A RIGHT COMFORTABLE TREATISE CONTAINING fourteen points of consolation for them that labour and are laden: WRITTEN BY D. MARTIN Luther to Prince Friderik Duke of Saxony, he being sore sick, thereby to comfort him in the time of his great distress.  
Englished by W. GACE.  
Imprinted at London by Thomas Vautrollier dwelling in the Black Friars. 1578.   

Martin Luther.  
I Did writ this book in the beginning of my proceedings, to the most gracious Prince Friderik Duke of Saxony, when he was sore sick. Now many thought good that it should be imprinted, but when it had been eftsoons imprinted, it was so corrupted and made unperfect, that I found many words wanting, which I myself could not conjecture what they were: howbeit the sentences I have restored after a sort, and such as I think I had in the beginning. Neither have I thought it good now to change or adorn them as I could: For I will in this book show a testimony of my proceeding, and gratify the adversaries, that they may have wherewith to exercise their malice. It is sufficient for me if I please my Lord Christ & his Saints: I rejoice from my heart, and give thanks to my God that I am envied and hated of the devil and his Imps.   

TO THE WORSHIPFUL M. HENRY DALE CITIZEN AND Merchant of the city of London, W. Gace wisheth grace and peace from God the Father through Christ jesus our Lord  
MAnifold are the miseries of man's life, wherewith he is greatly grieved and sundry ways molested, insomuch as job saith that man that is borne of a woman hath but a short time to live, and is replenished with misery. For he beginneth his life with tears & weeping, he passeth it with sorrow & trouble, and endeth it with dolour and pain. Wherefore it is no marvel if some have thought that it is the best thing not to be borne, and the next to die quickly: and that other some have mourned and wept at the births of their friends, and solemnly rejoiced at their burials. For what could they being destitute of the light of God and true religion, see in this life but trouble & misery? Yea the godly themselves, as they have in all ages suffered many afflictions in this life, so have they passed through the same as through a strange country. For if heaven be our country, what is the earth else but a place of banishment? wherein being exiled from true delights and pleasures, we live in a state unquiet, troublesome, and many ways miserable, as to him that shall duly consider the sundry troubles that are incident to all sorts of men in this life, will easily appear.  
Forasmuch then as this life is so miserable, as both the Saints of God have pronounced of it, the very heathen have accounted it, & daily experience proveth it, & yet nevertheless we, seeing God hath placed us in it, must remain therein till he call us away: great need we have of such consolation & encouragement as may be a mean to make us pass the time thereof without grudging & impatiency. For of ourselves we are very frail & weak, not able to resist, much less of power to overcome, as is manifest by them, who in the time of affliction have through impatiency murmured against God, albeit there both have been, and are many, who being not of themselves but by other means supported, have patiently sustained many troubles and miseries.  
Wherefore I trust that my labour shall not be thought ill bestowed, but rather profitably employed, which I have taken in translating this treatise into the English tongue, for that it tendeth chief to the consolation of such as are in affliction and distress. For that which the title of this book portendeth, the matter thereof sufficiently proveth, namely that it containeth consolations for them that labour and are laden, that is, that suffer afflictions and troubles in this life: so that they which shall diligently read and peruse the same, may be so confirmed thereby, that when they be troubled with hardness of adversity, they may not be overcome or thrown down therewith: when they be molested with grief & sorrow, they may be also delighted with spiritual joy: when they be even distressed with troubles and afflictions, they may receive courage again, being cheered with sundry consolations, & so patiently suffer according to Gods will whatsoever it shall please him to lay upon them.  
How great this commodity is, it plainly appeareth not only by this, that the feeling of the present affliction is thereby assuaged, but by this also, that it is a mean to move and make us to obey God's will, which otherwise we would be ready to resist, and to suffer patiently, whereas otherwise we would by impatiency be stubborn against the righteousness of God.  
Wherefore forasmuch as I am not ignorant that the cross is usually incident to the godly, and that through many afflictions we must enter into the kingdom of God, I am bold to commend this treatise to all the godly in general, to be read of them to their singular commodity and comfort, but especially to your worship, whose godly conversation both of a long time hath been, and daily is an evident testimony of your sincere and unfeigned profession of Christ his religion: desiring you to esteem thereof, not according to the quantity or outward appearance (for then shall you make but small account of it, being both little in quantity, & adorned with no eloquent terms or glorious words) but according to the fruit that the godly shall reap by diligent reading thereof. For pearls and precious stones for the most part are in quantity but small, and in outward appearance simple, which in value notwithstanding are great and in virtue excellent. Howbeit being sufficiently persuaded of your well accepting hereof, I will not stand upon this point, jest I should seem in any wise to doubt of it, but do desire Almighty God, that as you have hitherto lived in his fear, so ye may daily increase, and constantly continued in the same even unto the end.  
Your worships at commandment W. GACE.   

TO THE MOST FAMOUS PRINCE AND LORD, THE LORD FRIDERIK, Duke of Saxony, etc., his very good Lord  
OUR Lord and Saviour jesus hath left a commandment which pertaineth indifferently to all Christians, that we should perform the duties of humanity, or rather (as the Scripture calleth them) the works of mercy to the afflicted and miserable: that we should visit the sick, endeavour to deliver the captives, and do such like to our neighbour, whereby the present evils may be somewhat assuaged. Hereof our Lord jesus Christ hath in himself set forth unto us a most manifest & singular example, whereas of his exceeding love toward mankind, he came down from the bosom of the father into our miseries and into our prison, that is, into our flesh and most miserable life, and took the punishment of our sins upon himself, that we might be saved: according as Esai saith chap. 43: Thou hast laden me with thy sins, and wearied me with thy ungodliness, etc. If there be any whom this so manifest & singular an example doth not stir up, and the authority of God's commandment added thereunto doth not move to perform these works of charity, surely he shall worthily in the last judgement hear the voice of the angry judge: Go thou cursed into everlasting fire. For I was sick and thou didst not visit me, but being altogether unthankful for the exceeding benefits which I bestowed on thee and all the world, thou didst not even in the most slender duties relieve or help thy brethren, not not me Christ in my brethren.  
Forasmuch therefore most famous Prince, as I see your Grace to be sore sick, and that Christ also is sick in you, I have thought it my duty to visit your Grace by writing somewhat unto you. For I can not dissemble, that I do not hear the voice of Christ our of your Grace's body and flesh crying to me, and saying: Behold I am sick here. For these evils, namely sickness and such like, not we Christians only, but Christ himself also our Lord and Saviour, in whom we live, doth suffer, as he manifestly witnesseth in the Gospel: Whatsoever ye do to the lest of mine, ye do it unto me. Now although we own this duty to all that are sick in general, that we do visit and comfort them, yet do we own it chiefly to them that be of the household of saith. For Paul doth plainly distinguish between aliens, and them that profess the same faith with us, or with whom we have some alliance. Galat. 6.  
Howbeit I have other reasons also of my duty. For I know that I as one of your Grace's subjects, together with the rest of your subjects aught to be moved with your Grace's sickness, and to be as it were sick together with you, as the member with the head, in whom all our good estate, safety, and prosperity consisteth. For we acknowledge your Grace to be as a certain Naaman by whom God at this day giveth health to Germany, as in time passed by him he gave health to Syria. Wherefore even the whole Roman Empire hath your Graece in admiration, doth reverence and honour you as a father of the country, as a singular ornament and safeguard of the whole Empire, but especially of the German nation.  
Neither do we own this only to your Grace, to comfort you as much as we are able, and as it were to bear the present case with you, but much rather to pray unto God for your health and recovery: which I hope is done with all diligence and endeavour of your Grace's subjects. As for myself, whom many notable benefits and pleasures have made a debtor to your Grace more than the rest, I acknowledge that I aught by some singular duty to declare my thankfulness. But because in this slenderness of ability and power, I am able to perform no notable thing, D. George Spalatine, who is your Grace's Chaplain, advertised me that I should do well to make some spiritual consolation & sand it to your Grace, for that that would be a thing very acceptable unto you. Wherefore I thought it not good to do contrary to the advertisement of my friend, and therefore have I gathered together these fourteen chapters, being comprised as it were in a table, and have entitled them 
* That is, fourteen, or that which consisteth of that number.  Tessaradecas, that they might be in steed of fourteen Saints which our superstition made and called the drivers away of all evils. Howbeit this is not a silver but a spiritual table, wherewith, not the walls of temples are to be adorned, but the godly mind is to be comforted and confirmed. And I hope that it will be very profitable to your Grace in this present state. Now it is divided into two parts, whereof the former containeth seven considerations of evils, whereby the present griefs and troubles are mitigated and assuaged. The latter containeth likewise seven considerations of good things tending to the same end. Wherefore I desire your Grace to take this my simple labour in good part, which I pray God ye may so enjoy, that by diligent reading and consideration of this treatise ye may have some ease. I humbly commend me to your Grace.  
Your humble and obedient subject MARTIN LUTHER.   

THE PREFACE.  
THe Apostle Paul in the 15. chapter of his Epistle to the Romans speaking of christian comfort, saith: Brethrens, Whatsoever things have been written afore time, were written for our learning, that we through patience, and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Whereby he plainly teacheth that our comforts must be taken out of the holy Scriptures. Now the holy Scriptures use two sorts of comfort, inasmuch as they commend unto us the consideration of two sorts of things, namely of evil things and of good things, according as the wise man saith: In the day of affliction remember prosperity: & in the day of prosperity be mindful of affliction. For the holy Ghost knoweth that every thing is of such sort & so great to man, of what sort and how great his opinion is thereof. For that which is counted vile & nothing esteemed, doth little move, either with love if it come, or with grief if it departed. Wherefore he laboureth most earnestly to call man from the opinion & affection of things, which when he hath brought to pass, all things are then indifferent. Now forasmuch as this calling is done especially by the word, whereby the opinion is transferred from the thing, which is presently felt to the thing which either is absent or not presently felt, it is by good reason that we shall have no comfort but by the Scripture, which in the day of affliction calleth us to the consideration of prosperity, which is either present or to come: also in the day of prosperity calleth us to consider affliction. But that these considerations may be more easy unto us, we will divide either of them into seven parts. To the former shall be referred the evils which are to be considered of a man: First within himself: Secondly before him: Thirdly behind him: Fourthly beneath him: Fiftly on the left hand: Sixtly on the right hand: Seventhly above him.   


THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE FIRST CONsideration, which is of the inward evil.  
THis is certain and most true, whether man believe it or not, that there can be none so great trouble & vexation in man, which is the worst of the evils which are in him, so many more and greater evils are there in him then which he feeleth. For if he felt his evil, he should feel even hell: for he hath hell in himself. Dost thou demand, how? 
Man hath hell in himself, which is the greatest evil in him.  The Prophet saith: All men are liars. And again: Every man living is altogether vanity. Now to be a liar and vain is to be void of verity, & not to be in deed: but to be without verity, and not to be in deed, is to be without God, and to be nothing: and this is to be in hell, and to be condemned. Therefore God mercifully chastening us, openeth unto us and layeth upon us the smaller & lighter evils, knowing, that if he should bring man to the knowledge of his evil, he should forthwith perish in a moment: howbeit he hath given it to some to have a feeling and taste of it, of whom it is said: He bringeth down to the grave, and fetcheth up again. Wherefore they say rightly who call corporal sufferings certain advertizements of the inward evil. And the Apostle Heb. 12 calleth them the fatherly chastenings of God, saying: 
Why God scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.  He scourgeth every son that he receiveth. Which he therefore doth, that by these scourges and small evils he may expel those great evils, lest we should at any time feel them, as it is said Proverb. 22: Foolishness is bound in the heart of the child, and the rod of correction shall drive it away. Are not godly parents also more grieved by their children if they be thieves or evil, then if they be wounded? yea they do themselves beaten and wound them that they may not be evil.  
What therefore is the cause that this very evil is not felt? 
Godsuffereth not man to feel his greatest evil, and why.  truly as I have said, God disposing it it cometh so to pass, that man may not be utterly discouraged, if he should see his most inward evils. For God hideth them, and will have them seen by only faith, while he showeth them by the evil that is felt. Therefore in the day of affliction or when thou sufferest evil things, remember good things: consider how great a good thing it is not to know all the evil, be mindful of this good thing, and the evil which thou feelest shall less disquiet or trouble thee. So again in the day when thou enjoyest good things, remember evil things, that is, while thou art not grieved with those that be very evils in deed, in this want of grief be thankful, and remember the very evils, then will it come to pass that thou shalt less feel the evil that is felt.  
It is manifest therefore that the want of grief is always greater in man in this life, than grief, not for that the whole evil is not present, but because there is no opinion or affection thereof by the goodness of God, who hideth it. Hereupon we see them to whom it is given to behold their very evil, how rigorous and cruel they are against themselves, how they count it nothing whatsoever they can suffer in their whole life, so as they feel not their hell. So would every one do, if he either felt or firmly believed his inward e-evill: he would of his own accord call for outward evils, he would sport in them, & would never be more sad or sorrowful, than when he had no evils, as we know some of the Saints to have done.  
Wherefore in the first comfortable consideration, 
The comfort of the first consideration.  a man may say to himself: thou dost not yet, O man, feel thine evil, rejoice and give thanks, that thou art not compelled to feel it: and so a small evil being compared with one that is very great, shall be made light and easy. This is that which some say: I have deserved far worse things, yea even hell itself: an easy thing surely to be spoken, but intolerable to be felt. And this evil albeit it be hid, yet doth it show forth his fruits sufficient grievous: 
Fruits of the greatest evil which is in man.  these are fear and the uncertainty of a trembling conscience, whereby faith is impugned, whiles man knoweth not or doubteth whether he hath God favourable unto him, which fruit is so much more bitter as faith is weaker. And this only infirmity being well weighed, forasmuch as it is spiritual, is far more grievous than that of the body, which it doth make even most light, being diligently compared unto it.  
Beside these, to the inward evils pertaineth all that tragedy, which the Preacher describeth, whereas he so often maketh mention of vanity and affliction of the spirit. For how many counsels do we take in vain? how many of our desires are frustrate? how many things do we see, how many things do we hear which we would not? Even those things which tend to our desire, fall out contrary to our desire, so that there is nothing entire and perfect. Moreover all these things are so much greater as one is placed in higher place or state, who must needs be roast with far more and greater surges, waves, & tempests, than the rest that are troubled with the same thing, so that the 103. Psalm saith well: small and great beasts, and things creeping innumerable, are in the sea of this world, that is, infinite sorts of temptations, wherefore job chap. 7. calleth the life of man a tentation. Now these are not therefore no evils because they are little felt, but because through use and daily custom they are nothing accounted of, and affliction & opinion in these is worn out, by the work of God: wherefore those that be rare do rather move, which as yet we have by no use learned to contemn. So that it is true, that we do feel scarce the thousandth part of our evils: it is also true that out evils are measured, felt, or not felt, not by the verity of the thing, but by our opinion and affection.   

The second chapter of the second consideration, which is of the evil to come or before a man.  
IT will not a little lighten every present evil, if thou turn thy mind to them that are to come, which are so many, such, & so great, that hereunto alone is referred that great and one of the principal affections which is called fear, 
Fear what it is.  which some define to be an affection of the evil to come, according as the Apostle saith Rom. 11: Be not high minded but fear. 
The evil to come.  This evil is so much greater, as it is more uncertain, of what sort and how great it willbe when it come, so that it is a common saying: There is no age to whom the scab may not come, which notwithstanding is an evil that is wont to happen to children and infants. So that no man is free and exempt from any evils of any man, but whatsoever one man suffereth, the same also may an other suffer.  
This is verified by the histories & tragedies of all ages, by all the complaints of the whole world: by more than three hundred sorts of diseases, whereby man's body may be troubled, as some have well noted. If there be so many diseases, how many other ill chances thinkest thou will there be of other things, of friends, finally of the mind itself, which is the principal subject of all evils, and the only receptacle of sorrow and evils?  
Moreover the force & feeling of evils is so much more increased, by how much the state is greater & more worthy, when as poverty, ignominy, & all ill chances, seeing that they may even suddenly come, must needs, forasmuch as all things hang as it were by a slender thread, be feared every hour, no otherwise then that sword, which Dionyse the tyrant hoonge over the head of his guest. 
It aught greatly to comfort us, & move us to love and praise God, that we being in danger of so many evils, few or none come unto us.  Now whatsoever of these do not come, it is to be counted for advasitage, & for no small comfort against that evil that chanceth, so that thou art here compelled to say with jeremy: it is through the mercies of the Lord that we are not destroyed. For whatsoever of them doth not chance, it chanceth not, the right hand of the Highest letting or prohibiting it, which mightily preserveth us on every side as it is declared in job, so that Satan and evils do even grudge and bear it unpatiently that they are letted and prohibited. Wherefore we see, how sweetly the Lord is to be loved, as often as any thing chanceth unto us, forasmuch as by this one evil our most loving father admonisheth us to consider how many evils are ready to assail us, if he did not stay and let them: as if he said: Satan and a huge heap of evils desire to sift thee: but I have set bounds to the sea, and have said unto it, hitherto shall thy swelling waves come, 
Death the most terrible & most certain evil to come, yet the time of the coming thereof most uncertain.  and here shall they stay, as he saith in job chap. 28. But none of them shall come, perhaps the will of God being so: howbeit that which of all terrible things is said to be the greatest, namely death, shall most certainly come, and nothing is more uncertain than the hour thereof. Which evil is so great, that we see that many men had rather live even with all the foresaid evils, than they being ended to die once. And to this one the Scripture also, whereas it contemneth the rest, referreth fear, saying: Remember the end and thou shalt never do amiss.  
Consider how many meditations, how many books, how many means and remedies are ordained hereunto, so that with the remembrance of this only evil it is usual to fray men from sins, and make the world contemptible, to lighten sufferings and evils, and to comfort the afflicted by comparing their evils with so horrible & great an evil, which shall at one time or other of necessity come. There is no man, who would not wish to suffer all evils, if thereby he might avoid the evil of death. This the Saints also have feared: this Christ suffered with fear and sweated like drops of blood. So that the divine mercy hath been careful to strengthen & comfort the weak & faint hearted in nothing more than in this evil as we shall see hereafter.  
As for Christians they have a special and proper cause to fear the evil to come, 
What evil to come Christians aught to fear.  which exceedeth all the other evils: this is that which the Apostle setteth forth I Cor. 10. saying: Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed jest he fall. So slippery is the way, so mighty is the enemy, being armed with our own proper strength (that is, with the aids of the flesh & of all evil affections) accompanied with infinite hands & companies of the world, with delights & pleasures on the right hand, with troubles & the evil wills of men on the left, beside that art, a thousand ways to hurt, seduce, & destroy, whereof he is most kilfull. We live so that we are not sure of our good purpose so much as a moment. Cyprian speaking of many such things in his epistle of mortality, teacheth that death is to be wished as a speedy helper to avoid these evils.  
And for the most part where men have a good heart, 
True Christians con●ene death, & all evils, that they may be delivered from the evil of sin.  & duly revolve in their mind these infinite perils, we see them, despising life and death, that is all the aforesaid evils, wish to be loosed, that they may be also loosed from this evil of sins wherein they are, as we have said in the first chapter, and into which they may fall, whereof we speak now. And surely these are two most weighty reasons, to move us not only to wish for death, but also to contemn all evils, not to bear one evil only lightly, if the Lord shall give to any to be moved with them, for it is the gift of God to be moved with them. For what true Christian will not wish even to die, and not only to be sick, who seeth and feeleth, that he while he liveth in health, is not only in sins, and continually may and daily doth fall into more, and so without intermission doth contrary to the most loving will of his most loving Father? With this vehemency of indignation Paul being moved (as it is declared Rom. 7.) when he had complained that he did not the good which he would, but the evil which he would not, cried out: O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? The grace of God saith he by jesus Christ, etc. He little loveth God his Father, who doth not choose rather the evil of death, than this evil of sinning, seeing that he hath ordained death hereunto that this evil may at the last have an end, and death may be the minister of life and righteousness, whereof shall be spoken hereafter.   

The third chapter of the third consideration, which is of the evil past or behind us.  
HErein more than in the rest notably shineth the sweet mercy of God the father, which is able to comfort us in all our distress. 
We shall then chief perceive the goodness of God toward us, & the care which he hath over us, when we consider our life past.  For every man never feeleth the hand of God more present upon him, then when he calleth to mind the years of his life past. Saint Augustine saith: If a man should choose either to die, or to lead again his life past, he would choose rather to die, considering so great perils & evils, which he hath scarce and hardly avoided. Which saying is most true, if it be well & duly weighed. For here a man may see, how often he hath without his own study, without his own care, yea without and contrary to his desire, done and suffered many things, whereof he did not so much as think before they were done, or in doing, that the work being ended, he is then first compelled to say: How hath it come to pass that I have done these things, which I did not think on, or thought of other things? so that the proverb is true: Man purposeth, but God disposeth, that is, altereth, and bringeth to pass an other thing than man purposeth, that even in this one thing we can not deny, that our life and actions are governed & directed, not by our own wisdom, but by the marvelous power, counsel, & goodness of God. Hereby we perceive how often God hath been with us, when we neither saw nor felt it, and how truly Peter said: Cast all your care on him, for he careth for you.  
Wherefore if there were no books nor sermons, yet our life itself led through so many evils and perils, if it be well considered, doth abundantly commend the goodness of God to be present with us, & most sweet unto us, who hath far otherwise than we either thought or felt, borne us as it were in his bosom, and as Moses saith Deut. 32: The Lord hath kept him as the apple of his eye, he hath led him about, and carried him on his shoulders. And hereunon came those sayings in the Psalter: I remember the time past, I meditate in all thy works, yea I do meditate in the works of thy hands: I will remember the wonders of old: And again: I remembered thy judgements of old, 
We aught greatly to be comforted in the present evil when we consider from how many evils God hath preserved us in our life passed  and have been comforted. All these and such like tend to this end, that we should know, that if we see that God was then present with us, when we did not think thereof, neither he did seem to be present, we should not doubt that he is now also present, when he seemeth unto us to be absent. For he that protected and preserved us in many necessities without our own care or thinking thereof, he I say will not forsake us in a small matter although he seem to forsake us, according as he saith in Esai: A little while have I forsaken thee, but with great mercifulness shall I take thee unto me. Hereunto thou mayst add: Who hath had care of us so many nights when we flept? who was careful for us as often as we laboured, played, and did infinite other things, wherein we were nothing careful for ourselves?  
So we see how all our care, whether we will or not, 
Why God leaveth us sometime to our own care, he himself seeming not to care for us.  must be referred to God alone, we being very seldom left to our own counsel or care, which notwithstanding the Lord sometime doth, that he may teach us to acknowledge his goodness, that we may perceive how much difference there is between his care and ours. Wherefore he sometime suffereth some light sickness or other evil to come unto us, making semblance that he hath no care of us (for in deed there is no time when he careth not for us) notwithstanding he doth in the mean season prohibit & let, that so many evils as are ready to assail us, do not together on every side come violently upon us, that he may try us as most dear children whether we will commit ourselves to his care being known of us through all the rest of our life, & mark how unprofitable & impotent our own care is. For what do we profit ourselves, or what can we profit ourselves in all our life, who in a little while can not cure & remedy one only pain of the leg?  
Why then are we so careful in the point of one peril or evil, and do not leave the care to him, when as our life itself being witness, we are kept and preserved in so many evils without our own labour or travel? To know & duly to consider these things, is to know the works of God, to meditate in his works, & by the remembrance of them to be comforted in adversity and troubles: But they that are ignorant hereof shall fall into that which is mentioned Psal. 29. Because they have not understood the works of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands, thou shalt break them down, and not build them up. For they are unthankful for all the care which God hath taken for them in all their life, who do not commit the care of themselves to him for a little while.   

The fourth chapter of the fourth consideration, which is of the evil beneath us.  
AS yet we have seen no other in all the evils which we suffer, but that the goodness of God is so great, and so present with us, that among innumerable evils, wherewith we are compassed in this life, & wherein we are even imprisoned, scarce a very few, and those not at all times are suffered to assail us, so that every present evil wherewith we are troubled, is but an advertisement of certain great advantage, which we have through the goodness of God, whiles that he suffereth us not to be oppressed with the multitude of evils wherewith we are compassed. For it is a miracle, if one be assailed with infinite blows, & be touched but with one alone, yea it is a grace that he is not stricken with all, a miracle that he is not stricken with many.  
Now the first of the evils that are beneath us, is death, the second, hell. 
The evils beneath us what they are, & how we may take comfort by the consideration of the first of them.  If we consider the shameful and vile death of others, wherewith sinners are punished, we shall easily perceive with how great advantage we suffer less than we have deserved. For how many are hanged, drowned, or stricken with the sword, which perhaps have done far lesser sins than we, so that their death and misery is set before us of Christ as a glass, wherein we may see what we have deserved: as Luke 13. when certain showed him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilace had mingled with their sacrifices, he answered: suppose ye that these Galileans were greater sinners than the other Galileans, because they have suffered such things? I tell you, nay: but except ye amend your lives, ye shall all likewise perish. Or think you that those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, were sinners above all men that devil in jerusalem? I tell you, nay: but except ye amend your lives, ye shall all likewise perish. For we may not think that lesser evils are due unto us, who have committed greater or like sins. Neither will the justice and truth of God be unjust & false for us, who hath determined to give to every man according to his deeds.  
Moreover, 
How we may take comfort by consideration of the second evil beneath us.  in hell, & eternal damnation how many thousand are there, who have not committed the thousandth part of our sins? how many virgins are there, children, & they whom we call innocents? how many religious men, Priests, etc. who in their whole life seemed to serve God, & perhaps through some one fall are punished for ever? Here must be no dissembling: the justice of God is the same in every sin, he hateth & condemneth sin alike in whomsoever it be found. Do we not here see the inestimable mercy of God, which hath not condemned them who have so often deserved it? How much, I pray you, is it which we can suffer even in all our life, in respect of the eternal punishment, which they suffer having deserved it perhaps by one offence, we in the mean time being free, and saved from many sins which God passeth over and remitteth? Whereas we do not regard these benefits of God, or make light account of them, it is through unthankfulness & a certain senseless hardness of incredulity.  
Hereunto moreover are to be referred so many Infidels, Gentiles, jews, unto whom if those things had been given which are given to us, they had been, not in hell, but in heaven, and had far less sinned. Examples hereof Christ setteth before our eyes Matth. II saying: Woe be to thee Corazin: Woe be to thee Bethsaida: for if the great works which were done in you, had been done in Tyrus and Sidon, they had repented long agone in sackcloth & ashes: but I say to you, it shallbe easier for Tyrus & Sidon at the day of judgement, then for you. And thou Capernaum which art lifted up unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the great works which have been done in thee, had been done among them of Sodom, they had remained to this day: but I say unto you, that it shall be easier for them of the land of Sodom in the day of judgement, then for thee. We see therefore what great praise & love we own to our most gracious God, in every evil of this life, for that we cast scarce of one drop of them which we have deserved, which job compareth to the sea, and to the sand of the sea.   

The fift chapter of the fift consideration, which is of the evil on the left hand.  
HEre we must set before our eyes that great company of adversaries and evil men, 
The first comfort which the consideration of the evil on the left hand ministereth unto us.  & in them we must first consider, that they have not done that evil to our body substance, fame, souls, which they would have done, but that God did stay and let them: and the higher calling and state that one is placed in, to so many more deceits, subtle devices, slanders and troubles of the adversaries is he subject, in all which he may perceive & feel the present hand of God. What marvel is it then if we be sometime touched with some one?  
Secondly their own evils are to be considered of us also, 
The second comfort which we may take by considering the evil on the left hand.  not that we should rejoice at them, but that we should have compassion on them. Now they also are subject to all the same evils, whereunto we are subject, as it may be easily perceived by the former considerations. Howbeit herein they are more miserable than we, that they are out of our society, as well corporal as spiritual. For this evil which we suffer is nothing in comparison of that, that they live in sins, in infidelity, under the wrath of God, under the dominion of the devil, most miserable slaves of ungodliness and sin, so that if the whole world should curse them, it could wish them no worse. All which if we do thoroughly perceive, we shall also perceive, with how great favour and blessing of God we, living in faith, in the kingdom of Christ, in the service of God, do suffer some little evil of the body, which in so great plenty of most excellent things, should not be so much as felt: yea their misery aught to be so grievous to him that hath a Christian and godly heart, that he should think his own griefs delights. For so Paul willeth Philip. 2: Look not every man on his own things, but every man on the things of other men. Let the same mind be in you, that was even in Christ jesus, who being in the form of God, took on him the form of a servant, etc. That is, with most loving affection he took on him our form, behaving himself no otherwise in our evils, then if they had been his own, so, as it were forgetting his own good things, and making himself of no reputation, that he might be found altogether made like unto men, refusing to be subject to no human thing, being occupied only in our evils.  
The Saint's being animated by this affection, and by this example stirred up, are wont to pray even for the evils of their enemies, & to do all things according to the example of Christ, & forgetting their own injuries or righteousness, to be careful how they may deliver them from their evils, wherewith they are without comparison more troubled then with their own, as Peter writeth of Lot 2. Pet. 2, who dwelled among them, which vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.  
Thou seest therefore how deep a pit of evils here appeareth, & that we have occasion to take pity and compassion, & to forget our own small evil, if the love of God be in us: thou seest also how little God permitteth us to suffer in respect of those things which they suffer. 
Why the evils of our adversaries and evil men do little move us.  But whereas these things do little move us, the cause is, for that the eye of the heart is not sufficient clear, whereby we should see how great the ignominy and misery of man is lying under sin, that is, being separate from God & in subjection under the devil. For who is so hard hearted, which is not greatly moved with pity and compassion at the miserable sight of them that lie in the porches of Churches, & in the streets, their faces being gnawn, their noses and eyes eaten with corruption, and their other members wasted with filth and rottenness, so that the mind detesteth to think thereof, much less can the eye abide to behold it. But what doth God intent and purpose by these miserable creatures, who have like flesh as we have, & are our brethren like unto us, but that he may open the eyes of our mind, whereby we may see in how more oughly a sort the filth and corruption of the soul of a sinner appeareth, albeit he wear purple and gold, roses & lilies, as though he were a child of Paradise. But how many sinners are there in the world, to one of them whose bodies are full of sores?  
Now these evils which are infinite as well in greatness as in multitude, being contemned or not regarded in our neighbours, this contempt is the cause that our own evil being even one of the lest sort, seemeth unto us to be very great, and that we think that no other are troubled with the like. 
Evil men even in respect of out ward cuills are in worse case than the godly.  But it must needs be that even in outward evils also they are in worse case than we. What, I pray you, can be delightful or thoroughly pleasant unto them, albeit they have and enjoy all things that they desire, when as their conscience can not be quiet? Is there a more grievous evil than the trouble of a stinging conscience? For Esai saith chap. 57: The wicked are like the raging sea that can not rest, whose water some with the mire and gravel: even so the wicked have no peace saith God. Wherefore thou mayst see that verified in them which is written Deut. 28: The Lord shall give thee an unquiet heart, and dasing eyes, and sorrow of mind, and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee: thou shalt fear both day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life. In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were night: and at night thou shalt say, Would God it were morning, for fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt be terrified, and because of those things which thou shalt see with thine eyes.  
Briefly, if one did with due affection see and consider all the evils of evil men, either of enemies or friends, he would not only forget his own evils, and seem unto himself to suffer nothing, but also with Moses and the Apostle Paul earnestly wish that he might die for them, and be razed out of the book of life, and separate from Christ, as it is written Rom. 9, that they might be delivered. Christ burning with this zeal and inflamed affection died for us, and descended into hell, leaving us an example, that we also should be so careful for the evils of others, forgetting quite our own, yea desirous of our own.   

●●terward it bringeth the quiet fruit of righteousness unto them which are thereby exercised. Thus much saith Paul.  
Who would not be terrified with these words of Paul, where he expressly affirmeth, that they are not the sons of God, which are without the correction of God? And who can be more strongly confirmed, & more effectually comforted, than he that heareth that they are loved of the Lord which are chastened of him, that they are sons, that they have communion with all the Saints, and that not they alone do suffer? This vehement exhortation is able to make chastening and correction even amiable and to be loved. 
There aught not therefore to be impatiency in suffering, because all seem not to suffer alike.  Neither is here any place for excuse, for that some do suffer lighter evils, some those that be more grievous, for every one is tried according to measure, not above his strength, as it is said Psal. 80: Thou shalt feed them with the bread of tears, and give them tears to drink with measure. The same Paul also saith: God is faithful, which will not suffer you to be tempted above that you be able, but will even give the issue with the tentation, that ye may be able to bear it. Where therefore there is a greater evil, there are more means to escape out of tentation, and more help, so that the inequality of suffering is rather in appearance then in very deed.  
Doth not the example of john Baptist, 
A notable example of the evil on the right hand, most diligently to be considered.  whose feast we celebrated at this day that he was beheaded of Herode, greatly amaze us all, that so great a man, than whom a greater hath not risen among them that are begotten of women, the special friend of the bridegroom, the forerunner of Christ, greater than all the Prophets, that such a one I say, was not put to death at the lest by public judgement, was not at the lest accused of some feigned crime, as Christ was, nor for the people's sake, but at the request of the daughter of an harlot which had danced before Herode, was beheaded in the prison? The ignominious death of this one saint; and his life so vilely and after so unworthy a sort yielded up into the hands of a most malicious and cruel adulteress, aught to lighten and assuage all our evil. Where was God here, who might see such things? where was Christ, who hearing this, did quite hold his peace? He dieth as though he were unknown unto God, men, and all creatures. What do we suffer, wherein, I will not say we may boast, but not at all be troubled, if it be compared to the death of this man? Or where shall we appear, if we will suffer nothing, when as so great men do undeservedly suffer so shameful and ignominious death, and their bodies are mocked and scorned of their enemies after their death? Behold, saith the Lord in jeremy, they that men thought were umneete to drink of the cup have drunk with the first, & thinkest thou then to be free? Not not, thou shalt neither be quit nor free, but thou must drink also.  
Rightly therefore did that Eremite, 
A singular example of an Eremite  who when he had been sick every year, being at the last one whole year in health, was very sorrowful, and wept bitterly, saying that God had forgotten him, & denied unto him his grace. So necessary and wholesome is the chastising of the Lord to all Christians. 
The sufferings of the Saints very comfortable being well considered.   
Wherefore we shall see that it is little or nothing which we suffer, if we consider how the Saints were thrust under the nails with sharp pricks, how they were imprisoned, slain with the sword, burned, torn in pieces with wild beasts, & suffered infinite torments: yea if we do but weigh the temptations of them which are present with us in this life, and suffer most grievous persecutions of the devil. For there are which suffer more sharply and grievously than we do, as well in spirit as in body.  
Some say here: This I lament, that my suffering is not comparable to the sufferings of the Saints, because I am a sinner, & not worthy to be compared with them. They suffered for their innocency, I suffer for my sins, wherefore it is no marvel if they suffered all things cheerfully. 
Our sins aught not to hinder us from taking comfort by considering the sufferings of the Saints.  This is a very unwise saying. For if thou suffer for thy sins, thou must rejoice, that thy sins are scoured: were not the Saints also sinners? But fearest thou that thou art like Herode & the thief on the left hand? Thou art not, if thou be patiented: for what made difference between the thief on the left hand and him on the right, but patience in faith? If thou be a sinner, well, the thief was a sinner also, but by patience he attained to the glory of righteousness and sanctity: which that thou mayst do, do likewise as he did. For thou canst not suffer but thou shalt suffer either for sins, or for righteousness: either suffering doth sanctify and make blessed, if thou love it, and suffer in faith: wherefore there is no excuse remaining. Finally as soon as thou hast faithfully confessed that thou dost suffer justly for thy sins, thou art righteous and holy, as the thief on the right hand. For the confession of sin, inasmuch as it is of faith, doth justify and make holy, and so in a moment after such confession thou dost not suffer for sins, but for innocency: for he that is righteous doth not suffer but innocently: but thou art become righteous after faithful confession of thy worthy suffering, and of thy sins. Wherefore thy suffering may truly and worthily be compared to the sufferings of the Saints, even as thy confession of thy sins may truly and worthily be compared to the confession of them: for there is one faith of all, one confession of sins, one suffering of evils, and one true communion of Saints in all and through all.   

The seventh chapter of the seventh consideration, which is of the evil above us.  
LAstly we must lift up our heart on high, & ascend up the mountain of myrrh with the spouse. Here is jesus Christ crucified, 
The evil above us, & the comfort which the consideration thereof ministereth.  the head of all the Saints, the chief of all that suffer. The memory of him is commended to the spouse, where it is said: Set me as a seal upon thine heart, & as a signet upon thine arm. The blood of this lamb being stricken on the posts, suffereth not the angel the destroyer to approach. Hereof is the spouse commended, that her hear is like purple (that is, her meditation is read by the memory of Christ's passion.) This is the tree which Moses was commanded to cast into the waters of Marah, that is, bitter passions, & they were made sweet. There is nothing that this passion doth not make sweet, even death, as the spouse saith: His lips are like lilies, 
Cantic. 5.14  that drop pure myrrh. Now concerning this likeness of lilies and lips, forasmuch as these are read, & those are white, surely she speaketh mystically, that the words of Christ are most gentle and pure, wherein is no cruel bitterness or spite, but are sweet and mild, which notwithstanding drop and persuade pure and principal myrrh (that is most bitter death.) These most pure & sweet lips are able to make most bitter death (which as pure myrrh taketh away at once all the stink of sin) sweet, mild, gentle, & acceptable. How shall this come to pass? Even while thou hearest that jesus Christ the Son of God, hath by his most holy suffering consecrated & made holy all passions, even death itself, hath blessed malediction, hath glorified ignominy, hath enriched poverty. So that death is compelled to be the gate of life, malediction the beginning of blessedness, ignominy the way to glory. Now how canst thou be so hard hearted & unthankful, that thou wouldst not even wish for & love all the passions which by the most pure and holy flesh and blood of Christ are sanctified, made harmless, wholesome, blessed and happy unto thee?  
For if by the touching of his most pure flesh he hath sanctified all waters to baptism, how much more by the touching of the same his most pure flesh and blood, hath he sanctified all death, all sufferings, all injuries, all slanders, all ignominy to the baptism of the spirit or blood? as he saith of the same baptism of suffering Luke 12: I must be baptized with a baptism, & how am I grieved till it be ended? Thou seest how he is disquieted, how he is grieved, how he thirsteth to sanctify & make amiable, passions & death. For he saw that we were terrified with passions, he saw that we did greatly fear & dread death. Therefore as a most loving shepherd, and faithful physician, minding to moderate this evil, he maketh haste & with grief desireth to die, & by suffering to commend the same unto us. 
The death of a Christian.  So that the death of a Christian is to be counted like the brazen serpent that Moses set up, which in every respect resembled the form of a serpent, but was wholly without life, without motion, without venom, without stinging: so the righteous seem in the eyes of the unwise to die, but they are in peace. We are like to them that die, neither doth our death appear any otherwise then the death of others, notwithstanding it is an other thing, for death is dead unto us. So also all our other sufferings are like the sufferings of others, howbeit in appearance only, but in very deed our sufferings are the beginnings of rest, as death is the beginning of life. And this is that which Christ saith john 8: If a man keep my word he shall never see death. How cometh it to pass that he shall never see it? because he dying, beginneth to live, so by reason of the life which he seeth, he can not see death. For here the night shineth as the day, for that the light of the life beginning is more clear, then of the death ending. These things are certain to all them that believe in Christ, but to them that do not believe they are otherwise.  
Wherefore if thou wouldst kiss, love and embrace the coat of Christ, the vessels, water-pots, and whatsoever things Christ hath touched, and which he hath used, for most sweet relics, as consecrated by his touching & using them: why dost thou not much more love, embrace & kiss pains, troubles of the world, ignominy and death, not only consecrated by his touching, but also imbrued and blessed with his most precious blood, moreover embraced with hearty will and exceeding love, which vehemently moved him thereunto? especially seeing that in these thou hast far greater benefits, rewards & good things, then in those relics. For by these thou obtainest victory of death and hell, and of all thy sins, and not by them, O, if a man might have beheld the heart of Christ, when hanging on the cross he was distressed, that he might make death dead & contemptible, how earnestly & sweetly he embraced death & pains for the fearful and them that dread death & pains, how willingly he drunk of this cup to the sick, that we also might not be afraid to drink thereof, while we see that no evil, but only good came unto him by rising again: without doubt it would be pure myrrh, distilling from his lips, most pleasant and sweet, as the savour and goodliness of the lilies. Hereof speaketh Peter in his first Epistle and 4. chapter: Forasmuch as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind. And Paul saith Hebr. 12: Consider him that endured such speaking against of sinners, lest ye should be wearied & faint in your minds.  
Wherefore if in the former considerations, which are of things set as yet beneath us or by us, we have learned to suffer evil patiently: surely by this last, which is of that that is now above & not by us, we lifting up our hearts unto Christ, and being made victors over all evils, 
What affection the consideration of the evil above us aught to breed in us.  are taught not only to suffer them, but to love, wish, seek them. And the farther a man is of from this affection, of so much less force is the cross of Christ in him, as it is in them that use the sign of the cross, and Christ's passion against evils and death, that they may not suffer nor die, endeavouring to attain unto that which is quite contrary to the cross and death of Christ. Wherefore in this seventh consideration it must needs be swallowed up and consumed, whatsoever evil we suffer, so that now it do not only not grieve, but also delight, howbeit if this consideration pierce the heart, & be fixed in the inward affection of the mind.  
Thus much concerning the former table: the latter followeth.    

WE will divide the second table into seven considerations also, contrary to the former: whereof the first shall be of the inward good: The second of that which is to come: The third of that which is paste: The fourth of that which is beneath us: The sift of that which is on the left hand: The sixth of that which is on the right hand: The seventh of that which is above us.  

THE FIRST CHAPTER of the first consideration, which is of the inward good.  
WHo is able to number even those good things only which every one possesseth in his one person? 
The gifts of the body  First how many are the gifts of the body? as beauty, strength, health, quickness of sense, whereunto in the male kind may be added the most noble sex, whereby he is fit to do many things both private and public, and to achieve many notable exploits, 
How we may take comfort by consideration of the gifts of the body.  whereunto a woman is unapt. Now what a great matter is it, if by the blessing of God thou enjoyest these excellent gifts ten, twenty, thirty years with pleasure, & at the last art troubled in some one of them for the space of ten days? It is a common saying among notorious offenders: It is but one ill hours matter, and again, A good hour is worth an ill hour. What shall be said of us, who enjoy many good hours, and will not suffer evil so much as one hour? We see therefore in how great plenty we enjoy the benefits of God, and with how few evils we are scarce touched, at the lest the most of us. Our most gracious God not content with these good things, giveth moreover riches, abundance of all things, if not to all, surely to many, and to them especially that are weak to bear evils. For as I have said before, upon whom he bestoweth less riches, or gifts of the body, upon them he bestoweth more gifts of the mind, that all things may be equal, & he a just judge of all. For abundance of riches doth not so much comfort as a joyful mind. Moreover he giveth unto some goodly children, great pleasure, power, rule, honour, fame, glory, favour, etc. which if he permit to enjoy a long time, yea but a small time, they will easily admonish what is to be done in a little evil.  
But the gifts of the mind are more excellent than all these, as wit, knowledge, 
How we may be comforted by consideration of the gifts of the mind.  judgement, eloquence, wisdom, & as in the other, so in bestowing of these he useth a mean and equality, so that upon whom he hath bestowed more of these good things, he hath not therefore preferred them before others, whom in steed of these he hath given more peace or pleasure of the mind. Now in all these we must with thankfulness acknowledge the large liberality and bountifulness of God, & comfort our infirmity, that in the multitude & plenty of good things we do not marvel, if some sharpness be mingled therewith, seeing that to delicate persons neither rostedmeate is liked without sauce, neither almost any other meat, which either hath not some sharp taste of itself, or is tempered with some thing that hath a sharp taste: so untolerable a thing is continual and only sweetness, that one said rightly: All pleasure by continuance maketh itself loathsome. And an other said: Pleasure itself at the last is a labour, even because this life is more weak, then that it is able without the temperature of evils, to enjoy only good things, by reason of the overmuch abundance of good things, whereupon hath risen this proverb, The bones must be strong which shall bear good days, which proverb I oftentimes considering do greatly marvel what a marvelous and true meaning it hath, that men's minds are contrary to themselves, who seek no other but good days, which notwithstanding when they have obtained, they can worse away with them then with evil.  
Now what other thing are we taught hereby, but that even in the very enemies of the cross, the cross is marvelous, so that by the means thereof all aught to be tempered and sanctified lest they perish, as flesh must be seasoned with salt, jest it stink and corrupt.  
Why then do we not most willingly receive this temperature sent of God, which if he should not sand, our life which is not able continually to suffer pleasures & good things, would procure it of it own accord? We see therefore how truly the wise man said of God: He reacheth from one end to an other mightily, and lovingly doth he order all things. If we thoroughly consider these things, that also will appear to be true which Moses saith Deut. 32: He hath borne him on his shoulders, he hath carried him about, and kept him as the apple of his eye. Hereby we may stop the mouths of them which unthankfully babble that there are more evil than good things in this life, when as there are not wanting infinite good things and sweet commodities, but they are wanting which should see & acknowledge them with him that said: The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. And again: The earth is full of his praise. And Psal. 103: The earth is full of thy riches: thou hast made me glad by thy works. Hereupon we daily sing: Heaven and earth are full of thy glory. Why so? because there are many good things whereby he may be praised, howbeit of them only which see and acknowledge this fullness. For as we have said in the first consideration of evils, that the evils of every one are so great, as is his opinion & knowledge of them: so also good things although they come unto us abundantly on every side, yet are they only so great as they are esteemed. For all things that God hath made are exceeding good, yet are they not so acknowledged of all, as of them of whom the 103. Psalm speaketh: They contemned that pleasant land.  
Of this consideration we may in job see a most goodly & singular example, 
job may be a most excellent example to move us patiently to suffer evils if the Lord sand them, seeing we receive so many good things at his hand.  who, all his goods being taken away, said: Shall we receive good at the hand of God, & not receive evil? a very golden saying, & a mighty comfort in tentation. For he did not only suffer himself, but was tempted of his own wife to impatiency, who said unto him: Dost thou continued yet in thy perfectness? curse God & die: as if she should say: It is manifest that he is not God, who hath so forsaken thee, why therefore dost thou trust in him, & not rather denying and cursing him, acknowledgest thyself mortal, unto whom nothing shall remain after this life? These & such like things doth every man's wife, that is his sensuality & corrupt understanding put into his mind in the time of tentation, because the sense savoureth not the things that are of God.  
Howbeit these are good things common to all: 
The inward good things of a Christian.  but a Christian is endued with far better inward good things, as with the faith of Christ, whereof is spoken Psal. 44: The King's daughter is all glorious within, her clothing is of broidered gold. For as we have said entreating of the consideration of the first evil, that there can be none so great evil felt in man, which is the worst of those evils that are in him: so the best of the good things that are in a Christian he himself can not see. For if he did, he should be forthwith in heaven, forasmuch as the kingdom of heaven, as Christ saith, is within us. For to have faith is to have the truth & word of God: to have the word of God is to have God the maker of all things. Which good things how great are they? if they were revealed to the mind, it should in a moment be loosed from the body, by reason of exceeding sweetness and pleasure: wherefore the other good things that we have spoken of are rightly said to be as it were certain advertizements of those good things, which we have within, which God will have commended unto us by them, for that this life can not suffer that they should be revealed, and therefore God mercifully hideth them, until they have increased unto their full measure: no otherwise then loving parents do sometime give unto their children trifles or things of small value, thereby to allure their minds to hope for greater.  
Notwithstanding they do sometimes show out and put forth themselves, 
Fruits of the most excellent good thing in man.  when the joyful conscience rejoiceth in trust in God, willingly speaketh of him, heareth his word with delight and pleasure, is ready and cheerful to serve him, to do good works, to suffer evils, etc. All which are infallible tokens of an infinite and incomparable treasure hidden within, which distilleth forth these little drops in small measure: although it sometime cometh to pass that it is more manifestly revealed to minds that are given to divine contemplation, so that being as it were in a trance, they can not tell where they are. Such were Augustin and his mother as they confess of themselves, and many others.   

The second chapter of the second consideration, which is of the good to come or before a man.  
TO them that are not Christians little comfort can be given in their evils by the good things to come, for that all things be to them uncertain. Howbeit that notable affection which is called hope, is here cause of great trouble. 
Uncertain hope.  By which affection men comfort themselves and bid one an other hope for better things, whereby we uncertainly seek after great things, being for the most part deceived, as Christ teacheth of that man in the Gospel Luke 12, who said: I will pull down my barns, and build greater, and therein will I gather all my fruits and my goods: and I will say to my soul: soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, live at ease, eat, drink and be merry. But God said unto him, O fool, this night will they fetch away thy soul from thee, than whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he that gathereth riches to himself, and is not rich in God.  
Howbeit God leaveth not the children of men so, 
God doth not always suffer our uncertain hope to be frustrate, & why.  but in this affection to put away evil and attain that which is good he comforteth them: albeit they be uncertain of the things to come, yet do they hope well, whereby in the mean while they are sustained, jest that falling into the evil of desperation, they suffer not the present evil, and so do worse things. Wherefore even the affection of such hope is the gift of God, not that he will have them trust unto it, but be moved to sound and true hope which is in him alone. For he is therefore slow to anger that he may bring them to repentance, as it is said Rom. 2: neither doth he suffer men to be deceived by this deceitful hope, if so be that they begin from the heart and truly to hope in him.  
But to Christians, beside these good things, two sorts of especial good things shall assuredly come, howbeit by death and sufferings. Now they also rejoice in that common uncertain hope that the present evil shall end, & the contrary good shall be increased, although they do not so much regard that, as they do that their own proper good is increased, which is truth in Christ, wherein they go forward from day to day, for which they both live & hope. 
Christians receive comfort by consideration of two especial good things to come, where of one is, that by death their afflictions of this life being ended, they shall be in rest and peace.  But beside these I have said that two especial good things shall come unto them in death. The first is, that by death the whole tragedy of the evils of this life is ended, as it is written: Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints. And again: I will lay me down, and also sleep in peace. Again: Though the righteous be prevented with death, yet shall he be in rest. Whereas contrariwise to the wicked death is the beginning of evils, as the Psalmist saith: The death of the wicked is very evil. Again, Evils shall come upon the wicked man in destruction: so Lazarus shall be comforted, who hath suffered his evils here, whereas the rich glutton shall be tormented, who hath here enjoyed his pleasures. So it cometh to pass, that a Christian whether he die or live, hath always the better: so blessed a thing is it to be a Christian, and to believe in Christ, whereupon Paul saith: Christ is to me life, & death is to me advantage. And Rom. 14. he saith: Whether we live, we live unto the Lord: or whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore or die, we are the Lords. This safety Christ hath obtained for us, inasmuch as he died and rose again that he might be Lord of the living and dead, being able to make us quiet and safe as well in life as in death, as the 22. Psalm saith: Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. If this commodity of death do little move us, it is a sign that the faith of Christ is weak in us, which doth not sufficiently esteem the treasure and commodity of a good death, or doth not yet believe that death is good, the old man which as yet liveth too much, & the wisdom of the flesh hindering us. We must endeavour therefore that we may know and love this benefit of death. It is a great matter that death which to others is exceeding evil, should be made to us exceeding good and commodious. And if Christ had not brought this to pass for us, what thing should he have done worthy of so great a price as he paid? It is a very divine work which he did, and therefore it should be no marvel to any, that he made the evil of death exceeding good.  
Wherefore death is now dead to the faithful, and hath nothing terrible but only a certain semblance and appearance. 
Death can not hurt the faithful  Not otherwise then a serpent that is slain, in outward form and appearance he is cerrible as before, but in very deed it is only a seeming or appearance of evil, the evil itself is now dead and harmless. Yea as in the 21. chapter of Numb. God commanded a brazen serpent to be set up, by the sight whereof the living serpents did perish: so also our death by faithful and steadfast beholding of the death of Christ, doth perish, and only appeareth terrible, but can not hurt us in very deed. So doth the mercy of God aforehand exercise us that are weak, with these goodly figures or semblances, that forasmuch as death cannot be taken away, he may at the least make the force thereof to be nothing but in outward show and appearance only, for which cause also death in the Scriptures is called sleep rather than death.  
The other good thing that cometh by death, is, that it doth not only end the troubles and afflictions of this life, 
The other special good thing to come, the consideration whereof is comfortable to Christians.  but which is more exccllent, it maketh an end of vices and sins, which maketh death far more acceptable to the faithful, as we have said before, than the good which we have now spoken of. For the evils of the soul which are sins, are without comparison worse than the evils of the body. Which only if we did know, they would make death most amiable unto us. Now if they do not so, it is a sign that we do not sufficiently feel nor hate the evils of our soul. Whereas therefore this life is most perilous, dangerous sin seeking to deceive us on every side, and we can not live without sin: most commodious death setteth us free from these perils, and cutteth of sin quite from us, whereupon in the book of wisdom it is said in praise of the righteous: He pleased God and was beloved of him, so that whereas he lived among sinners, he translated him. He was taken away lest wickedness should altar his understanding, or deceit beguile his mind. For wickedness by bewitching obscuteth the things that are good, and the unsteadfastness of concupiscence perverteth the simple mind (O how true are these things and confirmed by daily experience? Though he was soon dead, yet fulfilled he much time, for his soul pleased God: therefore hasted he to take him away from wickedness.  
So by the mercy of God, death, which to man was the punishment of sin, is made to Christians the end of sin, and the beginning of life and righteousness. Wherefore he that loveth life and righteousness, must needs, not fear, but love death, which is the Minister of them, and mean to come unto them: otherwise he shall never attain neither to life nor righteousness. Now he that can not do this, let him pray unto God, that he may. For therefore are we taught to say, Thy will be done, because we of ourselves are not able to do it, who fearing death, do love death and sin rather than life and righteousness. For, that God ordained death for the abolishing of sin it may hereof be gathered, for that he enjoined death to Adam by and by after he had sinned, as it were amends of sins, and that before he cast him out of Paradise, that he might show unto us that death worketh no evil, but all good in us, seeing that it was enjoined in paradise as it were repentance and satisfaction. It is true in deed that death entered into the world by the malice of the Devil, but it is to be attributed to the singular goodness of God that death being so entered, he not only suffered it not to hurt, but ordained it even from the beginning thereof for the punishment and death of sin.  
For this he signified, whereas when he had first denounced death unto Adam, in his commandment that he should not eat of the tree of knowledge, he afterward notwithstanding did not hold his peace, but did again enjoin death, & tempered the rigour of his first denouncing, yea did not so much as make mention of death in any syllable, but only said: In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou be turned again into the ground, for out of it wast thou taken: Dust thou art, and into dust shalt thou be turned again. As though he then hated death, which he would not so much as name, according to that saying: He endureth but a while in his anger, but in his favour is life. He seemed in thus speaking, that, unless death had been necessary for the abolishing of sin, he would not so much as mention or name it, much less enjoin it. So against sin which had wrought death, the emulation of God armeth no other thing but death itself, so that here thou mayst see that saying of the Poet verified, 
The worker destroyed by his own work: sin abolished by death which is it own proper fruit.  that the worker of death doth perish by his own work, and that sin is destroyed by it own proper fruit, and is slain by death which it brought forth, as the viper of her offspring. This is a most goodly sight, to see how sin is, not by an others, but by it own proper work destroyed, slain with it own weapon, & as of Goliath, so the head thereof cut of with it own sword. For Goliath was a figure of sin, a terrible Champion to all, except little David, that is, Christ, who alone overcame him, and cut of his head with his own sword. If therefore we meditate upon the joys of this power of Christ, and upon the gifts of his grace, why should a little evil trouble us, when as in so great an evil to come we see so great good things?   

The third chapter of the third consideration, which is of the good past, or behind a man.  
THe consideration of this good is easy, by the contrary consideration of the evil past, we think it sufficient only to help him that shall consider hereof. 
We are moved to the consideration of the good past, that is of God's goodness bestowed upon us heretofore, and to take comfort thereby, by the examples of Augustin David, and by our own experience.  Herein B. Augustin doth excellently well in his confessions, where in a most goodly sort he rehearseth the benefits of God bestowed upon him from his mother's womb. The same doth David in that notable 138. Psalm, the beginning whereof is: O Lord, thou hast tried me, where among other things wondering at the providence of God over him, he saith: Thou understandest my thoughts long before: thou compassest my paths & my lying down. As if he said: Whatsoever I have ever thought, whatsoever I have wrought, and whatsoever I was to obtain or possess, I see now, how it was not done by mine own industry, but ordained by thy care long before. Finally thou hast foreseen all my ways: and there is not a word in my tongue, where then? even in thy power. These things we learn by our own experience. For if we call to mind our life past, is it not a wondered thing that we have thought, willed, done, and said such things, as we never could foresee, but would have done far other things, if we had been left to our own free will, which we now first perceive, namely we see that the hand of God hath been so present with us, that his care hath been so constant over us, that we could neither have spoken, neither willed nor thought those things which we have, unless he had given ability, as it is said in the book of wisdom chap. 7: In his hand are both we and our words. And Paul saith: who worketh all things in us. Why then are we not ashamed being senseless and hard hearted, who being taught by our own experience, do see how careful the Lord hath been for us until this hour, and hath given us all good things? and yet we can not commit the same care of us to him in a small present evil, but we so behave ourselves, as though he had forsaken us, or could by any means forsake us. David did not so in the 39 Psalm, where he sayeth: As for me, him. For we see this most manifestly appear unto us commonly in all infants, so that so many examples let forth to our folly & hardues, aught worthily to make us greatly ashamed, if we doubt that even the lest good or evil cometh unto us without the singular care of God. 
We must cast our care on God for that he careth for us.  Blessed Peter saith: Cast all your care on him, for he careth for you. And David saith Psal. 36: Cast thy care upon the Lord, and he shall feed thee. Moreover B. Augustine saith unto his soul in his confessions: Why standest thou upon thyself and standest not in deed? cast thyself upon him, for he will not withdrew his hand that thou mayst fall. And again Peter saith, 1. Pet. 4: Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God, commit their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.  
O, if a man knew his God after this sort, how secure, how quiet, how pleasant should he be? Such a one should have God truly, knowing assuredly that all his things whatsoever they be, have come & do come unto him, by the direction and disposing of God his most sweet william. The saying of Peter standeth certain, he careth for you. What can we hear more sweet & pleasant than this saying? therefore saith he, cast all your care upon him. 
What will ensue if we cast not our care on God.  If we do not this, what do we else, but endeavour to let & hinder the care of God, & also make our life unto ourselves troublesome, painful, careful, by many fears, cares & troubles? and that in vain, for we do not any thing hereby further our rest or quietness, but as the Preacher in his book saith: This is a vanity of vanities, & vexation of the spirit. For in all the same book he speaketh of experience hereof, inasmuch as he had tried many things for himself, and in all notwithstanding he found nothing but labour, vanity & vexation of the spirit: so that he concludeth, that it is the gift of God, if a man eat & drink, & rejoice with his wife, that is, liveth without care, committing the care of himself unto God. Wherefore we aught to have no other care of ourselves, than that we may not be careful for ourselves, & may commit the care of us unto God. As for other things that might be spoken here, every one may as I have said know them by the contrary consideration, and by calling to mind his whole life past.   

The fourth chapter of the fourth consideration, which is of the good beneath us.  
Hitherto we have seen the good things which are our own, and in ourselves, we will now consider those that are in others, and without us: the first whereof is in them which are beneath us, that is the dead and damned. Howbeit it seemeth very strange, that any good can be found in the dead and damned. But the power of the divine goodness is every where so great, 
By comparing the state of the damned with our own, we shall perceive the exceeding mercy of God toward us, & the inestimable commodities which we enjoy through his goodness.  that it maketh that we may see good things even in the greatest evils. Now let us first compare them with ourselves, then shall we see our inestimable commodities, as it may easily be understood by the contrary consideration of evils. For as great evils of death and hell as we see in them, so great without doubt do we see our commodities to be, yea and so much greater, as their evils are greater. All which are not to be lightly passed over, forasmuch as they do greatly commend unto us the exceeding mercy of God. And it is to be feared, that if we make small account of these, we shall be found unthankful, and condemned together with them, or tormented worse, for that the more we see them to be grieved & sorrowful, so much more aught we to rejoice for God's goodness toward us, according to that saying in Esai chap. 65: Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall have hunger: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall suffer thirst: behold, my servants shall be merry, but ye shallbe confounded: behold my servants shall rejoice for very quietness of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and complain for vexation of mind: your name shall ye leave accursed among my chosen, etc. Finally as I have said, the examples of them that die ill, and are condemned, as B. Gregory saith in a certain Dialogue, aught to bring this good unto us, that they should admonish and teach us, that he is happy, whom other men's harms do make to beware. Howbeit this good, forasmuch as it is commonly known, doth little move us, when as notwithstanding it is to be counted among the chief, and is not lightly esteemed of them that are wise: forasmuch as a great part of the holy Scripture tendeth hereunto, namely where it is taught of the wrath, judgements & threatenings of God. Which most wholesome doctrine, the examples of the most miserable should make most wholesome unto us, which then begin to be effectual, when we are so affected as they are which suffer them, and as though we were in their place and person. For than they will move and admonish us to praise his goodness, who hath preserved us from those things.  
These dead & damned must be compared also with God himself, 
The consideration of the state of the damned aught to move us to rejoice in God, and to praise & extol his justice.  whereby we may see the divine justice in them. This albeit it be hard, yet must we endeavour to do it. For seeing that God is a just judge, his justice must be loved and praised: and therefore must we rejoice in God even then when he destroyeth the evil both in body and soul, because in all these his entire and unspeakable justice shineth. Wherefore hell also is full of God and the sovereign good as well as heaven. For the justice of God is God himself, and God is the sovereign good. As his mercy therefore, so also his justice or judgement aught with most hearty affection to be loved, and most highly to be extolled and praised. Whereupon David sayeth: The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his hands in the blood of the wicked. For this cause the Lord forbade Samuel 1 Kings. 16, that he should mourn no more for Saul, saying: How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have cast him away from reigning over Israel? As if he said: Doth my will so displease thee, that thou preferrest man's will before mine? Finally hereupon come those sayings of praise and joy through the whole Psalter, that the Lord is a judge of the widows, and a Father of the fatherless, that he will avenge the afflicted and judge the poor: that his enemies shall be confounded, the wicked shall be destroyed, and many such like. If any will with foolish pity have compassion on that bloody generation, which slayeth the righteous (yea even the Son of God) & of that exceeding great company of the wicked, he shall be found to rejoice at their wickedness, and to allow those things that they have done, being worthy to perish together with them, whose sins he would not have punished: and he shall hear that saying which is in the second book of Kings chap. 19: Thou lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends. For so said joab to David, when he too much mourned for wicked Absalon his son. Wherefore we aught here to rejoice at all the godliness of the Saints, and the justice of God, who most justly punisheth the persecutors of godliness, that he may deliver his elect from them. And so thou seest that not small but exceeding good things do manifestly appear in the dead and damned: namely, that the injury of all the Saints is revenged and punished, and thine also if thou be righteous with them. What marvel is it then, if by thy present evil he punish thine enemy, that is the sin of thy body, yea thou oughtest to rejoice because of this most excellent benefit of God's justice, who, thou not desiring it, so slayeth and destroyeth in thyself thy worst enemy, that is, thy sin. Whereof if thou have compassion, thou shalt be found a friend of sin, and an enemy of justice working in thee: which thou must especially take heed of, jest it be said unto thee also: Thou lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends. As therefore thou oughtest to rejoice on the behalf of justice being severe against thy sin, so thou oughtest to rejoice on the behalf of the same also, being severe against the wicked, which are enemies of men and God. Thus thou seest that in the greatest evils are seen singular good things, and that we may rejoice in the greatest evils, not because of the evils themselves, but because of the sovereign goodness of justice that delivereth and avengeth us.   

The fift chapter of the fift consideration, which is of the good on the left hand.  
HEre we must enter into consideration of our adversaries, who as yet remain in this life (for in the chapter going before we have spoken of them that are already damned and in like case with the devils) these we must behold with an other affection, and consider two sorts of their good things. First that they abound with temporal good things, 
The wicked most commonly abound with temporal good things  so that the Prophets have been almost moved even to envy by their prosperity, as David Psal. 72: My feet were almost gone, my steps had wellneare slipped: for I fretted at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. And afterwards: Lo these are the wicked, yet prospero they always, and increase in riches. jeremy chap. 12 saith: O Lord thou art more righteous than that I should dispute with thee, nevertheless let me talk with thee in things reasonable: How happeneth it that the way of the ungodly is so prosperous? and that it goeth so well with them, which without any shame offend and live in wickedness?  
Why doth he freely pour forth so many good things upon them, 
God bestoweth abundance of temporal good things upon the wicked, that he may thereby comfort us.  and loose them, but that he may comfort us, and declare how good he is unto them which are pure in heart as the same 72 Psalm saith. He that is so good to the wicked, how much more good will he be to the godly? albeit he trieth them with many evils, so that not only in the present good things, but also in them that be hid and as yet to come, they acknowledge him to be good unto them, and say with David in the same Psalm: As for me, it is good for me to draw near to God, to put my trust in the Lord. As if he said: Albeit I am somewhat troubled, inasmuch as I see them free, notwithstanding I trust that God is much more gracious unto me then unto them. And so the visible good things of the wicked are a mean to stir us up to hope for invisible good things, and to contemn the evils that we suffer, according to the commandment of Christ Matth. 6, where he biddeth us to behold the fowls of the air, and the Lilies of the field, and saith? If God then so cloth the grass of the field, which is to day, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not do much more unto you, O ye of little faith? Wherefore by comparing together the good things wherewith the evil abound, and the evil which we suffer, our faith is exercised, and we obtain comfort in God, which only is holy and true comfort, so that all things work together for the best unto the Saints. 
The evils of the wicked turn unto good to the godly.   
The other good, which is much more marvelous, is, that their evils are unto us good, such a care hath God of us. For although their sins be offensive to the weaker sort, yet to the strong they are an exercise of virtue, and an occasion more strongly to fight, & to obtain a more glorious victory. For blessed is the man that endureth tentation, for when he is tried he shall receive the crown of life. Now what is a greater tentation than that multitude of most wicked examples? Hereof is the world called one of the enemies of the Saints of God, for that by the enticements and wicked works thereof it moveth, provoketh and allureth from the way of God unto his own way, as it appeareth Gen. 6: The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair, & they took them wives such as they liked from among them all. And Num. 25 it is said that the children of Israel committed whoredom with the daughters of Moab, so that it is wholesome for us to be always afflicted with some trouble, jest that being weak, and stumbling at the offences of the world, we fall and sin. Wherefore Lot is commended of Peter 2. Pet. 2, for that he suffered many things by the most wicked example of the Zodomites, and increased in righteousness hereby. It is needful therefore that these offences come, which may be an occasion to us to fight & obtain the victory. Notwithstanding woe unto the world because of offences. Now if in the sins of others God procureth unto us so great good things, how much more aught we to believe with our whole heart that he will work good unto us in our own evil, although the sense and flesh judge otherwise.  
Not less good doth the world bring unto us on the otherside of his evils, 
The troubles and afflictions which the godly suffer of the world turn to their commodity & profit.  which is adversity. For whom it can not win by enticements, neither adjoin to itself by evil examples, them it endeavoureth by afflictions to expel from itself, and to trouble them by painful evils, always either seeking deceitfully to entrap them by the example of the wicked, or cruelly raging against them by grievous torments. For this is that monster Chimaera having a head fair like the head of a virgin, a belly terrible like the belly of a Lion, a tail deadly like the tail of a Serpent: for the end as well of the pleasure as of the tyranny of the world is poison and eternal death. As therefore in the sins of the world God hath made us to find good things, so also the persecutions thereof are not in vain and frustrate, but are ordained for the increase of our good things, that even in that wherein they hurt us, they may be compelled to profit us, as B. Augustine speaketh of Herode who slew the children: He could never have profited so much by obedience, as he profited by hatred. And B. Agatha went rejoicing to the prison as unto a banquet, saying after this sort: Unless thou make my body to be handled thoroughly of thy tormentors, my soul can not with glorious victory enter into Paradise: even as the grain if it be not well threshed & beaten out of the husk, is not laid up in the garner. But why do we here stand upon these few examples? seeing we know that the whole Scripture, the writings and sayings of all the Fathers, the works and deeds of all the Saints do agreed in this, that they are most profitable to the believers, who seem to be unto them most hurtful, so that they be rightly suffered and borne: as Peter sayeth in his first Epistle chap. 3: And who is it that can harm you, if ye follow that which is good? And David sayeth Psal. 88: The enemy shall not oppress him, neither shall the wicked hurt him. How shall he not hurt him, when he oftentimes even killeth him? surely because by hurting he doth greatly profit him. So we see that we do on every side devil in the mids of good things, if we be wise, and yet also in the mids of evils, so marvelously are all things ordered by the power of the divine goodness.   

The sixth chapter of the sixth consideration, which is of the good on the right hand.  
THis is the Church of the Saints, 
The good on the right hand.  the new creature of God, our brethren & friends, in whom we see nothing but good, nothing but consolation, howbeit not always with fleshly eyes (for according to the outward appearance they are for the most part to be referred to the contrary consideration of evils) but with spiritual eyes. Although even those their good things also which are seen with fleshly eyes, are not to be rejected, but we may perceive that even in these God doth comfort us. For David in the 72 Psalm durst not disallow of all that possessed riches in the world, saying: If I should say that I would judge after this sort, lo then I should condemn the generation of thy children, that is, if I should say that all are evil, which are rich, healthful, and had in estimation, I should then condemn thy Saints, of whom many are such. The Apostle moreover teacheth Timothe to charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, not forbidding them to be rich. And the Scripture declareth that Abraham, Isaac, and jacob were rich. Daniel with his fellows were had in honour and reputation even in Babylon: finally many Kings of juda were holy men. David therefore considering these saith: If I should say that I would judge so, I should condemn the generation of thy children. God I say giveth to his abundance of these good things, to the comfort of them & of others, but these are not their proper good things, yea they are but shadows in respect of the true good things, which are faith, hope, love, and other graces and gifts, all which are made common by love.  
This is the Communion of Saints, 
What great joy & comfort we have by the communion of Saints, which is the good on the right hand.  wherein we rejoice. And who doth not glory here even in great evils, who believeth, as it is in deed, that the good things of all the Saints are his good things, that his evil is theirs also, For this consideration is most sweet and pleasant, whereof the Apostle admonisheth in the Epistle, to the galatians in this saying: Bear ye one an others burden, and so fulfil the law of Christ. Is it not good for us to be here, where if one member, as the Apostle saith 1. Cor. 12, suffer, all suffer with it: if one member be had in honour, all the members rejoice with it? Therefore when I suffer, I suffer not now alone, all Christians suffer with me, yea Christ himself, as it is said: He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of mine eye. So others bear my burden, their power is mine, the faith of the Church helpeth my infirmity, the chastity of others beareth the tentation of my lust, the fastings of others are for my commodity, the prayer of an other is careful for me, and briefly the members are so careful one for an other, that those which are more honest do cover, keep, honour them that seem unhonest, as the Apostle notably describeth 1. Cor. 12. And so I may truly rejoice in the good things of an other, as if they were mine own. Be it then that I be foul and filthy, yet they whom I love, and with whom I rejoice, are fair & goodly; by which love I make not only their good things, but even themselves mine. Wherefore my ignominy shall be easily honoured under their glory, their abundance shall supply my want. Who then can despair in sin? who doth not rejoice in afflictions, for that he doth not now bear his sins and pains, or if he bear them, he beareth them not alone, being holpen with so many Saints that are the sons of God, yea being holpen of Christ himself? So excellent a thing is the Communion of Saints, & the church of Christ.  
Now if there be any that doth not believe that these things are thus, he is an infidel, and hath denied Christ & the church. For although these things were not felt, yet are they so in deed: but who doth not feel them? For that thou dost not despair, that thou dost not become impatient, who is the cause? Thine own power? no surely, but the communion of Saints. Otherwise thou wert not able to bear even a small sin, thou couldst not suffer the word of a man against thyself: so nigh is Christ and the Church. This is that which we say: I believe in the holy Ghost, the holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints. Now wherein do the Saints communicate? 
As in the lords supper the bread is one though it consist of many grains, & the wine one though pressed out of many grapes: so the Saint's being partakers of this Supper, though they be many, yet are they me body, and therefore communicate both in good and evil.  even in good and evil things, all things are common among them all, as the Sacrament of the lords supper doth signify in the bread and wine, we are said of the Apostle to be one bread, one body. Now who offendeth a part of the body, wherein he offendeth not the whole body? what doth the little toe suffer, which the whole body doth not suffer? what good is done even to the feet, wherein the whole body doth not rejoice? But we are one body: whatsoever an other suffereth, I suffer and bear it, and whatsoever good is done to him, it is done to me. So saith Christ, that it is done to him, whatsoever is done to the lest of his. Who taking a piece of the bread of the lords Supper, is not said to take bread? who contemning a piece thereof, is not said to contemn bread?  
Wherefore if we be grieved, if we suffer, if we die, let us remember and firmly believe and be assured, that not we, or that not we alone, but Christ and the Church are grieved, suffer and die with us. Christ would not have us to be alone in the way of death, which every man dreadeth, but the whole Church accompanying us, we enter into the way of suffering and death, and the Church doth suffer more strongly than we ourselves, so that we may truly apply to ourselves that which Eliseus said to his servant being afraid: 4. King 6: Fear not, for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Eliseus prayed and said: Lord I beseech thee open the eyes of this young man that he may see: and the Lord opened the eyes of the young man and he looked: and behold the mountain was full of borses & charets of fire round about Eliseus. This only also remaineth unto us, that we pray that our eyes may be opened, that we may see the Church about us, that, I say, the eyes of our faith may be opened, then shall we fear nothing, but shall perceive that to be most true which David sayeth Psal. 124: As the mountains are about jerusalem, so is the Lord about his people from henceforth and for ever. Amen.   

The seventh chapter of the seventh consideration, which is of the good above us.  
I Speak nothing of the eternal and heavenly good things which the blessed enjoy in the manifest sight of God, or at the lest I speak of them in faith, 
The good above us, & the most sweet joy & comfort which the due consideration thereof bringeth.  and as they may be comprehended of us. So this seventh consideration is of jesus Christ, the King of glory, raised from the dead: as the seventh consideration of evils was of him suffering, dead, and buried. Here we may see the chief joy of our heart, and certain and sure good things: here is no evil at all, because Christ being raised from the dead, dieth no more: death hath no more dominion over him. This is the furnace of love, and the fire of God in Zion, as Esai saith. For Christ is borne unto us, and not only that, but also given unto us. Wherefore his resurrection is mine, and all things that he hath wrought thereby. And as the Apostle most notably glorieth Rom. 8: How shall he not with him give us all things? But what hath he wrought by rising again? He hath destroyed sin, set up righteousness, swallowed up death, & restored life: overcome hell, and purchased eternal glory. These things are inestimable, so that the mind of man dare scarce believe, that they are given unto him: as jacob Gen. 45, when he heard that his son joseph was alive and governor over the land of Egypt, as it were awaking out of a deep sleep, he did not believe them that told him, until they telling unto him all the words of joseph, which he had said unto them, showed him also all the charretts, which joseph had sent to carry him. So surely it is hard to believe that so great good things are in Christ bestowed upon bs that are unworthy, unless in many words he declare the same unto us, and as he made himself manifest to his Disciples by often appearing unto them, so he teach us so to believe, as it were by charets, that is, by use and experience. It is a most goodly and pleasant charet, that of God he is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption, as the Apostle saith 1. Cor. 1. For I am a sinner, but I am carried in his righteousness, which is given unto me: I am unclean, but his holiness is my sanctification, wherein I am sweetly carried: I am foolish, but his wisdom carrieth me: I am damnable, but his liberty is my redemption: so that a Christian which believeth may glory of the merits of Christ, and of all his good things no otherwise then if he himself had done them, so properly do they belong unto him, so that he dare now quietly look for even the judgement of God, which notwithstanding is intolerable. So great a thing is faith, so great good things doth it obtain for us, so glorious sons of God doth it make us. For we can not be sons, unless we inherit the good things of our father. A Christian therefore may boldly say: Death, where is thy victory? death, where is thy sting, that is, sin? for the sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law, but thanks be unto God, which hath given us victory through our Lord jesus Christ: that is, the law maketh us sinners, sin maketh us guilty of death. Who hath overcome these two? Our own righteousness? our own life? Not surely, but jesus Christ raised from death, who hath condemned sin & death, hath imparted his righteousness unto us, hath given us his merits, hath laid his hand upon us, so that we are in good case, and do fulfil the law, and overcome sin and death, for which honour, praise and thanks be to God for ever, Amen.  
This therefore is the last consideration, whereby we are now lifted up not only above our own evils, but also above our own good things, and do now enjoy the good things of an other, gotten by an other's labour, who before were oppressed with the evils caused by the sin of an other, and increased by our own: We enjoy I say the righteousness of Christ, whereby he himself is righteous, because we cleave unto it, by which he pleaseth God, and maketh intercession for us, & maketh himself wholly ours, being our most gracious Priest and Patron. As unpossible therefore as it is that Christ in his righteousness should not please, so unpossible is it that we should not please by our faith whereby we cleave to his righteousness. Whereby it cometh to pass that a Christian is omnipotent, Lord of all, possessing all things, doing all things, 
A Christian is said to be without sin, not in respect of the action of sin, but inasmuch as sin is not imputed to him for Christ's sake.  wholly without any sin. And although it so be that he have sins, yet can it not be that they should hurt him, but they are remitted because of the invincible righteousness of Christ which swalloweth up all sins, whereunto our faith trusteth, firmly believing that Christ is such a one unto us, as we say. For he that doth not believe that, heareth in vain, acknowledgeth not Christ, neither knoweth whereunto he profiteth or serveth.  
Wherefore even this one consideration, if there were no other, may minister unto us so much comfort, if it be well and duly had, that we may not only not be grieved at our evils, but also rejoice in tribulations, scarce feeling them by reason of the joy which we have in Christ. Of which joy our Christ our Lord and God blessed for ever make us partakers, Amen.  
By these my cogitations most famous Prince, 
The conchision.  witnessing after a sort the duty of my small ability, I commend me to your most noble grace, being ready to perform greater things, if the power of my spirit were according to my desire. For I will always be a debtor both to every of my neighbours, but especially to your most noble Grace, whom our Lord jesus Christ by his gracious goodness long preserve among us, & at the last bring to himself by a blessed and happy end, Amen.  
Your Grace's most humble and obedient subject MARTIN LUTHER.