merit before God. As the Apostle saith, and exhorted us: NOLITE AMITTERE CONFIDENTIAM VESTRAM QUAE MAGNAM HABET REMUNERATIONEM. [Heb. V. 35.] Lose not your hope and confidence in God, the which hath great reward of God.
Furthermore, that no sinful man should in no wise despair — have he sinned never so greatly, nor never so sore, nor never so oft, nor never so long continued therein — we have open ensample in Peter that denied Christ; in Paul that pursued Holy Church; in Matthew and Zaccheus, the publicans; in Mary Maudeleyn, the sinful woman, [in the woman [1]] that was taken in avoutry; in the thief that hung on the cross beside Christ; in Mary Egyptian; and in innumerable other grievous and great sinners.
III. The Third Temptation is Impatience; the which is against charity, by the which we be bound to love God above all things. For they that be in sickness, in their death bed suffer passingly[2] great pain and sorrow, and woe; and namely they that die not by nature and course of age — that happeth right seldom, as open experience teacheth men — but die often through an accidental sickness; as a fever, a postune,[3] and such other grievous and painful and long sickness. The which many men, and namely those that be undisposed[4] to die and die against their will and lack very charity, maketh so impatient and grutching, that other while,[5] through woe and impatience
