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The IIIIth profet of tribulacion is þat it lyȝtneth þe to haue þe knowynge of god, in which is perfeccion & þe profet of mannys knowynge; þe which seynte Austyn desired seing in the boke of answers to hym-selfe—libro soly-loquiorum— thus: 'Wold god I schuld know þe, lord, wold god I schuld know the!' And also it is writtun in þe boke of Wisdom, Cap. XV: Nosce te iusticia est consummata,
To know þe, lord god, it is fulfilled riȝtwisnes endid. To this knowynge helpith tribulacion; ffor as the rod constreyneth a child to bowe doun his heed & take heed of his boke & record his lesson, so tribulacion meketh þe herte & makith hym to be-hold his owene freelte & to know god. Wherfor seith seint Bernard: Deus se facit cognosci verberando, qui oblitus & incognitus erat parcendo, God makith hym-selfe to be knowen in betynge with tribulacion, which was for-yete & vnknowe in his mercyfull sparyng. Daniel IIIIo, of this we hane ensample of the kynge Nabugodonosor, which for prid was cast oute of his kyngdom & leued with wild bestis & ete hey as an oxe, but when he lifte up his yȝe to his maker of hole herte, his witt was restored to hyme aȝen & he knew god þat chastised hym in tribulacion; as is the maner of children, when þei felen scharpe strokis of the rod, þei lifte up her yen to hym þat smytten(!) hem, for þei wolden þat he schuld turne his face to hem by pite & compassione. Now þan, þou lowly soule þat arte vnder þe rod of tribulacion, considre & know wele þat þe maner of louers is for to send yeftis, tokens and prevy letters ecch of hem to other, for to kepe loue & mynde of knowynge eche to oþer; on þe same maner oure lord Ihesu Crist, as a trew louer, sendith to his beloued children such siknesse as he toke here for hem. For here he toke mankynde [in] which he suffred many tribulacions, detraccions, blasphemies, scornes, repreues, sclaundris, hungir, thrist, & cold, & many betyngis, scharpe scourgyngis, gret strokis, many thousand of depe woundis, & was nayled vpon the crosse be-twene þe thevis, & died þe schamfullest deth þat the Iues cowde ordeyne for hym; and after þat he was resen fro deth & yed vp vnto heuen, he kept his woundis as for tokynnes, þat þou schuldest know wel þat he wold haue mynde of þe, as he seith by the prophet Ysaie, Ysaie XlIX: Numquid obliuisci potest mulier infantem suum ut non miseriatur filio vteri [sui]? Et si illa oblita fuerit, ego tamen non obliuiscar tui. Ecce in manibus meis discripsi te: Whether a woman may foryete her child, þat sho haue no mercy of the sone of hir owen body? and þouȝe sche foryete her child, I schal neuer foryete þe; lo I haue writtyn the in my handis,—þat is, in all my woundis whiche I suffred for love of the. Sithen it is so þat he kepith þe shewynge of his woundis as for a tokyn of love to haue mynde on the, why shuldist þou not be glad when he sendith to the such tokyns of loue as he toke here for the, for he wold þou schuldist haue mynde on hyme & know hym? for he is thi frende & wil not for-yete the. For als many dyuerse tribulacions as he sendith the, so many sondre messengers þou hast, clepyng þe & warnynge þe to haue mynde on hym. But now perauenture þou wilte sey þat such tribulacions ar not most necessary to clepe þe to haue mynde of hym, but rather his gracious benefices of profet, for seynt Austyn seith: Dei beneficia nil aliud sunt nisi moniciones veniendi ad eum, The beneficis of god bene noþinge ellis but warnyng or clepyng to com to hym. To this may be answerid: All-þouȝ þe gracious benefettis of god & yeftis of profet, riches, bewte & bounte, clepyn the to haue mynde on hym, yet neuerthelesse inordinate loue is so cleuynge to such yeftis, þat it draweth þine herte rather to haue mynde on the yeftis þan on þe yeuer; wherfor he pleyneth to þe prophet seying: Expandi manus meas & non erat qui respiceret, I haue spred oute my handis, þat is, yeuyng benefettis, & þere was no man þat wold [behold. He seid not that ther was no man that] wold take hem Quia omnes diligunt munera, sequntur retribuciones, For all men loue yeftis & þei pursuen after rewardis, fro þe most to þe leste; But ther bene few or ellis none þat beholdyn, mekely knowynge the ȝeuer of hem. Also perauenture þou woldist sey: all-þouȝ it be accordynge to god to clepe indurat & rebellyng hertis to know hym by tribulacion, neuer-the-lesse it nedith note so to god and meke hertis, the which desiren to know hyme by benefettis & yeftis. To
this may be answeryd: All-þouȝ good meke hertis by naturall delytynge in benefettis knowyn þe yeuer of hem, yit neuerthelesse to þe profet [of] parfite knowynge of god mow þei not com without provynge of tribulacion. Example here-of we redyn þat Salomon was clepyd by benefettis & yeftis, Iobe was called by drawynge awey of his temporall goodis & sendyng hym tribulacions & aduersitees. But þes tribulacions brouȝt Iobe to þe parfite knowynge of god; Salomone be prosperite fill vnto folye, lesyng þe profet of þe parfite knowyng of god. Yf Salomon, þat was so wise, lost þe profet of þe parfite knowynge of god: what-so-euer þou arte trist not þat þou myȝteste longe abyd in þis knowynge [in] such prosperite. & þerfor suffer paciently tribulacions & aduersitees: & if þou be discomforted þat þei be many & grete, be þou comforted, for þe more & gretter þat þei ben þe more profet of knowynge of god þei brynge to þe. & if þou can not yett fele any comforte for frowardnesse or freelte of þi-silfe, pray to god þat he comforte the in tribulacion & graunt þe grace to com to þe profet of parfite knowynge of hym, & sey Da nobis domine &c., Lord graunte us helpe of tribulacion.