and minds are not upon him:  therefore it is better to have affliction than to be in prosperity.  For there is a common saying, Vexatio dat intellectum; “Vexation giveth understanding.”  David, that excellent king and prophet, saith, Bonum est mihi quod humiliasti me, Domine:  “Lord,” saith he, “it is good for me that thou hast pulled down my stomach, that thou hast humbled me.”  But I pray you, what sauce had David, how was he humbled?  Truly thus:  his own son defiled his daughter.  After that, Absalom, one other of his sons, killed his own brother.  And this was not enough, but his own son rose up against him, and traitorously cast him out of his kingdom, and defiled his wives in the sight of all the people.  Was not he vexed? had he not sauces?  Yes, yes:  yet for all that he cried not out against God; he murmured not, but saith, Bonum est mihi quod humiliasti me; “Lord, it is good for me that thou hast humbled me, that thou hast brought me low.”  Therefore when we be in trouble, let us be of good comfort, knowing that God doth it for the best.  But for all that, the devil, that old serpent, the enemy of mankind, doth what he can day and night to bring us this sauce, to cast us into persecution, or other miseries:  as it appeareth in the gospel of Matthew, where our Saviour casting him out of a man, seeing that he could do no more harm, he desired Christ to give him leave to go into the swine; and so he cast them all into the sea.  Where it appeareth, that the devil studieth and seeketh all manner of ways to hurt us, either in soul, or else in body.  But for all that, let us not despair, but rather lift up our hearts unto God, desiring his help and comfort; and no doubt, when we do so, he will help:  he will either take away the calamities, or else mitigate them, or at the leastwise send patience into our hearts, that we may bear it willingly.

Now you know, at a great feast, when there is made a delicate dinner, and the guests fare well, at the end of the dinner they have bellaria, certain subtleties, custards, sweet and delicate things:  so when we come to this dinner, to this wedding, and feed upon Christ, and take his sauces which he hath prepared for us, at the end cometh the sweetmeat.  What is that?  Marry, remission of sins, and everlasting life; such joy, that no tongue can express, nor heart can think, which God hath prepared for all them that come to this dinner, and feed upon his Son, and taste of his sauces.  And this is the end of this banquet.  This banquet, or marriage-dinner, was made at the very beginning of the world.  God made this marriage in paradise, and called the whole world unto it, saying, Semen mulieris conteret caput serpentis; “The Seed of the woman shall vanquish the head of the serpent.”  This was the first calling; and this calling stood unto the faithful in as good stead as it doth unto us, which have a more manifest calling.  Afterward Almighty God called again with these words, speaking