And thus much methinketh necessary, for
every man and woman to be always of this mind and often to think
thereon. And where they find, in the thinking thereon, that their
hearts shudder and shrink in the remembrance of the pain that their
imagination representeth to the mind, then must they call to mind
and remember the great pain and torment that Christ suffered for
them, and heartily pray for grace that, if the case should so
befall, God should give them strength to stand. And thus, with
exercise of such meditation, through men should never stand full
out of fear of falling, yet must they persevere in good hope and in
full purpose of standing.
And this seemeth to me, cousin, so far forth the mind that every
Christian man and woman must needs have, that methinketh every
curate should often counsel all his parishioners, beginning in
their tender youth, to know this point and think on it, and little
by little from their very childhood accustom them sweetly and
pleasantly in the meditation thereof. Thereby the goodness of God
shall not fail so to inspire the grace of his Holy Spirit into
their hearts, in reward of that virtuous diligence, that through
such actual meditation he shall confirm them in such a sure habit
of spiritual faithful strength, that all the devils in hell, with
all the wrestling that they can make, shall never be able to wrest
it out of their heart.
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