d yet in the labour of sowing
the seed of Christ's faith outran all the rest so far that he
forbore not to say of himself, "I have laboured more than all the
rest have."

But yet, my cousin, though I doubt not that God be so merciful
unto those who, at any time of their life, turn and ask his mercy
and trust in it, though it be at the last end of a man's life; and
that he hireth him as well for heaven who cometh to work in his
vineyard toward night at such time as workmen leave work, and
goeth home, being then willing to work if time should serve, as he
hireth him who cometh in the morning; yet may no man upon the
trust of this parable be bold all his life to lie still in sin.
For let him remember that no man goeth into God's vineyard but he
who is called thither. Now he who, in hope to be called toward the
night, will sleep out the morning and drink out the day, is full
likely to pass at night unspoken to. And then shall he with ill
rest go supperless to bed!

They tell of one who was wont always to say that all the while he
lived he would do what he pleased, for three words when he died
should make all safe enough. But then it so happed that long ere
he was old his horse once stumbled upon a broken bridge. And as he
laboured to recover him, when he saw that it would not be, but
that down into the flood headlong he must go, in sudden dismay he
cried out in the falling, "Have all to the devil!" And there was
he drowned with his three words ere he died, whereon his hope hung
all his wretched life.

And therefore let no man sin in hope of grace, for grace cometh
but at God's will, and that state of mind may be the hindrance
that grace of fruitful repenting shall never after be offered him,
but that he shall either graceless go linger on careless, or with
a care that is fruitless shall fall into despair.

VI

VINCENT: Forsooth, uncle, in this point methinketh you say very
well. But then are there some again who say on the other hand that
we shall need no heaviness for our sins at all, but need only
change our intent and purpose to do better, and for all that is
passed take no thought at all. And as for fasting and other
affliction of the body, they say we should not do it save only to
tame the flesh when we feel it wax wanton and begin to rebel. For
fasting, they say, serveth to keep the body in temperance, but to
fast for penance or to do any other good work, almsdeed or other,
toward satisfaction for our own