meate doe not nourishe vs but by his worde In sicknesse medicines can doe vs no good except he blesse them We haue no newes here to write of but of countrie thinges scarse worth the telling and lesse worse the practisinge of it could be amended euery man goeth after his Oxe and his horse and most doe glorifie God no more then their bruite beast Jf they bee like vnto vs which are in the Court and in the Citie that the one be as ambitious the other as couetous as we bee brutishe and God be forgotten of vs all alike we may take vs againe the Lamentation of Ieremie for it is the great mercies of God that we bee not consumed But if such be the miserie in the worlde wee that are not of the worlde but by Christ are taken out of the worlde Let vs not loue the worlde which is such an enemie vnto God and then we shall not be condemned with the worlde when Christ shall come in glorie And the Lord be praysed who hath giuen vs eyes to see and eares to heare that we might bee wise harted not to say peace and truce with such things with such men crye peace and truce but rather to haue our life hidden with Christ in God and on his right hande beholde the peace which passeth all vnderstandinge and good Maistres B. increase in this God hath giuen you a happie helper who is willinglie ledde to all righteousnes The Lord God make his good worke perfect for his sonnes sake in him in you and in vs all that loue the comming of Jesus Christ Amen Yours in the Lord Ed. Dering A Letter of Ed. Der. to Mistres H. GRace and peace c. I haue heard good Maistres H. of your heauie estate that in many troubles the Lorde doeth exercise you but I trust you are also taught to say alwayes before God Thy will be done and if this be your prayers then knowe that nothinge happeneth but by his appointement and be contented with all that he hath done so that your heart may beare you witnesse that of all thinges the Lord is most deare vnto you and for your troubles giue onely your hearte to loue the Lorde and they shall seeme neyther great nor stronge vnto you For what can bee great if our heart be prepared to say with Saint Paule That we reioyce in afflictions because they shall breede in vs a hope which shall neuer make vs ashamed or what can be great if God haue taught vs That the momentaine afflictions of this worlde they are not worthie of the glorie that shal be reuealed vnto vs or what can seeme great if we heare the Apostle Brethren reioyce in afflictions reioyce exceedingly when you fall into many and great tribulations Surely good Maistres H. all is nothing for a frayle body a short life a sinfull creature what can come vnto it that should dismay it nay howe should we not if we knowe it well bee glad if death also were at our beddes side that we might at once see the outmost malice of the diuell and after for euermore bee deliuered from him A great cloude of witnesses as t'h Apostle sayeth are cited vnto in the eleuenth Chapter to the Hebrues of which euery one should bee our example to beare all crosses that the Lord doeth sende knowing that he is delighted with vs when wee bee faithfull to abyde these momentaine and light chastisementes Iob Dauid Paule our Sauiour Christ himselfe howe many things suffered they howe are we not ashamed to refuse the cause which they haue borne and way well your owne case what it is and you shall see little cause of sorrowe in it or if you compare it with other none at all Hath your husbande bene vnkinde vnto you beare it and you shall winne him at the last if not thanke God that you can continewe louing and obedient euen vnto an vnkinde husbande And I assure you in this one vertue there is more comfort and ioye then there can be griefe in all the discourtesies of men and what is that crosse of yours in respect of that which Abigaill did so longe and patientlie beare But your sonne hath grieued you much yea but you haue not the hundreth parte of the griefe that Dauid might haue had for his sonne Absolon and will you be more greeued then he Your sonne I trust shall yet proue well and you shall see his recouerie if not this maner of disease is rather a testimonie of a conscience grieued with his euill doing then an argument of his destruction so that euen in this griefe you haue great cause of ioye and what if God take from you the comfort of one childe leauing againe vnto you the comfort of a great many Will you or can you repine against the louing kindnes of the Lorde Howe gladde would Dauid haue bene of other good children in the losse of one euill yet you haue lost none neither is your sonne knowen to bee so euill but you may reioyce in him againe yet if all things were as euill as you could imagine what then Where is our loue to Iesus Christe that gaue his precious body to the death for our sinnes If we will not leaue sonne daughter and our own life for his sake can one heare fall from your sonnes heade but at Christes commaundement Is not he head of his Church and all thinges happen they not vnto vs as he will Herein you shall knowe you loue God aboue all when you can forget the childe of your wombe for his sake And therefore good Maistres H. giue not your selfe to any inordinate affections to offende God and hurt your selfe but say and thinke Thy will bee done O Lorde and when the time shall come of our latter ende we shall neuer haue ende of the blessed life which God shall giue vnto you and to all his saintes in that day Thus in haste I am constrayned to cease to write but I will not ceasse to pray that God may blesse you and giue you his ioyfull Spirite to fill you with all spirituall comfort against the tentations of the worlde and all the enuie of the Diuell And pray for me I beseech you that I may account all the world to be but donge to the ende I may winne Iesus Christ to whom the liuing and eternall God I committ you for euer Amen The xix of Aprill Yours in the Lord Iesus the onely forgiuenes of all our sinnes Edward Deringe Letters of Ed. De. to Mistres K. THe Lord God direct vs with his holy spirite that we may loue and feare him vnto the ende Amen Jt greeueth me good Maistres K. that you should bee so longe at Hendon as nowe you haue bene and all this while I could finde no leysure to come vnto you whatsoeuer my faulte hath bene herein I will make no other excuse but desire you to forgiue it And I pray God though I see you not yet I may so remember you as J
CERTAINE GODLY AND VERIE comfortable Letters full of christian consolation Written by M. Ed Dering vnto sondry of his friends And nowe published for the proffite of the Church of God 2. THES 1.15 Stande fast keepe the instructions which ye haue bine taught either by worde or by our Epistles NEWLY IMPRINTED NON VI SED VIRTUTE Mr Derings wordes spoken on his death-bed at Tokye The 26. of Iune 1576. GOd forgeue me my negligence that I haue not vsed the pretious giftes of God laid vp within me more to his glory in my time Yet I thanke God that I haue not vsed them in vaine glorie or to please the vaine affections of men After my death my enimies will become my friendes except some that knowe me not and those which haue no feelinge of the trueth For I haue faithfully serued the Lorde and my Prince in a good conscience A Preacher saying vnto him It is for thee a great blessing that thou shal depart in peace and goe from many troubles that our brethren shall beare and see He answered I shall goe from many troubles and leaue many behinde me If the Lord hath appointed that his saintes shall suppe togither why goe I not to them but if there bee any doubting or staggering our Lord reueale the trueth Hearing one say He hoped that in his silence his minde was neuertheles exercised in godly meditation He answered As a poore frayle man and the least of all the elect saints yet beleeuing and lookinge on Christ my saluation We shall all meete togither with the sweet harmony of the Lord of hostes What a cloude of witnesses is heere yet a little while and we shall see our hope We haue ouertaken the endes of the worlde which is come vppon vs and we shall quicklie receyue the ende of our hope which we have waited for Afflictions sicknes and payne are but the worlds portions from the Lord. It is not to begin for a moment but to continewe in the feare of God all our dayes for in the twinckling of an eye we shal be taken away Dallie not with the worde of God make not light of it Blessed are they that vse their tongues well when they haue it E. D. An Epistle of M. Ed. Deringe before his 24 Lecture on the Hebrues which he preached the 6. of December 1572. And gaue for a newe yeres gifte to the godlie in London elsewhere To his verie louing friend Maister M. F. THe outward afflictions and manyfold troubles of a great nomber of gods childrie whose trauel labour frō day to day J had stil in experience and the inward feelling of many woūded spirits whose wofull sighes and bitter mournings J beheld in other and had tried in my selfe it made me very desirous to seeke for remedies to stoppe the complaints of so grieuous cryings and to prepare our heartes in a strong defence that the fierie dartes of the Diuell might not wound vs. Vpon this occasion when J had to expound that place of the Apostle full of notable comfort That Christe in the dayes of his fleshe offered vp prayers and supplications to him that was able to saue him from death with strong cryings and teares and was deliuered from the thinges hee feared J taried the longer in that matter declared more at large what boldnes and assurance of hope was offered heere vnto all that should obey the worde Which whē I had done as God gaue me vtterance the poore in spirit to whom J applyed my selfe one or two required mee to sette it downe in writinge that it might be profitable to manie which was comfortable to them I durst not reiect such a good request but though sometime I deferred it yee I neuer forgot it till I had written all as I was required Which when J had done I purposed then with my selfe to make it yet more common and set it abroad in print knowing assuredly where God would giue it increase it should bring forth the fruite of consolation that we might stande vpright in the day of euill Thus hauing performed both the request of others myne owne desire and the time fallinge out with the beginning of a newe yeare I thought it not amisse to offer my labour to you who I knowe would well accept of it as a newe yeares gift though of no great price yet of great good will and though easilie obteyned yet not little to bee esteemed Therefore my deare brother whom J loue in Christ and reuerence in the worlde as many wayes J haue cause so I offer it vnto you The Lorde for his mercies sake worke his owne good pleasure that J may haue of you the fruite that J desire and you the grace that ye stande in neede of that as God hath greatly blessed you and made you abound in many graces to the glorie of his name the comforte of your friends and the benefite of his people so your ioye that it might be made perfect you might also abounde in this to haue a strong faith against the daye of triall which God of his mercie will surelie graunte vnto you and finishe the good worke that hee hath begunne Though J loue not to speake faire for flatterie and deceytful prayses I see what mischief they breed yet J feare not to beare you witnes of your well doing the spirit of God hath planted humilitie more deepe in your breast then that pride and arrogancie can pull it out And in deede the better you are the more effectuall you doe see your owne vnworthinesse that all your righteousnes is as a defiled clothe and the more you approche vnto God the more you abhorre your selfe knowe that in our fleshe there dwelleth no goodnesse Abraham our father Job Esaie and many other men of excellent vertue in the sight of God they haue beene all astonished to see howe their righteousnes hath bene scattered away as the cloudes of the heauens Paule cryeth out O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from this body of death But because wee haue an enimie that spareth not to displaye all our corruptions before our eyes to the ende he might make vs dispaire therefore we may be bold to the strengthning of our hope to set before vs againe the spirituall graces that worke within vs to assure our selues that we bee borne of God So our Sauiour Christ praysed manie that beleeued on him so did the Apostles so may we and our heauenly Father will ratifie and confirme our wordes when we speake the trueth accordinge to the measure of faith that euery one hath receyued So Saint Iohn biddeth vs all be bolde and not bee deceyued He that doeth the things that are righteous him selfe is righteous and like vnto Christ in whom hee is sanctified So may J say vnto you the grace of GOD hath wrought happily in you in these yeres conditiō of life that so vnfainedly you haue sought the Lorde It can not be of your selfe who are
worlde may fill our eyes and our eares that sometime we may be blinde and not see our hope our owne concupiscence may peraduenture stinge vs that wee forgett the good workes wherein wee had delight but the councell of the Highest standeth fast for euer the Lord knoweth all that are his Jn this tower of defence our dwelling is made for vs and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against vs. When wee sinne wee must needes be sorrowfull and to offende such a Sauiour it will greeue vs more then death it selfe but to remember againe so assured hope we can not but reioyce in the Lorde and alwayes reioyce Thus I leaue you to your owne hearte where is your strong safetie and to your secrete thoughtes which comfort you in the night And committing my selfe vnto your prayers I beseeche God the Father of our Lorde Iesus Christe to keepe you and yours Commende me to your little ones pardon me for writing in such piece of paper J could hardlie gett this Maister H. and my wife wishe to see you The Lord keepe vs vnblameable in his sight From Tobye the xiiij of August 1575. Your bounden in the Lord Ed. Deringe To Maistres K. THe Lord God direct vs in all our wayes that they may bee vnblameable in his sight and our faith may be strenghtened in the blessed hope of his elect so that nothing be able to shake it from henceforth from the boldnes and assurance of eternall life Many and iust causes good Maistres K. haue kept mee so that these holy dayes I could not see you but I knowe no excuse why I could not write vnto you and therfore for the one as I am sure you doe willinglie pardon me so the other I beseeche you to except both as a testimonie of my minde that I forget you not and as a discharge of that duetie J owe vnto you for if I should not faithfullie remember you though you had otherwise done nothing for me yet I were vnworthie of so much good will And if I should not as in bounden duetie be most carefull to strenghten and comfort that good purpose whiche your selfe haue chosen for the curse of your life I were not worthie of the acquaintance of the saintes of God Therefore departing from London againe as J could not chuse I haue yet written vnto you as I must needes And I hartelie praye that God may increase his goodnes in you and earnestlie beseech you as you haue receyued that so you would abounde more and more a short request and soone hearde but exceeding difficult to some to practize yet not difficult vnto you but easie and light as you can desire for he that is borne of God ouercommeth the worlde And the anointing as Iohn saieth which you haue receyued of God dwelleth in you and you neede not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you all thinges and it is true and not lyinge and as it is taught you you shall abyde in it Maruell not that J write this vnto you nor be vnwillinglie affected to heare of your owne happinesse Jt is as Salomon sayeth an other mans mouth that prayseth you and not your owne and what neede you feare And I speake not deceitfullie which J thanke God J hate nor giue I titles as Iob sayeth which the Lorde doeth abhorre But seeing as I am perswaded that in you which Saint Iohn could see in the people to whom hee wrote and to whom he gaue so honorable prayse why should not J be bolde vpon so good warrant to say also vnto you You are the Lordes and God who iustified then his Apostles wordes he will iustifie them nowe and euer for he is mercifull without ende Lett vs not then good Maistres K. bee hencefoorth sorrowfull or faint hearted Paule and Peter and all tht Apostles and Prophetes haue spoken glorious thinges vnto vs and we will beleeue them And yet not they but the spirit of God hath giuen vs this testimonie and it is true For what were the Romaynes Corinthians Galathians and all other whome the Spirite nameth Saintes and Holy ones were they not as wee Fraile and weake as wee and our faith as theirs But wee feele a great deale of infirmitie in our selues did not they so and did not the spirit of God see more in them then them selues could feele yet it calleth thē saintes yea and so it calleth vs that wee should not feare and therefore as I saide I saye agayne you are anoynted of the Lorde and you shall not fall if your heart beare you witnesse that the profession which you make is vnfained in you as I am sure it beareth you witnesse One care onelie wee haue which also wee will haue vnto the ende and that is that we may glorifie him who hath glorified vs. Jn this doing as I accuse my selfe most aboue all other men so J prayse not you a white For J knowe good Maistres K. herein you are too too faultie and so is all fleshe our fleshe the world and the Deuill they are to stronge for vs but blessed bee the Lorde God who hath giuen vs victorie in Jesus Christ and wee will doe if God giue vs grace as his Apostles did wee will chastise our bodyes and bringe them in subiection that all that knowe our religion shall not blame our workes And I thanke God for all that you haue obteyned And I beseeche you increase and abounde more that as hee will giue vs a full rewarde so wee may offer vp our bodyes a holy sacrifice to prayse his name who hath had mercie vppon vs. And pray for me that my handes tonge may ioyne in the workes of Gods Saintes and let vs all growe togither vnto that blessed hope till wee haue founde that happie strēght by which the world is crucified vnto vs and wee vnto the worlde But the Lord that teacheth you to him I leaue you whom I beseech to open your eies into so large wyde a spiritual sight that you may yet more clearlie see and feele the glorie of God immortalitie Fare well good Maistres K. Commende mee to Nan Besse Marie The Lorde blesse you with them euer Amen Tuus in Christo Edwardus Deringe A Letter of M. Ed. De. to the Ladie G. ¶ The grace of our Lorde Iesu Christ bee with you euer Amen JF either I might doe the duetie wherevnto your well deseruing hath bound me or might requite with thanks that with all your good wil you haue deserued I knowe and confesse it good Madame longe since I should haue come to see you but such is my case as I cannot doe either what is most meete or what I most desire for sometimes by busines sometime by sicknes sometime by opportunity of others I am holdē here that J could neuer yet haue opportunitie to ryde fare or to see my natiue Countrie nighest friendes Once in Sōmer J would haue gone to M. B. besides Windsore and
the seconde night of my trauell J could not sleape but taried a seuen night in the same place then came backe againe ill at ease thus it pleaseth God to deale with me and such a body he hath giuen me to the ende I am sure J should not loue this present vanitie but remember him that liueth euer desire to bee dissolued to see his glorie And this I beseeche you thinke to be the only cause that I haue not of longe time seene you and others with whom otherwise I would wishe to dwell and if it bee the good will of God to prosper my iourneys in time conuenient J trust to see you oftener hereafter but his will bee done who appoynteth our wayes and numbreth our steppes and doeth all things for the best to those that loue him and to him if J can commit you in my daily prayers that so my spirit bee present with you how longe soeuer J be absent in body yet my duetie I owe you shall not bee altogither vnperformed and that piece of it which yet is wantinge that in daily exhortation J might by the grace of God stirre vp your minde that in the meane time let me supplie with these letters In which most hartily I beseech you good Madame goe on forwarde and faint not in the course of godlines increase stil in faith in loue in hope til with a wise hart you haue such a feeling of the glory of God of eternall life that you haue made your account vp with the world are at a point with all that is vnder the Sun While God shall prolong your dayes reioyce in him that hath giuen you life and vse all his gifts to his glory and whē his appointed time shal come and bring death into your doores let this be the preparation of your heart you desire to be loosed to bee with Christ and let this be the answere of your tongue Lord nowe lettest thou thy seruant departe in peace Surelie then it shall come vnto you that a happie life shal haue a blessed end Your former times haue found their wished issue the entrance of your graue shal be the beginninge of your glorie Hee hath spoken it that can not deceyue vs That euerie one that beleeueth in him shall not taste of death but shall passe from death to life This good Madame is the crowne garlande of all our pleasures reioyce in feeling it and be glad in louing it knit it faste to all the thoughtes of your hart neuer forget it it shal giue you more pleasure in one day of your life thē without it you can find in a thousande yeares and all the men of the worlde which feele their pleasure in this life know nothing better then to followe their owne concupiscence they shall perish when you shall abyde they shall mourne when you shall reioyce because they haue forgotten the liuinge God whom you haue loued Manie tentations shal be continuallie against you but God is able to set you free from them cast your care on him you haue wonne the victorie And to the ende you may knowe him how to trust in him as the Prophet Dauid did so let vs doe that is Let vs make his testimonies to be our delight excercise our selues in thē day night for they onely can make vs wise and renue in vs the image of God that we may be perfect as our heauenlie father is perfect This hope J thanke God hath bine before me that J haue not feared in any trouble and in a good conscience of this doing I had rather haue the displeasure of the worlde then with losse of this desire or any hurt of it to winne the fauour of all mortall men And so I am sure it shall be with you that day in which you shall so feele Gods glorie eternall life that you will consecrate your life for euer vnto him loue hi◠feare him longe after him Jt shal be more ioyfull vnto your thē the daie of your birth your heart shal be see as Saint Paule saith to vse the world as though you vsed it not not to forsake the world or worldly things for they are the gifts of god for the cōforte of our life but as though wee forsaked it so let our loue bee taken from it and be euer with him who is the giuer of all hath all immortalitie There is not a day that passeth ouer our heades but it afflicteth the body maketh it a day shorter liuing then it was Let there not be a day but shall strenghthen our faith that we may be glad we are one daie neerer the presence of our God then wee were before And I beseech god who only can do what he will worke his good will with you in all spirituall blessings that you may abounde and in the cōdition of this life that you may reioice till your accounted times bee all fulfilled Amen Yours in the Lord Iesu Ed. Deringe A Letter of M. Ed. De. to the Ladie M. THE Lorde God who hath onely power to worke his will and hath shewed mercy vnto vs in an eternall couenant make vs perfect in all our ways to abound in righteousnes and loue his glorie that in life and death we may be happie and haue ioy in his presence who liueth euer Amen Good Madame tbe dutie that J haue long owed vnto you doth much binde me the experience of your good inclination sufficientlie doth emboulden me to write at this time vnto you and J trust the Lord God who hath giuen you his grace and called me to this worke will blesse the labour that it may bee profitable to his glorie your cōfort For if his worde haue so great strength in his Saintes when they are yet vnbeleeuing and ignorant that it reuealeth euen the secretes of their hartes that it maketh them fall down to worship him and to acknowledge his mightie power in it J am sure it can not be but the same worde shall haue strength in you wholy altogither to consecrate your selfe vnto the Lord till all your delight be in him alone So that I am nowe more to praye for my selfe then for you that I may rather speake the trueth then you heare it for of this I am sure your heart is prepared as the Prophete sayth to a good purpose the Lord make my hande as the penne of a good writer And nowe good Madame this is the summe of all Feare God loue him your goods your credit your thoghts your desires your body your life giue it all vnto him that he only may please you nothing but he only delight you his worde instruct you his wil perswade you that whether you liue or whether you die you may be wholy his A short lesson soone learned harde J confesse of the worlde to practise but not harde to you whom God hath loued for what is it can call away your