endured and the causes of his mighty cryinges But thys also dearelye beloued though it were exceding yet it was not all no it was but a taste of griefe in comparison of the rest Behold if you can his person here and see the residue and so you shal know the loue of god His griefe was exceding to see all vertue godlynes so troden vnderfeete and it was yet more infinite to beholde Satan to preuayle against man to his euerlasting condemnation No creature could euer beare such a perct image of a man of sorow But the height and depth of all miseries it was yet behinde the synne that he hated hee must take it vpon his owne body and beare the wrath of his Father that was poured out agaynst it This is the fulnes of all payne that compassed him round about whych no touÌ„g is able to vtter and no hart can conceaue This anger of hys father it burned in him euen vnto the botome of hel of the which anger the Prophet speaketh Who can stande before hys wrath or who can abide the fearcenes of his wrath His wrath is poured out lyke fyre and the rockes are broken before him When the Prophet was not able to conceaue the waight of his anger and his voyce cleaued vnto hys mouth when hee went about to vtter it the hardest of all creatures hee tooke for example that the hard rocke did cleaue asunder at the sound of his words And as is sayd in an other place suche a voyce as maketh the forlorne wildernes to tremble A voyce so ful of terrour in the eares and hartes of the wicked that the sunne shal be darkned at the sound of it the Moone shall not geue her lyght the Stars of the heauen shal fal away and the powers of heauen shall bee shaken No creature at all shal yeld his seruice vnto them the elementes of the world shall seeme to melt away This state of misery Christ entred into and soonke down deepe in this confusion and who can expresse his sorow Beyng full of goodnes he had the reward of euyl Full of obedience he was punished as wycked Ful of faith yet had the reward of a synner Inheritour of al thinges Lord of all yet nothing at all to do him duty The King of Kings and Lord of Lordes yet made an outcast and abiect of the people The ruler of all and God of glory yet compassed wyth shame and great confusion The author of lyfe yet wrapped in the chaines of eternall death The onelâ—â— begotten of his Father hys best beloued yet cast off as a straunger and chasticed as an enemy The brightnes of glorye the beutye of the hâ—ghest heauens yet crucified in dishonour and throwne downe into hel O picture of perfect wretchednes and image of miserie how iust cause found he to cry out alowde My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Hys whole body and nature like vnto vs altogether broken with the reward of syn his soule poured out into all calamitie the wrath of his father and condemnation resting vpon him How truly may we here say and confesse the article of our faith He descended into hell How liuely do we see it performed that the Prophet speaketh of The snares of death compassed me and the paynes of hel tooke hold vpon me I found trouble and sorow This was the compassion that hee had toward vs by which he suffred with our infirmities more then Aaron or all the Priestes of the lawe could possibly haue done for vs If we could possibly coÌ„sider dearly beloued as we shuld we wold gladly embrace him as the hie Priest for euer of the new testament when we shal be made of one fashion with hym thorow some measure of his afflictions to feele the waight of our own syns then we shall confesse what cause he had of complayning how dearely he hath bought the honour of the hye Priest Mediatour The Lord lighten the eyes of our mynde that with open countenance we may behold hym who for our sakes endured suche a death of the crosse We should not then neede many exhortations the remembraunce of the latter end would keepe vs safe from syn But let vs now see what the Apostle further teacheth vs whyle our sauiour Christ is in these great extremities what fruit of well doing he hath learned by it It followeth And although he were the Sonne yet learned he obedience by the thinges he suffered Loe dearely beloued this was no litle profit of al his troubles He learned therby how what it was to obey his father that when these thinges rested all vpon hym and yet he could say in meekenes of spirit Not my wyl my father but thy wyl be done â–ª he might haue great boldnes that his obedience was perfect The shame of the worlde the aâ—flictions of the flesh the vexations of the mynde the paynes of hell when these could make him vtter no other wordes but Father as thou wylt so leâ— it bee done what hope what faith did he surely build on that his obedience was precious in the sight of his father This example is our instruction We know then best howe we loue the Lorde when wee feele by experience what we wyl suffer for his sake It is an easy thing to be valiant before the combate or to dreame of a good courage before the hart be tried but indeede to bee vnshaken in the mydst of the tempest and to stand vpryght when the ground vnder thee doth tremble this is to know assuredlye thou art strong in deede and to say with boldnes thou shalt neuer bee moued This our Sauiour Christ might throughly glory of The heauen earth and elementes they were all his enemies his Father in whoÌ„ hee trusted shewed hym an angrye countenaunce He that fainteth not but crieth styl Thy wyll be done O Father he may be bold of his obedience there is no creature can make him falsifie his faith If this be the fruite of our afflictions the Apostle speaketh not without great occasioÌ„ Accompt it for an exceding ioy wheÌ„ ye fall into sundrye troubles For what can bee more ioyfull vnto the soule that is oppressed then to haue this in experience the neither heigth nor deapth shall remoue hym from the Lord. The glory of Abraham was exceding great wheÌ„ he had sealed it with practise that hee would forsake hys country and his kinred and his fathers house at the commauÌ„dement of God to go whether he wold shew him Then he knew by good proofe he was made worthy of Christ wheÌ„ hee could forsake Father Mother house land and all thinges to come vnto him The patience of Iob was not throughlye knowen tyll all hys goodes were spoyled and he left exceeding â—are in that case when hee spake so boldly Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shal I return againe the Lord hath geuen the Lord hath taken away as the
my selfe fullest of confusion then the image of Christ is most lyuelye within me The Lord maye hyde his face for a whyle for a moment in hys anger as he dyd from Christ but he must needes returne vnto me wyth euerlasting mercies for the image of his sonne is cleare within me A blessed sorow and woe ful of happines that fashioneth theese dayes of my vanitie into the similitude of the age of Christ that wyth hym at the last I myght raygne for euer A precious countenaunce it is in the syght of God that seemeth without beuty in the eyes of man and an vnspeakeable treasure of ioy and gladnes engrauen in these vessels that are but earth and ashes When Christ is the paterne whose similitude wee doo beare who can be discouraged vnder the crosse We are afflicted on euery syde but not in such a strayte that we are shut from hope We are in pouertie but not ouercome of pouertie We are persecuted but not forsaken We are cast down but we perishe not We are troubled in all things fightings without and terrors wythin but God that comforteth the abiects he wil comfort vs Vnto thys he hath predestinate vs that we shuld be like vnto his sonne in al afflictions and so bee glorified with him in the day of honor Thus fâ—rre we haue heard two special causes why wee ought to reioyce in all temptations the one that so wee leayne true obedience the other that by theÌ„ we be made lyke vnto christ Adde yet vnto these one shâ—ed cause out of the scripture which when you shal haue learned be bold dearly beloued in al the fires of the enemies For beholde in the truth of Iesus I dare be yoâ—t warraÌ„t the greater are your afflictions the lyket you are vnto Christ yea if it should happen you to fal downe into hel Christ hath descended also you shuld then be most like him in his agonies and bloudy sweates The third cause at this time which I wil touch is this God sendeth vs sundrye chasticementes and especially that which is most greuous of al other the anguish of spirit and affliction of the soule for this purpose that we should bee warned in tyme how to turne vnto him and bee free from the plague when it commeth For the iudgementes of God that are daylye preached vnto vs they pearce deepe into the hartes of the true beleuers the word that they heare it worketh mightely in them more sharpe in their eares then a two edged swoord it entreth thorow them euen to the deuidyng asunder of the soule and of the spirit and of the ioyntes of the marowe and examineth all the thoughtes the ententes of the hurt so that it is vnpossible that anye part of them should be hyd but they are all open vnto iudgemeÌ„t and heare the voyce of the lord Then their syn is reuiued in the middest of their bowels their conscience hath no rest they feele death working in their harts and hel is before them They see syn on their right hand and Satan on their left shame vnder their feete an angrye Iudge aboue them the world ful of destruction without a worme gnawing the hart within the poore sinner knoweth not what to do To hide him selfe it is impossible and to appere it is intolerable Then he breaketh out into loud cryings O wretched man that I am who shal delyuer me from the body of this death He geueth no rest vnto his eyes nor sleepe vnto hys eye lyds vntyl he finde hym that is able to saue him froÌ„ this wrath In his bed by night he seeketh him whom his soule loueth in the streetes and open places he enquireth after him and after manye dayes in which he can not finde hym Christ sheweth him selfe at the last a perpetual deliuerer a victorious Lion of the tribe of Iuda in whoÌ„ he hath strong saluation When he hath mourned because of the plague that was before him Christ wyll approch nere and wipe away the teares from his eyes This the Prophet Abacuck setteth forth in hys owne person When I heard saith he the woord of God my bellye trembled my lyps shooke at the voyce rottennes entred into my bones and I trembled in my selfe that I myght haue rest in the day of trouble Euen so dearly beloued it is with vs all The plagues of God because they are pronounced against iniquitie it maketh the Childe of God to feare and tremble that so foreseing the harme hee myght prepare hym helpe and because of the destroyer seeke wythout wearynes vnto the Sauiour Though he hide him self at the first the wounded spirite and troubled hart must needes find him out A great cause of vnspeakeable gladnes though we seeme swalowed vp of pensiue sorow We are full of grief but we are chasticed of the â—ord because we should not be condempned wyth the world We dye with Christ but because we should liue with him We lament weepe but because that Christ might wipe away al teares from our eyes We are delyuered vnto death for Iesus sake but because the lyfe of Iesus shuld be made manifest in our flesh We beare about in our bodyes the mortification of the Lord Iesus but because the life of Iesus myght be manifest also in our bodies We haue anguish of spirit and vexation of mynde such as hath not bene froÌ„ the beginning but for this cause y when sudaine destruction shal come vpon the careles world we myght lyft vp our heades and beholde our redemption at hand Let vs then be bolde and in patience possesse our soules For these causes we are now afflicted that we might receiue mercie finde grace to helpe in the time of neede And for this cause we treble and are afrayd that after manye praiers and supplicatioÌ„s we myght be deliuered from the things which we haue feared It foloweth in the Apostle And beyng consecrate hee was made the Author of saluation to all them that obey him In these woordes we are taught what fruit and commodity we haue through these bitter sufferynges of our sauiour Christ and also by what meanes we are made partakers of it The fruit is eternall saluatioÌ„ the meanes to go vnto it is obedience In the first we learne that all promise and hope of lyfe is in Christ alone He hath alone the woordes of lyfe he is alone the bread of life the water of lyfe the author of lyfe the word of life the tree of life the onely life He that beleueth in him he hath euerlasting life and he that dwelleth not in hym shall see no lyfe but the wrath of God abideth on him Take hold of Christ and take hold of lyfe Reach foorth thine hand to anye other thyng and thou reachest vnto vanitie which cannot helpe Looke not for lyfe but where it dwelleth in the flesh of Christ alone there it resteth Death hath raygned in al the world beside led euerye creature into bondage If
Lord wyll so is it done the name of the Lord bee praysed for euer Now might Iob be sure of the strong patience which should bryng forth hope that neuer should be confounded Our brethren before vs which so constantly haue holden the professioÌ„ of their faith that the flames of fire could not make it wauer they had a good witnes that their election was sure when they might speake by experience that neither life nor death could remoue them from the loue of god Thus the good grounde is knowen what it is when the heate cannot scortch it nor brears and thornes turne the good corne into weedes but through all stormes it wyl geue nourishment to the seede tyl it geue greater encrease to Gods honour and glory The best of vs all let vs thank God for this profitable experience for before it come vnto vs we know not how great the rebellion of the flesh wyl be The Apostels of Christ they bragged not a little that they would neuer forsake their Maister Christ he alone had the words of eternal life and they would not chauÌ„ge hym for an other They beleued hym they knewe hym to bee Christ the sonne of the lyuing God and ther was no other Sauiour But when they saw the swordes and staues the rulers offeÌ„ded the people in an vprore the crosse at hand their courage fell downe they forsooke hym all fled away Peter was not a litle stoute as hym selfe was perswaded hee would neuer forsake Christ though he should dye for hys name and for proofe of his courage he drewe hys sword and stroke so veÌ„terously that he had almost slayne one He seemed to be at a point fully resolued that he would not leaue his Maister tyl the sword should deuide them but alas thys boldnes was but a blast of wordes When there was no remedy but Christ must be had to Caiphas Peter began to faynt and to draw behinde When the peril was more encreased and they began to cry Crucifige Peter was more afraid and began to sweare he knewe hym not So great infirmitie is in mortall flesh experience is the greatest warrant to know what it can beare It is our bounden dutye and the Lord requireth it that we shoulde determine wyth our selues in all thinges to approue our selues the witnesses of his Gospel in pacience in afflictioÌ„s in necessities in stripes in tumultes in labours in watchinges in fastings in honour in dishonour in good report in shame in lyfe in death and our comfort is great when we bee perswaded of these thynges that we would contemne them But how violently the flesh wyll fight agaynst vs we can not well declare tyll we haue made the triall We therefore dearelye beloued whom it hath pleased God so keepe in heauines through many temptations we haue here a salue agaynst the woundes of sorow Our afflictions do teach vs how farre we can obey the lord If in al griefe of body I can say with patieÌ„ce I haue held my peace O Lord because thou hast done it then I know that in all sorowes of flesh I haue glorified God and my hart rejoyceth If my mynd be full of anguish and sorow so that al hope be faint within me if I can say yet vnto my soule I wyll wayte patientlye for the Lordes leasure then I knowe assuredlye God hath made me obedient and he wil heare my praier So that this experience hath bred in me the hope that shall neuer be confounded I may speake the wordes which the heauens shal seale vnto wyth everlastyng truth Neither fire nor swoord nor principalities nor powers shal remoue me from the loue where with God hath loued me A sure token of this saluation I haue found in myne afflictions When I traueiled in sorrowe both of bodye and mynde I founde the grace to say O Lord do thy wil. This is no smal cause why we shuld reioyce when God doth make vs worthy to feele the trial of our faith So dearelye beloued faynt not in your mourninges but endure paciently you know not the happynes of that which seemeth your miserye Let thys be the first cause why wee should be glad of temptations And to th end we may help our coÌ„mon infirmities let vs learne yet more why it is good for vs to be brought low A most notable commoditie the Apostle rehearseth where he writeth to the Romanes Those whoÌ„ God hath foré knowen hee hath also predestinate to be made lyke vnto the image of his sonne Loe my deare brethren theese are the healthfull couÌ„sels of the Lord toward vs that we should bee made lyke vnto hys sonne Christ in manye afflictions that at the last we might be also like him in eternal glory These are the ritches of Gods vnsearchable wisedome Death once raigned through sâ—n and he hath found a way to rise from it againe into greater glory This victorye because it was to great for Saint or Angel to obtain he hath apointed it to be the worke of his onely begotten Sonne who hath made it perfect in a most excellent conquest He hath taken vpon hym our nature to make it strong in his owne person hee hath filled it with the fulnes of miseries wyth al sorowes of flesh with all anguish of minde with persecutioÌ„ with death with synne with hel with condemnation from al these by the mightye power of his Godhead he is rysen againe in our fleshe ascended vp into glory and sytteth on the ryght hand of Maiestie and of power being a mighty Sauiour vnto euerye one that shal follow hym So that this is our glory in al afflictioÌ„s we are fashioned by them into the similitude of Christ we are made lyke vnto him So it pleased God when he would bring many children into glorye to consecrate the Prince of their saluation through afflictions and to make both him that sanctifieth and those that are sanctified all of one that they that suffer wyth hym should also raygne with him they that dye with hym should also lyue with him So we wheÌ„ we feele many troubles to rest vpon vs we may say now we are lyke vnto Christ especially wheÌ„ we feele that greatest trouble fullest of bitter sorow that is the mynde oppressed it maketh vs especiallye lyke vnto hym that wee may say with Paule Now we supply in our flesh the remnant of the afflictions of Christ. Let me looke into the whole course of my life and what soeuer pleaseth me best health honour ritches fauour authority frendship wife children in all these thynges I cannot yet behold the liuely image of christ Affliction and trouble a minde broken with remembraunce of synne a troubled spirite these are the beginninges of great reioycinges wyth the horrours of death and a constience burdened wyth the wrath of god Here light shineth out of darknes and hope out of dispaire As I thincke my selfe furthest of from the Lord so in deede I am nearest vnto him And when I thinke