A FAYTHfull admonition made by Iohn̄ Knox vnto the professours of Gods truthe in England wher by thou mayest learne howe God wyll haue his Churche exercised with troubles and how he defendeth it in the same Esaie ix After all this shall not the Lordes wrath ceasse but yet shall hys hande be stretched out styll Ibidem Take hede that the Lorde roote thee not out bothe heade and tayle in one daye THE EPISTLE OF A BAnyshed manne out of Leycester Shire sometyme one of the Preachers of Goddes worde there to the Christen reader wysheth health delyueraunce and felicitie THere hath bene no tyme syth the fyrst fashionynge of man whiche hath not had her manyfold myseries and great troubles by which God chaistened and punished all men for their euel lyfe and vnthanckfulnes to hym continually refusyng his callyng and warnyng wherof the ryghteous and iuste had their partes althoughe it was for their cōmoditie profit but to the vtter destruccion of the wycked and vngodly for iudgement begynneth at the faythful which are called the housholde of God in the Scripture and the punyshment wherby God chasteneth them cōmeth alwayes to them for the best either to the bringyng of pacience or the acknowlegyng of their synnes or for the auoidynge of the eternall condempnatiō And their fashion is when they perceaue the hāde of the Lorde to be vpon them or vpon others by any maner of trouble as pouertie sycknes banishment fallynge awaye of faithful frendes encreasyng of foes or any other lyke trouble Immediatly they turne to God are hertely sorye for their synnes and vnthankful nes confesseth them selues giltie calleth earnestly for mercye whiche God for and in Iesus Christ graūteth vnto thē of his great goodnes according to his promise So as in y e myddest of their troubles he hath vsed al wayes to comforte them yea helpe and deliuer them as it appeareth by Noe Abrahā Loth and the patriarkes Dauid and Ezechia kynhes Helye Hieremy and Daniel prophetes Susanna a woman Peter Paule and the reste of the Apostles together with al good persones in all tymes and ages who in their great troubles chaunges of estates and kyngdomes and destruccion of their cōmō wealthes after they had turned to God from whence those plagues came foūd reliefe helpe cōforte and deliueraunce in these and the lyke miserable necessities Thys was the onely remedye and defence for all good men thyther hath bene their chef refuge there fastened they their hope and rested not cōtinually callyng vpon hym vntyl they obreyned their requestes or els y t whiche made moste for Goddes glorie and their commoditie and profyt but cōtrarie wyse it is wyth the peruers vngodly For so sone as they are plaged or punyshed they grudge agaīst God they hate hym and speake dispitefully against hym they ascribe theyr plagues to euel luck or to misfortune they are nothyng moued by them to acknowledge their great sinnes therfore they call not vpon him but eyther they do runne in dispaire or in contempt of God and therfore it can not be thought y t their punyshmentes are tokens of the rest quietnes that they maye haue after thys lyfe but rather to be the begynnyng of their tormentes whiche they shall thē suffre The examples wherof are lykewyse set out to vs in y e holy Scri ptures as of Cain of the Iewes as wel before the cōmyng of Christe as after his ascention of wycked Iesabel of Iudas the traitor and of the thefe whiche was hanged vpon the left syde of our Lorde Jesus Christe with diuers many mo who in all their troubles either grudged againste God forsoke hym or spake wordes of despite against hym and his prophetes or els fell into dispaire or in contempt of hym any of which are causes of goddes further displeasure and of sendyng of his greater plages to haist their destruccion yet the order of the punyshmētes of God wherin he declareth his merciful nature is to be obserued of vs which is he plageth not cōmōly al offenders with one maner plages in one tyme although they be all a lyke gyltie but he stryketh some sorer thē others begynneth in some one coūtre or citie that y e residue mighte be moued by the example of their punishmentes and haue tyme place to turne to hym who seketh not the death of a synner but hys amendement and lyfe as it appeareth by the storye of Achab after his wyfe Iesabel had caused Naboth to be put to death howbeit where he threatneth to punyshe the earth wyth some one plague as honger noisome beastes the sworde or pestilence he threateneth all iiij at once vpon Ierusalem which bear the name of his people but were disobediēt vnto hym whiche may worthely make vs feare the more because we the people of England are in the lyke case amonge whom he hath sent alreadye the deuourynge swerde and a greate sort of slowe bellyed hote and cruel beastes to destroye But let vs follow the exāples of all good men in doinge as the Lorde our God commaundeh vs yet in these our plages whyche is to turne to hym wyth all oure hartes and call vpon hym it is he onelye that maye can and wyll delyuer vs let y t vaine truste of mās helpe be forgotten leaue of to seke swete water in filthy puddels what comfort can the sycke mā haue of one that is moche sycker then hym selfe and loketh for nothynge els but for death let the noble men of England leaue inconstancie luste and couetousnes and turne to God a ryght and let the people do the same lyke as there is no man that feleth not or feareth not some great plague to come vpō him because of his synne euen so let euery mā repent turne to God cal for helpe betyme for there hath bene no tyme sence the ascencion of our Lord Iesus Christ wherin there hath ben greater plages then ther is now in oure tyme for besyde bloody warre soden death great vntruth opē periurie diuision straūge cōsumyng fyres chaūge of great estates cōmon wealthes ouerflowyng of great cities lādes by water honger pouertie without petie so as it should appeare y t God causeth the very elementes to fyght agaynst the world which somtyme he caused to defend his people he hath suffred al so y t trueth of his word the true maner of worshipping of him accordig to the scriptures to be cleane takē away as it was by Christ threatned to the Iewes in y e gospel of S. Math. in token of his further indignatiō the honger and thirst after hym and his kyngdome is takē from the most parte of y e whole realme that it may be altogether voide of that good blessyng which Iesus Christ our Lorde speaketh of in y e gospel of S. Math. sayeng Blessed are they which honger thrust after ryghteousnes c. Ho suffreth for thy vnthankfulnes O Englande false
also to be the power of God to salua cion to al that beleue the bryght laÌ„tarne to the fete of these that by nature walke in darkenesâ—…e the lyfe to those that by synne are dead A com forte of suche as be in tribulation the towre of defence to suche as be moste feble the wysedome and great felicitie of suche as delyteth in the same and to be shorte you knowe Goddes worde to be of suche efficacie and streÌ„gth that therby is synne purged death vanquyshed tyrauntes suppressed and finally the deuell the 〈◊〉 of all myserie ouerthrowen and consounded This I saye I write that ye knowynge this of the holy worde and moste blessed gospel and voyce of God whiche once you haue herde I trust to your comforte maye nowe in this houre of darkenesse and moste ragynge teÌ„peste thriste and praye that ye maye heare yet once agayne this amiable voyce of your sauiour Christe be of good comforte it is I feare not And also that ye maye receaue some consolacion by that blessed Gospel which before you haue professed assuredly knowyng that God shal be no lesse mercyfull vnto you then he hath bene to other afflicted for hys names sake before you And albeit that god by and by remoue not thys horrible darknesse neither yet that he soddenly pacifieth this tempeste yet shall he not suffer his tossed bote to be drowned Remembre brethren that Goddes vengeaunce plaged not Pharao the fyrst yeare of his tyranny Neyther dyd the dogges deâ—…oure and coÌ„ sume bothe the fleshe and bones of wicked Iezabel when she first erected and set vp her Idolatrie And yet as none of them escaped due pu nishment So dyd God preserue his afflicted churche in despite of Sathan and of his blynde and moste wretched seruauntes As he shal not faile to do in this great tempest and darkenesse within the realme of En glande And therfore yet agayne be loued in the Lorde let the comforte of Goddes promises somwhat quyc ken your dulled spirites Erercise your selues now secretly i reuoluing that which somtymes you haue herde openly proclamed in your eares And be euery man nowe a faythful preacher vnto his brother Yf youre cammunicacion be of Christ assured ly he wyll come before you be ware His worde is lyke vnto swete smellynge oyntmeÌ„t or fragrant flowres which â—…eue â–ª can be moued nor haÌ„dâ—… but forth goeth the odoure to the comforte of those that standeth by whiche is nothyng so delectable yf the oyntment remayne wythin the boxe and the floures stande or lye wythout touchyng or mocion Marke well dere brethreÌ„ before that Christe spake his disciples iudged hym to haue bene some wycked spirite which was to them no delectable sauoure But wheÌ„ he speaketh the swete odoure of his voyce pearseth their heartes For what coÌ„forte was in the heartes of the disciples when they herde these wordes Be of good comforte it is I. That is Iudge not that I am a spirite come to your destruccion â—…o I am come for your delyuerauÌ„ce It is I. Youre maister yea your maister most familiar It is I whose voyce and doctrine you knowe for ye are my shepe It is I whose workes you haue sene although perfytly ye consydered not the same It is I who coÌ„maunded you to entre into this iourney and therfore am I come to you now in the houre of your trouble therfore be not affrayed This storme shall â—…casse and you shal be delyuered What comforte I say deare bre thren was in the hertes of the disciples hearing Christes voice â—… ynge hym by the same can neither the tounge nor penne of maÌ„ expresse but onely suche as aster longe conflicte and stryfe whiche is betwixte the fleshe and the spirite in the tyme of extreme troubles when Christ appereth to be absent feleth at laste the consolation of the holy ghost can wytnesse and declare And Peter geueth some external signe what Christes wordes wrought inwardly in his herte For immediatly after he heard his masters voice he sayeth Lorde yf it be thou Commaunde me to come vnto the vpon the waters Here maye be sene what Christes voyce had wrought in Peters herte truely not onlye a forgettynge and contempt of the greate tempeste but also suche bolde nesse and loue that he coulde feare no daunger folowyng but assuredly dyd beleue that his maister Christes puissaunce power and myghte was suche that nothyng myght resiste his worde and coÌ„manÌ„dement and therfore he sayeth CommauÌ„de me to come As thoughe he woulde saye I desyre no more but the assuraunce of thy commaundement Yf thou wilt commaunde I am determined to obeye For assuredlye I knowe that the waters can not preuaile against me Yf thou speake the worde So that what so euer is possible vnto thee by thy wil and word maye be possible vnto me Thus Christe to instructe Peter further and vs by his example condescended vnto his petition And coÌ„ maunded him to come And Peter quickly leauyng y e bote came downe from it and walked vpoÌ„ the waters to come to Christe Thus farre of Pe ters facte in whyche lyeth great aboundaunce of doctrine but I will passe ouer al that especially appertai neth not to the qualitie of this time within the realme of Englande Before it is sayd welbeloued bre threÌ„ that somtymes the messengers of lyfe are iudged to be very messengers of death that not onely with the reprobate but also with goddes electe As was Moses with the Israelites Ieremie with the citie of IerusaleÌ„ and Christe him selfe with his apostles But that is not a synne permaneÌ„t and that abydeth for euer with goddes electe but it vanysheth awaye in suche sorte that not onely they knowe y e voyce of their pastour but also they earnestly studye to obey and folowe it with the daunger of theyr owne lyues For this is the spe cial difference betwixte the children of God and the reprobate The one obeyeth God speaking by his messengers whome they imbrace wyth vnfayned loue And that they do somtymes not onely against al worldly appearaunce but also against ciuile statutes and ordinaâ—…ces of men And therfore in their great extremitie receyue they comforte beyonde expectacion The other alwayes resysteth god des messengers hateth his worde And therfore in their great aduersitie God either taketh from them the presence of his worde or els they fal into so deadly desperacion that although goddes messengers be sente vnto them yet neyther can they receaue comforte by Goddes promyses neyther folowe the couÌ„sel of god des true messengers be it neuer so perfite and frutful Hereof haue we many euident testimonies within the scriptures of God Of Saul it is plaine that God so lefte him that neither wolde he geue him aunswere by prophete by dreame nor by vision To Ahas kynge of Iuda in his great anguyshe and feare whiche he had conceyâ—…ed by the multitude of those that were conâ—…ured
Amos Daniel Christe Iesus him selfe after him his Apostles expressedly to haue na med the bloude thristy tyrantes abhominable Idolatrers and dissemblynge ypocrites of their dayes Yf that we the preachers within the realme of Englande were appointed by God to be the salt of the earth as his other messengers were before vs. Alas why helde we backe the salt where manifest corrupcion dyd appere I accuse none but my selfe The blynd loue that I dyd beare to this my wicked carcase was y e chefe cause that I was not feruent faith ful enoughe in that behalfe For I had no wil to 〈◊〉 the hatred of al men against me And therfore so touched I the vices of meÌ„ in the pre sence of the greatest that they might se themselues to be offenders I dare not saye that I was the greatest flatterer but yet neuertheles I wold not be sene to proclaime manifest warre against the manifest wicked Wherof vnfainedly I aske my God mercye As I was not so feruent in rebu king manifest iniquitie as it became me to haue ben so was I not so indifferent a feeder as is required of Christes stewarde For in preaching Christes â—…ospel albeit myne Eye as knoweth God was not muche vpon worldly promocion yet the loue of frendes and carnal affeccioÌ„ of some men with whom I was most familiar allured me to make more re sidence in one place then in another hauing more respect to the pleasure of a fewe theÌ„ to the necessitie of many 〈◊〉 daye I thought I had not synned yf I had not bene idle but this daye I knowe it was my dutie to haue had consideracion how loÌ„ge I had remained in one place how many hongry soules were in other places to whome alasseâ—… none toke payne to breake and distribute the breade of lyfe 〈◊〉 remaining in one pla ce I was not so diligent as myn office required but sometyme by coun sel of carnal frendes I spared the bo dye some tyme I spent in worldlye busynesse of particuler frendes and somtyme in takyng recreacion pastyme by exercise of the body And albeit men may iudge these to be light and smale offences yet I knowlege and coÌ„fesse that onles par don should to me be grauÌ„ted in Chri stes bloude that euerye one of these thre offences aforenamed that is to saye the lacke of feruencye in reprouing synne the lacke of indifferency in fedyng those that were hongrye and the lacke of diligence in the execucion of myn office deserued damnacion And besyde these I was assaulted yea infected and corrupted with more grosse sinnes That is my wic ked nature desyred the fauours the estimacion and prayse of meÌ„ against whiche albeit that somtime the spirite of God dyd moue me to fyght earnestly dyd stirre me God know eth I lye not to sobbe and lameÌ„t for those imperfeccioÌ„s yet neuer ceassed they to trouble me when any occasion was offered And so priuely and craftely dyd they entre into my brest that I could not perceaue my selfe to be wounded tyl vaingloâ—…ie had almoste gotten the vpperhande O Lorde be merciful to my great offence and deale not with me accordyng to my great iniquitie but accordinge to the multitude of thy mercyes remoue from me the burthen of my synne for of purpose mynde to haue auoyded the vayne displeasure of man I spared lytle to offende thy Godly maiestie Thinke not beloued of the Lorde that thus I accuse my selfe without iuste cause as though in so doynge I myght appere more holy or that yet I do it of purpose and intent by occasion therof to accuse other of my brethren the true preachers of Christ of lyke or of greater offences â—…o God is iudge to my conscience that â—…do it euen from an vnfayned and sore troubled herte as I that knowe my selfe greuously to haue offended the maiestie of my God duryng the tyme that Christes Gospel had free passage in Englande And this I do to let you vnderstande that the ta king awaye of the heauenly breade and this greate rempest that nowe bloweth against the poore disciples of Christ within the realme of Englande as touching our parte commeth from the great mercye of oure heauenly father to prouoke vs to vn fained repentaunce for that that neither preacher noâ—…pâ—…ofessoure dyd rightly consider the tyme of our mer ciful visitacioÌ„ But altogether so we spent the tyme as thoughe Goddes worde had bene preached rather to satisfie our fantasies theÌ„ to reforme our euel maners which thing yf we earnestlye repente then shal Iesus Christ appeare to oure coÌ„forte be the storme neuer so great Haste O Lord for thy names sake The seconde thyng that I synd to be noted is the vehemencye of the feare whiche the disciples endured in that great daunger beyng of longer continuauÌ„ce then euer they had at any tyme before In saint Mathewes Gospel it appereth that an other tyme there arose a great stormy tempest and sore toffed the bote wherin Christes disciples were labouring but that was vpon the daye lyght and then they had Christe with them in the bote whome they awated and cryed for helpe uâ—…to him for at that tyme he slept in the bote and so were shortly delyuered from their sodain feare But nowe were they in the middest of the raging sea and it was nyght and Christ their comfortour absent from them and coÌ„meth not to them neither in the fyrst secoÌ„de nor third watche What feare trowe you were they in then And what thoughtes arose vp out of their so troubled hertes duringe that storme Suche as this daye be in 〈◊〉 daunger within the realme â–ª of Englande dothe by this storme better vnderstande then my penne can expresse But of one thynge I am wel assured that Christes presence wold in that great perplexitie haue ben to them more comfortable then euer it was before and that paciently they would haue suffe red their incredulitie to haue ben re buked so that they might haue escaped the present death But profitable it shal be and somwhat to our comforte to consyder euery parcel of their daunger And first ye shal vnderstande that when the disciples passed to the sea to obey Christes coÌ„maundemeÌ„t it was faire wether and no suche tempest sene But sodenly the storme arose with a contrarious flawe of wynde when they were in y e middest of their iour ney For if the tempest had bene as great in the beginninge of their entrauÌ„ce to y e sea as it was after when they were about the middest of their iourney neither wolde they haue auentured suche a great daunger neither yet had it ben in their power to haue attayned to the middest of the Sea And so it may be euydently gathered that the sea was calme when they entred into their iourney Secondly it is to be marked by what meanes and instrumeÌ„tes was this great storme
vnto the worlde the tyrannye that lurked in their 〈◊〉 breastes then wilt thou breake their I awe bones wilt shut them vp in their caues againe that the generacion posteritie folowynge may prayse thyne holy name before thy cogregacion Amen When I fele any taste or mocion of these promyses then thinke I my selfe moste happy and that I haue receyued a iuste compensacion albeâ—…t I al that to me in earth belongeth shulde suffer the present death know ynge that God shal yet shewe mercy to his afflicted churche within Eng lande and that he shall represse the pride of these present tyrauntes lyke as he hathe done of those that were before our dayes And therfore beloued brother in our sauioure Iesus Christ holde vp to God your haÌ„des that are fainted thorowe fearâ—… let your hertes that haue in these dolourouse dayes â—…cped in sorowe awake and heare the voyce of your God who swereth by him selfe that he wil not suffer hys churche to be oppressed for euer Nei ther that he wil despyse our sobbes to the ende yf we wil rowe stryue agaynst this vehement wynde I meane yf that we wil not ruÌ„ne backe headlinges to Idolatrie then shall this storme be aswaged in despite of the deuel Christe Iesus shall come with spede to your delyueraunce he shal pearce thorowe the wynde and the ragyng seas shal obey and beare his feete and body as the massie stable and drie land Be not moued froÌ„ the sure foundacion of your fayth For albeit that Christe Iesus be absent from you as he was from hys disciples in that great storme by his bodely presence yet is he present by his myghtie power and grace Be staÌ„deth vpon y e mouÌ„taine in securitie rest that is his fleshe hole humanitie is now in heaueÌ„ caÌ„ suffer no suche trouble as somtymes he dyd And yet he is ful of petie coÌ„passioÌ„ doth coÌ„sider al our trauail anguish laboures wherfore it is not to be douted but that he wil sodenlye appeare to our great coÌ„forte The tyraÌ„tes of this world can not kepe backe his coÌ„ming more theÌ„ might the blu stering wind raging seas let Christ to come to his disciples wheÌ„ they lo ked for nothing but for preseÌ„t death And therfore yet agayn I saye beloued in the Lorde Let youre herts attend to the promisses that God hath made vnto true repentaunte synners and be fullye persuaded wyth a constant fayth that God is alwayes true and iust in his perfourmaÌ„s of his promeses Yow haue hearde these dayes spoken of very playnly whan youre hertes could feare no daunger because yow were nyghe the lande and the storme was not yet risen that is ye were yonge scolers of Christe wheÌ„ no persecucion was seen or felt But now ye are coÌ„me into the middes of the sea for what parte of Englande herde not of youre profession And the vehement storme wherof we than almoste in euery exhortacion spake of is nowe suddenly risen vp But what â—…ath God brought yowe so farre furth that you shal both in soules and bodies euery one perish Nay My hole trust in Goddes mercy and truthe is to the contrarie For God brought not his people into Egypte and from thense thorowe the red Sea to th entent they should therin perish but that he of theÌ„ shuld shewe a most gloriouse delyuerance Neither sent Christe his Apostles into the middest of the sea and suffred the blusteringe storme to assault them and their bote to th enteÌ„t thei shuld ther perish but becanse he wold the more haue his great good nes towardes theÌ„ felt and perceaued in so mightely deliuering them oâ—…t of the feare of peryshinge giuing vs therby an example that he wold do the lyke to vs yf we abyde constant in owr profession and fayth withdrawinge owr selues from supersti cion and Idolatrie We gaue yow warning of these dayes long a goo for the reuerence of Christes bloude let these wordes be marked The same truth that spake before of these most dolorouse dayes forspake also the euerlastinge ioye prepared for suche as shuld continue to the ende The trouble is comme O deare brethern loke for the comforte and after the example of the Appostles Abyd in resistinge this vehement storme a litte space The thyrd watch is not yet ended Remembre that Christe Iesus came not to his disciples till it was the fourth watch and they were then in no lesse daunger than yow be nowe for theyr fayth faynted and their bodies were in daunger But Christe Iesus came whan they loked not for him And so shal he do to yow yf you wil continue in the profession that yow haue made This darre I be bold to promese in the name of hym whose eternal veritie and gloriouse gospel ye haue harde and receaued Who also putteth in to myn hert an earnest thrist God knoweth I lye not of your sal uacion and some care also for you re bodies which nowe I wil not expresse Thus shortly haue I passed thorowe the outrages tempest wherin the disciples of Christe were teÌ„pted after that the great multitude were by Christe fedde in the deserte Omit tinge many profitable notes which myght wel haue bene marcked in the terte because my purpose is at this present not to be tediouse nor yet curiouse but onlie to note such thinges as be aggreable to these most dolorouse dayes And so let vs nowe speake of the ende of this storme and trouble in which I finde foure thinges cheflye to be noted 1. Firste that the disciples at the pre sence of Christe were more affrayed then they were before 2. Secondlye that Christe vseth no other instrument but his worde to pacifie their hertes 3. Thyrdlye that Peter in a feruencie firste left his bote and yet after feared 4. Last that Christe permitted neyther Peter nor the rest of his disciples to perish in that feare but gloriously deliuered al and pacified the tempeste Theyr greate fear and the cause therof are expressed in the texte in these wordes When the disciples sawe him walking vpon the sea they were afrayed sayinge â–ª that he was a spirite And they cryed thorowe feare It is not my purpose in this treaties to speake of spirites nor yet to dispute whether spirites good or bad maye appeare and trouble men neither yet to inquire why maÌ„nes natur is affrayed for spirites and so vehementlie abhorreth their presen ce and company But my purpose is only to speake of thinges necessarie for this tyme. And firste let vs consyder that ther was thre causes why the disciples knewe not Christe but iudged him to be a spirite The first cause was the darknesse of the nyght The second was the vnaccustomed vision that appeared And the thirde was the dauÌ„ger and tempest in which they so earnestly labored for the sauegard of their selues The darknesse I saye of the nyght letted theyr eyes to see hym And it