And then would I know what determination we take—­whether for our Saviour’s sake to suffer some pain in our bodies, since he suffered in his blessed body so great pain for us, or else to give him warning and be at a point utterly to forsake him rather than to suffer any pain at all?  He who cometh in his mind unto this latter point—­from which kind of unkindness God keep every man!—­he needeth no comfort, for he will flee the need.  And counsel, I fear, availeth him little, if grace be so far gone from him.  But, on the other hand, if, rather than to forsake our Saviour, we determine ourselves to suffer any pain at all, I cannot then see that the fear of hard handling should anything stick with us and make us to shrink so that we would rather forsake his faith than suffer for his sake so much as imprisonment.  For the handling is neither such in prison but what many men, and many women too, live with it many years and sustain it, and afterward yet fare full well.  And yet it may well fortune that, beside the bare imprisonment, there shall happen to us no hard handling at all.  Or else it may happen to us for only a short while—­and yet, beside all this, peradventure not at all.  And which of all these ways shall be taken with us, lieth all in his will for whom we are content to take it, and who for that intent of ours favoureth us and will suffer no man to put more pain to us than he well knoweth we shall be able to bear.  For he himself will give us the strength for it, as you have heard his promise already by the mouth of St. Paul:  “God is faithful, who suffereth you not to be tempted above what you may bear, but giveth also with the temptation a way out.”

But now, if we have not lost our faith already before we come to forsake it for fear, we know very well by our faith that, by the forsaking of our faith, we fall into that state to be cast into the prison of hell.  And that can we not tell how soon; but, as it may be that God will suffer us to live a while here upon earth, so may it be that he will throw us into that dungeon beneath before the time that the Turk shall once ask us the question.  And therefore, if we fear imprisonment so sore, we are much more than mad if we fear not most the imprisonment that is far more sore.  For out of that prison shall no man ever get, and in this other shall no man abide but a while.

In prison was Joseph while his brethren were at large; and yet afterward were his brethren fain to seek upon him for bread.  In prison was Daniel, and the wild lions about him; and yet even there God kept him harmless and brought him safe out again.  If we think that he will not do the like for us, let us not doubt that he will do for us either the like or better, for better may he do for us if he suffer us there to die.  St. John the Baptist was, you know, in prison, while Herod and Herodias sat full merry at the feast, and the daughter of Herodias delighted them with her dancing, till with her dancing she danced off St. John’s head.  And now sitteth he with great feast in heaven at God’s board, while Herod and Herodias full heavily sit in hell burning both twain, and to make them sport withal the devil with the damsel dance in the fire before them.