either be assaulted by their Sophismes or shal heare their argumentes maie the more easilie both dissolue and abhorre them Theie saie therefore by an argument à diuisione The Saintes are without both original actual sinnes Ergo theie haue no sinne For confirmation of their false antecedent theie first labour to proue that theie are without original sinne and that by this argument That sin which is forgiueÌ„ remaineth not But Baptisme is à seale to assure the consciences of the faithful that original sinne is forgiuen Therfore it remaneth not And if it doth not remane then are the Saintes without original sinne The Maior is vntrue For original yea al sinnes are forgiuen through the obedience of Christ. For he being iust did suffer for the vniust and hath taken-awaie the sinnes of the world so y â— by his stripes theie are healed and sanctified by his bloud Yet remaineth though there raigneth not much wickednes yea in the godlie as both concupiscence of the hart and other sinnes Which sinnes although theie remane in them are not to their hurt because theie beleeue in him that iustifieth the vngodlie For their faith is counted for righteousnesse and theie are in God his sight pure holie and faultlesse Wherof it is that Theie are pronounced Blessed not which are without sinnes but whose iniquities are forgiuen not theie which are pure from al wickednes but whose sinnes are couered Secondlie to proue that theie are without actual sinne thus theie reason Where there is no condemnation there is no sinne To the Saints there is no condemnation Therefore in the saintes there is no sinne I aunswere vnto the Maior where there is no condemnation there is no sinne vnto death For the sinnes of them which are in Christ Iesus are venial or pardoned or blotted-out euen as though they had neuer bene committed Notwithstanding they are suffered to be in the godlie yea and to assaile them sore that they may continuallie beare in mind howe much they are bound vnto God and stil seeke to please him whose helpe they stande alwaies in neede of For the flesh lusteth against the spirit and as the prouerbe is he is liuelesse that is faultlesse And yet who shal laie anie thing to the charge of Gods chosen it is God that iustifieth who shal condemne so that there is no condemnation to the faithful not because they are cleare from al contagion of wickednes but for that their sinnes are not imputed vnto them For mans righteousnes is Gods mercie Againe saie they Whosoeuer is borne of God sinneth not But the saints are borne of God Therefore the saints do not sinne For the better answering this argument it is to be considered that y e saints haue à double generation one à carnal of their earthly parents y e other a spiritual of God according to the diuersitie wherof theie are carried diuerslie partlie with humaine and partly with diuine cogitations By the carnal generation their flesh lusteth against the spirit by the spiritual the spirite lusteth against the flesh by the carnal they sinne in manie things by the spiritual theie shewe their faith by their works by the carnal theie are sinners by y â— spiritual they abide in God auoid sinne because theie are the sonnes of God Therefore saith Augustine consume that wherebie we are the sonnes of the flesh and of the world and that wil come vnto perfection wherebie we are the sonnes of God redeemed in the spirite This made the same Iohn to saie Dearelie beloued now are we the sonnes of god but yet it doth not appeare what we shalbe What meaneth this We are and we shalbe but onelie that we are in hope but shalbe indeede For afterwarde hee saith wee know that when he shal appeare we shalbe like him for we shal see him as he is Therefore we both nowe haue begun to bee like him in this world because we enioie the first fruits of the spirit and are yet vnlike him through the remnants of the olde man Then so fâ—â—forth as we are like him so farforth we are through the regeneration of the spirite the sonnes of God but by howe much we are vnlike him by so much we are the sonnes of the flesh and of the worlde In respect of the one wee cannot sinne but in respect of the other if we saie that we haue no sinne wee deceiue our selues and so Augustine Bernard answereth vnto the maior on this wise Whosoeuer is borne of God sinneth not that is saith he resteth not in sinne or sinneth not that is it is so much as if he did not sinne Because sinne is not imputed vnto him Wherefore to conclude mine answere vnto this argument I saie with Augustine So long as through patience we hope for the redemption of our bodies let vs neuer haue the faces to saie wee haue no sinne least that arrogancie of minde bee a most hainous offence Moreouer they reason thus It is the commandement of God Do this that is fulfil the commandements and thou shalt liue The saints doe liue that is in the eies of God they are blessed Ergo they fulfil the commandementes of God Hereunto I answere first the argument is false For it is no good reasoÌ„ They should therefore theie doe keepe the commandements or they are commaunded to fulfil therefore they do fulfil the lawes of God Secondly the commaundementes are fulfilled two manner of waies by Christ and by our selues By our selues we could neuer keepe them and therefore Christ hath fulfilled theÌ„ on our behalfe For that that was vnpossible to the lawe saith Paul in asmuch as it was weake because of the flesh God sending his own sonne in the similitude of sinful flesh and for sinne coÌ„demned sin in the flesh that the righteousnes might bee fulfilled in vs which walke not after the flesh but after the spirit Last of al vnto the minor I saie The saints do liue but not through any righteousnes which they haue done or for their keeping the Lawe it is by their faith in the bloude of Christ for so saith Paul Furthermore they obiect The saints be righteous Ergo they do not sinne If this argumeÌ„t be meant of the saints in heauen it is true but if otherwise I denie the same For the saints in this world be righteous and yet sinners Righteous because God accepteth them for righteous and righteous not absolutelie but in respect of other men So was Noah righteous but in his generation and y e Publicane righteous but rather than the Pharisie and the spouse of Christ fairest but among women And so the saints in this world before others rather than the wicked among men be righteous but simplie without al comparison righteous or without sinne they are not For in
manner Tho. Hil Read the litle treatise intituled A viewe of examples if thou haue the French tongue reade also the Booke intituled Des grands redoutables iugemens punitions de dieu aduenus au monde c. and there thou shalt see that punishments haue bine executed vpon some one or other for the violating of euerie commandement of the Lord. The which and such like examples God he sendeth daie by daie that men should know consider how that maie happen vnto euerie forsworne blasphemous wicked person which happeneth to anie Finalie God as he iudgeth particularlie some for some special sinnes so he iudgeth vniuersalie al men when he taketh them out of this worlde by death For the wages of sinne is death Of which sith euerie man is guiltie no man escapeth the punishment of sinne which is death For it is the condition of al times Thou shalt die the death And it is appointed vnto men that theie shal once die For so much as al men haue sinned But the law of the spirite of life which is in Christ Iesus hath freed vs from the lawe of sinne and of death whie therfore doe we die and are not forth-with clothed with immortalitie I aunswere with Bernard It is that the trueth of God maie be fulfilled For seeing God loueth mercie and trueth man is to die because he prophecied that he should yet shal rise-againe least God seeme to forget his mercie So therfore death although it beare not dominion alwaie yet notwithstanding it abideth for the trueth of Gods sake or for à time in vs euen as sinne although it nowe raigneth not in our mortal bodies yet are wee not without the same The thirde manner of God his iudgements is both by himself by man too As when he not onelie suffreth y e Magistrate to punish the bodies but also himselfe tormenteth y e minds of malefactors by himselfe Exāples of which his iustice I wil recite two one shalbe of à murtherer executed at Vienna named Paul the other of Muntzer the traitor put to death in Germanie For Paul hauing not onelie robbed his owne master of that monie which with great paines and toile he had gathered for the reliefe of him and his in necessitie but also murthered to make his waie sure first his felowe workman then à maide seruant then his master next his mistres and last of al à poore young infant à maiden childe and being miraculouslie by God himselfe apprehended at Ratisbone à citie distant from Vienna 50 Germane miles deliuered into the hands of the magistrate by them conueied to the place where that horrible fact was perpetrated and there according to the lawes of that countrie adiudged vnto à most bitter death amid his paines which were most greeuous to fleshe and blood he openlie confessed y t al his bodilie torments did not so much afflict his flesh as the last wordes of the poore infant and innocent whome among the rest he had murthered did torment his minde For when he came with bloodie hands to kil her y e sweet babe entreated him earnestlie to saue her promising y e best thinges which she had for a recompence of his mercie in these words O Paul good Paul do not thou kil me and thou shalt haue al my poppets whensoeuer thou wilt Those words from the time hee had murthered her were as corosies at his heart and at his death as the paines of hel to his soule so testifieth à good and à godlie wtiter Muntzer also being readie to be put vnto death for raising the poore Countrie-men in Germanie against their leige Lordes and gouernours was so vexed in minde that such as stoode by him when he was to be executed might sensiblie heare his heart to pant shake and beate-againe so did God for his part shewe his iudgement vpon him for his wickednes as witnesseth D. George Maior CHAP. 12. Whether al the wicked are punished in this worlde and whie theie are suffered in the opinion of man to florish IF God then so fauour iustice some wil saie he should iudge and punish al the wicked in this world He should in deede and he doth For there is not à wicked man vpō the earth whome God in his iustice one waie or oother either by his Magistrates or by himselfe either by his secrete or by his open iudgements either by an accusing conscience or by casting him of into à reprobate minde either by sickenes or by pouertie by aduersitie or by prosperitie doth not punish But it maie be obiected to haue à guiltie conscience is an heauie crosse and to be vtterlie forsaken of the Lorde and possessed of Satan is of al the sorest plague which can fal-vpon man in this world aduersitie also is à grieuous punishment but that prosperitie can be à crosse that is a Paradoxe in the opinion of the world I grant it is so For so theie haue alwaies thought Therefore the Romans with Cicero the enimies of Iob the aduersaries of Paul in their owne eies were the Turks as theie thinke themselues are happie And why The Romans had al the world as it were in subiection Iob his enimies liued at their heartes ease Paul his aduersaries were not touched with aduersitie as theie thought y e Turks doe florish Wheras contrariwise y e Iewes with Cicero Iob euen of his friendes Paul of the barbarous people Christians of the Turkes are iudged accurssed But whie The nation of the Iewes are vanquished are carried from their natiue countrie are deteined in captiuitie said Cicero Iob was in miserie And who euer perished being an innocent or when were the godlie destroied saide the fained friends of Iob Paul had a viper vpon his hande Therefore he is à murtherer and though hee haue escaped the sea yet vengance wil not suffer him to liue saide barbarous people Christians are but fewe for number and for power nothing so mightie as they haue bene theie endure much affliction and trobles in respect of others therefore they are not the sonnes of God saith Mahomet These are the rash and sinister opinions of the world When god sendeth prosperitie hee loueth but when aduersitie doth come hee hateth But the godlie are of an other minde For albeit when such as feare God enioie prosperitie they thinke it an argument of his fauor yet when the wicked haue the same in their iudgemēt it is a token of his displeasure Therefore Augustine in à certaine place doth saie The men of this world are vnhappilie happie that is in their wealth theie are poore in their health sicke and in their felicity they are accurssed For when the Lord seemeth not to be angrie at al with the wicked he is most displeased So Bernard when God is not angrie as mē thinke he is most angrie And this may appeare to be true both in the Romans in respect of the
of the 24. and 25. of Matthewe the first and the 17. of the Actes the 17. and the 21. of Luke the 2. Thessal 1 and the Epistle of Saint Iude. In al which places mention is made of the vtter destruction of the worlde and of the seconde comming of our Sauiour vnto the general iudgement and proue as wel that the daie of iudgement is come as that text where it is said Beholde I sende mine Angel or messenger which shal prepare the waie or make plaine the path before Me set afore most of their Bookes doth proue that H. N. is the messenger of Christ. Thus much against the Familie of Loue and this one opinion of theirs as wicked as it is strange and vnheard-of vntil these late yeares CHAP. 7. Against the fauorers of Hymeneus and Philetus who saide that the resurrection is alredie past AS had S. Paul in his time Hymeneus and Philetus so haue we in our time such as fauor Hymeneus and Philetus namelie the Familie of Loue who denie the iudgement to come and saie the resurrection is past Yet so I woulde not write of them did not both Christopher Vitel and also H. N. himselfe auouch the same For saith Vitel The Lord hath accomplished according to his promises through the spirite of Christ in him namely H.N. al that he hath spoken through the mouth of his seruants the Prophets And in this daie are al Prophecies fulfilled saith H.N. himselfe In which two places although expresse mention bee not made either of the iudgement or comming of Christ yet in that they saie Al Prophecies are fulfilled and that the Lord hath accomplished al that he hath spoken through the mouth of his seruants the Prophets they do comprehend the iudgement and comming of Christ so wel as anie thing els For the Prophets haue foretolde thereof As the Prophet Isaiah the Prophet Ezekiel the Prophet Daniel and others If therefore whatsoeuer the Lorde hath spoken by his seruantes the Prophets be fulfilled and the Lord hath fore-tolde by his seruants y e Prophets of à general resurrection iudgement and seconde comming of Christ Then is the resurrection iudgement and seconde comming of Christe come and past already euen by the verie words of the arch-pillers of the Familie Yet would I not thinke that so wretchedlie theie do erre had I not read that one of the Familie gaue-out that Christe was already come For one of the Familie being asked before manie witnesses touching Christ his comming vnto iudgement did answere plainlie that he was alreadie come Neither yet should I so conceiue of thē did I not finde that not onelie H.N. himselfe was but also the Lords deade are alreadie raised-againe Which opinion theie woulde neuer stand-in or defend if theie did thinke anie other resurrection to be than onelie à rising from sinne à casting-of of the olde man and à putting-on of the newe But as Hymeneus and Philetus were deceaued for y t theie deuided not the word of God aright so the Familie of Loue do so perilouslie erre because theie vnder stand not the worde of God aright For did theie so theie would confesse and beleeue not à single but à double not à spiritual onelie but à corporal resurrection also wherof the one which is spiritual must go before the other that is corporal Wherefore to auoide the error of the aboue mentioned we are to beare in minde y t there is à twofold resurrection of the dead one spiritual of the mind the other corporal of the bodie When I saie there is à spiritual resurrection I meane not that the Soule or Spirite can die and be raised vp-againe For the soule is immortal But the spiritual resurrection is when à man who was dead in sinne through the preaching of the Gospel is reclamed frō the death of vngodlines vnto life that is vnto faith and knowledge of Christ wherebie he is made à new creature According as Irenaeus doth saie Agnitio Dei renouat hominem that is the knowledge of God maketh à new-man For as there is à double death to wit à spiritual and à corporal so is there á double resurrection He is spiritualie dead though he seeme healthful in bodie who is à blasphemer à traitor an adulterer an vserer à murtherer c. For he is as à dead man in the sight of God Euen as we count him who either hath done some horrible fact worthie death against the lawes of man or else is condemned to die but for à dead man because he standeth at y e mercie of the magistrate either to be saued or cast-awaie as our phrase is He therefore who by the preaching of the Gospel is sorie for his sinnes and beleeueth that through the bloode of Christ al his offences are washed and wypt-awaie and through the virtue of his faith doth so fight against his wicked affections that he is become à newe man that is of à blasphemer à continual praiser of God of rebellions obedient of incontinent pure and chast of an vserer à free lender yea à liberal giuer of à murtherer à careful preseruer of mē c. this man I saie through the power of the holie Ghost is raised from the death of sinne and risen with Christ. Which spiritual resurrection as euennowe I saide must goe-before the corporal resurrection For vnlesse we arise spiritualie by Faith vnto newnes of life let vs not looke to rise-againe corporalie vnto eternal life For our Sauior doth doth saie Theie shal come-foorth that haue done good vnto the resurrection of life but theie that haue done euil vnto the resurrection of condemnation So then if anie man desire to liue eternaly in the sight of God and to be à partaker of the felicitie to come let him first arise from sinne beleeue that his offences are pardoned through the death of Christ and spende the time he hath in this worlde godlie righteouslie and soberlie and assuredlie he shalbe raised at the second resurrection vnto eternal life The corporal death is when as the soule doth forsake the bodie and the bodie returneth vnto duste where out it was taken Which bodie we Christians doe beleeue shal rise-againe at the daie of iudgement But the fauorers of Hymeneus Philetus wil not be so perswaded to thinke And therefore because theie vnderstande not the Scriptures aright theie holde that there is onelie à spiritual resurrection But the Scripture doth so wel speake of à corporal as of à spiritual For as it is written ye which were dead in sinnes and in the vncircumcision of your flesh hath he quickened-together with him which is the spiritual so is it wtitten The dead shalbe raised-vp incoruptible and we shalbe changed For this corruptible must put on incorruption this mortal must put on immortalitie which is
the corporal resurrectiō And as it is writtē If ye be risen with Christ seeke those things which are aboue which is y e spiritual So is it wtitten I am sure that my redeemer liueth he shal stand the last on the earth And though after my skin wormes destroie this bodie yet shal I see God in my flesh Whome I my selfe shal see and mine eies shal beholde none other for me though my reines be consumed within me which are the corporal Which difference theie marke not and therfore they goe-astraie and haue made shipwracke as concerning faith CHAP. 8. Against the Saturnians Valentinians and such like whoe denie the resurrection of the flesh AN hard thing it is to make flesh and blood beleeue that there shalbe à resurrection of the flesh Therefore haue theie who defended the affirmatiue part had manie aduersaries Much contradiction saith Cyril yet but one trueth Grecians denie it Samaritanes beleeue it not Heretikes saie it shal not be And al of them to proue their vane opinions doe bring either reason as theie thinke or scripture Their reasons are these Man dieth rotteth is eatē-vp of wormes which wormes also doe perish Seeing therefore the body so putrifieth and perisheth how can it rise-again Manie are drowned and deuoured of fishes which fishes afterwarde perchance be taken and eaten-vp Howe then shal the whole bodie arise These and manie moe idle imaginations which of purpose I ouer-passe theie bring-foorth to proue the impossibilitie of the bodies resurrection Vnto which S. Cyril as in other places christianlie so most diuinelie in his 18. Catecheis doth answere to this effect Thou which we beleeuest not those things which are written concerning the resurrection being carnalie minded look-vpon earthlie and material thinges and thou shalt see most notable examples of the resurrection Beholde the seede which is sowen how doth it spring-afresh and florish if it putrifie if it putrifie not it would neuer spring Which seede is created for vs and our vse not for it selfe Shal therefore that which is made for man being euen dead spring-afresh and shal not man himselfe rise-againe when he is dead Looke somewhat higher vpon the trees consider them as theie are in the winter season and consider them as theie are in Sommer In the winter theie are dead without both leaues and fruite in the Sommer most goodlie to beholde either with greene leaues or goodlie fruite or with both For God who knoweth thine hardnes of heart euerie yeere setteth à resurrection before thine eies that by thinges without soule thou mightest beleuee the resurrectiō of reasonable mē which haue soules Looke higher yet vpon heauen and thou shalt finde à most euident proofe of the resurrection The Moone sometime is in the waine and sometime at the ful sometime it is bright as daie and sometime red as blood Which thing God doth saith Cyril that thou man consisting of blood shouldest not doubt of the resurrection of the dead and that thou shouldest beleeue that of thie selfe which thou seest happen to the Moone in heauen With manie other both strong and Christian arguments doth Cyril in that fore-saide place ouerthrow the foolishe opinion of fleshlie minded men the which either because I studie to bee brief or for that I know these by me now alledged be sufficient to preuaile with à man anie whit reasonable I omit confuting their error concluding this point with an excellēt place of Irenaeus which is this Theie therefore denie the power of God and see not the trueth who looke vpon the weakenes of the flesh and consider not his power who raised it from the dead For if he doe not quicken that which is mortal neither make that incorrupt which is corruptible God is not almightie But inasmuch as in al these things he is mightie we should think-vpon and cal into minde our beginning For God tooke duste of the grounde and made man And vndoubtedlie more harde and incredible is it to make man yea and à liuing and reasonable man too of bones and sinewes and veines and forme which neuer was before then to raise-againe that which sometime was beeing dissolued into earth for those reasons aboue mentioned yea though it returne vnto that whereof at the first he made him to be who was not when he thought good much more wil he now that willinglie restore thē whe sometime were into that life which he giueth Hitherto Irenaeus The principal place of scripture wherby theie would proue that the body shal not rise-againe is this Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdome of God Which place maketh no whit to their purpose For y e Apostle in that whole chapter wherout that text was taken as no where else so forceablie proueth the resurrection of the flesh What therefore doth the Apostle meane by these words Flesh and blood cānot inherit the kingdome of God Is it that so manie as are not regenerated by the holie Ghost shal neuer be partakers of heauenly cōsolation or equiualent with that of our Sauiour He that beleeueth not shal not see life but the wrath of God abideth vpon him yes vndoubtedlie Of which iudgement Irenaeus is as appeareth in these his wordes The Apostle adhorting vs vnto the participation of the spirit according to the reasons aboue mētioned did saie Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdome of God As if he should saie Be not deceiued for vnles the word of God abide the Spirit of the Father be in you vanelie as it falleth out ye haue spent the time so being blood and flesh ye cannot inherit the kingdome of God This to the ende we should not refuse the ingraffing of the spirit by following fauoring the flesh And thou being saith he à wild oliue wast graffed into the good oliue and made partaker of the fatnesse of the Oliue As therefore à wilde Oliue if being ingraffed it continue as first it was is cut-waie but if it keepe the ingraffing and change into the nature of à good oliue it beareth fruite as though it were planted in the paradise of à king so mē if through faith they profit in godlines take the spirit of God prosper in bringing-out fruit of the same they shalbe spiritual as it were planted in Gods paradise But if theie refuse the spirit and abide as theie were at first liking better of the flesh than of the spirite thē rightlie it is saide of such Flesh and blood shal not inherit the kingdome of God Againe y e more fullie to answere them I saie the word Flesh hath not alwaies one signification in the holie scripture Frr somtime it is properlie taken as the nature therof doth import for à masse substāce of flesh as where Paul faith Al flesh is not the same flesh but there is one flesh of mē another of beasts another of fishes and another of birds
Iewes in Iob his friends as they were called in respect of Iob in the barbarous people in respect of Paul and in the Turkes at this day in respect of Christians For who were out of God his fauour more than the Romans than Iobs friends than Paul his aduersaries and who more miserable in deede than the Turkes notwithstanding their prosperitie And such is the state of the wicked at al times Then whie doth the Lorde suffer the wicked in the sight of men to florish and whie doth hee not in iustice confounde them speedilie and vtterlie Sundrie reasons may be giuen hereof For either of his wisedome he thinketh it no due time as yet to punish them or of his mercie he spareth them because they shoulde repent or in his iustice hee hath quite forsaken them In his wisedome he spared Sodome vntil the sinnes therof were exceeding ripe and cried-up to heauē for vengeance in his mercie he spared y e old world an hundred twenty yeeres that theie might amende g in his iustice oftentimes he spareth the wicked in this present world because he hath giuen them ouer into reprobate minds and reserued thē for euer-during torments in the life to come So doe good Physicions suffer such to haue their wils with-out gaine-saying them who are past recouerie But as they who are so desperatelie sicke in bodie are nigh vnto death so they whom God for saketh and leaueth to their owne hists are nigh vnto damnation And as calues the fatter they be the nigher they are to be killed and as trees the bigger there are the more vnfruitful the nighter to bee hewen-downe so the prosperitie of the vngodlie is an vndoubted argument of their destruction at hande Which punishment of their shal thē by so much be the more grieuous intolerable by howe much the time was great before the Lord executed his iudgment Phatao is a notable example hereof For hee was long spared but at the length ouerwhelmed in the red sea So is Balthasar who in the middes of his iolitie came to destruction But they which are best knowen and most of al to be noted are Sodom and the old world the one whereof was vtterlie consumed with fire the other drowned with water both special examples of the sudden and vtter damnation of the vngodlie CAP. 13. Causes whie the godlie doe endure such miserie and troubles in this worlde FVrthermore it maie bee demanded Whie such as feare God of al others most zelouslie and fauour religion best suffer such miserie and affliction in this present world as they do I answere one cause is in them-selues through their zeale of godlinesse they chuse it another in Satan their enimie through his malice against them hee seeketh it à third in God who partlie of his wisedome and of his iustice partlie doth send it For to speake seueralie of these causes somewhat doubtles the godlie endure affliction oftentimes when wold they but assēt vnto sin or consēt vnto the wicked they migh florish in al outwarde happines and worldly as they cal it felicitie But for that they haue the feare of God alway before their eies and thinke-upon the valor-both of religion virtue they chuse rather to be afflicted for righteousnes sake then either for wickednes to be aduanced or that the glorie of their profession should be blemished Herebie manie endure displeasure which might haue fauor manie suffer pouertie which might be rich manie be obscure which might be of countenance and manie are in great aduersitie that might doe wel in the worlde So Michaiah for speaking the truth faithfullie without flatterie Daniel for seruing the true God zelously with out hypocrisie olde Eleazer for obseruing the holie Lawes of his God religiouslie Ioseph for his loialtie to his master ward and such like both were punished and are daily afflicted Of which their inuincible courages manifold commodities do arise For first in so doing albeit they lacke outwarde comfort of the world yet they haue the inward ioie of a good conseience which as Salomon saith is a continual feast Secondlie they giue testimonie vnto the worlde how they fauor Christianitie religiō not of hypocrisie or in worldlie respectes but of pure zeale and that theie regarde those wordes of our Sauior Whosoeuer shal confesse me before men him wil I confesse also before my Father which is in heauen But whosoeuer shal denie me before men him wil I also denie before my father which is in heauen Againe He that loueth father and mother more than mee is not worthie of me And he that loueth sonne or daughter more than me is not worthie of me And he that taketh not his crosse and followeth mee is not worthie of me He that wil saue his life shal lose it and he that loseth it for my sake shal saue it Thirdlie manie-times therebie theie winne such as are without make them to glorifie God to forsake either their naughtie life if theie haue beene sinners or their idols and errors if theie haue beene superstitious And last of al theie both encourage the weake and confirme the strong in good motions by their examples Again considering how it is impossible to please God and in the world to florish too and that such thinges as delight the bodie are extreme enimies to the soule theie voluntarilie abandon al occasions that maie with-drawe them from God or quench the zeale of virtue within thē Whereof it is that theie doe yea it cannot be but theie must suffer manie troubles as Lactantius noteth For it is verie hard to be holie in this worlde and happie too Therefore theie doe chuse and willinglie for welth pouertie for pleasure paine for à florishing state affliction and though theie doe neither with Democritus pluck-out their eies nor with Spurina deface their faces nor with the Monches liue by them-selues nor with the superstitious Iesuites whip their owne corpses yet with Saint Paul theie beate downe their bodies that their flesh preuaile not ouer the spirite Furthermore insomuch as the diuel is for power mightie in that hee is à Prince and his hatred is deadlie because there is enimitie betweene his seede and the godlie and his crueltie vnsatiable being à dracon and his subtleties manifolde because he is a serpent maruel it is not though the saincts of God in this worlde wherein theie are but strangers enioie neither such ease nor such honor nor such prosperitie as the wicked doe Notwithstanding whatsoeuer the diuel doth against them it is because God doth either sende him or suffer him And therefore although his hatred be mortal his crueltie extreeme and his subtleties past finding-out yet can he doe nothing to hurt the godlie without God permit So that his wil is nought but his power is good For his wicked wil is of himselfe but he