| |
| HUMILITY 1 and patience in adversity more please me, my son, | |
| than much comfort and devotion in prosperity. | |
| And why should a little thing spoken against thee make thee sad? | |
| had it been greater, thou shouldst not have been disturbed. | |
| But now let it pass: ’tis nothing strange; it hath happed before; | 5 |
| and if thou live longer, it will happen again. | |
| Thou art manly enough while there is nought to oppose thee: | |
| thou canst give good counsel, and hast encouraged others with words: | |
| But when suddenly the trouble cometh to thine own door, | |
| thou lackest to thyself both in courage and counsel. | 10 |
| Consider thy great weakness, which thou discoverest often in trifling concerns: | |
| and yet it is all for thy good, when these or such like things befal thee. | |
| Put the matter as well as thou canst out of thy mind; | |
| and if the tribulation hath touched thee, let it not cast thee down nor entangle thee. | |
| Bear it patiently, if gladly thou canst not: | 15 |
| or even if thou resent this saying and feel indignation, yet govern thyself; | |
| nor suffer an unchastened word to escape thee, whereby the little ones may stumble. | |
| The storm that hath arisen will quickly subside: | |
| and thy hidden pain will be soothed by returning grace. | |
| I still Am, saith the Lord, ready to aid thee and console thee more than ever, | 20 |
| if thou but trust me, and beseech me with all thy heart. | |
| Be more tranquil in mind, and brace thyself to better fortitude; | |
| All is not lost, even though again and again thou feel thyself broken or well-nigh spent. | |
