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 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 ] 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 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, and such other grievous and painful and long sickness. The which many men, and namely those that be undisposed to die and die against their will and lack very charity, maketh so impatient and grutching, that other while, through woe and impatience