seith hym-self: 'Whom i loue I chastise'. Also seeknesse of body, meekliche suffrid, maketh helthe of sowle, and soule-helthe is not but oonliche of god. Therfore despise not goddis scorgynge, but whanne god chastiseth the, þanke hym and loue hym, þat he amendeth the, vndirnemeth þe, and blameth the; ffor alle this is token of loue ande scheweth that he wol not punyssche the in his wrathe ne in his woodnesse, but of his greet goodnesse he wole haue mercy on þe ȝef þou wolt leeue thi synne. And þerfore þank thi god, and specialliche that he hath largid to synful men his mercy aboue his wrathe. Drede this lord as sone & not as seruaunt: ffor he is thi iuge þat wol not dampne the but ȝef þow wolt not for lust and coueitise leeue thi synne, but he wol haue mercy on the, and therfore mercifulliche he chastiseth the, and ther þow hast deseruyd euerelastyngliche his wrathe and to be dampned for euere, he putteth-ouer his vengeaunce and of grete mercy he suffreth vs to amende owre defautes, and punysscheth vs but a while. And þerfore dispise not his ȝerde of mercy, ne grucche not theraȝeyns, but suffre it gladliche, ffor alle þe domes of god been rightfulle. Now þanne, sitthe seeknesse of body is helthe of soule, and wole or nyle þou þow schalt haue it er þou dye, and ȝef þou grucche aȝeyns god, with þi grucchynge þou makest thi sowle moore feble and so þou harmest thi-selfe with thi grucchynge ffor nothyng is wers to a seeek man þan to be malencolious, and eke þou greuest thi fadir þe whiche coueiteth to be thi leche, and þus as a fool þou harmest thi-self in double manere: oon is þat þou greuest thi god, another is þou lesist thi meede þat þou schuldest haue ȝef þou suffredest alle maner diseses pacientliche to þe deth; and þogh a man sum-tyme may not kepe pacience in sekenesse for greet accesse of diuerse passions, neuertheles he schulde, byfore thei koomen and after þe passynge of hem, purpose in his sowle to suffre alle anoyes pacientliche, and whan his hors grucchith, þat is his flesch, his spirit schulde be redy to suffre, and aske mercy for þe grucchynge of his flesch, knowynge þat alle bodiliche anoyes suffrid meekliche in this lyf maketh þe sowle fayre and stronge and rightliche to passe from purgatorie to heuene: wherfore we schulden with good wille herie god, and with glad herte take diseses. Thenk þat ȝef þou haddest be traytour to the kynge wherfore þou haddest deseruyd hangyng and drawynge, and he hadde forȝeue the thi deth and punyssched the but a lytul while in an esy prisoun: how moche were þou holden to hym. Muchel moore þou schuldest bythenke the how thow hast be traytour to god and therfore deseruyd euerlastynge peyne, and ȝet this merciful lord forȝeueth vs heere eendeles deeth þe whiche we deseruyd, and punysscheth vs here but a lytel with bodiliche seeknesse, ȝef we wollen meekly take his chastysynge.