doth not our Lord Iesus Christ say blessed are you when men persecute you and speake all manner of evill falsly against you for my name sake Rejoice therefore and be glad for great is your reward in heaven Now whereto serveth all this my beloved but to bring us into a conformity with our Lord and Master Iesus Christ For Christ hath suffered for us saith the Apostle saint Peter 1 Pet. 2. 21. leaving us an example that we should walke in his steps who also endured the crosse and despised Heb. 12 2. the shame for the obtaining of that joy which was set before him and became poore to make us rich 2 Cor. 8. 9. By him also are we brought by faith into that Rom. 5 2. state of grace wherein we stand rejoycing in the hope of the glory of God knowing that tribulation worketh patience c. Wherefore deare brother and sister be not afrayd of the fiery tryall which is now sent amongst us to prove us For what Father loving his childe doth not correct it Heb. 12. Even so doth the Lord chastise those whom he loveth for if we should be without correction wherof all true Christians are partakers then were we bastards and not sons And therefore Salomon saith my sonne despise not the chastening of the Prov. 3. 11 12. Lord neither faint when thou are corrected of him for whom the Lord loveth the same he correcteth even as a Father the sonne in whom he delighteth Feare not then to follow the footsteps of Christ for he is the head and we are his members Even as Christ then hath obtained full joy glory by suffering of anguishes and sorrowes so we also according to his example must through Acts 14 21. many tribulations enter into the heavenly places even into the new Ierusalem Let us then say Phil. 1. 21. with saint Paul Christ unto me is in life and in death advantage Let us cry out with him O Rom. 7 24. wretched creatures that we are who shall deliver us from this body of death Sée here how the faithfull have desired to be with Christ for with Abraham they had an eye to that holy City Anno 1562. which hath foundations whose builder and maker Heb. 11. 10. is God Let vs then my beloved chéerefully and willingly follow the Lord possessing our soules by patience For it is a good thing as saith the Prophet Ieremiah both to hope and quietly to Lam. 3. 26. waite for the salvation of the Lord and good also it is for a man to beare the yoke in his youth for such the Lord will comfort in the end and restore unto them the joy of his salvation Loe here deare brother and sister what consolations our God hath treasured up for us in his holy word for us I say whose desire it is to feare the Lord and to trust in his grace and mercy For Psal 37. 39. the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord hée is their strength in the time of trouble Wherfore q giving all diligence let us adde to faith vertue 2 Pet. 1. 5 6 7 8. and to vertue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godlinesse and to godlinesse brotherly kindnesse and to brotherly kindnesse love for if these things be in us and abound they will cause us neither to be idle nor unfruitfull in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ The which God our Father grant us for his Sonnes sake our Lord Amen Out of my hole December the eleventh 1562. Wouter Oom prisoner for the truth Now because ye may see that this Letter was not without its happy effect hearken to the relation of the History following THere was one Iohn Wolfe of the City of Audenard who because he could no longer inhabite there without either the danger of his life or wounding of his conscience his wife being great with childe and as yet but weake in the knowledge of the Gospell he was forced for these respects to joyne himselfe to the assembly of the Church in Antwerpe where thinking himselfe in safety a neighbour of his owing him ill will accused him to the Margrave about the baptising of his childe Whereupon being then committed and examined where and in whose presence his childe was baptized he without staggering answered that he had it baptised according to the institution of Christ by a Minister set apart to that Office The Margrave not content with this answer often pressed him with sundry threats of the torture to accuse such as he knew But the sharpest combat he endured was from his owne flesh counselling him during his imprisonment for the safegard of his life to dissemble and halt betwéen two opinions The cause was from the inward affection he bore towards his wife and childe being yet but young and of singular beauty in regard whereof many of the congregation expected no other but that he would sinke under this tryall But in the middest of these assaults hée was heard with prayers and sighes to cry mightily to God to bée delivered from this temptation Which prayers of his were heard in due season even then Whither wee ought to fly in time of temptation when in the judgement of man he was supposed to be overcome thereof meanes was made of bringing to his hands consolatory letters as also the said Wouter Dom then prisoner with him comforted him not a little by his letters Whereby in the end he continued so strong in the Lord as also constant in the confession of the truth that in conclusion he received the sentence of death with the aforesaid Wouter After which his wife came unto him and they were permitted to talke together bursting out each of them into such abundance of teares that it would have moved the most stony heart that ever was At parting with a bitter cry hée commended her to Gods mighty protection and his childe to be trained up in the true Religion Soone after hée was drowned in the tub or fat of the prison and the next day hanged upon one of the Gibbets néer unto the City ¶ A relation of the troubles and martyrdome of Christian Quekere Iaques Dionssart and Iean de Salomez of Steenwerk in Flanders To whom God gave such ability to answer their enemies demands as if they had come from persons much more learned Which shewes that God measures out to all the gifts and graces of his holy Spirit according to his good will and pleasure WHilest the persecution continued at this time in sundry places of Flanders under Philip King of Spaine and that many fled into England under the protection of Quéene Elizabeth these thrée above mentioned were of the same number who joyned themselves to the Dutch Church in London having given publique testimony of their faith before all the Congregation In which place they continuod not long but they were constrained upon some speciall occasions to
conscience the holy spirit of God seeing us cast downe and humbled sets before our eies Gods mercy in Christ Whose bloud applyed by faith purgeth and heales the wound which is made therein This done he will carry such an hand over us as shall withhold us from vice and draw us on to the love of vertue And thus we see how the Lord doth by little and little correct our sinnefull disposition by exercising us with manifold afflictions whereby the whilest hee provides for his owne glory Let us therewith consider his admirable bounty seeing thus he covers our shame for whereas he might justly cause us to suffer for our sinnes which we have committed against his Majesty he in stead thereof turns it to suffering for his truth and holy names sake putting this honourable Title as a veile over us to shadow our nakednesse For first he alters the nature of the punishment which is due unto us for our misdeeds into an assured hope of recompensing all our labour and travell we undergoe for righteous causes And in the second place he turnes the dishonour which we ought to receive as a token of the vengeance which he might to our ignominy execute upon us into an immortall Trophee of Honour wherewith wee are crowned in the presence of God and of his Angels Thirdly hereby he graciously provides for the peace of our consciences which in stead of sorrow and griefe wherewith they might be wounded for guilt of sinne on the contrary do sensibly rejoice and glory in these sufferings for the name of Christ And fourthly in the midst of all these joyes and most singular consolations yet the conscience for all that ceaseth not to retain a scruple or dramme of Rubarb mingled herewith to purge out now and then some corrupt humors and by persecutions to put us in mind of our sinnes committed against the Lord in times past But yet he so tempers and moderates these his drugges and that in so exquisite and artificiall a manner that while he humbleth us with his left hand hee supporteth us with his right hand if he causeth griefe by and by he comforts us in smiting he heals us in which mixture and tempering of things so much diffring in nature and quality consists the salvation of our soules Even as the skilfull and expert Physitian by measuring out an equall and just proportion of contrary drugs meeting with our corrupt humors provides for the safety of our bodies We see that an hot or dry Summer or a faire Spring time brings many diseases therwith Sâ—mile and how fast weeds sprout forth among the good herbs besides filling our houses with flies fleas and like annoyances the aire and streets with unsavory and infectious smels all which in Winter in cold and frosty weather do take their leave and are gone So whilest outward joy and prosperity with other contentments last the body of the Church is pestered with sundry and divers spirituall bad humors and dangerous diseases which on the contrary it is preserved and freed from by the variety of Gods fatherly rods and chastisements Now to proceed to the fourth benefit of afflictions which is to kill the pride of our 4 rebellious nature The Hebrewes use these two words to afflict and humble for one and the same thing as if the latter were the fruit of the former Nor doe we want examples which may sufficiently admonish us that as worldly prosperity usually causeth our hearts to swell and to be puffed up so on the contrary adversities and afflictions deject and humble us Whilest Nebuchadnezzar abounded in all his delights his heart was Dan. 4. 30. Dan 315. swolne so farre with pride that he began not only to oppresse his subjects but to justle even against God himselfe by his blasphemies But when God had once cast him into the furnace of affliction hee then became as meeke and humble a person as was in all his kingdome Dan. 4. 37 2 Chr. 33. from verse 1. to vers 24. Manasses raigning in peace and liberty over the people of Iudah grew so inso lent that there was no impiety or injustice wherein he overflowed not but being surprised by his enemies and laid in yron bands and fetters he was changed in an instant and became as low in his owne esteeme as ever he thought himselfe high which appeareth in his prayer made to God in his affliction wherein he prostrates himselfe before him confessing his offences with great compunction of heart and humility Saint Paul bare himselfe like a fierce and cruell Lyon all the while hee enjoyed favor Acts 9. from verse 1. to verse 24. from the high Priests raging hither and thither breaking forcibly into houses and apprehending such as he found to be professors of the Gospell but the same man being touched by Gods hand in the way as he was journying towards Damascus intending there to exercise his Commission upon the Saints and servants of Christ suddenly became also as meeke as a Lambe and was ready to proffer his service in whatsoever the Lord would enjoyne him to doe Eusebius in his Prologue to the eighth booke of his Ecclesiasticall history relates how God seeing the pride which began to bud and spring forth in the Church and principally among the Pastors thereof who out of their ambition strove about dignities and preferments therein was moved for that very thing to raise up that great persecution which befell the Church under the reigne of Dioclesian and Maximinian to crack their pride and to provoke them to prayer yea rather to watch over their flocks than to contend who should be the greatest Wherein we may see that by the blessing of God there is a kind of vertue in afflictions to humble and bring those home who through prosperity have forgotten themselves and strayed out of the right way Nay so forcible are they to abate and take downe the pride of such who otherwise are hardened and growne obstinate that even Pharaoh as Exo. 8. 8. 9. 27. 10. 16. rebellious and stiffe necked as he was seemed somtimes to bend and bow under the mighty hand of God Whilst God gave him some respite it is true he still hardened his heart but when the next judgement fell upon him and his people he by and by became as pliable as a glove for ones hand Seeing then all of us naturally are thus inclined to waxe proud by prosperity a vice which God sets and opposeth himselfe against above other as most abhominable in his sight we ought not me thinkes so much to be terrified at the approach of persecutions forasmuch as they withhold from and correct in us the same our pride sooner than all the instructions which are taught us by word of mouth The next benefit afflictions bring us is to quicken us up to the prayer of faith which is never better discerned than when afflictions lie heaviest upon us In my distresse saith David Feried unto the
fell sick of a continuall Fever and kept her bed which procéeded as it was given out from the griefe she had in her lights wherein by long continuance was bred an imposthume she being also distempered with the heat of the season and her extraordinary journeyes This burning Fever grew so strong upon her that within five daies after she died to the great griefe of the better sort but to the joy of the secret counsell The malady indéed was in her braine which was not searched in which the Quéen Mother had an hand though she séemed much to mourne for the affliction of her good friend Now forasmuch as in the time of her sicknesse she manifested with what spirit she was guided we will here set downe the true narration of her behaviour both in the same her sicknesse and also at her death Perceiving in her selfe by the strength of the disease howsoever others sleighted it that shée could not long continue she made her selfe ready to receive from the hand of God that which he had appointed concerning her and to that end requested she might have such nigh about her as might comfort her in this case out of the word of God as also to pray with her and for her according to that which Saint Iames saith Is any sicke among you Iohn 5. 14 16. Let him call for the Elders of the Church and let them pray over such a one knowing that the fervent praier of righteous man availeth much with God Thus according to her desire a Minister resorting unto her shewed out of the Scriptures that Christians ought in all things to submit themselves to the will of God as to the Father of spirits Heb. 1◠that they might live And albeit the rigor of his chastisements doth somtimes séem to our flesh as if they were sent to none other end but for our ruine and destruction yet ought we to consider that because he is just he can do nothing but justily and being a father he cannot but therein séeke the welfare of his afflicted children To which she replyed I take all this saith she as sent from the hand of God my most mercifull Father nor have I during this extremity feared to die much lesse murmured against him for inflicting the same upon me knowing that what soever he doth he doth the same so as all in the end shall turne to my everlasting good The Minister continuing in his spéech added That the causes of sicknesses and diseases must be sought beyond the course of physiyke which alwayes lookes to the corruption of the humours or to the more noble parts of the body any way distempered for howsoever it was not amisse to have respect to these things as to second causes yet ought we to ascend higher namely to the first even to God himself who disposeth of all his creatures as it pleaseth him He it is That make the Deut. 32. 39. wound and heales that kils and makes alive And therefore to him we ought to direct our prayers for comfort in all our griefes and sufferings and in the end for full deliverance séeing it is no hard matter with him to restore health unto us if his good pleasure be such To this she answered that she depended wholly upon Gods providence knowing that all things are wisely disposed by him and therefore be sought him to furnish her with all such graces as he saw to be necessary for her salvation As for this life said she I am in a manner we aned from the love of it in regard of the afflictions which have followed me from my youth hitherto but especially because I cannot live without daily offending my good God with whom I desire to be with all my heart The Minister told her that long life how ful of troubles soever it were was notwithstanding to be esteemed among the blessings of God seeing Deut. 5. 16. his promise implyes so much and not onely so but because our life may many wayes serve to his glory and is both an honor and a pledge of his favor even as it is to him whom his prince imploys long in his service having had experience of his fidelity for many yeares together In which respect she was earnestly requested to pray that if it were the will of God to imploy her yet longer in his Anno 1566. service for the further inlargement of his Gospell that he would grant unto her such recovery of health and good disposition of body that with renued strength shée might bee encouraged to finish her course much more nobly than heretofore Whereupon she protested that in regard of her owne particular her life was not dear unto her séeing so long as she lived in this fraile flesh she was still prone and apt to sinne against God onely she said her care was somewhat for her Children which God had given her in respect they should be so soone deprived of her now in their young yeares yet not doubting said she but although it should please God to take me from them that himselfe will be a Father and a protector over them as he hath béen to me in my greatest afflictions and therefore I commit them wholly to his government and fatherly care these were her very words The Minister said that he blessed God to sée in her Majesty this assurance of faith and so to cast her care upon the providence of God praying her still to persevere therein which would sufficiently seale unto her truth of her faith And thus said he did the Patriarkes in times pasT commit the care of their posterity over into the hands of Gen. 24 1. Gen. 27. 48. 15. 49. God as may appeare by Abraham Isaac and Iacob touching their severall blessings But yet is was very requisite as he said that she should make choise of such who for their sincerity both in life and doctrine might continue to water in these young Princely plants the séeds of piety which had béen sowne in them by her so great paine and industry séeing it was to bée hoped that the example of her faith and constancy in the service of God which she had set before them would serve as a perpetuall inducement to imitate her so noble vertues Now whereas she had againe declared that death was not terrible unto her because it was the way by which we passe hence to our eternall rest The Minister told her that Christians had little cause to feare death in regard they should Because by death we passe to life Iohn 8. 51 52. Iohn 11. 26. Iohn 11. 13 14. Acts 7. 60. 1 Cor. 15. 55. not die at all according to Christs words in the Gospell of Iohn he that liveth and beléeveth in me shall never die For death to speake properly is no death to them but a sleep being often so called in the Scriptures and therefore Christ for their sakes hath overcome and triumphed over it in his owne person So