The divine life in three treatises

2. How know you what sin your friend might have fallen into, if he had lived as long as you would have him? You'll say, that God could have preserved him from sin: It's true: but God preserveth sapientially, by means, as well as omnipotentially: And sometime he seeth that the temptations to that person are like to be so strong, and his corruption like to get such advantage, and that no means is so fit as Death it self, for his preservation. And if God had permitted your friend by temptation to have fallen into some scandalous sin, or course of evil, or into errors or false ways, would it not have been much worse then death to him and you? God might have suffered your friend that was so faithful, to have been sifted and shaken as Peter was, and to have denied his Lord; and to have seemed in your own eyes, as odious as he before seemed amiable.

2. How know you what sin your friend might have fallen into, if he had lived as long as you would have him? You'l say, that God could have preserved him from sin: It's true: but God preserveth sapientially, by means, as well as omnipotentially: And sometime he seeth that the temptations to that person are like to be so strong, and his corruption like to get such advantage, and that no means is so fit as Death it self, for his preservation. And if God had permitted your friend by temptation to have fallen into some scandalous sin, or course of evil, or into errors or false wayes, would it not have been much worse then death to him and you? God might have suffered your friend that was so faithful, to have been sifted and shaken as Peter was, and to have denied his Lord; and to have seemed in your own eyes, as odious as he before seemed amiable.

3. How know you what unkindness to your self, your dearest friend might have been guilty of? Alas there is greater frailty and inconstancy in man, then you are aware of. And there are sadder roots of corruption unmortified, that may spring up into bitter fruits, then most of us ever discover in our selves. Many a Mother hath her heart broken by the unnaturalness of such a child, or the unkindness of such a husband, as if they had died before, would have been lamented by her, with great impatience and excess. How confident soever you may be of the future fidelity of your friend, you little know what trial might have discovered. Many a one hath failed God and man that once were as confident of themselves, as ever you were of your friend. And which of us see not reason