VINCENT: This seemeth to me very good, good uncle, save that it
seemeth somewhat brief and short, and thereby methinketh somewhat
obscure and dark.
ANTHONY: We shall therefore, to give it light withal, touch upon
every member of it somewhat more at large.
One member is, as you know, of them that fall in tribulation
through their own certain well-deserving deed, open and known to
themselves, as when we fall in a sickness following upon our own
gluttonous feasting, or when a man is punished for his own open
fault. These tribulations, and others like them, may seem not to be
comfortable, in that a man may be sorry to think himself the cause
of his own harm. Yet hath he good cause of comfort in them, if he
consider that he may make them medicinable for himself if he will.
For whereas there was due to that sin, unless it were purged here,
a far greater punishment after this world in another place, this
worldly tribulation of pain and punishment, by God's good provision
for him put upon him here in this world before, shall by the mean
of Christ's passion, if the man will in true faith and good hope by
meek and patience sufferance of his tribulation so make it, serve
him for a sure medicine to cure him. And it shall clearly discharge
him of all the sickness and disease of those pains that he should
otherwise suffer afterward. For such is the great goodness of
almighty God that he punisheth not the same thing twice.
And albeit that this punishment is put unto the man, not of his own
election and free choice but by force, so that he would fain avoid
it and falleth in it against his will, and therefore it seemeth
worthy of no thanks; yet the great goodness of almighty God so far
surpasseth the poor imperfect goodness of man, that though men make
their reckoning here one with another such, God yet of his high
bounty in man's account alloweth it toward him far otherwise. For
though a man fall in his pain by his own fault, and also at first
against his will, yet as soon as he confesseth his fault and
applieth his will to be content to suffer that pain and punishment
for the same, and waxeth sorry not only that he shall sustain such
punishment but also that he hath offended God and thereby deserved
much more, our Lord from that time counteth it not for pain taken
against his will. But it shall be a marvellous good medicine, and
work as a willingly taken pain the purgation and cleansing of his
soul with gracious remission of his sin, and of the far greater
pain that otherwise would have been prepared for it, peradventure
forever in hell. For many there are undoubtedly who would otherwise
drive forth and die in their deadly sin, who yet in such
tribulation, feeling their own frailty so effectually and the false
flattering world failing them, turn full goodly to God and call for
mercy. And so by grace they make virtue of necessity, and make a
medicine of their malady, taking their trouble meekly, and make a
right godly end.
Consider well the story of Acham, who committed sacrilege at the
great city of Jericho. Thereupon God took a great vengeance upon
the children of Israel, and afterward told them the cause and bade
them go seek the fault and try it out by lots. When the lot fell
upon the very man who did it--being tried by the lot falling first
upon his tribe and then upon his family and then upon his house and
finally upon his person--he could well see that he was deprehended
and taken against his will. But yet at the good exhortation of
Josue saying unto him, "Mine own son, give glory to the God of
Israel, and confess and show me what thou hast done, and hide it
not," he confessed humbly the theft and meekly took his death for
it. And he had, I doubt not, both strength and comfort in his pain,
and died a very good man. Yet, if he had never come in tribulation,
he would have been in peril never haply to have had just remorse in
all his whole life, but might have died wretchedly and gone to the
devil eternally. And thus made this thief a good medicine of his
well-deserved pain and tribulation.
Consider well the converted thief who hung on Christ's right hand.
Did not he, by his meek sufference and humble knowledge of his
fault, asking forgiveness of God and yet content to suffer for his
sin, make of his just punishment and well-deserved tribulation a
very good special medicine to cure him of all pain in the other
world, and win him eternal salvation?
And thus I say that this kind of tribulation, though it seem the
most base and the least comfortable, is yet, if the man will so
make it, a very marvellous wholesome medicine. And it may therefore
be, to the man who will so consider it, a great cause of comfort
and spiritual consolation.