Errata Pag. 51. l. 15. for rather read either p. 53. l. 4. for The This. p. 55. l. for note roote p. 65. l. 4. dele not p. 98. l. 10. for vse inioy p. 101. l. 7. for walke wash p. 108. l. 20. dele that p. 109. l. 7. deest to p. 119. l. vlt. for that if p. 120. l. 3. deest to p. 140. l. 11. for turning curing A TREATISE FVL OF CONSOLATION for all that are afflicted in minde or bodie or otherwise Which armeth vs against impatiencie vnder any crosse By NICOLAS BOVVNDE Doctor of Divinitie Lament Ierem. 4.27 It is good for a man that he beare the yoke in his youth Printed by CANTRELL LEGGE Printer to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge 1608. To the right Worshipfull Sir HENRIE WARNER Knight and to the vertuous Ladie FRANCIS WARNER his Christian and godly wife the daily increase of that true godlines that hath the promises of this life and of the life to come RIght Worshipfull Sir in respect of your place indeede some learned Treatise of Iustice might haue seemed more fitting which if I had attempted I could haue added nothing vnto that which you daily practise and haue done many yeares to the great good of that part of our countrey wherein God hath placed you But yet as you are a Christian and a professor of the Gospel and so euen in the multitude of Gods blessings many waies and plentifully powred out vpon you are subiect with all the rest of Gods children vnto some afflictions and crosses this argument I hope for the time present or to come may seeme not altogether vnseasonable Seeing that the Lord hath saide that if any man will follow him Matth. 16.24 he must take vp his crosse and follow him And therefore that is it which euery one must looke for at one time or an other and in what kind it shall seeme best to his heauenly wisdome For here I haue laboured to shew out of the word of God many reasons of the patient and comfortable bearing of the same But whatsoeuer it be it proceedeth from an heart vnfainedly well wishing vnto you and so I pray you accept of it as an apparant testimonie of the same And for your selfe good Madame though your owne vertues and kindnes deserue much God hauing put vpon you that crowne of glorie Prov. 16.31 that Salomon speaketh of namely that your age is found in the way of righteousnes euen in these most corrupt and dangerous times yet the worthie memorie of M. Robert Foorth sometimes of Butly Esquire Prou. 2 17. heretofore the guide of your youth your selfe beeing ioyned vnto him in the neerest couenant of God had beene sufficient to mooue me among other his friends and allies to shew what testimonie of loue I could vnto any of his Whose zeale to the Gospel of Christ and loue to all that professed it with his sinceritie in executing of iustice heartie affection to all his neighbours great hospitalitie and releefe to the poore euen in the times of greatest scarsitie and want with most excellent orders in his family for daily praier for reading the Scriptures and for singing of Psalmes doe yet speake for him and shall whiles this age remaineth Whose vprightnesse of heart vnto God wherein he was a right Nathanael Ioh. 1.47 euen a true Israelite indeed I pray God that all his right worshipfull children sonnes and daughters may set before their eyes as an example to follow And so praying God to blesse you both with many comfortable daies together in this life and eternall happines after death in the kingdome of heauen neuer to be seuered with the like blessing of God vpon the right worshipfull your children and childrens children on both sides I bid you all most humbly and heartily fare-well in Christ Norton in Suff. Iun. 24. 1608. Your Worships in all vnfained loue for Christs sake Nicolas Bownde Errata Pag 19. l. 5. read that God 25.4 r. mixt thing 27.20 r. distracted 2◠9 r. our selues 33.16 r. infirmities 42.20 deest are 24. r. rich mercie 47.11 r. want 53.7 r. meaning 57.18 r. fauour of God 62 3. r. searing 99. 5. after man put in colon A COMFORTABLE TREATISE for the afflicted Rom. 8.26 c. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know not what to pray as we ought but the Spirit it selfe maketh request for vs with sighes which cannot be expressed 27 But he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the meaning of the Spirit for he maketh request for the Saints according to the will of God 28 Also we know that all things worke together for the best vnto them that loue God euen to them that are called of his purpose 29 For those whome he knew before he also predestinate to be made like to the image of his Sonne that he might be the first borne among many brethren c. THe generall intent and purpose of the Apostle here is to intreat of the matter of afflictions to this ende that he might shew that none of them shall be able to hinder vs frō our saluation that so beeing well perswaded of them and of the goodnes of God towards vs in them we might be the better prepared for them and haue more comfort in the bearing of them For he hauing prooued before that we are iustified saued by faith in Christ for the further assurance of all those that relie vpon Christ for their saluation he remooueth out of their minds those things that might seeme to weaken their faith herein And namely first of all the consideration of our naturall corruption cleauing fast vnto vs hindering vs from that which is good and drawing vs to that that is euill euen after such time as we do beleeue of which he hath spoken in the former chapter Rom. 7 15. saying I allow not that which I doe for what I would that doe I not but what I hate that do I. For I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good for to will is present with me but I finde no meanes to performe that that is good For I doe not the good that I would but the euill that I would not that doe I. I finde then that when I would doe good I am thus yoaked that euill is present with me For I delight in the law of God in the inner man But I see an other law in my members rebelling against the law of my minde and leading me captiue vnto the law of sinne which is in my members O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer mee from the bodie of this death For answer vnto which he saith that by the imputation of the perfect holinesse of our Sauiour Christ the guiltines of this is taken away and is not imputed vnto vs before the iudgment seat of God and therefore he saith vers 17. it is no more I that doe it but sinne that dwelleth in me for if I doe that I
said seeing that God is with vs in all our afflictions by his prouidence and power and by the assistance of his holy Spirit none of them shall be able to doe vs any harme And the truth of Gods loue and meaning towards vs this way he confirmeth by a most excellēt proof when he addeth 32. Who spared not his owne Sonne but gaue him for vs all to death how shall he not with him giue vs all things also In which words he sheweth that we haue no cause to feare no not in any crosse that the Lord will not giue vs whatsoeuer is profitable for vs seeing that he hath not spared his owne Sonne to saue vs. Therfore when he saith All things worke together for the best to them that feare God it is most true whether we take it generally as the words may be expounded namely not onely prosperitie but aduersitie also not onely health but sicknes not onely libertie but imprisonment not onely honour but dishonour make for the best to those that loue God Or whether it be restrained to this particular purpose of his namely to affliction of what nature or kind so euer It is no doubt the intent of the Apostle to speake of this latter and to shew that all afflictions doe not onely not hinder the saluation of the godly but doe greatly further the same Which saying of his though it containeth an whole and entire matter by it selfe yet beeing inferred vpon the former wordes he seemeth therein to answer a secret obiection which might arise in mens mindes from thence namely that it seemeth many times that the Lord doth not heare the praiers of the afflicted because their afflictions be not onely not remooued according to their praiers but somtimes increased contrarie to their earnest desire Therefore wee must remember what hath beene alreadie said touching this matter namly how the Lord in graunting our requests looketh not so much to the particular things which we desire as to the meaning of his Spirit in vs and granteth that in turning our afflictions to our singular good wheras if they were presently remooued the Lord seeth that it would be far worse with vs though we imagine the contrarie For as if one in a burning feauer should in the middest of his fit impatiently desire to be washed with colde water and then the skilfull Physitian standing by beeing his friend also should giue him some wholesome conserues or other cooling thing hee should in denying that particular thing demāded graunt vnto his generall meaning which was that he might haue some thing giuen him that might do him most good though now beeing distēpered he was not able to iudge of it but did mistake one thing for an other and thought that to be best as to be plunged into the colde water which indeede is the worst So wee whatsoeuer we aske in our distresse by praier vnto God our meaning is and must be if it be ruled by Gods spirit that we would haue that giuen vnto vs which might procure our best good and further our saluation most of all Therefore if the Lord suffer our crosses to remaine and turne them to our good though we in particular praied for the cleane taking of them away hee fulfilleth both these promises vnto vs at once namely he giueth vs according to the measure of his spirit in vs and hee also causeth them to worke together for the best to those that loue God Thus then Paul besought the Lord thrice that is very often 2. Cor. 12.8 that the messenger of Satan might depart from him and yet the Lord suffered him stil to buffet the Apostle least he should bee exalted out of measure through the aboundance of reuelations that were giuen vnto him and the Lord gaue him this further answer that his grace should be sufficient for him to vphold and strengthen him and that the power of God should be seen in the Apostles weaknesse The Lord in denying this request of his did giue him according to the meaning of his spirit in him which was that the Lord would deale with him this way as it should make most for his owne glorie and for the furtherance of Pauls saluation and also did cause this affliction to worke together with other things for his best good for this did him more good remaining then if it had beene taken away for hereby he had more experience of his owne weakenesse and of the power of God then otherwise he could haue had And thus also the Lord hath verified from time to time vnto the rest of his seruants the truth of that promise of his which is vttered by the mouth of the Prophet Salomon Pro. 10.24 God will fulfill the desire of the righteous that is God will not onely blesse those that serue him but hee will bestowe those blessings vpon thē most of all which they especially desire and do most earnestly pray vnto him for according to that that is said in the Psalme Psal 145.19 Hee will fulfill the desire of them that feare him Which promises are so to bee vnderstood not that he will alwaies giue them euery particular thing that they aske for many times through ignorance or beeing distempered with some tēptation they aske that that is hurtfull and then God denieth them but he giueth them some other thing that is more profitable for them according to the generall meaning of the spirit of God in them And so doe parents vnto their little children whom they loue full dearely when they aske kniues and such hurtfull things in stead of them they in wisedome giue them some other thing that they shall delight in as much and so still their frowardnesse and giue them their desire in another kind Euen so the Lord fulfilleth the desire of his seruants by making an exchange when as they name one thing and he giueth them an other as good or better as it is saide in the Psalme Psal 21.4 He asked life of thee thou gauest him a long life euen for euer and euer where in the person of Dauid he sheweth how God dealeth with his Church they aske life of him and he giueth not onely that but eternall life as he did to Hezekiah but yet sometimes they that are weake and sicke and desire life they haue it not graunted but linger and pine away euen vnto death and so God taketh them into his blessed kingdome and giues them eternall life which is better then that life that they desired And thus did he deale with many of the Corinthians 1. Cor. 15.32 whō he did by death iudge and chastise in this world that they might be saued in the world to come And this was the case of his faithfull seruant Moses Deut. 3.25 who in the wildernesse desired earnestly of the Lord that he might goe ouer and see that good land that was beyond Iorden and that goodly mountain Sion and Lebanon but he would not heare him in
for in due season we shall reape if we faint not Where to perswade the Galatians and vs to go on coÌ„stantly in all good courses vnto the end he makes a promise of great reward which God will bestow vpon all them that shall so doe not so much in this life as the life to come when euery man shal receiue the things that are done in his bodie 2. Cor. 5.10 according to that he hath done whether it be good or euill and this he doth by a familiar and plaine comparison That as the husbandman though the seede-time be very painefull and costly vnto him so that both he buies his corne at a great price and hath many an hard iourney at the plow and meetes with many a boisterous storme yet he giues not ouer in the midst but comforts himselfe with the hope of haruest which in due time will come though long after and is perswaded that that will fully quite all his cost and recoÌ„pence all his labour to the full and when he hath gathered his corne into his barne he repents himselfe not one whit of his cost or trauell but rather is glad that by neither of them he was discouraged from following of that good course which now he seeeth to be so gainfull vnto himselfe So we in all afflictions and in all difficulties continuing in well doing must comfort our selues with the hope of that reward that God hath promised in the kingdom of heauen according to that that is said in the Psalme they that sow in teares Psal 126.5 shall reape in ioy they went out weeping and caried pretious seede but they shal returne with ioy and bring their sheaues Where the time of affliction is compared vnto a seede-time in a deare yeare when poore men because of the scarsitie and price of corne sow it with teares but the reward in heauen is likened vnto the haruest when the increase is so great that they reape carie in their corne with great ioy This is that then which we must set before our eyes that we might patiently vndergo the hardnes of affliction it beeing the readie way to bring vs to glorie And this Paul applieth vnto seruants whose condition of life especially of bondseruants and vnder heathen and vnchristian masters in those daies was very hard and willeth theÌ„ to doe their duties conscionably as seruing the Lord knowing that of him they shall receiue their reward when he saith Coloss 3.23 Seruants be obedient vnto them that are your masters according to the flesh in all things not with eye seruice as men pleasers but in singlenes of heart pleasing God whatsoeuer ye doe doe it heartily as to the Lord and not to men knowing that of the Lord ye shall receiue the reward of the inheritance for ye serue the Lord Christ Thus he would haue them to go on in their callings chearefully though they were very base and painfull in hope of that inheritance that was prepared for theÌ„ in the kingdome of heauen And truly if not onely seruants but all other men did beleeue that in all things they had to deale with God and that he would reward them if they did well though all other should neglect them the hope of that might comfort them in all difficulties And this made Moses the man of God to refuse all the riches and pleasures that he might haue inioyed in Egypt as beeing the reputed sonne of Pharaohs daughter and to choose rather to ioyne himselfe with the people of God though in great affliction Heb. 11.26 because he had respect vnto the recompence of the reward Which reward could not then be seene and therefore the Apostle saith that he did it by faith and truly if we did beleeue that great reward that is laid vp in heauen for them that serue God and is offered vnto vs in his word if all the pleasures of the world were laid before vs on the one hand and all the afflictions of the same on the other hand we should be of Moses his minde to choose rather to suffer aduersitie with the people of God then to indure the pleasures of sinne for a season esteeming the rebuke of Christ greater riches then all the treasures of the world because by faith we haue respect vnto the recoÌ„pence of that reward And so I may conclude with that most excellent exhortation of the Apostle in the chapter following Wherefore let vs also chap. 12.1 seeing that we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses cast away euery thing that presseth downe and the sinne that hangeth so fast on let vs runne with patience the race that is set before vs looking vnto Iesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the ioy that was set before him indured the crosse and despised the shame and is set at the right hand of the throne of God Where he sets before our eyes the example of our Sauiour Christ who in those grieuous agonies he was in to sweeten the bitternes of his crosse did earnestly consider of the ioy and glorie which a little after he was to enter into that we might also in our sufferings hold our thoughts seriously vnto the meditation of the ioyes of heauen and for them indure them and treade vnder our feete for them all the shame reproach and contempt of the world that shall be cast vpon vs. Where also that we might not faint vnder the burden we are to consider of the circumstance of time when we shall reape the fruit of our labours Gal. 6. â— that is In due season if we faint not Which is partly in this life for godlinesse hath the promises of this life 2. Tim. 4. â— as well as of the life to come and the Lord as he doth in this life giue to his children the first fruits of his Spirit Rom. 8.23 so he doth giue them the first fruits of their labours as a tast of their happines which they shall enioy more fully hereafter and therefore Christ saith in the Gospel Mark 10. â—0 that he will reward those that are his an hundred fold in this life But this due time is meant principally of the life to come when they shall receiue their reward fully not onely in the houre of death when the soule entreth into happines as it is saide of Lazarus that when he died the Angels caried his soule into Abrahams bosome Luk. 16.22 but especially at the day of iudgement when soule and bodie beeing ioyned together they shall be in full possession of eternal glorie and felicitie for euer And seeing the Lord hath of his wisdome and goodnes set downe the time when we shall be comforted receiue our reward we must in faith and patience waite vpon him for it And as the husbandman that hath sowne his field doth not looke for his croppe the next day or the next weeke but tarieth till the haruest come so must we sow the seede of obedience vnto God euen vnder the crosse though with teares and looke for the fruit of it at the great day of haruest when we shall reape it with ioy eueÌ„ with that ioy that is vnspeakable and most glorious when he shal separate the sheepe from the goates and giue them their reward saying Come ye blessed of my father Math. â— take the inheritance of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world And seeing the Lord hath beene patient in waiting for our amendement from day to day let vs patiently expect the accomplishment of this his gratious promise from day to day and from yeare to yeare Setting before our eyes the example of the dumbe creatures which expect with a feruent desire to be deliuered from that bondage and corruption â—â—m 8.19 that now they are in into the glorious libertie of the sonnes of God and this they doe with stretching forth their heads as the Apostle saith like vnto the poore prisoner that is condemned and puts out his head at the prison window looking for the gratious pardon of the Prince And if we can thus doe as we shall not be frustrate of our hope 〈◊〉 6 1â— so it shall maruelously vphold vs as an ankor fixed in heauen and not in earth in all the waues and tempests of this troublesome world till we ariue happily at the hauen of heauen we shall find the ioyes so to exceede all the miseries that we haue indured here that we shall not be grieued one whit that we are come to such a place of rest by so long and tedious a iourney Which grace God graunt vnto vs for his sonne Iesus Christs sake Amen FINIS