mercy of our heauenly Captaine toward his faythful seraunts and souldiours Philosophie is mute and dumme in these matters and if at an aduenture it happen to vtter some golden sentence of Gods mercy loue toward mākind yet it kéepe not holde handfast constantlie but in the ende declineth to a dubitation or an vtter deniall of the same Antilochus wylled menne to ascribe al thing to Gods prouidence VVho oftentimes aduaunceth poore to their deserued degree of dignitie honor and throweth down the high and mightie These such lyke sentēces of Gods prouidēce are scattered in the writings of Ethnicks which for a tyme delight mens mindes but they are not built vpon any sure foundation For they neuer knew God as he hath reueled him selfe in his sonne by his worde they doubte in their prayers whether God heareth them as Euripides in the person of Hecuba cryeth out and sayth O you Gods I call vppon impotent and slouthfull helpers But the worde of God conteyned in the olde and newe testament doth effectuallie and truly describe vnto vs the liuing God reueled in his onely sonne Iesus Christe who commaundeth vs to call vppon the heauenly Father in his name with boldnesse and trust without any trembling or doubting for that through him his heauenly Father is wel pleased with vs we may then speak thus vnto him Thou O God art the Creator and conseruor of heauen and earth thou art also the Father of our Lorde Iesus Christe who was borne suffered dyed and rose againe for the iustification of mankinde Thou sendest thy holy ghost into our harts who kindleth in vs by the sounde of thy holye worde true fayth and spirituall motions agreeable to thy holy wyll thou art my hope and strength thou doest couer mee vnder thy winges thou doest keepe mee with thy holy Angelles thou dost heare mee and deliuer mee thou art with mee in this my tribulation out of the which in thy mercie thou wylt delyuer mee yea and glorifie mee thou wylt aduaunce mee from aduersitie to prosperitie thou wylt satisfie mee with long lyfe If the same maye tender to the setting foorth of thy honour and glorie and to the profite and furtheraunce of thy holy Church This confidence and liberty of spéech wee maye vse with our Captaine but not in respect of our owne worthinesse for this cheerefulnesse and courage of minde wee maye conceaue through our raunsome once satisfied and through the continuall intercession of the Sonne of God who dyed and rose againe for all penitent sinners We our selues bring nothing for fayth is also the gyfte of God kyndeled in our hartes by the holie ghoste through the preaching of the gospell Let vs then place and oppose this promise of GOD togeather with the death and intercession of his sonne Christe through fayth and true repentaunce against all doubting and vnworthinesse of our selues and let vs flee awaye and appeale from God being angrie with vs for our many and greeuous offences vnto God most louing and mercifull turned and reconcyled vnto vs through the passion resurrection and intercession of his deare and onely sonne Iesus Hereof commeth that stoute and valyaunt harte of Christians that they feare not although the earth gape and open her mouth the Element doo fall vppon them and the waues of the Sea woulde seeme to ouerflowe them according as Dauid wytnesseth The sound of many waters and of the waues of the Sea are strong and mighty but the Lord aboue is stronger and mightier Iulian the Reneger was for a time of great power and strength but hee being vanquished at a fielde foughten in Persia was enforced to yéelde the honour of the victorie to this Captayne and with a lowde voyce sayde Thou hast gotten the victorie of mee O thou Galilaean Apries King of Egipt who put the Prophete Ieremie to death said That no power neyther of God nor man was able to take his kingdom from him hee had so firmelie established his Scepter and Crowne But our myghtie Captaine who hath power ouer all kingdomes of the worlde spoyled him of his kingdome and strangled him by the handes of Amasis his Courtyer Neoptelemus the player of Tragedies being demaunded what sentence hee had obserued as most notable in Aeschilus Sophocles and Euripides aunswered that he founde in them nothing woorthye so great admiration But hee rather accoumpted it a thinge memorable that hee sawe with his owne eyes King Phillippe of Macedon at the mariage of his daughter Cleopatra in the most noble assemble of the world honoured as a great God and the next day after ryding in the Tylte or Theatre miserably murdred and contempned And Herodus Agrippa who stopped not the flattring mouthes of such as named him a God but fedde and delighted him selfe with the same perished immediatly with corrosion of his Intralles and lowsie sicknes Surely all humaine power is no better then glasse whiche whē it is most bright and cleare is then the soonest brokē for rashnesse procureth speedy spoyle God alwaies resisteth the prowde Let vs not then feare mans power which when it is at the highest and in his pride then is God able yea and often indeede ouer turneth the same with the leaste blast of winde ⧠The sixt Chapter describeth the Armie and warlyke power of our heauenlie Captaine in this conflicte and battayle The. 6. Chap. THIS our Heauenly Captaine hath many glorious names in the holye Scripture but amongst other he is named the Lorde of Hostes Which tytle albeit it be common to the thrée personnes in Trinitie yet because the Sonne of God was sent to vanquishe and breake the power of the deuyll and to redeeme mankinde this honourable name is properlie and for the most part geuen vnto him as in that Psalme VVho is this King of glorie the Lorde God of Hostes is the king of glorie In the which place without all doubte Christe the King of glorie was signified whereof the Arke of Couenaunt was a testimonie and witnesse And the Prophete Esay sayth That the Lorde God of hostes dwelleth in Syon which sentence is to bee vnderstoode of our sauiour Christ This most noble tytle is geuen vnto him because hee is the cheefe Emperour and Captaine in the Cittie of God againste the Cittie of the Deuil For he is the onely head of all celestiall and terrestriall powers the moste strong and mighty defendor and is therefore named in the Psalme A God that is strong and mighty in battale He is not ydle then but fighteth valyantlie hee is neuer ouercome but but alwayes ouercommeth he neuer flyeth but euer tryumpheth and that not so muche for his owne cause as for the Cittie and Church of God and therfore the Prophet ascribeth vnto him the chéefe souerainty saying Blessed be the name of his glorie for euer and let the whole earth be filled with his maiesty Nowe although this our Captaine
and bryddled those two bloodie men Saule and Sennacherib were drawne from pursuing and besieging good Dauid and Ezechias With the sounde of Trumpettes and lyghtes of Lampes God scattered the great armie of the Madeanites So that the saying of Sophocles is verie true VVhen God punisheth the cowarde vanquisheth the hardie souldiour And all these sortes of armor wherwithal the wicked men are put to flight are named by the Prophet Dauid with one worde The hande of the Lorde For the Lorde destroyeth his enimies eyther immediatlie by him selfe or immediatly by Angelles men So the Angell of the Lorde slewe in the Assirian Campe one hundred fowâ—e score and fiue thousande He ouerthrew Nero by goastes and fearefull sightes By the handes of the Kinges of Persia hee tooke Valerianus the Emperour a cruell persecutour of his Churche and caused his skinne whyles he was a lyue to be stripped of But Dauid being a man but of a meane proporcion he kylled Goliath of a huge and monstrous stature All those therefore that wyll gette the victorie in battayle must fight with prayer and sworde For to vse the sworde without prayer what other thing is it but a poynt of arogant follie Such a man was Aiax who at his going into warfare was admonished godlie by his Father that hee shoulde fyght the Gods assysting him who answered O father the Gods helpe cowards and dastardes but I vvyll vanquish my enimies vvith my owne hande vvithout the aide of the Gods But there fell vengeance vpon him for this hautines of stomack for hee was strycken with a frenesie wherein he murdred him selfe The example therefore of Dauid is rather to be folowed who encountring Goliath sayde I come vnto thee in the name of the lyuing God. And in another place Blessed be the Lord my God vvho teacheth my handes to battaile and my fingers to fight Wherein he giueth vs to vnderstande that valiauntnesse and corage in warre and pollicie therein is in the godlie and heauenlie gyfte Wee learne not onelie in holie scripture but in prophane wryters that good euent and victorie in battayle dependeth vpon the pleasure of almightie God and not in the multytude and strength of souldiours For Demostenes repeateth verie often this sentence That the euent of vvarres are gouerned from aboue And Cyrus was wont to say vnto his souldiours You know that victory in warre is gotten neither vvith multitude nor with strength of men but such as are assisted by the Gods are not by any meanes to be resisted of the aduersarie Againe to fight with prayer without the sworde is the poynt of cowardes and rashbraynes who sitte ydle at home moumbling praiers onely and reicet ordenarie means appointed and comaunded by god Many there be also that being verie foole hardie obiect themselues without defence into perrills againste whome that saying of Saint Augustine is to be remembred All thinges ought to be done which may godly by wisdome be practised to auoide perilles yea euen when God is most assuredly on our sides And againe If thou doo not decline daungers as much as lyeth in thy power thou doest rather tempte then trust in god Let these things I saye admonish vs to auoyde snares and perylles with good counsayle consonaunt to Gods holy wyll and let vs take good héede that we aduenture not our selues vnaduisedlye to thraldome and miserie In tyme of warre therefore let vs vnytte and lyuke togeather prayer and swoorde In tyme of Pestilence let vs call on God and vse preseruatiues and curatiues let vs not without vrgent occasion go into infected places He that loueth daunger shall perish therein For although Gedeon had a commaundemeÌ„t of God to pull downe the Alter of Baall and to cutte downe the Groue nigh vnto the same Yet to auoyde daunger which might aryse in the daye tyme vnto him being but one hée tooke vnto him tenne of his seruauntes and executed that commaundement in the night season And Daniell dyd not breake the kinges commaundement mallapartlie in the myddle of the stréete but went into his Chamber and prayed Tobias buryed the dead bodyes not in the daye but in the night season And so Ezechias albeit he receyued a coÌ„fortable answere of his recouerie yet notwithstanding the Prophete Esai commaundeth him to laye a Figge leafe vnto his soore Our Lorde and sauiour being able without any externall meane to cure all disseases and defectes Yet hee sighing and grooning cast by his eyes towardes heauen and touched the tongue of the domme And in that great storme wherin Saint Paul and his company in their voyage to Rome when an Angell had assured him of his life and all those that were with him yet when the Marryners were about to flée out of the shippe and in a lyttle boate to rowe vnto the shoare Saint Paul cryeth out and sayth Vnlesse these men abyde in the shippe you can not be safe These examples ought to be set before our eyes whereby we may be moued in case of necessitie to conioyne prayer with lawfull meanes that wee maye auoyde and withstande perylles and daungers Let vs then gyrde our weapons about vs but let vs praye to almightie God to dyrecte our handes and fingers let vs also flye vnto those for succour that can with theyr worde and déede vnder God reléeue vs as many pressed with persecution vnder Licinius fledde to Constantine for helpe Let vs in the tyme of plague and pestilence call vpon the sonne of God the true and perfyte Phisition and therewithall séeke the counsayle of the learned godlie and honest Phisition and yet notwithstanding all our trust and confidence ought to be onely setled and reposed in the lyuing God. ⧠The eyght Chapter declareth that those onely who serue in this warrefaire vnder Christs banner are victors and conquerors The eyght Chapter THe holy ghoste in the forenamed Psalme affyrmeth that those men only may fréely and safely without feare or shame haue accesse vnto this heauenly Capitayne VVho dwell in the secret of the moste high and abide in the shadowe of the almightye That is to saye that haue a roome or place in the house of the Lord and Church of Christe Out of which station and place no man may without perril of his own life depart or haue any conference with the enemy But he must harken to the worde and commaundement of his Capitayne onely hee muste knowe his name he must perfytly knowe the badges and tokens giuen out by his Captaine to discrie the enimie He ought to haue recourse to this his master in all distresse and in the name of his sonne Christe to craue remission and forgeuenesse of sinnes to haue constant faith and fyrme hope in him alone which suffereth not a man to be ashamed neither to come to confusion To suche a man and to no other sayth the holy ghost that this victory and
as our blessynges at home ought not to breede in vs senssesse securitie so the forraigue plagues and almost oppression of the Churche abroade should not abashe or make vs shrinke Let vs not bee mooued with the might and multitude of enimies whether they bee Turkes or Papistes neither let vs bee dismayed which the weake and poore estate of the Churche to iudge that they therefore be accepted and wee contenmed which carnall and peruerse speculation mooueth many to reuoulte to Turke and Pope from the Gospell bicause they often times beholde the Church as a refuse voyde and destitude of all humane helpe In such cases wee ought to take vnto vs in faith and inuocation those defenses out of the Armorye of the bible whiche will make vs inuinsible against the weapons and assiultes of all dyuelles and wicked men Those munitions are Gods prounises whiche wee ought deepely and stedfastly to imprint in out mindes and they shall better fortify and defende vs then any stonge Bulwark or Cast'e Of the which sort among many other are these that folow Thus saith the Lorde I vvill beare you vvhen you are olde I haue made you I vvill beare you I vvill carrie you and agayne Canne a mother forget hir Childe and not haue pittie vpon the sonne of hir vvombe and if she do for get it yet vvill I not forget thee Syoh How sweete is that speach of the Prophet which resembleth the sonne of GOD to an Herdmaâ— feedinge his flock gathering his Lambes â—egether swith his armes caryinge them in his bosome and kindly in treatinge them that beare younge ones Wherby we are put in minde in our dayly prayer that we are the sheepe of this shepharde and therfore ought to flye vnto him for succour and defence in all distresses And no lesse pleasâ—unt is that picture of GOD caryinge his Churche in hys wombe and bosome proueysinge to beare the same in hir olde age Men vse deepe inquysitions and carefull cogytations where the Churche shall remayne amonge these ruines of kingdomes confusion of opinions and infynit domesticall calamyties which we beeholde with great dolor and griefe The Prophet caseth this carefulnes saying that the Church shal remayne in the bosome and wombe of God that is to say that he wil alwaâ—es defend those places y harbour intertaine his church But amongst the rest it is chiefly to be obserued that the Church of God is compared to a sucking infant puttyng his hand in a serpents nest and Cokatrices denne and playing with them For as the litle babe sythinge amonge Serpences Cokatrices neither vnderstandeth his daunger neither is well defensed against those vencmous vipers so the Church doth not throughly seethe crafty conuenticles and lurkyng dennes of hir emiuties and is assaulted with greater forces then she hath defenses visible and yet she is myraculously and inuysibly preserued by the sonne of God the protector and defender therof Whensoeuer therefore wee see our enimyes readye to deuour vs and our selues destitute of all humaine helpe then wee may most assurc our selues of Gods presence If wee be exiled let vs not think that we are therefore abiectes or forsaken of God or that wee wander alone For the sonne of God marcheth before with an infinite company of chaste â—ngels Christ Iesus is the Herbinger and will lotte out a conuement restinge place for his obedyent people Blooddy war rageth presently throughout the whole worlde and the crueltye of Tyrantes increaseth euery where wastinge and destroyinge many seruaunts of Christ But they shall not vtterly abollsh and vanquish the Church albeit they haue made many breaches in the wals and seeme now ready to enter for euen then wyll God shew his presence to the confusion of Rabsaces and his mighty army which is lyuelye paynted out by the Prophet in this wise Thus hath the Lorde spoken vnto mee Like as the Lyon and Lyones vvhelp roreth vpon the pray that he hath gotten and is not afraide though the multitude of Shephardes crye out vpon him neither is abashed for all the heape of them so shall the Lorde of hostes come dovvne from mount Syon and defende his Hill. Like as the birdes flutter about their nestes so shall the lorde of hostes saue and deliuer Hierusalem Therefore O yee children of Israell tourne vnto him vvhom you haue ostentimes forsaken Let vs fyxe our eyes and hartes vpon these euydent testymonies of Gods mighty presence protection of his Church in such sort that the gates of hell that is to say the fearce assaultes and subtyll vndermininges of diuels and men shall not be able to prenayle against it The Churche indeede is a lyttle tower or Oyle yf you compare it with the warrelyke Castell of Sathan but by meanes of hyr Captayne shee sustayneth and beateth off the beseege and assauites of all hyr aduersaries Neyther ought wee to thinke that the Churche shall at the last be destrcyed bicause many of hir meÌ„bers be dyuersely afflicted and cruelly murdered For they in theyr tormentes and passions doo tryumph ouer Tyrauntes and professe bouldelye theyr Faith and Relygion So the three Children in the fyrie fuâ—nace tryuinphed ouer Nabuchodonezor and the scauen Machabies against Antiochus with many others who haue left a sweete memoryall of their names euen in this worlde whereas â—yrauntes Ieaue and cary with them perpetuall shame and ignoniie as the wiseman sayth The memoriall of the iust shal haue a good report but the name of the vngodly shall stincke For the death of Gods saincts is precious in his sight and is an entre into euerlasting felicitie And as the sonne of GOD in the fyrste Easter passed through Egipt and slew al their fyrst borne and spared the Israelts whose dore postes were sprinkled with the blood of the Lauthe euen so hee alwayes passed ouer mankynde subuerting great and mightye Princes who haue afflicted and persecuted his Churche but sparynge and preseruinge his owne flocke myraculously The church then shal alwaies continue vntil the comming of the sonne of GOD to iudgement And albeit the face and countenaunce of the same bee not alwayes one and the lighte thereof sometime more sometime lesse much lyke the Moone in hir wayne and Eclyps yet as she after hir chaunge increaseth to the full and shineth most brightlye euen so of seauentye soules that descended into Egypt they anymented in shorte spacâ— to six hundred thousande besydes women and children and beeinge streytened for a time in obscure corners of Iuryc shee kindled vnder persecution in suche sorte that in the dayes of Constantine the Great shee shined throughout all the world Shee was beseeched latly by â—mperours and Princes powers in litle Magdcburge and Rochell but was sette at ly bertye in short time and had free passage almost throughout all these landes Although then the power and furor of tyrants be great threten destruction to christian kingdoms and breath out cruelty against
discription of Mannes myserable and corrupt nature For to omytte many places wherein he is expressed in his nature and kinde As all flesh had corrupted his way vpon earth and I am but duste and ashes I come to that Dialouge and communication betwéene the vertuous Patriarche Iacob and good Phorao King of Egipt that fastorer and fauorer of Gods people Iacob demaunded by the Prince of his yeares and age aunswereth thus The whole tyme of my Pylgrimage is an hundred and thirty yeares fewe and euyl haue the dayes of my life bene and I haue not attained vnto the yeares of the lyfe of my Fathers in the dayes of their Pylgrimages Out of this aunswer issue thuse two notable lamentatioÌ„s of mans fragility vttred by the two chiefe Prophets Moises and Dauid Most worthie to bee considered and learned without booke of all Christians But to returne to Jacobs aunswere First I thinke it worthy the consideration that hee calleth Mannes lyfe a Pylgrimage Most true it is that we haue not any certain or continewall habitation here vppon earth for we were created of God in the beginning and againe restored by Christe to immortalitie and eternall blessednesse in heauen We are then Pylgrimes here vppon earth neyther haue we any abyding Cittie but looke for another and our conuersation or common wealth is in Heauen and our desyre is to be straungers from the bodye and to be present with the Lorde Let vs then earnestly recorde with our selues alwayes that our lyfe on earth is a perpetuall exyle and Pylgrimage to the true and heauenly Countrey and the laste Harborowe or Inne in this viage is Death from whence we shall passe immediatly into eternall lyfe Nowe as Trauellers Pylgrimes doo not delyte to tary long at any bayte or lodging nor staye not at euery Orcharde or Gardin all theyr minde being set vppon their Natiue Countrey and proper family euen so we running the race of this lyfe ought not to haue our mindes fixed vpon rytches pleasure and honour but dayly to haue our eyes fyred vpon the Gole or marke of eternall lyfe whether wee ought to runne and contend with all our might Moreouer as those that trauell by Sea or by Lande who eyther by the goodnesse of their Horses or commodiousnesse of the winde coming home to their countrey doo thinke their fortune better theÌ„ those that wanted lyke oportunitie Euen so ought we to reioyce of the departure of our friends in their florishing tyme arriuing happily into the hauen of rest The other Epitheton is that mans dayes are euyll for the yéeres of our Infancie are spent in déepe ignoraunce Youthfull dayes vanishe awaye moore quickly then the Maie flower old age seapeth on our backes vnwares which we are admonished to feare For that she neuer commeth alone Whervnto the Wise man consenteth saying All mans daies are sorowes and his trauailes griefe his hart also taketh not rest in the night vvhich also is vanitie Experience verily teacheth vs that no kind of life is without great care pensiuenesse and studie The Craftesman is busie vnquiet and alwayes toyling in the exercise of his Arte The Wise man is commonly seuere and sadde and a straunger to all pleasure The bookes of Ethnickes are full of complaintes concerning the cares and labours which the gouernours of the common wealths sustaine in their Regiment and there is some controuersie amongst them whether the wisedome of Themistocles Demostenes Cicero Cato and such lyke haue more hurte or holpen their Natiue couÌ„trey But certaine it is that in many of them it hath bene an occasion of ruine to themselues for Solon that wyse Lawier dyed in banishment so dyd those famous Captaines Themistocles amongste the Athenians and Scipio amongste the Romaines Achitophell who in the tyme of Dauid was accoumpted a verie Wyse man when he perceyued his counsell to bée contempned hee tooke it so déepelye to harte that he hanged himselfe Some pleasaunt companion wyll happelye choppe in and say Let vs then contemne vvisdome and follow folly Not so let vs rather highly estéeme vvisdome as a singular good gifte of God But let vs not repose any trust and confidence in it for whatsoeuer appertayneth to perfite quietnesse and true felycitie is to bee had at Gods hande onelye as the Prophete teacheth Let not the vvise man sayeth he glorie in his vvisedome c. Therefore if any man wyll vse Wisedome well he must ioyne it vnto God and then it shal be wholsome and take good successe But to returne to myserable man againe The holye scripture stayeth not with such discriptions as not hauing there withall fully comprysed his calamytie but vnto his fraylenesse addeth his daylye daungers by meanes of his dreadfull aduersaries aswell bodily as ghostlie Be sober and vvatche sayeth Saint Peter For your aduersarye the deuyll as a roaring Lion vvalketh about seeking whome he may deuoure whome resist stedfast in the faith And that tryed and approued olde souldior Iob. Is not mannes lyfe a vvarrefare vppon the earth or as the Septuaginta translate it a schoole of temptations Saint Paule also trayning vp his young souldiours the Ephesians in this warrefare paynteth out most liuely the assaulting enemie and the surest waye of defence after this manner Brethren be strong through the Lorde and in the power of his mighte Put on the vvhole armour of God that ye maye be able to stande against the assaultes of the deuill For vve vvrestle not against flesh and against blood but against principallities against powers and against the vvorldly gouernours the prince of the darknes of thir vvorlde against spirituall vvickednes vvhich are in the high places For this cause take vnto you the vvhole armour of God that ye may be able to resist on the euyl daye and hauing finished all things stande fast c. These holy men in such symilytudes endued to expresse Mannes miserie heere vpon earth The feare and terror of a battaile is set out by the Prophete Nahum in this sorte O blooddie Cittie the noyse of a whippe and the noyse of the mouing of the wheeles and the beating of the Horses and the leaping of the Charrettes The horsemen lyfteth vp both the brighte sworde and the glyttering Speare and a multytude is slaine and the deadde boddies are many there is no ende of theâ—r Corpses c. As in warrefare al things are sorrowfull and terrible so is Mannes life subiect to a thousand peryls by meanes of his mighty malitious enemy Satan who being Generall chiefe Captaine hath a huge hoast and many Pety captaines of such puissaunce that euen one of them is able to vanquishe and put to flight all mortall menne But there is yet some difference betwéene the Spyrituall and that corporall warrefare For in those worldly conflictes and battaylles albeit there be many fearefull aduentures and present death be verie often before mennes eyes yet the souldior is