oppresse him neyther shall the wicked hurte him Howe shall he not hurte him when he oftentymes euen killeth him surely because by hurting he doth greatly profitte him So we see that we doe on euery side dwell in the middes of good thinges if we be wise and yet also in the middes of euills so meruelously are all thinges ordered by the power of the diuine goodnes The sixt chapter of the sixt consideration which is of the good on the right hand THis is the Church of the Saincts the newe creature of God our brethren frends in whom we see nothing but good nothing but consolation howebeit not alwaies with fleshly eies for according to the outward appearāce they are for the most part to be referred to the contrary consideration of euils but with spiritual eyes Although euen those their good thinges also which are seene with fleshly eies are not to be reiected but we may perceiue that euen in these God doth comfort vs For Dauid in the 72 Psalme durst not disalow of all that possessed riches in the world saying If I should say that I woulde iudge after this sort lo then I should cōdemne the generation of thy children that is if I shoulde say that all are euill which are rich healthful and had in estimation I shoulde then condemne thy Sainctes of whome many are such The Apostle moreouer teacheth Timothe to charge them that are rich in this world that they be not hie minded not forbidding them to be rich And the Scripture declareth that Abraham Isaac and Iacob were rich Daniel with his fellowes were had in honour and reputacion euen in Babylon finally many Kinges of Iuda were holy men Dauid therfore cōsidering these sayth If I should say that I would iudge so I shoulde condemne the generation of thy children God I say giueth to his abundance of these good thinges to the comfort of them of others but these are not their proper good thinges yea they are but shadowes in respect of the true good thinges which are faith hope loue and other graces and giftes all which are made common by loue This is the Communion of Sainctes wherin we reioyce And who doth not glory here euen in great euills who beleueth as it is in deede that the good thinges of all the Saincts are his good thinges that his euill is theirs also For this consideration is most sweete and pleasaunt whereof the Apostle admonisheth in the Epistle to the Galathians in this saying Beare ye one an others burden and so fulfill the law of Christ Is it not good for vs to be here where if one member as the Apostle saith 1. Cor. 12 suffer all suffer with it if one member be had in honour al the members reioyce with it Therefore when I suffer I suffer not now alone all Christians suffer with me yea Christ him selfe as it is sayd He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of myne eye So others beare my burden their power is mine the fayth of the Church helpeth my infirmitie the chastitie of others beareth the tentation of my lust the fastings of others are for my commoditie the prayer of an other is carefull for me and briefly the members are so carefull one for an other that those which are more honest doe couer keepe honour them that seeme vnhonest as the Apostle notably describeth 1. Cor. 12. And so I may truely reioyce in the good thinges of an other as if they were mine owne Be it then that I be foule and filthye yet they whom I loue and with whome I reioyce are fayre goodly by which loue I make not onely their good thinges but euen them selues mine Wherefore my ignominie shal be easily honoured vnder their glorie their abundance shal supply my want Who then can despeire in sinne who doth not reioyce in afflictions for that he doth not now beare his sinnes and paynes or if he beare them he beareth them not alone being holpen with so many Sainctes that are the sonnes of God yea being holpen of Christ him selfe So excellent a thing is the Communion of Saincts the church of Christ Now if there be any that doth not beleue that these things are thus he is an infidell and hath denied Christ the church For although these thinges were not felt yet are they so in deede but who doth not feele them For that thou doost not despeire that thou doost not become impatient who is the cause Thyne owne power no surely but the communion of Saincts Otherwise thou wert not able to beare euen a small sinne thou couldest not suffer the worde of a man agaynste thy selfe so nighe is Christ and the Churche This is that which we saye I beleeue in the holy Ghost the holy Catholike Church the Communion of Sainctes Nowe wherein doe the Sainctes communicate euen in good and euill thinges all things are common amonge them all as the Sacrament of the Lordes supper doth signifie in the breade and wine we are sayde of the Apostle to be one breade one body Nowe who offendeth a part of the body wherein he offendeth not the whole bodye what doth the litle toe suffer which the whole body doth not suffer what good is done euen to the feete wherein the whole body doth not reioyce But we are one body whatsoeuer an other suffereth I suffer and beare it and whatsoeuer good is done to him it is done to me So sayth Christ that it is done to him whatsoeuer is done to the least of his Who taking a peece of the bread of the Lordes Supper is not sayd to take bread who contemning a peece thereof is not sayd to contemne bread Wherefore if we be grieued if we suffer if we die let vs remember and firmely beleue and be assured that not we or that not we alone but Christ and the Church are grieued suffer and die with vs Christ would not haue vs to be alone in the way of deathe which euery man dreadeth but the whole Church accompanying vs we enter into the way of suffering and death and the Church doth suffer more strongly then we our selues so that we may truely apply to our selues that which Eliseus said to his seruaūt being afraid 4. King 6 Feare not for they that be with vs are moe then they that be with them And Eliseus prayed and sayd Lord I beseech thee open the eyes of this yong man that he may see and the Lord opened the eyes of the yong man and he looked and behold the mountayne was full of borses charrets of fire rounde about Eliseus This onely also remayneth vnto vs that we pray that our eyes may be opened that we may see the Church about vs that I say the eyes of our faith may be opened then shall we feare nothing but shall perceiue that to be most true which Dauid sayeth Psal. 124 As the mountaines are about Ierusalem so is the Lord about his people from henceforth and for
forth these litle droppes in small measure although it sometime commeth to passe that it is more manifestly reuealed to mindes that are giuen to diuine contemplation so that being as it were in a traunce they can not tell where they are Such were Augustin and his mother as they confesse of them selues and many others The second chapter of the second consideration which is of the good to come or before a man. TO them that are not Christians litle comfort can be giuen in their euills by the good things to come for that al things be to them vncertaine Howbeit that notable affection which is called hope is here cause of great trouble By which affection men comfort them selues and bid one an other hope for better thinges whereby we vncertainely seeke after great thinges being for the most part deceiued as Christ teacheth of that man in the Gospell Luke 12 who sayd I wil pul downe my barnes and builde greater and therein will I gather all my frutes and my goods and I will say to my soule soule thou hast much goods layde vppe for many yeares liue at ease eate drinke and be merie But God said vnto him O foole this night will they fetch away thy soule from thee then whose shall those thinges be which thou hast prouided So is he that gathereth riches to him selfe and is not rich in God. Howbeit God leaueth not the children of men so but in this affection to put away euill and attayne that which is good he comforteth them albeit they be vncertaine of the thinges to come yet doe they hope well whereby in the meane while they are susteyned lest that falling into the euill of desperation they suffer not the present euill and so doe worse thinges Wherefore euen the affection of such hope is the gifte of God not that he will haue them trust vnto it but be moued to sounde and true hope which is in him alone For he is therefore slow to anger that he may bring them to repentance as it is sayde Rom. 2 neyther doth he suffer men to be deceyued by this deceitefull hope if so be that they beginne from the hart and truely to hope in him But to Christians beside these good things two sortes of especiall good things shal assuredly come howbeit by death and sufferinges Now they also reioyce in that common vncertain hope that the present euill shall ende the contrary good shall be encreased although they doe not so much regard that as they doe that their owne proper good is increased which is truth in Christ wherein they goe forwarde from day to day for which they both liue hope But beside these I haue sayd that two especiall good thinges shall come vnto them in deathe The first is that by deathe the whole tragedie of the euills of this life is ended as it is written Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saincts And againe I will lay me downe and also sleepe in peace Againe Though the righteous be preuēted with death yet shal he be in rest Whereas contrariwise to the wicked death is the beginning of euils as the Psalmist sayth The death of the wicked is very euill Againe Euils shal come vppon the wicked man in destruction so Lazarus shall be comforted who hath suffered his euills here whereas the riche glutton shall be tormented who hath here enioyed his pleasures So it commeth to passe that a Christian whether he dye or liue hath alwayes the better so blessed a thinge is it to be a Christian and to beleue in Christ whereupon Paule saith Christ is to me life death is to me aduauntage And Rom. 14. he sayth Whether we liue we liue vnto the Lord or whether we die we die vnto the Lord whether we liue therfore or die we are the Lordes This safety Christ hath obtained for vs inasmuch as he dyed and rose agayne that he might be Lord of the liuing and dead being able to make vs quiet and safe as well in life as in death as the 22. Psalme sayth Though I walke through the valley of the shadow of death I will feare no euill for thou art with me If this commoditie of death doe litle moue vs it is a signe that the faith of Christ is weake in vs which doth not sufficiently esteeme the treasure and commoditie of a good death or doth not yet beleue that death is good the olde man which as yet liueth too much the wisedome of the fleshe hindering vs We must endeuour therefore that we may know and loue this benefit of death It is a great matter that death which to others is exceeding euill shoulde be made to vs exceeding good and cōmodious And if Christ had not brought this to passe for vs what thinge should he haue done worthy of so great a price as he payed It is a very diuine worke which he did and therefore it should be no maruel to any that he made the euill of death exceeding good Wherefore death is nowe deade to the faithful and hath nothing terrible but onely a certaine semblance and appearance No otherwise then a serpent that is slaine in outwarde forme and appearance he is cerrible as before but in very deede it is onely a seeming or appearance of euil the euill it selfe is nowe dead and harmelesse Yea as in the 21. chapter of Numb God commaunded a brasen serpent to be set vp by the sight wherof the liuing serpents did perish so also our death by faithfull and stedfast beholding of the death of Christ doth perish and onely appeareth terrible but can not hurt vs in very deede So doth the mercye of God aforehande exercise vs that are weake with these goodly figures or semblances that forasmuch as death cānot be taken away he may at the least make the force thereof to be nothing but in outward shew and appearance only for which cause also death in the Scriptures is called sleepe rather then death The other good thing that commeth by death is that it doth not onely ende the troubles and afflictions of this life but which is more exccllent it maketh an end of vices and sinnes which maketh death farre more acceptable to the faithfull as we haue sayd before then the good which we haue nowe spoken of For the euills of the soule which are sinnes are without comparison worse then the euills of the bodye Which onely if we did knowe they would make death most amiable vnto vs Now if they do not so it is a signe that we doe not sufficiently feele nor hate the euils of our soule Whereas therfore this life is most perilous daungerous sinne seeking to deceiue vs on euery side and we can not liue without sinne moste commodious death setteth vs free from these perills and cutteth of sinne quite from vs whereupon in the booke of wisedom it is sayd in praise of the righteous He pleased God and was
euer Amen The seuenth chapter of the seuenth consideration which is of the good aboue vs. I Speake nothing of the eternall and heauenly good thinges which the blessed enioy in the manifest sight of God or at the least I speake of them in faith and as they may be comprehended of vs So this seuenth consideration is of Iesus Christ the King of glorye raysed from the deade as the seuenth consideration of euills was of him suffering dead and buried Here we may see the chiefe ioy of our hart and certaine and sure good thinges here is no euil at all because Christ being raised from the dead dyeth no more death hath no more dominion ouer him This is the furnace of loue and the fire of God in Sion as Esai sayth For Christ is borne vnto vs and not onely that but also giuen vnto vs Wherefore his resurrection is mine and all thinges that he hath wrought therby And as the Apostle most notably glorieth Rom. 8 Howe shall he not with him giue vs all thinges But what hathe he wrought by rysing agayne He hath destroyed sinne set vp righteousnes swallowed vp death restored life ouercome hell and purchased eternall glorie These thinges are inestimable so that the minde of man dare scarce beleeue that they are giuen vnto him as Iacob Gen. 45 when he hearde that his sonne Ioseph was aliue and gouernour ouer the lande of Egypt as it were awaking out of a deepe sleepe he did not beleeue them that tolde him vntill they telling vnto him all the wordes of Ioseph which he had sayd vnto them shewed him also all the charretts which Ioseph had sent to carie him So surely it is harde to beleeue that so great good thinges are in Christ bestowed vpon bs that are vnworthye vnlesse in many wordes he declare the same vnto vs and as he made him selfe manifest to his Disciples by often appearing vnto them so he teach vs so to beleeue as it were by charrets that is by vse and experience It is a most goodly and pleasaunt charret that of God he is made vnto vs wisedome righteousnes sanctification and redemption as the Apostle sayth 1. Cor. 1. For I am a sinner but I am caried in his righteousnes which is giuen vnto me I am vncleane but his holines is my sanctification wherein I am sweetely caried I am foolish but his wisedom carieth me I am damnable but his liberty is my redemption so that a Christian which beleueth may glory of the merits of Christ and of all his good thinges no otherwise then if he him self had done them so properly do they belong vnto him so that he dare now quietly looke for euen the iudgement of God which notwithstanding is intolerable So great a thing is faith so great good things doth it obtaine for vs so glorious sonnes of God doth it make vs For we can not be sonnes vnlesse we inherit the good thinges of our father A Christian therefore may boldly say Death where is thy victorie death where is thy stinge that is sinne for the stinge of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the law but thankes be vnto God which hath giuen vs victorie through our Lord Iesus Christ that is the lawe maketh vs sinners sinne maketh vs guiltie of death Who hath ouercome these two Our owne righteousnes our owne life No surely but Iesus Christ raysed from death who hath condemned sinne death hath imparted his righteousnes vnto vs hath giuen vs his merites hath layed his hand vpon vs so that we are in good case and doe fulfill the law and ouercome sinne and death for which honour prayse and thankes be to God for euer Amen This therfore is the last consideration whereby we are now lifted vp not onely aboue our owne euills but also aboue our owne good thinges and doe now enioy the good thinges of an other gotten by an others labour who before were oppressed with the euills caused by the sinne of an other and increased by our owne We enioy I say the righteousnes of Christ wherby he him selfe is righteous because we cleaue vnto it by which he pleaseth God and maketh intercession for vs maketh him selfe wholy ours being our most gratious Priest and Patron As vnpossible therefore as it is that Christ in his righteousnes should not please so vnpossible is it that we should not please by our faith whereby we cleaue to his righteousnes Whereby it commeth to passe that a Christian is omnipotent Lorde of all possessing all thinges doing all thinges wholy without any sinne And although it so be that he haue sinnes yet can it not be that they should hurt him but they are remitted because of the inuincible righteousnes of Christ which swalloweth vp all sinnes whereunto our faith trusteth firmely beleuing that Christ is such a one vnto vs as we saye For he that doth not beleue that heareth in vaine acknowledgeth not Christ neither knoweth whereunto he profiteth or serueth Wherefore euen this one consideration if there were no other may minister vnto vs so much comfort if it be well and duely had that we may not onely not be grieued at our euils but also reioyce in tribulations scarce feeling them by reason of the ioy which we haue in Christ Of which ioy our Christ our Lorde and God blessed for euer make vs partakers Amen By these my cogitations most famous Prince witnessing after a sort the duety of my small abilitie I commende me to your most noble grace being ready to performe greater thinges if the power of my spirit were according to my desire For I will alwayes be a dettour both to euery of my neighbours but especially to your most noble Grace whom our Lord Iesus Christ by his gracious goodnes long preserue among vs at the last bring to him selfe by a blessed and happy ende Amen Your Graces most humble and obedient subiect MARTIN LVTHER * That is fourteen or that which consisteth of that number Man hath hell in him selfe which is the greatest euill in him VVhy God scourgeth euery sonne whom he receiueth Godsuffereth not maÌ„ to feele his greatest euill and why The comfort of the first consideration Frutes of the greatest euill which is in man. Feare what it is The euil to come It ought greatly to comfort vs moue vs to loue and praise God that we being in dauÌ„ger of so many euils few or none come vnto vs. Death the most terrible most certaine euil to come yet the time of the comming therof most vncertaine VVhat euil to come Christians ought to feare True Christians conâ—ene death all euils that they may be deliuered froÌ„ the euill of sinne VVe shall then chiefly perceiue the goodnes of God toward vs the care which he hath ouer vs when we coÌ„sider our life past VVe ought greatly to be comforted in the present euil when we coÌ„sider from how many euills God hath preserued vs in our life