¶ The .xxxv. chapter how man shuld aske the helpe of God trustynge in hym to recouer grace loste by deuout prayer.
Page [unnumbered]SOne sayth our Lorde to his louer I am thy lorde god: that do conforte my setuauntes in the daye of trouble / come therfore to me whan it is nat well with the / it doth lette ye to haue cōsolacyon from aboue: that thou slowly fallest to prayer for a remedye / for before thon prayest to me deuoutly for helpe and consolacyon / thou sekest many inwarde consolacyons for thy refresshynge whiche all auay∣leth the lytell vnto thou conceyue in wardlye that I alonly delyuer and helpe in nede them that trust in me / & without me there is novaylable or profytable coūceyll ne remedye durable & abydynge / but resu∣me thy spyryt & be recōforted ī the lyght of my mer∣cyes for I am •ere & redy to repayre all thynges yt be ruynous / nat onely to the state that they were of before / but also to theyr perferciō / no thyng is to me harde or impossyble / I am nat lyke to the yt sayste more than thou doste i dede / for my worde & dede is alone / where is thy fayth? stāde fermely & {per}seuerāt¦ly ī thy fayth & my seruyce / be strōgely abydynge in me / & thou shalt haue cōfort ī tyme cōuenyēt / abyde me & I shall come sone & hele the / it is a lytell tēpta∣cyon that doth vere the / & a vayne drede that dothe fere the / why art thou busy about thynges or chaun¦ces nat yet beynge but for to come the which encrea¦seth thy heuynes / it is suffycyent to the day his wyc¦kednes / it is but vanyte or Idlenes to be troubled or to be glad at y• auēture of thyng{is} to come whiche {per}auenture shall neuer fall / but manys cōdycyon is to be disceyued by such Imagynaciōs / & it is a tokē Page [unnumbered] of an vnstable soule / that is so soone led fro god by suggestion of the enemy for he pōderith nat wheder he deceyue by true suggestyons or fals: wheder he throw downe by the blynde loue of thīg{is} p̄sent or by drede of thyng{is} for to come / be yu nat aferde ne trow¦bled in soule / trust in my mercy whan thou trowest to be farre fro me / I am ofte more nere the / whan yu wenest to be holly lost: than thou moost deseruest re¦warde / all this is nat lost whā thou felest {con}trarious∣nes in thy mynde / thou shulde nat iuge after thy sē∣suall felynge ne take euery veracyō hopynge neuer to escape it / repute the nat all forsake whā I sēde ye any trybulaciō / for by such trybulacyō it is come to the kyngedome of heuē / it is more expedyēt to the / & to my other seruaūtes for to be {pro}ued in aduersitees than to haue eche thynge after theyr wyll / I knowe the hyd thoughtes of mā / it is expedyēt to thy helth & saluacyon to be lefte some tyme to thy selfe wtoute gostly sauer / that thou be nat inflate by pryde & lyft vp aboue thy selfe thīkyng the to be better thā thou art in dede / I may take away whā my lyste that I gyue to any man / & restore it to them whan I wyll / whā I gyue any gyft or grace to any {per}sō it is myne that I gyue / and whan I withdra we it I take but myn owne / for al goodes & euery {per}fyte gyft is myn if I sende y• any trouble bodely or gostly dysdeyne nat therof ne let nat thyn hert fall therby into great heuynes / for I may sone lyfte the vp agayn & chaū∣ge thy heuynes into ioy / neuertheles I am rightwy¦se & moche to be recōmēded & loued whan I sende ye Page [unnumbered] such aduersyte or scourges / if thou wyltvnderstāde yu ought neuer to be heuy for ye aduersytes yt I sēde the: but rather to thāke me / & to repute it a synguler ioy that I spare the nat in suche peynfull afflycciōs that I sende the / for I sayde to my dyscyples / I lo∣ue you as my father dyd me / though I sēde you īto the worlde nat to haue ioyes of the world but great batayles / nat to haue worldly honours but despyt{is} nat to be Idle but to labour / nat to haue rest but to gader moch frute of saued people into the barne or church of god lyke as I was sent to also / haue mīde sone also of these word{is}.
