Tim. 4 14. Alexander the Copper-smith did him much evill At Rome he was presented before the bloudy Tyrant Nero whom hee calleth a ver 16.17 a Lion Then no man stood with him but all men forsook him Then his friends abandoned him and the Tyrant put him to death What the rest of the Apostles suffered by false brethren and open enemies ye may reade in the Acts and in their lives IX What the Church was to suffer after them by b Rev. 11.7 the Beast fighting against the Saints and killing them by the Whore of Babylon c Rev. 17.4 6. drunken with the bloud of the Saints and of the Martyrs of Iesus by d Rev. 20.8 Gog and Magog compassing about the beloved city S. Ioh. hath foretold in the Revelation What our Fathers what we have suffered not of the Turkes Persians Tartarians Americans and other sworne enemies of Christian Religion but of those bloody butchers which call themselves Catholicks the heavens have seen the earth which hath drunk up our blood can speak the murtherers which have shed it can bear record our owne experience can best of all testifie What policy what craft hath beene practised to undermine and wholly undoe us by our owne brethren of our owne kinred familie religion hardly would ye beleeve if I should tell it Christs prediction hath been accomplished e Luke 21.16 Yee shall bee betrayed both by parents and brethren and kinsfolks and friends and some of you shall they cause to be put to death and yee shall bee hated of all men for my Names sake Our brethren have sold us for money as flesh is sold at the shambles and we have been lesse regarded than slaves by those which bought us whose humanity like Dracon's Lawes is printed in all Christendome with our Fathers and our blood and whose affection and loyaltie towards us is written upon the running waters What wonder then if among so many professed enemies and cunning traitors Many are the Evills of the righteous X. The Righteous considering how hee is thus besieged on all sides and hurried in all fashions by foes and friends is often overtaken with diverse thoughts and surmises more dangerous than all the externall Evils which may befall unto him Worldlings judge of God's favour to men by their prosperity and of his hatred towards them by their adversity When Abimelech King of Gerar saw Abraham thrive hee said unto him f Gen. 21.22 God is with thee in all that thou doest What he said was true but the ground whereupon hee built it was sand for g Luke 16.19 20. the rich Glutton in the Gospell thrived and Lazarus who was laid at his gate full of sores thrived not yet that gluttoÌ„ is in hell because God was not with him and Lazarus is in Abrahams bosome because God was with him The Scribes and Pharisees evill Doctors of the good Law concluded h Mat. 27.41 42. That God was not with Christ because hee delivered him not from the crosse The righteous man himselfe when his affliction is long and heavie taketh like conclusions against himselfe When the Angell of the Lord said to Gideon i Iudg. 6.12 13. The Lord is with thee thou mighty man of valour Gideon answered Oh my Lord if the Lord be with us why then is all this befallen us The Lord hath forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites Ye read Iobs complaints k Iob 6.4 The arrows of the Almighty are within me the poyson wherof drinketh up my spirit the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me He teareth me in his wrath l Iob 16.9 he hateth me he gnasheth upon me with his teeth m Iob 19.11 and he counteth mee unto him as one of his enemies Ye heare David crying out pittifully n Psal 22. My God my God why hast thou forsaken me why art thou so farre from helping me and from the words of my roaring Ieremiah bemoaned the state of the Church after the same manner o Lam. â— 20 Wherefore doest thou forget us for ever and forsake us so long time And now in the Palatinate and now in France doe not all the faithfull mourne and cry doe we not cry with them and for them O Lord how long The wicked when God crosses them in their desires and projects are accustomed to say p Mal. 3.14 14. It is in vaine to serve God and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of bosts And now we call the proud happy yea they that worke wickednesse are set up yea they that tempt God â—e even delivered The righteous Asaph held the â—â—me speech in his great affliction and said q Psal 73.13 Verily 〈◊〉 have cleansed my heart in vaine and washed my hands 〈◊〉 innocencie Moreover these internall â—â—lls take such hold of the righteous man that he will bring Gods word which he hath beleeved in question doubt whether it be true if the Religion which he professeth be of God if the cause which he sustaineth and for which he doth undergoe so many evills be good for if it be good if it be of God why doth he not uphold it David being brought to his wits end and even to the pits brinke by Saul deemed that Gods Prophets had deceived him and said r Psal 116.11 All men are lyars What greater evill I pray you can befall a Christian man than to bring in controversie Gods providence and the perpetuall care which he hath of his Church than to thinke that godlinesse which he hath sucked with his mothers milke is but a fable a dreame an invention of man than to imagine that hitherto he hath imbraced a shadow for the body hath sought the truth in a lye hath esteemed vanity and winde to be Gods word than to frame such conceits against the honour of God and his owne salvation If such doubts come not in his mind if he beleeve that the religion which he professeth is from above that Å¿ Psal 34.15 the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his eares are open unto their cry that light peace ioy salvation is sowen for the upright man it seemes unto him that he is none of that number and gathering out of the store and greatnesse of his evills most dangerous presumptions he pronounceth against himselfe That he hath beene an Hypocrite a vile reprobate and cast-away I know that such perplexities are but short symptomes to the righteous man whereof he recovereth by the powerfull assistance of Gods Spirit when as they are deadly convulsions to the wicked and wofull prefaces to a dolefull Tragedie which they shall everlastingly act and nevâ—r end yet howsoever they be short they are sensible and lye so heavie vpon the wearied soule of the righteous mâ—n that in comparison his outward evills seeme unto him â—â—ter than a feather wherewith
of that same town any word but this Blandina I am a Christian and we do no evill When Decius persecuted the Church Babylas Bishop of Antioch Babylas led to the place of execution with his three sonnes desired that they should be first put to death to the end that he might exhort and confirme them which when hee had done his wife comforted him and after she had seen her husband and three children suffer death for Christs sake buried them together Much otherwise the Father and the Sonne with whom I was familiar The Father beseeched that he should die first that his Sonne who was a godly and learned Preacher might comfort him Then it was a wonderfull spectacle to Papists to see the Sonne at the foote of the gallowes preaching to his Father the merits of the death of Christ the vertue of his resurrection the vanitie of the world the unspeakable joyes of Paradise to heare him crying alowd Father ye cannot so soone knocke at the gate of heaven but Christ will open ye cannot so soone enter but I shall follow to hear and behold the old and venerable Father answering with a cheerefull countenance Sonne I see the heavens open and Iesus Christ at the right hand of God Then they were amazed to marke againe the young Minister forgetting himselfe and with a constant face preaching to other two which were also in the executioners hands the forgivenesse of sins the resurrection of the flesh and life everlasting To consider how constantly the foure died with what fervencie of celestial prayers they commended their spirits into Gods hands Then the chiefe of the Capuchin Monkes said to his companions Si coelum Huguenotis datur istis debetur If heaven bee given to Huguenots it is due to these men Then some Gentlemen cryed O happie religion which breeds in men a contempt of death which we dread most and a most sure hope of salvation who would not who should not fight manfully for the defence and suffer constantly for the confession of such a religion This day onely have we begun to know Christ Condemned men have been our Preachers We shall never hate Huguenotes any more XVIII Learne of all this discourse what difference there is betwixt the upright man and the hypocrite Iohn the Baptist calleth afflictions f Mat. 3.12 Gods fanne wherewith when he hath throughly purged his floore the chaffe flyeth away into the ayre and finally is burnt up with unquenchable fire but the wheate is gathered into the garner Hypocrites are chaffe lying in time of peace intermixt with the faithfull which are Gods wheat but g Psal 1.4 5. the wind of persecution driveth them away neyther can they stand in the congregation of the righteous for then there is nothing to be seene but Apostasies defections abjuring of the truth renouncing of the Gospell forsaking of all Communion with the Church Iesus Christ compareth tribulation and persecution h Mat 13.5 6 8 20 21 23. to the burning Sunne scorching the seede which hath no deepnesse of earth so that it withereth away but warming the seede which falls into good ground and making it to bring foorth fruite some an hundred fold some sixtie fold some thirtie fold The Hypocrite receiveth the word with joy but because hee hath not in himselfe the roote of an upright conscience when persecution ariseth because of word he is offended and starteth backe The righteous man is the good ground the sunne of persecution may blacken him but it cannot burne him In the most hot dayes of tribulation he is most plentious in good workes therefore the whole Church cryeth in the Canticles i Cant. 1.5 6. O ye daughters of Ierusalem I am blacke but comely k Bernar. in Cant. ser 25. Blacke in your judgement Comely in the judgement of God and Angels Blacke without l Vestro maleficio by your mischiefe for the Sunne of persecution hath looked upon me my mothers children were angry with me these good Catholikes have persecuted me Comely within m Dei beneficio through Gods benefit for n Psal 45.13 the Kings daughter is all glorious within As the tents of of Kedar as the curtaines of Salomon which are all blacke and dustie without but within are decked with most precious implements To conclude cast gold in water it keepeth its owne yellow shining cast it in the fire and melt it it becommeth brighter Cast earth in water it is by and by changed into mud cast hay in water it will suddenly rot cast earth in the fire it is instantly turned into dust and made a sport to the wind cast hay into the fire with a blaze it is made smoake and ashes So befalls it to the righteous man the hypocrite The hypocrit when he thriveth most and full-gorgeth himself with pleasures is like hay and a lumpe of earth in the water he is nothing but rottennesse and putrefaction when Gods hand is upon him he howles he despites God hee curseth him to his face and in the stirring of an eye is consumed he perisheth he vanisheth like earth and straw in the fire But the righteous man in his greatest prosperitie shineth in all godlinesse before men as gold in water and when hee is cast in the fierie furnace of tribulation he is like gold in the fire his workes then yeeld a more radiant lustre than before XIX The Lord in his mercy sanctifie us and make us throughly righteous that when the day of our tryall shall come we may be found to be fine metall and abiding the hammer the scissers and the fire may through faith and patience inherite the promises of grace peace and eternall life through the merits of our Lord Iesus Christ who o 1. Ioh. 5.20 is the true God and eternall life to whom is due and to whom let us render now and for evermore all praise honour and glory Amen SERMON V. Of the causes of the righteous mans Evills PSALM XXXIV XIX Many are the Evills of the Righteous 1. THe righteous man when hee suffereth for righteousnesse sake is honoured 2. It is a great glory to suffer for a good cause 3. Namely for God as many have done 4. To suffer for the Gospell is most glorious of all 5. Of those which suffer for the Gospell some are Confessors some Martyrs 6. What it is to be a Martyr 7. Three conditions required in a Martyr 8. The great glory of Martyrdome in that it makes the Martyrs resemble the Prophets Apostles and other Saints 9. Yea and Iesus Christ himselfe yet with foure differences 10. God afflicteth righteous men for other mens sake 1. That they may be converted 11.2 That they may bee instructed not to worship righteous men 12.3 That they may bee spurred to imitate their Christian vertues 13.4 That they may consider Gods wrath against sinne and feare 14. Finally God afflicteth the righteous man for his owne glory whereof there are many
over it the vaile of silence and make here a pause ending this action with hearty prayers to God for the peace and prosperitie of Ierusalem O Lord our God thou hast fed us with ashes for bread thou hast given us teares to drinke in great measure Thou hast beene angry against our prayers we have cryed unto thee and thou hast not listened unto our supplications But now O Lord but now turne thine eare unto us and turne our hearts unto thee Cause thy face to shine upon us and we shall be saved through the merits of our onely Saviour Iesus Christ to whom with thee and the holy Ghost bee all honour and glory both now and for ever Amen SERMON III. Of the righteous mans Evills PSALM XXXIV XIX Many are the Evills of the Righteous 1. HOw Christ was upbraided and dishonoured in his death 2 As likewise the holy Apostles and the first Christians 3 How our brethren are abused in Spaine and elsowhere 4 The righteous mans evills tread one another on the heeles 5 He hath many enemies which are the cause of the great number of his evills 6 His greatest enemies are his neerest kinsmen 7 All kind of persons were enemies to Christ 8 And to his Apostles and their disciples 9 All kind of men are enemies to the Church of our time 10 Hence come the inward evills which disquiet the righteous man 11 The righteous is persecuted unrighteously 12 Howsoever his persecuters iudge or speake otherwayes 13 The vanitie of many accusations set on foot against him 14 The iniquity of the Iudges proceeding against him 15 How these which live in peace as we in England may be said to have many evills 16 Exhortation to thankfulnesse and godlinesse of life I. THat which is most grievous to the righteous man in all the evills whereof I have spoken is the upbraiding disgrace and shame wherewith hee is exercised For whereas all criminalls finde pitty and commiseration in those that behold them who either accompany their death with teares or behold it with silence The faithfull and the righteous man can neither live nor die but he shall be followed with opprobrious hues and cryes o Gen. 21. v. 9. Ismael mocked Isaac that is according to Pauls exposition p Gal 4. v. 29. persecuted him When the Apostle faith that q Heb. 11. v. 26. Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt he giveth us to understand that the Church hath beene from the beginning subject to contempt defamations taunts and dishonour for Christs sake It was of Christ that Isaiah prophesied r Isa 8. v. 18 Heb. 2. v. 13 Behold I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signes and for wonders in Israel of him first and then of his children He was upbraided in his life time with the nicke-names of a seducer a drunkard a glutton a sorcerer and of Beelzebub the Prince of the divells but he was most outragously mocked in his death In Å¿ Luk. 22. v. 64. Caiphas house they blindfolded him they strooke him on the face they asked him saying Prophecye Who is it that smote thee In t Luk. 23. v. 11. Herods Court he was set at naught mocked and arrayed in a white gorgeous robe as a foole In v 28 29 30. Pilats common hall the souldiers stripped him u Mat. 27. to put on him a skarlet robe and when they had platted a crowne of thornes they put it upon his head with a reede in his right hand then they bowed the knee before him and mocked him crying Haile King of the Iewes then they spat upon him and took the reed and smote him on the head In Golgotha where hee was crucified betweene two theeves as if he had beene a malefactor they that passed by reviled him and wagged their heads saying x v. 39.40 41 42 43 44 46 47. Thou that destroyest the Temple and buildest it in three dayes save thy selfe If thou be the Sonne of God come downe from the crosse likewise the chiefe Priests the Scribes and Elders mocking him said y He saved others himselfe he cannot save If he be the King of Israel let him now come downe from the crosse and we will beleeve him He trusted in God let him deliver him now if he will have him The theeves also which were crucified with him cast the same in his teeth Last of all some of them perverted his words saying that he called for Elias when he prayed Eli Eli My God my God c. Then was fulfilled that which he spake by David saying y Psal 21. v. 6 7 8. I am a worme and no man a reproach of men and despised of the people All they that see me laugh me to scorn they shoote out the lip they shake the head saying He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him let him deliver him seeing he delighted in him II. His children his holy Apostles received no better entertainement of the men of the world for what were they but a 1 Cor. 4. v. 9 13. a spectacle unto the world to Angels and to men Complaine they not that they were made as the filth of the world and the off-scouring of all things walking b 2. Cor. 6. v. 8 9. by honour and dishonour by evill report and good report as deceivers and yet true as unknowne and yet well knowne The Apostles disciples fared they better No no. The Apostle writeth of the Hebrews that c Heb. 10. v. 33. they were made a gazing stocke by reproaches and afflictions which I take literally for we know that the custome was to draw Christians to the threatres and publike play-houses to carry them ridiculously disguised from scaffold to scaffold for a shew to set them on pillories to disgrace them and then to cast them naked to the Lyons to be dismembred and devoured in the eyes of the people which delighting insuch spectacles were accustomed to cry d Tertul. Apologet. cap. 40. Christianos ad Leonem The Christians to the Lyon Tantos ad unum So many to one saith Tertullian e Ioid. cap. ultima Ad LenoneÌ„ damnando Christianam potius quam ad Leonem c. Ambe tom 3. serm 90. Euseb hiâ—t Ecâ—l lib. 8. cap. 11. And because the Governours and Magistrates perceived that to Christian women the defiling of their chastitie was more horrible and grievous than all kinds of torments and most exquisite deaths they condemned them rather to serve bawdes in stewes than to be torne by Lyons which many of them prevented by killing of themselves f Ibid. c. 9. Others they stript Aug. de civ Dei l. 1. c. 26. and tying them by one foot hoised them up in the ayre their heads downeward and letting them hang so while they died made of their naked bodies a most filthie and cruell spectacle to all those that passed by g Ibid. c. 12. Of some
the wind playeth in the ayre So I have shewed you that both by externall grievances and internall griefes Many are the Evills of the Righteous XI Now the righteous man may say to the wicked as David said to Saul t 1. Sam. 24.11 Know thou and see that there is neither evill nor transgression in mine hand and I have not sinned against thee yet thou huntest my soule to take it and as v Dan. 6.22 Daniel said to Darius who had cast him into the Lyons den Before thee O King I have done no hurt For although it pertained to Christ alone to say to his adversaries x Ioh. 8.46 Which of you convinceth me of sinne yet all the righteous men may say of their persecuters that which David said of his enemies y Psal 35.7 Without cause have they hid for me their not in a pit without cause they have digged for my soule And when they pray they feare not to protest of their innocencie in that hehalfe and to say to God a Psal 58.3 4. They lye in waite for my soule the mighty are gathered against me not for my transgression nor for my sin O Lord They run and prepare themselves without my fault awake to helpe me and behold The rule of the righteous mans life is Christs commandement and example His commandement is b Mat. 5.39 42 44. Resist not evill but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheeke turne to him the other also c. Give to him that asketh thee Love your enemies blesse them that curse doe good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you The same commandement he gave by his Apostle saying c Rom. 12.21 Be not overcome of evill but overcome evill with good What he commanded that he practised in his life d 1. Pet. 2.21 22 23. He suffered for us leaving us an example that ye should follow his steps who did no sinne neither was guile found in his mouth who when he was reviled reviled not againe when he suffered he threatned not but committed himselfe to him that iudgeth righteously Yea not onely he did them no harme but also hee did them all kind of good He went about all Iudea teaching the Gospell of the kingdome of heaven healing all manner of sicknesse and all manner of disease among the people made the blind to see the deafe to heare the lame to walke cleansed the lepers raised up the dead fed by the miraculous multiplication of bread at divers times many thousand soules restored the eare to Malcus which came to take him prayed for those which crucified him and therefore asked of his enemies who tooke up stones to throw at him e Ioh. 10.32 Many good workes have I shewed you from my Father for which of those workes doe you stone me What ill did the Apostles wherefore they should bee used so cruelly They went through the whole world converting men from darknesse unto the maruellous light of the Gospell and did so many wonders amongst the people that thence f Act. 14.11 some Idolaters tooke occasion to worship them but the Iewes to perswade the people to stone them g 1. Cor. 4.11 12. Being reviled they blessed being persecuted they suffered it being defamed they intreated Much good did they to many ill they did to none Read more ancient examples of h Gen. 13.8 Abraham yeelding for peace-sake to his Nephew Lot of i Gen. 49.5 6 7. Iacob cursing his owne sonnes Simeon and Levi for their bloodie anger against the Sichemites though having a goodly shew of righteous vengeance of k 1. Sam. 25 7 8.15 16. David leading with his souldiers a most innocent life amongst Nabals heards of cattle and flocks of sheep sparing Sauls life who sought his and bringing him to this true confession l 1. Sam. 24.17 Thou art more righteous than I for thou hast rewarded me good whereas I have rewarded thee evill m Psal 38.12 being as a deafe man when his enemies spake mischievous things against him n Psal 35.12 13. cloathing himselfe with sackecloth humbling his soule with fasting praying most affectuously when his enemies which rewarded him evill for good were sicke If ye desire examples of the Christians carriage during ten persecutions in the space of three hundred and odde yeares o Tert. Apol. cap. 1. 37 When the people invaded them they resisted not when the Magistrate condemned them they gave thanks when the dead bodies of their brethren and kinsmen were drawn out of the rest of their graves were pulled away from the Sanctuarie of death they sought no revenge albeit they were in greater number than their enemies and might with a few little firebrands set on fire all the Townes Boroughes Villages Castles of the Empire if Christian Religion did not forbid all private men p Rom. 12.19 to avenge themselves because it is written Vengeance is mine I will repay it saith the Lord. For this cause the holy Spirit often calleth the afflictions of the righteous Sufferings because they suffer the evill which is done unto them but they do no evil to any man wherunto also Christ hath bound them when he callth then q Mat. 10.26 Sheepe insnuating that they should be sheepe in simplicitie to never thinke any evill in innocencie to never doe any evill in patience to beare all evills meekly without grudging and murmuring in utilitie and commoditie to feede with their milk to cloath with their wooll whosoever stands in need of their helpe to doe ill unto no man r Gal. 6.10 to doe good unto all men especially unto them who are of the houshold of faith Alas alas the number of such sheepe of such righteous men how rare is it how many suffer not Å¿ 1. Pet. 3.17 1 Pet. 4.29 for well doing as Christians and righteous men but for evill doing as murtherers theeves robbers and ravenous wolves rather than sheepe how many cannot abide to suffer but thinking it a shame to packe up an injurie will needs be avenged of their enemies how many doe seeke to defend the Gospell against persecuters by burning killing murdering filling the house of innocent peasants of poore countrey folkes with orbitie desolation and mourning intending to cure one sinne with another sinne taking the way of hell to goe to heaven and thinking to defend the Gospell by unlawfull meanes which the Gospell hath condemned For it is not hee which suffereth evill but he which doth it that sinneth And therefore the true righteous man is ever a patient not an agent in evill and the wicked not onely have no cause wherfore they should hate him but have in his manifold good deedes a good cause wherefore they should love him and yet not withstanding his innocent and good carriage Many are the Evills of the Righteous XII Sometimes many blind-folded with ignorance deeme that the righteous man is the
unfained commeth charitie a vehement love of God and of man for Gods sake and therefore God describeth the righteous man whom he delivereth by those two markes of knowledge and of love saying p Psal 91.14 Because he hath set his love upon me therefore will I deliver him I will set him on high because hee hath knowne my Name This love is conjoyned with a great reverence and respectuous feare of God and the keeping of his most holy commandements in the simplicitie of an upright life Wilt thou then bee assured of Gods salvation q Psal 85.9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that feare him r Psal 103.17 18. The mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that feare him and his righteousnesse unto childrens children to such as keepe his Covenant and to those that remember his commandements to doe them Å¿ Psal 116.6 The LORD preserveth the simple Such righteous cannot with dry eyes behold the sinnes of the world whereby God is exceedingly offended but they mourne and weepe before God and in their weeping have a most sure marke of Gods love and care towards them When God turned the Cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes t 2. Pet. 2.7 8. He delivered the righteous Lot who was vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked for that righteous man dwelling among them in seeing and hearing vexed his righteous soule from day to day with their unlawfull deeds When he was to destroy Ierusalem he gave commandement to his Angell saying v Ezech. 9.4 Goe thorow the midst of the Citie thorow the midst of Ierusalem and marke a marke upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the middest thereof If the righteous man sigheth for the abominations that be done in the world hee is no way a complice in them therefore God said to Elijah x 1. King 19 â—8 I have left me seven thousand in Israel all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal and every mouth which hath not kissed him If these markes of a righteous man be in thee they are sufficient to make thee partaker of Gods deliveries he looketh not to thy qualities which make thee to bee redoubted or contemned among men y Psal 147 10 11. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man the LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him in those that hope in his mercy a Luk. 16.19 The purple and fine linne sumptuous and dainty fare musicke and dancing could not deliver the rich man from the torments of hell because he was wicked Povertie beggerie nakednesse pining sicknesse could not barre Lazarus from the everlasting pleasures of Paradise because he was righteous b Pro. 11.3 4 6. The integritie of the upright shall guide them but the perversenesse of transgressors shall destroy them Riches profit not in the day of wrath but righteousnesse delivereth from death The righteousnesse of the upright shall deliver them but transgressors shall be taken in their owne naughtinesse XVII The righteousnesse of the upright delivereth him not as a cause meritorious of deliverie as the Papists would perswade you for it is stained with many spots and blemishes of sinne as yee have learned in the first sermon but as a quality requisite in him whom the Lord will deliver for if we seeke the true causes of our deliveries God saith first negatively that c Deut. 9.4 it is not for our righteousnesse Next he saith affirmatively that it is d Ezech. 20.9 14 44 Ezec. 36.22 for his owne Names sake If temporall deliverie from the evill of affliction come not from our merits can eternall deliverie from sinne and hell bee the merite of any mans righteousnesse The bread for which we sweat before we can have it to eate is the gift of God and wee aske it of God in that qualitie and shall the bread of life be the reward of an hireling No no e Rom. 6.23 The gift of God is eternall life through Iesus Christ our Lord If Papists say that David praieth f Psal 7.8 Iudge me O LORD according to my righteousnesse and according to mine integritie that is in me and saith plainly g Psal 18.19 20. The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousnesse according to the cleannesse of my hands hath he recompensed me c. Answer that in these and such like places which are infinite he declareth that he was inriched with the qualities wherewith hee that waites on the Lords deliverance must bee graced but speaketh nothing of the causes of his deliverance which in the end of the 18. Psalme he acknowledgeth to bee Gods free mercy saying h Ver 50. Great deliverance giveth hee to his King and sheweth mercy to his anoynted to David and to his seed for evermore And else-where confesseth that it is Gods righteousnesse and not his when he prayeth thus i Psal 143.1 2. Answer me in thy righteousnesse and enter not into iudgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be iustified So he forsaketh all merits and asketh grace when in another part he prayeth k Psal 25.18 O bring thou me out of my distresses looke upon mine affliction and my paine and forgive all my sinnes Such prayers are they not most frequent in the Psalmes When the Papist singeth in the Church a de Profundis if hee understand what hee saith will he not be mooved to deny all merits when he considereth this prayer of righteous David l Psal 130.2 3 4 7. Lord heare my voice let thine eares be attentive to the voyce of my supplications If thou LORD shouldest mark iniquities O Lord who shal stand but there is forgivenesse with thee that thou mayest bee feared Let Israel hope in the LORD And why because forsooth there is a great deale of righteousnesse in Israel Not so why then because with the Lord there is mercy and with him is plentious redemption Let us also acknowledge and confesse with heart and mouth that m Iam. 3.22 it is of the LORDS mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions faile not XIIX Though this doctrine of the nullitie of the righteous mans merits and of the efficacie of the saving mercies of our righteous God be most true yet n 2. Thes 1.6 it is a righteous thing with God to deliver the righteous man 1. because being iust by nature o Psal 45.7 he loveth righteousnesse and hateth wickednesse and is as sensible of the one to protect it as of the other to punish it p Psal 34.15 16. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his eares are open unto their cry the face of the Lord is against them that doe evill to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth 2. Because the cause for which righteous men suffer is
most unrighteous that liveth in the world and that Gods dearest servants are his greatest enemies according to Christ saying t Ioh. 16 2◠The time commeth that whosoever killeth you will thinke that he doth God service Yet it befalleth often that the authors of the righteous mans evills cover their private quarrels and mischievous attempts against him with the cloake of justice Paul said of himselfe truely that v Phil. 3.6 through zeale he had persecuted the Church because x 1. Tim. 1.12 hee did it ignorantly in unbeleefe And the Iewes answering to Christ y Ioh. 10.33 for a good worke we stone thee not but for blasphemy and because that thou being a man makest thy selfe God beleeved verily that he was a blasphemer Likewise the Gentiles who persecuted the Christians thought them to be enemies to mankind whereas they shewed themselves enemies a Tect Apol. cap. 37. hostes maluistis vocare generis humani potiùs quà m erroris numani to mans error not to mans nature Contrary when b 1. Sam. 22.8 Saul said that his sonne had made a league with the sonne of Iesse against him c 2. Sam 15.3 when Absalom accused his father that he was not carefull to doe justice when the Scribes and Pharisees laid many crimes to Christs charge when the Guisards in the first and second troubles of France when in these last troubles the Iesuites accused us that we were plotting to set up a state in the state a democracie in the Monarchie they knew that they lyed But such is the force and glory of justice and of righteousnesse that the wicked when they know they doe wickedly cloake their wicked courses against the righteous man with the glorious title of justice Now whatsoever the persecuters thinke of their owne proceedings the righteous man resteth upon his owne innocencie knowing that there is not so great weight in the despightfull girds of venemous tongues as in the testimonie of his owne conscience and if hee were admitted to make an Apologie for himselfe how easie a matter were it unto him to maintaine his owne innocencie and to shew the falshood of all the accusations whereby he is made odious and the manifest vanitie of the most part of them XIII It was a vaine accusation to impute unto Christians the cause of pestilence of famine of warres of breaking out of waters of the decaying of all things hath waxed old d Cypr. ad Demetrianum as if any such plague had never beene in the world before Christ was named in it as if old men might not with as good reason move a processe against us because they heare not see not pase not so well are not so nimble so quicke so bigge-membred so strong as when they were young because their decaying age is not so greene and livelie as their fathers was because also they live not so long as their fathers did and extend not the dayes of an healthfull life to seven eight nine hundred and so many odde yeares which were the ordinary daies of mens lives in the first age of the world And why may not he who is tormented with the gowt in his ioynts racked with the gravell in his kidneyes tortured with the stone in his bladder or he who melteth drop after drop by a languishing consumption he who is made one of the forked order by his wife he whose sonne is made for his lewd like the decking of a gallowes c. cry out against us A faggot for the Huguenauts a heape of wood to burne the Parpaillants as the ancient Idolaters and forefathers of the new Idolaters of this time were wont to cry against our predecessors The Christians to the Lyon XIV Let our enemies be our Iudges when they have received all manner of accusations against us when we are arraigned as enemies to God to the high Powers to the Lawes to good manners to nature it selfe c Tert Apologetico cap. 2. why are we used other wayes than all other guilty persons are 1. It is permitted to all others which are arraigned to speake in their owne defence whatsoever they can or may or if they cannot speake to hyre the mercenary tongue of some Lawyer who without any suspicious of crime may answer contradict say whatsoever he thinketh fittest for the commendation of the innocencie of his Client though knowne to be guiltie and worthy of death for the Lawes will not suffer that any man should be condemned not heard and without a free defence We are the onely men whose mouthes are shut and often gagged for feare that we speake too cleerely They will not have us to speake because they are resolved to condemne us knowing that if we speake our innocencie will shine like the beames of the Sunne in a faire summer day and they cannot chuse but absolve us 2. Though he who is arraigned take the crime upon him he is not upon his simple confession sent to the gallowes but the Iudge knowing that there are many perire volentes who desire to die to cleere his owne conscience inquireth diligently of the antecedents the consequents the place the time the manner the complices and partakers and all other qualities and circumstances of the fact There is no such inquirie made for or against us wherein wee have offended the high Powers where and when we pat out the candles how many Virgins we have defiled with which of our kinswomen wee have committed incest wee are called Huguenauts which to our Iudges without further inquisition is a name and proving of all crimes 3. All other criminalls if they deny are tortured untill they confesse The end of racking is to wring out confession If it be prevented by confession it hath no use when it hath extorted confession it ceaseth Amongst Tyrants onely racking is a punishment wee confesse freely what we are we tell our Iudges that we are reformed Christians or as ye speake here Protestants we speake the truth and lye not Our Iudges will not heare what we are they will have us lye and to confesse what we are not Therefore they racke us to make us deny If other criminals deny they beleeve them not if we deny our selves to be Protestants if we lye falsly and say we are Rome Catholikes they be leeve us 4. There is no Iudge unpartiall which desireth to absolve other malefactors and therefore they are not constrained to deny but racked untill they confesse that they may be condemned wee onely are forced to deny that we may be absolved when wee speake the truth and confesse what we are we are put to death when yeelding to their violence wee faine and deny our Religion not onely they suffer us to live but also they reward us for our lying Art thou and Huguenaut Yea Racke him Art thou an Huguenaut Alas no no. Hangman unbinde him let him goe he is an honest man and must be recompenced Whereby it is most evident that wee are cleane