Therefore find I that in the night's fear one great part is the
fault of pusillanimity; that is, of faint and feeble stomach, by
which a man for faint heart is afraid where he needeth not. By
reason of this, he flieth oftentime for fear of something of
which, if he fled not, he should take no harm. And a man doth
sometimes by his fleeing make an enemy bold on him, who would, if
he fled not but dared abide, give over and fly from him.
This fault of pusillanimity maketh a man in his tribulation first,
for feeble heart, impatient. And afterward oftentimes it driveth
him by impatience into a contrary affection, making him frowardly
stubborn and angry against God, and thereby to fall into
blasphemy, as do the damned souls in hell. This fault of
pusillanimity and timorous mind hindereth a man also many times
from doing many good things which, if he took a good stomach to
him in the trust of God's help, he would be well able to do. But
the devil casteth him in a cowardice and maketh him take it for
humility to think himself unfit and unable to do them. And
therefore he leaveth undone the good thing of which God offereth
him occasion and to which he had made him fit.
But such folk have need to lift up their hearts and call upon God,
and by the counsel of other good spiritual folk to cast away the
cowardice of their own conceiving which the night's fear by the
devil hath framed in their fancy. And they have need to look in
the gospel upon him who laid up his talent and left it unoccupied
and therefore utterly lost it, with a great reproach of his
pusillanimity, but which he had thought to have excused himself,
in that he was afraid to put it forth into use and occupy it.
And all this fear cometh by the devil's drift, wherein he taketh
occasion of the faintness of our good and sure trust in God. And
therefore let us faithfully dwell in the good hope of his help,
and then shall the shield of his truth so compass us about that of
this night's fear we shall have no fear at all.