The oil of gladnessThe oyle of gladnesse

§ 3.

Do this also plainly and fully, without any reservation, stick not at any thing that troubles thee, but clear thy mind fully, and wholly, and be not like a child that holdeth out the ⟨p. 122⟩wrong finger, and will not be known where his worst pain is. If need be, thou mayest tie thy Physician to secrecy, by the strongest bond of an oath, but be not thou in any one thing secret or reserved, chiefly conceal not that sin sins or temptations that do most perplex thee, or any one aggravating circumstance of them. All labour is lost till this be done. Till the thorn be pulled out, that causeth swelling, the swelling will not be assuaged. The answering ⟨p. 123⟩of all other objections will avail nothing for thy comfort unless this be answered. Let nothing make thee hold back any of thy griefs, more then stay too long before thou begin to crave help. Fear not, squeame not to lay open the worst of thy sores, let the very issue and leprosy be seen that should be healed. A man shall but bungle in the cure that is not throughly informed of the sickness. And as sick men do, so do thou; they believe their tender rather ⟨p. 120⟩[…] ⟨p. 121⟩[…] ⟨p. 122⟩[…] ⟨p. 123⟩[…] ⟨p. 124⟩then their own eyes or conceits: for sick men are exceeding apt to mistake things out of their bodily distemper, and so are also troubled and distempered hearts. Gods words alone can be the ground of comfort, mans may and must be the instrument of comfort, that by believing man, we may be helped to believe in God. As a man must hope above hope, so he must believe above belief. He must captivate his reason to his comforter that feels to a comforter,