whome Towardes others and to whoÌ„ they practise that and thâ—t also for good example incouragement and comfort I meane humblenes of mind proceding from a quâ—et heart that they haue had from others in such like times perfourmed vnto the themselues Ne ther staieth it here but proceedeth further inabling them according to the grace that they haue receiued from God o Luk. 21.19 What doubtfulnes is in the godly in patience to possesse their owne soules before him in what estate or condition soeuer it shall please him to place them wherein howsoeuer they be sometimes seized with doubt not of God verily whose infinit power and good wil towards them they knowe by the trueth of his woord and particular experience that they them selues haue had to be incomprehensible and vnchaungeable but of themselues by reason of the weaknesse and want which they carrie about with theÌ„ which also by manifold trials in themselues and others they haue learned and not without cause iustlie to suspect yet they haue at the length recourse vnto him by earnest praier made in faith and so at the last are hearde in the thinges that they praied for according to his will in christs obeience being of his singular mercie either vtterlie freed from the thinges that they feared or els hauing strength patience and comfort communicated vnto them from aboue to vndergoe and to ouercome aâ—so but yet by such holy meanes as God hath appointed at such times as he hath set with himself froÌ„ before all times not only that which presentlie lieth vpon them but whatsoeuer afterwardes may pynch or presse downe And this much for this present touching this question wherein I coulde haue willinglie bene contented further to haue inlarged my selfe but that paper and time skanting me I am constrained to finish hoping that whatsoeuer is wanting now may be supplied some other time hereafter either by word of mouth or wryting or both as God shal be pleased by you to giue occasion and for you and some others to whome I wish all good in Iesus Christ to furnish mee with abilitie In the meane while I hope this shal be wel accepted of you which whether it be the summe of that that I deliuered when wee were â—â—st together by word of mouth and you desired mee to put downe in writing I doo not certayneke know howbeit the trueth I rest perswaded it is and though it may differ something from it in form and manner yet I am resolued that it is the same in substaunce and matter which if perhaps written it affect you not as when it was spoken lay not the blame thereof vpon your selfe as you are woont to doo charging yea surcharging your selfe with dulnesse of comprehension for doubtles God hath giuen you a great grace compared with manye other of his seruauntes to conceiue the trueth neither accuse the point it selfe with darknesse and difficultie for it is â—s the rest of gods trueth is plaine and euident vnto them that are inlightned in Sion but impute the fault of it vnto me who either thorow the ignoraunce of the cause in my heart cannot or by reason of negligence or thorow the want of a stayed minde perhaps haue not so plainely vnfolded my selfe nor waded into the cause according to the weight therof as were to be wished In the discourse whereof I haue not as yâ—u see quoted many places of scripture for neither indeede is that my manner howsoeuer some do too much affect it vnlesse some vrgent c use or the earnest request of my good friendes drawe me thereto neyther thinke I that the trueth standeth so much vpon the multitude of allegations or wordes of text it selfe as vpon sound reasons deduced from the same But if happilie you are desirous to see sentences of scripturâ—s for these pointes you may looke vpon the Concordances and tables thâ—t bee already published vpon the oâ—de and new Testament which in the tytle of Feâ—re will affoord you store whether also for breuities sake I sende you to peruse them at your leysure â—nd at your pleasure â—s you shall thinke good One or two pointes and thâ—t wâ—th places out of the woord â—s my memorie would helpe I cou d not â—or all thâ—t is written before leâ— pâ—sse as this first that feare is not contâ—â—râ—e to saith hope which is prooued Phil p. 2.11 Hebrues 3.14 1. Peter 3.17 Secondly that God by his worde Godly feare not contrary to faith hath appointed men sundrie good meanes to remoue it and amongest the rest these as minding of Gods former fauours for which see Deut. 7.18.19.20 earnest prayer and calling vppon his name for which see Meanes to remoue the griefe of feare Genis 32.7.9.13 Thirdly that the feare of the faithfull is so farre from bringing miseries with it that it hath attending vpon it as an vnseparable companion blessednesse from God for which see Prouerb 28.14 The second question of the boldnesse of the wicked and the godly Touching your second question concerning the dâ—â—ference that is betwixt the boldnesse of the godly that which the wicked seeme to haue I trust the prâ—â—â—ses considered I shall not neede to spend labour or take anie pain therein because these thinges beeing one of them contrarie to the other and contrary being opposed as we saie doe more plainly appeare they may be an enterviewe as it were and by comparing them one with another bee easily discerned Notwithstanding if you shall not thinke this sufficient doe but signifie so much in a line or two and you shal God willing with conuenient speede heare from me And so hoping that you wil assist me with your heartie prayers vnto the almightie not onely for a sanctified vse of such fauours as I haue receiued but for a blessed continuance and mightie increase of the same for the glory of him that giueth them for the peace of myne owne heart for the profite of his people and amongest them for your good I take my leaue hastily At Broingdon the 24. of this Decemb. 1588. Yours assured and readie alwaies in Iesus Christ Thomas VVilcocks the Lordes vnworthie seruant To the Christian Reader I beseech thee good reader pardoÌ„ these scapes committed amend with thy pen these faults following or whatsoeuer thou according to the iudgment and light that thou hast receiued shalt find amisse herein Pag. 1. line 17. for explicat read communicate pag. 4. line 25. for world read word Pag. 8. line 10. l. read he pag. 13 line 10. for irrepugnable read impregnable pag. 19. lin 3. meanes read mercies pag. 36. line 19. comforts read comforters pag. 48. line 8. repent read repenteth pag. 49 line 19. after works adde and. pag. 50. line 5. after it add might and line 14. for euamate euacuat Pag. 51. line 1â— for make Iesus read maketh this pag. 54. line 4. for our read one pag. 55. line 26. put out alwaies pag 61. line 10. for him read them pag. 62 line 4. put out as and line 8. for for read see pag. 63. line 22 after therefore adde neede pag. 64. line 8. for tyrannie read turning 19. for cast read cost and line 20. for peece read price paâ— 66. line 13. would read could pag. 67. line 6. naturally read naturall pag. 68. line 8 after spiriteâ— adde and. pag 70. line 1. after vnto adde you pag. 74. line 9. for 1589. read 1579. pâ—g 89. line 6. for might read weâ—gh pag. 96 line â— for expectation read exception line 15. for neither shall neuer turn nor shaddowe by turning pag 98 line 10 â—oâ— mâ—â—e â—ead work pa. 100. lin 1. for to read both pag 108. line 9 for selfe read liâ—e
any but of all not men alone but fathers and mothers in the worlde though lincked neuer so straitly vnto vs is no maner of way matchable nor so much as meete to be thought or spoken of with it at the selfe same time Obiection answered by example Your troubles in the soule and youâ— dangers that way cannot seeme in any equall or vpright iudgment to be more greeuous or further past recouery than q Ionas 2.2 c. Ionas his were when he was in the Whales belly and yet the Lord commaunded that great fish to deliuer him vp againe whose absolute authoritie he coulde not withstand but as a man that hath his stomacke surcharged vomited him out And is Gods r Esay 59.1 hand streitened now or his power shortned Å¿ Psal 77.8.9 or his mercy abated that he can not or will not performe as much for you Or rather doth not God worke then moste mightily and mercifully both when in mens eyes the way is stopped vp not onely agaynst a deed but against hope or hart to conceiue it To what ende tend these comfortable promises both of the olde and the new testament t Isay 42.16 I will bring the blinde by a waie that they knowe not and lead them by pathes that they haue not knowne I will make darknesse light before them and crooked thinges streight these thinges will I doe vnto them and not forsake theÌ„ and againe v Math. 16.18 the gates of hell shall not preuaile against you but to confirme vs more and more A singular comfort farre beyond expectation in the vnchangeablenesse and certaintie of hys goodnesse towardes vs and to let vs vnderstand though there bee infinite barres and lets betweene him and vs so that his mercy cannot seeme to haue anie passage vnto vs that yet hee will breake them all to peeces and ouerthrowe x 2. Cor. 10.5 euerie high thing that so we may plainly perceiue and effectually comfortablie feele the incomprehensible treasure of his fauour towardes vs If this be not comfortable I know not what is in which poynt of special consolation The cause mouing to write more largely of this poynt I write nowe both the more willingly and largely vnto you because I perceiue by your last though long since sent vnto me vnto which also I then shaped a short aunswere supposing because I heard not from you that that had satisfied you and by some report of sundrie that loue vs both in the Lord to which for the further stirring of me vp thereto I adde the dayly thoughts and feares of mine own hart concerning your case that you haue not onely bene terrible shaken for the time but y and 12.7 sore buffeted and that not with some one meane temptation but with many great and grieuous assaultes the consideration whereof raised vp such a thicke mist before your vnderstanding whilest you dwelt too much and ouerlong in the minding thereof and in the beholding of your owne both vnworthinesse and weakenesse that as the comfortable sight of Gods grace and goodnes towards you in Iesus Christ seemed for the time to be vanished from before you yea altogether lost so you thought in your selfe and would haue perswaded others that you were vtterly condemned and cast away But be not anie whit at all dismaied A reason or meane to respect this temtation with the violence and rage of this tempest but rather comfort your selfe yea assure your selfe of this that Sathan dealeth herein no otherwise with you A similitude than a cruel and bloud-thirstie captaine besieging aninuincible and irrepugnable hold who at the first beginneth temperately and coldly as you would say as well for the sparing of his owne forces and charge as to gaine some little credite with those that are beset but when he seeth that preuayleth not hee dooth by little and little increase the fiercenesse of his batterie and the bitternesse of his assault but not gayning that way neyther he putteth it al at once vpon the last pushe wherein hauing taken the foyle hee is glad also to betake himselfe to a shamefull flight And what though the cannons roare yea the double cannons thunder in such sorte that they make heauen and earth to shake as it were and would seeme to iumble them altogether yet in trueth they are nothing els but sure pledges of the wasting and wearing of your aduersaries forces and dishonourable running awaie on the one side and moste comfortable messengers on the other side of your happie and ioyfull deliuerance approching and euen at the dores which as it plainely appeareth by this A similitude that euen as a little before day breake the darkenesse is greatest and then afterwardes commeth moste comfortable light steppe by steppe and degree by degree the Sunne with his brightnesse and heate chasing away all those thicke mistes and strong smelling fogs so may we be certainly assured of it by the manifold examples of the word and particularly of him that was possessed z Mar. 9.25.26 with a dumbe and deafe deuil out of whome when our sauiour charged him to come and to enter no more into him he cried and rent him sore and left him for dead taking as we say his peâ—worthes then vppon him because he knewe that as his time was but short so hee should neuer after molest or vexe him For your sinnes which you complaine of Accusation of conscience for the sight and giltinesse of sinne I suppose verely that they are more in your owne iudgement than in the sight of all the worlde beside before whom notwithstanding your hard accusing of your self you haue through Gods goodnesse liued an vpright and vnblamable life and that not onely in the testimonie of them that feare God but in the witnesse also of them that a 1. Tim 3.7 are without which ought notwithstanding the greatnesse of your assault in your selfe to yeeld you no small comfort that in the viewe not onely of those that can iudge rightly such as Gods children are who haue their eyes inlightened by the knowledge of his trueth you haue caried your selfe christianly and yet if you had failed would in the b Prou. 10.12 1. Pet. 4. â— multitude of loue according to their duetie haue couered a multitude of transgressions but in the iudgement of those that are led with prying and malicious eyes who manie times obserue in Gods seruantes more than they should Of the accusation of a tender conscience or iustly can and the rather for their profession and troubles sake haue lead a harmelesse and irreproueable conuersation But let vs graunt that your owne heart accuseth you much What then Accusation implieth not conuictioÌ„ much lesse condemnation speciallie in such a height as we imagine And yet withall giue me â—eaue to councell you not to beleeue it further then it bringeth the euidence of truth with it The wicked haue no profitable feeling of
that euerie sinne and blasphemy shal be forgiuen vnto men yea eueÌ„ blasphemie against the sonne of God which yet that wee might be the better assured of Paule we haue a comfortable example in Paule who confesseth of himselfe against himselfe for the plaine proofe of the trueth of this point that ouer and besides that he was a 1. Tim. 1 13. a persecutor he was a blasphemer and yet found fauour with the Lord to obteine forgiuenesse To which particular example tending doubtlesse to no small comfort of conscience you may adde for the further not onely inlarging but strengthning of your own ioy that the sinnes that you haue committed or the blasphemie that you haue spoken haue not bene done or sayd with a high hand or of prepensed malice but rather of infirmitie though happily agaynst knowledge and the same proceeding from a passionate and troubled spirite rather than of any wilfulnesse which weakenesse in you Satan by Gods appointment hauing you vppon the racke not to fetche anie thing from you against your selfe but to make your patience constancie and faith playnly known to others effectually felt in your selfe and graciously accepted in hys owne eyes hath vsed as a meane more and more to trouble your heart but yet not to ouerthrowe your hope And euen this consideration of the maner of offending haue Gods saintes obserued in themselues not so much to lessen their transgressions for they knowe that euerie sinne in it owne nature a Rom. 6.23 deserueth death but to comfort their consciences in the dayes of their distresse without which indeede they can hardlie serue God religiouslie or faythfullie discharge anie duetie either publike or priuate And this to be true we may amongest others behold it in Paule who sayth of hymselfe in the height and depth of his grieuous iniquities a 1. Tim. 1.13 that hee was receiued to mercie for that hee did it ignorantly thorow vnbeliefe And if this aforded hym comfort I see no reason why it shoulde not yeeld you consolation speciallie sith your sinnes for anie thing wee knowe are much lesse than his and you haue to deale with the selfe same God who is nowe as then b Psal 103 8. Exod 34.6 slowe to vvrath and of great compassion passing by sins and forgiuing iniquities and restoring mercie vnto thousands of generations Neyther is that of lesse force in my minde An other testimonie to comfort to lessen your sinne and to increase your comfort that either before the offence committed or in the deede doing or after it was performed you had a spirite within you that did not onely tell you it was euill but checked you and controlled you in about the action it selfe wherunto also though you were drawen and did for the time sleepe and delight therein yet would it not gâ—ue you rest till suche time as it had caused you vnfeignedlie to hate it humbly to confesse it and in a notable measure of b 2. Cor. 7.10 godly sorrow soundly to repent you of the same which thing as the wicked doubtlesse The wicked hate not their sinnes seldome or not at all atteine vnto for they notwiâ—hstanding the vglinesse of sinne loue it A speciall grace to gods children to hate their sinnes and hide their transgressions continuallie so are they special graces bestowed vpon such penitent sinners as God is pleased thorowe hys mercy in Christ to call vnto himselfe whâ—ch as it may appeare by many particular examples of the holy scripture so seemeth it to me to be iustificable by these words of the Apostle c Gal. 5. i7 The flesh lusteth against the spirite and the spirite against the flesh so that you cannot doe the same thinges you would And in another place d Rom. 7.19 what I woulde that doe I not but what I hate that doe I. Pull vp your heart therefore I pray you and be of good comfort An exhortation sâ—â—h that from the sinnes that you haue coâ—â—â—tted speciallie in the maner of the doing of them and from your selfe speciallie in the wrestling affâ—ctions that you 〈◊〉 in your selfe against sinne God and his word would haue you to reape comfort and consolation And as for your partâ—â—â—lar case of a troublous heart and disqâ—â—â—â—t spirite what is it els I pray you but euen that that hath taken holde of Gods saintes as well as of you doth not Iereâ—â—ah himselfe curse as it were himselfe and the mother that bare him and brought him into the worlde when hee saith e Iere. 1â— â—0 Woe is me my mother that thou hast born me a man of contention to all this land And doth not Ionah when God debated with him about the withering of the gourd that God prepared to be a shadowe ouer his head and to shelter him from heate and demaunded of him f Iona. 4.9 whether hee did well to be angrie for the gourd did not hee I saie aunswere and say I doe well to be angrie vnto death And yet these were excellent men and worthie prophetes and such as had receiued rare grace from God no marueile then though men of lesse sauour fall more But moste plainelie shall you see this in Iob of whome I pray you giue me leaue to write largely for your good Hee opened his mouth so wide that he bitterly cursed the night wherin he was conceiued g Iob. 3.1 c. the day wherin he was borne yea he thundred out execrations against many excellent creatures of God which could not bee but blasphemie against the Creator himselfe whose glorye is not onely much ioyned with but greatlie appeareth in the woorke of his owne handes as wee may perceiue by this that Salomon saieth h Pro. 17. 14.31 hee that oppresseth the poore or as it is in an other place mocketh him reprooueth or reprocheth him that made him Yea if wee reade hys Booke with iudgement wee shall see that hee doeth not onelie thus indirectlie as a man woulde say in his wordes oppose himselfe against God while he hudleth out heapes of curses against his workes but proceedeth so farre that hee seemed not eyther affrayde or ashamed to take God euen God himselfe by the face and to accuse him though most faslie of iniustice as maie euidentlie appeare as well by Iobes owne woordes and discourses in many places of his sayde booke as by the Lordes owne voice and answeare out of the whyrlewinde Chapter i Iob. 38. 39. 38.39 And yet notwithstanding this man found fauour with the Lord not onely to bee restored to a farre better estate in worldly respectes than before hee hadde but also to haue the iniquitie of his hart and mouth freely pardoned yea hee himselfe and that by the holie Ghost himselfe to be made a worthie paterne and example to all ages to come as of manie vertues so particularly of patience which you say you lacke for proofe whereof remember what Saint Iames saith of him
as a naturall passion for so that condition they haue common wyth the wicked of the world Of the feare of the Godly and some of the creatures of God Where it â—â—seth as hath in part bene prooued alreadie but prooceedeth also from an vnfaigned loue and a sincere reuerence of God his maiestie and whatsoeuer generallie is in him more particularlie his iudgementes groweth beeing shead abroade into their heartes and effectually planted continued and increased in them thorow the holy exercises of his word and powerfull working of hys blessed spirit accompanieng the same they beeing also styrred vppe thereto not for worldlye respectes or carnall considerations Continueth as shame before men or outward punishment that they must vndergoe for sinne committed or transitory glorie which they must forgoe and loose c. as the wicked and vngodlie but vpon holy regardes euen as wel be seemeth Gods saintes and seruauntes noâ— onelie professing but sincerelie imbracing godlinesse namely for that they haue set God against them selues not as a iudge sharpe and seuere but as a most louing tender father the remembraunce whereof euen in that respect as vnto them as if it wer the darts of death and the sensible feeling for the time of the verie panges and paines of hell and the state of the damned there being litle or no difference betweene the one the other but as in regard of length of time of this life present and the causes moouing such distresse in also which they are lead not so much to respect themselues for many of them in vnfeigned loue to others haue after a sort desired their own destruction as the glorie of God their most gracious father the honour of that blessed religion which they professe and loue of others that not onely in the flesh but also in the faith are deare and precious vnto them fearing indeede least all or any of these should in them or by them bee any manner of way though neuer so smallie wounded or hurte hauing alwayes and that in such a portion as God seeth fit for his glorie and their good notwithstanding their manifold wantes and vnwoorthynesse that pretious gifte of faiâ—h which as it commeth from God alone and is begun continued and encreased in his children by the ministerie of preaching perticipation of the sacramentes and powerfull working of his owne spirit so is it peculiar to the elect onelie to appropriate Gods mercies vnto them selues for the coÌ„fort of their own soules and to sanctifie as other things â—o them so this naturall feare within them and to keepe it in so that it bâ—eake not forth either into sinne against God or offence before men And as concerning the effectes or fruites the which they yeeld and bring foorth which is the seconde difference betweene them wee shall find as great ods and diuersitie as in the causes whereof also there is good reason because such as the cause is such is the effecte which who is it almost that knoweth not and then the causes being sundrie the effectes likewise must be so too Concerning the feare that is in the wicked it either maketh them frefull in themselues as we may see by that little quietnesse they haue whether they be at home or abroad sleepâ—ng or waking in sicknesse or in health The effects of feâ—â—◠〈◊〉 the wiâ—ked their life being nothing els but a sea of continuall troubles which fire though they seeme for a time to rake vp vnder the ashes of counterfeyt rest and dissembled ease In themselues yet will it at the length breake foorth as a mightie flame to consume them or els causeth them to be much disquiet towardes others â—owards oâ—â—ers they plainely bewraying the same either by some hard woordes or sharpe deedes or furious countenances that many times not onely against them whom they cannot abide but against them also that in manifolde respectes should be dear vnto them as their wiues that lie in their bosomes theâ—r children that issue out of their loines their frieÌ„ds that be as themselues their seruauntes that haue walked dutifullie towardes them c. Impacience or murmuring against God Or prouoketh them to bee impatient and murmuring euen against God himselfe not only because his hand for sinne lieth hard heauy vpon them but also because they can see or finde no way how eyther to soften or to shift or to auoid the same For though they seek to run away would gladly flie if they could tell how from the face presence of his eternal maiesty as we may see in our first h Gen. 3.8 parents Adam and Heuah and in the practise of all ages and euen of this present time who bitten as it wer with the teeth wounded with the dart of this deadly feare do not only faint in theÌ„selues and i Dan. 5.6 strike their knees together but manifest to men by sorrowful sighes lamentable coÌ„plaints yea and desperate dealings also sometimes against their own soules bodies that without any remorse of heart or godlie griefe at all whereof wee haue manyfold examples both in the holye scrpitures other writers also knowne I am sure vnto you so well exercised in the word as I take and iudge you to be yet they know there is no way to escape his reuenging hand against them for their sinnes and Rom. 2.5 hart that cannot repent and that is it that increaseth their feare and augmenteth their wo and causeth them to enter into these furious both wordes and deeds Th'effectes of feare in the godly But the â—eâ—e that is in the godly being yet notwithstanding mingled both with hope and ioy as we may perceiue by the Apostles wordes who speaking of the faithfull-saith l 2. Cor. 4 8 We are afflicted on euerie side yet are we not in distresse we are in doubt but yet we despaire not and by that which is reported in the gospell of the women which came to Christes sepulâ—hâ—e of whom the Euangeâ— st Matthew affirmeth that m Math 28.8 they dâ—parted with fear In themselues great ioy maketh them in the daies of their prosperitie considering in what a ticklysh estate In the daies of prosperitie they are and howe easily caried into pride against men I time of aâ—uersitie and forgetfulnesse of God carefull and watchfull ouer themselues ta walke in a good conscience before God and men according to the measure of mercies both past and present that they haue receiued from God and causeth them in the middâ—st of their distresses weighing how quicklie by the remainders of since they may be thrust into impatiencâ—e to labour the attaining of a quiet spirite within themselues beeâ—ng assured that n Râ—m â— 28 all things shall worke toge her to the best for them that loue and feare God yea it prouoketh them to be humble lowly yea and that in all sound maner towards others before