Thomas More - Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation

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ANTHONY: This that you say, cousin, hath place of truth in far the
most part of men. And therefore must they not envy nor disdain,
since they may take in their tribulation sufficient consolation for
their part, that some other who is more worthy may take yet a great
deal more. For, as I told you, cousin, though the best must confess
himself a sinner, yet there are many men--though to the multitude,
few--who for the kind of their living and the clearness of their
conscience may well and without sin have a good hope that God
sendeth them some great grief for the exercise of their patience
and for increase of their merit. This appeareth not only by St.
Paul, in the place before remembered, but also by the holy man Job,
who in sundry places of his disputations with his burdensome
comforters forbore not to say that the clearness of his own
conscience declared and showed to himself that he deserved not that
sore tribulation that he then had. Howbeit, as I told you before, I
will not advise every man at adventure to be bold upon this manner
of comfort. But yet know I some men such that I would dare, for
their more ease and comfort in their great and grievous pains, to
put them in right good hope that God sendeth it unto them not so
much for their punishment as for exercise of their patience.

And some tribulations are there, also, that grow upon such causes
that in those cases I would never forbear but always would, without
any doubt, give that counsel and comfort to any man.

VINCENT: What causes, good uncle, are those?

ANTHONY: Marry, cousin, wheresoever a man falleth in tribulation
for the maintenance of justice or for the defence of God's cause.
For if I should happen to find a man who had long lived a very
virtuous life, and had at last happened to fall into the Turks'
hands; and if he there did abide by the truth of his faith and,
with the suffering of all kinds of torments taken upon his body,
still did teach and testify the truth; and if I should in his
passion give him spiritual comfort--might I be bold to tell him no
further but that he should take patience in his pain, and that God
sendeth it to him for his sin, and that he is well worthy to have
it, though it were yet much more? He might then well answer me, and
other such comforters, as Job answered his: "Burdensome and heavy
comforters be you." Nay, I would not fail to bid him boldly, while
I should see him in his passion, to cast sin and hell and purgatory
and all upon the devil's pate, and doubt not but--as, if he gave
over his hold, all his merit would be lost and he would be turned
to misery--so if he stand and persevere still in the confession of
his faith, all his whole pain shall turn all into glory.

Yea, more shall I yet say than this. If there were a Christian man
who had among those infidels committed a very deadly crime, such as
would be worthy of death, not only by their laws but by Christ's
too (as manslaughter, or adultery, or other such thing); and if
when he were taken he were offered pardon of his life upon
condition that he should forsake the faith of Christ; and if this
man would now rather suffer death than so do--should I comfort him
in his pain only as I would a malefactor? Nay, this man, though he
would have died for his sin, dieth now for Christ's sake, since he
might live still if he would forsake him. The bare patient taking
of his death would have served for the satisfaction of his
sin--through the merit of Christ's passion, I mean, without help of
which no pain of our own could be satisfactory. But now shall
Christ, for his forsaking of his own life in the honour of his
faith, forgive the pain of all his sins, of his mere liberality,
and accept all the pain of his death for merit of reward in heaven,
and shall assign no part of it to the payment of his debt in
purgatory, but shall take it all as an offering and requite it all
with glory. And this man among Christian men, although he had been
before a devil, nothing would I doubt afterward to take him for a
martyr.

VINCENT: Verily, good uncle, methinketh this is said marvellous
well. And it specially delighteth and comforteth me to hear it,
because of our principal fear that I first spoke of, the Turk's
cruel incursion into this country of ours.

ANTHONY: Cousin, as for the matter of that fear, I purpose to
touch it last of all. Nor meant I here to speak of it, had it not
been that the vehemency of your objection brought it in my way. But
otherwise I would rather have put instead some example of those who
suffer tribulation for maintenance of right and justice, and choose
rather to take harm than to do wrong in any manner of matter. For
surely if a man may--as indeed he may--have great comfort in the
clearness of his conscience, who hath a false crime put upon him
and by false witness proved upon him, and who is falsely punished
and put to worldly shame and pain for it; a hundred times more
comfort may he have in his heart who, where white is called black
and right is called wrong, abideth by the truth and is persecuted
for justice.

VINCENT: Then if a man sue me wrongfully for my own land, in which
I myself have good right, it is a comfort yet to defend it well,
since God shall give me thanks for it?

ANTHONY: Nay nay, cousin, nay, there walk you somewhat wide. For
there you defend your own right for your temporal avail. But St.
Paul counseleth, "Defend not yourselves, my more dear friends," and
our Saviour counseleth, "If a man will strive with thee at the law
and take away thy coat, leave him thy gown too." The defence
therefore of our own right asketh no reward. Say you speed well, if
you get leave; look hardly for no thanks!

But on the other hand, if you do as St. Paul biddeth, "Seek not for
your own profit but for other folk's" and defend therefore of pity
a poor widow or a poor fatherless child, and rather suffer sorrow
by some strong extortioner than suffer them to take wrong; or if
you be a judge and have such zeal to justice that you will abide
tribulation by the malice of some mighty man rather than judge
wrong for his favour--such tribulations, lo, are those that are
better than only medicinable. And every man upon whom they fall may
be bold so to reckon them, and in his deep trouble may well say to
himself the words that Christ hath taught him for his comfort,
"Blessed be the merciful men, for they shall have mercy given them.
Blessed be they that suffer persecution for justice, for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven."

Here is a high comfort, lo, for those that are in this case. And
their own conscience can show it to them, and can fill their hearts
so full with spiritual joy that the pleasure may far surmount the
heaviness and grief of all their temporal trouble. But God's nearer
cause of faith against the Turks hath yet a far surpassing comfort
that by many degrees far excelleth this. And that, as I have said,
I purpose to treat last. And for this time this sufficeth
concerning the special comfort that men may take in this third kind
of tribulation.

XI

VINCENT: Of truth, good uncle, albeit that every one of these
kinds of tribulations have cause of comfort in them, as you have
well declared, if men will so consider them, yet hath this third
kind above all a special prerogative therein.

ANTHONY: That is undoubtedly true. But yet even the most base kind
of them all, good cousin, hath more causes of comfort than I have
spoken of yet.

For I have, you know, in that kind that is sent us for our sin,
spoken of no other comfort yet but twain: one that it refraineth us
from sin that otherwise we would fall in; and one that it serveth
us, through the merit of Christ's passion, as a means by which God
keepeth us from hell and serveth for the satisfaction of such pain
as we should otherwise endure in purgatory. Howbeit, there is
therein another great cause of joy besides this. For surely those
pains here sent us for our sin, in whatsoever wise they happen to
us (be our sin never so sore nor never so open and evident unto
ourselves and all the world too), yet if we pray for grace to take
them meekly and patiently; and if, confessing to God that it is far
too little for our fault, we beseech him nevertheless, since we
shall come hence so void of all good works for which we should have
any reward in heaven, to be not only so merciful to us as to take
our present tribulation in relief of our pains in purgatory, but
also so gracious unto us as to take our patience therein for a
matter of merit and reward in heaven; I verily trust--and nothing
doubt it--that God shall of his high bounty grant us our boon.

For as in hell pain serveth only for punishment without any manner
of purging, because all possibility of purging is past; and as in
purgatory punishment serveth only for purging, because the place of
deserving is past; so while we are yet in this world in which is
our place and our time of merit and well-deserving, the tribulation
that is sent us for our sin here shall, if we faithfully so desire,
beside the cleansing and purging of our pain, serve us also for
increase of reward. And so shall, I suppose and trust in God's
goodness, all such penance and good works as a man willingly
performeth, enjoined by his ghostly father in confession, or which
he willingly further doth of his own devotion beside. For though
man's penance, with all the good works that he can do, be not able
to satisfy of themselves for the least sin that we do, yet the
liberal goodness of God, through the merit of Christ's bitter
passion--without which all our works could never satisfy so much as
a spoonful to a great vesselful in comparison with the merit and
satisfaction that Christ has merited and satisfied for us
himself--this liberal goodness of God, I say, shall yet at our
faithful instance and request cause our penance and tribulation
patiently taken in this world to serve us in the other world both
for release and reward, tempered after such rate as his high
goodness and wisdom shall see best for us, whereof our blind
mortality cannot here imagine nor devise the stint.

And thus hath yet even the first and most base kind of tribulation,
though not fully so great as the second and very far less than the
third, far greater cause of comfort yet than I spoke of before.

XII

VINCENT: Verily, good uncle, this pleaseth me very well. But yet
are there, you know, some of these things now brought in question.
For as for any pain due for our sin, to be diminished in purgatory
by the patient sufferance of tribulation here, there are, you know,
many who utterly deny that, and affirm for a sure truth that there
is no purgatory at all. And then, if they say true, is the cause of
the comfort gone, if the comfort that we should take be but in vain
and needless.

They say, you know, also that men merit nothing at all, but God
giveth all for faith alone, and that it would be sin and sacrilege
to look for reward in heaven either for our patience and glad
suffering for God's sake, or for any other good deed. And then is
there gone, if this be thus, the other cause of our further comfort
too.

ANTHONY: Cousin, if some things were as they be not, then should
some things be as they shall not! I cannot indeed deny that some
men have of late brought up some such opinions, and many more than
these besides, and have spread them abroad. And it is a right heavy
thing to see such variousness in our belief rise and grow among
ourselves, to the great encouragement of the common enemies of us
all, whereby they have our faith in derision and catch hope to
overwhelm us all. Yet do three things not a little comfort my mind.
The first is that, in some communications had of late together,
there hath appeared good likelihood of some good agreement to grow
together in one accord of our faith. The second is that in the
meanwhile, till this may come to pass, contentions, disputations,
and uncharitable behaviour are prohibited and forbidden in effect
upon all parties--all such parties, I mean, as fell before to fight
for it. The third is that in Germany, for all their diverse
opinions, yet as they agree together in profession of Christ's
name, so agree they now together in preparation of a common power,
in defence of Christendom against our common enemy the Turk. And I
trust in God that this shall not only help us here to strengthen us
in this war, but also that, as God hath caused them to agree
together in the defence of his name, so shall he graciously bring
them to agree together in the truth of his faith. Therefore will I
let God work, and leave off contention. And I shall now say nothing
but that with which they who are themselves of the contrary mind
shall in reason have no cause to be discontented.

First, as for purgatory: Though they think there be none, yet since
they deny not that all the corps of Christendom for so many hundred
years have believed the contrary, and among them all the old
interpreters of scripture from the apostles' days down to our time,
many of whom they deny not for holy saints, these men must, of
their courtesy, hold my poor fear excused, that I dare not now
believe them against all those. And I beseech our Lord heartily for
them, that when they depart out of this wretched world, they find
no purgatory at all--provided God keep them from hell!

As for the merit of man in his good works, neither are those who
deny it fully agreed among themselves, nor is there any man almost
of them all that, since they began to write, hath not somewhat
changed and varied from himself. And far the more part are thus far
agreed with us: Like as we grant them that no good work is worth
aught toward heaven without faith; and that no good work of man is
rewardable in heaven of its own nature, but through the mere
goodness of God, who is pleased to put so high a price upon so poor
a thing; and that this price God setteth through Christ's passion,
and also because they are his own works with us (for no man worketh
good works toward God unless God work with him); and as we grant
them also that no man may be proud of his works for his own
imperfect working, because in all that he may do he can do God no
good, but is an unprofitable servant, and doth but his bare
duty--as we, I say, grant them these things, so this one thing or
twain do they grant us in turn: That men are bound to work good
works if they have time and power, and that whosoever worketh in
true faith most, shall be most rewarded. But then they add to this
that all his reward shall be given him for his faith alone and
nothing for his works at all, because his faith is the thing, they
say, that forceth him to work well. I will not strive with them for
this matter now. But yet I trust to the great goodness of God, that
if the question hang on that narrow point, since Christ saith in
the scripture in so many places that men shall in heaven be
rewarded for their works, he shall never suffer our souls--who are
but mean-witted men and can understand his words only as he himself
hath set them and as old holy saints have construed them before and
as all Christian people this thousand year have believed--to be
damned for lack of perceiving such a sharp subtle thing. Especially
since some men who have right good wits, and are beside that right
well learned, too, can in no wise perceive for what cause or why
these folk who take away the reward from good works and give that
reward all whole to faith alone, give the reward to faith rather
than to charity. For this grant they themselves, that faith serveth
of nothing unless she be accompanied by her sister charity. And
then saith the scripture, too, "Of these three virtues, faith,
hope, and charity, of all these three, the greatest is charity."
And therefore it seemeth as worthy to have the thanks as faith.
Howbeit, as I said, I will not strive for it, nor indeed as our
matter standeth I shall not greatly need to do so. For if they say
that he who suffereth tribulation and martyrdom for the faith shall
have high reward, not for his work but for his well-working faith,
yet since they grant that have it he shall, the cause of high
comfort in the third kind of tribulation standeth. And that is, you
know, the effect of all my purpose.

VINCENT: Verily, good uncle, this is truly driven and tried unto
the uttermost, it seemeth to me. And therefore I pray you proceed
at your leisure.

XIII

ANTHONY: Cousin, it would be a long work to peruse every comfort
that a man may well take in tribulation. For as many comforts, you
know, may a man take thereof, as there be good commodities therein.
And of those there are surely so many that it would be very long to
rehearse and treat of them. But meseemeth we cannot lightly better
perceive what profit and commodity, and thereby what comfort, they
may take of it who have it, than if we well consider what harm the
lack of it is, and thereby what discomfort the lack should be to
them that never have it.

So is it now that all holy men agree, and all the scripture is
full, and our own experience proveth before our eyes, that we are
not come into this wretched world to dwell here. We have not, as
St. Paul saith, our dwelling-city here, but we are seeking for the
city that is to come. And St. Paul telleth us that we do seek for
it, because he would put us in mind that we should seek for it, as
good folk who fain would come thither. For surely whosoever setteth
so little by it that he careth not to seek for it, it will I fear
be long ere he come to it, and marvellous great grace if ever he
come thither. "Run," saith St. Paul, "so that you may get it." If
it must then be gotten with running, when shall he come at it who
lifteth not one step toward it?

Now, because this world is, as I tell you, not our eternal
dwelling, but our little-while wandering, God would that we should
use it as folk who were weary of it. And he would that we should in
this vale of labour, toil, tears, and misery not look for rest and
ease, game, pleasure, wealth, and felicity. For those who do so
fare like a foolish fellow who, going towards his own house where
he should be wealthy, would for a tapster's pleasure become a
hostler by the way, and die in a stable, and never come home.

And would God that those that drown themselves in the desire of
this world's wretched wealth, were not yet more fools than he! But
alas, their folly as far surpasseth the foolishness of that silly
fellow as there is difference between the height of heaven and the
very depth of hell. For our Saviour saith, "Woe may you be that
laugh now, for you shall wail and weep." And "There is a time of
weeping," saith the scripture, "and there is a time of laughing."
But, as you see, he setteth the weeping time before, for that is
the time of this wretched world, and the laughing time shall come
after in heaven. There is also a time of sowing and a time of
reaping, too. Now must we in this world sow, that we may in the
other world reap. And in this short sowing time of this weeping
world, must we water our seed with the showers of our tears. And
then shall we have in heaven a merry laughing harvest forever.
"They went forth and sowed their seeds weeping," saith the prophet.
But what, saith he, shall follow thereof? "They shall come again
more than laughing, with great joy and exultation, with their
handfuls of corn in their hands." Lo, they that in their going home
towards heaven sow their seeds with weeping, shall at the day of
judgment come to their bodies again with everlasting plentiful
laughing. And to prove that this life is no laughing time, but
rather the time of weeping, we find that our Saviour himself wept
twice or thrice, but never find we that he laughed so much as once.
I will not swear that he never did, but at least he left us no
example of it. But on the other hand, he left us example of weeping.

Of weeping have we matter enough, both for our own sins and for
other folk's, too. For surely so should we do--bewail their
wretched sins, and not be glad to detract them nor envy them
either. Alas, poor souls, what cause is there to envy them who are
ever wealthy in this world, and ever out of tribulation? Of them
Job saith, "They lead all their days in wealth, and in a moment of
an hour descend into their graves and are painfully buried in
hell." St. Paul saith unto the Hebrews that those whom God loveth
he chastiseth, "And he scourgeth every son of his that he
receiveth." St. Paul saith also, "By many tribulations must we go
into the kingdom of God." And no marvel, for our Saviour Christ
said of himself unto his two disciples that were going into the
village of Emaus, "Know you not that Christ must suffer and so go
into his kingdom?" And would we who are servants look for more
privilege in our master's house than our master himself? Would we
get into his kingdom with ease, when he himself got not into his
own but by pain? His kingdom hath he ordained for his disciples,
and he saith unto us all, "If any man will be my disciple, let him
learn of me to do as I have done, take his cross of tribulation
upon his back and follow me." He saith not here, lo, "Let him laugh
and make merry." Now if heaven serve but for Christ's disciples,
and if they be those who take their cross of tribulation, when
shall these folk come there who never have tribulation? And if it
be true, as St. Paul saith, that God chastiseth all them that he
loveth and scourgeth every child whom he receiveth, and that to
heaven shall not come but such as he loveth and receiveth, when
shall they come thither whom he never chastiseth, nor never doth
vouchsafe to defile his hands upon them or give them so much as one
lash? And if we cannot (as St. Paul saith we cannot) come to heaven
but by many tribulations, how shall they come thither who never
have none at all? Thus see we well, by the very scripture itself,
how true the words are of old holy saints, who with one voice (in a
manner) say all one thing--that is, that we shall not have
continual wealth both in this world and in the other too. And
therefore those who in this world without any tribulation enjoy
their long continual course of never-interrupted prosperity have a
great cause of fear and discomfort lest they be far fallen out of
God's favour, and stand deep in his indignation and displeasure.
For he never sendeth them tribulation, which he is ever wont to
send them whom he loveth. But they that are in tribulation, I say,
have on the other hand a great cause to take in their grief great
inward comfort and spiritual consolation.

XIV

VINCENT: Verily, good uncle, this seemeth so indeed. Howbeit, yet
methinketh that you say very sore in some things concerning such
persons as are in continual prosperity. And they are, you know, not
a few; and they are also those who have the rule and authority of
this world in their hand. And I know well that when they talk with
such great learned men as can, I suppose, tell the truth; and when
they ask them whether, while they make merry here in earth all
their lives, they may not yet for all that have heaven afterwards
too; they do tell them "Yes, yes," well enough. For I have heard
them tell them so myself.

ANTHONY: I suppose, good cousin, that no very wise man, and
especially none that is also very good, will tell any man fully of
that fashion. But surely such as so say to them, I fear me that
they flatter them thus either for lucre or for fear.

Some of them think, peradventure, thus: "This man maketh much of me
now, and giveth me money also to fast and watch and pray for him.
But so, I fear me, would he do no more, if I should go tell him now
that all that I do for him will not serve him unless he go fast and
watch and pray for himself too. And if I should add thereto and say
further that I trust my diligent intercession for him may be the
means that God should the sooner give him grace to amend, and fast
and watch and pray and take affliction in his own body, for the
bettering of his sinful soul, he would be wonderous wroth with
that. For he would be loth to have any such grace at all as should
make him go leave off any of his mirth, and so sit and mourn for
his sin." Such mind as this, lo, have some of those who are not
unlearned, and have worldly wit at will, who tell great men such
tales as perilously beguile them. For the flatterer who so telleth
them would, if he told a true tale, jeopard to lose his lucre.

Some are there also who tell them such tales for consideration of
another fear. For seeing the man so sore set on his pleasure that
they despair of any amendment of his, whatsoever they should say to
him; and then seeing also that the man doth no great harm, but of a
courteous nature doth some good men some good; they pray God
themselves to send him grace. And so they let him lie lame still in
his fleshly lusts, at the pool that the gospel speaketh of, beside
the temple, in which they washed the sheep for the sacrifice, and
they tarry to see the water stirred. And when his good angel,
coming from God, shall once begin to stir the water of his heart,
and move him to the lowly meekness of a simple sheep, then if
he call them to him they will tell him another tale, and help to
bear him and plunge him into the pool of penance over the hard
ears! But in the meanwhile, for fear lest if he would wax never the
better he would wax much the worse; and from gentle, smooth, sweet,
and courteous, might wax angry, rough, froward, and sour, and
thereupon be troublous and tedious to the world to make fair
weather with; they give him fair words for the while and put him in
good comfort, and let him for the rest take his own chance.

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