to suffer any payne or iniurye for his seruice or to heare of it either I confesse said Probus it is greate reproch dishonour to a Christian in this lesson to forsake not to imitate his Lord God considering he suffered all for our sakes instruction and the commoditye of our laboures being all our owne But what reasons besydes this can we consider why we should thus hate our selues For vnlesse our willes be animated encoraged by our vnderstanding in this point cheifly which for the naturall loue we beare to our selues semeth terrible horrible to be thought vpon we shall neuer desire this hatred much lesse exercyse our selues to gett it The doctrine and example of our Sauiour said Alphonso should suffice but I will geue you two or three reasons moe The first is because what soeuer euill is in vs with all our want of good vertues all I say comethe because we hate not our selues but loue and desyre thinges either against the commaundement of God or cōtrary to his counsells aduyse Wherefore self loue being so hurtfull to vs and hatred of our selues so commodious we haue good cause to desyre labour for this later and to flee that other An other reason may be because by sinning we haue bene traitours against the maiestie of God Wherefore it is meete iuste that we yelde him all possible satisfaction And seing that satisfaction shoulde be answearable in greatnes to the greuousnes and malice of our sinnes we our selues can yelde but litle and also in that we can doe are verie negligent slack to vse our owne bodies hardly any way for making what satisfaction we are able At the least for this cause we ought to hate our selues as is declared and to desyre be ioyfull that euery one hate persecute afflict vs as much as they may without the offence of god that thus at the leaste we may satisfye vnto him considering I say our own abilities otherwise suffice not The third most high reason of all why we should hate our selues is that our soules being voyde emptie of self loue as farr forthe as may stande with Godds pleasure They may be filled with God him self whose goodnes in noe wyse can suffer that being emptie of self loue we should not be filled with the loue of him consequently his holy will reigne beare all sway in oures But of this principall reason I shall tell you more when we com to speake of the loue of God How shall we said Probus vse the instruments of our soule to obteine this holye hatred of our selues When we would said Alphonso refuse not admitt thinges delectable pleasant or desyre accept hard painefull things as contempts reuylinges iniuryes and the lyke we must forgeat a litle these thinges and not offer them thus nakedlye to oure will but turne our mynde to consider the innumerable good thinges which com to vs by refusing the one sort accepting the other And principally the infinyte treasure of goddes loue which we gett by hatred of our selues accordinge to his will And then vpon these considerations moue and inclyne our will to reiecte the pleasant to embrace the greuous as necessarie meanes to obteine these inestimable goods euer with-all being mindfull that you doe all this for the seruice of your Lorde and for fulfillinge his holy will pleasure But touching the ioyfull acceptance of paynefull thinges aduersities I shall tell you more in the matters of Humilitie Patience There is no more then to be learned said Probus for the hatred of our selues Yes one thing more said Alphonso which meruelously helpeth them that are desireous to obteine this holie hatred which is that continuallye and without ceasing we persecute certain innumerable litle desires of our owne which if we marke com runninge vpon vs in euery moment inclyne vs to selfe loue Wherefore we must in all occasions be watchfull ouer our owne actions verie circumspectly marke whether perhapps we desire any thing which is not belonging vnto God or not furtheringe vs towardes him And incontinent so soone as we espye any thinge to delighte vs withowt God we must incline our will to contradict refuse it And when we perceiue any thing to happen greuous displeasant We must by by enclyne our will to couett accept it If you be diligent in this you shall both much sooner gett this holy hatred and withall such dominion gouernment ouer your self as can not be expressed in woordes Mark therfore this well I say againe exercyse it for assuredly this poynte is the key gate to cheife perfection This hatred said Probus seemethe contrary to Chatitie whereby we are all bounde to loue our selues Not so said Alphonso but so soone as a man hateth him self in this sort not before he haith all the loue that he ought to haue towardes him selfe which is most profitable glorious to him and that which God woulde he should haue For then haith he the loue of God of vertues of eternall glory and of all thinges which helpe him thither which loue doth not suffer with it the company of any vyce But now let vs goe to the seconde thinge that is to know how we may adorne bewtify our soules with vertues As it pleaseth you said Probus THE THIRD EXERCYSE How the seruant of God should behaue him selfe in prayer YOu muste know therefore said Alphonso that he is said to haue his soule adorned bewtifyed that haith his naturall appetites conformable with his reason and godds will Law And this conformity is none other thing but a certain heap of vertues which placed orderly in the soule make it bewtifull and directe it as is conuenient for the great dignity therof mitigating repressing all false and euill concupiscenses which had stook in the soule by sinne disposing it to serue withowt all contradiction to yeld gratefull obeisance to the will of him that created it And because our owne strength powers are verie weake vnable to obteyne suche thinges I will reache you firste how to call for helpe from God by prayer Secondly howe by many particularactes you must build these habitts of vertues speakinge of som few which be principall Thirdly how you must subdue keepe in semely order your foure naturall passions Ioy Sorow Hope Feare OF PRAIER FOr Praier then you muste know that Goddes pleasure is that we stande neede of his supernaturall help because the ende felicity whereto he haithe created vs is supernaturall that is the blisse of heauen His will also is that we aske demande it of him not but that he desyrethe more to geue it vs then we to take or aske it But first that we may possesse and enioy the thing with more honoure which we get with greater endeuoure labour in suting for it that we may as it were
our good God forbidd that the hart which is not occupyed in highly esteming praising God to whom all prayse is due shoulde be occupyed in iudging of any worth to whom noe such thing is due And he also deserueth much blame for his consentinge that thinketh other to occupy their hartes in praising esteming him beinge so vyle abiect seasinge in that meane tyme to magnify god for all his goodnes giftes is not ashamed nor greued for so great disorder abuse of thinges It augmenteth also greatly our vanitie that whatsoeuer we do or suffer all is by the mighty grace help of our most high God It is said Probus a thing both glorious meritorious that we accept the gifts graces of God not reiect or resist them and then why may we not glorie think well of our selues that we accepted them We neuer saw man said Alphonso that would vainly glory boaste onely because he had accepted benefites done him by a Prince but rather it would haue bene iudged playne madnes to haue refused thē And it is great folly for a mā to glorye and boaste that he would not be madd whē he might or proudly to behaue and esteme him self because he would not leap into a pitt drowne him self when he might haue done it Muche lesse cause surelye haith any man to glorye because he accepted godds giftes refused them not considering that their verye acceptinge and will to receiue them is not done by their own power abilitie or nature 1 Cor. 4 but principally by the grace and helpe of God as S. Paule saith What hast thou that thou haste not receyued if thou haste receiued it why doest thou glory Nowe after your vnderstandinge haith had these such lyke considerations of this vyce moue incline your will as I taughte you before to refuse hate it And standing firmly in the true conceipte of your owne basenes vnworthines yeld all praise glory to God to whom it is due in him onely let all your ioye and glory be rest The actions of your will you must diligently vse in all occasions where this vain-glorie would creepe in and draw you to delighte in your self or in any thing you haue This may suffyce concerning the euill vyce of vain-glory Now will we speake of patience which is the seconde vertue we are to learne of our Sauiour Christe vnlesse you teste vnsatisfyed in some thing I haue said Goe forwarde said Probus I pray you for I vnderstande you well and haue nothing to replye THE SIXT EXERCYSE HOW to plant in our soules the vertue of Patience which is one of the two vertues which our Sauiour would haue vs to learn of him PAtience said Alphonso is so dear a sister companion to Humility that comonly they are found together And by what waies paths the one is found you may finde the other also And as we said before that to gett Humilitie it is necessarie we sett before our eyes the humilitie of godds Sonne so muste we doe also the same here for obteyninge this vertue of Patience For who can cōplaine or repyne insufferinge iniuries or any tribulation hauinge deserued them as we all haue when he considereth with how great mildnes and patience his Lorde god voluntarily did choose to suffer so manie so greate iniuries contumelies persecutions tormentes together with a moste bitter death who besides that he was true God Lord of all was also a man of more noble delicate tender complexion then any other man in the world more feelinge anie affliction Who will not patiently myldly sustain for curing his owne sinnes anie toyle vexation or distresse that may befall if he consider his God to haue susteyned farr greater for the sinns of other to bringe remedy to our euills The example of our Sauioure said Probus should indede moue suffice vs to take anie aduersitie patientlye but our frayle natures can not away with trouble or affliction Naturallye indeede said Alphonso we are inclyned to flee abhorr thē But godds grace preuenting our wills cooperatinge with vs we may be brought in short tyme to accept and embrace them and this the rather if we consider not onely this example which our Sauiour haith geuen vs but more-ouer cast our eye to the great commoditie we gett thereby which our Lorde also is desireous we labour to obteine For persecutions tribulations are as it were a hammer or fire wherewith the rust or canker of our soules is taken away or as a launcinge knife thrust into our soules to let owt the poysen of our self loue which festreth there drawethe vs from all good that once freed from that filthe we may woorke the high woork of God that is loue serue him as we should For which cause we ought hartely to loue pray for our persecutours thank God that prouideth vs so good surgeons Teache me the way said Probus I pray you to gett this vertue If you remember said Alphonso 1 P. C. 7. I taught it you before when we talked of the way how to plant vertuous habits in our soule For there I put the example of Patience which may suffice also for this place I remember it verie well said Prohus That also which I taughte you said Alphonso of the hatred of your selfe 2 Part. 2 Exer. you must call to mynde againe in this mater for the reasons I gaue you why you should hate your self may serue fitlye to moue you to suffer patiently any aduersitie or affliction Now let vs propounde one example of som odious matter that may befall You either suspect or certenly know a man to speak or reporte som euill of you which you neuer committed Hereby three dartes are caste at you to wound your soule from all which the souldier and seruant of God must cleare acquyte him self that by his fight his Lorde may be serued honored and his owne soule bewtified The first is the dart of euill suspition or iudgment againste the man or against his intention From this dart you must withdraw your self and let it passe inclyninge your will not to accept or deale with it as consenting to any such suspition or iudgment but to referr it wholly vnto God who is the high Iudg of all and haith willed vs not to iudge For fulfilling of whose will we ought with great ioy to forbeare to iudge and not to vsurpe or cake vpon vs his office The second is the darte of greuous impatiencye To this you muste oppose your self with all your strengthe ioying in the paine and iniury which cometh to you by that occasion and the more you seme to ioye of it the lesse will the deuill assaulte you with impatience lest he geue you occasion of so great meritt That you may well demeane your selfe in receiuing this dart remember what I said of the hatred of
delight We must be ready by by to woorke with our will an acte of not desyring or delighting in such thinges as naturally we are inclyned vnto and couett For by so doinge we shall not onely escape vanitie sinn but by often practise vse obteyne excellent habitts expell the euill Marke this well it may suffise for this poynt instruction I perceiue said Probus those good habitts woulde take away all or moste of our difficultie in woorkinge well What way then may we gett them I shall teach you this also by by saide Alphonso but firste I muste tell you what intention ende you must haue in the vse of your powers in all your actions for without knowledg of this all you can doe will be to small purpose or commoditie I pray you lett me here it then said Probus THE FIFTH INSTRVCTION What ende scope intention the seruante of God shoulde haue in all his actions CAP. 6. YOu muste know therefore said Alphonso That in all thinges which we desyre or doe the ende intention and motiue why we doe it maketh the acte good or euill preceous in goddes sight meritorious or vyle sinfull In so much as a good woork done for an euill ende is euill though otherwise of it owne nature it were good Doth a good ende in like manner said Probus make an euill woorke good Not so saide Alphonso For as a good woorke must be euery way void of euill as wel in it owne nature as in the ende for which it is done So an euill woorke is made euill either for that it is euill of it own nature or done for some euill ende For which cause the Apostle said that it was vnlawfull to doe euill for a good purpose Goe forwarde said Probus for I vnderstande this Euery woork said Alphonso that is good of it owne nature or that is indifferent that is which being neither good nor euill of it selfe may yet be made good by a good ende or intētion or euill by an euill ende Euery such woorke I say may be done or desyred for diuers good endes as for the loue of vertue or for the benefite of our selues or our neighboures or for the imitation of our Sauiour and his Sainctes or finallye for the loue of God thereby to serue please honour him Now as one ende is better then an other So consequently that woorke is better which is done for a better ende that the best which is done for the best ende Wherfore because god is an infinite goodnes that work is the best which is wrought purely whollye for his sake or to yelde him honour or seruice without respect of any other ende The seruant of god then that desyreth in the best manner to please serue his Lord must doe all thinges both in body soule for God to please serue obey honour him thereby That forgeating as it were the good glory that may come to our selues by doing any acte of vertue mindfull onely of God which desyreth our well doinge and delighteth in it is most worthy to be serued honored by vs in euery thing we be moued to woork onely for pleasing honoringe him and for fulfilling his will Like to a man that for recouering his owne healthe haith prepared a medicine before he take it perceauing his deare frend to be fallen sick and to haue greater neede of the same In this case forgeating as it were his owne infirmity the desire he had to that medicine mindefull onely of his frende he reioyceth to forgoe it himselfe to bestow it for releeuinge of his frendes necessitye So should we I say againe serue God euer forgeating our selues all other things desyre and woorke onely because it is godds will we doe it because his maiesty requireth it at our handes For this ende motiue we shoulde couet to loue god desyre vertues desyre pray for pardon of our sinnes for graces for glory For this ende we shoulde flee sinne feare hell abhorr damnation desyre or refuse whatsoeuer It semeth harde vnpleasant at the first but after a whyle it will be easie and delightfull And such as haue their wills enflammed with deuotion the loue of god at the firste hearinge of this way can woork thus without difficultie and in short time come to exceding great perfection But how said Probus shall beginners which haue but coulde deuotion and weake loue of God com to get this motiue actually in all they doe They may gett it said Alphouso by the vse of their vnderstandinge will in this sort Lett them consider apprehend sett God as their cheifest frende most worthy Lorde on the one syde and them selues on the other This done when theire will is moued to couet any vertue or doe any good woorke Let them consider for what ende they are moued and they shall finde it vsually either for feare of punishment or for their own benefite or for the loue of vertue or desyre of heauenly blisse None of these motiues shoulde suffice or content the seruant of God though they be not euill But seinge his will is so free goddes help euer presupposed that it may refuse any one ende and choose an other as I tould you before And seinge also he beleeuethe godds will to be more excellent and worthy that it should moue him rather then his owne He must violently enforce him self to omitt refuse to desyre or will any thinge after his wonted māner bring his will to desyre the same thing for a better end motyue that is to desyre to doe it for fulfillinge the blessed will of God pleasing him and for that he worthy of all seruice obeysance honour would haue him to doe it This loe is the way to gett this diuine motiue in all our actions which so incomparably excellethe the motiues of our owne naturall desyres all other motiues how good vertuous soeuer they be as noe tong cā expresse For the perfection of all our holines charitie consisteth in this poynte that we conforme our selues in all thinges to godds will be of the same mynde with him For which cause and for that it is Goddes high pleasure desyre that vpon this motrue we ferue him we shoulde endeuour to haue it in all our workes both corporall spirituall both greate and small yea in those also which we are naturally to woork according to gods ordinance as to eate sleepe c. For as we can not leaue these vndone so doing them for the loue of God they helpe vs much to the encrease of our spirituall lyfe And so the leaste woorke that we doe in Godds sight as to eate slepe recreate the like shall be of more dignitye then the greateste woorke which he doth that haith not the same ende as to faste to watch to geue almes to afflict the bodie
wronged with iniurious woordes or deedes howe much soeuer he desire the habitt of patience yea how much soeuer he refrain from woordes or deedes of reuenge yet shall he neuer produce or bringe forth in his soule the habitt of patience except he help him self by often mouinge his vnderstanding to coÌ„sider the great good of patience and by stirring his will as the necessary instrument to bring forth this habitt by inclyning it as I said before to desyre to suffer iniuries and persecutions for the loue pleasure and glorie of his Lord that exhorteth vs all to it and haith suffered the lyke for vs. Liuing among good and ciuill people said Probus and Christians especially that haue the feare of God we shall verye seldome haue any suche occasions of impatience offered vs by iniurious woords or deedes so shall we haue small exercise consequently be long in getting the habitt of patience or neuer gett it at all In like sort also may we say of the habitts of other vertues Not so said Alphonso for where or with whom soeuer we liue we may woork and exercise our selues at all tymes to gett any vertuous habitt gett it in deede How may this be said Probus At all tymes said Alphonso you may produce it thus For example the habitt of patience Caste at any tyme your cogitation vpon som iniury that you much abhorr and think what you would doe if it were offered or done to you Presently you shall perceiue a greate repugnancy and horroure of that iniury aryse in your minde by reason of the euill habitt of impatience in you Forthwith therfore call to minde the great good that foloweth how is pleased in the patieÌ„t suffering of such iniuries and then enforce your will to desyre them And cease not to enforce your self to this though it seme but a constraint and compulsion for there is euer some part voluntary therin And if you practise often these actions that which semed to be but a litle voluntary will increase and you shall come to suffer iniuries and tribulation most willingly withall the habitt of patience will be planted in your soule In lyke manner may you at any tyme plante and enriche your self with habitts of humilitie of pouertie Temperance Chastitie and other vertues euer consideringe the greate good that is in the exercyse of them and compelling your will to desyre them vpon this motiue because it is the desyre will and glorie of god that you haue them But yet you must vnderstand againe said Alphonso that by this forethought and acceptance or desyre of iniuries which indeede are not done vs this habitt of patience is not so quickly nor so well gotten as it is when som iniurie or disgrace is actually done and this before others if then you compell your will to accepte it Because the actions of our will accepting such present iniuries are more vehement more subdue the soule then those which are of accepting an iniurie offered onely by our thought may happen but doth not And a few vehement actions woorke more strongly and effectually to the producing of an habitt then many which are remisse and weake This is the way to roote owt euill habitts and to plant good For working of which effect it is moreouer greatly profitable to keepe alwaies a verie firme will and purpose in the desyre and loue of good and in the hatred of euill to which ende serue greatly the high considerations and weightie reasons which many bookes yelde why good thinges and vertues are to be loued and vice to be hated Now hereby you may perceiue how the mightieste Princes of the worlde may enriche them selues with the habitts of Patience of Pouertie Humilitie Temperance of all other vertues and bewtify their Soules in godds sight noe lesse then a religious person if they be willing and diligent to doe as I haue tould you I perceiue it well said Probus but after we perceiue our selues to haue gotten these good habitts may we not assure our selues to be in good state and holy Albeit said Alphonso a man haue gotten excellente habitâ—s of vertues yet can he not be sure that he haith gotten the grace of god without which a man can be in noe good state with him or in truth holye Godds grace is geuen infalliblye vnto them that haue all which I haue tould you already and which foloweth after but naturally we can not know in this lyfe whether we haue these things as godds will is we should and consequently we can not be certaine that we haue his fauour and grace But a cheife signe that we haue it is when in the same manner we behaue oure selues towardes those vertues whereof we haue gotten habitts as we doe towards the vertues of other men that is if our harts be not extolled or any whitt prowde for them but praise thanke God whose is euery thinge that good is And ioy as much in other menns vertues as in oure owne because godds honour and glory are equally manifested in them both But my sonn said Alphonso I forgeat my self it is good tyme nowe you rest a litle and make collation By this which I haue hitherto said you may knowe in some parte firste how God created vs all to serue him to vse all temporall thinges to his honour and for releefe of our necessities Secondly how there be two manners of seruing God and that we are all bounde to setue him in the perfectest sorte Thirdly how by sinn we are falleÌ„ from godds fauour into a miserable state both of body soule the bouÌ„d of seruing God still remaininge Fourthly how we may repaire again this calamitie and destruction in our soule by the powers thereof woorking with godds grace of the vse of our vnderstanding and will to the same ende Fifthly to what ende you are to direct all your actions thoughts desires and how to doe it Sixtly what way to extirpate euill and vitious habitts which cause much harme in our soule and how to plant the habitts of vertues After we haue made collation I shall instructe you how to exercyse your self in a sew principall thinges which are necessary for the reparation of your soule before you can be rightly disposed to loue and serue God in such manner as he requireth THE SECOND PARTE THE SECOND PARTE CONteyning certayne sperituall Exercyses wherby the soule is adorned bewtifyed and rightlye disposed to the perfect actes of louing seruinge God THE first Exercyse how the seruant of God shoulde purge his soule from all sinne AFter they had refreshed them selues with breade and water which was the Ermits vsuall fair he begann saide My sonn the firste thinge and Exercyse wherein a man muste occupy him selfe to gett a fitte disposition to loue and serue God is to extirpate or roote owt of his soule all euill that is the silthe of sinne that when he would do any seruice to his lord there
your self The third is the dart of hatred of him whom you suspecte or know to haue done you wronge To this also you must oppose your self inclyninge your will to produce some singular acte of loue towards him because it is godds will that you loue and pray for your enemies And in truth as I said they doe you exceding greate good if your self hinder it not and they be as surgeons to cure the festering woundes of our soule Thus in all occasions of aduersitie the seruant of God should be watchfull and euer stand prepared patiently to endure what-soeuer it pleasethe his Lorde to let befall for his tryall that in so doing he may honoure his Lord benefite and as our Sauioure said possesse his own soule which remaineth as voyd of all good captiue to the deuill and quite loste if it be spoyled of this vertue of patience Nowe if you thinke good let vs speake of the foure affections or passions of the soule THE SEAVENTH EXERCYSE HOW to moderate and keepe in order the foure naturall passions of the soule THese passions said Alphonso be Ioy Sorow Hope Feare they be naturall to euery one as to ioy for a presente good to sorowe for a present euill to hope for a future good and to feare a future euill I will teach you how to guyde and brydle them conueniently for the seruice and honour of God and the repayringe of your soule For they may bringe vs much harme if they be lefte at libertie vnrestrayned because they neuer cease ranginge vpp and downe in our soules now one now an other And we may well say that all our euills come vpon vs because they are permitted to wander abowte and runne vnbrydled Yea they bringe much annoyance and hurte to spirituall persons howe lightlye soeuer they walke in them He onely may kepe them in good order great moderation that worketh all thnges aswell internal as externall for God as I toulde you before walketh in the hatred of him self as you haue harde When are these affections said Probus kept in due order moderatiō When we yelde said Alphonso no consent to any of their motions further then we know pleaseth God whereby he may receiue some gratefull seruice Otherwyse we oughte euer to repell their motions banish them from vs if we desire to walke a saife way towarde God May we not said Probus be glad and ioyfull for any good thinge that hapneth vnto vs in lyke sorte be sorowfull for euill The seruants of God said Alphonso should be gladd ioy in nothing but God or thinges which belong or direct further them to him The reason is for that hauinge in God in such thinges so great cause matter of ioyes they are verye foolishe and madd vaine that occupye them selues in ioying for any other cōsidering their powers force to ioy in God loue him are the weaker by how muche more they are deuyded into dyuers ioyes busines And consideringe againe that albeit we yelde our selues wholly to ioy in God yet are we not able to doe it sufficiently How much lesse can we doe it if we distract our selues to ioy in many thinges Wherefore by the vse power of our will as I toulde you before we must doe one of these two either presently so sone as it offereth it self repell putt away all ioye and gladnes which is not in God or thinges belonginge vnto him or direct order it for God as the ende thereof so it be not some vaine or vnlawfull ioye And thus shall we doe as the Apostle willeth vs saying Phil. 4 Ioy in our Lorde at all tymes I say againe ioye For he which cause we must looke warelye about vs for daily innumerable things of small weight occurre ofter them selues to vs bringinge occasions and causes of ioy gladnes from which forth-with we ought to vnwynde our selues knowinge all ioyes which are offered vnto vs by the world are assured harmes noe good to vs at all In a most potent and ryche King you know it would be iudged a very base vyle disposition to make so greate reckning of a peny that the winning of i◠woulde make him verie ioyfull the loosing of it verie sorowfull greiued But farr greater is our basenes vilitye if when alwaies we haue present the infinite goodes which God possesseth for him self vs in which we oughte incessantly to ioye we turne our selues to ioy in other tryflinge thinges which occurr in the world when especially we ought to loue our Lord more then our selues more to respect his glory then our owne which yet he will geue vs most aboundantlye if we faithfully and sincerelye serue him in this our banishment OF SOROW. IN lyke sort may we speake of him that soroweth for any thing of this world that may happen except sin things inducing thereto For it may be well iudged great basenes to sorow for any such temporall thinge of this lyfe whearas we haue before oure eyes so great glorye and inestimable goodes as I said God haith prouided for vs for which we ought euer to reioyce be gladd Wherefore the seruant of God muste suffer noe sorow nor heauines to stay in his harte but that onely which is for sinn because this sorow being a passion which respecteth some present euill or some good lost true euills losses can not happen but onely for sinne He ought with reason to sorowe for none other thinge And hauing present so infinite an euill to sorowe for as sinne is he doth most foolishlye if deuyding his force strength he sorowe for any other thing besides considering especially that all his powers abilities collected to this one woork suffice not to sorow so much for sinn as he should doe These sorowes which offer them selues dailie to vs vpon any tribulation or aduersitie we may easily repell if we consider that we be gods more then our owne that he haith more tender care ouer vs then we can haue of oure selues and beste knowethe what is expedient for vs. And therfore what painefull thing or aduersity soeuer hapneth it ought to be welcom to vs so long as it endureth we must take it ioyfullye as from the hande of our louinge Lorde and as a thinge fitt and conuenient for one that is godds sorow no more for it then God whose we are willeth that we sorow speaking thus within our selues Why haue I greater care of my self then my Lord god willeth that I haue seing I am not myne owne but his who loueth me tenderly can not but continually behould me May we not then said Probus seke meanes to deliuer and free our selues from suffering such paynefull thinges and aduersyties or we shoulde beare them still with ioy let them alone to godds care prouidence As it is godds will said Alphonso that so long as we haue them we euer suffer