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CHAPTER XXI.

OF COMPUNCTION OF HEART.

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F thou wilt make any progress in godliness, keep thyself in the fear of God, and affect not too much liberty. Restrain all thy senses under discipline, and give not thyself over to foolish mirth.

Give thyself to compunction of heart, and thou shalt gain much devotion thereby.

Compunction layeth open much good, which dissoluteness is wont quickly to destroy.

It is a wonder that any man can ever perfectly rejoice in this life if he duly consider, and thoroughly weigh his state of banishment, and the many pearls wherewith his soul is environed.

2. Through levity of heart, and small care for our failings, we feel not the real sorrows of our souls; and so oftentimes we vainly laugh, when we have just cause to weep.

There is no true liberty nor right joy but in the fear of God accompanied with a good conscience.

Happy is he who can cast off all distracting impediments, and bring himself to the one single purpose of holy compunction.

Happy is he, who can abandon all that may defile his conscience or burden it.

Contend manfully; one habit overcometh another.

If thou canst let others alone in their matters, they likewise will not hinder thee in thine.

3. Busy not thyself in matters which appertain to others, neither do thou entangle thyself with the affairs of thy betters.

Still have an eye to thyself first, and be sure more especially to admonish thyself before all thy friends.

If thou hast not the favour of men, be not grieved at it; but take this to heart, that thou dost not behave thyself so warily and circumspectly as it becometh the servant of God.

It is better oftentimes and safer that a man should not have many consolations in this life, especially such as are according to the flesh.

But that we have not divine consolations at all, or do very seldom taste them, the fault is ours, because we seek not after compunction of heart, nor do altogether forsake the vain and outward comforts of this world.

4. Know that thou art unworthy of divine consolation, and that thou hast rather deserved much tribulation.

When a man hath perfect compunction, then is the whole world grievous and bitter unto him.

A good man findeth always sufficient cause for mourning and weeping.

For whether he consider his own or his neighbour's estate, he knoweth that none liveth here without tribulation.

And the more narrowly a man looketh into himself, so much the more he sorroweth.

Our sins and wickedness wherein we lie so enwrapt, that we can seldom apply ourselves to heavenly contemplations, do minister unto us matter of just sorrow and inward compunction.

5. Didst thou oftener think of thy death than of length of life, there is no question but thou wouldst be more zealous to amend.

If also thou didst but consider within thyself the infernal pains in the other world, I believe thou wouldst willingly undergo any labour or sorrow in this world, and not be afraid of the greatest austerity.

But because these things enter not the heart, and we still love those things only that delight us, therefore it is we remain cold and very dull in religion.

6. It is often our want of spirituality which maketh our miserable body so easily to complain.

Pray therefore unto the Lord with all humility, that He will vouchsafe to give thee the spirit of compunction. And say with the Prophet, "Feed me, O Lord, with the bread of tears, and give me plenteousness of tears to drink."

CHAPTER XXII.

OF THE CONSIDERATION OF HUMAN MISERY.

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ISERABLE thou art, wheresoever thou be, or whithersoever thou turnest, unless thou turn thyself unto God.

Why art thou troubled when things succeed not as thou wouldst or desirest?

For

who is he that hath all things according to his mind? neither I nor thou, nor any man upon earth.

There is none in this world, even though he be king or bishop, without some tribulation or perplexity.

Who is then in the best case? even he who is able to suffer something for God.

2. Many weak and infirm persons say, Behold! what a happy life such an one leads; how wealthy, how great he is, in what power and dignity!

But lift up thine eyes to the riches of Heaven, and thou shalt see that all the goods of this life are nothing to be accounted of. They are very uncertain, and rather burden

some than otherwise, because they are never possessed without anxiety and fear.

Man's happiness consisteth not in having abundance of temporal goods, but a moderate portion is sufficient for him.

Truly it is misery even to live upon the earth.

The more spiritual a man desires to be, the more bitter does this present life become to him; because he sees more clearly and perceives more sensibly the defects of human corruption.

For to eat and to drink, to sleep and to watch, to labour and to rest, and to be subject to other necessities of nature, is doubtless a great misery and affliction to a religious man, who would gladly be set loose, and freed from all sin.

3. For the inward man is much weighed down by the necessities of the body.

Therefore the Prophet prayed with great devotion to be enabled to be free from them, saying, “ Bring thou me out of my distress."

But woe be to them that know not their own misery; and a greater woe to them that love this miserable and corrupt life!

For there be some who so much doat upon it, that although by labour or by begging they can scarce get necessaries, yet if they might but live here always, they would care nothing for the kingdom of God.

O how senseless are these men and unbelieving in heart, who lie so deeply sunk in the earth, that they can relish nothing but carnal things.

But miserable as they are, they shall in the end feel to their cost how vile and how nothing that was which they loved.

Whereas the saints of God and all the devout friends of

Christ regarded not those things which pleased the flesh, nor those which were in repute in this life, but longed after the everlasting riches with their whole hope and earnest effort.

Their whole desire was carried upwards to things durable and invisible, that the desire of things visible might not draw them to things below.

5. O my brother, cast not away thy confidence of making progress in godliness; there is yet time, the hour is not yet passed.

Why wilt thou defer thy good purpose from day to day? Arise and begin in this very instant, and say, Now is the time to be doing, now is the time to be striving, now is the fit time to amend myself.

When thou art ill at ease and much troubled, then is the time of earning thy reward.

Thou must pass through fire and water before thou come to a wealthy place.

Unless thou doest violence to thyself, thou shalt never get the victory over sin.

So long as we carry about us this frail body of ours, we can never be without sin, nor live without weariness and pain.

We would gladly have rest from all misery, but seeing that by sin we have lost our innocency, we have together with that lost also the true felicity.

Therefore it becomes us to have patience, and to wait for the mercy of God, till this tyranny be overpast, and mortality be swallowed up of life.

6. O how great is human frailty, which is always prone to evil!

To-day thou confessest thy sins, and to-morrow thou committest the very same which thou hast confessed.

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