by reading hearing meditating and hiding it in your hearts and applying it as occasion is offered to answere and to put off any evill temptations Thus Christ himselfe did doe Mat. 4. Thus he taught Iohn Ioh. 5. at the 39 verse and so doe we saying with Christ scrutamini scripturas search the scriptures let the word of God dwell in you plenteously in all wisdome Colos 3. 16. Lastly to make all sure and to furnish your selues with the compleate armour of God let us ioyne incessant prayer to all these praying alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance as the Apostle exhorteth v. 18. verè coelestis armatura est deprecatio quae Deo funditur saith Chrysostome De orando Deum Lib. 1. that is prayer unto God is the very armour of God indeed a heauenly armour for by this we call and get God all the hoste of heaven to be of our side to helpe us against temptations and to deliver us from evill By this Paul obtained helpe and grace against inward temptations the thorne in the flesh 2. Cor. 12. 7. 8. 9. By this Moses obtained helpe of God against outward tribulations the army of the Amalekites Exod. 17. 11. and this also is the way for us to obtaine helpe against the enemie yea and without this no victory When we haue provided all that we can and all is done except Moses hold up his hands Amaleck will prevaile Lift up holy hands unto God as the Apostle teacheth 1. Tim. 2. 8. Pray alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the spirit pray with private prayer unto God and pray with publike prayer The prayer of one righteous man availeth much Iam. 5. 16. but the prayer of many righteous men availeth more vis unita fortior two are better then one a ioynt armie will doe more then two or three men Where two or three are gathered together there is Christ but where more there he is more gratiously Act. 2. 1. forsake not then the assembling of your selves together to common prayer as the manner of some is Heb. 10. 25. but come to the habitation of Gods house and the place where his honour dwelleth the Temple and their come not to heare a sermon only but to pray publike prayers for we must pray with all prayer and supplication with private and publike in the secret closet Mat. 6. 6. and in the publike Sanctuary Psal 150. 1. and we must doe this in the spirit too as the Apostle saith that is not out of fashion but of pure devotion not out of fained lips but with a true and syncere heart Heb. 10. 22. yea and we must watch hereunto with all perseverance without this the Devill will not away he is not cast out but by fasting and prayer yea and watching too Mat. 26. 41. watch therefore and pray that ye enter not into temptation or if ye doe enter that ye be not overcome but delivered from the evil thereof Mat. 6. 13. These be the severall pieces of the armour of God with these we must arme our selues fight if ever we will prevaile in this spirituall warfare It is not here as in the bodily warfare illic enim humanis viribus resistitur gladius opponitur gladio homo cum homine confligit vis vim ars artem excipit In the bodily warfare men doe commonly resist their adversaries with such weapons as their enemies doe impugne them withall but here alia est ratio 't is otherwise as Calvin notes upon the place In the spirituall warfare if we fight against Sathan and his complices with such weapons as they use in fighting against us then we are gone That is if we render evill for evill and rebuke for rebuke and give as good as they bring as the saying is then we are foyled by Sathan and his power For Quid interest inter provocantem provocatum Saith Tertullian that is what difference is there betweene him that doth provoke to evill and him that is provoked to evill by ill words or deeds Nisi quod ille prior in maleficio deprehenditur ille posterior But that one sinnes first and the other next And so both are foyled by Sathan causing them both to sinne We must not then fight with Sathan and his complices with such weapons as they bring rendring evill for evill or rebuke for rebuke But if we will fight to overcome we must not be overcome of evill but overcome evill with good Rom. 12. 21. That is if our enemies curse as they doe sometimes with bell booke and candle we must not curse againe but blesse If they persecute we must not persecute againe but pray for them and doe good to them that hurt us Mat. 5. 44. Against spirituall harmes we must use spirituall armes Against the works of darknes we must put on the armor of light that is vertues against vices As David being to fight with Goliah did cast from him the armour of Saul and tooke to him weapons farre unlike those that Goliah brought against him So must we when we goe out in the name of God against that uncircumcised Philistine we must cast from us carnall weapons and put on the armour of God even the grace of God his manifold graces as a compleate armour And namely and specially these graces here mentioned as the grace of truth and syncerity of religion the grace of righteousnesse and upright conversation the grace of preparation and purpose of heart to professe and practise according to the Gospell of peace the grace of faith in the promises of God in Christ the grace of hope and expectation of the promises beleeved the word of grace the grace of prayer and supplication to God both publike and private These graces are the armour of God and they are so called by way of comparison with corporall armour as that because they are given us of God for our defence against our spirituall enemies as that is against our corporall and are defensive and offensive both as other armours are and doe declare the bearers and wearers thereof to be the servants and souldiours of Christ as mens armour and coates shew to what Captaine they belong to and they are the meanes which we must use and whereby we must fight against our spirituall enemies as corporall armour is the meanes that we must use and fight in against our corporall enemies But herein as there is a paritie or liknesse so there is a great disparity or unlikenesse betwixt these and other corporall armour for that many times is not sufficient and therefore broken in pieces but this is alwayes sufficient so saith the Lord to this Apostle in another place my grace is sufficient for thee 2. Cor. 12. v. 9. Take then unto your selves this whole and sufficient armour of God these speciall graces here mentioned But here it may be enquired may not we also take the armour of men
we must haue some other meanes even the strength of the Lord. And therefore the Apostle saith be strong in the Lord v. 10. We must haue other armour then our owne to fight in even the armour of God And therefore the Apostle saith put on the armour of God that ye may be able to stand in the evill day which is the true meanes of the Conquest and the last point To overcome in this warre we must put on Gods armour not the armour of the flesh for cursed is he that maketh flesh his arme Ier. 17. 5. Not the armour of the world for our enemies are worldly Governours and the chiefe of them the Prince of this world Ioh. 2. 31. Not the armour of the Devill as Popish exorcisme Superstitious crossing Holy water Masses Diriges Crucifixes Consecrated hosts Graines Oyle Reliques of Saints Agni Dei and such like trumperie which the Papists use Not the woodden dagger of fabulous histories or the rusty scabberd of old traditions as the same Romanists use These are weapons of the Devills owne making and forging not of Gods appointing here are none of these among the armor of God yet here is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the whole armor of God Againe we may not use charmes and such like which coniurers use here are none of these mentioned These are the Devills watchword not Gods word this is to cast out the Devill by Belzebub not by the finger of God further we may not use wanton sonets thundring oathes or mad mirth as carnall protestants doe nor yet lyes and libels as undiscreet schismaticks doe and the Papists also who call their lyes and cheating tricks Pias fraudes godly deceits These are the Devills weapons and engines framed in his shop who is a lyer from the beginning and giuen at his appointment and therefore little feared by him These are not the weapons that we must fight with or if fight that we can over come with no no he that trusts in his owne strength shall proue weake like Goliah or in his owne wit shall proue a foole like a Achitophell or in his righteousnesse shall prove most unrighteous as the Pharisees before whom the Publicans and sinners repenting of their owne unrighteousnesse and relying by faith on the righteousnesse of Christ shall enter into the kingdome of heaven He that trust in Princes or any childe of man shall find true which Rabshaka spoke of the king of Egypt that they are but broken reeds to leane to He that trusts in his strong hold great wealth in his chariots horses forces in any thing besides God for his defence and safety shall find as little helpe and comfort in time of need as the Priests of Baal had of Baal at their need even none at all 1. Kings 18. 29. Outward meanes are good and necessary to be used but in no wise to be trusted in If we set them up in Gods roome they become very pernicious or most unprofitable specially if they be unwarrantable meanes While others then strengthen themselves in their owne might lane to their owne wisdome repose themselves on their owne righteousnesse betake themselves to their owne freedome follow their owne wayes trust to their owne forces let us with David remember the name of the Lord our God Psal 20. 7. And as the Apostle saith so say I unto you My Brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Put on the armour of God that is the grace of God For the weapons of our warfare are not carnall as the Apostle saith But spirituall even the grace of Gods spirit By this we are saved Ephes 2. 8. By this we stand 1. Pet. 1. 12. This is the armour of proofe that is mighty through God to the pulling downe of strong holds to the casting downe of imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it selfe against the knowledge of God and to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ 2. Cor. 10. 4 5. Give diligence then to arme and furnish your selves with grace that you may be able to encounter with your spirituall enemies and to withstand their assaults Take unto you the whole armour of God that is the manifold graces of Gods spirit all christian vertues and thereby adorne the understanding the will the affections aud the whole inner man And namely specially take unto you the graces vertues here mentioned commended unto us that is First take the girdle of truth that is the knowledge of the truth the true knowledge of the word of God which is the word of truth and thereby informe and adorne your understanding Danda inprimis operimis opera est ut Deum noscamus quotquot felices esse volumus The first thing that we must labour for is to know the truth that is it which is here first commended by the Apostle And it is the first charge which king David gave unto his sonne Solomon saying and thou Solomon my sonne know thou the God of thy fathers and serve him with a perfect heart and a willing mind c. hee bids his sonne serve God with a perfect heart but first hee bids him know him because without knowledge wee cannot serve him or at least not rightly and acceptably as we may see by the example of the Iewes Rom. 10. 2. who had the feare of God but not according to knowledge Without knowledge of the word of truth we know not where we are nor which way to goe to save our selves and to escape the enemy He that walketh in darknesse knoweth not whither he goeth saith Christ himselfe Ioh. 12. 35. And it is impossible till wee come to the knowledge of the truth that ever wee should come out of the snare of the Devill saith S. Paul 2. Tim. 2. 25. 26. Let us labour then first of all to know the truth out of the word of truth that thereby wee may discerne right from wrong And when we have knowne it let us gird our selves therewith that is sticke close to it and then feare not Vincet veritas Truth will prevaile for truth is great and mightie aboue all things 1. Esdras 4. 41. But this is not all that we must labour for that is to know and to speake the truth We must goe further and obey the truth and with Gajus walke in the truth 3. Ioh. 3. And namely in this truth of serving the Lord in righteousnesse so saith the Apostle in the next place put on the brest-plate of righteousnesse that is endeavour to keepe a cleare conscience voyd of offence towards God and towards man as S. Paul did Act. 24. 16. endeavour to walke inoffensively towards all men Scire vel de virtute loqui minimum est To know or to speake the truth and to give good precepts is no great matter it is the least of a thousand who cannot doe it But virtutibus uti to joyne
to beare the name and to receive the pay of good souldiours but let us approve our selves such by our good service and performance of the parts of good souldiours and amongst other in these First in forethinking of the Crosse and providing for it Thus a good souldiour hee doth not thinke to live stil in garison at ease hee thinks of sharpe Conflicts and hard trialls and prepares for them in the day of peace he prepares for battell in a calme he expects a storme and so must wee for faire weather will not last alwayes Aestas non semper fuerit componite nidos A good souldier careth but litle for the world no man that warreth intangleth himselfe with the things of this life that he may please him who hath chosen him to bee a souldiour saith the Apostle 2. Tim. 2. 4. And so if we be for Christs service we must not be for the world for wee cannot serve two Masters two such contrary commanding Masters as God Mammon Mat. 6. 24. yea to warre a good warfare we must abstaine not only from the care of this life but from every wicked thing so saith the Lord when thou goest out against thine enemy to fight abstaine from every evill thing For this weakens us and turnes God against us A good souldiour will endure hardnesse hard fare hard lodging And so must we if we will approve our selves good souldiours of Christ we must abate of our dainty feeding of our soft clothing and lazy living We must moderate our selves of our too many pleasures and endure hardnesse So saith the Apostle endure hardnesse as a good souldiour of Iesus Christ 2. Tim. 2. 3. and so he did himselfe he was in labours abundant c. 2. Cor. 11. 23. and so Christ our captaine he endured the crosse Heb. 12. 1. leaving us an example A good souldiour will keepe his ranke knowing that when the ranks are broken the victory is in hazard And so must we saith the Apostle let all things be done in order 1. Cor. 14. 40. Let every one abide in the vocation wherein he is called 1. Cor. 7. 20. Study to be quiet medling with your owne busines 1. Thes 4. 11. not with the busines of Princes and prelats teaching them what lawes and orders to make this is to breake our ranke If a more be in the eye the feete is no fit member to pull it out the hand is to doe that And so if things be amisse in church or common-wealth private men may not presume to bee reformers therein they must leave that to Moses and Aaron the Prince and the Priest the two hands of the body politick Psal 77. 20. A good souldiour wil obey his captaine and doe as he commands him if he say come he cometh or goe he goeth or doe this and he doth it so the Centurions servant and the souldiers of Alexander as Curtius writes And so we if we will approve ourselves good souldiours of Christ we must obey his commands in comming going and doing as he bids us If we be his servants wee must obey him for his servants we are to whom we obey Rom. 6. 16. A good souldiour the more trust is committed to him and the more he is advanced by his soveraigne Lord above others the more carefull he is to approve himselfe well in his place Thus Nehemiah shall such a man as I flye a man so honored so advanced above others shall I so much forget my Lord and the trust which he hath committed to me as to sinne against him I will never doe it And so we the more honour the better place and the greater pay wee have the more faithfull wee should be for to whom much is given of them much is required Luk. 12. 48. A good souldiour will bee helpfull to his fellow souldiours It is reported of Trajan that hee would cut in peeces his own garments rather then his souldiours should want a ragge to bind up their wounds And so if wee will approve our selves good souldiours of Christ we must helpe and succour one another We must distribute to the necessity of the Saints and helpe to beare one anothers burden as the Apostle saith wee must doe good to all specially to them of the houshould of faith and among them to your faithfull Ministers and preachers Indeed having food and raiment we ought therewith to be contented as the Apostle saith And food we have that are called to this place and wee thanke you for it But raiment 1. a gowne we want we are faine to seeke for and sometime to goe without at least to bee content with that which is not fit If this defect be for want of information I pray take this Having gone through with the weightier matters doe not sticke at the least without any more adoe afford I pray you your fellow souldiour a coate fit for his place A good souldiour is watchfull to foresee dangers to give warning thereof unto others and withall to prevent them as much as he may And so we must have the eye of our minds alwayes awake to see and observe what particular temptations doe arise against us either from within or from without Thus saith our Saviour often watch And so the Apostle be sober and watch because your adversary the Devill as a roaring Lion walketh about seeking whom he may devoure 1. Pet. 5. 8. A good souldiour will fortifie himselfe there most where hee thinks the enemy will make his greatest assault And now Sathan our deadly enemy labours most to overthrow our faith and to oppose the Scripture which is the word of faith Hee labours specially to shake our faith so saith Christ Sathan hath desired to winnow your faith And this because it is the speciall gift of Gods elect Tit. 1. 1. The mother grace the ground of obedience of feare of joy our choicest weapon even our shield and buckler the victory whereby wee overcome 1. Ioh. 5. Hee endeavours likewise with great earnestnesse to oppose the word of God and to call in question the truth thereof and to bring it out of credit Thus he dealt in tempting of Eve saying hath God said ye shall not eat of every tree in the garden least ye dye he knew God had said it and that in the day they should eat thereof they should dye And yet hee labours to make them doubt of that truth which hee and they knew too well And so againe in tempting of Christ whereas God the Father said This is my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased Sathan hee comes with his If thou be the Son of God and so would make a doubt of it Knowing then what Sathan and his agents labour most even to call into question the truth of Gods word and to overthrow our faith therein there let us fortifie our selves most seeing there he oppugnes most thither let us bring our greatest strength A
truth and righteousnesse sound knowledge and sincere obedience together hic labor hoc opus est This is the maine matter this is a worke of moment and to the purpose hic murus ahaeneus esto Nil conscire sibi nullâ pallescere culpâ This is to make a brazen wall a strong towre of defence against the face of our enemies even to put on the brest-plate of righteousnesse as well as the girdle of truth to joyne science and conscience together With this S. Paul did support and beare himselfe out against the obloquie and troubles he endured in that he had lived in all good conscience before God and had his conversation in simplicity and godly sincerity 2. Cor. 1. 12. This made him as bold as a lion the brest-plate of righteousnesse the testimony of a good conscience With this let us also arme our selves joyne to the girdle of truth the brest-plate of righteousnesse knowledge and obedience science and a good conscience and then wee need not feare Qui vadit planè vadit sanè he that walketh uprightly walketh surely Prov. 10. 9. walke on then walke and march in this armour of truth and righteousnesse of science and a good conscience Moreover let me advise you to take the shooes of the preparation of the Gospell of peace along with you that is resolve throughly and firmely with your selves to believe and hold that God is now reconciled and at peace with you through the meanes of Christ according as he hath revealed and testified in his Gospell And withall for this peace with God made by Christ which you believe resolve further in way of thankfullnesse to love honour and obey him according to his word This resolution and preparation of mind to believe and confesse our peace and reconciliation with God through Christ And to honour and obey him for it these are the shooes here commended unto us With these king David did furnish himselfe according to that I have sworne and am stedfastly purposed to keepe thy righteous judgements And thus did S. Paul also arme himselfe when he said I am ready not to be bound only but also to dye at Hierusalem for the name of the Lord Iesus Act. 21. 13. Without this preparation and firme resolution of the heart to believe and obey the Gospell of peace we shall never be able to hold on in the race of Christianity and to passe through the many tribulations that we shall meet with for a wavering minded man is unstable in all his wayes and ready to be carried away with every wind of temptation and therefore let us ballance our hearts with preparation and put on a firme resolution to believe and obey the Gospell of peace But yet this is not all that we have to doe The speciall furniture and that which we are to take above all as being able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked is yet unmentioned and that is faith the shield of faith That we are to take above all so saith the Apostle above all take the shield of faith v. 16. That is after all your knowledge of the truth and your righteousnesse according to the knowne truth and your resolution to walke in this knowne true righteousnesse Yet rest not upon all this but when ye have done all deny your selves renounce all trust and confidence in your owne righteousnesse and lay hold on the righteousnesse of Christ by the hand of faith on the mercy of God in Christ for your salvation according as it is offered in the word and presented in the Sacraments This righteousnesse this mercy of God in Christ is that shield that can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked Indeed faith is here called the shield in the text but that is not because it is so in it selfe but because it takes hold of Christ and his righteousnesse which is the true shield indeed and puts it on and makes it ours So that though we can doe nothing of our selves in this Conflict yet through him and his righteousnesse wee are able to doe all things Philip. 4. 13. to quench all the fiery darts and fierce temptations of the wicked to overcome the world the flesh and the Devill 1. Ioh. 5. And therefore put on the shield of Christs righteousnesse by the hand of faith shroud your selves under this defence of the most high cleave to Gods promise of grace in Christ And because the promises of God in Christ which are the objects of our faith and the ground of our obedience are not alwayes presently performed unto the faithfull upon their request so that Sathan and his adherents take occasion thereby to assault their faith and to say where is now their God Psal 115. 2. Here againe we are to remember to furnish our selves with another peece of armour against this assault And namely with the helmet of salvation that is with the hope of salvation as the Apostle expounds it 1. Thes 5. 8. A sure and certaine hope of all promised good things which be yet for to come This hope and patient expectation of the performance of Gods promises is very needfull So saith the Apostle ye have need of patience that after ye have done the will of God ye may receive the promises Heb. 10. 36. And so let your patient mind be knowne unto all men as the Apostle adviseth hold fast the confidence of your hope firme unto the end for hope maketh not ashamed Rom. 5. 5. And in the meane space while we hope and expect the performance of Gods promises in the present preservation and finall salvation of his Church in particular of us the members thereof let us take to our selues the sword of the spirit which is the word of God acquainting our selues therewith that when the world the flesh or the Devill doe assault us with their temptations we may be able to answere to repell them as Christ did with a scriptum est a place of scripture and thereby cut off their temptations as with a sword The word of God is mighty and powerfull to that purpose being rightly applyed as we may see by the example of Christ in the fourth of Mat. yea sharper then any two edged sword as S. Paul saith Heb. 4. 12. Take it then put it on farre be it from us to disarme you of the scriptures to wring this speciall weapon out of your hands and so to turne you naked unto all Sathans temptations as the Romanish teachers deale with their people or insteed of the sharpe two edged sword of the spirit to put other weapons of the Divill 's forging into your hands to fight with us as the holy water Crosses Graines and dirty reliques c. as the same teachers deale with their people no no we teach you with S. Paul to take the sword of the spirit which is the word of God and to put it on not by spells and charmes as ignorant people use to doe but
let us not be secure as the Amalekites having taken a great spoile of David and burned Ziglag lest we be suddenly surprised and destroyed as they were As in the fight we have an eye unto the victory so in the victory let us have an eye to the fight againe Let us stand still upon our guard put on the armour of God as long as you live Delight in the law of the Lord and therein exercise your selves day and night Pray alwayes pray and watch thereunto with all perseverance make a continuall use of all the armour and graces of God stowed upon you This is the counsell of our great Generall Christ Iesus here given by one of his chiefe commanders S. Paul that we should put on this armour alwaies with all perseverance And so let us doe as obedient souldiours of Iesus Christ And this the rather that we may be able to stand in the evill day in the day of temptation which is the motive to put on this armour and to fight this battell and the last point And a good motive it is for who would not be forward to put on armour and to fight in a good cause if he were sure to ouercome And so it is here Dicendo enim ut possitis resistere innuit certò nos staturos si modo armis Dei induti alacriter pugnemus idque usque ad fineÌ„ saith Calvin upon the place That is in saying that ye may be able to stand he doth imply that we shall surely and certainly and overcome in this battell if being furnished with Gods armour wee fight manfully under his banner and that unto the end Nil desperandum est Christo duce we need 〈◊〉 doubt or despaire of victory if we fight in Goâ—â—rmour under Christs banner and conduct for the â—â—rd of truth against the father and favourers of lies He that overcomes the servants of God thus fighting must overcome God himselfe who is the Lord of hoasts falsify his word who hath promised that they should as soone overcome and discomfit his sonne and our Saviour Christ Iesus 〈◊〉 is the Generall of the field yea and beate in peeces Gods owne armour as weake and unsufficient which I believe the gates of hell shall never be able to doe For let Satan and all the powers of hell doe what they can against the Church and people of God they can but calcaneum conterere bruise their heele and lame them a little their head they can never breake and quite overthrow Though they fall yet they shall not be cast downe for the Lord upholdeth them with his hand Psal 37. 24. Though the Dragon and his Angels that is the Devill and his forces fight with Michael and his Angels that is with Christ and his members yet they shall not prevaile Revel 12. 7. Though Sathan be strong yet Christ is stronger and will binde that strong man and spoile his house Mat. 12. 29. he will save his servants and souldiours fighting with his armour in his battell I but doth not the Apostle say of the servants and souldiours of Christ that they are killed all day long counted as sheep to the slaughter Rom. 8. 36. True and yet in all these things they are more then Conquerours through him that loveth them as it followeth in the next verse of the same chapter This may seeme a Paradoxe to flesh and blood to conceive how they that beare away the blowes and are killed by their enemies should bee said to overcome And yet so it is in all these things they are Conquerours saith the Apostle more then Conquerours that is then ordinary Conquerours even famous and noble victors But how doth this appeare you will say I answer thus the sword whereby we are said to overcome is of two sorts spirituall and materiall The true and faithfull servants of God have beene and many times are at this time killed and overcome by the materiall sword so Christ hath foretold saying they shall kill you Ioh. 16. 2. And Revel 11. at the 7 th verse it is said of the two witnesses that is of the faithfull preachers and professors of the truth that when they have finished their testimony the beast that commeth out of the bottomlesse pit that is Antichrist with his adherents shall make warre against them and kill them that is with the materiall sword But not with the spirituall With that they overcome him even with the breath that commeth out of their mouthes so it is said there at the fift verse if any will hurt them fire proceedeth out of their mouthes and devoureth their enemies even the fiery and powerfull word of God which is able and shall consume the adversary 2. Thes 2. 8. so that there is a victory on both sides The enemy many times kills and overcomes the faithfull witnesses and true servants of God with the materiall sword And they overcome the enemy with the spirituall sword slaying them in their soules though not in their bodies for the word is the savour of death unto death in them that perish 2. Cor. 2. 16. Againe the servants and souldiors of Christ even in all their tribulations obtaine a noble victorie for what is victory victoria est obtinere pro quo certas saith Tertullian victory is to obtaine that which we strive for And now what is the strife betweene the Christian and the tormentor but this the tormentor seekes to drive the Christian to deny Christ and his Gospell the Christian for all his torments confesseth him the more the tormentor fumes and chafes and sighes that he hath not his will and therefore is overcome The Christian rejoyceth that he is counted worthy to suffer for Christ and is constant and therefore goes away with the victory The tormentors in the execution of a woman Blandina by name confessed themselves overcome as Eusebius writes in the fift booke and first Chapter of his Ecclesiasticall history And Christians in their torments have gloried of their Conquest over their torments and tormentors Thus the Apostle Paul who shall separte us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distresse or persecution or famine or nakednesse or peril or sword Nay in all these things we are more then Conquerors through him that loved us Of this Conquest likewise of Christians in their afflictions and persecutions divers others have given notable proofe yea and those of our owne Nation as Glover Farrar Hawkes This last was desired by some godly friends for their confirmation to give some token when he was in the flames whether the paine were tollerable or noe A strange time one would thinke to attend upon signes or friends but so he did after his eyes were started out of his head his fingers consumed with fire and when ever one thought him dead and did expect the fall of his body Loe suddainly hee lifts up his stumps and thrice as famous Conquerour