not an houre / but shall haue occasyon to do good deades / so that truely he shall neuer haue nede to chose to hym other straunge workes of mannys inuention / as are to runne hyther and thyder / and to be occupied in suche thinges / whiche in no place are cōmaunded / and whiche shal be profitable for no thing Hit is euydent that in all these preceptes there is nothing wryten / whiche teacheth vs to serue oure silues / eyther to do / leue / or require of any man / that whiche cōcernyth oure owne proufit / but onely what we are bounde to do to other / that is to sey / to god and to oure neyboure So that euen blynde men may well perceyue that the fulfylling of the commaundementes stondeth in loue towardes other / not towardes oure sylfe For man of his owne nature seketh and auoydeth sufficiently / that whiche is for or ageynst his profit / so that it nedith not to moue hym to it / but muche rather to bringe hym frō hit Ther fore he lyueth best whiche lyueth not to hym sylfe And contrary he lyueth worst whiche lyueth to hym sylf This is theffect that the tenne cōmaundementes teache Wherby it is manifest that there are but fewe that lyue well it / in that we are men / none of vs lyeuth well This knowen / we must lerne of whome to axe this excellent gyfte / to lyue well / so that we may fulfyll these cōmaundemētes ¶ The Crede or Belefe THe effect of oure fayth stondith in thre partes / as in hit are rehersed thre parsonnes of the godly trynyte The first is of the father The secunde of the sonne The thyrd of the holy goost / and to euery one of these persones is applyed his operation This is the chief article of the fayth / on the whiche all the other depend Here note .ij. maner of belefes First some there be whiche beleue that those thinges be true / whiche are spoken of god / euen as a man doth beleue those thinges to be true whiche he heareth of the Turke / of the deuyll / and of hell This fayth is rather a science / or a vayne opinyon / then a sure trust or belefe There is an other faythe towardes god / that thou do not onely beleue these thynges to be true whiche thou hearest of god / but also trust to hym / and be take cōmytte thy selfe wholy vnto hym / besydes that / to presume vppon hym / beleuyng / without doubt that thou shalt obteyn and receyue of hym / that whiche thou hardest spoken of hym / and that with suche fayth and confidence as thou wooldest gyue to no man Be it in case that the Turke or any other man be gretely preysed vnto the / and that thou beleue faythfully that some man is discrete / and wurthy prayse / yet for all that thou wilt not cōmytte thy selfe vnto hym puttyng all thy trust and confidence in hym But this fayth whiche boldly betaketh hym selfe to god / both in ieoperdye of lyfe and deth / knowelegyng that he is such as he is spoken of maketh only a Chrysten / obteyneth of god what so euer she desyreth nether is there any false herte that receyueth this faith For this is the quycke faith whiche is requyred in the first commaundement whiche sayeth thus I am thy god take no straunge goddes Wherfore this / in / is not put in vayne / but it is to be obserued with a notable sygnificacyon For we do not say / I beleue to god the father or of god the father / but I beleue in god the Father / in Iesu Christ / and in the holy goost Wherfore this fayth ought to be had in none but in one god / so that by this we cōfesse also the godhed of Christ and of the holy goost / bycause we beleue none other wise in the sonne / and the holy goost / then we do in the father hym selfe For euen as we haue one faythe in all the thre persones / so all the thre persones are onely one god ¶ The fyrst parte of the belefe I Beleue in God the father almyghty / maker of heuē erthe That is / I forsake Satan and all ydolatrye / all charmes witchecraftes false hope I put my trust in no man of all the worlde / nether yet in my sylfe / not in my power / lernyng / scyence rychesse / wysdome / or what thyng so euer it be / that I haue or possesse I put no cōfidence in any creature whether it be in heuen or in erthe But I put my suer trust onely in one god whiche can not be sene with mannes eye / whiche cannot be cōprehendend with mannes witte /
whiche made heuē erth / and alone ruleth all creatures To hym hoelly I submytte my sylfe Nothing fearyng / nor regardyng the malice of the deuell / his felawes / for my god is aboue theym all Nether wolde I put thelesse cōfidence in god / though all men did forsake me and persecute me Nether will I trust hym thelesse / bycause I am wretched and poore / bycause I am rude and vnlerned / bycause I am dispised and lacke possessions Nether yet the lesse bicause I am a synner for this my faith doth sarre passe / al thīges as it is necessary ought to do what soeuer eyther be / or be not / bothe synnes and vertues to be short / all thinges So that she doth purely hoely fixe her self in God onely / as the first cōmaundement teachith and compellith me Nether desire I any signe to tempt hym I trust faythfully vnto hym / all though he differre tary at his pleasure I will not sette or prescribe to hym any ende / any tyme / measure or reason but I commit all to his will / with a pure faith and a stable For he is almyghty / what can I lacke that he can not gyue and do vnto me For he is the maker of heuen erth and lorde of all thinges / what thing can hyndre me or hurte me Howe may it be that all thinges shall not turne to myn vse and profit / when he to whome all these thynges ar subiect and obedyent fauoureth me and loueth me Nowe syth he is god he knoweth wherunto he hath ordyned me / and howe euery thinge shal be best for me and that whiche he knoweth / he may do Yf he be my father / it is sure that he wil se the best for me and that with a good will When I doubt not herof and haue suche trust in hym / then no doubt I on his seruaunt his sonne / his heyre for euer And euen as I beleue se shall it be vnto me ¶ The secunde parte of the belefe ANd in Iesu Christ / his onely sonne oure lorde Whiche was cōceyued by the holy goost / borne of Mary the virgyn Suffred vnder Pontius Pylatus / crucyfyed / deede / and buryed / descended to helle / the thyrd day rose ageyn from deth Ascended to heuen / syttith on the ryght hand of God the father almyghty / from thens he shall come to iudge quycke and deade That is / I do not only beleue / that Iesu Christ is the true only sonne of God / by euerlasting godly nature / beyng frō the begynnyng euer begotten but also that all thinges are subdued vnder hym / that he is my lorde / and the lorde of all creatures / made ruler of theym beyng man / whiche he hym self with the father in his diuynite dyd make I beleue that no man may beleue in god the father or may come vnto the father / nether by science and lernyng nether by workes / nether by they re owne reason and witte or by what thing so euer may be named in heuen or erthe / but by this and in this Iesu Chryst his onely sonne / that is to say by the sayth in the name and power of Iesu Chryst I beleue vnfaynedly / and surely / that he was conceyued for my proufit by the holy goost without all mannes and carnal worke / without a bodyly father / or mannes sede / and that to purifye / and make spirituall my synfull / flesshely / vnclene / and dampnabill conception / and all theyrs that beleue in hym moued to his mercy of his owne and fre will and the will of the almyghty father ¶ I beleue that he was begotten of the virgyn Mary without the losse of her pure and vncorrupt virgynite / so that accordyng to the prouidence of the mercyfull father he shulde blysse and clense the synnes dāpnabill byrth of all that beleue in hym that after / it myght do no hurte I beleue that he suffred passyon deth for my synnes / and all theyrs that beleue in him / that he therby blyssed all passyons / crosses deathes / so that after they myght not hurte / but be bothe holsome and merytorious I beleue that he was deade and buryed to mortifye bury all my synnes / theyrs that beleue Finally that all bodely deth bi his deth was distroyed / so that it is of no power to hurte but is rather made holesome and profitable I belefe that he went downe to hell to subdewe and make captyue / to me to all that beleue / the deuyll with all his impery / subtilite and malice / to delyuer me frō helle / takyng awey all his power that he myght not hurte me / but shulde rather be profitable vnto me I beleue that on the thyrde day he rose ageyn from deth / to bryng me and all that beleue in to a newe lyfe / and that by this dede he reysed me with hym / in grace and spryte / not to synne after / but that I endowed with all kindes of grace and vertue / myght serue hym / and so fulfull his commaundementes I beleue that he ascended vnto heuen / and that he hath receyued of the father / rule / honoure aboue all aungelles / and creatures And that he nowe sittith on the ryght honde of the father / that is / that he is king and lorde ouer all the goodes of godyn heuen hell and erthe Wherfore he may helpe me and theym that bileue / yn all maner of aduersitees against all oure aduersares and ennemyes I beleue that from thens he shal retourne the last day / to iudge quycke / whome he them shall finde alyue / and deed whyche before were buried And that he shall compell all men and aungelles good and euel to come before the seate of his iudgement whome they shal se bodyly to delyuer me and all faithfull / from bodyly deth / from all euyl / and synnes And to punysshe with eternall iudgement his enemyes / and aduersaryes / so that we shal be delyuered frō they re power for euer ¶ The thirde parte of the belefe I Beleue in the holy ghoost / the holy Christen churche / the communyon of saintes / the forgeuenesse of synne / the rysing / of flesshe / and euerlasting life Amen That is to sey / I do not onely beleue that the holy goost is verey god with the father the sonne But also that no man can come to the father by ceist / by his lyfe / passiō / deth what so euer who spokē of christ or opteyne any of these thinges / without the worke of this sprete with the whiche sprece I desire the father the son / to touch me and all faithfull to sturre me vp / to call / to drawe / and by Chryst and in christ to quycken me to make me holy and spirituall and so to brynge me to
the .xxx. chapiter Duo rogaui te / ne deneges mihi TWo thinges lorde haue I requyred the that thou woldest not deny me vntyll I dye Vanite and wordes of lesynge make farre frō me Pouerty or ryches gyue me not Onely gyue that is necessary for my lyuinge / lest per chaunche beynge in full habundaunce I myght be prouoked to deny the / and saye who is the lorde Or cōpelled by necessyte I myght steale and for sweare the name of my God So be it ¶ A prayer of the churche of the faythfull / for the worde of God to be spoken with boldenes of herte Actes the .xiiij Chapter Dn̄e tu fecisti celum terram mare c. LOrde thou hast made heuyn earth / see / and all that be in them / whiche with thy holy spirit by the mouth of our father Dauid thy seruaunt saydest Why do the gentylles fume lyke wilde bores / and why do the people attempt thynges in vayne The kynges of the earth be assembled the princes be gathered togyther agaynst the lorde agaynst his Christe / for with out sayle there assembled in this cyte agaynst thy holy chylde Iesu whom thou dydest anoynt Herode and Ponce Pylate with the gentylles and people of Israhel to do the thynges with thy power and thy counseyl dydde determyne before to be done And nowe lorde caste thyne iye vpon their manasses / gyue to thy seruauntes with all boldenes / power to speake thy worde extendyng thy hande io healynges / and sygnes / and wonders to be wrought in the name of thy holy sone Iesu ¶ The prayer of Chryst before his passyon for his churche in this worlde Iohan .xviij. Chapiter Pater venit hora / clarifica filium FAther the houre is come / glorifye thy sone / that thy sone maye glorifye the As thou gauest hym power of euery flesshe to the entente that all that thou gauest hī he myght gyue the euerlastynge lyfe And this is euerlastyng lyfe that they knowe onely the for the true god and whome thou sendest Iesu Chryste I haue glorifyed the in earthe I haue perfourmed the worke whiche thou gauest me to do And new glorifye thou me Father with thy selfe / wyth the glory whiche I had before this worlde was made of the I haue publysshed thy name of the men / whome thou gauest me of the worlde They were thyne / and thou gauest them to me / and they kepte my worde Nowe they knowe that all that thou gauest me come from the. For the wordes which thou gauest me I haue them / they toke them / and knew verily that they came from the / and they beleued that thou sentest me For them I aske / for the worlde I aske not / but for theym whiche thou gauest me because they be thyne and all myne be thyne / and thyne myne / and I am glorifyed in them And I am nowe no longer in to worlde But they be in the worlde styll For I come to the / holy Father saue theym for thy names sake whome thou haste gyuen me / that they maye be one as we be one When I was with thē in the worlde I dyd kepe thē in thy name Whome thou gauest me I kepte and none of them peryshed / but onely the sone of perdicyon that the scrypture myght be fulfylled But nowe I come to the / and these I speke in the world that they may haue my ioy replenyshed in them I gaue them thy worde / and the world hated them bycause they be not of the worlde lyke as I am not of the worlde I asked not that thou shuldest take thē away out of the worlde but that thou kepe them from the wycked They be not of the worlde / lyke as I am not of the worlde Make thē holy in thy trueth Lyke as thou hast sent me in to the worlde / so haue I seme thē in to the worlde / and for thē I do sanctifye my selfe / that they also may be sanctifyed in the trueth And I pray not only for them / but also for them that shall beleue in me through theyr preachynges so that all they maye be one Lyke as thou father arte in me and I in the / that they also maye be in vs / that the worlde may beleue that thou hast sent me And the glorye / whiche thou hast gyuen me / I gaue it thē that they myght be one lyke as we be one / I in them / and thou in me / that they may be made perfyte in one / and that the worlde may know that thou hast sent me / and loued them as thou loued me Father / they whome thou haste gyuen me / I wyll that where I be / they maye also be with me that they maye se my glorye / whiche thou gauest me / for thou hast loued me before the makinge of the worlde Iuste father / the worlde knoweth the not but I know the these know that thou hast sent me / I haue made knowen vnto them thy name / and I wyll make it knowen to the entent / that the loue wherwith thou louest me myght be in thē and I in them ¶ The prayer of the church for synners Sapience the .xv. Chapiter Tu deus noster / suauis et verus es THou our God arte gentyll true pacyent with mercy orderyng al thynges For yf we synne / we be thyne knowinge thy greatnes / yf we synne not / we knowe that with the we be rekened For to know the is perfyt and consumate ryghtwysnes / and to knowe thy iustice and vertue is the rote of immortalite So be it ¶ The prayer and blyssynge of Iob in his moost tribulacyon takynge away of his goodes Iob .ij. Chapiter In tonso capite corruens in terram IOb his heade clypped fallynge flatte on the grounde worshipped god sayenge Naked I entred out of my mothers wōbe / and naked I shall retourne The lorde hath gyuen the goodes / and the lorde hath taken them away As it pleased the lorde so it is done Blyssed be the name of the lorde So be it ¶ When we be shorged of God eyther for our synnes / or that we may be proued by hym / the prayer of Thobie iiij Chapiter Iustus es domine / et omnia iudicia tua THou arte iuste lorde / and all thy iudgementes are true / and all thy wayes mercy truth and iustyce And now lorde remembre me / and take not vengeaunce of my synnes / nor thynke not on my offences / nor the synnes of my parentes Because we haue not obcyed thy preceptes therfore thou haste delyuered vs vp in to these euylles / in to confusyon and reproche an to be a fable to all people and the gentles And now lorde great be thy iudgementes / for we haue not done accordynge to that preceptes / we haue not walked purely before the. And now lorde accordynge to thy pleasure do with me cheyfly
feare after hym to drynke syth we do so that there chaunced none euyll to hym but onely good by rysing agayn No doubt chat chyef pure myrrhe Crystes lyppes distillyng it and his wordes coÌ„mending it shulde be moste acceptable aÌ„d swete euen as the smell of lylses So writeth Petre in the fyrste pystle for asmuche as Chryst hath suffer for vs in flesshe Arme your selues lykewyse with the same mynde Paule also in the .xij. to the Hebrues Consyder howe that he endured suche speaking agaynst hym of synners / lest ye shulde be weryed eÌ„d saynt in your myndes Therfore yf we haue lerned in the ymages byfore whiche were byneth vs and nere vnto vs to suffer euylles paciently / cruely in this last ymage which is set aboue vs we being rauysshed in christ lyft vp and set hygher them all euylles ought not onely to suffer theym / but also to loue / desyre and seke theym And the ferther of that a man is frome this mynde desyre / the lesse he hath of Christes passion As they which vse the sygnes and armure of Christ against euylles and deth / that they might nether suffer nether dye / whyche desires are clene contrary to the crosse and deth of Christ wherfore it is necessary that what euylles so euer we suffer be consumed clene brought to nought in this seuenth ymage / so that it shulde not greue vs but rather delite vs and make vs glad yf this ymage perse and entre in to oure herâ—s / or do remayn and sure in oure inward desire and mynde ¶ This mothe haue we spoken of the fyrst table Nowe foloweth the secunde TO the secunde table we shal also assygne seueÌ„ ymages contrarye to they me that were made bifore The first shall be of the inward goodnesse The secunde of the goodnesse to come The thyrd of the goodnesse passed The fourth of the goodnesse beneth vs. The fyft of the goodnesse on the lyft honde The syxt of the goodnesse on the ryght honde The ses venthe of the goodnesse aboue vs. ¶ The first chapter of the fyrst ymage whiche is the goodnesse with in vs. WHo is a bill to numbre the goodnesse whyche euery man possesseth in his owne person fyrst howe grete are the gyftes of the bodie as beutye streinght helt / qÌ„cknesse / witte besydes these in the male the most ê‘faiâ— noble kynde nature / by the whyche he is mete to exercyse and take vpon hym many thinges priuate / comune and other excelleÌ„t actes / whiche woman is nothing mete nor apt to / whathe merueyle is it / yf thou vsing these giftes thorough the fauoure of god cenne twenty / or thyrty yere with pleasure shuld suffer be payned in one of theym for the space of teÌ„ne dayes whate shal we do whiche haue had manye good houres / and will not be coÌ„tent to suffer one euell here may we se howe we be endued by hepe with the goodly giftes of god And agayn with howe fewe euylles many of vs be oppressed or touched Howe be it god almyghtye not thynking it sufficieÌ„t to haue done this moche for vs dyd also cast vnto vs rychesse plenteous abundaunce of all thinges / though not to all men yet truely to many / to theym specially that are impotent weake to suffer euyll for as I sayde bifore to theym he gyueth more of the sprete / to whome he gaue lesse worldly bodyly goodes that there shuld be a certeyn equalite in all thynges he the ryghtuouse iuge of al thinges Nether do grete rychesse so moche comfort a man as a mery glad sprete Bisides this / to some he gyueth yssue children whiche is a grete pleasure power / imperye / honour a name / glory / fauoure / and suche other whyche yf a man vse a longe season ye though he vse theym but a smal season they shall sone declare vnto hym whate he shal do in a lytell euyll The gyftes of the soule are more exceleÌ„c then all these as witte / connyng iudgemeÌ„t eloquence / wysdom / and these also as he dyd the other he deuideth after an equalyte so that he hath recompensed it in the other / by gyuing theym more quietnesse and gladnesse of mynde In all these thynges the most liberall hond of god must be considered with gyuyng thankes and oure infirmite must be comforted that in this multitude and gretnesse of goodes we merueyl not / though some sowernesse be admyxt / for vnto voluptuous men / there is no meate acceptable whiche of his nature hath not other some sharpe tast / or elles hys sawce prepared for hym / so that contynuall and onely swetnesse is a thing intollerabill Therfore it was well sayd euery pleasure by his perseueraunce maketh a man full of it / and to disdayn it And agayn / it is said Euen pleasure hir self is a payne bycause this lyfe is to weke and impotent to suffre coÌ„tinually goodnesse without the temperature of euyll for the abuÌ„dant copie of the goodnesse wherof spryngeth thys prouerbe They re bones must be strong whyche shall suffer good dayes whiche prouerbe I haue often considered merueyling at the merueylous true sentence of it / howe all the purposes and desires of men are clene contrary vnto it / whyche seke nothyng but good dayes / ye when they haue gotte theym they can worse bere theym theÌ„ the euyll For whaÌ„te doth god coÌ„mend vnto vs in those thinges / but that the crosse shulde be merueylous / euen in the enemyes of the crosse Insomoche that we ought to tempore and halowe all thynges by it / euen as we powdre flesshe with salte that it do not putrifie wareful of wormes werfore theÌ„ do not we receyue with a glad hert / thys temperature sent of god / whyche yf he dyd not sente / yet oure lyfe whiche is not able to endure with thys contynuall pleasure and goodnesse / wolde desire it of his owne will Nowe we perceiue howe truely the wise maÌ„ sayed of god he that contynueth from the one ende to the other strongly / and dysposeth all thynges swetely / for yf we consider these good thynges / it shall appere that it is also true whiche is spoken of Moses in the. xxxij of Deuteronomyon / he bare hym Vppon hys shulders / he ledde hym about and kept hym as the balle of hys eye wyth thys saying we may stoppe they re mouthes whyche vnkyndly chatter that there are mo euilles in this lyfe them good thynges for surely / we neuer lacke goodnesse nor pleasures / full of proufit swetnesse but we do moche lacke suche people as shuld vnderstond it with the Prophete saying The Erthe is full with the mercy of god And agayn the erth is full of hys prayse / in the .ciij. psal The erth is replenysshed with thy possession / thou hast delyted me Lorde in tese creatures for this cause we syng dayly in the
masse heuyn erth are full of thy glorye / why so for there are many good thinges for the whiche he shulde be praysed / but that is onely of theym whiche se this fulnesse and replenysshyng for euyn as we sayde of the euylles in the first ymage / that euery mannes euyll was so greate as hys opynyon / and knowelege was in it Euen so good thynges though they come on vs on euery syde and in a maner suppresse vs / yet are they no gretter them they are extemed / for all that god made be verey good / howe be it they be not knowen so of all men Of this ymage / Iob gyueth vs a fayre most proufitable example / whyche when all his goodes were taken a way sayde / yf we haue taken goodnesse of the hond of the Lorde whye shall we not also suffer euylles truely it was a goodly sayng and a myghty comfort in temptacion / for he dyd not onely suffer but was also tempted by his wife to ympacyence / saying vnto hym wilt thou yet perseuer in this innocency curse the Lorde and dye / for it is manyfest that he is not god whyche so doth forsake the / why them doest thou trust in hym and not rather denye hym / and curse hym / and so to knowelege thy selfe mortall / to whome after this lyfe nothyng is remaynyng These and suche other to euery man hys owne wyfe whyche is sensualyte doth prompt and shewe in temptacyon / for the sense sauoureth not that thyng whyche perteyneth to god howebeit all these thinges are bodyly goodes / and comen to all men But a Chrysten man precelleth in other inwarde goodes which are farre better that is to say in the fayth of Chryst / of the whyche it is spoken in the .xl. Psalme All hys glorye is of the kynges doughter whyche is withyn in borderes of gold cumpassed about with varyete And as we haue spoken of the euyll of the fyrst ymage / that there can be sene no euyll so grete in a man / but there is a moche worse in hym whiche he can not se Euyn so the best of all the good thinges that be in a Christen he hym self can not se nor iudge / for yf he dyd perceyue it he shulde be then in heuen / bycause the kyngdome of heuen as sayeth Chryste is withyn vs for he that hath faith hath the truth and word of god / he that hath the worde of god hath god hym self the maker of all thinges If these goodes were reuelat vnto the soule that he myght feale the botom of theym as they be in verey dede / he wolde sone be dissolued from the bodye / for thabundaunce of that swetnesse wherfore all other goodes art as it were a monysshyng of those goodes that we haue withyn vs whiche he wolde by theyme shulde be shewed vnto vs / bycause thys lyfe is not a byll to abyde the glorye of ther yf they were shewed forth Therfore they are mercyfully hydden of god vntyll they are encreased to they re perfit state / euen as louing fathers do gyue vnto they re chyldren sometyme lytell gyftes to play wythall / wherby they may entyce the myndys of they re chyldren to trust for gretter thynges Howe be it sometyme they shewe theim selfe and come forth when that the conscience reioysing / doth coÌ„mytte hym self holly vnto got / speaketh gladly of hym / hereth his worde swetely deuoutly / is redy and glad to serue hym / to do good workes / to suffer euylles / and suche other / whiche all are tokens of an infinite and incoÌ„parabill goodnesse lying with in / whyche sendeth out theÌ„se swete droppes by a lytell at ones though sumtyme it chaunce that it be ferther reuelate to soules whyche fall to contemplacyon / in so moche that they are made dronkeÌ„ with it / and can not tell where they are As S. Augustine his mother do confesse of theym selues / and many other ¶ The secunde Chapter of the secunde ymage whiche is / the goodnesse to come / or byfore hym THey that are not Christen can take but small comfort of the goodnesse to come / bycause to theym all thynges are vncerteyn for this affect whyche is called hope by the whyche we are commaunded after mannes confortyng to trust euer for the best / bithe whiche we take greate maters in honde trustyng to bryng theym to oure purposse doth of ten tymes ye and in a maner alweyes / deceyue vs. As Chryst doth teache in the .xij. of luke of the ryche maÌ„ whiche said to his soule I wil distroy my barnes and bylde gretter / and theryn will I gadre all my frutes and all my goodes / and will saye vnto my soule Soule thou hast moche goodes leyd vp in store for many yeares / take thyne ease / eate / drinke / be mery But god said vnto hym thou sole this nyght will they fetche awey thy foule agayne froÌ„ the / then whose shall tho is thinges be whiche thou hast prouyded So is it with hym that gathereth rychesse and is not ryche in god Nether yet hath god left the sones of men so / but doth confort theym by a hole suer and perfait hope / that they shall ouer come they re euilles and obteyne goodnesse And though they be vncertein where goodnesse â—t is that shall come / yet they hope styll wythout doubt / by the whyche hope they are susteyned / lest by falling ynto desperatyon they shulde not be able to suffer they re present euyll / so to do worse wherfore this affect of hope whiche is in temporall thinges is gyuen the of god / not taht he wold haue the stykke therin / but to procede vnto the hole suer / and parfayt hope whiche is onely vnto hym And for thys cause god is luÌ„g sufferyng that be may briÌ„g vs to repentaunce / As paule sayeth in the ij to the Romains Nether will he suffer that all men be deceyued in this vnperfit deceytful hope whithe is in worldly maters / but that they retorne and take the parfait and vnfayned hope whiche is in hym There are bysides these goodes to the ChristeÌ„ .ij. great goodes whiche they shall suerly haue but not without deth and sufferyng for they haue also the comon hope that we spake of / concernyng the fynysâ—hing of they re present euyll encreasing of the coÌ„trary good / although they do not so gretely regard that / as they do in the increasyng of they re owne proper good / whiche is the truthe in Christ in the whiche they do procede from day to day / for the wiche they do both liue and hope But bysides these as I sayde / there ys .ij. chyef whiche shall come in deth The fyrst is that in deth is fynysshed all the tragedy of the euylles in thys lyfe / as it is wryten Precioê° is in the sight of god / the deth of his sayntes And agayn in peace I