forth these litle droppes in small measure although it sometime commeth to passe that it is more manifestly reuealed to mindes that are giuen to diuine contemplation so that being as it were in a traunce they can not tell where they are Such were Augustin and his mother as they confesse of them selues and many others The second chapter of the second consideration which is of the good to come or before a man. TO them that are not Christians litle comfort can be giuen in their euills by the good things to come for that al things be to them vncertaine Howbeit that notable affection which is called hope is here cause of great trouble By which affection men comfort them selues and bid one an other hope for better thinges whereby we vncertainely seeke after great thinges being for the most part deceiued as Christ teacheth of that man in the Gospell Luke 12 who sayd I wil pul downe my barnes and builde greater and therein will I gather all my frutes and my goods and I will say to my soule soule thou hast much goods layde vppe for many yeares liue at ease eate drinke and be merie But God said vnto him O foole this night will they fetch away thy soule from thee then whose shall those thinges be which thou hast prouided So is he that gathereth riches to him selfe and is not rich in God. Howbeit God leaueth not the children of men so but in this affection to put away euill and attayne that which is good he comforteth them albeit they be vncertaine of the thinges to come yet doe they hope well whereby in the meane while they are susteyned lest that falling into the euill of desperation they suffer not the present euill and so doe worse thinges Wherefore euen the affection of such hope is the gifte of God not that he will haue them trust vnto it but be moued to sounde and true hope which is in him alone For he is therefore slow to anger that he may bring them to repentance as it is sayde Rom. 2 neyther doth he suffer men to be deceyued by this deceitefull hope if so be that they beginne from the hart and truely to hope in him But to Christians beside these good things two sortes of especiall good things shal assuredly come howbeit by death and sufferinges Now they also reioyce in that common vncertain hope that the present euill shall ende the contrary good shall be encreased although they doe not so much regard that as they doe that their owne proper good is increased which is truth in Christ wherein they goe forwarde from day to day for which they both liue hope But beside these I haue sayd that two especiall good thinges shall come vnto them in deathe The first is that by deathe the whole tragedie of the euills of this life is ended as it is written Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saincts And againe I will lay me downe and also sleepe in peace Againe Though the righteous be preuēted with death yet shal he be in rest Whereas contrariwise to the wicked death is the beginning of euils as the Psalmist sayth The death of the wicked is very euill Againe Euils shal come vppon the wicked man in destruction so Lazarus shall be comforted who hath suffered his euills here whereas the riche glutton shall be tormented who hath here enioyed his pleasures So it commeth to passe that a Christian whether he dye or liue hath alwayes the better so blessed a thinge is it to be a Christian and to beleue in Christ whereupon Paule saith Christ is to me life death is to me aduauntage And Rom. 14. he sayth Whether we liue we liue vnto the Lord or whether we die we die vnto the Lord whether we liue therfore or die we are the Lordes This safety Christ hath obtained for vs inasmuch as he dyed and rose agayne that he might be Lord of the liuing and dead being able to make vs quiet and safe as well in life as in death as the 22. Psalme sayth Though I walke through the valley of the shadow of death I will feare no euill for thou art with me If this commoditie of death doe litle moue vs it is a signe that the faith of Christ is weake in vs which doth not sufficiently esteeme the treasure and commoditie of a good death or doth not yet beleue that death is good the olde man which as yet liueth too much the wisedome of the fleshe hindering vs We must endeuour therefore that we may know and loue this benefit of death It is a great matter that death which to others is exceeding euill shoulde be made to vs exceeding good and cōmodious And if Christ had not brought this to passe for vs what thinge should he haue done worthy of so great a price as he payed It is a very diuine worke which he did and therefore it should be no maruel to any that he made the euill of death exceeding good Wherefore death is nowe deade to the faithful and hath nothing terrible but onely a certaine semblance and appearance No otherwise then a serpent that is slaine in outwarde forme and appearance he is cerrible as before but in very deede it is onely a seeming or appearance of euil the euill it selfe is nowe dead and harmelesse Yea as in the 21. chapter of Numb God commaunded a brasen serpent to be set vp by the sight wherof the liuing serpents did perish so also our death by faithfull and stedfast beholding of the death of Christ doth perish and onely appeareth terrible but can not hurt vs in very deede So doth the mercye of God aforehande exercise vs that are weake with these goodly figures or semblances that forasmuch as death cānot be taken away he may at the least make the force thereof to be nothing but in outward shew and appearance only for which cause also death in the Scriptures is called sleepe rather then death The other good thing that commeth by death is that it doth not onely ende the troubles and afflictions of this life but which is more exccllent it maketh an end of vices and sinnes which maketh death farre more acceptable to the faithfull as we haue sayd before then the good which we haue nowe spoken of For the euills of the soule which are sinnes are without comparison worse then the euills of the bodye Which onely if we did knowe they would make death most amiable vnto vs Now if they do not so it is a signe that we doe not sufficiently feele nor hate the euils of our soule Whereas therfore this life is most perilous daungerous sinne seeking to deceiue vs on euery side and we can not liue without sinne moste commodious death setteth vs free from these perills and cutteth of sinne quite from vs whereupon in the booke of wisedom it is sayd in praise of the righteous He pleased God and was
whatsoeuer of these do not come it is to be counted for aduasitage for no smal cōfort against that euill that chaunceth so that thou art here compelled to say with Ieremie it is through the mercies of the Lorde that we are not destroyed For whatsoeuer of them doth not chaunce it chaunceth not the right hand of the Highest letting or prohibiting it which mightely preserueth vs on euery side as it is declared in Iob so that Satan and euils doe euen grudge and beare it vnpatiently that they are letted and prohibited Wherfore we see how sweetely the Lord is to be loued as often as any thing chaunceth vnto vs forasmuch as by this one euil our most louing father admonisheth vs to consider howe many euils are ready to assaile vs if he did not stay and let them as if he sayd Satan and a huge heape of euills desire to sifte thee but I haue set boundes to the sea and haue sayd vnto it hitherto shall thy swelling waues come and here shall they stay as he sayth in Iob chap. 28. But none of them shall come perhaps the will of God being so howbeit that which of all terrible things is sayd to be the greatest namely death shall most certainely come and nothing is more vncertaine then the hower thereof Which euil is so great that we see that many men had rather liue euen with all the foresayd euils then they being ended to dye once And to this one the Scripture also wheras it contemneth the rest referreth feare saying Remember the end and thou shalt neuer do amisse Consider how many meditations howe many bookes how many meanes and remedies are ordained hereunto so that with the remembrance of this onely euill it is vsual to fray men from sinnes and make the world contemptible to lighten sufferings and euills and to comfort the afflicted by comparing their euills with so horrible great an euill which shall at one time or other of necessitie come There is no man who would not wish to suffer all euills if thereby he might auoide the euill of death This the Sainctes also haue feared this Christ suffered with feare and sweat like dropps of blood So that the diuine mercy hath bene careful to strengthen comfort the weake faint harted in nothing more then in this euill as we shall see hereafter As for Christians they haue a speciall and proper cause to feare the euill to come which exceedeth all the other euils this is that which the Apostle setteth forth I. Cor. 10. saying Let him that thinketh he standeth take heede lest he fal So slipperie is the way so mighty is the enemy being armed with our owne proper strength that is with the aydes of the flesh of all euill affections accompanied with infinite hands companies of the world with delights pleasures on the right hand with troubles the euil wils of men on the left beside that art a thousand wayes to hurt seduce destroy whereof he is most kilfull We liue so that we are not sure of our good purpose so much as a moment Cyprian speaking of many such things in his epistle of mortalitie teacheth that death is to be wished as a speedy helper to auoyde these euils And for the most part where men haue a good hart duely reuolue in their minde these infinite perils we see them despising life and death that is all the aforesaide euills wish to be losed that they may be also losed from this euill of sinnes wherein they are as we haue sayd in the first chapter and into which they may fall whereof we speake nowe And surely these are two most weighty reasons to moue vs not onely to wish for death but also to contemne all euills not to beare one euil onely lightly if the Lorde shall giue to any to be moued with them for it is the gift of God to be moued with them For what true Christian will not wish euen to dye and not only to be sicke who seeth and feeleth that he while he liueth in healthe is not onely in sinnes and continually may and daily doth fall into moe and so without intermission doth contrary to the moste louing will of his most louing Father With this vehemencie of indignation Paule beinge moued as it is declared Rom. 7. when he had complayned that he did not the good which he woulde but the euill which he would not cryed out O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the bodye of this death The grace of God sayth he by Iesus Christ c. He litle loueth God his Father who doth not choose rather the euill of death then this euill of sinning seing that he hath ordayned death hereunto that this euil may at the last haue an ende and death may be the minister of life and righteousnes whereof shal be spoken hereafter The third chapter of the third consideration which is of the euill past or behind vs. HErein more then in the rest notably shineth the sweete mercye of God the father which is able to comfort vs in all our distresse For euery man neuer feeleth the hand of God more present vpon him then when he calleth to minde the yeares of his life past Sainct Augustine saith If a man should choose either to dye or to leade againe his life past he would choose rather to die considering so great perills euils which he hath scarce and hardely auoided Which saying is most true if it be well duely weyed For here a man may see how often he hath without his owne studye without his owne care yea without and contrary to his desire done and suffered many thinges whereof he did not so much as thinke before they were done or in doing that the worke being ended he is then first compelled to say Howe hath it come to passe that I haue done these thinges which I did not thinke on or thought of other thinges so that the prouerbe is true Man purposeth but God disposeth that is altereth and bringeth to passe an other thinge then man purposeth that euen in this one thinge we can not denie that our life and actions are gouerned directed not by our owne wisedom but by the maruelous power counsel goodnes of god Hereby we perceiue howe often God hath bene with vs when we neither saw nor felt it and how truely Peter sayd Cast all your care on him for he careth for you Wherfore if there were no bookes nor sermons yet our life it selfe led through so many euills and perills if it be well considered doth abundātly commend the goodnes of God to be present with vs most sweete vnto vs who hath farre otherwise then we either thought or felt borne vs as it were in his bosome and as Moses sayth Deut. 32 The Lord hath kept him as the apple of his eye he hath led him about and caried him on his shoulders And hereunon came those
A RIGHT COMFORTABLE TREATISE CONTAINING fourteene pointes of consolation for them that labor and are laden VVRITTEN BY D. MARTIN Luther to Prince Friderik Duke of Saxonie he being sore sicke thereby to comfort him in the time of his great distresse Englished by W. GACE Imprinted at London by Thomas Vautrollier dwelling in the Blacke Friers 1578. Martin Luther I Did write this booke in the beginning of my procedings to the most gracious Prince Friderik Duke of Saxony when he was sore sicke Now many thought good that it should be imprinted but when it had bene eftsones imprinted it was so corrupted and made vnperfect that I found many wordes wanting which I my selfe could not coniecture what they were howbeit the sentences I haue restored after a sort and such as I thinke I had in the beginning Neither haue I thought it good now to chaunge or adorne them as I could For I will in this booke shewe a testimonie of my proceeding and gratifie the aduersaries that they may haue wherewith to exercise their malice It is sufficient for me if I please my Lord Christ his Sainctes I reioyce from my hart and giue thankes to my God that I am enuied and hated of the deuill and his Impes TO THE VVORSHIPFVLL M. HENRIE DALE CITIZEN AND MARchant of the citie of London VV. Gace wisheth grace and peace from God the Father through Christ Iesus our Lord. MAnifold are the miseries of mans life wherewith he is greatly grieued and sundry wayes molested insomuch as Iob sayth that man that is borne of a woman hathe but a short time to liue and is replenished with miserie For he beginneth his life with teares weeping he passeth it with sorrow trouble and endeth it with dolour and payne Wherefore it is no maruell if some haue thought that it is the best thinge not to be borne and the next to dye quickly and that other some haue mourned and wept at the birthes of their friendes and solemnly reioyced at their burialls For what could they being destitute of the light of God and true religion see in this life but trouble miserie Yea the godly themselues as they haue in all ages suffered many afflictions in this life so haue they passed through the same as through a straunge countrie For if heauen be our countrie what is the earth els but a place of banishment wherein being exiled from true delightes and pleasures we liue in a state vnquiet troublesom and many wayes miserable as to him that shall duely consider the sundry troubles that are incident to all sortes of men in this life wil easily appeare Forasmuch then as this life is so miserable as both the Saincts of God haue pronounced of it the very heathen haue accounted it daily experience proueth it yet neuerthelesse we seeing God hath placed vs in it must remaine therein till he call vs away great neede we haue of such consolation encouragement as may be a meane to make vs passe the time thereof without grudging impatiencie For of our selues we are very fraile weake not able to resist much lesse of power to ouercome as is manifest by them who in the time of affliction haue through impaciēcie murmured against God albeit there both haue bene and are many who being not of them selues but by other meanes supported haue patiently sustained many troubles and miseries Wherefore I trust that my labor shall not be thought ill bestowed but rather profitably emploied which I haue taken in translating this treatise into the Englishe tongue for that it tendeth chiefly to the consolation of such as are in affliction and distresse For that which the title of this booke portendeth the matter thereof sufficiently proueth namely that it containeth consolations for them that labor and are laden that is that suffer afflictions and troubles in this life so that they which shall diligently read and peruse the same may be so confirmed thereby that when they be troubled with hardnes of aduersitie they may not be ouercome or throwne downe therewith when they be molested with griefe sorrow they may be also delited with spirituall ioy when they be euen distressed with troubles and afflictions they may receiue courage againe being cheared with sundry consolations so patiently suffer according to Gods will whatsoeuer it shall please him to lay vpon them Howe great this commoditie is it plainely appeareth not onely by this that the feelinge of the present affliction is thereby asswaged but by this also that it is a meane to moue and make vs to obey Gods will which otherwise we woulde be readye to resist and to suffer patiently whereas otherwise we woulde by impatiencie be stubborne agaynste the righteousnes of God. Wherefore forasmuche as I am not ignoraunt that the crosse is vsually incident to the godly and that through many afflictions we must enter into the kingdome of God I am bolde to commende this treatise to all the godly in generall to be read of them to their singular commoditie and comfort but especially to your worshippe whose godly conuersation both of a longe tyme hath bene and dayly is an euident testimonie of your syncere and vnfeyned profession of Christe his religion desiringe you to esteeme thereof not accordinge to the quantitye or outward appearance for then shall you make but small account of it being both litle in quantitie adorned with no eloquent tearmes or glorious wordes but according to the frute that the godly shall reape by diligent reading therof For pearles and precious stones for the most part are in quantitie but small and in outward appearance simple which in value notwithstanding are great and in vertue excellent Howbeit being sufficiently perswaded of your well accepting hereof I will not stand vpon this point lest I shoulde seeme in any wise to dout of it but doe desire Almighty God that as you haue hitherto liued in his feare so ye may dayly increase and constantly continue in the same euen vnto the ende Your vvorships at commaundement W. GACE TO THE MOST FAMOVS PRINCE AND LORD THE LORD FRIDERIK Duke of Saxonie c his very good Lord. OVR Lorde and Sauiour Iesus hathe left a commaundement which pertayneth indifferently to all Christians that we should performe the duties of humanitie or rather as the Scripture calleth them the workes of mercy to the afflicted and miserable that we should visit the sicke endeuour to deliuer the captiues and doe such like to our neighbour whereby the present euills may be somewhat asswaged Hereof our Lord Iesus Christ hath in him selfe set forth vnto vs a most manifest singular example wheras of his exceeding loue toward mankind he came downe from the bosom of the father into our miseries and into our prison that is into our flesh and most miserable life and tooke the punishment of our sinnes vpon him selfe that we might be saued according as Esai sayth chap. 43 Thou hast laden me with thy
sinnes and wearied me with thy vngodlines c. If there be any whom this so manifest singular an example doth not stirre vp and the authoritie of Gods commaundement added therunto doth not moue to performe these workes of charitie surely he shall worthely in the last iudgement heare the voice of the angrie Iudge Goe thou cursed into euerlasting fire For I was sicke and thou didst not visit me but being altogether vnthankfull for the exceeding benefits which I bestowed on thee and all the world thou didst not euen in the most sclender duties relieue or helpe thy brethren no not me Christ in my brethren Forasmuch therefore most famous Prince as I see your Grace to be sore sicke and that Christ also is sicke in you I haue thought it my dutie to visit your Grace by writing somewhat vnto you For I can not dissemble that I doe not heare the voice of Christ our of your Graces body and fleshe crying to me and saying Behold I am sicke here For these euills namely sicknes and such like not we Christians onely but Christ himselfe also our Lord and Sauiour in whom we liue doth suffer as he manifestly witnesseth in the Gospell VVhatsoeuer ye doe to the least of mine ye doe it vnto me Nowe although we owe this duetie to all that are sicke in generall that we doe visit and comfort them yet doe we owe it chiesly to them that be of the houshold of saith For Paule doth plainely distinguish betweene aliens and them that professe the same faith with vs or with whome we haue some alliance Galat 6. Howbeit I haue other reasons also of my duetie For I know that I as one of your Graces subiectes togither with the rest of your subiectes ought to be moued with your Graces sicknes and to be as it were sicke togither with you as the member with the head in whom all our good estate safetie and prosperitie consisteth For we acknowledge your Grace to be as a certain Naamā by whom God at this day giueth health to Germanie as in time past by him he gaue health to Syria VVherefore euen the whole Romane Empire hath your Graece in admiration doth reuerence and honour you as a father of the countrie as a singular ornament and safegard of the whole Empire but especially of the Germane nation Neither do we owe this only to your Grace to comfort you as much as we are able and as it were to beare the present case with you but much rather to pray vnto God for your health and recouerie which I hope is done with all diligence and endeuour of your Graces subiectes As for my selfe whom many notable benefits and pleasures haue made a dettour to your Grace more then the rest I acknowledge that I ought by some singular duetie to declare my thankfulnes But because in this sclendernes of abilitie and power I am able to performe no notable thinge D. George Spalatine who is your Graces Chaplen aduertized me that I shoulde doe well to make some spirituall consolation send it to your Grace for that that would be a thing very acceptable vnto you VVherefore I thought it not good to doe contrary to the aduertizement of my frende and therefore haue I gathered togither these fourteene chapters being comprised as it were in a table and haue intitled them Tessaradecas that they might be in steede of fourteene Sainctes which our superstition made and called the driuers away of all euills Howbeit this is not a siluer but a spirituall table wherewith not the walls of temples are to be adorned but the godly mind is to be comforted and confirmed And I hope that it will be very profitable to your Grace in this present state Nowe it is diuided into two partes whereof the former contayneth seuen considerations of euills whereby the present griefes and troubles are mitigated and asswaged The latter containeth likewise seuen considerations of good thinges tending to the same ende VVherefore I desire your Grace to take this my simple labour in good parte which I pray God ye may so enioy that by diligent reading and consideration of this treatise ye may haue some ease I humbly commend me to your Grace Your humble and obedient subiect MARTIN LVTHER THE PREFACE THe Apostle Paul in the 15. chapter of his Epistle to the Romanes speaking of christian comfort sayth Brethren VVhatsoeuer things haue ben written afore time were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might haue hope VVhereby he plainly teacheth that our comforts must be taken out of the holy Scriptures Nowe the holy Scriptures vse two sortes of comfort inasmuch as they commend vnto vs the consideration of two sortes of things namely of euill things and of good things according as the wise man sayth In the day of affliction remember prosperitie in the day of prosperitie be mindful of affliction For the holy Ghost knoweth that euery thing is of such sort so great to man of what sort and how great his opinion is thereof For that which is counted vile nothing esteemed doth litle moue either with loue if it come or with griefe if it depart VVherefore he laboureth most earnestly to call man from the opinion affection of thinges which vvhen he hath brought to passe all thinges are then indifferent Novve forasmuch as this calling is done especially by the vvorde vvhereby the opinion is transferred from the thinge vvhich is presently felt to the thing vvhich either is absent or not presently felt it is by good reason that vve shall haue no cōfort but by the Scripture which in the day of affliction calleth vs to the consideration of prosperitie vvhich is either present or to come also in the day of prosperitie calleth vs to consider affliction But that these considerations may be more easie vnto vs vve vvill diuide either of them into seuen partes To the former shall be referred the euills vvhich are to be considered of a man First vvithin him selfe Secondly before him Thirdly behind him Fourthly beneath him Fiftly on the left hande Sixtly on the right hand Seuenthly aboue him THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE FIRST CONsideration which is of the inward euil THis is certaine and moste true whether man beleeue it or not that there can be none so great trouble veration in man which is the worst of the euills which are in him so many moe and greater euils are there in him then which he feeleth For if he felt his euill he should feele euen hell for he hath hel in him self Doost thou demaund how The Prophet sayth All men are lyars And againe Euery man liuing is altogither vanitie Now to be a lyar and vaine is to be voyd of veritie not to be in deed but to be without veritie and not to be in deede is to be without God and to be nothing and this is to be in hell and to be condemned Therefore God
must especially take heede of lest it be sayd vnto thee also Thou louest thine enemies and hatest thy frendes As therfore thou oughtest to reioyce on the behalfe of iustice being seuere against thy sinne so thou oughtest to reioyce on the behalfe of the same also being seuere against the wicked which are enemies of men and god Thus thou seest that in the greatest euills are seene singular good thinges and that we may reioyce in the greatest euills not because of the euills them selues but because of the souereigne goodnes of iustice that deliuereth and auengeth vs. The fift chapter of the fift consideration which is of the good on the left hand HEre we must enter into consideration of our aduersaries who as yet remaine in this life for in the chapter going before we haue spoken of them that are already damned and in like case with the deuills these we must beholde with an other affection and consider two sortes of their good thinges First that they abound with temporall good thinges so that the Prophets haue bene almost moued euen to enuie by their prosperitie as Dauid Psal. 72 My feete were almost gone my steps had wellneare slipt for I freated at the folish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked And afterwardes Loe these are the wicked yet prosper they alway and increase in riches Ieremie chap. 12 sayth O Lorde thou art more righteous then that I should dispute with thee neuerthelesse let me talke with thee in thinges reasonable Howe happeneth it that the way of the vngodly is so prosperous and that it goeth so well with them which without any shame offend and liue in wickednes Why doth he freely poure forth so many good things vpon them and lose them but that he may comfort vs and declare how good he is vnto them which are pure in hart as the same 72 Psalme sayth He that is so good to the wicked howe much more good will he be to the godly albeit he tryeth them with many euills so that not onely in the present good thinges but also in them that be hid and as yet to come they acknowledge him to be good vnto them and saye with Dauid in the same Psalme As for me it is good for me to drawe neare to God to put my trust in the Lorde As if he sayde Albeit I am somwhat troubled inasmuch as I see them free notwithstanding I trust that God is muche more gracious vnto me then vnto them And so the visible good thinges of the wicked are a meane to stirre vs vp to hope for inuisible good thinges and to contemne the euills that we suffer according to the commaundement of Christ Matth. 6 where he biddeth vs to beholde the foules of the ayre and the Lillies of the fielde and sayth If God then so clothe the grasse of the fielde which is to daye and to morrow is cast into the ouen shall he not doe much more vnto you O ye of litle faythe Wherefore by comparing together the good thinges wherewith the euill abounde and the euill which we suffer our faythe is exercised and wee obtayne comfort in God which onely is holy and true comfort so that all thinges work together for the best vnto the Saincts The other good which is much more meruelous is that their euills are vnto vs good such a care hath God of vs For although their sinnes be offensiue to the weaker sort yet to the stronge they are an exercise of vertue and an occasion more strongly to fight to obtaine a more glorious victorie For blessed is the man that endureth tentation for when he is tryed he shall receiue the crowne of life Now what is a greater tentation then that multitude of most wicked examples Hereof is the worlde called one of the enemies of the Sainctes of God for that by the enticements and wicked workes thereof it moueth prouoketh and allureth from the way of God vnto his owne waye as it appeareth Gen. 6 The sonnes of God sawe the daughters of men that they were fayre they tooke them wiues such as they liked from amonge them all And Num. 25 it is sayd that the children of Israel committed whoredom with the daughters of Moab so that it is wholsom for vs to be alwayes afflicted with some trouble lest that being weake and stumbling at the offences of the world we fal and sinne Wherfore Lot is commended of Peter 2. Pet. 2 for that he suffered many thinges by the most wicked example of the Zodomites and increased in righteousnes hereby It is needefull therefore that these offences come which may be an occasion to vs to fight obtaine the victorie Notwithstanding wo vnto the world because of offences Nowe if in the sinnes of others God procureth vnto vs so great good things how much more ought we to beleeue with our whole hart that he will worke good vnto vs in our owne euil although the sense and fleshe iudge otherwise No lesse good doth the worlde bringe vnto vs on the otherside of his euils which is aduersitie For whom it can not winne by enticements neither adioyne to it selfe by euill examples them it endeuoureth by afflictions to expell from it selfe and to trouble them by painefull euills alwayes either seeking deceitfully to entrap them by the example of the wicked or cruelly raging against thē by grieuous torments For this is that monster Chimera hauing a head fayre like the head of a virgin a belly terrible like the belly of a Lyon a tayle deadely like the tayle of a Serpent for the ende as well of the pleasure as of the tyrannie of the worlde is poyson and eternall deathe As therefore in the sinnes of the world God hath made vs to finde good thinges so also the persecutions thereof are not in vaine and frustrate but are ordained for the increase of our good things that euen in that wherein they hurte vs they may be compelled to profit vs as B. Augustine speaketh of Herode who slue the children He coulde neuer haue profited so much by obedience as he profited by hatred And B. Agatha went reioycing to the prison as vnto a banket saying after this sorte Vnlesse thou make my bodye to be handled throughly of thy tormentors my soule can not with glorious victorie enter into Paradise euen as the grayne if it be not well threshed beaten out of the huske is not layde vppe in the garner But why doe we here stande vpon these fewe examples seeing we knowe that the whole Scripture the writinges and sayinges of all the Fathers the works and deedes of all the Sainctes doe agree in this that they are moste profitable to the beleeuers who seeme to be vnto them moste hurtefull so that they be rightly suffered and borne as Peter sayeth in his first Epistle chap. 3 And who is it that can harme you if ye followe that which is good And Dauid sayeth Psal. 88 The enemie shall not