lack and what you should
seek. If, therefore, you find in yourself a weak faith, small hope and
little love toward God; and that you do not praise and honor God, but
love your own honor and fame, think much of the favor of men, do not
gladly hear mass and sermon, are indolent in prayer, in which things
every one has faults, then you shall think more of these faults than of
all bodily harm to goods, honor and life, and believe that they are
worse than death and all mortal sickness. These you shall earnestly lay
before God, lament and ask for help, and with all confidence expect
help, and believe that you are heard and shall obtain help and mercy.

Then go forward into the Second Table of the Commandments, and see how
disobedient you have been and still are toward father and mother and
all in authority; how you sin against your neighbor with anger, hatred
and evil words; how you are tempted to unchastity, covetousness and
injustice in word and deed against your neighbor; and you will
doubtless find that you are full of all need and misery, and have
reason enough to weep even drops of blood, if you could.

X. But I know well that many are so foolish as not to want to ask for
such things, unless they first be conscious that they are pure, and
believe that God hears no one who is a sinner. All this is the work of
those false preachers, who teach men to begin, not with faith and trust
in God's favor, but with their own works.

Look you, wretched man! if you have broken a leg, or the peril of death
overtakes you, you call upon God, this Saint and that, and do not wait
until your leg is healed, or the danger is past: you are not so foolish
as to think that God hears no one whose leg is broken, or who is in
bodily danger. Nay, you believe that God shall hear most of all when
you are in the greatest need and fear. Why, then, are you so foolish
here, where there is immeasurably greater need and eternal hurt, and do
not want to ask for faith, hope, love, humility, obedience, chastity,
gentleness, peace, righteousness, unless you are already free of all
your unbelief, doubt, pride, disobedience, unchastity, anger,
covetousness and unrighteousness. Although the more you find yourself
lacking in these things, the more and more diligently you ought to pray
or cry.

So blind are we: with our bodily sickness and need we run to God; with
the soul's sickness we run from Him, and are unwilling to come back
before we are well, exactly a