VINCENT: Forsooth, good uncle, this good mind of longing for God's
comfort is a good cause of great comfort indeed--our Lord in
tribulation send it to us! But by this I see well, that woe may
they be who in tribulation lack that mind and who desire not to be
comforted by God, but either are of sloth or impatience
discomfortless, or else of folly seek for their chief ease and
comfort anywhere else.
ANTHONY: That is, good cousin, very true, as long as they stand in
that state. But then you must consider that tribulation is a means
to drive them from that state, and that is one of the causes for
which God sendeth it unto man. For albeit that pain was ordained by
God for the punishment of sins (so that they who never do now but
sin cannot but be ever punished in hell) yet in this world, in
which his high mercy giveth men space to be better, the punishment
that he sendeth by tribulation serveth ordinarily for a means of
amendment.
St. Paul himself was sorely against Christ, till Christ gave him a
great fall and threw him to the ground, and struck him stark blind.
And with that tribulation he turned to him at the first word, and
God was his physician and healed him soon after both in body and in
soul by his minister Ananias and made him his blessed apostle. Some
are in the beginning of tribulation very stubborn and stiff against
God, and yet at length tribulation bringeth them home. The proud
king Pharaoh did abide and endure two or three of the first
plagues, and would not once stoop at them. But then God laid on a
sorer lash that made him cry to him for help. And then sent he for
Moses and Aaron and confessed himself for a sinner and God for good
and righteous. And he prayed them to pray for him and to withdraw
that plague, and he would let them go. But when his tribulation was
withdrawn, then was he wicked again. So was his tribulation
occasion of his profit, and his help in turn was cause of his harm.
For his tribulation made him call to God, and his help made hard
his heart again. Many a man who in an easy tribulation falleth to
seek his ease in the pastime of worldly fantasies, in a greater
pain findeth all those comforts so feeble that he is fain to fall
to the seeking of God's help.
And therefore is, I say, the very tribulation itself many times a
means to bring the man to the taking of the aforementioned comfort
therein--that is, to the desire of comfort given by God. For this
desire of God's comfort is, as I have proved you, great cause of
comfort itself.
V
Howbeit, though the tribulation itself be a means oftentimes to get
a man this first comfort in it, yet sometimes itself alone bringeth
not a man to it. And therefore, since unless this comfort be had
first, there can in tribulation no other good comfort come forth,
we must consider the means by which this first comfort may come.
Meseemeth that if the man of sloth or impatience or hope of worldly
comfort have no mind to desire and seek for comfort of God, those
who are his friends, who come to visit and comfort him, must before
everything put that point in his mind, and not spend the time (as
they commonly do) in trifling and in turning him to the fantasies
of the world. They must also move him to pray God to put this
desire in his mind. For when he once getteth it, he then hath the
first comfort--and, without doubt, if it be well considered, a
comfort marvellously great. His friends who thus counsel him must
also, to the attaining thereof, help to pray for him themselves,
and cause him to desire good folk to help him to pray for it. And
then, if these ways be taken to get it, I doubt not but the
goodness of God shall give it.