into the fieldes with our friendes but godlie â— hell was that waye also circumuented slains of his 〈◊〉 and onelie brother Câ—ine Some 〈◊〉 men are inuited to a delicate feath and by that color Absolon 〈◊〉 and killed his brother Ammon What should I speake of the sayde Ammâ—â—â— who fained him selfe sicke and euen inforced his naturall syster Thaâ—â—â— when shee taine to visite him If a man settle himself to marie he may happelie finde such a Father in law as Iacob did of Laban or as Dauid of Saul and such a Wife as Potiphar of Egipt or as blessed Ioh had Againe if single lyfe lyke a man better he maye he assaulted as was Ioseph and 〈◊〉 or with his nyce admiration of single lyfe wallâ—â—â—â— in wandring luste and at last breake out into detesteble actes with the heretique Martyonns who presinding chastitie abused a Dyacon Imbrâ—â—se house he laye 〈…〉 pâ—â—s and â—aÌ„ue awaye with hiâ— hostesse Nowe â—â—a man bee without chyldren what comfort hath he 〈◊〉 must haue his goodes to straungeres if hee haue thyldrâ—â—â— heanayeâ—fe are the veration vnquiet lyfe of Noah Iacob Holy Dauid And to be shoote whether a man be â—itche or poore publique or priuate owe or young master or man and 〈◊〉 affaires with other men he shall finde that prouen he verie true One man 〈…〉 to another But happelie some man wyll sequester him selfe from all mennes company and lyue an Heâ—mite or Monkish lyfe what then euen such a one wanteth not infinite perylles For if he inclosse him selfe within his house one pinne loseth and the maine postes flypping out of their ioynt the whole buylding falleth vpon his head Moreouer a spyder falling out of his webbe into the pottage wherein his meate boyleth or a lyttle vimolsome water or finallie one leafe of an hearbe eyther poysonous of it selfe or some venemous woorme dod oftentimes bring destruction If againe it lyketh him to walke abroade euerie lyttle stone euerie TrÌ„ee threaten him death in dauÌ„ger euerie where of falling of Snakes of Hornets yea of lyttle â—ees which do molest him and lastlie alwayes sucking the winde and ayre which if they be corrupte doâ— by and by kyll him But let him beeÌ„ without daunger of all these what shall wee saye of that lumpe of fleshe whereof his body consisteth which hauing many partes hath so many singular disseases accoumpted of the Phisitions to be three hundred The eye is but a lyttle portion and yet the Phisitions name tweÌ„tie and fowre sorts of Malladies which vexe and encomber the same Consider then the disseases which greater partes of the bodie are subiecte vnto We may not forgette in the meane tyme the internall vexations of the minde howe often and commonly without cause we are vnquieted with feare pensiuenesse and such lyke peruerse affections which doo euen weare awaye and consume vs Howe often ddeth our owne conscience accuse and vnquiet vs as I haue largelie declared in the Treatye thereof tormenting vs daye and nyght And finallie the subtyle and sinnefull suggestions of the deuyll and wicked men who lyke raging furies molest vs not suffering vs to pauseor take any rest ⧠Of the subtyle pollicies and practises of Sathan a gainst man Chap. 3. THe holie ghost in many places of the scripture painteth out in collors the breeder author of these manifolde myseries and calamities with many Metaphores and similytudes out of which plentiful storie I wyll selecte three or fowre onlie at this tyme which if we consider dillygentlie as they deserue the reste wyll offer them selues plainlie pleasauntlie vnto vs And first I accoumpt it worthy to be obserued that this Author of all euyll who is Sathan the deuyll the accuser and murderer of mankinde from the beginning is named by our sauiour Iesus Christe A strong armed Souldiour who neuer vnarmeth himselfe neither day nor night patient of labour aduenturous cunning in feates of warre most couragious in charges assaults Yea he somtime disguiseth transformeth himselfe into the shape of a friende and gestwise ioyneth himself vnto mens feasts and banquets and especially of noble men preachers amongste whome for tryfling matters often times he casteth a bone and as the prouerbe is An apple of contencions and styreth vp mortal warres and discention in Churches CoÌ„mon wealthes and Familyes he soweth debate betwéene those that shoulde liue in peace vnitie This practise he vsed to breake the knotte of Christian charitie betweene Paule and Barnabas and his mallice tooke effecte in Tertullian and Aquila for the one through the vncurtesie of the Priestes at Rome fell into the he resie of Montane the other being earnestlie and often requyred by the Primatiue Churche to geue ouer supersticious obseruations of Astrologie and casting of figures and for his contempt excommunicated reueged the Christian fayth and became a Iewish Proselyte And suche enimitie was sowen betweene king Saule and Dauid after the ouerthrowe of the Gyaunte Golyathe when the people at their returne home gaue out songs of prayses gratulation saying Saule hath slaioâ— his thousand and Dauid his tenne thousande and he sayd They haue aseribed to Dauid tenne thousand and time but a thousand and what can he more haue saue the kingdome wherfore Saule had an eye to Dauid from that day for warâ— The lyke discention arose betweene King Richarde the fyrst and Leopolld Archduke of Austria in their expidition to warde the holie lande For wheâ—â— one of the Dukes Knights had aduanced his maisters Banner first in the scaling and taking and that strong and famous Citie Acon in Phaemicia some time named Ptolomais King Richarde caused it to be throwne downs and in the same place set vp his owne Auncient Afterwarde when the king in his returne was driuen by tempestuous weather vppon the coastes of Austria he was there taken prysoner by the Duke and was solde to the Emperour for thrée score thousande Markes And whollysse maye in the examples of our owne age sée the ruine almost of a whole state by meanes of smaller occasions For I haue hearde some of honour wisedome and great godlynesse affirme that arrogaunt and proude women contending onely for the vpperhande bredde such enuie betwéene their noble Husbandes that the same coulde not bee appeased without the price of their owne bloods and afterwarde ensewed the death of a vertuous Prince being a Phaenix of the worlde and the vtter exyle of sincere and true Religion This fearce and cruell souldiar besiegeth the strongest fortes and castels For hee dyd not shrinke to assault that fortresse in the which our first Parents were placed in the beginning and tooke the same not so much by sorte as fraud which thing being done he depryued them not onely of that blessed place but of all their goods and ledde them captiue out of that most pleasant Garden into the wide world repleate with Gods curse and malediction what should we say of that boulde
carnall securitie dystrust cuyll concupiscence tormentes of the Conscience and horrible terrors of death wherewithall Saule Caine Iudas and suche like being vexed and afflicted fell into damnable dyspayre and murdred them selues These myseries of man myght be séene by Reason and felto by dayly experience if we were not too perciall and euen wylfullye blinde in our owne causes Whereof so many complaintes are almost in euerie page of prophane wryters out of the which heape a learned man of our tyme hath made thoyse of three principall sentences The first is out of Aristotle who asketh this question vvhat is man He is an example of weaknesse a spoyle of time a plaie of fortune an Image of inconstancie a ballaunce of enuie and callamitie and whatsoeuer is besides is but fleame and Choler The seconde saying is taken out of Euripides There is no myserie nor wofull mishappe and mischiefe vvhereunto mans nature is not subiecte The thirde is of Pindarus vve are men but of one day vvhat is some body and what is no body all men are no better then a dreame of a shadowe And vnto these thrée sentences we maye reduce all other complaintes which eyther the Cthincke Poets Historians or Philosophers haue vttered of the fraylnesse of mans lyfe All which sentences Ludouicut Vines endeuored to comprehende briefly after this manner Mans body is infirme and subiect to all iniuries euerie member hath his especiall malladie And as for his minde it is exceeding sicke and vnquiet blinde and improuident neither doth vvyll suffer it selfe to be lyghtned being much lyke the taste of a sick man desiring those thinges that be hurtfull and lootheth those things that be wholsome vnruely and intractable towarde such as would cure him all his affections are out of order and whole man is a seruaunt of those thinges vvhich are needfull for him vvherof he vvas sometime Lord and maister Thus man lyeth in this sicknesse as it vvere in his death bedde vntill he giue vp the goast vvhich is called Death vvheras mannes byrth might more aptly be tearmed Death as Manilius vvriteth Nascentes morimur finisque ab origna peÌ„det Such a continuall death is laide vppon Adams children for a punishment of his transgression being much more bytter then if he had immediatly dyed Thus we sée the estate of this our sorrowfull and short lyfe some part wherof aâ— Seneca wryteth vve spende in doing euil a greater part in doing nothing and the greatest part of al in doing those thinges that appertayne nothing vnto vs. These thinges moued Theophrastus to vtter his lameÌ„table complaint That Nature is rather a stepdame to mankind then a louing mother For whereas she hath dealt with brute Beastes lyberally and louingly geuing vnto many of them a long lyfe seruing to no purpose She hath lent to man a verie short time vnto whome moe yeares had bene conuenient to the ende he might haue commen to perfite knowledge in wisdome which is mannes chiefe felicitie Besides these thinges she hath expelled him into this worlde poore and weake not able to do any thing but with howling and crying to foreshew his miserable estate and coÌ„dition Albeit I am not ignoraunt that Theophrastus saying hath beene reprehended both of humaine and deuine wryters of these because he vsurped the woord Nature as they suppose for God himselfe so charged the Creatour with the faulte of she Creature And it can not be denyed but that both Philosophers and Diuines haue tearmed God by the name of Nature For so speake not onely Hippocrates Seneca but also Lactantius although else where hee séemeth to mislyke that phrase As for those wordes of Saint Augustine Omnis quippe natura vel Deus est qui nullum habet autorem vel deus non est qui ipsum habet autorem Are not to this purpose for the worde Nature there hath a farre other signification And y great Phylosopher of our tyme Mattheus Beroaldus amongst many significations of the worde alloweth that manner of spéeche yet the wordes of his Maister Iohn Caluine please me much better writing hereof after this manner I graunt that vve may godly vse this phrase Nature is God so it proceede of a sincere minde but because the speache is harde and vnproper for that Nature is an order appointed by God It seemeth vnto mee very daungerous and hurtfull in matters of so great moment and vvherein there ought to be a singular Religion to vvrappe and confounde the eternall God vvith the inferiour course of his handy vvorkes Of the same mynde was Lactantius wryting That the subuersion of true Religion brought forth the name of Nature For they being eyther ignoraunt by vvhome the vvorlde vvas made eyther desirous to perswade that nothing vvas made by God sayd that Nature vvas the mother of all thinges meaning that all things sprang of their owne accord vvherin they opened their great vnskilfulnesse For if prouidence and Gods povver be set apart Nature is plainly nothing And if they call God Nature vvhat peruersenesse is it to tearme it Nature rather then God Nature verily is not God but the vvorke of God. But in my opinion Theophraste who had that name geuen him partlye for his diuine sentences of God and his prouidence and partly for his swéete vaine in wryting vsed not the woorde Nature in any such sence but rather for vitious corrupte qualities which haue infected this diuine workemanshippe Hereof that common saying commeth that the beginning of vertue is of Nature to wyt of Perfect Nature and that vices procéede of Nature verily of corrupt and poysoned Nature And if any man thinke that I thus conuÌ„erre Theophrastes wordes ledde with ioylfulnesse to discent from others rather then with a desyre to séeke oute Truth let him vnderstand that I haue not sucked this out of my owne conceit but haue receiued the same of that learned father Saint Augustine who alleadging the very same sentence cyted out of Theophraste by Cicera pronounceth thereof after this manner The same Tullie in his third booke of a common wealth writeth that man is brought forth into this lyfe not of a Mother but of a stepdam in body both naked weake and infyrme and in his minde perisiue in sorrowes abiecte in feare faint in labours prone to lecherie vvherein notwithstanding there is couered certaine dâ—â—â—sâ— sparkes of vvitte and vnderstanding VVhat saye you to these things he saue the disease but he was ignoraunt of the cause Hitherto Augustine who notwithstanding myslyketh this complaint if it be applied to Nature sincerre and incorrupt But to the ende that this matter may bee more easily discussed you shall vnderstande that the worde Nature as we reason of it in this place hath two significations as Saint Augustine in sundry places hath obserued The fyrst estate of man vvhich vvas sincere and vvithout sinne is properly called mans Nature but by translation we vse it
who can and wyll delyuer vs if not corporally yet spiritually if not our body yet our soule For it was the same God that deliuered the thrée children out of the fierie fornace and suffered the Machabeis to bée consumed with fyre They singe in the fyre and these dye and yet hée was the same God of them both He delyuered them to confound the Idolles of Babilon and suffred the other to perish in their bodies that the paine and damnation of their persecutours might bée the greater It commeth to passe also sometyme that the godly and vngodly suffer in this worlde together but for diuerse respectes and endes They in the distruction of their bodies doo in a momente and spéedely lay aside the vncleanenesse of their fleshe and are so brought to euerlasting peace and reste but the other doo then but beginne to feele fearfull and endles torments of body and minde And that saying of Dauid hath place herein In the hande of the Lorde there is a cuppe and the wine is redde in it it is full myxt and he powreth out of the same As for the dregges thereof all the vngodlye of the earth shall drynke of them and sucke them out When therfore we stande in some perylles lyke braunches to be cutte of the body of the trée or lyke valiant souldiers to fall in the forefront of this battell let vs comforte our selues with the consideration of these things Let vs be assured that God can deliuer vs if he wyll but if he wyll not it is for great and weighty causes and the same tending to our owne best profite For hée eyther closeth our eyes with good King Iosias that we should not behold the wofull estate of our countrey and Church which shall ensue or else he taketh vs awaye in our best tyme least malyce and wickednesse should alter our harts and in the meane tyme hee maketh vs worthy vesselles to testifie his honour and glorie euen before most cruell tyrauntes and ryddeth vs shortlie out of temporall miserie to the ende we maye spéedelie passe into endlesse felicitie And if we geue our lyues vnto death for these thinges as the matter is most excellent and lawdable so is it not so terryble and fearefull to the mortified and spirituall man as fleshe and bloode woulde make vs beléeue For if the Heathen souldiours doo abyde a long and sharpe warfare eyther to defende their owne countrey or to enlarge their dominions shall we shrinke to passe the pykes to the ende wee maye keepe our faith and possesse those dominions that are most excellent and endlesse Codrus king of Athens vnderstoode by an Oracle that if hee were preserued his Countrey shoulde perishe hee therefore purposely procured his owne death and shall we sticke to giue our lyues for our heauenlie Ierusalem That noble Romane Marcus Curtius cast him selfe headlong into a bothomles lake for his Cittie and Countrey and shall we feare imprisonment and daungers temporall that we maye possesse Pallaces and lyberties eternall Shall Zopirus the Persian cause his seruaunts to whippe him to cutte off his noose his eares and lyppes and that so comming to Babilon he myght the more spéedily obtaine credite of them to haue some authoritie whereby hee might betraye and yéelde the Cittie otherwyse inuinsible vnto his Maister King Cyrus and shall Christyans faynt with lyke tormentes to purchase not for others but to rerayne and keepe that Cittie alreadye prouyded for them by Christe Surelie these thinges made Iob to exclame Albet he kyll mee yet wyll I trust in him And the Apostles departed from the counsayle reioysing that they were counted worthy to suffer rebuke for the name of Iesus And Saint Paule certyfied by Agabus the Prophet of the calamyties and miseries which he should suffer at Ierusalem and his case much bewayled by the Brethren aunswered VVhat doo you weeping and vexing my harte for I am not onely ready to be bounde but also to suffer death for the name of the Lorde Iesus So spake Ignasius in â—â—ke case I am ready to abide the fire beastes sworde and crosse so that I may see Christ my sauiour who dyed for me And againe Let all paines and tormentes most exquisitly deuised by the diuell himselfe be executed vpon me alone so that I may haue the fellowship of Iesus Christ Fynallie the blessed and happye exchaunge of temporall paine into euerlasting ioye which the godlie shall possesse in the worlde to come ought to make them abide these short afflictions manfully whereof wee haue an euident example in the ritche man and Lazarus Abraham sayde to the ritche man Sonne remember that thou hast receyued vveale in thy life and Lazarus woe But nowe he is in ioye and thâ—â— art in tormentes Our sauiour Christ also sayeth to his Apostles You shall vvepe and lament but the vvorld shall reioyce You shall be full of sorrow but your sorrowe shall be turned into love VVhen a vvoman traueileth shee hath paine bicause hir howre is come but vvhen she is deliuered she remembreth not hir paine bicause a man chylde is borne into the vvorlde And you novv shall haue sorrovve but I vvyll see you againe and your hart shall reioyce and your ioye shall no man take avvay from you Although there are no greater paynes then in Chyldebâ—…th yet after delyueraunce the Mother for ioye of hir Chylde forgetteth all Euen so the godlie in this worlde â—…de wonderfull tormentes but after they haue passed this lyfe they neuer thinke of worldlie sorrowes by meanes of that vnspeakeable ioye of Heauen Which as yet the eye hath not séene the eare hath not hearde neyther hath it entered into the harte of man For our lyght affliction vvhich is but for a time causeth vnto vs a farre more excellent and an eternall waight of glorie Whereof he Apostle saint Peter wryteth thus VVe are regenerate to an inheritaunce immortall and vndefiled and that fadeth not away reserued in heauen for you The man of God nameth the celestiall inheritance immortall bicause it neuer fleeteth nor vanish away as the ioyes of this world doo Whether they be honour or ryches or power or friendshippe all these perish and decaye he calleth it vndefiled bicause it is voyde of all sorrowe heauinesse and sinne it is pure sincere and permanent he sayth also that it fadeth not away bicause there is no fulnesse nor wearinesse of it These ioyes are in a vision expressed more largelye in the Reuelation And after these I beheld and loe a great multitude vvhich no man could number c. stoode cloathed vvith long vvhite robes and palmes in their handes These are they which come out of great tribulation and haue vvashed their long robes and haue made their long robes vvhite in the blood of the Lambe Therefore are they in the presence of the throne of God and serue him day and night in his Temple
the Sainctes Yet wee ought to know that both fatall ruins and mutations hange ouer their heades and also that the sonne of GOD who hath intituled hymselfe the Emperour and Captayne of hys armye wyll bridle their headdy and varbarous rage and giue a ioyfull rest and gloryous peace to his Church Yea hee wyll also defende and conserue honest polycies and Common weales so longe as they suffer Christes shippe to ryde quietlye in their strandes giue harbour vnto his guie harbour vnto his Churche mayrtayne Schooles and Uniuersities being the fountayne of humanytie and Christianitie Euen as the sonne of God in the vniuersall floud saued the Arke and in the same Noah and his family who were Gueedâ—ne and keepers of the diuine promyses concerning Mcssias Iesus Christe Whereof litle England hath had good proofe who amonge the raging furors of Sathan the mortall hatred of the worlde and daungerous conspiracies as well of domesticall as forren enimies retayninge with sure handfalt Christes Gospell and intertaynig his Church hath binne blessed by almightie God with the Halcyons daies in their polycie and common wealth that they might learne both to knowe and serue hâ—n in this lyfe and hereafter to prayse him throughout all eternyties Of this argumente I haue written somewhat largely in the Treatesse following and haue applyed the same to the estate of these perilous times tragical daies which I humbly present vnto you honor The reading wherof may happely renew in your minde the cruell practises and dealinges of wicked men which with greate dolour and perryl you were constranâ—ed to be holde in that Massacre where amongst an innumerable companye that penished as it were with the Machabies yet almighty GOD in his mercy saued many euen in the fyerie furnace and denne of Lyons and vsed your honour as mother Obadia to hide and preserue many of Christes seruantes from the ege of the sworde whereof some of them haue giuen open testimonye to the worlde in their writinges and haue made gratefull remembraunce of your wysdome honour vertue and great charges plentifully powred vpon Christes members in their myserye for the whiche you cannot bee vnrewarded at that great daye That time made you fytte for this your present estate and the often remembraunce of the same wyll not suffer you to bee vnprouided for lyke euents for those that feare God will not be rechlesse by meanes of prosperytie knowing that there is a chaunge of al things and nothing vnder the Sunne fyrme and stable Morcouer bicause mans wisdome and regyment is neither happy in time of warre nor peace without the direction of the worde of God this matter deriued out of the same cannot be impertinent to your calling Lastly if your honour whom God hath indued with excellent wisdom vertue and learninge will fauourably accept this lyttle woorke it shall the rather escape the checks of the malycious and procure credit of the honest and godly The father of al mercy giue you many good dayes and yeares and direct you with the spirite of wisdome and counsell that you may continew long a comfort and ornament vnto the Church of Christ and this common wealth increase you presentlye with temporall honours and in the ende crowne you with those that bee eternall From Exetor the last day of May. 1â—77 Your honours humble Iohn VVolton ⧠Of the temptations and assaultes of Sathan against mankinde vniuersallie Chap 1. IT is truly written of that learned and wyse Hebrewe Sirach A great trauayle is created for all men and an heuie yoke vpon all the sonnes of Adam from the daye that they goe cut of theyr Mothers wombe tyll they be buried in the earth the mother of all things Which is an excellent sentence and worthy to bee obserued of all such as professe them selues the seruauntes of Christe For whereas man was created in the beginning to lyfe and immortalitie and indued with the Image of God whereby he diuerse and sundry waies resembled his creator but espetially in Righteousnesse and true holynesse carnall men haue with great care and pensiuenesse of minde marueyled at and inquired the cause of that horrible ruine and destruction of Man the chiefe and principall amongst all visible creatures Whose noble and excellent nature dailye fadeth awaye the Uyolette or Rose and in tracte of tyme dyeth and corrupteth much more lothsomelye and lamentablye then an Oxe or Asse for that as learned men haue obserued immediatlye after his death fylthye Todes wyll bréede of his guttes and venemous Serpents of his reynes and kydnes Othersome there are so astonied and as it were depriued of all sence and féeling that they neuer thinke howe they receyued lyfe nor how they shall at the laste taste of death And if peraduenture by meanes of greate callamities the face and feare of death nowe then oppresseth them yet they neuer thinke vppon any remedies whereby they myght bée somewhat eased vnder so heauie and weightie a burden The wyse man therefore in this his sentence satisfyeth the carefull cogitation of the one and healeth the senceles Apoplexie of the other in rendring the causes and occasions of mannes myserie and callamitie Which whyles wee beholde and consider let vs also fyxe our eyes vppon the Redeemer and delyuerer of mankinde Iesus Christe and in regard of the greate imbecillity and tyckle estate of mortall mens matters bow our mindes to humility modestie and feare of God. Wherevnto this graue wryter exhorteth all menne in making mention of olde Adam and of our mother from whome we haue our origen and ofspring And although none almost can bée ignoraunt of this propagation and discente yet the Wyse man calleth them to the consideration of that whiche conunonlye they forgette or lyttle recorde and admonisheth them of the malediction and curse pronounced againste Adam and Eue in Paradize for the transgression of Gods commaundemente This curse is the course of all our myserie For as Gregorie sayeth vvhat strength can hee haue that is borne in infirmitie vvhat thing can come of fleshe but flesh vvhat can descende of a miserable father and mother but a myserable creature Which he enlargeth in laying downe before our eyes our painefull and perillous byrth our combersome vnquiet lyfe our ineuitable and terrible death All which thinges wyll appeare and more euidently shine in our eyes if we open and vnfold these thinges somewhat more perticularly Fyrst if we consider the beginning of our byrth whereby man is prepared to this lyfe it is vncleane and almoste lothsome to nature her selfe for other Beastes doo openly engender euen nature as it were mouing them therevnto The conceauing of man onely beareth shamefastnesse desyring rather to be hydde then opened because of the staine of sinne which driueth man to bashfulnesse and causeth him to bee ashamed of him selfe Nature bringeth forth brute Beastes but sinne after a sort bringeth forth man the Prophete wytnessing the same Beholde I was conceyued in
conquest apperteyneth because hee is shaddowed vnder Gods winges so that no euill can come nighe him neither touch his house his famely his cattell nor his ground as Moyses to mans great comforte writeth after this maner And the haile smote throughout the Land of Egipt al that was in the feeld both man and beasts also the haile smote all the herbes of feelde and brake to peeces al the trees of the feelde Onely in the Lande of Goshen where the children of Israell were was no hayle Where vnto consenteth Dauid saying The Lorde saueth both man and beast Surely the Children of Israell and al that is theirs that is to say the true and liuely members of Christ with all their goods are vnder the wings of the Lord in the custody and Tutele of his Angels in whose hands they are borne whiles they walke in Gods wayes and doo the workes of their vocation Which addition is especially to bee remembred For there are manie in the shadowe of the Churche that pollute themselues against their conscience with many gréeuous offences and busie themselues in other mens matters and presumptuously obiect themselues againste great daungers tempting almightie god But these men kéepe not the heauenly discipline of this warrefare albeit outwardly they make a shewe that they be souldiers vnder this Capitayne King Osias contrary to his vocatiō went into the Church to offer sacrifice he was not couered vnder Gods wings but striken with an incurable Leprosie The sonnes of Aaron were not kept by the Angels but in the sight of the Lord were killed for laying straunge fyre vpon the Aulter so Chore Dathan and Abiron were swalowed vp quicke into the earth Absolon walking in his owne wayes was myserablie hanged by the hayre This victorie therefore properlie appertayneth vnto those who abide vnder Gods winges walke in his wayes doo the workes of their vocation in true repentaunce and fayth are content with their estate which they labour to adorne and bewtifie and auoyde sinnes of presumption against the conscience Such men are not only partakers of this glorious victorie but also sée oftentymes the fall of those Tyrauntes that with sworde and fyre persecuted them for the profession of the gospell So Noha sawe the wycked men in the firste age drowned with the floode who had long mocked and laughed him to scorne Loth sawe the fearfull destruction of Sodome The children of Israel with their owne eyes behelde the army of Pharao drowned in the red sea Dauid saw the distruction of Saul and of many other his enimies so Mardocheus behelde Hamon Iohn the Euangliste Cernithus the hereticke Many godly Christians sawe the destruction of that bloodye Tyraunte Maxentius Didimus Bishoppe of Alexādria sawe in his dreame the death of Iulian the Reneger Alexander Bisshop of Cōstantinople with many other faithfull men saw howe Arius the dampned heretique perished terribly but worthily And examples in all tymes and ages plainly verify that saying of Dauid Doubltes with thy eies thou shalt behold and see the reward of the wicked This is verilye no small comfort that the holie ghost doeth succour and releeue all such as are oppressed for the profession of the gospell And that we who are oppressed of tyrauntes shall see in this life theyr ruine and fall or if that come not alwayes to passe in this worlde yet without all doubte wee shall see their eternall obiection and condempnation which farre passeth all worldlye paine and punishment For there can bee no conuenient proportion or comparison betweene thinges finite and infinite temporall and eternall But heere aryseth a question and a great scruple in mennes mindes howe this promise of the holy ghoste can bee true That no euyll shall come nigh the godly nor his familie but that they shal be shadowed vnder Gods winges and kept by his holy Angels For both many examples in the holye scripture and dayly experience teacheth that the most excellent lyghtes and members of Christes church are first and most commonlie taken away with sworde fyre pestilence and other plagues and mischiefes Abell dwelling vnder the shadowe of the highest beleeuing in Christ and walking in his wayes was murdred of his wicked and vnnaturall brother Caine. Ioseph from his chyldhoode fearing the Lorde and doing the worke of his vocation is solde by his brethren into Egipte was there without cause imprisoned Esaias the Prophet in whome was many excellent gyftes wherewithall he gouerned the Church was cutte in two peeces by the tyraunt Manasses Apries king of Egipt caused Ieremy to be stoned to death Herode cutte of Iohn Baptist heade then whom there was no greater amongst the sonnes of women Nero caused Saint Paule to be crucified And the cruell tyrannie of Diocletian Maximanus and Maximinus murdred in one moneth seuenteene thousād Christians bicause they would not offer sacrifice to the Idolles of the Panims Nowe when carnall reason considereth these such lyke examples it begynneth to doubte of Gods prouidence of his promises touching mans protection and defence wherof I speake somewhat in my Booke intytuled The armour of proofe But because it is verie pertinent to this tractation I wyll handle the matter more perticularlie largelie in this place If say they God doth protect and defend his seruauntes vnder his winges and keepeth them by his holy Angelles why then are there many thousandes of those that serue God sincerely and call vpon him earnestly either murdred cruelly or spoiled miserablie or drawne into heauie bondage vvhere they serue barbarous godles people painefully And heare I haue good occasion to speak generally of the causes of persecutions againste the Church of God but I will kéepe my self within compas deduce my Reader to the consideratiō of those things which are most needful for these troublesom times I wyl first speake of the sartenty of Gods promises whiche are in the obiection infyrmed and weakened I say therefore that these promises of God made to his Churche are not therefore frustrate because throughout all times some members thereof perrishe For the body of the Church is preserued and shall continewe vntyll the ende of the worlde allthough some bowghes and Braunches be cut of and albeit some of the souldiers of this armye fall with sworde as oftentimes it cōmeth to passe that both the godly and vngodly perish together yet other souldiers by and by succéede in their places who fight manfully for the lawe and for the congregations This heauenly capitaine the sonne of God shall alwayes haue a strong army allthough the number be somtime more sumtime lesse No infernall power shal preuaile against this whole armie wherin if peraduenture there bee some as fearfull as hayres or hartes yet the capitaine hath the hart of a Lion and is therefore called the Lion of the tribe of Iuda And if he doo not saue his armie by those meanes which humaine reason deuiseth