shall fight with the strength of him who hath vanquished him already.  And let us fence with faith, and comfort us with hope, and smite the devil in the face with the firebrand of charity.  For surely, if we be of the tender loving mind that our Master was, and do not hate them that kill us but pity them and pray for them, with sorrow for the peril that they work unto themselves, then that fire of charity thrown in his face will strike the devil suddenly so blind that he cannot see where to fasten a stroke on us.

When we feel ourselves too bold, let us remember our own feebleness, and when we feel ourselves too faint, let us remember Christ’s strength.  In our fear, let us remember Christ’s painful agony, that he himself would for our comfort suffer before his passion, to the intent that no fear should make us despair.  And let us ever call for his help, such as he himself may please to send us.  And then need we never doubt but that he shall either keep us from the painful death, or else strengthen us in it so that he shall joyously bring us to heaven by it.  And then doth he much more for us than if he kept us from it.  For God did more for poor Lazarus, in helping him patiently to die for hunger at the rich man’s door, than if he had brought to him at the door all the rich glutton’s dinner.  So, though he be gracious to a man whom he delivereth out of painful trouble, yet doth he much more for a man if, through right painful death, he deliver him from this wretched world into eternal bliss.  Whosoever shrinketh away from it by forsaking his faith, and falleth in the peril of everlasting fire, he shall be very sure to repent ere it be long after.

For I am sure that whensoever he falleth sick next, he will wish that he had been killed for Christ’s sake before.  What folly is it, then, to flee for fear from that death which thou seest thou shalt shortly afterward wish thou hadst died!  Yea, I daresay almost every good Christian man would very fain this day that yesterday he had been cruelly killed for Christ’s sake—­even for the desire of heaven, though there were no hell.  But to fear while the pain is coming, there is all our hindrance!  But if, on the other hand, we would remember hell’s pain into which we fall while we flee from this, then this short pain should be no hindrance at all.  And yet, if we were faithful, we should be more pricked forward by deep consideration of the joys of heaven, of which the apostle saith, “The passions of this time be not worthy to the glory that is to come, which shall be showed in us.”  We should not, I believe, need much more in all this matter than one text of St. Paul, if we would consider it well.  For surely, mine own good cousin, remember that if it were possible for me and you alone to suffer as much trouble as the whole world doth together, all that would not be worthy of itself to bring us to the joy which we hope to have everlastingly.  And therefore, I pray you, let the consideration of that you put out all worldly trouble out of your heart, and also pray that it may do the same in me.