Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation: With Modifications To Obsolete Language By Monica StevensMore, Thomas, Saint
Religion
Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation: With Modifications To Obsolete Language By Monica Stevens
More, Thomas, Saint
Consolation
Now likewise as in such folk as are full of young warm lusty blood
and other humours exciting the flesh to filthy voluptuous living,
the devil useth to make those things his instruments in tempting
them and provoking them to it; and as, where he findeth some folk
full of hot blood and choler, he maketh those humours his
instruments to set their hearts on fire in wrath and fierce
furious anger; so where he findeth some folk who, through some
dull melancholy humours, are naturally disposed to fear, he
casteth sometimes such a fearful imagination into their mind that
without help of God they can never cast it out of their heart.
Some, at the sudden falling of some horrible thought into their
mind, have not only had a great abomination at it (which
abomination they well and virtuously had), but the devil, using
their melancholy humour and thereby their natural inclination to
fear for his instruments, hath caused them to conceive therewith
such a deep dread besides that they think themselves with that
abominable thought to be fallen into such an outrageous sin that
they are ready to fall into despair of grace, believing that God
hath given them over for ever. Whereas that thought, were it never
so horrible and never so abominable, is yet unto those who never
like it, but ever still abhor it and strive still against it,
matter of conflict and merit and not any sin at all.
Some have, with holding a knife in their hand, suddenly thought
upon the killing of themselves, and forthwith, in devising what a
horrible thing it would be if they should mishap to do so, have
fallen into a fear that they would do so indeed. And they have,
with long and often thinking thereon, imprinted that fear so sore
in their imagination, that some of them have not afterwards cast
it off without great difficulty. And some could never in their
life be rid of it, but have afterward in conclusion miserably done
it indeed. But like as, where the devil useth the blood of a man's
own body toward his purpose in provoking him to lechery, the man
must and doth with grace and wisdom resist it; so must the man do
whose melancholy humours and devil abuseth, toward the casting of
such a desperate dread into his heart.
VINCENT: I pray you, uncle, what advice would be to be given him
in such a case?
ANTHONY: Surely, methinketh his help standeth in two things:
counsel and prayer.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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