Heautonaparnumenos

But, I told you (& you must expect no less; neither let it deter, but excite you to grapple with the Difficulty;) this will seem durus sermo, a harsh crabbed Lesson to you, 'twill be grievous at the ⟨p. 61⟩first hand, as it were ever-night but then Joy will come in the morning. Does not our Saviour tell us so?¹ that a Woman both sorrow indeed while she is in Travail, because her Hour is come; but having brought forth, she remembers her Sorrow no more for joy, that a Man is borne into the World. I'm sure, the Psalmist tells us, He that sows in tears shall reap in joy,² and bring his sheaves with him. His Joy, says the Prophet, is like the joy of men in Harvest, ³or them that divide the spoil, whose joy is sweetened by the remembrance of what pains they first took for it. For indeed we have no Satisfactory title, either to our Meat, ⁴the food of our Bodies, or to Joy, the food of our Souls, without our precedent labour for it. Therefore our Saviour tells us,⁵ The Kingdom of Heaven [Greek or Hebrew], is forced, stormed or suffers an Onslaught, as I may say, and the Violent must take it by force, if they mean to have it.

But, I told you (& you must expect no lesse; neither let it deter, but excite you to grapple with the Difficulty;) this will seem durus sermo, a harsh crabbed Lesson to you, 'twill be grievous at the ⟨p. 61⟩first hand, as it were ever-night but then Joy will come in the morning. Does not our Saviour tell us so?¹ that a Woman both sorrow indeed while she is in Travail, because her Houre is comne; but having brought forth, she remembers her Sorrow no more for joy, that a Man is borne into the World. I'm sure, the Psalmist tells us, He that sowes in teares shall reap in joy,