¶ A spiritual and most precious Pearl. Teaching all men to love and embrace the cross, as a most sweet and necessary thing, unto the soul, and what comfort is to be taken thereof, and also where and how, both consolation and aid in all manner of afflyccy●ns is to be sought, And again, how all men should behave themselves therein, according to the word of God. Set forth by the most honourable Lord, the duke his grace of Somerset, as appeareth by his epistle set before the same. JESUS. verily verily, I say unto you, Whosoever believeth on me, hath everlasting life. The Contents of this book are contained in the next leaf. The contents of the most precious and spiritual pearl. The first Chapter. ¶ That all trouble & affliction cometh from God. Fol. i●… The second Chapter. ¶ That trouble, affliction and adversity are sent unto us of God, even for the punishment of our sins. Fol. i●…. The third Chapter. ¶ All manner of troubles & afflictions, whatsoever they be, are allweys much●… less and lighter than are our sins. Fol. v▪ The fourth Chapter. ¶ All manner of afflictions are sent and come from God, of a loving and fatherly mind toward us. Fol. viij. The fift Chapter. ¶ That only God, for Christ's sake and that of very mere love & favour doth correct and punish us. Fol. x The sy●…t Chapter. ¶ similitudes & comparisons, dec●…arynge how and after what manner God, doth plague and chasten us, of very love, mercy and favour towards us. Fo. xii●…▪ The. seven. Chapter. ¶ Trouble and afflictions do serve 〈◊〉 prove and to try us with all. Fol. xxi. The. viij. Chapter. ¶ Trouble and afflictions do help & further us to the knowledge of ourselves and of God also, and specially to wisdom. Fol. xxv. The. ix. Chapter. ¶ Trouble & afflictions do help and further us to the right knowledge of our sins, and to perfit sorrow and repentance for them. Fol. xxvi. The. x. Chapter. ¶ Trouble affliction and adversity, do help and further us to the exe●…synge a●…d increasing of our faith. Fol. xxvi●…. The. xi. Chapter. ¶ Trouble & adversity giveth us occasion to pray unto God, and to laud and praise him. Fol. xxxij. The. xij. Chapter. ¶ Trouble & adversity do further us to virtue and Godliness. Fol. xxxiiij. The. xiij. Chapter. ¶ Sorrow and affliction do help and further us toward the fear and love of God. Fol. xxxviij. The. xiv. Chapter. ¶ Trouble and affliction is good an●… profitable to teach man patience, meekness and lowlenes. Fol. xli. The. xv. Chapter. ¶ Trouble and adversity is good to teach men, pity compassion and patience towards other. Fol. xlij. The. xvi. Chapter. ¶ Trouble and adversity maketh men hard and strong, and teacheth them soberness and temperancy. Fol. xliij. The. xvij. Chapter. ¶ Trouble and adversity teacheth men to contemn, despise and defy the world to be diligent and fervent in all godliness and virtue. Fol. xliiij. The. xvii●…. Chapter. ¶ Trouble and adversity is also an occa zion and help, of much transitory quietness and commodity in this world. Fol. x●…ij. The. nineteen. Chapter. ¶ Trouble and adversity is a furtherance to eternal life. Fol. xlix. The. xx. Chapter. ¶ How and in what respect trouble and adversity can be so profitable and of such virtue saying: that the unfaithful do●… wax more obstinate and peruers●…●…row trouble and affliction. Fol. l. The. xxi. Chapter. ¶ Fellow companions in trouble and adversity. Fol. liiij The second part of this book. The. xxij. Chapter. ¶ By what natural means or ways trouble and adversity may be qualified eased and overcome. Fol. lvi. The. twenty-three. Chapter. ¶ The best and surest succour and comfort in adversity, resteth only in the might, power will and goodness of God. Fol. lix. The. xxiv. Chapter. ¶ Examples of the help and aid of God. Fol. lxiiij. The third and last part of this book. The. xxv. Chapter. ¶ We must direct our faith, hope & confidence, towards God. Fol. lxvi. The. xxvi. Chapter. ¶ Of prayer in trouble and adversity. Fol. lxviij. The. xxvij. Chapter. ¶ Repentance and amendment of life, in trouble and adversity is necessary. Fol. lxx. The. xxviij. Chapter. ¶ christian & godly persuasions and examples out of the word of God to move men unto patience in affliction and adversity. Fol. lxxi. The. xxix. Chapter. ¶ Examples & causes taken out of natural things and of heathen men, whereby a man may be moved to patience in adversity. Fol. lxxvi The. thirty. Chapter. ¶ By what means, patience ma●…e be obtained, & gotten. And once had, how it may be kept and increased? Fol. lxxxiij. The. xxxi. Chapter. ¶ The fruit, profit and commodity of patience as well corporal as spiritual. Fol. lxxxix. ¶ An humble petition to the Lord, practised in the common prayer of the whole family at Shene, during the trouble of their Lord and master the duke of Somerset his grace: gathered and set forth by Thomas Becon, Minister there. Which trouble began the. vi. of October, the year of our Lord, M. D. xlix. and ended the vi. of February, than next ensuing. Fol. xcvij ¶ A thanks giving for his grace's deliverance. Fol. xcviiij. ¶ A godly prayer and confession of our sins to God our heavenly father, with the rehearsal of the punishments and plagues of the same calling therein upon the mercy of God. Fol. c. ¶ A prayer for the kings majesty and for peace. Fol. ciij Edward by the grace of God Duke of Somerset, earl of hertford viscount Beachamp, lord Seimour, uncle to the kings excellent majesty, knight of the most noble order of the garther etc. to the Christian reader Greeting. IF they be worthy praise who for a zeal and desire that they have to do their neighbours good, do wright and put in print such things as by experience they have proved, or by hear say of grave and trusty men they have learned, or by reading of good and ancient authores they have understanded, to be a salve or medicine, to a man's body or to a part or member of the same, how much more deserve they thank and praise that teach us a true comfort salve & medicine of the soul, spirit, & mind. The which spirit and mind the more precious, it is then the body, the more dangerous be his sores and sickness, and the more thank worth the cure thereof, For a well quieted mind to a troubled body, yet maketh quietness, and sickness of body or loss of goods is not much painful, to him that esteemeth it not, or ●…aketh it patiently. But an unquiet mind, yea to a most hold body, maketh health unpleasant, & death to be wished, And an unsatiable mind and sore with desire of more, maketh riches, poverty, and health a sickness, strength an infirmity, beauty a deformity, and wealth poverty, wken by comparing his felicity with a better it loseth the grace and joy of that it hath and feeleth the smart of that it hath not. The●… to amend this in wealth, and to take away sorrow and grief, where no just nor apparent cause of grief is, is a great master of physykes deed, and worthy much commendation, what is he then worthy that can ease grief in deed, and make health where a very sore restyth, I mean that can ease a man set in affliction, take away the grief from him that is persecuted, lose the prisoner yet in bonds, take away adversity in adversity, make grievous sickness not to be felt, make poverty riches, beggary to be rejoiced at. divers learned men heretofore by reasons grounded of man's knowledge wrote and invented great comfort against all kind of griefs, And so among the gentle and philosophers books, be books of comfort, But whosoever followeth but worldly and man's reason to teach comfort to the troubled mind can give but a counterfeit medicine, And as the surgeon doth, which colorablye healeth, or the physician, which giveth medicines that doth astunyshe and mortify the place, they deceive the patient, And peradventure to the outward show they may bring i●… a certain stoutness and blind dissembling of pain, But the true healing of grief and sorrow they had not, for they lacked the ground, they lacked that, that should heal the sore at the bone first, that is true faith in Christ and his holy word. All medicines of the soul, which be laid on the sores thereof, not having that cleanser with them, be but over healers, they do not take away the rankling within, and many times under colours of hasty he aling, they bring fourth proud flesh in the sore, as evil and worse as that, which was furst corrupt. This man whosoever he be, that was the first author of this book (if our judgement be any thing) goeth the right way to work, he bringeth his ground from God's word, he taketh with him the oil and wine of the Samarytan, he Luk. x. d carrieth the hurt man from thence as he lay hurt, and bringeth him to his right host, where no doubt he may be cured if he will himself apply him thereto, It is red in histories that the manner among the old egyptians or Assyrians was when any were sick to lay him abroad, that every man that passed by might tell if he had been vexed with like sickness what thing was that, that did cure and heal him, and so they might use i●… to the patient. And by this means it is thought, that the science of physyck was first found out. So that it may appear that this readiness to teach an other that thing wherein a man feeleth ease of grief, is not only Christian, but also natural. In our great trouble, which of late did happen unto us (as all the world ☜ doth know) when it please God for a time to attempt us with his scourge, and to prove if we loved him, In reading this book we did find great comfort and an inward and godly working power much relieving the grief of our mind. The which thing now calling to remembrance, we do think it our duty not to be more unnatural than the old egyptians were. But rather as the office of a Christian is to be ready to help all men by all ways possible that we can, and especially those that be afflicted. And hereupon we have required him of whom we had the copy of this book ☜ the rather at our request and commendation, to set this book forth and in print, That not only we or one or two more, but all that be afflicted may take profit and consolation if they will, Yea and they that be not afflicted, may either see what they should have done in their trouble. Or what hereafter they ought to do, if any like happeneth, Knowing certainly, that such is the uncerteintye of the world and all human things, that no man standeth so sure▪ but the tempest of affliction and adversity may overtake 〈◊〉. cor. x. b h●…, and if the grace of god do not singularly help him, cast him do●…e and make him fall, Wherefore it is most necessary always to have in redyves such godly meditations and medicines, as may pacy●…ye God's wrath beginning to kindle, and defend in part the bitterness of affliction, whereof this book is very plenteous and full. Far you well. From our house at Somerset place, the▪ vi. day of May. Anno. 1550. A spiritual and precious Pearl: Teaching all men to love and embrace the ●…rosse, as a most sweet and necessary thing unto the soul, and what comfort is to be taken thereof, and also where and how, both consolation and aid in all manner of afflictions is to be sought: And again how all men should behave themselves therein, according to the word of God. The first Chapter. That all trouble and affliction cometh from God. I Call all that, trouble and affliction, whatsoever is reputed to be contrary to the desire and appetite of man's nature, as the unquiet suggestions of the flesh, the temptations of the devil, sickness of body, a wicked and froward mate in matrimony, to have disobedient children, unkind and unthanful friends, loss of goods, to be deprived of any old liberty or privilege loss or blemish of name and fame, the malice & displeasure of men, hunger, dearth, pestylens, war, imprisonment and death. And in this register do I put all kinds of crosses and afflictions, whether they be bodily or ghostly, our own or our friends, private & singular or universal & general, privy & secret or open & manifest, deserved or undeserved. In all such things, I say, every Christian man ought first of all to consider the very root, ground, & beginning, after this wise. That all things whatsoever God sendeth, we ought to take & receive them patiently. For this is ones true that god is our creator & maker, & we his workman ship, he is our king, our Lord & father. And like as it is not seeming that the put should murmur Rom. ix against the po●…maker, even so is it much less convenient that we should murmur & grudge against God's will and judgement Ro. ix. And although trouble & affliction riseth and springeth often times by the wickedness of enemies and thorough the instigation of the devil or else by some other mean, yet ought we never to imagine that it cometh by fortune or chance without the permission, sufferance, domination and will of God, but by and with the fore knowledge, providence, and appointment of god. And to speak properly, concerning safeguard, it is all one (so that we tempt not God) whether we live in poverty, or in riches, in the fire or in the water, among our enemies, or among our friends, saying that God saith, knoweth, disposeth, and rulyth all things. As witnesseth the first book i. re. ij. b. deu. xxxij Sa. xvi. c Tob. xiij and second chapter of the kings. The Lord bringeth death, and restoreth again unto life, bringeth into the grave and rai seth up again, putteth down and exalteth also. And job also testifieth in his misery, the Lord did given it, and the job. iij Lord hath taken it again. And Christ in the tenth of matthew, There falleth not a sparrow upon the earth without your father's will, yea the hears of your head are all u●…mbied. Seeing then that all our troubles & afflictions come from God, we ought to humble & submit our hearts and minds unto the obedience of god, and to suffer him to worck with us according unto his most holy will and pleasure. Wherefore whensoever unseasonable whether shall hurt and perish the corn and fruit of the earth, or when a wicked man shall mysreporte us or raise up any slander of us, why should we murmur & grudge against the elements or go about to revenge us of our enemies? For if we lift not up our minds & consider, that God layeth his hand upon us, & that it is he that striketh us, we are even like unto dogs and no better, which if a man do cast a stone at them, will bite the stone without any respect who did cast the stone. And again no man mat. xxv ought to be unwilling or discontent to render again that talon or pledge, that was committed to him only, to reserve & keep. It is that God, that giveth us life, health of body, strength, wife, children, friends riches, honour, power, authority, peace, rest & quietness, for a time, so long as pleaseth him. Now if the same God will take again some of these things, or all, he taketh nothing, but his own, & even that which we did owe unto him. For that which cause to murmur against his will, & to strive against his judgement, it can not be but an heinous and a grievous sin. The second chapter. ¶ That trouble and affliction and adversity are sent unto us of God, even for the punishment of our sins. NOw what thing moveth or causeth god, to send home unto us & visit us with affliction, trouble & vexation? concerning this point mark this well. Whatsoever any man hath merited & deserved that ought he to bear & to suffer willingly & gladly. Let every man ap pose & examine himself whether he hath not deserved to be correct & chastened of god, (if it be not for any special thing at that present instant,) yet for other sins committed at other times. Now will our lord god in all manner of punishments & visitacions, declare that order of his righteousness & his he up wrath & indignation against sin & wickedness: for he saith in the .ij. commandment: I that lord which am thy god, am a jealous & an earnest god, & I will visit the sins of the fathers upon the children, even until the third & fourth generation, if they hate Exo. xx & contemn me. And in the. xxviij. chap. of the. v. book of Moses, are all the plagues rehearsed one after another, which shall be poured out upon the wicked & ungodly, & in the. xiij. of Luke it is said thus. If ye do not amend ye shall all perish: & that we may perceive even before our eyes evidently how that punishment & plagues are the dew reward unto sin, God temperyth & framyth the punishment, even like unto the sin God punisheth sin with like sin. 〈◊〉. Re. xi so that they do both agree together as well in form & likeness, as in proportion & quality. As for an example like as David defiled Wrias' wife, even so were his wines defiled unto him again also. He caused Wrias to be slain & destroyed, & therefore did his son destroy his own brother again, & stirred a sedition & uproar, & hunted & drove his father out of his kingdom, so that no man can sufficiently express the great misery & punishment, that David & his people suffered, For the shameful wickedness & abomination that he had committed. Now consider & weigh, as it were in a true balance the righteousness, which god requireth of us on the one side, & again the whole trade of our life, on the other side. If the generation of mankind had been conformable ●…n to the law of god, & had not swerved from the same it had been altogether thoroughly happy & blessed evermore, & should never have rottyd & dried away like the fruit and flowers of the field. But it ●…waruyd & fell away, at the ●…irst even from the beginning. Our first parents & progenitors, did neglect & Gene. iij despise gods commandments, & so we though row their fall are corrupt & infected, our reason, senses, & understanding blinded, & our will 〈◊〉. We feel & find in us wicked lusts & affections, we seek in the world lust & pleasure, even against the holy word of god. And like as if an ass were trimmyd & decked in a lionsskyn & would needs be a lion, yet his long ears being all ways upward, should easily descry & bewray him. Even so if we adourn garnish & set forth ourselves with certain glorious bew tiful works never so much, so that no man can say but that we are utterly innocent & vnc●…lpable in divers & many points, yet not with standing we have filthy, unclean & wicked hearts, full of security & neglect of god altogether given to the love of ourselves, & to all manner of dissoluteness. Now therefore if we be assaulted & visited with sickness, pover ty, war, sedition, we ought not to ascribe these things, one to the magistrate, another to the preacher & minister of god's word or to the faith & religion itself, and the third to the elements and stars, or to God in heaven himself, as though any of these were the occasion of such plagues: Like as no man ought to accuse and blame the physician as though he were the occasion of the corrupt humours within the body, not withstanding that he hath brought & driven them out, that a man may evidently see and perceive them, but the misbehaviour & untemperate dieth of the man himself is the very right occasion & the only root thereof: Even so we ought not to ascribe any blame or fault unto god, if he send unto us heaviness, pain & trouble, but to think that it is a medicine and remedy meet for our sins, & every man to ascribe the very cause & occasion thereof unto himself & his own sins, & to refer the blame to nothing. And this example did the holy men our godly forefathers in old time show declare & leave unto us, ascribing always the cause & occasion of the cross, & of such heavy afflictions, as did happen in their time, even unto their own sins. As Daniel in the. ix. chap: saith: By reason of our sins & of the wickedness of our fathers, is jerusalem and thy people destroyed even of those that dwell Dan. ix. about us. For the which cause we ought rather to lament and bewail, yea and tocrye out alas, alas, out, out, upon our sins and wickedness, then either upon any infirmity sickness or upon any other affliction or tribulation, which we suffer by reason of our sins. For if we should wail, and be heavy without reason or measure, when God doth nothing, but 〈◊〉 justice and righteousness upon his enemies, what were it else but to mislike the righteousness of God, and even to love that thing which God hateth? And what is this else, but only the very righteousness and goodness of God, when he punisheth marterith & utterly subdueth and destroyeth in us here in this world his & our greatest enemies, that is to say, our sins. Therefore to sorrow and mourn without measure in the midst of affliction and trouble, is nothing else but to show thyself a friend unto sin, which is thine & God's highest enemy. Wherefore we should rather laud God, and highly rejoice (not specially, because of the misery and affliction) but in the righteous & gracious will of God. Righteous, I say, because he punisheth sin. And again gracious & merciful, for as much as he doth punished it much more easily than we have iust●…ye deserved. ¶ The third Chapter. ¶ All manner of troubles and afflictions, whatsoever they be, are always much less and lighter than are our sins. Uuhansoever a man doth give a small and a light ponyshement unto him that hath deserved much greater, it is reason that he receive & take it patiently. As one that hath slain and murdered a man, if he be but beaten and whipped out of a city or town, he taketh it in good part, because he knoweth well enough, that he hath deserved to be hanged. The holy woman Judith thinketh in the▪ viij. Chapter that all these transyto ty punishments are much less & far inferior unto our sins and wickedness says. Wherefore if thou suffer poverty, sickness or any other adversity, consider and think with thyself after this manner. Well, thy manifold sins have deserved a thousand, thousand times more 'gree nous punishment, more heavy sickness, more horrible war, and more intolerable imprisonment. And if all the miseries of the world should come together upon on●… heap unto thee, yet thou hast deserved much worse: For that haste well deserved the full power & tyranny of the devil, & eternal damnation nation, which notwithstanding God hath kept & taken from the of his mere mercy, only for jesus christes sake. Item he that hath received always good & prosperous things ought not to marvel nor to wonder, if sometime he receive also some misfortune & adversity. Even the children of the world can say, that there is never a good hour, but hath also deserved an evil. Now so merciful is God that he suffereth no man upon earth unrewarded with one benefit or other. As well before trouble as after yea, & also in the very time there of, he giveth him many high & excellent gystes and benefits, as well bodily as ghostly, corporal as spiritual. As for his benefits before trouble and affliction, we have a notable example set be fore our eyes in job, which saith, seeing job. iij. we have received much goodness of God why should we not be content also to receive the evil likewise? Plyny the second being an Heathen man, as he would comfort a fryude of his, whose dear spouse & wife was departed out of the world, among other things, he wrote after this manner. This aught to be a singular comfort unto thee, that thou hast had and enjoyed such a precious jewel so long a tyme. For. ●…iiij. years did she live with thee, and there was never anystryfe, brawling or contention between you nor never, one of you once displeased the other. Yea but now thou wilt s●…y, so much the more loath and unwilling am I to forbear & to be without her, saying I lived so long a time so quyetely with her. For we forget soon such pleasures & commodities, as we have proved & tasted, but a little ty me only. But to answer to this, take thou heed that thou be not found unthankful, if thou wilt only weigh and consider what thou hast lost, and not remember, how long thou didst enjoy her. And again in the very time & midst of affliction and tribulation, God giveth us grace to consider other good & prosperous things which we have and enjoy still, that thorough the rememberans & consideration of them, our smart & pain may be eased, mollified & mitigated. As for an example, thou art a weak, impotent, and a diseased man in thy body, but yet hath God given the reasonable & convenient goods & possessions to sustain the with, or else if thou hast scarceness & lack of goods & riches, yet thou hast no lack of bodily health. Now if we will not set & weigh the one against the other, then are we like unto little children, which if any man happen a little to disturb or hinder their play & game, or to take any manner of thing from them, they will by and by cast away all the rest also, and will fall on weeping. Even so were it possible enough for▪ us to do likewise, when so ever any misfortune should happen unto us, to wax angry & displeased, and to have no manner of lust nor desire to use nor to enjoy it unto that good that still remaineth & is left behind. Be it in case that thou wert deprived of all manner of bodily comfort, but yet in thy breast & heart thou haste the knowledge of jesus Christ which hath redeemed the out of hell and damnation that was dew unto thee, in respect of the which damnation all plagues upon earth are to be esteemed as one little drop of water, against the whole sea. Besides this also thorough faith, thou feelest a confydens and assurans of everlasting & eternal joy, As S. Paul doth write of the same in the. viij. to the Roma. saying. I suppose that the afflictions of this world are not worthy of the glory that shall be revealed unto us. An example have Luc. xv. we set before our eyes in the prodigal & desperate son, which did so humble and submit himself, that he desired no more to be taken for a son, but to be put to labour as a day labourer, and an hired servant, so that he might but only remain John. viij in his father's house, Even so whatsoever God sendeth, ought we to take patiently, so that we may but only dwell in the house of God, in heaven with God everlastingly. Now if any man should think thus, God doth not punish other which have committed much more h●…ynos sins, with so great & grievous plagues & diseases, as he doth us, that were unreverently & unchristenly imagined of God. For what if thou thyself beyst more wicked than any other. But be it so that other do live more wickedly & 〈◊〉 than thou, what wottest thou, how God doth punish them? The greatest & most grievous pains and ponyshementes are the inward sorrows & secret ponyshmentes of the mind which are not seen with the outward eye. And although they have no special sorrow nor singular grief, that appeareth unto thee, and thou knowest not what God meaneth thereby, yet oughtest thou (as a child unto the father to give unto him) honour, laud, and praise, that he disposeth all things with such wisdom and in such order. And when he saith time, he will reward & consider all such things as have been wrought & committed heretofore against his most right & just laws, according as they have deserved. The iiij. Chapter. All manner of afflictions are sent and come from God of a loving & fatherly mind toward us. IT is not sufficient for us to know that all manner of affliction cometh by the permission and sufferance of God, of his just judgement by reason of our sins. For in extreme temptations and in great necessities, these are the first thoughts and imaginations that come into our minds. (For as much as I have grievously offended God with my sins, therefore is he displeased with me, and now become mine enemy, and hath cast his favour from me). And if we prevent not, & shift away such fantasies & imaginations in time, they will make us to flee from God, to forsake him, and to abhor & grudge against him, As Saul did, which imagined & fully persuaded with himself that God punished him of hatred & displeasure against him. And therefore saul's heart turned from God, and forsook him, and so he began to hate and abhor him as a cruel tyrant. Wherefore unto such points and articles as are taught heretofore, this admonition doth also appertain teyne. We ought to receive with high thankfulness, what soever God of a fatherly & loving mind & not of any indignation toward us, sendeth unto us, whether it be to the flesh pleasant or grievous. The Ford God vy●…iteth us with temporal & transitory misery, even for the very careful and fatherly heart that he beareth toward us, and not of any hatred or indignation against us. For God is reconciled, and at one with all Christian men, thorough his son, and loveth them even from the very ground of his heart. For the which cause, how so ever, or by what manner of mean it be that God povysheth & correcteth us, he doth it because he hateth, as though he would utterly refuse and cast us away: but of very pity & compassion, only to receive us as his children, to keep and preserve us, to exercise and practise us, to humble and to bring us down, and to stir and prick us forward, that prayer, faith, the ●…eare of God, obedience & other virtues may ware and increase in us to his honour and our salvation. testimonies for this have we first in the xxxiij. of Ezechiel. As truly as I live, I have no pleasure in the death of the sinner, but that he turn & live. Here ●…owe doth God swear that he doth ponyshe, not to destroy but to allure, reduce & bring us unto penans. Item. Prou. iij. Whom the Lord loveth, him doth he chasten, and yet not withstanding he hath pleasure in him, as a father in his child. This is an evident testimony, that affliction, trouble, and vexation are no tokens of the wrath and displeasure of God, but rather holy tokens of his grace mercy and favour, whereby god assureth us of his merciful will and fatherly heart toward us. Item in the. viij. to the Romans. We know that un Ro. viij. to such as love God, all things serve to the best. And in the. xi. of the. i▪ to the Chorinth. we are corrected & punished of the lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. All this mayest thou also mark in the whole story of job thorough out. Likewise joseph was sold of his brethren, and delivered unto the Heathen, of very malice and envy by the provocation and suggestion of the devil. But the most faithful God turned it to the profit and wealth both of the house of Israel, and also of the whole kingdom of Egypt. For so did joseph himself interpret it, in the. x●…v. of Genesis. Again the church of Christ, that is to say the Christian congregation which is Christ's spouse, must suffer vexation and affliction here upon earth. But for as much as God loveth this his spouse of his son, namely the congregation of the faithful, and minded to comfort her, and to be most benefycially unto her, therefore like as he hath raised up Christ her bridegroom, head, and King, from death, even so will he also deliver her from all affliction, and give her a joyful victory of all such things as do oppress her. But it is the infirmity and fault of our weak eyes, that we can not espy the merciful & loving goodness of God in and under the rod and scourge. whensoever we are visited with affliction and misery, it is our du●…ye in deed first to acknowledge and remember our sins, and again to con cider the ●…ock & bands of the devil for sin, but we ought not to judge & imagine of such affliction according to the purpose and will of the devil (as he of a malice & a mischievous mind that he beareth us, mindeth toward us▪ which seeketh continually nothing else, but the utter destruction and confusion of all mankind) but rather we ought to esteem & consider of all such troubles & afflictions, according as God meaneth & receiveth them, which of his mere goodness turneth them to our wealth & profit, working & finishing thereby our perfect salvation, And wheresoever the heart can not conceive this comfort that God correcteth & povysheth for very merciful favour & love toward us, there of necessity must the temptation and grief be much the greater and the party at length fall to utter desperation. ¶ The. v. Chapter. That only God, for Christ's sake, and that of very merry, love, and favour doth correct and povyshe us. THe very right and only cause of the merciful and fatherly will of God toward us, have we in the only merits of jesus Christ, unto whom we ought to lift up our hearts toward heaven, and to behold and consider him with our minds continually after this manner. Our sins and misdeeds deserve hunger, dearth, war, pestilence, and all manner of plagues. Now hath Christ ransomed and made full satisfaction for all the sins that we have committed. He hath redeemed, paid, discharged, and made harmless unto us all our misdeeds with his bitter death & victorious resurrection, & hath satisfied his father's righteousness, As S. Paul doth testify very comfortably. i Corin. i saying: jesus is become and made unto us, our wisdom, our righteousness our satisfaction and our redemption. So that now if afflictions hurt us only by reason of our sins and our sins satisfied & discharged thorough the death and passion of jesus, then must it needs follow that all our afflictions all so, are likewise harmless unto us, and can not hurt us. Yea Christ, with, and thorough his passion, and affliction, hath blessed and sanctified all manner of afflictions, that they all should serve and redound unto all faithful Christians for their greatest wealth, up the ordinance and provision of God their heavenly father. He is the true physician which after he perceived, that affliction did fear us, took upon himself to suffer all manner of trouble, yea the most grievous sorrows and extremities, because he would set and appoint a certain measure and end unto our sorrows, and also bless & sanctify, yea & also make pleasant and delectable very death itself unto us. Oh if we could feel, behold and con cider the heart & mind of Christ, when he did willingly hang upon the cross, and suffered himself so cruelly & painfully to be tormented & punished, for no nother cause, but that he might utterly take away the whole strength of all our sins, sorrow, and death, and destroy hell, that none of them should hurt us. And again that he tasted & drank of the cup before us, that we being sick & weak might the rather drink & taste of it after him, for as much as no evil mis happened unto him thereof, but immediately rose up again from death. Oh, if the knowledge and remembrance of this might remain in our hearts upright, & shine continually before us, than should we never sink or faint, nor yet despair of the mercy and goodness of God, al●… though we should labour in never so dangerous & grievous a battle, & though we ourselves should taste & feel the dew punishment that our sins have deserved, then should we be able to stand sty●… felye agayuste the gates of hell. And all manner of sorrow heaviness, temptation, fear, and misfortune should thereby be utterly consumed and swallowed up. And ●…uen this is the highest & most special comfort that ever was hard or red of, from the beginning of the world. He is only alone sufficient (if we consider him and take hold of him as we should do) to plant and graft such a mind in us, that we shall not only not sorrow nor be heavy, but also triumph and rejoice in and of our misery and affliction, as Paul triumpheth excellently and highly. Roman. viij. where he saith: if God hath not spared his only son, but hath given him up for us all, how should he not give us all things with him? What make we then with our vain fearfulness, care, sorrow, and heaviness? Wherefore (if we will be right Christians) we must with all thankfulness set forth, extol, and magnify this excellent, infinite, and heavenly grace and benefit of God, and the high and singular comfort, which we have by Christ. For all they that lack the knowledge of the benefit that we have by Christ, and refuse this excellent & high treasure whether they be jews or Heathen of Mahometis or of the Popyshes●…cte they can not be able to give any true, perfect, or halsome comfort, either to themselves or to any other in any manner of fear or doubt of the conscience or in any other affliction and necessity. So long as they are quiet and safe, and neither feel nor consider the pain of death nor any other grief or necessity, they may well live securely and boldly without any manner of fear, but when the evil hour ones cometh, that the wether changeth a little, that either thorough the revelation and opening of the law they feel and perceive the wrath of God over them, or else thorough the manifest and evident tokens and preaching of the just punishment and vengeance of God, and thorough the present taste of some plague they are suddenly taken & stricken with fear, as than doth all their wisdom, counsel, and policy, wherewith to withstand any such evil, utterly fail them, & suddenly deceive them. Then i'll they from God, and can not tell, whether to run, nor where to hide themselves. And how small soever their temptation, or plague is, their heart is dashyd and as sore afraid (as Moses saith) of the noise of a leaf as of a thonderclap. And with such manner persous the whole trade of their former life, with all their labour, travail, and a●…ians in their superstitious, serving of God, and in their hard, & straight life is utterly lost and spent in vain. Yea what comfort soever they have sought, beside Christ, it is all nothing else but an augmentation of their sorrowful fear and a training of them, towards desperation. So that without and besides the Lord jesus, there is no manner of comfort, aid nor succour at all to be looked for. The. vi. Chapter. ¶ similitudes and comparisons, declaring, how & after what manner God doth plague and chasten us, of very love, mercy, and favour towards us. When as almighty God for the merits of his son, not of any ireful mind or displeasure, but of a good will and loving heart towards us, doth correct and punish us, he may be compared and lykenyd unto a father, a mother, a master, a physician, an husband man, a goldsmith, and such like, after this sense. Like as the natural father, God a father. first teacheth his dear beloved child: and afterward giveth him warning and monition, and than correcteth him at last: even so the eternal God assayth all manner of ways with us, which are well grown and old in years, but young and tender in faith. first he teacheth us his will thorough the preaching of his word, and giveth us warning. Now, if so be, that we will not follow him, than he beateth and gierketh us a little with a rod, as some time with poverty, some time with sickness and diseases or with other afflictions, which should be named & esteemed as nothing else, but chylderns roddies or the wandies of correction. Now if such a rod or wand will not help, nor do any good, than taketh the father a whip or a stick. As in case, his son waxeth stubborn, & will spend his money, and thryfft wanton and ryotosly at the tippling house with evil company, than cometh the father, pullyth him out by the hear of the head, bindeth his hands and feet, and beateth him till his bones crack, and sendeth him into prison, or banysheth him out of the country. Even so when we wax obstinate and stubborn, and care in manner neither for words nor for strypies, than sendeth God unto us more heavy and universal plagues, as pestylens, dearth, sedition, uproar, casualty of fire, murder, war, loss of victory, that being taken of our enemies we are said away prisoners and captives etc. And all this he doth, to fear and to tame us, as it were with violence, and so to drive and even to force us unto repentance & amendment of our lives. Now, truth it is, that it is against the father's will to strike his child, he would much rather do him all the good that ever he could. But thorough long sufferance, and over much cherishing the children wax rude and forget all nurture. ¶ Therefore doth he punish them, but yet in the mids of all his anger and punishment, his fatherly heart brea●…eth out. In case that he putteth his son away from him, for some grievous fault, yet he sendeth him not away altogether comfortless, but giveth him some garments and some comfortable words, and so sen death him from him, not to remain for evermore in banishment, but when he is ones a little humbled, mekenyd, & amended, to return home again. And this is only the father's mind to turn and keep from his son all such things as might hurt and destroy him, and never min death to cast away or utterly to forsake his child. Even so certainly, when God sen death misery and affliction upon our necks, there lieth hidden under that rod, a fatherly heart and affection. For the peculiar and natural property of God is to be loving and friendly, to heal, to help, and to do good to mankind. Adam and Eve when they were put into paradise, were they not plenteously endued with all good things? But they could not order nor use them rightly, as ●…oue of as all can, but assoon as we have all things, at pleasure and lack nothing that we could despre, then forth with wax we faint, negligent and slothful. And therefore God sendeth us evil, that he may do us good, and yet in the mids of all affliction and punishment he sendeth some mitigation comfort and succour. As we may take example by our foresaid first parents Adam and Eve, when as God was fully determined upon that very point, to exclude and banish them out of paradise: first he clothed them against the frost and violence of the wether. And he comforted them also with the promise of the blessed seed, which maketh all manner of affliction, not only easy & harmless, but also wholesome & profitable unto us. And this same nature doth the immutable god never change but keepeth it continually, he will not utterly forsake us, but only suffer us a little to smart for the sins, that we have committed, and so preserve us from sin afterward, that we run not into the danger of eternal pain. Furthermore, be it in case, that the father hath two sons, whereof the one behaveth himself wickedly, and yet his father punisheth or correcteth him nothing at all, the other for the least fawt is taken up, & correct by & by. What thing else, is the cause of this, but that the father hath no hope of amendment at all of the one, & therefore myndyth to put him clearly from his heritage, & to give him no part thereof. For the heritage perteinyth wholly unto that sun, that is chastenyd & corrected. And yet the same poor son, that is thus chastenyd, thinckyth in his mind, that his brother is much more happy than he, for as much as he is never beaten nor stricken. And therefore he scythes and mourneth by himself, & thinketh thus: well, my brother doth what he will against my father's will, & without his leave, and yet my father giveth him not one fowl word, he suffereth him to take his pleasure & to run where he will: and towards me he showeth not so much as a good look, but is ever in my top, if I do but look 〈◊〉 wry etc. Here now mayest thou mark the foolishness and ignorance of the child, which hath respect only unto the present grief, & never remembryth nor considereth what is reserved & kept in store for him: even such thoughts and imaginations have Christian men & women also, when as they suffer much tribulation, and see on the other side how prosperously it goeth with the wicked and un godly sort. Where as they ought rather to comfort themselves with the remembrance of the heritage that is reserved for them in heaven, which appertaineth unto them as good and virtuous children. As for the other that hopp and spring, make merry and take their pleasure now for a while, they shall be deprived of the heritage everlastingly, as strangers, and shall have no part thereof. And this proveth saint Paul, Heb. xij. where he saith: My son, fear not when thou art corrected of the Lord, but receive his punishment thanckfully, and with a good will. For whom so ever the Lord loveth, him doth he chastise and punish, and scourgyth every child, that he receivyth. Now if ye be partakers of correction, than doth God offer and show himself unto you as a father. And if all those that be children, be corrected and ye without correction, are ye not than bastarde●…, and not children? In this words doth S. Paul evidently compare and liken the punishment of the Lord unto the correction of a natural fathe●…. And whom should not these words make to tremble and quake, where as he saith: those are bastards, and not right and lawful chyld●…n, which are not punished? And again, whom should not this thing rejoice and comfort, where as he saith, they that are punished, are children. Wherefore although the almighty Lord showeth himself displeased with us, it is nothing else but a displeasure of a most kind and loving father, which seeketh not our destruction, and undoing, but only our reformation, amendment and wealth. give over thyself therefore patiently unto the will of God thy faithful father. Rejoice in the correction of the Lord, for as much as thou art sure and certain thereby, that he beareth a gracious, and a fatherly heart, mind, and will, towards the. Furthermore, God is also in this behalf, compared to a mother. The mother fedyth God is taken for a mother and nourisheth the child, and all the good she can do unto it, that doth she, eve of a tender and motherly heart. And yet thorough the frowardness and unruliness of the child is she sometime so moved ☜ and provoked that she is angry with it, chydyth it, rebukyth it, and beateth it. Even so were it the very nature and property of God, to suffer no manner of misfortune to happen unto us, but yet thorough our manifold sins he is provoked to punish and chasten us. Now as little as the mother denieth, forsakyth or giveth over the child, though she be angry with it & displeased it, Even as little doth God forsake or give over us in our need and necessity, misery and affliction though he seem never so much to be disposed with us. scripture for this have we Esay. xlix. If a mother can forget her child, than may I forget the also sayeth the Lord: but if she should forget her child, yet will I not forget the. There is never a schoolmaster, nor handy crafts man, which taketh any God a schoolmaster. scholar or prentes unto him to teach, but he will make these conditions with him expressly, that the lad shall not be self wyllyd, nor stubborn, nor follow his own brain and mind. Butwyth all possible diligence shall mark and take heed unto that which his master teacheth him. And if he will be negligent or play the troon●…, and not give himself unto his business as he ought to do●…, If he being his master, should beat and punish him therefore, that he be content and take it patiently and with a good will. Now, the master doth not correct and punish his scolar or servant, for any intent to hurt him or for any malice and evil will, towards him, but only that he should learn better afterward, be more diligent and take better heed. Even so likewise Christ receiveth no scholar or disciple unto him, but he maketh conditions with him most necessary for every Christian man, which are expressed in in the. xvi. chapter of Matthew. The word of God ought to be the rule, whereby we should be ordered: but we had rather to follow our own head & our own brain, by the means whereof oft times we go a w●…ye and miss the right way, and therefore the heavenly scho lemaister ●…nappeth us on the fingers, ●…yll we apprehend and learn it per●…ytely. Likewise the physician or surgeon God a physician. must cut away and burn out the rotten and dead flesh with his iron and instrument, that the whole body be not infected and poisonyd and so perish. Even so doth God sometime plague our bodies sharply and grievously, that our souls may be preserved and healed. And how deep soever God thrustyth his iron into our flesh and bodies, he doth it only to remedy and to heal us. And if it be so that he killyth us, than doth he first give us the right life. The physician in making of his ●…yakle, occupieth serpents and adders and such like poison, to drive out one poison with another: Even so God in afflicting and correcting of us, occupieth and useth the devil and wicked people, but yet all to do us good with all. As long as the physician hath any hope of the recovery of his patient, he assayeth all manner of means and medicines with him 〈◊〉 well sour and ●…harpe as sweet. But assoon as ever he beginneth to doubt of his recovery, he suffereth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have, and to take all manner o●… things, what so ever the patient himself desireth. Even so the heavenly physician, as long as he taketh us Christians for his, and hath any hope to recover or to heal us, he restreyvyth us from our will, and will not always suffer us to have, what we most desire, but as soon as he hath no more hope of us, and giveth us over, than he suffereth us for a time to have and enjoy all our own will and pleasure. This similitude and comparison is taken out of the fist chapter of job: If the Lord God doth wound, than doth his hand heal again, etc. Furthermore, when the horse breaker giveth unto a lusty fresh young horse, to much of the bridle, he is wild and wanton, and goeth not well as he should do, and by chance in a slippery, and sliding place he might fall headlings over and over: Even so if our creator and maker should suffer us, over much and give us to large liberty, we should soon wax wild and proud thereof, and it might happen, that we should undo and destroy ourselves, therefore he giveth us a sharp ●…ytt in our mouths, and helpeth us to ●…rydle, and to tame our flesh, that the noble and precious soul perish not. Again like as the carte●… or eight man yerketh his horse with the whypp, and strykyth them sharply when they will not draw nor go forward, and yet favoryth and sparyth them also that he may enjoy them the longer: Even so God strykyth and whyppyth us, when we do not right as we should do, and yet nevertheless sparyth us, and will not make utterly an end of us. Like as the poor shepherd also, when God a shepherd. his foolish sheep stray abroad in the wild wilderness among the wolves, he driveth them from strange ways into the right way, & huntyth them into their sure sheep fold, where they may be in safeguard. Even so we likewise for as much, as we mix ourselves oft times among the worldings, and have fellowship with those that are enemies unto our Christian and true religion, therefore god cometh unto us, and driveth us with sorrow and repentance from them, that we should not be destroyed and perish together with them. Th●… herd man will suffer such calue●… as are appointed shortly to the slaughter, to run and spring about●… in the pasture ●…t pleasure, and again such as are reserved to labour, are kept and used under the p●…cke: Even so almighty God doth suffer and permit unto those ungodly parsoons, whose destruction is at hand, to have all pleasure and lust upon earth, and to fulfil and accomplish their pleasures and desires, but the Godly whom he will use to his honour and glory those keepeth he under the pocke, and 〈◊〉 them from the pleasant Iusty●… of the world. A wise and skilful husband m●… doth not cast nor so we his se●…de in a feld●… God a husband man. or ground, that is not broken 〈◊〉 ●…yllyd: as it ought to be, but he 〈◊〉 his drens, and goeth to the 〈◊〉▪ & cast●…●…p the earth with hy●… plough share; and so tillyth and 〈◊〉 with it, and than first of all, he so with it, that if any rain 〈◊〉, the seed may be 〈◊〉, 〈◊〉 into the earth, and take hold & wa●… therein. Even such an husbandman is God, and we are his tillage i Corin. iij. And he bestoweth not his spirit and truth upon such as are wild and past all fear of god. sa. i. Moreover, like as the gardener hedgyth his garden round about and fensyth it with thorns and briars, that no ●…eastys nor noisome cattle h●…t i●…, Even so God defendeth, hepyth and preservyth us from evyil company, and from all ma ner of sin, thorough thorns and briars, th●…t is to say, thorough the cross and thorough afflictions, as Ose sayeth in the. ij. cha. I will beset their ways with thorns, & their foot paths will I hedge. If the gardener cut of the knobbies, & the crooked bows from the treys in his garden, and loppyth them a little, yet as long as the roots remain the treys are 〈◊〉 the worse, but ware never the less, ●…nd bring forth fruit also: Even so doth God lop and hew the crabbye old 〈◊〉, with the cross, not to the intent to hurt or harm us, but to keep us in 〈◊〉, & to teach us godly manners. And 〈◊〉 as long the rote of faye●…h remay●…th with 〈◊〉, though we be spoiled ●…nd 〈◊〉 of all riches, and of all manner to serve to prove and to try us withal. TRouble and afflictions do pr●…e, try, instruct, confirm, & stre●…gthen the faith, provoke and styr●… up prayer, drive & fo●…e us to amend●…t of life, to the fear of God, to meekness, to patience, to constancy, to gentleness, to soberness and temperancy, and to all m●… ner of virtues, and are the occasion of ex ●…dynge much good as well transitory as ●…ternall, in this world as in the world to come. By affliction and trouble will God 〈◊〉 and assay, mark and spy how 〈◊〉 thy heart hath entered with God, how much thy faith is able to suffer & to bear, whether thou canst▪ forsake Mat. x. xv. ma●…. vii●… Luk. ix. xiv. joh. xij. both thyself and all other creatures in the world for his sake? In summa to be short, he will try how thou wilt b●… have thyself, when he taketh utterly from thee, and out of the sight, that wherein thou most delightest and hast any pleasure upon earth. God knoweth well enough before, how thou wilt take it, and behave thyself, but he will show and declare to thyself and to other also, what is in the. For oft times people do ●…o extol a man and make such boast of him, to be the wisest, most circumspect, manly 〈◊〉 honest man in a country, etc. but wha●… the time of trial cometh, there appeareth no such thing in him, as was thought and looked for. A man can not learn to know a lusty and a stout man of war in the time of pe●…ce, but best of all in the time of war when the cruel and fierce enemies do invade and assault his captain. When a great tempest ariseth in the sea, then doth it appear whether the 〈◊〉 be cunning in ruling the 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉. Again, those are the most honest and most chaste matrons, which being fo●…●…empted, assawlted, and provoked unto wickedness, do nevertheless keep their ●…pows faith toward their 〈◊〉 undefiled: Even so can noman know nor prove perfitly how the christian church keepeth her spoustayth & fide 〈◊〉 towards ●…er spouse and bridegroom jesus Christ, ●…ntyll such time as Anti christ assaulteth and tempteth her with false doctrine, tyranny and persecution. Such trees, as have strong and deep roots, and sufficient natural sap, can ●…o violent heat of the son hurt nor harm. But such as are felled and cut down, are soon drped up with the heat of the sun, like as the grass also that is mown down doth soon wither. 〈◊〉 ●…o likewise such faithful parsons as are rooted in Christ jesus, can not troubles nor afflictions hurt, they grow & war green not withstanding: but the un faithful do betray themselves, and show what they are, as soon as they see any heat of trouble or persecution coming. With one flail are both the stalks and ears of the corn beaten, and also the corn itself three shed and purged out: Even so with one manner of trouble and affliction are the faithful purged and provoked to pray unto God, and to laud & magnify him, And the unfaithful also to 〈◊〉 and curse, and so are they both tried, proved, and known. When the co●…e is threshed, the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉uell lieth mixed among the cha●…, and afterward are they dissevered a sonde●… with the fa●…e or wyndle. Even so the people in the church do first hear the of God's word. Now some stumble repine, & are offended at it, and other are not offended, and yet they dwell together, one with another, but when they are faimed or wyndled, and when the wind of trouble and affliction beginneth once a little to blow, then is it easy to sunder, and to know the one from the other, the faithful from the unfaithful. Art thou pure corn? what nedes●… thou then to fear, either the flail or the wind? In the threshing & in the wind thou shalt be delivered and sondered from the chaff, and shalt be made more pure than thou waste before. Let them fear that are chaff which are not able to abide nor to continue the wind, but must be blown away, and cast out. A rotten and an old weak house standeth a while for a time, but as soon as a wind cometh and bloweth, it appeareth unto all men how feeble the foundacyo●… and stay of it was. Even so are there such Christian men without ground or foundation which as long as all thyng●… go well and prosper with them, they are good Christianis: but in the time of trouble and persecution, their dissimulation is known, and breaketh out. Sapient. iij. As gold is tried in the oven wherein it is melted, even so hath God tried and purged them. Now if thou beyst gold what needest thou to fear the fire, which doth more profit than hinder or hurt thee? To this purpose doth this true proverb serve, In need doth a man try which be his friends. Examples, almighty God did tempt and prove Abraham, and ●…ad him offer up, and kill his only son. Then was Abraham in a great distress 〈◊〉 and heaviness, he had rather have lost all his goods and possessions, and all that ever he had upon earth, than he should slay, his dear son. But pet though it were against nature, and an untolerable thing, yet he carried his son forth three days journey to kill him with his own hands, he overcame his flesh by faith, and would be 〈◊〉 unto God. Than say●… God unto 〈◊〉 now I know that thou fearest God, & ha●…t not spared thy only dear son for my sake, Genes. xxij. And Moses saith Deut. 〈◊〉. remember all the ways thorough the which the Lord thy God hath led & guided the these. x●…. years in the wilderness, because he would chasten & prove thee, that it might appear, & be known what was within thy heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments or ●…o. Set Pharaoh and David together the one against the other, ij. notable kings. Pharaoh persevereth and continueth obstinately, stubbornly & perversely in his wicked purpose, notwithstanding the ma nyfolde plagues that did fall and lighten upon him. Exo. seven. viij. ix. Contrariwise how soon did David give over, & break out with all meekness, submission, pacy●…ns, and acknowledging of his whoredom when as he fled from Absalon, Sem●…y rebuking and reviling him most shamefully. ij. of the kings. xvi. job was stricken with many grievous 〈◊〉, that there was nothing sound nor whole in him. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head, not that he ●…ad deserved such he●…uy 〈◊〉 more than other men, but that God would declare to all the world, his patience and faithfulness. But his wife did than show her weak faith and wicked corrupt nature job. i two. Who was more faithful & more fervent than Peter? And yet he denied & forsook Christ before a simple woman. Who ought not therefore to fear himself, except he hath before in the trial been found faithful, stedfalte, and constant. In like manner daily experience teacheth us to know the faithful and unfaithful a sunder in persecution and affliction. There are some that cleave to the Gospel for a time: but when they see, they can not attain that they sought and looked for, than they forsake it, and fall from it again, yea and in the time of temptation they fall to blaspheming of the ho lie Gospel. But the Godly which have it fixed in their hearts, stand steadfastly by God both in life and death. ¶ The. viij. Chapter. Trouble and affliction do help and further us to the knowledge of ourselves, and of God also, and speci ally to wisdom. Besides this it is a profitable and a good thing for a man to know himself well. Felicyte & prosperity blyudeth a man, but when he is under the cross he beginneth to mark the frailness of his body, the uncertentye of his life, the feebleness of his understanding, the infyrmpte and weakness of man's strength and power. ●…e shall spy & perceive how far he is entered in the way of virtue, how the matter standeth between God & him, whether he be a champion of Gods or of the devils. For a man thinketh himself oft-times to be well grounded and stablished, but in the time of temptation he feeleth, how lightly & easily he is tossed & turned of every blast of the wind. Item by affliction & misfortune God will put the in remembrance, how many thousand perils are yet hanging over thy head, which should lighten & fall upon thee, if he did not keep and preserve the from them And the same God saith thus unto the. The wicked enemy with a notable and infinite heap of all evil & mischief doth assault & lay watch for the to subdue thee, and to swallow the up but I have appointed him his bounds over the which he can not pass. The longer thou art under the cross The right knowledge of God. the better mayest thou learn all the virtues and goodness of God. As his just judgement and straythe justice whereby he showeth his wrath and displeasure against the wicked and ungodly. And sendeth upon their necks terrible plagues, And the obstinate and unre pentant he condemneth everlastingly. Item his infinite power whereby he can help and comforteth in most extr me misery and necessity. Item his mutable truth, whereby he doth faithfully perform all his promises, and bringeth to pass all his threatenings. Item his exceeding mercy and free grace, whereby he preventeth all evil to ward us and will not suffer us to be caught and oppressed with any misfortune. Item his eternal and everlasting providence, whereby like a father he taketh charge and care over us and governeth i Petr. v all things most wisely. Item his glory magnyfycens & lauds for the foresaid virtues, which do shine most clearly in affliction and adversity. For the which cause S. bernard writeth thus: whereby do we know that he that dwelleth above, is among us here beneath? Forsooth by this that we do stick in trouble and afflictions. For who could be able to sustain, bear and abide them without God? A man hath need at all times of wisdom, circumspection, prudence and soberness. To learn wisdom in adversy te. Like as prosperity shutteth and blindeth the eyes of men, even so doth adversity open them. Like as the salve that remedieth the disease of the eyes, doth first bite and grieve the eyes, and maketh them to water, but yet afterward the eysyght is clearer and more sharp than it was, Even so trouble and affliction do grieve and vex men wonderfully at the fist, but afterward it helpeth and lightened the eyes of the mind, that it is afterward more reasonable, wise, and circumspect. For trouble bringeth experience, And experience bringeth wisdom. Eccl. xxxiiij. Proverb. xxix. The rod and punishment do bring wisdom. And of this did these proverbs first spring up, the more plentiful land, the more foolish and wicked people. And again adversity causeth men to look well and far about them. Item there is no man wise, but with his hurt and loss. Item that man may well learn to swim, which hath the water at his mouth. David saith in the. cxviij. Psalm. O Lord how good and profitable is it unto me that thou hast chastened & humbled me, that I might learn thy righteousness and thy commandments? ¶ The. ix. Chapter. Trouble and afflictions do help and further us to the right knowledge of our sins, and to perfit sorrow and repeutaunce for them. GOd requireth that the knowledge of our poisoned & corrupt nature and of the wrath of God should wax & increase in us, whereby we might conceive an hearty sorrow and repentance for our sins, and so daily amend and wax better. Now truth it is that in our hearts naturally stpketh a rough secureness and carefulness, whereby we do little regard and esteem the inward filthiness of our hearts. And specially when we feel no manner of taste of the cross and affli ction we do not consider the miserable wretchedness of our sins nor the just judgement of God, and the terrible punish meant dew for the same. But when the hand of God doth humble & pluck down some special persons or an whole congregation, then remember we the greatness & heaviness of sin, that God's wrath and indignation is not so sore, without some special and most just causes. And then break we out into such words as these. O Lord, we have deserved these plagues a thousand ways. O good & most just God, thou rewardest the mysdeedes and transgressions of the fathers in the children, if they follow their father's steps, even unto the third and fourth generation. Like as the hard copper and sin do melt in the fire, even so in trouble & affliction the hard rough & stubborn hearts do melt & fall to misliking & loothing their sins. A trespasser doth than first of all perceive his faults rightly when he is brought unto the judgement to be punished, and is adjudged and condemned unto death. And for this cause doth God use such rough and hard means with us. And both the common and general, & also the particular special plagues and adversities may well be called a part of God's law, and as it were God's preaching which testify and declare unto us, that God is heavily displeased against all manner of wickedness and abomination that reigneth in the world, that all men should humble and submit themselves unto God, bewail and lament their sins unto him with a sorrowful and a right penitent heart, and despre his grace and mercy. For an example Genes. xlij. joseph's brethren in egypt did than first of all spy their wickedness committed against their brother, when as very need & necessi te did vex them in a strange country. Numer. xxi. When as the Lord did send into the wilderness among the Isra elytes, venomous serpents which did bite them, and set them on fire, then came they first to Moses and said: We have sinned, for as much as we have spoken against the Lord and against the. When the pestilence did rage, than i. Para, xxij. c. said David unto the Lord, behold it is I that have sinned, what have these sheep done? Now therefore if it be so, that know ledge of the sin and an hearty displeasure against it be profitable and necessary, then can we not well forbear trouble and adversity. ¶ The. x. Chapter. Trouble affliction and adversity do help and further us to the exercising and increasing of our faith. THat our faith is proved & tried thorough the cross and thorough adversity, it is declared before. And now shall it be evidently proved, that our faith is then first right stablished, exercised and augmented when adversity con meth. The very true Christian faith is grounded only upon the grace, mercy, power and help of God thorough Christ. Which thing can not be right comprehended. With vain thoughts, imaginations and speculations, but God cometh upon the miserable sinners with heaps of miseries. Whatsoever they attempt, go about or take in hand it goeth backward with them, and their whole life is made bitter with gall unto them that they can nowhere find any rest. And why? Forsooth it is dry for this purpose that they should utterly neglect and despise all manner of council & comfort of man, that they should be plucked from all manner of trust in the policies and powers of the world, and that they should utterly despair of all help in any creature. And in the stead of that, that they should set & fix their hearts and minds only in God, and that nothing at all should else remain in them, but only unspeakable syghtning unto God proceeding out of a true faith, in whose help and mercy only altogether consisteth. testimonies of scripture, Moses in the. viij. of Deuter. witnesseth that God suffered the israelites to be diversly vexed, & to be brought into great distress & yet preserved them wonderfully, for this cause that when they should come into the land of promise they should not say: Mine own power and the strength of mine own hands were able to bring this to pass, but thou shouldest think upon the Lord thy God: For he it is, which giveth the such power, whereby thou art able to perform, and bring any thing to pass. And so did God deal afterward with the children of Israel, which of their own brain and wisdom sought help, succour and maintenance at the king of the Assyrians, and at the king of Egypt, which the very same were they that after ward did besyge them, slay them and carried them away prisoners. And so after that they felt and proved, that there was none that could succour and help them, but only the Lord unto whom they yielded and gave over themselves at length. jerem. x. Ose. ij. iiij. vi. & Paul. ij. Corinth. i. I looked for no nother, but that I should die. But it was done for this purpose, that we should not put any trust in ourselves, but in God, which raiseth up the dead again. Item whatsoever styrryth up & exercysyth our faith, of that aught we not to be afraid, but rather to rei●…e in it. When we live in idleness in all lust ●…nd pleasure, the devil s●…appyth us up quickly, and blyndyd our own weakness, that we thynck God doth not regard us, all things in the world do happy●… without any working or foresight of God. But as well in special as in general adversyteys, there is greater matter & occasion to practise & to exercise the faith. God suffereth the to fall into poverty, or thy most dear friends to be taken from thee, by death, or some other dysquyetnes to happen unto the. As than hast thou a great occasion to awake and to practise thy faith: And first to call to remembrance the promises of God, contey●…yd in his word, and than to call upon him for his grace and assistance, and so to resist and withstand all manner of natural dowtfulnes and despair, that hangeth in thy flesh, how grievous soever thy necessity seem to be, & how soever any man doth imagine, that God hath wythdrawyn his face from thee, and will not help the at all. In like manner in all common necessities and general, th●…s is the right exercise of faith, & the most holy service of God, that we first consider & weigh er●…estlye all manner of perils & assawties of the church & of the common wealth. And after that, that we pray unto god with a constant & a lively faith, that he will deliver & preserve the church from false doctrine, superstition & hypocrisy, & that he will graciously rule & govern it. And that he will also preserue the common wealth in good order & quietness, & will grant helsom air and ceasonable whether, And will also restrain & let the wild & dissolute behaviour & conversation of th●…●…mon sort of people & will grant, maintain, and preserve a Christian discipline, behaviour and honesty, whereby his holy and Godly name may be la●…dyd & magnified, his kingdom, augmented, increased & confirmed & the kingdom of the devil subu●…rtyd & confoundyd. And remember this also, whensoever thou considerest thy adversity, forget not to desire of God, hope and trust for comfort, aid and succour, And look that thou strive & fight mightily and manfully against all manner of mistrust, and put away all manner of despair how grievously soever thy adversity and sorrow doth increase, and thus is thy faith well rightly practysyd and exercysyd. An example: From holy job was taken all that ever any man might take an●… comfort in wife, children, goods & ☞ friends, and one trouble, sorrow, and heavy message came still in another's neck, and he had not one drop of blood in his body, that was not consumed and wasted: And he sat in the sight of all the world, was there laughing stock, and so exercysyd and practysyd his faith, and ●…aue over himself only and wholly unto God. Unto Abraham was promised a seed which should be in multitude as the sand of the sea, and as the stars in the shy, and yet was his wife barren and unfruit full, and he alsowaxen old and aged, that after the judgement of natural reason it was not possible, that that promise should be fulfilled and come to pass. By the means where of Abraham did exercise, try and practise his faith. And thus did joseph, david, Danyel all patryarkies, prophets and apost les as well in the common and general adversities of the church, as in their own private and peculiar afflictions exercise and practise their faith, and this was their highest Gods service, wherewith they honoured and served god. Wherefore in our time: also God giveth us great and marvelous occasion, thorough trouble and adversity to awake, stir up and to exercise our faith. And by such exercise is the faith increased and confirmed, yea and shynyth more bryghtlye, and is made more beautiful and glorious. For whatsoever a man hath proved and tried himself, that believeth he afterward the more steadfastly. Now he that is a Christian man or woman proveth and feeleth in deed, that in the mids of his sorrow and affliction he is ruled, defended, comforted and preserved of God. For hope can not be confounded. Roma. v And therefore the Christian & the faithful man, thorough trouble and adversity is made more bold and hearty and concludeth with himself, more than ever he did before, that God hath a special regard and consideration of those that are in trouble and misery and will gracy●…sly help and deliver them out. Like as one that hath sailed oft up on the sea, and proved and escaped great and dangerous tempestyes, and hath been sore tossyd with the fearful waves, afterward he is the more bold & hardy to go unto the sea, for as much as he hath ever escaped well, & hath had good fortune before. Even so a christ man, when the cross hath oft assaulted and exercised, for as much, as he hath always found comfort, aid and help at God, afterward he trustyth God, the longer the more, though the same affliction and adversity come again unto him that he had before. And to this purpose hear and mark ij. special & u●…table examples: One out of the old, & another out of the new testament. i. Of the kings. xvij. chapped. david when he prepared himself to fight against the valiant giant Golpath, said these words: The Lord which hath delivered ☞ me from a lion, & from a bear, shall deliver me also from this Phylystyan. And again Paul. i●…. Corin. i. saith: God hath delivered us from so great a death, and delivereth us daily, and we hope that he will deliver us from hence forth also. And to this same purpose doth this all so appertain to consider, that the cross assureth those that bear it in the Lord, of the grace and favour of God, whereby they know certainly, that they are of the number of the elect and the children of God, for as much as he looketh upon them fatherly, to reform and to correct them. For as much as it is written, judith. viij. Yea all those that ever did please God have been proved and tried by many and divers troubles and have been found constant and steadfast in faith. Item, ij. Tymoth. iiij. All those that will live Godly in Christ jesus, must suffer persecution and affliction. The. xi. Chapter. ¶ Trouble and adversity giveth us occasion to pray unto God, and to laud and praise him. Every Christian man knoweth this that it is very necessary & profitable for him to pray, and to call upon god most fervently & devoutly. Now when a manlyvyth in all prosperity than he prayeth very little, or very slenderly & coldly, he hath no great affection or mind upon it. That prayer that is not pressed and thrust out with the cross, floweth not out from the depth and bottom of the heart. But sorrow, heaviness, and adversity ●…yndlyth up the mind and settyth it on fire, driveth, chaseth and huntyth it unto God and compelleth it to call upon God fervently and earnestly. For at such time we see and perceive well, that we can do nothing of ourselves, and what great need we have of God, that he will wot save to govern, aid and defend us. Like as the water as long as it floweth and ronnyth over the even plain, ☞ wide and broad fields, it breaketh not out by no violence, but disperseth and spreadyth itself abroad every where a like: But when it is gathered together by cunning & scye●…s and conveyed into a narrow roumith, as into a pipe or conduit, than it springyth and spowtyth out an high. Even so the mind of man, as long as it is quiet, idle, and without sorrow or trouble, it walkyth and wandereth abroad at large and at liberty, but when it is brought in, restrained and driven a straight and a narrow issue thorough trouble and adversity, it breaketh out a lo●…t unto God in heaven with an earnest, hearty and servant prayer for grace, aid and comfort: Whereupon there is a common proverb sprung, need and necessy te teachyth men to pray. Esay. xxvi. O Ford, when trouble & adversity is at hand, than do men seek thee, when thou chastenyst and punyshyst them, than call they upon the lamentably. Examples. i. book of the kings. seven. cha. when the children of Israel hard of the coming of their ennympes the Philistines, they were afraid & said unto Samuel, cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us, that he may help us out of the hands of the Phylystynes. Manasses (which all the days of his life was a very blood hound & a tyrant) was bound with chains, and said away unto Babylon. And when he was in extreme iiij. Reg. xxi. a i●…. Para. xxxiij. a anguish and necessity, he made his humble prayer and supplication before the Lord his God, and God hard his humble prayer, and brought him again to jerusalem. ij. book of the Cro. xxxiij. Math. viij. When there arose a great tempest upon the sea, in so much that the ship was overwhelmyd with the waves, and Christ slept, than the disciples hastyd unto him and wakyd him up saying, Lord help us for we perish. Math. the. xv. the example of the heathen, woman doth teach the how the Lord prolongyth and deferreth his aid and help sometime for the nonies, that we should be kyndlyd up to cry the more fervently, and to continue importunately in earnest prayer. 〈◊〉. Austen writeth thus. They that are Godly, are oppressed and veryd in the church or congregation for this purpose that when they are pressed, they should cry, and when they cry that they should be hard, and when they are hard, that they should laud and praise God. And like as the cross, and adversity Co laud God. doth further and prick us forward unto the first part of prayer, which is to desire and crave of God, even so doth it also further and provoke us also unto the second part of prayer which is to laud GOD, and to give him thanks. The almighty power, wisdom, righteousness, mercy & truth of god, these high and excellent Godly virtues worthy of all laud and honour do appear in the cross, affliction and adversity of Christian men, when God vysytyth miserable sinners, comforteth those that are in distress and misery, helpyth and them out of all manner of necessity. At these things do all Christian people wonder and marvel highly, and therefore break they out to magnify, praise and extol God with unspeakable laudes and praises. ij. Corinth. iiij. We have such a treasure in earthly vessels, that the power that lieth above, and hath the vyctorpe might appear to be of God and not of us: that is to say, we are weak and miserable vessels, that God's honour and glory should be furtheryd and not ours. For an example take the story of Daniel in the third chapter. How the imprisonment and captivity of the jews did serve wonderfully to the glory and praise of God. john. ix. Our saviour Christ showeth the cause why the man was biind from his very nativity and birth: namely that the works of God should appear and be made manifest in him. Moreover all the Prophets, apostle●… and elect of God, up whom God wrought wonderful and marvelous things, were contemnyd and despised, yea and sometime slain and murtheryd, that all men might spy and perceive that their faith and working, which did not shryncke but continued upright, was a work of God, and no power of man. And therefore that God must be 〈◊〉 and praised about all. The. xij. Chapter. Trouble and adversity do further us to virtue and godliness. THe cross and tribulation do b●…nysh and dryu●… away the former sins and hinder and resist those that are to come hereafter and help to plant, exercise and increase all manner of virtues, that the ungodly may be provoked & furtheryd to repentance & amen dement, and reformation of their lyue●… and the Godly to further virtue and god▪ lines. For what affliction soever the flesh doth suffer, it grieveth it very sor●…, it would rather be ●…ery, at rest and quy●…t. Now every one that hath any reason knoweth this right well that he thorough his own i●…ys and behaviour bringeth much adversity and affliction upon his own neck. And therefore in consideration of that, he beginneth to beware and to take hed●… afterward of all inordinate & dissolute living, as the cause ground and occasion of all misery and sorrow, ☜ that beside this present affliction he be not plagyd also eternally, Which I will declare and prove first with similitudes, secondarylye with testimonies of holy scripture, and thirdly by examples. A water that is continually, standing how clear soever it seem, yet it is corrupt and nought. But that water which hath his continual course, the more▪ it russyth & strougglith over the stones and sandies the more lively fresh and better it is. ●…uen so a godly man in the absence of the cross is sluggish dull and lytherly, but thorough the cross and affliction he is quycke●…yd and exercysyd and increased in all goodness. The rusty and cankered iron, thorough the file is made bright and smooth. Even so the old rusty Adam hath need of 〈◊〉 and adversity, to ●…yle and purge him from the cankered rust of sin. A 〈◊〉 though it be never so smooth, if it be not used, it wa●…eth rusty, and the same rust frettyth it and marryth it. But the more that it is occupied, though it be somewhat worn thereby, yet it is the more bright. Even so although some parson hath a good nature and inclination, if he be not occupied and exercised with trouble and adversity, he waxeth rusty, cankered and rotten, but thorough the cross and tribulation, though the rust have won somewhat of him being a man and weak, yet he shall thereby be made more bright, clear and beautiful again. The seed that is cast into the field must suffer the wind, rain, snow, frost and all manner of tempestyes, and yet it waxeth and bringeth forth fruit: Even so the spiritual seed, which is the word of God, being received of a devout and a fervent heart, is not destroyed thorough trouble, but bringeth forth right good and profitable fruit. A 〈◊〉 tree the 〈◊〉 it is beaten, the better it is, and not the worse. Even so man thorough many stripes and much adversity waxyth good. For the thick and hard shin of an horse or an ass, is nothing better than a very sharp whip to gyrke him with. Even so for our stubborn and haughty flesh, there is nothing more 〈◊〉 and profitable, than much sorrow and vexation, whereby it may be stryppyd and pryckyd forward. Cloth must be oft beatyn and brushed, whereupon there is a proverb, Thus must wolling cloth be used, that there bread no mothies in it. Even so shall spiritual mothies▪ and wor●…ys, wickedness, sin and abomination have the less power to breed in us, if we be well brushed and beatyn in time with affliction and adversity. The flesh that cometh fresh out of the shambles unsaltyd, waxyth soon ●…sauerye, and worms breed in it, but the salt with his sharpness keepeth it sweet from corruption. Even so doth God cast and sprinkle salt upon us thorough divers temptations and afflictions, that they may bite & ceason us that we corrupt nor perish not in sin. That body that is always idle, and never moveth nor hath no exercise, is easily subject unto sickness and infirmities. But those bodies that have their exercise and labour are more lusty and sound and can better continue. Even so that soul that is well exercysyd and occupied with trouble and affliction hath occasion & cause to be beautiful sound & clear. It is a very true saying, the sharper that the ley is, the cleaner taketh it away all manner of filth. Even so our corrupt and poisoned nature had need of a sharp and a biting medicine. The greater and sharper the trouble and adversity is the more filth and inconvenience it biteth away. For a raw and weak stomach, which is of a naughty digestion, bitter wormwood is very good and wholesome. Even so for the weak and feeble soul is bitter trouble and affliction very wholesome and necessary. Remember this proverb, After the sick man had recovered his sore, he lived worse than ever he did before. And therefore sickness is more necessary for him that he wax not worse and live not more wic kedlye. Now will I allege scripture, Levi. xxvi. God threateneth to send a plague sevenfold greater, if a man will not amend at the lighter and easier punishment that he sent first. Whereby the Lord himself declareth thorough Moses, that trouble and adversity should teach us an alteration and amendment of our lives. In the. xx. of the Proverb. strokes and wounds do purge and cleanse out evil and corruption, and stripes purify the inward parts of man. Hebre. xij., No manner of chastening for the present time seemeth to be joyous, but heavy and grievous, but afterward it bringeth a quiet fruit of righteousness unto those that are exercised therein. i Petr. iiij. He that suffereth in the flesh ceaseth from sin, that from henceforth (the time that is remnant in the flesh) he may live, not after the lusts of men, but after the will of God. And this shall examples make more manifest. Under joshua had the children of Israel many battles, and were driven to fight against their enemies, and they did never fall nor serve from that Lord, until afterward that they came unto rest, and had all things plenty. josu. i. judg. ij. This is an example of an whole multitude. Now take examples of specy all parsons. The Prophet jonas being in the whales belly, remembered his sins, altered himself, turned and was obedient unto God. jon. ij. c The lost and desperate son did then first, of all r●…ne home again unto his father, when he saw & felt his misery & poverty, Luk. xv. Mark the daily experience. We imagine oft times thus with ourselves, Oh, if I were ones whole & restored again, I would surely behave & order myself well as I ought to do, and would help and serve every man. Oh, if I were rich, I would gladly distribute unto the poor people faithfully. But assoon as we come out of the danger in deed, we have clean forgotten altogether. As long as we have no manner of need, no man can hinder nor restrain our wickedness. For an example imagine, ij. sundry houses , whereof in the one is celebrate & kept a marriage, where there is mirth, joy, & good cheer, And in the other is one sick on his dead bed. In the bride house where there is dancing, is used all manner of lightness & dissoluteness, gross & filthy words, bawdy songs & ballets, shameless behaviour & manners, & wanton & light apparel, one leapeth & wynseth like an horse, Another stampeth like an ass, The third drinketh himself drunken, And the fourth doth nothing that honest is, so that a man might say the people were become very brute beasts. But by him that lieth on his dead bed, is all still, not a word Eccl. seven spoken, but honest & seemly. All things are done sadly, demurely and discretely. And at that time not only the men, but also the women & children, & all that are in the house, are godly occupied, they pray, they comfort, and break out into such words as these: What is man? how transitory & vain are all things that we have here upon earth? but in the life to come, it shall be far otherwise. Again from the marriage or brydehouse goeth many one home heavy and sad, vexed in his mind, and dysdaynefull that he is not so happy and fortunate as other And suddenly is ravished with the beauty of some wife or maiden, that he saw at the dancing, which hath wounded & stricken him to the heart. And when he cometh home, he looketh sowersye on his wite, is froward toward his children, and tasty against all the household, so that no man can please him. But he that goeth home from the mourning house, thinketh himself well bless Eccl. seven said and happy that he himself lieth not in any such extreme necessity. If he hath had any sickness or vexation in time paste, now he is able to bear it the more easily and patiently when he compareth it to the grievous and intolerable pain of the man that lieth in the pangys' of death. By reason whereof he is the more patient gentle and fryndely toward his wite, children and his whole household: yea he taketh occasion thereby to reform and amend his life. The. xiij. Chapter. Sorrow and affliction do help and further us toward the fear & love of God. TRouble and affliction do engender the fear of God in them, which suffer it, and in other likewise which ●…o hear and know of it, so that many take example and instruction thereby and afterward attempt not any thing temerouslye and rashly against the will and pleasure of God. For he is lawfully to be feared and dread which can bring math. 〈◊〉. and lay upon us all manner of plagues, & also hath just cause and right toward us so to do. Now we being feeble and weak, are in no wise able to resist and withstand the strong and mighty God, no we are not able to withstand or put of the least ill day of an ague, Yea we can not chose but suffer the least and most contemptuous and feeble creatures to plague and dysquyete us, as lice, flees, flies, Exo. seven viij. ix. x and such like vermin, which did master and overcome the mighty puysante king of egypt. It is a very true Proverb. a Burnthande breadeth the fire, For in the same sense & meaning spoke Moses unto the fearful people: God is come to tempt and prove you, that the fear of him may be before your eyes to consider and remember that ye sin not As for an example, the more the ford bid exercise and hunt about, David, the more diligently did he look upon the lord, and feared him. ij. of the kings. xv. And ij reg. xv not only David but other also, when there saw & perceived their misery & wretchedness, they took occasion thereby to fear God more than they did before. And specially when they saw afterward how God ponyshed David's manslaughter & ij. reg. xi xiij. xiv xv. xvi xvij. xviij. etc. whoredom, with sedition, uproar, murder & with loss of much people. Holy scripture setteth before our eyes divers like terrible examples, that we should not esteem the fear of God for a light thing, but should be afraid of all manner of wickedness, sin, and abomination. When a trespasser is led out to be headed, hanged, burnt or otherwise to be punished, other that see him do learn to fear and to be war of that thing which brought him to his last end. Even so when God sendeth any plague either upon some special parson or else upon some whole commonalty, all other ought so to consider the same, as though they themselves were in the place of the afflicted parson, as though his trouble and so row were their own, that they may the rather fear GOD, and take heed that they fall not into like vengeance of God. And in very deed as well the good & faithful as the wicked & unfaithful have cause to fear. For the faithful can consi Pro. xi d der thereby, that these transitory plagues are tokens & evident testimonies of the eternal punishments that are to come, which are a thousand thousand times more i Petr. iiij. c. grievous and never have end. Therefore both their own and other men's afflictions & sorrows do give them occasion enough to redress and forsake that thing whereby all men do bring eternal plagues upon their necks. The wicked and unfaithful, if they jeremis. xxv. d. &. xlix. b. ●…zechiel ix. d. prover. xi. d. i Petr. iiij. c. be not utterly obstinate & perverse, but have any use of reason at all, do also begin to fear God, and to think thus with themselves, If God visiteth, scourged, & assaulteth with trouble & vexation, the good and faithful which are nothing so wicked as we, how shall it then go with us, which have deserved, x. yea. xx. times more grievous punishment than they. jerem. the. xxv. Mark and behold I begin to plague the city whereunto my name is given, think ye then that ye shall escape free and unponyshed? ye shall not go quite and free. Luke. xxiv. If this be done in the gre●… n●… wood what shall be done in the dry? i, Petr. iiij. It is time that judgement begin at the house of God, saying the●… ●…at. xi. 〈◊〉. x▪ ●…xi it beginneth first with us, what an end shall they have which believe not the gospel of God? An innocent dog that hath not offended is beaten before the lion, that the lion when he knoweth that he hath angr●…d and disposed his master should be put in the more fear. S. ●…regory wryteth thus, If God striketh those so sore whume he favoureth, how sharply and sore will he strike them which he favoureth not? The crucified and afflicted Christians, do love God the more fervently, for Love of God. as much as in the midst of the cross they feel the sweet comfort that cometh from their heau●…ly father, of whose merciful will they can not doubt nor mistrust. A dog that is of a good nature, if his master strike him, yet he loveth his master, not withstanding and ●…awnyth again upon him. A good child although it be beaten, yet it loveth the father or mother nevertheless, and des●…ereth to have their favour again. Even in like manner are the true Christians minded toward their heavenly father, but such children as be wicked, and of an evil dysposycy●…n, when they be a little scourged, they run away from their father, and murmur against him. ¶ The. xiv. Chapter. Trouble and affliction is good and profitable to teach men, patience, meekness and lowliness. Pride is a dangerous thing, whereof cometh no manner of good. Now felicity and prospe ●…rte all at pleasure, engendereth pride, and contempt of other people: But the cross and affliction engendereth meekness & lon lines, that a man is not to proud in his own conceit, but is content that other be esteemed as well as he, confessing himself to have need of their help & council. Like as men use to clip and cut shorter the feathers of birds or other fowls when they begin to fly to high or to far from them, Even so doth God ●…ynishe our riches, possessions, estimation, honour, 〈◊〉 toryt●… and power that we should not pass our bounds & glory to much of such gifts. Like as the body when it is wearied and consumed with labour & travel desireth ease, and rest that it may lie still, Even so the soul being ladyn & oppressed with trouble and affliction, is brought to a narrow ●…ssewe, & then it hasteth after rest and quietness and nothing, ●…exeth it less than pride. Nabuchodovosor did glory of his power, victorious acts, and costly Dan. iij. buildings, and was wonderfully proud of them, but after his fall and adversity he learned to ascribe all laud, honour, & glory Dan. iii●… unto God. Paul. ij. Chor. xij. confesseth that a buffet was given him of the messenger of Satan, that he should not glory out of measure in theabundaunce of reuelaci●…s. Experiens itself teacheth, that when rich, famous, notable, and proud men are rob and spoiled of their goods, they are afterward more humble meek & gentle. For than they perceive the ●…ncer tentye and unstableness of temporal and transitory things. And so learn the lōger they live, the less to trust themselves. Therefore trouble an affliction is oft times as necessary unto men, as meat & drin●…ke. The cross, adversity, and affliction meekness and lowliness. maketh a man soft, buxom, tame, pa●…ient, sober, loving, and friendly both towards himself, & towards all other also. A piece of iron or of silver stricken or beaten with an hammer, waxeth broader, th'inner, smother, and soffter. Even so the stony & hard hearts of men, thorough heaviness and adversity are made more buxom and p●…yant, that a man may wind them (as a man might say) even round about his finger. A cursed wild colt hath a suaffel put in his mouth, that he bite not him that handleth him. Even so the suaffell of the cross and adversity doth let & hynder●…s, (being froward, furious, and full of spite, malice & revengeance) that we commit mit the less wickedness, abomination 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in our lives. For an example the furious ragin●… king, manasses, was meek, still & tame ●…iij. ●…e. xxi. a ij. Par. xxxiij. a Act. ix. a enough after that he was once bound, taken prisoner, and led away captive. Paul before Damascus was stricken down, as a raging and raving wolf, but he rose up again a meek lamb. ¶ The. xv. Chapter. Trouble and adversity is good to teach men pity compassion, & patience towards other. TO have pity and compassion of people that are in misery and johan. xiij. 〈◊〉 Roma. xv. a Gal. v●…. Ecclesi. seven. a Mathe. xi. 〈◊〉 distress is a Christian and a neces saryeve●…tu. But he that never felt no temptation, adversity nor affliction himself can have but little pity & compassion of other. One sick man can tell the lack & necessity of another, one poor man likewise another, and also one that is in misery and affliction himself knoweth the better the grief of another, that is i●… like case. As for an example, why and for what cause can our high priest Christ, hau●… such pity and compassion upon us miserable wretches, that we dare be bold t●… come unto him cheerfully without fear●… & to look for succour, help, & comfort at his hands: Forsooth even for this cause & by this means, as saith s. Paul, Hebr. ij. v. that he was also tempted & suffered most bitter pain & grief himself. And very experience doth teach even the self same thing also, For whosoever hath once lain sick in a spittle house himself, can hau●… the more compassion of other that are in like case afterward, and is ever after the more ready & prompt to help those that be in such case. The noble and precious virtue called patience. patience, hath no place to put her head in in the time of prosperity. When a man hath been a long season healthful & with out any manner of sickness, he cannot take sickness by & by so patiently as he ought to do. And likewise he that never felt any affliction or adversity, whensoever any happen unto him, he is sore vexed with impacientnes. But adversity teacheth men patience, and practiseth therein. first when a man saith that all goeth backward, & against him, & that it will be no better, but rather worse & worse. What doth he but of this ●…ecessyte maketh a virtue, and so is content, and at a point, howsoever it goeth with him. secondarily when a man is continually used to trouble & affliction, this same use & custom maketh it light & easy unto him, specially considering that God will also help, aid and comfort him. Paul saith, Roman. v. Trouble or affliction bringeth patience, & patience bringeth experience, etc. The desperate & lost son, Luke. xv. learned such patience in his misery and affliction, that he said to his father, Take nor use me not from henceforth as a son, but as an hired servant, I desire no more but that I may remain in thy house. Even so ought we also to suffer all things willingly and patiently, what soever they be, so that God will not banish and put us out of his house. Unto that noble heathen man Socra tes did his cursed & shre●…de wife serve for this use and purpose, that he learning patience at home, might the better suffer, and the more patiently bear the people that he had to do with, abroad. Trouble & adversity maketh men hard & The. xvi Chapt. strong, & teacheth them soberness & temperancy. ANnxe getteth himself harder hoofys upon rough stubble & crabbed ground, and is able to draw and to labour better, then if he were fed in rank pasture. Those children that are nursed, by frē●…d men's fires are for the most part more hard and strong than they which are day●…tyly brought up in all excess, & wantonness, and superfluity in their own father's houses. Even so the wits & minds of men thorough pleasure and abundance wax tender & weak & effeminate and wild, but being restrained thorough some painful necessity & affliction, they wax harder, stronger, and more manly & sober. For an examyle. The dear holy Apostles the more persecution & affliction they had, the more bold, strong, & constant were they, as the acts of the Apostles do testify throughout. Paul. ij. Chor. xi●…. sayeth: I am content & think myself well, in infirmities, in rebukes, in persecutions, in anguishes for Christ's sake. For when I am in such weakness, then am I strong. The physician when he perceiveth that his patient will eat over much, and Temperancy & measure will wax to fat, he measyreth and restraineth him, and by breaking somewhat from him he restoreth him to his health again and so saveth him. Even so when we do shamefliy misuse wine, corn●…bread and drink and other gifts & creatures of God, to maintain drunkenness, surfeiting, excess and riot, then doth God punish us with hunger, dearth, penury & with other plagues, that we should lerane there by to be temperate and to keep me a sure and to use his benefits thanckfully. jesus syrach. xi, saith, The hour of punishment and of correction maketh us to forget all manner of pleasure and lust. As david son forgot his lusty pleasures ij. re. xiij xiv. xv. xvi. xvij. xviij. etc. and wantonness utterly, when Absalon drove him out of his kingdom ¶ The. xvij. Chapter. Trouble and adversity teacheth men to coutemne despise & defy the world, and to be diligent and fervent in all godliness and virtue. THe cross and adversity taketh f●… us the love of the world, and dry driveth away all manner of dangerous and delicious lusts and pleasures. of this transitory life, we would fain be rich, but God giveth us poverty. we desire health of body, but God gyvet us sickness, And so murteryth & murseth us in misery and with affliction that we can no more tell what a delycous and ten der pleasant life in this world meaneth, and thus begin we to contemn and looth all transitory things & to desire an other more better, precious and an eternal life, where all manner of misery shall have an end. He that taketh a yourny in hand and goeth into a strange country, when he cometh into a pleasant town where he metyth merry company and good companions, peraventure he spendyth away the time & tarrieth to long among them and so forgettyth his household and things at home. But if one hard mischance after another happen unto him, than he maketh the more haste home again to his wife and children, where he hath more rest and quietness. Even so when these transitory things, as riches, health, beauty, much prosperte, honour and dignity happen unto us, if we will once gape upon them and delight so much in them that we do the less regard & esteem the heavenly life, than will God make the way rough and crabbyd unto us here in this life, that we should not take and esteem this transitory life in this world for our right natural country towards thee, which we take our yourneye. For example. The children of Israel had little lust to sing and to play upon any pleasant instruments, when they sat as prisoners by the rivers in Babylon. Psal. cxxxvi. And this may a man see and prove by those that are in any dangerous sickness, or in any hard prison, or in any anguish and misery, how fond they are, upon eating, drinking, gallant apparel, dancing, toying, playing and gaming or upon any manner of worldly felicity. I sup pose the cross and their heaviness have wiped away and lyckyd of, all such things, as clean as the hoot sun lyckyth and meltyth away any snow. Furthermore they that be poor and in distress and heaviness they are always readier to forsake this world & are more desyeroes to departed hence to god, than those that have riches, health & felicity at pleasure. And therefore S. Austyn in his book de symbolo writeth thus. Behold how god hath replenished and filled the world with so many afflictions, and with so much troublesome adversity. It is bitter, and yet is it loved: It is ruynose and ready to fall, and yet it is inhabited. Oh thou my dear derling world: what should we do, if thou werest sweet, stable and permanente, saying we do this now? O thou foul and unclean world, if thou art bitter and yet deceyvyst and begylyste us, whom wouldst thou not deceive and beguile if thou werest sweet. And the cross doth not only drive and set us forward to all maver of virtue Diligence & fervency and puttyth us in mind of all Godliness, but it quyckenyth and kyndelyth also a diligence and fervency in us, to proceed and go forward in all goodness lustily, stoutly, earnestly, manfully and not lytherly or sayntly. Like as a man sometime must spur his horse, although he be a good and a quick horse, that he may go and run the faster and speedier: Even so we can not go forward in our vocation & callyug so speedily, nor so well as we ought to do, except we be 〈◊〉 forward with sharp spurs and scourges, when the master striketh his slothful dull and s●…epy servant, than he laboureth the more ●…ylygentlye, and is more profitable unto him. Even so we all for the most part, of us have the nature of such slothful and sluggish servants which will do nothing well except, we be driven by cōpul●…yon and ●…uen whipped and beaten unto it. Although those be evil seruaunte●… which will do nothing well unless a man be ever upon their bon●…s with a ●…udgel, and yet then will do nothing well neither, yet notwithstanding must a m●… never cease driving and forsy●…ge of them until such time as they begin to amend and to serve willingly and with a good heart: Even so although no compel led service, that is violently wrong ou●… of a man, doth please God, yet the continual enuring and exercising in goodne●… may make it at length so pleasant and delectable unto us, that we shall have a delight therein. The. xviij. Chapter. ●…rouble and adversity is also an o●…casyō and help, of much transitory quietness and commodity in this world. hitherto have we taught of the spiritual profit of adversity, whereby the soul of man is i●…de wed and garnished with wisdom and all kinds of virtue, now let us see what transitory commodities do o●…e accompany or follow after, trouble and adversity. Such as dwell in valleys and in deep and low habitations are not lightly Su●…. hurt by any lightning, Even so that state of life that is low and mean, keepeth & maintaineth itself most sure and with least danger against all manner of stor●…es. Like as precious and costly spe●…yes and odours do smell, and savour best, 〈◊〉. when they are bruised, broken or set on fire Even so the praise and commendation of virtue thorough continual use and exercise and thorough adversity is spread wide abroad and made manifest and known everywhere. For an example what an excellent and singular honour, renown, praise and commendation what it is unto Abraham ●…t length, that he went out of his natural country into banishment, and there Goe xx. a xxvi. xi●…. Exod. v. Exo. xiii●… suffered great trouble & much adversity, The children of Israel were sore kept under & oppressed in Egipte: But they were led out & set free again with such glory & renown as never was hard nor red the like. The banishment of W lisses for the space of. x. years, was an occasion unto him, to exercise and practise his wisdom and other virtues, in the mean time, so that he obteynyd thereby an immortal name among all the heathen. And to speak after the common practise and experience, There is no exceeding joy. yoye or triumph, but some sorrow or heaviness goeth before it. The spring time, following and coming immediately upon the rough & hard winter is the more acceptable, pleasant and welcome unto us. In battle, the sorer our enemies do assault and fight against us, the greater is the joy and triumph at the victory and overthrow of them. He that hath kept his bed a long time and lain sick a great season, afterward when he is recovered health is a more precious treasure unto him, tha●… ever it was before that he felt what sickness was: And also such as mour●…yd and were sorry for his sickness, do receive an infinite joy & an exceeding rejoicing at his resto ring unto health again. Even so doth God deprive us for a time, of riches, wealth, prosperity, our natural ●…outry, bodily health and such other transitory benefits, For this purpose that when he giveth them again unto us, we may the more rejoice and be the gladder of them. An example have we of the lost sheep & of the lost & desperate son, for the which Mathe. xvi●…. 〈◊〉 Lu. xv. 〈◊〉 there was such joy at the finding of them again as never had b●…ne, if they had not have been lost, where as before there was never thought nor sorrow taken for them. Now in case we never find nor have restored unto us again here in this world that thing which we have lost, yet our conscience is both quiet and also joyful in God. Which quietness and joy far exceadyth all the pleasures of the whole world. In summa, to be short after trouble & adversity followeth all manner of goodness welfare and ●…ely city. and felicity. First, for as much as God here in this world doth plentifully and ●…ychelye reward and recompense, godliness, patience, and godly constancy. Secondarily, for as much as this is the nature and property of God, to throw down that he may raise up again, & duty. ●…xxij. f 〈◊〉. re. ij. v Psalm. cxij a Sa. xvi. Co. xiij. to bring unto death●… door, that he may restore unto life again. Roosys which are the most pleasant flowers, do spring and wax out of thorns. Even so of hard and great travel springeth the most pleasant fruit. The little Bee gathereth the most sweetest honey out of the most bitter blomes and flowers Even so men of wisdom and understanding receive much utility and fruit of the present sorrow and affliction. For example. joseph was hated of his brethren, and sold of them into a stranige and foreign country. Which banishment of his turned to his great honour, wealth, ●…eue. x●…xvij. xxxix. xli. and profit, for as much as he was lord and gouernou●…e over the whole kingdom of egypt. The more the great tyrant Pharaoh went about to oppress and rid the children of Israel out of his land, the more did they prosper and increase to an infinite number. Exod. i. The devil lefft nothing unto the godly man job, but deprived and spoiled him of all that he had, but the Lord restored him all again double, even in this world. He that markyth and considereth well, shall perceive that some time a man being of no reputation at home where he is known, is banished away and cometh to other people, which do highly esteem him, and make much of him, yea and highly honour him. So that oft times a man's adversity hath turned to his singular commodity and wealth. The. nineteen. Chapter. Trouble and adversity, is a furtherance to eternal life. THe trouble and adversity of the Godly do give an exceeding great testimony unto them of immortality, of a general judgement, and also of an everlasting life. For it is impossible that the best creatures only should be ordained and created to all ●…ow and travel, and the most wicked & ungodly to escape and remain unpunished. It were directly against the righteousness of God. Now it is evident, that here upon earth appeareth no difference between Paul and Nero, having respect to the reward of them both. Yea the most godly and virtuous have most commonly worst luck and least reward, wherefore of necessity there must needs be another life to come, where every one shall receive according to the demerits of his life here upon earth. And again the cross way is pointed to be the very right way unto eternal life. Like as the corn is first, threshed, faunyd and rydd from the chaff, & than laid Ps. xliiij Ro. viij. ij. cor. iiij up & reserved in the barn or in the spike, even so Christian men upon earth are beaten, mishandled, evil intreatyd, whereby they are purged and rid of many wild and light mavers and so are brought into the everlasting barn or spike of the kingdom of heaven. Like as no man can triumph or be crowned, except he hath fought and warred manfully, which can not be without great danger, labour and travel, Even so can no man atteyve to the crown eternal life, except he hath first suffered much trouble, sorrow and adversity. The man that is sick, must receive the purgation and medicine, how sour or bitter soever it be, that he may recover again and not die: Even so when we suffer the hand of God to rule and order us, being content and patient therewith, although it smartyth and grieveth us, yet it shall profit and help us to everlasting health and soundness. testimonies and witness of scripture to prove this. Math. v. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Math. seven. narrow is the gate, and straight is the way that leadyth to life. Luke. vi. Blessed are they that weep here, for they shall laugh. But woe unto you that be rich etc. Act. xiiii. We must enter into the kingdom of god thorough much trouble and affliction. Roma. viij. If we be children than are we heirs, namely, the heirs of god and fellow heirs of Christ, so that we suffer with him that we may also be glorified together with him. By these words doth Paul evidently declare that he that will reign with Christ, must also ron●… thorough the fire with him. i Co. xi. Wha●… we are judged we are chastenyd of the lord that we should not be condemned with the world. The. xx. Chapter. How and in what respect trouble and adversity can be so profitable and of such virtue, seeing that the unfaithful do wax more obstinate and perverse thorough trouble and affliction. hitherto have we entreated of the corporal and spiritual, temporal and eternal profit and commodity, which Christian men receive by the cross, trouble and adversity. Which is not to be takenafter this sense as though the cross or adversity of itself, & of her own nature could bring & work such high commodities: For than should Pharaoh and other wicked parsons in their trouble and adversity have been co●…uertyd, and so saved also: but the spirit of God resteth secretly and lieth hidden in the faithful under the shadow and back of the cross and pourg●…th, reformyth, comforteth and strengh●…yth them & ●…rkyth all these foresaid commodyteys in them. Now like as the holy scripture attributeth a certain reward unto our good works, which works not withstanding, it is not we that work them, but the Lord only, which useth us as an instrument of his, Philip. 〈◊〉. ij. Corin. iij. Even so is the cross an instrument of God, whereby he subduyth our flesh, keepeth us in the school of correction, and forcyth us as it were, by violence from evil to goodness? Now wheresoever the holy ghost will take his resting place, for the must part he sendeth before his puruyors & forronner which are, sorrow and affliccyou, trouble & adversity, that they may vere, cumber, humble, meken, and utterly overthrow and bring down the heart of man, whereby the holy ghost may find the more place and so work all goodness therein. And therefore whatsoever is hither to spoken, specially of the spiritual commodyteys of the cross and adversity it is, & so remaineth all true, so that it be understand of the faithful & godly which are induyd with the spirit of God, to whom all things turn to their comfort and salvation. And now on the contrary partfo●… the better understanding of the matter, I will declare & show, what the cross worketh in the unfaithful and ungodly, which lack the spirit of god. The unfaithful do ascribe their prosperity and felicyte to The cross of the unfaithful their own wisdom working & policy & not to god. And their misfortune and adversity, they ascribe to blind fortune, As though fortune had a certain power to work of herself without the working of god. Take Sermachery●… the lord & ruler of the Assyrians for an example, which by the sufferance of god brought the whole world in manner, in 〈◊〉. Which thing he ascribed to his own power & policy & not to god. For he did both hate & blaspheme the very true god of Israel. But shortly after did God send an angel which slew in one night an. C. iiij. score & five of his men. And here would he not confess that it was god that did it. But peraventure he thought that it was 〈◊〉 ne, mischance or some other thing that was the occasion. For if he had knowledgy●… this punishment to have come & been sent of god, he would not afterward have worshipped & done his devotion in the idolaters temple of the false god & idol Mesrach. i●…. ●…e. nineteen. as he did. In like manner, when any misfortune hapnyth to the ungodly, they put all the f●…t only in the next middle, or mean that they fantasy themselves, or else very wickedly they ascribe it unto all those that are not of their faith and sect. As for example, When as it raynyd not for the space of. iij. years &. vi. months in the time of Achab the king of Israel. iij. reg. xviij. The king 〈◊〉 the cause unto the godly Prophet ●…elpas. Likewise in our time when any tempest hurteth the co●…n, wine & other fruits of the earth, many there are that cry, This may we thank this new learning & this new fangle faith etc. As though they themselves were so holy that god durst not or ought not to punish them. It can be none but the poor sheep that disturbeth the wafer that the wolff can not drynck, the po●…re ●…hepe cometh not nearer to the river, but only to the very drynck, but at the very brynck of the river thereof, & there drinketh. Yea even they also which have some taste of the gospel, can not well bear adversity patiently, nor confess them selves guilty, but would fain shy●…the fault from themselves, & would lay it either upon the rulers or the preachers, or else upon some other thing. And although their sins be an exceeding heap, & that God would feign drive them to repentance by punishing & chastising of them, yet can not they consider the heavy burden of their sin, nor spy the clear day of the righteousness of God, which can suf far no sin unpunished. And therefore for as much as they will not take this small & light punishment thanckfullye, but would go free & have no manner of plague at all, if they might choose: for that cause doth God send unto them afterward plagues & painful punishments by heapies, so that it happenyth unto them as it did unto the ass, whose s●…yn being put over a dromm or a taber, as he wished & Lack of faith is the mother of all blasphemies & abomination. desyeryd was beatyn & stricken more than ever it was before, as Esope saith in his fables. And for as much as thorough & lack of faith (which is the mother of all blasphemies & abomination,) they will not consider nor call torememberance, who it is that hath laid his hand upon them: Or else knowing that it is that hand of god, yet will not take it in good worth, nor amend no otherwise, but as sour ale in summer, by this means they become like unto desperate children, which will neither turn and amend with threatening, nor yet with beating. And therefore the scripture testifieth very well, Proverb. xvij. that one sharp word of reproach doth more good to him that hath understanding than an hundredth stripes to a fool. As for example. The longer & the sharper that God ponished Pharaoh the more obstinately did he serve & decline from him. The wicked and ungodly do not on lie take no manner of occasion to reform and amend their lives by their cross & sorrow, but also they spew out all manner of impacientnes, bitterness, and spiteful poison against the righteousness of god, saying: their cross is greater than their transgression, and that they have wrong & are punished to sore, as for an example of this, we have one of the thieves hanging upon the cross with Christ, which blasphemed Lu. xxi●… Christ very spitefully saying: if thou beest Christ, help both thyself and us. By the which words he declareth that he judgeth himself, even as worthy of help, as Christ the son of God, even as though God must forget all his righteousness & help by & by everre blasphemous wretch, and look thorough the fingers upon the wicked world. Which is one of the greatest blasphempes unto God that can be. When they have tumbled & waltered in their misery (For God will not help them because they have no trust nor confidence in him) And have sought help by creatures i Reg. xxviij. both in heaven & earth, and found none, then beginneth their cross & adversity to open their eyes so wide, that they must needs spy and acknowledge that wrath and hand of God over them. And then doth this outward cross & sorrow even kindle in them an inward trembling & doubtfulness, out of the which springeth i Reg. xx●…i. ij. Reg. xvij. the highest desperation, in so much that they cry out to the devil to help them, if God will not. For although they be brought to the knowledge of their sin & also to sorrow & repentance for the same thorough the cross, as Lain & judas also ge. iiij. b Matth. xxvij. 〈◊〉 were, yet have they no trust nor confidence that the same sin shallbe taken from them and forgiven them, but rave & rage's & give themselves over to the devil, & so depart wretchedly out of this world: of whose destruction yet & confusion these commo diteys do ensue. First that they must of force cease any longer to make any distur bance by the wicked example of the life in the church & regiment of God. Secon dearly, that they which remayve alive after them may learn by their terrible example, to repent and amend by times. So that by this that we have hitherto declared every Christian man may know in his trouble and adversity, whether he be a martyr of God, or of the devil, And what great profit and singular commodity all those that are Gods martyrs do receive by the means of their cross, trouble and martyrdom. The. xxi. Chapter. Fellow companions in trouble and adversity. UVhy should any man show and behave him impatiently in suffering that thing which he can by no policy, council, nor lawful mean a●…oyde, altar, turn, remedy oramend? He that is wise, maketh of such a necessity as can by no remedy be avoided, a very virtue. Now trouble & adversity doth so happen unto man, that he can not help nor avoid it, though he would turn it up see down, or the inward side outward. Man must needs suffer trouble and adversity upon earth, there is no remedy. And again why should any man without mea sure becomber himself about that thing which is common unto all men, or to the most part, and not to him alone. By natural reason, that burden is lighter which many do bear together. Now is the life of man a very miserable and lamentable thing. When another man prospereth, so that all things go well with him, yet Psalm. c. iij. b. lxxv●…ij d xc. a Esa. xl a Ecclesi. xiv. b. i. pet. i. d ●…ac. i v. it fareth with him even as with a bloom or a flower in the field, which flourisheth for a while, and is pleasant and delectable to look upon, with in a little while after it drieth up, and feedeth away. As long as we are upon earth we are, as it were in a camp, or a siege, where we must ever be skyrmysshing and fighting, and know neither who shall break out and give the onset against us, nor where job. seven. nor how, nor when. Sometime a man is attached and assaulted in his body, in his goods, in his name and fame Sometime happen unto him common myschancies as dearth, pestilence, war, which some time continue very long, so that he may well say, No misfortune cometh alone but bringeth one or other companion with him. If not at that present, yet hereafter it may. And there is no misfortune so great, but may happen and light upon any of us all. At least ways we must all look for death, as it was said long a go unto our first parents, Genes. iij. To rehearse examples it were but folpe and superfluous, for as much as there is no man, but may lawfully complain of one thing or other. And although some things happen after our minds yet it is not without some sour sauce. Mark well. And specially at this present, how are all Christian realms compassed with sorrows troubles, and miseries on every side? Look but upon our own country? There is neither good nor bad, godly nor ungodly, but hath one cross or other. And although some thereby that can shift for a while, & can make provision for themselves for a time, by craft and dissimulation, or by some falsehood in fellowship, as they call it, yet they bring themselves at length into the highest danger confusion and shame both in this world and in the world to come. And seeing that all the troubles & adversiteys Ro. viij c i●…. Cor. iiij. b. i johan. iij. a Matth. xxv. d esa. thirty. f Dan. seven b. ij. Cor. v 〈◊〉. in this world are a thousand times lighter and easier, yea nothing, in respect of the eternal unquenchable fire which is prepared and already kindled for the unfaithful and wicked enemies of God: all faithful and godly parsons ought to bear and suffer their transitory afflictions and adversities, the more patiently, willingly, & thankfully, con sydering and remembering all the dear beloved friends of God, which were wone derfullye vexed and plagued of their enemies. Abraham of the Chaldeys. Lot of the sodomites, Isaac of Ishmael, jacob Gen. xij xx. Gen. nineteen Goe xxxij xxxiij. Numer. xx. etc. of Esan, Moses of his people, David of Saul, and of his own son. As for job had not one drop of blood in his body unconsumed. john Baptist the holiest that ever was naturally borne of a woman, was without any manner of form or order of i Re. xv. job. ij. b law, right or reason beheaded in the pry son, as though God had known nothing at all of him. We have many thousand fellow martyrs & companions of our misery and adversity, in respect of whose impri sonement, racking, chains, fire, wild beasts, and other means wherewith they are tormented, all that we suffer, is but a wind or a pastime. But specially this is to be considered above all other in our trouble & adver site, that we have jesus christ for a fellow and companion with us therein, which suffered upon earth in his body all manner Esa. liij. Matth. xxvij. Mar. xv Math. x joh. i ro. viij. v i. Cor. i c v. a Galiiij a Eph. i. b of smart and pain. Now is not the servant above the master. What reason were it that the natural son of God being utterly innocent, should be so cruelly entreated and myshandeled, And we which are his children not by nature, but by adoption and election, and in all points guilty, should escape quite and free? Therefore now whosoever is ashamed of the cross, & aggrieved therewith, the same is ashamed, & aggrieved to have Christ for his fellow and companion, and therefore shall the Lord jesus Christ be ashamed of him again at the latter day. The second part of this book. The. xxij. Chapter. By what natural means or ways, trouble and adveriste may be qualified, eased and overcome. first and formest no man ought to meddle with other men's matters, which appertain nothing unto him, nor to cast himself into peril and danger without any need. For that were as much as to tempt God, & were clean contrary to the examples both of our saviour Christ, and also of the holy Apostles, which by the command dement of Christ, Math. x. did sometime flee and avoid perils, and dangers. But a man can not always honestly and conveniently avoid them. Therefore for the second point, like as a waterman will never set out his fail so far, but that he may soon pull it in again: Even so every man as long as all things stand well and upright with him, let him foresee and prepare in time for the contrary. For the which cause the Math. xvi. c xvij. d xx. b. Mark. viij. d. ix d. x. d. Luc. ix. c xviij. d. Lord did tell his disciples of his cross, death, and passion before, that they seeing him, suffer anguish and sorrow, might the less quail and shr●…ke at it. In like manner did he also declare before unto them that they must be persecuted, and suffer trouble that they might look for it, and ve the more hardy, bold, and strong in persecucyon, whensoever it should happen. thirdly a great weight & substance of the matter dependeth and hangeth upon this point, that a man conceive a right judgement and opinion of all things that hap and chance. For every thing appeareth so unto us, even as we in our thoughts and minds do fancy imagine and conceive it. If a man esteem worldly goods for a light thing (as they ought in very deed to be esteemed) then can he forbear the same with the less grief & pain. contrariwise if he make a God of them, and esteem them highly, than he trembleth, quaketh, and taket●… on unmea surably when he is spoiled and deprived of them. In like manner in other things, a man of times fansyeth and imagineth in himself, that he can abide and suffer no manner of misfortune, when as if it were well considered, it should soon seem but a trifle and no misfortune, but rather a blessing or a good turn. And though it be not light and small in deed, yet let it be esteemed and taken for light, for as much as it cometh alone, and bringeth not. ij. iij. or an hundredth companions with him. For it is a wonder & a singular miracle of god that among such infinite and innumerable perils, as the world and Satan i Pet. v. have ready prepared, and even bend over us, that we are not utterly headelynges overwhelmed and suddenly destroyed of them all. And yet God sendeth & mixeth all ways some goodness and comfort between. As thou hast peraventure a syckly & diseased body, but yet thy mind and heart is sound and strong. Or thou art vexed and cumbered in thy mind, yet haste thou an whole and a sound body, Or peraventure thou art rob, spoiled and deprived of thy temporal and worldly goods and other transitory pleasures, yet thou haste many and divers Christian virtues and singular gifts of grace, wherein is a thousand times more felicyte than in all health, beauty, strength, riches, friendship, wife, children, honour, dignity, or power. For it is not written in vain in the, ciiij Psalm. O Lord the earth is full of thy goodness. Here should an heart and mind that is vexed and cumbered cease, and leave of from the consideration of the present misery and affliction, and call to remembrance what other benefits of God do yet remain, or what other we have had, or at least what are yet to come, and to happen to all faithful Christians. And therefore there is an old common proverb good to be remembered. In adversity remember prosperity, and again in prosperity think upon adversity. Again oft times many a loss & mischance weareth lightly away again, and is soon remedied another way. As if some special friend of thine be taken from thou by death, thou mayest happen upon another as good for him, or else some other benefits may happen unto the for that loss within a And be it in case that thy misery and misfortune continue a long while, yet is all manner of trouble, that we suffer upon earth, transitorpe, everpassing away, and not durable nor perpetual. The length and process of time doth mitigate, ease, assuage, and lighten all manner of smart, pain and grief, if the mind be a while used unto it, & somewhat exercised and waren hard in it. Yet such as be wise, ought not to tarry till smart and grease wear and fret away of itself, but to prevent the time by such means as we have hitherto taught, & here after shall follow. fourthly ordinary means are not to be contemned, despised nor refused. Like as a shypmayster being upon the water and foreseeing a tempest to be at hand, calleth upon God's aid and help, and yet for all that he hath also a Ac xxvij sure eye to the ster●…e to rule, that as handsomely & cunningly as he can. Even so in all manner of necessities and perils it is lawful, and men ought also to use all manner of honest and convenient means, As physyke & medicines in sickness, labour & Goe iii. d ●…at. ix. 〈◊〉 travel with the sweat of our brow●…sin pover poverty, the power & authority of the magistra te in wrong, injury, debate, and dissension: ij. Reg. x i. Mach iij. iiij. v. vi. vi●… viij. ix. etc. battle array against the enemies of our country, and such like, so that no man build, nor trust in any manner of thing saving in the very living God only which can help, deliver and remedy all things without any middle or mean if there were none at hand. Fysthlye when a man waiteth, tendeth upon, and serveth his honest craft, sciens, vocation, or office, whereunto God hath called him, and studieth to execute, perform, and follow it diligently as he ought to do, it driveth away many ●…uyl & vain fancies from a troubled mind that is cumbered with any grief or afflicci on. Sixtly like as weak tender, and diseased eyes are refreshed and quickened with green and fresh pleasant colours. Even so convered & troubled minds are wonder fully, refreshed, revived, and restored to strength thorough seemly honest and measurable mirth and pastime: As thorough hearing of instruments of music, By walking abroad, by altering & chaunching of the ●…yer, and by going out of such places as be obscure and dark, into such as be very lightsow. And specially for a man in his trouble to visit his special friends: or to be visited of them, bringeth a double comfort & ease●…t unto his sorrowful & unquiet mind. first in declaring thy grief & disease unto thy friend & opening thy whole heart, & pouring out thy whole mind before him, thou findest a singular easement in thy mind thereby. And again a true & a faithful friend, thorough his pity and bemoaning of thee, helpeth thee, as it were, to bear thy burden, and although he can take away no part of the substance of thy sorrow, yet his good heart & will and fryndly words are a great comfort unto the. The twenty-three. Chapter. ¶ The best and sue●…st succour & comfort in adversity, resteth only in the might, power, will, and goodness of God. NOw will I open & declare, that God both can, may & will help & secure sufficiêtly for Christ's sake, in respect of whom he promiseth us all manner of help aid & comfort, & performeth it. And I will also show by what means, & in what measure he worketh the same. God saith & looketh upon us, how we stick and wrestle in peril and danger, & he knoweth best of all how & when to remedy help & deliver us, that his glory and our wealth may be most furthered. And he is not one that ●…nelye knoweth all things, but he is also almigh ty, and can worck & bring to pass all things. And if our affliction, and adversity wax and increase from day to day, the lōger the worse, yet is God always a thou sand times mightier & stronger than it. But so mighty can not God be, but he is as gracious and merciful also, and hath a greater lust and desire to show & declare his true heart and love toward us, than we can wish or desire. And although he seemeth in our sight to take utterly away all manner of light of his grace out of our eyes, yet he remaineth gracious & favourable toward us privy lie, & as it were in secret, & certainly he will not forsake us, geue us over, nor suffer us to stick & continue in such heaviness and danger. And it is not our good works, merits & deserts that move him thereunto, but the infinite & endless merit & desert of jesus christ, which hath purcha sed unto us thorough his bitter death and passion, remission of our sins, the hea●… lie gifts of the holy ghost & mitigation or easement of all our ●…roubles & adversities. And it is not possible that any man that Ro. viij. Psalm. xxxiii●…. xxxvij. & cx●…v. 〈◊〉 Proue●…. xxiv. c taketh hold of Christ, & hath him can be oppressed or overthrown either of sin, the devil, the world, or of all the creatu res in heaven and earth, but shall continue and remain for ever under the wing & defence of God. Furthermore, almighty God being pacified & reconciled with mankind, The promise of God to aid and help us. thorough jesus Christ, hath promised b●…the unto the children of Israel, & to all that be in any distress & vexation thorough his ministers evermore from time to time, help, succour, and comfort. Psal. xxxiiij. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a contrite & broken heart, and will Psalm cxlvij a. help them that have sorrowful and humble minds. Ps. xci. He despreth me, & hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him. I am by him & with him in his trouble, I wyllbring him out, & set him in ho nor etc. Oh how comfortable a thing, & what an high honour is it to have such a mighty and so faithful a felow●… companion which will so lovingly stand by us, and aid us. Now as for the time, God will help in dew and co●…uenyeut season, & we must suffer him to take his time and leisure. When god will help. For like as God saith the trouble and affliction of his church, how it is ve●…ed, even so hath he appointed a iu●…e time how long he will suffer the wicked to take their pleasure, a●…d how far they shall go and attempt. And when that is erpyryd, no longer nor further can they go. As the captyu●…te of Babylon was appointed to continue. ij. Para. xxxvi. d. jerem. xxv. 〈◊〉 lxx. years. jerem. xxix. and than to cease. Yea wh●… the sorrow and heaviness is 〈◊〉 the highest, & every one of us think that God hath utterly forsaken us, tha●… is God most ready to help us & his ayd●… is most nigh unto us. Y●…a and to speak certainly as the truth is, God comforteth us continually in Ps. 〈◊〉. Math. 〈◊〉. c. joh. xiv the mids of all our trouble and heaviness and is never from us. For the faithful man hath in his heart, the spirit of God, the fountain and spring of the heavenly water, of the which he is evermore moysteryd, revived and refreshyd to his singular comfort. Ioh iiij. How God hell pith. And the more that our sorrow and adversity augmenteth and increasyth the greater aid and assistance shall we find and perceive. i Cor. x. God will not suffer you to be tempted above your strength, but together with your temptation, he will make a way out that ye shall be able to bear it. By these words doth Paul teach very comfortably that God will not tempt, taste nor assay us harder nor sorer than we may away with, and be able to bear. two Cor. i As the afflictions of Christ are plentiful and abundant in us, even so is the consolation thorough Christ also plen tyfull and abundant. For example. The holy Apostles were so strengthnyd that they rejoiced that they Acto. iiij v. etc. might suffer any thing for Christ's sake. And at this present day, god sendeth more comfort than all devils and all the world are able to send heaviness, sorrow & discomfort. Like as a captain in war, giveth his God helpeth and comforteth thorough his word & spirit. sowdgers that are under him a great courage by speaking manfully & comfortably unto them: Even so God will have his comfortable word daily to be published & proclaimed abroad to the intent to encourage his sowdgers that fight under his banner. And yet he is not so satisfied that we should be incoragyd with bare & simple words, but he himself is present Matth. xxviij by us with his spirit. which spirit as a sure warrant & an earnest penny, certifieth & assureth our hearts, of the grace, favour & Ro. viij. aid of god. And thus he comforteth & reioysyth our hearts unfeignedly, & giveth us wisdom, boldness and strength to skimmysh and fpght against all manner of enemies, as well ghostly as bodily. Although in winter the trees seem and appear not only unfruitful, but also utterly dead, yet the son with her coming, when the winter hath taken her leave, doth so mollify resolve & warm both Mathe. xxiv. the earth itself, & the trees that they bud out again, wax green and bring forth fruit: Even so when the faithful are esteemed & seem as though they were deprived & destitute of all help & utterly forsaken, yet doth the heavenly spirit of god hyghten, warm & strengthen their hearts to all goodness. Like as the young infant is not able to go of himself for very tenderness & lack of strength, but must be sustained, holden up, & led with the hand of the norse, And like as a sick woman weakened 〈◊〉 much & long sickness is not able to go one step, but some whole and strong women must take her under the arm, guide and lead her that she may go with them: Even so are we not able to go of ourselves. There is some kind of sorrow and martyrdom, that we tremble & quake for fear, when we do but hear of it, much less were we able to suffer and to bear it, but God with his mighty hand & present power strengthnyth, susteynyth & preservyth us. Ro. viij. The spirit succouryth and helpeth our weakness and infirmities. And if the devil thorough his spirit doth drive and move the people, that they are ready and willing to all wickedness & abomination though it cost them their lives, why should not God thorough his spirit make us as lusty and willing to all goodness, whatsoever sorrow or affliction we suffer. Sometime God mytygatyth and easyth the punishments, that men may the more easily overcome them. The captain giveth sometime his sowdgers liberty to take their rest, ease and pastime, that they may somewhat refresh themselves, and afterward fight the more manly and freshly: Even so our spiritual captain grantyth oft times unto his Christians a certain recreation, case and rest whereby they may refresh and revive themselves, that they may afterward handle themselves the more valiantly in their spiritual affairs. And sometime he dischargeth us utterly of all maver of trouble and unquietness, and restoreth all our lossies and hinderances again, and delivereth us to our singular preemivence praise and commendation and keepeth and saveth us from all manner of misery and unquietness in time to come. And to perform this thing God useth not only his spirit, but also other means, Psalm. ciiij Heb. i. b as the angels, the stars, the elements, beasts, men and all manner of creatures. Like as a man of war hath a lust and a courage to fight having divers valiant servants about him, which will suffer him to take no wrong, Even so the ps xxxiiij iiij. Reg. vi. nineteen. joshua. 〈◊〉 holy angels do compass us about and defend us that in all manner of affliction & adversity we are bold and able to stand and continue valiantly. In the, iiij. of the kings. vi. Helyseus said to his boy, be not afraid. For they that are with us are moo than they that are with them. etc. The red sea and the flood of jordan Ex. xiv. josu. iij. withdrew themselves that the children of Israel might go over dry, and never wet their feet. The son & moon stood still for josu josu. x es pleasure and never moved until such time as he had slain the five kings. Helias was wonderfully fed of the iij. Reg. xvij. Hest vi. seven. viij. ●…c. ravens. Thorough the hand of a woman the israelites were delivered from a terrible & cruel host of their eumyes. Judith. x. And commonly god comforteth and delivereth man thorough other men. And specially this is a comfortable thing, that all faithful and holy christians upon earth have felowshypp and participation together in all manner of things, both good and bad, as well one as other. And therefore whensoever I suffer any smart, pain or sorrow, both christ and all true christians suffer with me. For in the. xxv. of matthew. The Lord saith not, they were hungry, and thirsty, Esa. lviij eze. xviij. etc. But he sayeth I was hungry and I was thirsty, etc. And furthermore the whole congregation of Christ doth help me to bear my burden, For they that are the members of one body take care and Gal. vi. sorrow one for another. If the sole of the foot be hurt, doth it not grieve the whole body? Now Saint Paul calleth all Christian men one body. i. Corinth. vi. and also one bread and one cup. And therefore all other faithful Christians have compassion and are heavy and sorrowful for me, And whatsoever is light unto them is also light unto me. Take a manifest example by the godly prophet jeremy, Which complaynyd so sore, and was in such distress when for no nother cause. But that the jews his country men were so evil handelyd and vexed. The. xxiv. Chapter. Examples of the help and aid of God. TO this end and purpose ought we to consider & to call unto mind the examples both of the old & new testament. If God had ever forsaken his faithful elect in their trouble and need, than might we have a just and lawful excuse to mistrust him. But for as much as none that ever sought upon God was forsaken of him sought not that to comfort Psalm. xxxvij. d and strengthen us, that he will also mercpfully stand by us in all our need and necessity? Gene. seven. The Godly man Noah with his sons and sons wives were preserved of God thorough an Ark or a ship where as the whole world beside were destroyed with the sin flood. Now if we with Noah believe in the blessed seed, so shall we also with him be reputed for virtuous and good before God and be preserved as he was. Loath was also delivered from the plague and punishment of the Sodomites Genes. nineteen. jacob was fain to flee from his bro ge. xxxij xxxi. ther I sau and to suffer great wrong and injury of hyps' fatker in law Laban, and yet he was nevertheless blessed and preserved of God. joseph being sold of his brethren: because Genes. xxxvij. he would not commit filthiness and abomination with his masters wife, was cast into prison, but God delivered ge. xxxi●… him and exalted him to high honour. King Pharaoh threatenyd Moses very sore, and the children of Israel also Ex. xiv. xvi. xvij. themselves would have stonyd him to death, but god preserved him under his protection. Unto the children of Israel God gave water out of an hard rock of stone, and Nu. xx. Exo. xvi xvi●…. Num. xx bread from heaven and quaylies & other necessary things for the comfort of their necessity, wonderfully in the wilderness. How graciously did god preserve king David & Ezechias in their trouble and i Re. nineteen xxiv. xxvi xxviij. ij. Para. xxxij. d Dan. vi. i Mac. ij Act. twenty-three Rom. xv necessity: And also the prophets Ezechiel and Danyel among the heathen. And likewise judas Machabeus with other at that tyme. Forty men had made a solemn vow neither to eat nor drynck till they had killed Paul, but god did not suffer it to come to pass. These and other like examples are written for this purpose, that we should give like judgement, and have like opinion of other like examples which are not expressed. Beside this, it is also evident & hath been marked, that sometime such as have been the most timorous weak & fearful, afterward being strengthuyd in faith thorough the might & power of god, have suffered martyrdom, banishment & death most willingly & joyfully, and also have ●…omforted boldly such as have suffered with them, even against the nature & disposition of the flesh of man. Yea there is never one of us all, but have oft felt & proved the help, protection and apt of god. For who can make his boast that he himself did help any thing at all to the matter when he was formed in his mother's womb? Of the which matter David speaketh Psal cxix. Who hath kept us hitherto while we have been a sleep? Who hath sorowyd and taken care for us, when we have laboured or taken our Psalm. cxxvij pastime, or else done some other thing & never took thought the least moment for ourselves. It may well happen that god may sometime suffer us to swim, but he will never suffer us to synck or to drown. To be short if there were not so many examples before our eyes, if we would, but look a little backward & consider, how we have passed & avoided the time that is past, which surely hath been always full of great perils & dangers, whether we will or will not me shall be compelled to confess & grant that the merciful goodness of god hath borne us in his bosom, & hath preserved us from divers dangeros perils over & above all that ever we could think, imagine or devise. Now if god hath thus helped & delivered us many & divers ways without any la bor or study of ourselves, yea with out any maver of care or sorrow of our parts, when as we neither knew nor thought that he was present with us, we must needs be very obstinate, dull & mad, If we do not from hence forth in any manner of trouble or Ps. iv. 〈◊〉 Mat. vi Lu. xij. 〈◊〉 i. Pet. 〈◊〉 necessity cast our sorrow upon him & suffer him to care for us, but wy begin to doubt & fear lest he hath already forsaken us or will from henceforth give us over. Item if God of his natural love benefycyalnes and free liberality giveth here in this transitory life, health, strength, riches, wealth, friendship, power, authority & honour & such like, even unto the wicked & ungodly: Why should not we determine & conclude upon the same that he will deal & di stribute a. M. times higher & greater be●…yfites unto the godly & right faithful christians, although they neither see nor receive those gifts at that present instant? Besides this the Lord also comforteth ●…u. xii. c us Math. vi. If God take care for the fowls of the air and the flowers of the field, and provideth nourishment and clothing for them, truly he will deal as faithfully with us men, which excel Math. x many ways the fowls of the air and grass of the field. The third and last part of this book. The. xxv. Chapter. We must direct our faith, hope and confidence, towards God. hitherto hath it been declared, that the very right and true help succour and comfort resteth in God thorough Christ and for his sake: now shall it consequently be taught, how we should order and behave ourselves again with faith, hope, prayer, repentance, amendment of life, and patience, that God ma●… party●…ypate distribute and extend his grace and mighty merciful hand toward us. first of all although we must utterly despair of all manner of help and succour of man, and can in no wise device or imagine what way or after what sort God will or may help & aid us, yet not withstanding we must utterly resist and banish all manner of heavy, sorrowful and desperate fancies and imaginations of the mind, and give no place unto them, but conceive steadfastly this sure trust and confidence in god, that he both knoweth and will take and hit the right time measure and means to help us and will valiantly & gloriously deliver us. Let us commit altogether yoyfully and boldly without fear unto god, & let his mercy & gracious goodness more rejoice & comfort us than all the misery & sorrow under heaven, upon earth, or in hell may fear us. Yea we need to care & sorrow for nothing so much as for this that we be not to careful & sorrowful for ourselves as though god had given over all his care & sorrow for us. For like as the governor fa ther, or good man of the house taketh all the care & sorrow upon himself how he shall find feed & sustain his family, and the household servants ough●…e to love their masters, to have a good trust & opinion of them. And also to labour and ●…o do such service as they are appointed unto, faith fully: Even so all manner of care & sorrow for us belongeth unto god, And our parts and duty is no more, but to trust and believe in him, and to serve in that vocation & condition of life whereunto we are called & appointed of god, faithfully. Now if god be most victorios & inuyn●…ible, and his dear beloved son also an everlasting strength that can never fayl●… against the devil and the world: & again both Christ & god himself, thorough faith, are ours and dwell in us, Ephe. ii●…. Tha●… is there no cause why the faithful Christian man should fear neither his own feeble fle●…h and body nor his weak & impotent age, nor yet the whole power of the devil though he be armed and weaponeth 〈◊〉. Pet. v with a thousand thousand crafts and suttel●…yes. For if so be that in god be all manner of joy blessedness and felicity, And we thorough faith do prove and find him a gracious and merciful god unto us, than may we lawfully rejoice in god even in the midst of the highest sorrow and adversity that can be: To wy●…esse▪ Psalm. xxv. There shall none be confounded and put to shame, that hopeth in the. Psal. 〈◊〉. Cast thy care and sorrow upon the Lord, and he shall defend and sustain thee, what can be thought or imagined more sweet or comfortable? For example. Math. xv. The heathenish woman of Ca●…any all hope and comfort in the remedy & council of man set apart, desireth help and succour of Christ, And although the lord giveth her at the first rough and sharp answers yet she is nothing abashed nor will not so be answered: Even so hold thou on likewise with the heathnysh woman, saying and crying Mat. x●… still, O thou son of david, have mercy upon me: And so shalt thou hear at length this comfortable Gospel and absolution, Thy faith is great, be it unto the as thou desirest. S. Barnard she with very comfortably what a faith he had, in these goodly words. O lord it is much better for me to suf far trouble, so that thou only mayest be by me▪ than to rule and live pleasantly & costly without the. It is better and more pleasant unto me to be in an hot burning and flaming oven with thee, than to be even in heaven without the. And who did ever trust in the Lord, whom he ever forsook. Besides all this, almighty god commandeth Hope. that we should hope, trust and look fo●… help at his hand. Which hope bringeth with her a mitigation & easement of the smart & sorrow. Psal. xxvi. I hope in the lord, therefore shall I not fall. Psal. xxviij. Hope thou only in God, so shalt thou be helped. Roma. v. Hope is never confounded nor put to shame. The, xxvi. Chapter. Of prayer in trouble and adversity. THe holy scripture teacheth us, in all manner of necessities as well bodily as ghostly, to call upon god and to flee unto him. And here doth it profit very much if one be mindful of another 〈◊〉 his prayer. But what should a man pray for? first and most specially for remission of his sins. For when we have once obtained of god pardon of our sins, than certainly shall the sickness, adversity or punishment either clearly cease, or else thorough the gracious will and goodness of God it shall redound to the furtherance of our salvation. secondarily, we must also pray either that God will help and deliver us n●…t after the devise and fancy of our own brains, but after such wise as shall seem unto his godly wisdom, or else that he will mitigate and ease our pain and punishment, that our weakness may not utterly faint and sink down to the bottem. Like as a sick parson although he doubt nothing of the faithfulness, honesty, and tenderness of his physician or surgeon towards him, yet for all that, he desireth him to handle his wound, and to dress him as easily and tenderly as is possible for him. Even so in like manner may we call upon God, that if it be not against his honour & glory, he will vouch save to give some mitigation and easement of the pain. And specially let us desire of him, to grant us strength that we faint not nor be overcome w●…th the fear or greatness of our sorrow & gre●…e, whereby we might forsake him, and fall to some wickedness, but that we may rather, after the example of the holy ma●…ters, Ro. viij, suffer death, & most intolerable torments, then either to forsake and deny ●…ure faith, or el●… to 〈◊〉 any manner of thing against the will of God. And it is very expedient for us to pray with the lost & desperate son, Luk. x●…. I am no moreworthy from henceforth to be called thy son, make me as one of thy hired servants. I will gladly with all my heart have sorrow and trouble upon earth, even as an labouring servant that goth for his hire, so that thou wilt but suffer me to dwell and remain in thy house for ever. But now how should we ●…ray? Z. Iame●… in his first chap. teacheth us, that 〈◊〉. xxi c. 〈◊〉. xi c we should pray in faith without wavering & nothing doubt, but that God doth mercifully hear us. We must continually look upon the promise of god, & have that always befor●… our eye●…, that we do not only ●…ke help & remedy at his hands, but also hope & look surely for it, committing both body & soul with a good will, unto him. Psa. l. call upon me in thy ●…ede & I will help and deliver thee, & so shalt thou praise me. Psal. xci. Let him call upon thee, should will I hea●… him, I am by him in his trouble, I will deliver him out, and bring him to honour. john. xvi. verily verily I say unto joh. xiii●… b. xv. 〈◊〉 you, whatsoever you shall pray for, unto the father in my name (that is to say in the trust & confidence upon my merits) he shall give it unto you. For example. When Moses held up his hands unto God & prayed, his enemies the Amalechytes were overcome. Exod. x●…ij. The. ij. blind men which did cry after the Lord, Oh son, of David have mercy upon us, were heard. Math. ix. Of such like examples are the Gospel's full. Item in trouble & adversity we ought to praise God, & to give him thanks that Praise or thanks giving to God. he hath not forgotten us, but thorough his fatherly visitation calleth & draweth us unto him, & graciously helpeth us to bear all manner of burdens. Even so did Paul in his adversity praise God, ij. Chor. i. praised be God the father of our Ford jesus Christ, the father of mercy & God of all consolation which comforteth us in all our troubles and affliceyons. The. xxvij. Chapter. Repentance and amendment of life, in trouble and adversity is necessary. Now there must go with all this repentance, heaviness, & sorrow for the sins which we have committed in time past, amendment of life, the love of God, that fear of God, all virtue & god●…yues. Manasses was sorry & penitent iiii. Reg xxi. ij. Para. xxxiij. for his wicked life & cruel tyranny, & therefore did God deliver him out of the bands and captivity of the king of Basilius bylon, and restored him again to his kingdom in Israel. By jonas was it preached and proclaimed unto the great city of Nynive, that God should destroy jon. iij. and overthrow it within. r●…. days. The Ninivites believed this proclamation and preaching, and began to repent and amend their lives with a great and a singular humbleness and submission, And so God of his mercy spared them. Nu. xi. e Esa. l. a lix. a Now is God's merciful heart nothing diminished, if we do as the ninivites did, he both can and will pardon & spare us as he did them. The. xxviij. Chapter. Christian and godly persuasions and examples out of the word of god, to move men unto patience in affliction and adversity. Among all other virtues, in adversity, patience is most necessary. Not such a patience as to suffer all things to pass, whether they be good or bad, right or wrong, setting all on six and seven, but when we are in trouble and adversity, and can avoid it by no lawful mean, where as after the desire and lust of our flesh, we would mur●…ur, forsake and give over both God and all manner of righteousness, then to resist and strive against our righteousness and affections and sorrowful thoughts, and as a man would say, to spear up, and to captivate and subdue our natural eyes, wit, & reason under & unto the obedience of god yielding and submitting ourselves unto him, suffering whatsoever it be, with a good and ready will, even though it were most bitter and cruel death rather than we would swore ufrom the word of God: Luke. ix yea and moreover to praise God, and to give him thanks, that he will vouchsafe so fatherly to visit us, and that he hath not forgotten us: This is called a right christian patience. For it is God's precept and commandment, that we should not murmur or grudge against him, when he chasteneth us, but that we should submit ourselves most humbly unto his holy will, and after a certain manner to wish, that is to say, willingly to suffer & bear such punishment & correction, whereby we remain and continue obedient unto his godly righteousness. i Chor. x. murmur not as certain murmured, & were destroyed of the destroyer. Num. xxi. Wherefore we ought to show patience in all things as a point of our duty. And it is a grievous sin to murmur & grudge against the judgement of God, and to resist and strive against God's will. And God doth not only command patience, but also is himself patient & long suffering, which destroyeth not at Deuter. xxxij. e ●…s the hore●…ouger, the extorcyover and other such like wicked and damnable people with a lightning or thunderbolt, although, his holy and straight righteousness requireth no less, He giveth time and space sufficient for the man to repent and to return to grace again. Roman. xij. Dost thou despise the abundant riches of his goodness, his patience and long suffering? knowest thou not, that the goodness and geutylnes of God calleth the to repentance? According unto this Godly example, though it be so that we must suffer somewhat against our will, and contrary to our minds and affections, yet should we not murmur and grudge, but amend our lives, and patiently look and wait for better. And specially the unspeakable fidelity and love of God towards us ought lawfully to move and persuade us to suffer God to work with us even according to his will and pleasure. For by this means we give God this honour, that he doth us no wrong nor injury, but disposeth all things most wise lie and will direct them to a good end. On the contrary part the unpacyente man murmureth and grudgeth against God, and is angry with him, as though his judgements and works were not just and right, for as much as the wicked & ungodly live in pomp, pleasure and all dissoluteness and the virtuous & Psalm. xxxvij. Godly in poverty, sorrow, and misery. He may peraventure fancy and imagine with himself, that God overcharged his faithful children to hard & will suffer them to remain in peril necessity & danger, & will not hear them. And thus he is so poisoned with bitterness and obstinacy that he beginneth to hate and to blaspheme God in heaven and seeketh unlawful means to help and remedy himself, like as Saul i Reg. xxviij. did, running after witches and sothsai ers, Wherefore let every christian man take heed that no such raving fierceness & bitterness come upon him, or at least that it remain long by him, but in such temptation let him fight manfully as in the face and sight of the heavenly captain, which both saith and knoweth all thing, and also most faithfully rescueth his soldiers and is as it were, a fellow and one among them, and will recompense all their labour and travel a thousand fold in the life everlasting. Moreover, we have an evident and perfect image and spectacle of all patience in our Lord jesus Christ, as he An example of Christ. himself pointeth us unto himself, Math. xvi. saying, whosoever will follow me, let him forsake himself, and take his cross upon his back, and follow me. When his unspeakable martyrdom and passion began, he prayed: O father if it be possybyle, take this M●…th. ●…xb. mar xiv Luke xxii john. vi xvi●…. isaiah. liij cup from me, but thy will & not mine be done. Where did he ever ones murmur or grudge, or cast out so much as one untoward and unpacyente word, when he was mocked and scorned, scourged & beaten & most cruelly misordered & dealt withal? print this well and surely in thy mind, that he did pray upon the cross for his greatest enemies, and said, Father, forgive them, for they know not, what they do. john. nineteen. If he thorough his heavenly and divine might & power had rid himself of all his pain, sorrow, and danger, And that we in our sorrow, anguish, & necessity had not felt any heavenly strength nor power from God, then could we not have comforted ourselves at all with our saviour jesus Christ. But he would not put of his bitter passion thorough his almighty power, but rather overcome it thorough weakness. Now then, if he Ps. xc●… ciiij a whom all angels and creatures in heaven and earth do behold and look upon, yea Hebr. i. 〈◊〉 whom they all must serve & fear, both suffer innocently undeserved with all patience & meekness more than ever any Christian man was attempted with, it ought lawfully to make even an heart of stone or iron to yearn & melt, & to take these small afflictions well deserved most patiently & willingly, and to suffer and bear them most meekly. And this practise did the holy elect of God in the old time not only inculc●…e & Examples of the holy fathers & saints. teach with words, but also express and perform in deed. It was an heavy cross unto Abraham to slay, and offer up his most dear son, and yet he would with all patience show himself obedient unto God therein. And Isaac perceiving, that it stood upon his life, and that he should die, we trade not that he did resist, nor once open his mouth against it Gene. xxij. joseph when he was delivered of Genes. xxxvij. his brethren unto the heathen, which were fremd and strangers unto him, yet he forgave it his brethren, and did them good Gene. xlv. etc. for it. Moses' being reviled of the Isra elytes, as a deceiver and a betrayer, pet Exod. ●…ij. had he such compassion of them that he prayed for them. Exo. xxxij. saying: O Lord either forgive them, or else wipe me out of thy book. Here is he willing Ro. ix. 〈◊〉 and ready to take all the israelites sins and offences upon himself, that God should punish him for them. David was fain to be a banished i Reg. xviij. nineteen xx. xxi. xxij. twenty-three xxvi. xxvij. etc. ij. re. xv. xvi. xvij. xviij. out cast a long time, and to flee everywhere from Saul, whom notwithstanding he might once as easily have destroyed & killed as he might have eaten a bit of bread. i Reg. xxiv. And after that he was put to flight of his own son, and yet he said patiently, ●…f I sinned grace and favour before God, then will he restore me again. But if he say, I have no pleasure nor delight in thee, behold here I am, let him make with me, as pleaseth him best. job, the spectacle of patience, job. i. 〈◊〉 being full of sores, in his body, spoiled of his goods, and deprived of his children, said thus, God gave it, & God hath taken it again, the name of the lord be praised. Item in the. xiij. chap. If he should kill me yet will I put my trust in him. Mathathias in the very highest peril and danger of his body and life, at such time as they would have compelled and forced him unto Idolatry he 〈◊〉. Mac. ij made this answer unto the servants and ministers of Antiochus, We will not serve nor depart from our faith, neither to the right hand nor to the left. The Apostles, Acts. v. did rejoice that they were worthy to be scourged, beaten and reviled for the name of jesus. We should learn to cry with Paul I am sure, that neither death nor life, neigh their height nor depth nor any other creature Ro. viij. can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ jesus our Lord. After the time of the holy Prophets and Apostles, many thousand martyrs (among whom were divers notable 〈◊〉, chaste virgins, and other young people) did suffer most grievous torments and afflictions for the truths sake. But now here might some man object and sa●…e, It i●… no marvel that the holy saints did suffer joyfully, & boldly, for they did suffer innocently, unworthily, and without desert, But as for me, I must needs complain that I am a wretchet sinner, and that which I suffer, is for my desertees and sins, so that I suffer worthily. And therefore my cross and affliction can in no wise be compared or likened unto the cross of the holy saints, etc. This objection may be answered in few words. The holy saints, every one of them, concerning themselves, and their own nature, were miserable sinners, but again they were holy & righteous thorough jesus Christ, which had distributed and given unto the also, thorough true faith, his holiness & righteousness. Furthermore, these. ij. virtues, true Faith helpeth to patience. faith, and Christian patience are so nigh of affinity, and so annexed and kuptte in fellowship together, that always the one helpeth the other. Faith is stirred up, exercised, put in ure and practise, and receiveth increasement & more strength though row patience in sorrow and affliction, when as we, for Christ's sake, ●…o both desire and also wait for help & strength of God against our nature, which can nothing, but doubt and despair, & als●… against the weakness of the flesh, against the temptation of the devil, and against the assawltes of the world. And again, patience is exercised, proved and made stronger thorough true faith. For whosoever knoweth, and is fully persuaded, that he hath a gracious and a mer cyfull God with whom, after this miserable life, he shall live everlastingly: The same shall suffer all manner of trouble and adversity patiently, christianly Ro. iiij. v. vi. viij Gal. iiij Ephe. ij. and thankfully. Again, thorough faith in Christ, we are set at one, and reconciled with God, and assured of his grace mercy and favour for jesus Christ's sake, and the merits of his passion. For example. David, for as much as he believed truly and steadfastly in God, he spoke boldly with a courage in the. xivi. Psal. God is our hope and strength, a very present help in all the sorrows and necessities that have assaulted us, Therefore will we not fear, though the world should sink, and though the hills should be carried away in the midst of the sea etc. Yea every Christian man ●…f it were possible (should be content to lose a thousand bodies and lives, if it were for no nother thing, but that he hath hard, tasted, and believed the holy Gospel. But for any man to be impaci ●…nt, and so to remain, It is an evident token, that the same parson never had any true faith, or else, if he had, that it is quenched and gone again. For impacyencye falleth unto murmuring and disobedience God, and beginneth to hate God, and to blaspheme him. Also Christian prayer is a great help & furtherance to patience. For in Prayer helpeth to patience. prayer we desire the sanctification of the name of God. Now is the name of God most praised and sanctified, when we being in the highest danger & necessity do depend and hang upon God (thorough faith and patience) as upon one that will dispose all thing well & to a good end. Again in prayer we desire that the king Mat. vi Luk. xi. doom of God may come unto us. Now if God will confound and destroy in us the kingdom of the devil and of the flesh●…, or else would utterly lead & draw us into his godly and heavenly kingdom thorough the cross, were it not as much as to pray against or use jews, if we should be impatient under the same? We pray lie kewyse, that Gods will be done. Now if Mat. vi Luk. xi. it be God's will that we should have sorrow, trouble and adversity upon earth, how dare or can we resist or grudge against his will? The. xxix. Chapter. Examples and causes taken out of natural things, and of Heathen men, whereby a man may be moved to patience in adversyte. IF there were no holy Scripture at all, yet might a man of his own reason take example of brute beasts, of natural things, as of the body & soul & the natural parts unto them belonging, Also of heathen men, jews and handicrafts men, & of all manner of states and degrees of men, & likewise of the angels, and of the devil, whereby they might conclude & learn, that they ought to be have themselves patiently, boldly & manfully in adversity & misfortune. A lamb or a sheep is led unto the Examples of slaughter, and never cry, nor open the mouth, but suffer and abide it patiently brute creatures & natural things. Mat. v. and meekly. Even so ought the holy elect of God, when they are cursed and reviled, not to curse or revile again, when they are smitten not to smite again, but to suffer all manner of smart and pain, & not once to blear or to open their mouths against it. Our body is but very worms meat: And if we could bestow the same to the honour of our redeemer and saviour Christ ought we not to be glad and to rejoice if we might so do? Like as they that are sick and diseased can be content to suffer and abide any of their members of their body to be cut of, and to be burnt so that they may be any thing relieved and eased thereby of their great smart and continual pain, (which is yet but transitory) & be made whole and sound again: Even so ought we gladly and willingly to suffer our Lord god, and to be still and quiet, when he sendeth us adversity, whereby we may be relieved & discharged of eternal pain and obtain health, bless and salvation for our souls. If thou canst consider the order and course of nature that is naturally written in thy heart, thou shalt thereby learn and conclude that a man ought to be so strong and steadfast that he ought not to be moved by any smart, pain or other temptation to do any thing that is unseming or against honesty. And out of this honesty wronghte & Examples of the heathen. planted in nature, sprung the learning and examples of the wise and notable heathen men, which we call Philosophers, Among whom this was a common proverb and sentence, Bear and forbear: The fy●…ste word where of teacheth that we should suffer the cross patiently, Bear and to be still and meake when we are visited therewith. And the second sygny●…yeth that we should hate, flee and avoid all manner of ●…orbeare examples, words or deeds that might give any manner of occasion to any evil. Aristotle in his book of manners teathe that felicity and blessedness consisteth not specially in health of body, in abundance of goods, or in worldly honour, dignity and estimation, but rather in the exercise and practise of virtue: Out of the which it followeth that a man that is virtuous may be blessed though he have never so much trouble or adversity. And he reckenyth and taketh trouble and adversity for the very matter and occasion, whereby virtue is most styrryd up and exercised and wherein it doth most shine and appear. And thesame Arystotle also compareth an honest and virtuous man unto a good captain. For like as a good captain leadyth and orderyth his host, according as the occa zion requyryth: Even so a virtuous man behaveth himself patiently and well in adversity and maketh the best of it. The stoics did teach plainly that it was not to be reckoned for an evil thing to live in poverty, sickness and misery, but this only to be evil, to forsake virtue, and show any point of dishonesty. Lycero one of the most notable and excellent Romans writeth thus, Remember and persuade this with thyself, that besides sin and dishonesty, nothing can happen to a man, where at he ought to be astoynyd or abashed. And according to this example did one heathen man oft comfort another by all manner of circu●…stances of things, as these following and other. It beseemeth not a man to weep and wail like a child or a woman. And Seneca writeth thus. It is easier to subdue and overcome an whole nation than one only man. Item: Thou art no more a child of a year, but thou hast age and years, And therefore more is required of thee, than of a child. Thou haste been brought up and instruct from thy youth in godly wisdom and knowledge, the same must thou now practise and show forth. Before this time thou couldst comfort and give good council unto other: Do not therefore now like the evil physicians, Which boost and pretend that they can help other men and can not help themselves. Before this time hitherto thou haste showed and behaved thyself manfully, therefore be now like unto thyself and go not backward. It were an unseeming thing to wa●…e from day to day worse, and weaker: and such like. Although this doctrine of the heathen men in this and such other points is to be commended, yet the stories do make mention of many unseemly acts that they did. As this that Coriolianus for desire of revengeance did war against his own natural country. Also Cato and Antonyus for sorrow and heaviness did kill and murder themselves. But the very reason of man can dyscer●…e & judge that such things are against nature & against all virtue and honesty. But the very right and the most notable heathen men have commended and set forth patience not only with words, but also have showed the same in example and deed. Among the greciaus Arystides an excel lent virtuous man, being banished out of his country did take and suffer his misery very manfully and patiently. Among the Romans Camillus and Attylyus Regulus were highly comen ded and praised for their excellent patience and stoutness, which they showed in adversity. Scypio could have defended and revenged himself of the seditious rebels with force and strong hand. But of an excellent princely heart, he went onte of the sight of his enemies for a time, and suffered much trouble and injury of them, for the profit of his land, less he should give them occasion to more bitterness and fierceness. Yea we read of certain women, as of Cornelia, which in affliction and adver site did show manly hearts and great stoutness. But we must always mark the right difference between the heathenysh & the Christian patience. As Socrates in his adversity did wonder of the unrighteousness of men, and thought that it was but a chance & fortune that he was afflicted. But david knew & confessed that his visitation & affliction came from God. ij. Reg. xxiv. 〈◊〉. pa. xxij Socrates for as much as he suffereth innocently & without a cause, he can not find by his reason, that he should wish & desire punishment and affliction, But david (after a certain manner) wisheth & i●…. Reg. xxiv. desireth the cross, for he knoweth that it is Gods will to testify, and to open manifestly, thorough the cross and adversity, his wrath and displeasure against sin. Socrates in his manly sufferance and patience, neither desireth, nor lokyth for any help, comfort or mitigation of his affliction, from God. Yea the notable Cato, hearing that Pompeius being a good man, was overcome and subdued of julius, which was a wicked man he began to doubt and to despay●…e. But David in his patience and obedience calleth upon God for help and delinera●…nce, Psal. 〈◊〉. and is certain and sure that the almighty lord doth assist him for the ho lie and blessed seeds sake, whereof the Gen. iij. heathen have no knowledge nor understanding. Thus by comparing the one to the other, we shall find and perceive that the doctrine of the Gospel is more pleasant and acceptable, and moveth us unto more thankfulness towards the go spell of jesus Christ, thorough whom and by whose means we obtain an whole and a perfit comfort. Now from the old ethnics & heathen men, let us descend & come to the turks, jews & to other degrees of men. Many 〈◊〉 Turk & jew would suffer himself to be marteryd and tormented most cruelly ●…ather than he would deny or forsake mohemeties religion and his perverse & naughty faith, And why should not a christian, than much more be content to suffer stoutly, if need should require. for the Christian religion and faiths sake? A merchant man, maketh far voyages and great journeys and venteryth body & goods, and nothing is to hard and sour for him, only for worldly and transitory gain and lucre, And yet his hope is uncertain, whether his chance shall be good or evil. And though he hapnyth ne ver so well, yet he bringeth home nothing but frail and transitory goods which shall have an end. Now all we have a long viage to make, also even from earth to heaven. And should not we be as well content as prompt glad & willing to suffer all ma ner of perils and dangers that may happen by the way, saying that we have an infallible and sure hope of eternal and everlasting riches for jesus christes sake. A wayfaring man that goeth from home, although he passeth many pleasant houses and goodly meadies, yet minding altogether homeward again, all such things d●… nothing tempt nor grieve him. Even so whensoever we have not all our pleasure and delight here, let us comfort our comfort and delight ourselves with our country and habitation in heaven. When a man of an high and noble birth is contemned and myshandled in a strange land, where he is not known, it grieveth him nothing so much as if the like should happen unto him at home in his own natural country. Now is our natural country in heaven, upon earth we Heb. xiij Phi. iij c i. Pe. i. i●… are but strangers and pylgroms. Therefore we ought the rather to suffer all things patiently here, only that we may have rest among the inhabitants in our right eternal land and country. A man of war prepareth and weaponeth himself with all manner of things appertaining to warfare, and though his enemy be never so strong, yet he forgettyth all fear, & never once thynckyth upon the strokes and wounds but only upon the victory and triumph, and goeth his way and fighteth manfully like a giant against his enemies only for worldly glory and lucre: Which thing may redound to the great slander and shame of Christian people. If they for the honour glory and pleasure of god should not as promptly, willingly and manfully ☞ fight against their ghostly enemies for higher and greater triumph, lucre 〈◊〉 commodity. A ploughman or an husbandman goeth to the field, dougeth, ploweth, soweth and harroweth his ground, and hath much sorrow therew●…h and waiteth for fruit and profit thereof. By the same jam. v. example doth the holy Apostle S. james move and exhort us unto patience. Turn a four corneryd stone how thou wilt, and it will allweys stand right up. Even so howsoever a right Christian be tempted and assaulted, he will ever not withstanding remain upright. When a man playeth at the tables, he can not always cast what he would have, but whatsoever he hath cast he must make ☞ the belt of it. To 〈◊〉 ●…ame doth Plam to liken our life. Wherein happen many things contrary to our will, which we must take and turn all to the best, and never despair. Wha●… 〈◊〉 child that can scarcely god, chausyth to stumble upon a stone, he falleth down by and by in the same place & there lieth still weeping & crying till some body take him up. But people of reason and understanding must not do like children, but must use and endeavour themselves what sickness or inconvenience soever happen, by & by (so far as is possible) to heal, ease and remedy it. A virtuous child will not forsake his father in his need or trouble, nor an honest Ec●… wife her husband and spouse, nor yet a faithful servant his master: And why than should we forsake God our father, or Christ our spouse and heavenly Lord and master in trouble and adversity. Such as are coveto us money marchanties, ambitious and vain glorious, for●…ycators, whoremongers and murderers, care neither for shame nor for any thing else, and spare no labour or travel, so that they may bring to pass their wicked lust and desire. And yet oft times they miss also. And why than should not a right godly ma●… be constant painful and patient in honest & good things: As saint barnard writeth very well, saying, What a faintness, sluggishness and dullness is this that such as are wicked and ungodly should be more servant to wyckedues and abomination than we should be to honesty and goodness? Yea that they should ro●…n more swiftly to the devil and to death, than we should to god and to life? Furthermore thy fearfulness and impatiency is a great pleasure and comfort to thy●…ooes, and a great heaviness and dies comfort to thy friends. For doubtless all that wish the good, do rejoice in thy strength and constantness. Thynck also that thou fightest in the The angels. presence of the holy angels, which by the provision and appointment of god do dwell with thee, and move and exhort the to●…sted fastness, And they rejoice when thou contynuyst steadfast in goodness. i Co. iiij. And again we should to the uttermost of our power flee and abhor all such The devil. things as might delight and rejoice the devil, For he is the deadly arch enemy of God, and of all mankind. i Pet. v. Now this is the very purpose of his temptations and suggestions and all that he sekyth, that we, when we are poor, should steal, and when we are sick, that we should murmur against god, And in war, affliction and adversity that we should forsake our Christian faith and religion. constantness, faithfulness & steadfastness toward God and the Christian church, doth grieve and displease him. Therefore we to rejoice the angels, and to grieve the devil ought that rather to be con stant and pacyente in the midst of all adversity. The. thirty. Chapter. By what means patience may be obtained, and gotten. And once had, how it may be kept & increased? Notwithstanding that we know and perceive that patience is so profitable and fruitful a thing unto us, yet we feel in our flesh a certain misliking, & grudge toward the cross. Who can be content and glad to see himself deprived, of his life, honour, estimation, goods, children or wife? The remembrance of the pleasure and prosperity that we have had in times past, doth so grieve us, that with Lot's wife we syghten & look back after Sodoma. Gen. nineteen. And with the children of Israel, we lust after the fleshpottes in egypt. Ex. xvi. And like weakness do we also find in the noble king and prophet david, as he himself sayeth, Psall. lxxvi. Many say unto my soul, he hath no god, My soul would receive no comfort, my spirit is waxed weak and feeble. Item our saviour jesus in his innocent flesh, did show and declare the fear fullness and angwysh of the flesh, when as he kneeling upon the mount Olyuete, considered his passion and martyrdom Luc. xxij that was coming and at hand, and swett for sorrow and angwyshe, so that the drops of his swett gushed upon the earth like drops of blood, and he prayed unto his father, that if it were his will, that cup might be taken from him. In like manner being upon the cross he said, my god, my god, why hast Ps. xxij a Mathe. xxvii. e. thou forsaken me, how long wilt thou thus deal with me. But it is not to be understand as though Christ did doubt of his father's favour and grace, but the weakness of his flesh could have been content to have suffered no more. Now like as the spirit forepasseth and overcometh the flesh in Christ, Even so must it do in us also, that we have more respect unto God and unto the life everlasting than unto this wormeeten flesh. And therefore now will we declare by most sure and infallible reasons, by what means and ways a man may master and overcome his flesh in the time of the cross and affliction and so show and declare true and perfit patience. Which virtue (like as all other) hath her first beginning and increase of the grace, power and spirit of God, without whom we can work nothing that good is, neither yet resist or overcome any evil. i. Macha. iii. it is written, The victory consisteth not in the multitude of men, but the power and strength cometh from heaven. Item Paul sayeth Philipp. iiij. I am able to do all things thorough him that maketh me mighty, which is Christ. Wherefore although my fleshly reason synckyth, waveryth and faileth never so much, yet doth God continually preserve and uphold my spirit that it do not utterly faint, but continue prompt and willing till such time as it may be delivered and eased. But now, how should we order and behave ourselves that God may grant us his strength, and true patience and boldness? Forsooth thorough faith, hope, prayer, love, truth, faithfulness, virtue and godliness we may obt●…yne it of god. first we must fur●…ysh and comfort faith workyth patience. our hearts and minds with faith toward god. For whosoever doth know perfitly and is certain that god which is the lord of all haps and mishaps, of prospe●…te and adversity is pacified and reconciled with him, and that he for that cause ca●…ot be deprived of eternal salvation: the same shall be able to contemn and to defy all worldly honour pomp and lusts. And again there can be no pay●… so bitter, sharp & grievous unto him that can bring him out of pacieuce. In o●…r Christian faith we confess and believe an holy universal church and that we have fellowship and participation with all saints and elect of god, & also we confess & believe remission of sins, resuerec●…yon of the flesh, and life everlasting. And Christ giveth unto every one that hath faith, this absolution. joh. 〈◊〉. Whosoever heareth my word & believeth him that hath sent me, thesame hath everlasting life, and cometh not to judgement, but passeth thorough from death to life. Wherefore thorough faith a man obtaineth power, strength, patience, constancy, and steadfastness in all goodness. If strong and mighty enemies should come upon the assault and belege thee, & thou hadst on thy side one whom thou ☜ knewest certainly to be Lord, & to have power over all thine enemies, thou might test lawfully be bold and wyth●…t fear. Now have we (thorough faith) Christ on our side, which is Lord over all Lord des which hath full power over all fortune and misfortune, prosperity and adversity. Therefore thou must not long think and look upon the weakness of thy flesh, but thou must stir about with thy faith, that is to say, thou must earnestly and diligently consider the might and true love of jesus Christ, which both can and will comfort and rejoice the more, than all misfortune is able to discomfort thee, or to make the heavy. Peter saith. i Petr. v. Your enemy the devil goeth about like a roaring lion, and se●…yth whom he may devour, whom resp●… ye steadfastly with faith. Item S. james saith that your approved faith worketh 〈◊〉. jam. i. The holy and faithful apostles did evidently declare that according to the inward man, it was a joy and 〈◊〉 comfort●… unto them to be 〈◊〉 and scourged for the lords sake. ●…ct. ii●…. v. Again all troubles and afflictions are grievous by reason of ●…ure weak faith, which is yet but little exercised, and hath not well and fully talled the riches and treasure of the children of God. Yet not withstanding no man ought to despair, though he have not a perlyghte strong faith. It happenyth oft times, that the faith being little and weak in the time of necessity and affliction draweth back, and is like to a b●…and and 〈◊〉 that hath but a little fire upon it, which the lord jesus ●…yll not quench but increase, so that we do but pray with the dear Apostles and say. O Lord strengthen our●… Mar. ix. faith. But wha●… a man is utterly destitute of faith, as he that knoweth of no neither nor of no better life than this, it is no marvel at all though he despair at length. Yea the more he trustyth in himself or in any worldly or transitory thing, the more unable is he to resist and continue in trouble and adversity. For there is no right comfort nor su●…or in any manner of thing besides the Lord Ac. iii●…. 〈◊〉 jesus. There are two kinds of hope, the one is of nature, and the other cometh Hope maketh men 〈◊〉 cye●…e. of faith. The natural hope is a special gift and benefit of God, which after a certain manner, do●…th help and comfort a man that is troubled and 〈◊〉, that he do not viterlye despair, but in the midst of all adversity, hopeth, that it will, within a while, be bet●…er, and so way●…th and 〈◊〉 till the adversity be overblown. Now if this na turall h●…e have such a strength and virtue, should not the other hope, which the spirit of God doth newly inspire tho●…we sayrth, work a 〈◊〉 greater and perfecter patience and strength, that a man in the midst of his cross, shall hope and wait for heavenly comf●…rte and aid of God for Christ's sake? And although the natural hope doth of●… and many times fail and deceive, and is always uncertain, yet this Christe●… hope doth never fail nor deceive. The husband man considereth not on lie his labour and travail, and what tem ☞ pest and mischance of wether may for tune, but for as much as he trusteth and hopeth that the fruit shall wa●…e and come forth when the time is, therefore he laboureth stoutly and with a good will. Fuē●…o in the spiritual vineyard under the yoke of the Lord, the hope and trust of honour and reward maketh men patient and willing, and giveth them courage. Roman. vi●…. If we hope for that thing which we see not, we wait for it thorough patience. Furthermore, we must seek upon God fervently and without ceasing, Prayer 〈◊〉 to pacy●…. Math. xxiv. thorough prayer, that he will give us a bold and a strong spirit to suffer all things, and to contin●…e steadfast unto the end. Thus doing he will surely hear v●… 〈◊〉 according to his promise, and faithfully give us his spiritual gystes, most specially. When a man maketh his complaint, & openeth his need & grief unto his special friude, he seeketh a certain ease afterward, so that his pain and grief (by the rehearsing thereof) is after a certain manner relieved, remedied and taken away: much more comfort and ease shall we receive by telling and opening our grief and complaint unto God. For man is soon weary and yrk of our complaining. But if we should spend the whole day in praying, crying and complaining to God, he would love comfort and strengthen us the more, Luk. xviij. Again, to search, hear and learn the word of God, & for a man to exercise To hear the word of God, helpeth to patience. himself therein, is a great furtherance and help to patience. For God hath not revealed and opened his word in vain unto us, but hath showed & set before us in the same most sweet and loving promises and comfortable examples, that we might lear●…e thereby, his goodness, faithfulness and loving kindness, and so come fort and strengthen ourselves by thesame, in all manner of trouble and adversity. For an example, doth the holy word of God sound. In the world ye shall joh. xvi have sorrow and trouble, but be of good comfort, for I have overcome the world. Ite●… God is our hope and strength. O Lord thou forsakest not them that Ps. xxv●… xxxi. a Esay. xxviij. Ro. ix. d seek the etc. Many such god lie promises and excellent comfortable sayings have we, which we ought to seek and to fetch, though it were even from jerusalem, upon our kneys, and never to cease, lauding and praising of God, that he in these latter days hath made us partakers of the eternal and infallible comfort of our souls in his word and gospel. Which word is nothing 〈◊〉 pure virtue and life, as all faithful ha●… tes do ●…le and perceive: And it ough●… no nother wise to be received of 〈◊〉, but as though we heard the ve●… ☞ ●…yce of GOD himself from 〈◊〉uen 〈◊〉 all such things 〈◊〉 ●…e hear 〈◊〉 o●… the old and new 〈◊〉. Again the love which waxeth love inward God, worketh patience. and springeth out of faith worketh patience in adversity, and constan●…ye and 〈◊〉 fastness in goodness. jacob served seven years for the damsel Rachel, Gene. xxix. And by reason of the hearty love that he bore unto her, the ty●…e was but short unto him: ☜ And the days that he served for her seemed but few unto him. Even so whosoever loveth God, shall bear and take patiently whatsoever GOD layeth upon him, and whatsoever he suffereth for God's sake. Now sickness and other plagues do not happen unto us without the will and providence of God: Therefore if we love God hartylye (as we ought to do, for as much as he is our merciful father, and we his children and heirs) we can not mur mur against his visitation, no●… be dyscontente with it, but we shall rather run after him thorough all manner of ways be they never so rough and shall contemn all things, be they never so hard and grievous and evermore press unto him thorough thick & thin until such time as we come to perfit rest in him, according to the example of the holy Apostles and martyrs whose love toward God did mitigate & ease all their sorrow, cross and adversity. Item to give alms, and to exercise The exercise of virtue, worketh patience. Ecclesi. xxxv. Matth. xxv. all kinds of virtue and godliness worketh patience, and that specially for these two causes. first because God doth increase his spiritual gifts in them, which do well use and bestow them. For to him that hath, shall more be given. And secondarily, whosoever behaveth himself godly and virtuously, the same hath a better and a more quiet conscience, and so much more boldness and confidence, but yet only building and steing upon the righteousness of jesus Christ. Item like as a soudger, (first for fear of prison and of the shameful death which he should suffer if the battle should be soused: And again in hope of the high reward & excellent honour and reudwne if the victory go on his side) will fight the more boldly and lustily. Even so every true Christian is stirred and provoked to more faithfulness and patience, when he considereth the exceeding profit and commodity of patience, and again the great hurt and discommodity of impatience. The. xxxi. Chapter. The fruit, profit and commodity of patience as well corporal as spiritual, Cap. xxxi. LAst of all, patience serveth to the honour and glory of God, and to the wealth and profit of man, both in soul, body, and in transiturye goods and possessions, and also in worldly honour and commendation. For the faithful do resist and withstand their pain and smart, and patiently without any gradging suffer the lord to deal with them, according to his own will: Not for any vain glory nor for any worldly or transitory gain or lucre, but only & specially to she we themselves obedient to God, and to land and praise him. As for example, God was as highly praised and glorified when the. iij. companions of Danyell suffered them selves By patience god is glorified. so patiently and manfully to be cast into the hot burning oven, as he was by the excellent wisdom of daniel, which he declared in that he could open unto the king, his dream. danye. ij. iij. Furthermore, the patient is less sick, & when he is sick, he is sooner whole again: patience is profitable for the body & goods. Where as thorough impatiency the heart is pressed, vexed, guawen, consumed & eaten up. prover. xvij. A merry and a quiet heart is an help and furtherance to health, but an heavy and sorrowful mind maketh the mary and natural strength to consume. Proverb. xxv. Like as the motthies do hurt the garments, & worms the wood, even so doth sorrow and he vines hurt the heart of man. When a child being corrected and punished of his father, suffereth it patiently, his father hath the more pity upon him, and holdeth his hand, and ceaseth the sooner: But if the child show himself froward, cry any thing loud or murmur and grudge against him, than is the father the more angry and fierce over him and beateth him the more sharply. Even so the heavenly father ponysheth the patient man the more easily, and healeth him soon again. But toward them that murmur against him, he showeth himself sharp and fierce. Proverb. xv. A gentle and fryndlye answer doth still & pacify wrath, but rough and stubborn words do provoke to anger and displeasure. The patient man job obtained his job. xlij. goods double again, and was plentifully recompensed of the Lord, even here in this life. The faithful have experience and proof in very deed, that it is good for them to be patient, and to suffer the Lord to work his will. And again many by reason of their impacyencye and murmuring, do lose that thing, that they should else have had. paci●…ce is profitable for the soul & mind & a furtherans to all ver tues. Proverb. xiv. Sufferance and patience is a token of wisdom unmeasurable heaviness is a token of foolishness, when we weep and complain like children saying: I would never have thought, I would never have believed that it should have come thus to pass, and such like. Item impacyencye entangleeth and insnaryth the mind, and maketh a man sometime dull, and at his wits end. When a man submittyth and giveth over himself humbly unto the will of God, although his adversity can not be remedied, yet it shall be easier and lighter unto him. Yea there is nothing so bitter, sour, hard or terrible to a man, but by this means, shall be easy, sweet, light, and comfortable unto him. And again so long as a man doth not utterly give over and yield himself to the good will of God, and will not suffer him to work his pleasure with him, content whatsoever he sendeth, his grief is the worse, and the more hard and bitter unto him, his mind never ceaseth gnawing and fretting, and of one sorrow he maketh. iij. or. iiij. yea he maketh his own life bitter & sour unto him with infyvyte sorrows and unquietness. Like as the bird that is caught 〈◊〉 with the lime road, the more it striveth to deliver itself, the more do the feathers cleave and hang to the lime: And in like manner the more the fish that is caught in the net, seeketh to come out, the more it windeth itself in, And again he that is bound with chains or fetters of iron, the more he strayeth abroad, the morehar me he doth to himself: Even so such as are froward and unpatient do increase their sorrow, and hurt themselves the more. He that hath an heavy burden upon his back, the more he shuttlyth and moveth the same, the more doth it grieve him. Even so the more froward and unpatient a man is under the cross, the more gre vous and painful is it unto him. It is not unwisely spoken of the heathen man Plyny which saith. A good heart in adversity, taketh away the half thereof. And it is a common proverb of the heathen men, The fear of adversity and pain, before it cometh, is worse than the pain itself. All manner of punishment and adver site which, according to the merit & desert of man, should be unto him a taste and beginning of everlasting pain and damnation: the patient man taketh and useth it for an occasion to exercise thereby all kinds of virtue, whereby the spiritual gifts of grace do wax and increase more and more. For they that are patient do keep the true faith toward God, cry and call upon GOD thorough fervent prayer, honour, laud and praise God, not only for that he rulyth and disposeth all things, but also that he bringeth all things to a good end and success, and that he will so continually do. And thus thorough patience, is patience increased. And contrary wise the unpacyente man decayeth daily in all kinds of virtues, and is daily more and more spoiled and deprived of all goodness. For whosoever is content and can suffer himself to be provoked of the devil and of the flesh, and giveth place unto them, the same forsaketh faith, prayer and obedience toward God, and suffereth them to departed, and so is unthankful to his true and faithful GOD, whom he can not be content to suffer, and to commit himself unto him for a while, that he may the more defend and preserve him afterward. He thynckyth that God doth not regard him, and that it is in vain to trust and to wait for help, comfort and deliverance of God. He imagineth with himself nothing else, but that God is utterly wrath and disposed with him. And can find in his heart to curse and to blaspheme God, as though he were a cruel, unmerciful and an unryghtuos God, showing more love and favour and doing more good to the wicked than to the godly. And by this occasion he seeketh for aid help and comfort at creatures, and maketh vows unto saints, and to pilgrimages, that is to say, to chapels of Idolatry and of false gods, and maketh wicked comuanties agreements and promises against God. Some, for fear, do forsake and deny the christian faith, and receive the wicked popish religion consenting to manifest idolatry, and make God a liar as though he could or would not help any more in this or that thing, accyrding to his manifold promises in the old and new testament. Furthermore impacyencye is augmented and increased thorough impatiency, so that a man that is unpocient is every day more sorrowful and desperate than other, fleyth and showeth where he should steadfastly continue, and findeth neither rest case nor quietness in his heart. And many one because he will not suffer and abide poverty and other like extreme necessity, he falleth to naughtiness, murder, whoredom, dying, stealing, extortion, riot, cutting of purses, & to such other detestable abomination. Item they that be unpatient do envy and disdain at others men's wealth and prosperity, for they imagine that to be the cause of their cross and sorrow, and they fret against it envying disdaining and hating oft-times, the inno cent without any cause, yea they rage and rave running headelonge, to revenge themselves. By the reason whereof oftentimes (as many stories do testify) contention, hatred, war, uproar, shedding of blood, decay and destruction of the church, of religion, and of the common wealth, have risen: As Coriolianus, to revenge himself, as an enemy did procure war against his own natural country. Besides this, it is an high honour and commendation before men, before the angels, paciency is a commendation & honour before men. before the holy saints, and also before god himself, when a man showeth patience, boldness and strength in adversity. And again when a man behaveth himself unseemly, unpacyentlye and desperately, it is a shame and a dyshonor for him both before all creatures, and also before the creator himself. For it is no high nor hard thing for a man to show a bold and a strong heart, and to be content with God's working, when all things happen prosperously and according to his mind: But this is a virtue & a point of cunning when a man's mind is not moved nor broken in adversity and misfortune, job. i. Like as in a school or a place of fence, he that hath showed the most manly touch, and hath won the victory, hath great commenda●…yon and high honour: Even so is it much more commendable & a greater honour to overcome and to subdue our spiritual enemies and to have the victory against the assaulties of the fleth and the devil. Be that forsaketh his bodily master without a just cause, is taken before the world for a man that lacketh faith, truth and honesty: And should it not than be a greater point of dishonesty and of unfaithfulness, in the time of affliction under the cross to forsake Christ and his word and thorough to work and to do against thesame? prover. xij. Be that subdueth the temptations of the mind is to be preferred & more to be commended than he that hath besieged & overcome a strong city. For the which cause as well among the Christians as among the heathen divers notable parsons have gotten high commendation and praise for their trustiness fidelity, & excellent constancy, which they have showed at an hazard & at the time of need. And specially the example of our saviour jesus Christ is to be considered, whereof Paul maketh mention. Ro. viij. to this end, saying: If Christ after his affliction and obedience even unto death was exalted to high honour and glory, It shall be a furtherance likewise unto us to great honour, if we take our cross daily upon us and follow him boldly & manly. Experience teacheth also when a man will shift a way the cross from him by unlawful means, and will not with honesty and to his commendation suffer it, for god's sake, oft times he is compelled and driven by force to suffer as much or more with shame and dishonesty for the devils sake, and to have great dyshonor and confusion thereby. Moreover unpacyente people do shorten their own lives. Judith in the. viij. chapter patience is profitable for the lengthening of a man's life. declareth the stories of the. xi. &. xxi. of the book of numbers and sayeth, They that have not taken their cross and temptation in the fear of god. But thorough murmuring and grudging against god have showed themselves unpatient, they were destroyed of the destroyer, and were murtheryd of serpents. And some thorough unmeasurable sorrow have fallen into grievous diseases and deadly sicknesses, And gnaw and fret themselves to death, or else murder themselves as king i. re. xxxi Saul did. Item whether a man do suffer worthy or innocently if he continue in murmuring and unpatient, it serveth to his Patience may further a man to everlasting life. eternal damnation. And again whether a man suffer worthily or innocently, if he take it patiently as he ought to do it is merytorios unto him, and a furtherance to everlasting life. And all the sorrows and pains upon earth in respect of the bless and salvation that is to come are but as the biting of a gnat or a flea, which is easy to overcome. When men in warfare lying in camp will play the sluggards & be slothful, and ☞ not resist the enemies stoutly and manfully their fields are destroyed, their houses spoiled, their villages set on fire, their man's parsons murtheryd and stain, and their wives and daughters defiled and ravished, and all goeth to havoc and is full of misery. Even so in the spiritual warfare and field, if we yield unto the flesh and the devil, and resist them not manfully and constantly, we cast ourselves into perpetual danger, misery and unquietness. But if we fight against eph. via the ghostly enemies stoutly and patiently, we may attain to perpetual rest and quietness. He that is sick, if he will not receive the medicine, because it is bitter & sour, or if he have a sore or a wound and will not suffer it to be searchyd and cut & the corrupt flesh to be cut away, because it is very painful, It is no marvel nor wone der if the same man perish in his sickness and disease: But if he would suffer himself to be handled after the mind & counsel of the physician or surgeon, he might overcome the smart and pain and have good hope to be cured and remedied and to be restored to his health again: Even so all right and faithful christians that are patient in adversity may conceive a much more steadfast & sure hope that they shall attain to everlasting restitution & health of body & soul: Where as contrary wise they which remain & continue in their frowardness & impacyencye against god the heavenly physician, must smart for it everlastingly, both in body & sowl. scripture to confirm and prove this, hove we. jac. i. Happy is that man which suffereth temptation. For after that he job. v. 〈◊〉 Pro. iij 〈◊〉 Ose. vi a i Pe. ii●… Heb. xij 〈◊〉 is proved, he shall receive the crown of life. But no man may gather or conclude upon this, that we merit or deserve eternal salvation for our patience, which thing only Christ alone hath done, And yet shall we be rewarded for our patience and adversity, and they shall profit us everlastingly. ●…ast of all, patience is profitable and bringeth singular commodity, not only to him that hath the same virtue, but also to other people. For when another perceiveth thy constant truth, fidelity and steadfastness, he taketh example and occasion to exercise like patience and steadfastness. It is manifest by divers true and credyble stories when as the Christians have died manfully and boldly for the Christian fayeths' sake, that certain of the persecutors and enemies of Christ have wonderyd so sore there at, that they by that and no nother occasion were converted and turned to the faith and religion of Christ. Item, patience and steadfastness have wrought peace and quietness in common welthies, in the church and in many nations, cyteys and towns. As Scipio a wise and noble ruler, for as much as he did resrayne himself and would rather forsake the city of Rome than to subdue and oppress his enemies with force of arms, it turned to the singular wealth and commodity of the whole common wealth. And contrariwise a bitter, cruel and unpacyente mind, bringeth, workyth and occasionyth infinite harm, destruction in common welthies & heresies in the church of god. For Marius as he came again to Rome, and could not refrain himself, thorough his unpacyentnes, wrought great tyranny and showed much cruellnes, causing divers of the principal people of the contrary part that held against him, most cruelly to be murtheryd and put to death, whereupon did follow and ensue much inconnenyence. Also Arrius, because he could not obtain his purpose nor bring his device to effect, for very frowardness and impatiency he vexed and dysquyeted the church of Christ with horrible heresies. In like manner thorough our unpacyentnes in the cross a●…d adversity we give occasion to them that be weak in the faith to doubt, whether our faith and religion be the true faith and religion or 〈◊〉, when we confess & say of god that he is our comfort and refuge both in this world and in the world to come, and yet we show ourselves so desperate and heavy in adversity as though God had ut terly forsaken us & as though there were no better life after this. Wherefore we ought to arm and prepare ourselves to all manner of adversity in time, while we are here in good wealth and prosperity, and not to depend & hang over much upon transitory goods and prosperity, that whensoever need shall require, we may be content with patience to forego and forbear them and continue steadfast in the true faith, wherein whosoever shall continued unto the end, shallbe saved, Mat. xxii●…. x AMEN. To god only be all honour and praise. A humble petition to the lord, practised in the common prayer of the whole family at Shene, during the trouble of their Lord and master the duke of Somerset his grace: gathered & set forth by Thomas Becon, Minister there. Which trouble began the. vi. of October, the year of our Lord. M. D. xlix. and ended the. vi. of Februarye than next ensuing. O Lord father of mercies, and God of all consolation, which rulest and does posest all things after thyunsearcheable wisdom, and workest in thy creatures according to thy blessed will (which is always good and godly, howsoever blind and frail flesh judgeth of it) we thy ●…nprofitable servants know and unfeignedly confess thy omnipotence and almighty power. We know that thou art able to do whatsoever thy good pleasure is. We know that thou bringest down to the grave, and fetcheste up again. Thou punishest with poverty, and makest wealthy again. Thou bringest low, and liftest Deuter. xxx●…. i Reg. ij Sap. xvi job. xiij up again. Yea thou (O Lord) kil●…est and makest alive again. O●… wonderfully dost thou work in all thy creatures, specially in them whom thou haste appointed to be vessels of mercy, and inheritors of thy eternal glory. If they at any time grievously offend thy divine majesty, (as we be all sinners and ready at every moment to fall) thou dost neither long wink at their wickedness, nor yet for ever cast them from thy favour: but like a loving pysician, with some emplaster or salve (although bitter to the flesh, yet wholesome to the soul) thou healest them. And like a tender and gentle father correc test them with some temporal punishment, that by the means they escaping everlasting punishment, may repeute them of their ungodly behaviour, confess their wickedness, flee unto thy mercy, and for ever after be the more circumspect in treading the paths of thy holy law. On this manner didst thou handle the israelites when they offended thy fatherly goodness. On this manner didst thou deal with king david and prophet jonas for their disobedience, with many other, whom not withstanding (for thy mercies sake) after they had knowledged their offences and called upon thy holy name, thou wonderfully deliverdest and broughtest again, as it were into the heaven of quietness. We therefore thy poor and sorrowful creatures, perceiving in the holy scriptures so large fountains of thy great mercies plenteously issuing out toward all them, that be of a contrite and broken heart, are Esa. lxvi bold at this present (for thy promise sake) to come unto thee: most humbly beseeching thee, that as thou deliverdest jonas out jona. i●…. Dan. vi A●…tu. xij i. Re. nineteen Da. xiij of the whales belly, Danyell from prison, Peter thy Apostle out of ward, David from the hands of his enemies, Susan from the power of her adversaries, with diverse other: so in like manner thou wilt deliver and set at liberty thy serruaunt our Lord and master, y●…a and that on such sort, that it may be to thy glory, to his honour, and to the comfort of all us his faithful and true servants. And although we for our imperfection be not worthy to crave and enjoy so great & comfortable benefit at thy merciful hands: yet we doubt not but for thy ●…rely beloved son jesus Christ's sake thou wilt moste favourably hear us, most fatherly pity us, and most bounteously grant us this our humble request. And we again receiving this benefit of our Lord and masters deliverance at thy hand, shall not be unthankful: but continually magnytye thy holy and glorious name, which dealest so favourably with thy servants, when they call upon thee, in the name of jesus Christ, thy only begotten son, and our alone mediator and advocate: to whom with thee, and the holy ghost be all praise and honour for ever and ever. Amen. A thanks giving for his grace's deliverance. SO oft as we consider thy wonderfully works (O blessed and heavenly father) which thou workest of thine own good will, for so many as in their trouble and adversity flee for refuge unto thy holy name, as unto a strong hold and mighty fortress, we can not but confess and acknowledge thy singular kindness & unspeakable good will, which thou continually (through thy fatherly goodness) bearest toward thy servants. And for the same, not merited of any man, but freely of thy mere mercy given, we rendre unto thee (according to our most bounden duty) most hearty praises and entire thanks. In consideration whereof, the children of Israel b●…ynge in miserable captivity, lamentably lamenting before the their to much sorrowful state, by hearty prayers, after that thou hadst delivered them from that land of servitude, braced out into exceeding great praises, glorifying thy most holy and blessed name, for their sweet and comfortable deliverance. The citizens of Bethulia jud. seven viij. ix. x. xi. x●…. xiij. xiv. xv. xvi. likewise being in great distress, called upon thy glorious name, and thou most mercifully deliverdest them. And they again with merry voices, & more joyful hearts, song unto the most hearty thanks. In like manner, after thou hadst Genes. xxxvij. xli. delivered joseph, daniel, Peter, & many other thy servants from their so rows and calamities, ah who is able to express, with how ready and glad minds they magnified the & thy holy name. We therefore sinful wretches, excited & stirred up with the godly examples of these thy servants, knowing how greatly thou delightest in the sacrifice of praise confessing also (such is our beggary) that we have no other thing worthy to offer unto thy divine majesty, are at this present gathered together to celebrate thy great mercies, to magnify thy blessed name, and to render unto the most humble thanks and immortal praises, that it hath pleased thee (of thy exceeding goodness) the rather at the contemplation of our prayers. to show thy favourable mercy, in the deliverance of thy servant our Lord and master, unto our singular joy and great comfort. For thy thy benefit (most beneficial father) we so heartylye thank thee, as heart can think, most entirely beseeching thee, that thou wilt give us all grace, never to be vumyndfull of this thy benefit, nor to commit any thing hereafter, that should offend thy fatherly goodness, or provoke thy wrath against us, lest (through our disobedience) we after this feel more bitter tokens of thy heavy displeasure than hitherto we have done: but in all our enterprises so to behave ourselves according to thy blessed will, that thou mayest delight in us, as a father in his children, and vouchsafe to bless us with all spiritual blessing, to enrich us with the knowledge of thy heavenly word, and to work in us a life con formable to the same, that other seeing our godly manners and Christian conversation, may be encouraged to embrace thy blessed word, to magnify thy holy name, and in all points to frame their life according to the rule of thy holy commandments, through the inspiration of thy blessed spirit, to whom with the & thy dearly beloved son jesus Christ, be all honour, praise and glory, for ever and ever. Amen. A Godly prayer and confession of our sins to god our heavenly father, with the rehearsal of the punishments and plagues of the same calling therein upon the mercy of God. LOrd god of heaven, great mighty, Neem. i. ij. Para. xxxvi. terrible god, fearful & dreadful is thy name, whom all creatures do fear, and tremble for the power of thy face for intolerable is the threatening of thine indignation over the sinner. We are not ashamed to knowledge Eccl. iiii and to confess unto the our trespasses 〈◊〉 sins, for we have sinned above the ij. Par. xxxvi. iij. Reg. vii●…. Psalm. l job. 33. Dan. iij. numbered of the sand which is in the sea. Yea, Lord we have sinned, offended, and have been ungodly, and knowledge our transgressions, and our sins are ever before us, we have sinned in deed, and departed from thee, we have neither heard nor yet kept thy commandments, neigh there we have done as thou hast commanded us. Lord thou hast known our weakness and infirmity, that neither our Deu. ii●… Actu. xv Ga. iiij. fathers, nor yet we have been able to hear all thy commandments, laws and ordinances, which thou haste given us by thy faithful servant Moses, wherefore thou hast had mercy upon us, and in the fullness of thy promised time, haste sent us our saviour, and redeemer, thine Ephe. ij. only son, whom thou hast put under the law, that he might redeem us from the heavy burden of the law, and without jere. iij. isaiah. liij our deserving freely given us the righteousness, so that only we would knowledge our sins, and believe that the same are forgiven through thine only son jelus Christ. But we unthankful joan. iij 〈◊〉. joa. i. sinners do nothing belonging too repentance, and have also after our stubborn & impenitent hearts hoardward Mat. iii●… Luc. xiij Rom. ij. i. Esd. ix up a treasure of thy wrath in the day of thy wrath, and of the declaring of thy righteous judgement, for our sins reach unto heaven, we have sinned grievously unto this day. Yea father we Luce. xv i. Esd. ix have sinned against heaven and before thee, and are not worthy to be called thy children, we be ashamed to lift up our eyes unto the Lord, for we knowledge that we have offended the very sore. For ps. lxxiij. our sins sake is thine indignation descended over us the indignation of thine unmercifulness, which thou ha●…t sent into us by the wicked Angels. hunger, famine and dearth hast thou heaped ps. lxxvi●… Le. xxvi Deuter. xxviij Esech. v Am. viij over us, and hast destroyed our provision of bread to the expiration of our children and brethren: But among us that are a live for our unthankfulness sake hast thou sent, hunger not only of the bread, but the hunger of the spiritual bread, and we have gone, and run hither and thither, seeking the same, but Tre. iiij have not found it, and our young children have also sought the bread, but there was none to break it unto them. Thou Esec. vi. hast brought upon us the sword of the un believing, and given the carcases of our children into destruction before the face of their fathers, our towns & villages are je. xlviij conf●…med with fire, our cities are wasted and few inhabitors left in the same, jere. xx. our friends are fallen by the sword of our enemies, & their bodies are become meat for the fowls of the air, and for Deuter. xx●…iij. the wild beasts, of the earth, alas this have our eyes seen. Lord thou hast plagued and stricken us with more buyles & sores, and with diseases Deuter. xxviij. which have not been heard of before, that we could not be healed, more pestilence have we had than ever our fathers knew of. All these plagues hast thou Lord brought upon us, our children and our brethren, Luc. xxi and they are not yet at an end, for these are the days of thy vengeance. But Lord thou art our God our refu ge and strength, our help in the great Psa. xlv afflictions, which are come upon us, a meek true long suffering, & patient god a God of mercy and all comfort, which Sap. xv ij. Lor. i. Ephe. ij. comforted us in all our troubles. Thou art also rich in mercies, in the which thou orderest all things, for incomprehensible & unseearcheable is the mercy of thy promise, Thou art the most hyeste god ou●…r all earth, thou wilt not the destruction of the soul, for thou hast according to thy Esechie. xxxiij. goodness promised us repentance for the remission of sins saying. That thou hast no delight in the death of the ungodly, but wouldst rather that he should turn from his ways, & live, & than should his sins, which he hath committed never be upbrayed unto him. Moreover thou hast said by thy Prophets. Turn and Esech. xviij repeute for all your sins, and the same your sins shall not be to your destruction. Return unto me, for I will not have the death of the sinner. Therefore hear lord in heaven from the seat of thine habitation, our prayer & calling, iij. Reg. viij. let thine ears be attentive to the prayer of thy servants, which desire to fear thy name, and be gracious unto the people, which hath sinned against thee, open thine eyes to our prayer and hear us, open the same and behold, for the dead which are gone to their gra●…es, Baru. ij. whose souls are out of their body●…, give the o Lord neither praise nor instifyenge, but the soul that for the multitude of her sins is afflicted she walketh being troubled and weak, whose eyes are weak, yea, such a hungry soul laudeth and praiseth thy mercy and right teousnes. Lonuerte us lord unto thee, & we shall C●…eu. v be converted, and if thou shall convert us than shall we repent, and thou shalt have mercy upon us, and we shall be as jer. xxxi Sach. x. we were before thou didst reject us. Grant us that we may come with boldness unto the seat of thy grace, that Hebr. iii●… we may obtain mercy and find grace ij. Lor. ix in the time of need. For thou a●…te able to make us rich in all grace, that we in all things having alway sufficient, may be plenteous to every good work. For Sap. iiij thou art gracious and merciful & haste respect to thine elect. give us a true i Tim. i Hebr. xi. faith, without the which we can not please thee, by the which we may know thee, the only true God, and jesus Christ Ioh xvij whom thou hast sent and may through him fulfil thy will in heaven, & in earth, Grant Lord, that we may only in the Ps. lxvi Hebr. iij. Psal. xc keep steadfast the confidence, and rejoicing of hope unto the end. For thou art only our God, our refuge and strong defence, our god in whom we put our trust. Colo. iij jos. twenty-three joan. xv Rom. xij give us above all things a true christian love, which is the band of perfection, that we may most diligently endeavour ourselves to love the our God above all creatures, and evermore continue in the same love, and that we may Mat. v. Gala. v i. joh. iij through the sameunfaynedly & without dissimulation love all men from the heart, and also by mouth not only friends, but also our enemies, and may also declare the same towards them by our works. Ba. ij. Dan. ix. Turn away thy wrath and indignation from us, for very few are there left because of the same. give us this day our daily bread, joh. xi. for thou art only he that giveth seed unto the sour, & also givest bread to eat, ij. Co. ix which also hast given to our fathers in the desert bread from heaven in their Ex. xvij. hunger, and hast also plenteously powered out water out of the rock when they Mat. vi john. i. Psalm. ●…xviij. Ecles. i Pro. thirty where thirsty. Feed us also o Lord with thy most hossame bread of thy word, which is the lantern of our feet, & the true light of our paths, a well of high wisdom, and a fiery shield to them that put their trust in the. Refresh us with the lively water of the fountain that springeth into everlasting joh. iiij. life, that we may never thirst. That we may know by thy truth, that a man liveth 〈◊〉▪ viij. Mat. iiij not only by bread but by every word, which proceedeth from thy mouth. But vanities and words of vanity let be far from us o Lord. Pro. thirty A prayer for the kings majesty and for peace. O King above all kings, & Lord i. tim. vi Apo. nineteen above all lords, grant unto our king with his people victory against the enemies of thy name, for thou jud. xi art our god and our conqueror, for thou art only he that giveth victory I●…d. seven. iij. es. iiij. unto the people, that we with one accord may la●…de and praise thy victorious hand for we believe, and do also know Sap. x i. mac. iij that the victory consisteth not in the mulmultitude of people, but that the strength is given from heaven, & thou givest the victory according to thy pleasure. Thou hast also promised us, that if we will turn ij. ma. xv jere. thirty from our sins, unto the thou wilt bring all our enemies into captivity, & that all they which waste us shall also be wasted, and that all they which spoil us, shall also be spoiled. Put away from us the multitude of our hurtful infirmities, & grant us perpetual Sa. xvi. i Reg. ij Deuter. xxxij. Tob. xiij job. 〈◊〉 jer. xvij joan. iij health of body & soul. For thou art he that hath power over life & death which bringest into the gates of death, & leadest out again. Thou killest and quickenest again, heal us o lord, & we shall be whole for thou art our praise, & mighty God. O mighty god and bountiful father, grant us these prayers through thine only son our lord jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent into this world, not to condemn us. But that we by him should be saved. He came into the world, that he i Tim. 〈◊〉 should save us miserable sinners. In him have we obtained the redemption, namely Ephe. i. the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of thy grace, which through him thou hast powered upon us, and through the shedding of his blood hast washed Hebre. i. Apoc. i. away all our sins, to th'intent that we might be thy sons and heirs, & also fellow Ro. viij. heirs with the same jesus Christ for ever. Amen. Imprinted at London for Gualther Lynne, dwelling on Summer's kaye, by Byllyngesgate. In the year of our Lord M. D. L. And they by to be sold in Paul's churchyard, next the great school, at the Sign of the spled Eagle. Cum privilegio ad imprimendum solum.