But yet may we not always pray for the taking away from us of every
kind of temptation. For if a man should in every sickness pray for
his health again, when should he show himself content to die and to
depart unto God? And that mind must a man have, you know, or else
it will not be well with him. It is a tribulation to good men to
feel in themselves the conflict of the flesh against the soul and
the rebellion of sensuality against the rule and governance of
reason--the relics that remain in mankind of old original sin, of
which St. Paul so sore complaineth in his epistle to the Romans.
And yet may we not pray, while we stand in this life, to have this
kind of tribulation utterly taken from us. For it is left us by
God's ordinance to strive against it and fight with it, and by
reason and grace to master it and use it for the matter of our
merit.

For the salvation of our soul may we boldly pray. For grace may we
boldly pray, for faith, for hope, and for charity, and for every
such virtue as shall serve us toward heaven. But as for all the
other things before mentioned (in which is contained the matter of
every kind of tribulation), we may never well make prayers so
precisely but that we must express or imply a condition
therein--that is, that if God see the contrary better for us, we
refer it wholly to his will. And if that be so, we pray that God,
instead of taking away our grief, may send us of his goodness
either spiritual comfort to take it gladly or at least strength to
bear it patiently.

For if we determine with ourselves that we will take no comfort in
anything but the taking of our tribulation from us, then either we
prescribe to God that he shall do us no better turn, even though he