the contrary and heartily wish the contrary There is no helpe for them Onely stande you out of their way that the faster they runne the sooner they may come thither and the worlde bee rid of them for surely they are in hast a number and they seeme to feare nothing more than that hell gates should be shut and the play begunne before they come The Lord will be glorified by their death and the Lord make vs glorifie him by our patience and by our carefull shunning of all iust cause of any euill report That suffring this bitter poyson of Aspes that is vnder their tongues vppon their tongues and in their tongues not for euill doing but vndeseruedly our ioy may bee true and our comfort breede a contented patience euer Amen Diuers complayne they are rewarded with euill for good and they fret at it sore to haue true good will and many honest testimonies of a friendly minde so badly so vnkindly yea so vildly requited And in deede it is true that such vndeserued vnkindnes pearceth deepe and hath preuailed with some euen to the breaking of their hearts and the ending of their dayes But alas it should not bee so hote in vs if God gaue gouernement ouer frayle flesh according to true reason For if false man turne his backe vpon GOD that hath in such wonderfull and vnsearchable fauour vsed him and with such an incomprehensible vnmeasurable heape of mercies filled his cuppe from his cradle and before what maruell though hee turne vppon one of vs whose fauours though great yet cannot be like these both backe and heart and tongue and teeth and all the powers hee hath any way Truely this onely shoulde content vs when we finde such measure in the worlde But we haue beside the company in this crosse of such great and deere ones to the Lorde that we should be euen glad we may go along with them and partake with them in no worse thing than the Lord thought good to lay vpon them Dauid complaineth they rewarded me euill for good to the great discomfort of my soule neuerthelesse when they were sicke I put on sackeloth and humbled my soule with fasting I behaued my self as though it had ben my friend or brother I went heauily as one that mourneth for his mother But in mine aduersitie marke it they reioyced and gathered themselues together yea the very abiects came together against me vnawares making mowes at mee and ceased not We haue Iacob a companion in this crosse with vs who was ill rewarded both by affection and action of Laban and his children we haue Ioseph with vs Moses and Aaron with vs all the Prophets and Apostles with vs and Christ our master with vs whose loue was lost to thousāds except a crucifige be a kinde requitall and against whom hee that sate at his table lift vp his heele betrayed him O weigh it not much but be content and possesse your soule in patience For it is euen one of the most common sinnes of this world in these latter dayes especially Vnthankfull men without naturall affection trucebreakers false accusers no louers at all of them that be good Traytors and so foorth they are the flowres that florish too faire in this end of the world saith the Apostle And what man or woman almost liueth that hath not drunke of this cuppe to bee vnkindly requited for their true good will and to haue the backes of them towardes them whose faces by good right they should haue and their mouthes filled with many louing thankes If then company bee comfortable as the saying is let vs plucke vp our heartes and bee content especially hauing such company in this crosse as I haue nowe named This course would be long if I should follow it fully you see by this and I purposed neuer treatises but touches onely of these matters What shoulde I say some the Lord exerciseth with diseases and sicknes of themselues and their owne bodies and so did he Dauid with chastising reines in the night season the poore woman with her paynefull issue by the space of twelue yeeres and many others whom he dearely loued of their children or familie and so did hee that faythfull woman with her daughter that kinde Father with his lunaticke sonne the ruler with his daughter the Centurion with his seruant and numbers mo Some with imprisonment wrongfull and vniust and so did he Ioseph Ieremy Micheas and many mo Some with their mariage and match often bitter So did he Iob Tobiah Abigael and others Dauid had ill children and Iacob before him many a heauy heart by their behauiours The good Prophet had a bad seruaunt a vild Gehazi that practised more than he euer learned of his master and our Sauiour Christ himselfe had a theeuish Iudas a full bad bird to come out of such a nest as he had his time in Some be rymed on by drunken tossepottes and so was Dauid though hee litle deserued it And who can name the aduersities of the godly Many many sayth the Prophet are the troubles of the righteous but the Lorde deliuereth them out of all By this example whosoeuer readeth the scriptures may find out mo obserue and marke them and gather comfort by them if the Lord shal please so to deale with them And to that further trauell I referre vs all not following this course nowe any further onely this I adde that if you can find no example of your case fully in the Scripture and therupon Satan would be busie and say see thou art an odde person from all others I warrant thee God neuer dealt so with any of his c. then beleeue Peter rather than him and tel him hee lyeth like a false deuill For you are taught there that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren which are in the world although you knowe them not 1. Pet. 5.9 And therefore you are no odde one neither chastised any otherwise than with the rod of the righteous whose saluation is sure and they the Lords O but you must needes giue mee leaue to remember yet one thing ere you make an end and that is this These examples are comfortable I heartely confesse and sweete when wee finde them in our seuerall tryals but yet Satan hath an other tricke to trouble many mindes with all and that is with the measure of our trouble He will till wee find an example say none are so dealt with all that God loueth but when wee haue founde one then hee shifteth his foote and suggesteth not in that measure and so grieuously and greatly as wee are Nowe what shoulde wee say to this Truely euen still search the scriptures And as wee haue founde there matter so shal we find measure I warrāt you greater than wee beare any And to this ende marke what Iob sayth in his 16. chapter His archers compasse me round about hee cutteth my
Spirit and we pray wee knowe not what for it is the Spirit that helpeth our infirmities and that maketh request for vs with sighs which cannot bee expressed And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is y e meaning of the spirit for hee maketh request for the Saintes according to the will of God Haue not this spirit and be none of Christes for as many as are led by the Spirite of God they are the sonnes of God Want this Spirit feare againe the seuere threatning of the Lawe but haue it and cry in comfort Abba Father the same Spirite bearing witnesse with our Spirits that we are the children of God sealing our adoptiō in our minds and therefore opening our mouthes This blessed Spirite and sweete grace is that heauenly water that our sauiour speaketh of in his dialogue with the woman of Samaria when sitting vpon the wel with her hee sayde whosoeuer drinke of this water shall thirst againe but the water that I shal giue him shall bee in him a well of water springing vp into euerlasting life And O my brethren how differeth all earthly water from this if wee marke it let a man thirst for the honors titles pleasures places and dignities of this paynted world and if he inioy thē euen in great measure do they quench his thirst No truely but if this other water bee away I meane this moderating grace of Gods blessed Spirit whereof we speake they increase his thirst a thousand fold of a sound man before he inioyed such heapes hee is striken into a loathsome and deadly disease euen a spirituall dropsie that the more hee drinketh the more drye he is and neuer satisfied Playing dayly and hourely the parte of Achsah in seeking springs of water to her South countrey that is more to much and still something else to that that is had already But this water of Gods holy spirit springing not out of the veynes of the earth but from the highest heauens runneth about our hearts continually with a diuine vertue most comfortably cooling al our Spiritual heats refreshing vs against all burning temptations quenching the firy dartes of Satan and finally quickning vs to eternall life This water therefore let vs make accompt of pray for a true faith for he that beleeueth in me out of his belly shall flowe riuers of water of life sayth the Scripture Quench not this Spirit then neither grieue him by whome we are sealed vnto the day of redemption But remember the good that commeth by him to this wretched frame of our sinnefull harts the ground is hard if this dewe drop not and vtterly vnfruitefull if this grace blesse not Lende mee therefore not thy tongue and lips only but thy soule heart chiefly to pray with mee to the throne of mercy for our selues and all O Lorde O Lord create a cleane heart renew a right Spirit within vs euermore Cast vs not away from thy presence neither take thy holy Spirit from vs. Giue vs the comfort of thy helpe for euer and establish vs with thy free Spirit Amen What else is concluded in this prayer Another good meanes to further this kingdome is a godly zealous and carefull Magistrate and therefore we praie for him also and the blessing of his seruice This teacheth the Lord vs when hée biddeth vs praie for kings and all that are in authoritie that we may leade a quiet and a peaceable life in all godlinesse and honestie They are the means the Lord giues the blessing The lyke doth the Apostle when he telleth vs that Princes are not to bee feared for good workes but for euill And therefore if we will bee without feare of the power that we must doe wel and so shall we haue praise of the same For hee is the minister of God for our wealth But if we do euill that then we must feare for he beareth not the sword for naught but is the minister of God to take vengeance on him that doth euill Charging vs as well for these good vses of him as also for the author of his office and authoritie which is the Lord for there is no power sayth he but of GOD and the powers y t are be ordained of God that euery soule of vs be subiect to the higher powers and that we resist not for if wee doe we resist the ordinance of God they that so resist receiue to themselues damnation This benefite of a magistrate to the increase of Gods kingdome appeared in Asa who tooke awaie the Sodomites out of the land and put away all the Idols his Father had made displaced his mother for her idolatrie and destroyed her idolls The like appeared in Ezekiah Iosiah and all the rest Read what they did sée what authoritie may do nay ought to doe Vertue flourisheth by iust incouragements vice flieth and dieth by iust punishmentes if the magistrate bee good and then ruleth God when this is so Blessed therefore wel may be said is the lande when the king is the sonne of Nobles and when the Princes eate in time for strength and not for dronkennesse That is when the higher and lower and all powers in a land are famous for vertue and wisedome and with the giftes of God And why so Surely because these being thus the Lord is king in such a place and his heauenly power is more and more dayly spread ouer and into the heartes of men by these meanes Contrariwise Woe to the land whē the king is a childe and the Princes eate in the morning that is when the chiefe of all wanteth wisedome and counsayle and the inferiors are giuen to their lusts and pleasures And why so agayne surely because then for want of so forcible a meanes as carefull magistracie is to represse it Vice floweth vertue flieth and God ruleth not Finally therefore doe we praie here in this petition and aske of the Lorde as a greate mercie that he would giue vs godly carefull and zealous Magistrates to the better setting vp of his blessed kingdome amōgst vs. And truly beloued would God the iust often consideration of these might worke in vs a faithful loue to thē for their pains and a flaming thankfulnesse to the Lorde for them when we haue them O that wee would meditate of it vpon our beddes and and thinke vppon it when wee are waking what Moses felt when he sayd How can I beare your comberance your charge and your strife alone Or what hee felte that sayde to his regall Crowne or Scepter that he which knew the carke and care the woes and griefes the toyles and labours and the infinit perils and feares that are incident to it would not take it vp if he found it in the streete Then woulde wee feele what it is to gouerne and to be alofte Then assuredly would wee honour Magistrates more loue them more obey them more and contend
them not their committed euill and how earnestly hee prayed for that forgiuenesse Oh sayth he this people haue sinned a great sinne and haue made them Gods of gold Therefore now if thou pardon their sinne thy mercie shal appeare but if thou wilt not I pray thee rase me out of the booke which thou hast written Remember the words of the Apostle Paul to the like effect I say the truth in Christ I lye not my conscience bearing mee witnesse in the holy Ghost that I haue great heauinesse and continuall sorowe in my hart For I would wish my selfe to be separate from Christ for my brethrē that are my kinsmen according to the flesh See beloued and marke wherein the best loue of man to man consisteth and is shewed namely by wishing his spirituall good the good of his soule the forgiuenesse of his sinnes and as the Prophet Dauid sayth the lifting vp of y e light of the Lords countenance vpon him O patternes of loue in this behalfe to their brethren Moses and Paule inimitable of vs vnlesse the Lord assist For where is this heauinesse of hart and continuall sorrowe to see our brethren sinne and by sinne to indaunger themselues here and for euer Where are those flouds of teares which Dauid sayd gushed out of his eyes because men kept not Gods commaundements Alas how strange a tale is this to vs Well it should not be straunge Neither Moses nor Paule would haue wished themselues accursed of God to haue gayned to their brethren ten thousande worldes or any worldly good whatsoeuer but to gayne them spirituall good they did it and therefore much more are wee to care for the saluation of our brethren than for their glorie in this earth if we will imitate them Dauid would neuer haue gushed out teares to see them want wealth but to see them want grace he did Wherefore let vs learne how to loue our brethren wel let vs learne what most pleaseth and displeaseth God what most profiteth and hurteth our neighbours and more hartely pray for the remissiō of their sinnes than for any worldly good It is good loue to wish God his comforts to our frends and to bee greatly touched with their misdoings toward God It was for sinne and the effects of sinne that Ieremy saw in the people and readie to fall vpon them that made him wish his head full of water and his eyes a fountaine of teares and that he had a cottage in the wildernesse to sit and sorrowe in Therefore much doe wee seeke for our brethren when we seeke the pardon of their sinnes at Gods hande for them Now beloued if wee bee bound to beseech God to forgiue them their sinnes agaynst him iudge your selues if we bee not bound to forgiue them our selues their sinnes agaynst vs. And agayne what their case is that will euery day say this prayer with their tongues and desire God to forgiue both them and their brethren their sinnes and by and by both goe themselues with many flattring baytes earnest alluremēts euen almost violent constraynts pull the same their brethren to sinne agayne without remorse and feeling Can wee both bee mediators for pardon and tempters to mischiefe with God his good liking Fearefully therefore doe thousands offende and thinke not of it If we will pray for remission for our selues others we must keepe our selues and others as the Lorde will strengthen from such euill agayne when we are pardoned Away then with this good fellowship that tempteth vnto sinne and if any allure you my brethren if other denyals will not serue aske them whether they haue sayd any prayers that day or not if they haue not iudge if that be good companie to go withall or no if they haue aske them if they haue not therin besought God to pardon both their owne sinnes and other mens if they haue how may they then with one breath send foorth good and euill pray for good prouoke to euill aske pardon and doe the thing agayne So shall Satan flye from you The next word is Our what doth that note vnto vs. It sheweth vs what is the qualitie of our riches and wealth for wee haue playde the merchantes and transsigned with an outlandish rouer called the deuil and with him we haue dealt by exchaunge Our barke was fraighted with knowledge with loue with humilitie with ioy with peace with long suffering with gentlenesse with goodnes with faith with méeknesse with temperance and to go no further with all grace and innocencie So that wee might saie of these iewells that they were ours but now we haue vnladed the bark by subtill perswasion and freight it a newe with this rouers wares with ignoraunce with hatred with pride with sorrowes with adulterie with fornication with vncleannesse with wantonnes Idolatry witchcraft debate emulations wrath contentions seditions heresies enuie murther dronkennesse gluttonie and such like yea with all want of grace and impuritie So that nowe wee must saie the former were ours and these are ours This is our lading nowe and this haue wee profited by this rouer now Now we must saie Forgiue vs our trespasses then might we saie continue thy graces thē was grace our lading now are we freight til we sink again with sinnes and trespasses Alasse that this word Ours should be applied to these But thus are we fallen and of vs it is nowe sayde that all the imaginations of the thoughts of our hearts are onely euill continually that we are borne in iniquitie and conceiued in sinne and that wee are not able so much as to think a good thought of our selues Wherefore as I saie this word in our petition telleth vs the quality of our wealth and that our gardens haue growing too much rue in them and too litle hearbe of grace Trespasses bee ours nowe but no trespasses were ours once This thought Sainct Ambrose of when he sayd Diues eras ad imaginem et similitudinem Dei factus perdidisti quod habebas perdi disti pecuniam accepisti a diabolo debitum quod non erat necessarium c. What is our debt but sinne Thou wast rich and made to the image and similitude of God but thou hast lost what thou hadst thou hast lost thy money and taken of the deuill a debt that was not necessarie The best waie for vs is to vnlade agayne this bad merchaundise that we haue got of this rouing merchant by humble prayer to the Lord to forgiue vs our trespasses and to drowne them in the botome of the Sea that they neuer more may be seene aiding vs strengthening vs and confirming vs against our greate and grieuous weakenesse which the Lorde for his mercie sake doe If you will proceed in order the word Trespasses is next The Greeke wordes which the holie Ghost hath vsed in these places here noted are diuerse yet tending to the same matter that he will not giue
although God tempt and leade into temptation yet neuer tempteth he any man to euill And why S. Iames giueth the reason for God can not be tempted with euill neither teÌ„pteth he any man to witte vnto euill that is he desireth not euill and therefore he can not be the author of euill doing in vs. Non de exploratione sed de incitatione ad peccandum loquitur Jacobus S Sames speaketh not of the temptations of tryall but of stirrings vp vnto euill sayth an interpreter And it is apparant enough Nowe of the next worde if you will to wit temptation It is a woorde that will minister much matter profitable for the Lords children to bee stil better and better acquainted withall whilst they liue And I coulde happely wish to speake so of it as most of this company might most bee benefited and euery man at one time or an other in one thing or an other feele mee in his bosome But such grace is the Lordes to giue and not mine nor any mans to take and therefore with humble commending both my spéech and your profitte to his most mercifull direction let vs set vpon this treatise It is therefore sayd of the learned that tentatio est opus diaboli qua homines pios vel per instillationem cogitationum malarum aut per obiectorum occasionem vel per vitiosae naturae inclinationem affectus vel per res secundas aut aduersas solicitat impellit ad peccata calamitates deo permittente vt aut certo iudicio propter peccata puniantur aut explorata probata fide eorum constantia coronam vitae accipiant That is temptation is a worke of the deuil whereby he soliciteth and driueth men vnto sins and miseries either by infusion of vile thoughtes into them or by meanes of obiects layd before them or by inclination of their corrupt nature and affections GOD suffering him either that their sinnes by iust iudgements may haue their due punishments or else their fayth and constancie a due crowne of life after that it hath bene tried made manifest This distinction or description rather will fully by all his partes appeare either by the story of Iob of Dauid or by diuers others in this treatise if you marke it Agayne it is sayd of them also that temptations bee of two sorts generally Tentatio probationis tentatio perditionis The temptation of tryall and the temptation of perdition according to which diuision Cyprian may be thought to haue spoken when he sayd Potestas dupliciter Satanae aduersus nos datur vel ad poenam cùm delinquimus vel ad gloriam cum probamur Power is giuen to Satan against vs after two sorts to wit either for punishment when wee offend or for glory when wee are tryed But desiring altogether a very great playnnes in this matter for diuers causes I choose rather an other diuision obserued also of sâ—â—ne to say that temptations are of three sortes to wit either of God of man or of Satan For all these are sayd to tempt And according to these seuerall authors as it were of temptations the word is diuersly and in seuerall significations taken When God in the Scripture is sayd to tempt then is the word taken and commonly translated in English to prooue or to trye because that the drift of the Lord is thereby not to hurt by leading to euill for so GOD tempteth not Iam. 1. but to make open knowne by tryall either to our selues or to the world or to both either our corruption and malice against him or else our faith and patience and many vertues Thus is it sayd of Abraham in Genesis After these things God did prooue Abraham c. What was this proouing or tempting of Abraham but a mercifull opening both to Abraham himselfe and to all other euen to vs at this day what a wonderfull measure of fayth loue and zeale to his God he had vouchsafed vnto Abraham So that both he sawe then and we see now what neithâ—r we nor happely he himselfe knew till after this tryal or temptation had had his place This reade we againe in the lawe Then sayd the Lorde to Moses Beholde I will cause breade to rayne from heauen to you and the people shal go out and gather that that is sufficieÌ„t for euery day that I may proue them whether they will walke in my lawe or no. That is that it may appeare both to themselues and others whether receiuing but that which is sufficient only for one day at once they will patiently depend vpon my prouidence from day to day Probat enim Deus homines noÌ„ quasi ipse experimento indigeat sed quò magis seipsos norint posita omni arrogantia inani persuasione humiliter se in posterum Deo submittaÌ„t For God proueth not sayth one as though he had need of any tryall to knowe any of vs all but that men may themselues thereby knowe better what is in them and laying aside al arrogancie and vayne perswasion humbly submit themselues afterwarde to God Againe when at the giuing of the lawe the people sawe the thunders and lightnings the sounde of the trumpet the mountayne smoking and for feare thereof fled c. then Moses sayd to the people Feare not for God is come to proue you and that his feare may be before you that yee sinne not Again in Deutronomy Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God lead thee this fortie yeeres in the wildernes for to humble thee and to proue thee to know what was in thy heart whether thou wouldest keepe his commaundements or no. For in affliction either by patiently abyding or by vngodly grudging and repyning wee shewe what was in vs though hiddeÌ„ before Most playnely agayne in the thirteenth chapter If there arise among you a Prophet a dreamer of dreams giue thee a signe or wonder and the signe or the wonder come to passe which he hath told thee saying let vs go after other Gods which thou hast not knowne and let vs serue them Thou shalt not hearken vnto the woordes of the Prophet or vnto that dreamer of dreames for the Lord your God proueth you to know whether ye loue the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soule Last of all in the booke of Iudges I will no more sayth the Lord cast out before them any of the nations which Ioshua left when he dyed and why it followeth in the next verse That through them I may proue Israel whether they will keepe the way of the Lorde to walke therein as their fathers kept it or not Thus doe we see then howe the Lord is sayd to tempt man namely when by such meanes as pleaseth him hee tryeth and prooueth man not to winne any knowledge to himselfe that hee had not before for how should he that made the heart bee ignorant of any thing