And that he cannot as yet be otherwise persuaded by you but
that the pleasure of God is that he shall go kill himself. And
that he believeth if he do so he shall then be thereby so
specially participant of Christ's passion that he shall forthwith
be carried up with angels into heaven. And that he is so joyful
for this that he firmly purposeth upon it, no less glad to do it
than another man would be glad to avoid it. And therefore may you
desire his good counsel to instruct you with some substantial good
advice, with which you may turn him from this error, that he be
not, under hope of God's true revelation, destroyed in body and
soul by the devil's false illusion.
If he will in this thing study and labour to instruct you, the
things that he himself shall find, of his own invention, though
they be less effectual, shall peradventure more work with him
toward his own amendment (since he shall, of likelihood, better
like them) than shall things double so substantial that were told
him by another man. If he be loth to think upon that side, and
therefore shrink from the matter, then is there no other way but
to venture to fall into the matter after the plain fashion, and
tell what you hear, and give him counsel and exhortation to the
contrary. Unless you wish to say that thus and thus hath the
matter been reasoned already between your friend and you.
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