A Fort for the Afflicted, Part 3
The comforte of the holy Ghost, &c. For salutation.
NOt so muche to instruct you, as for to leaue with you (dearely beloued brethren) some testimonie of my louelove: I hauehave thought good too communicate with you in these fewe lines my weake counsel, how I woulde yee should behaue your selues in the middes of this wicked generation, touching the exercise of Gods most sacred and holy worde, without which, neither shal knowledge encrease, godlines appeare, not feruencie continue amongst you. For as the worde of God is the beginning of spiritual life, without which all flesh is dead in God's presence: And the Lanterne to our feete, without the brightnesse whereof al the posteritie of Adam doeth walke in darknesse: And as it is the foundation of faith, without which no man vnderstandeth the good wi… of God: So it is also the onelyonly organ and instrument, which God vseth too strengthen the …, to comfort the afflicted to reduce to … by repentāce, such as hauehave …: and finally, to preserue & keep the very life of the soule, in al assaultes: and temp…ations.
And thereof if that yee desire your knowledge to bee increased, your faith to bee confirmed your conscience to be … and comforted, or finally your soule to bee preserued in life: let your exercise be frequent in the lawe of the Lorde God. Despise not the precepts which Moses (who by his owne expe…ieuce had learned what comforte lyeth hid within the worde of God) gaue to the Israelites in these words: These wordes which I commande thee this day, Sow in thine heart, and thou shalt exercise thy children in them. Thou shalt talke of them when thou a…t at home in thy house, and as thou walked by the way, and when thou lyest downe, and when thou risest vp, and thou shalt binde them for a figne vponupon thine hande, and they shalbe papers of remembrance betweene thine e…es, and thou shalt write them vppon the postes of thy house, and vponupon thy gates. And Moses in another place commaundeth them to remember the lawe of the Lorde God to do it, that i… may bee well with them and with their children in the lande which the Lorde their God should giuegive them, meaning that like as frequent memory & repetitō of Gods precepts, is the meanes wherby the feare of God which is the beginning of al wisdome and felicitie, is kept recent in mind: so is negligence and obliuion of Gods benefites receiued, the first degree of defection from God.
Now if the lawe, which by reason of our weakenesse can worke nothing but wrath and auger, was so effectual, that remembred & rehearsed of purpose to doe it, it brought to the people a corporal benediction: what shal wee say the glorious Gospel of Christ Iesus doeth worke, so that with reuerence it be entreated? Saint Paule calleth it the sweete odor of life to those that shal receiue life, boro wing his similitude of odoriferous hearbs, or precious ointments, whose nature is, the more that they be touched or moued, to send foorth their odour more pleasant and delectable. Euen such deare brethren, is the blessed Euangelie of our Lorde Iesus: for the more that it be entreated, …he more comfortable and puisant is it to suche as doe heare, reade, or exercise the same. I am not ignorant, that as the Israelites lothed the manna, because that euerie day they saw and eate but one thing, so some there bee nowe adayes (who wil not be holden of the worst sort) that after once reading some parcelles of the scriptures, doe commit them selues altogether to prophane authours, and humane lectures, because that the varietie of matters therein conteined, doeth bring with it dayly delectation: where contrariwise, within the simple scriptu…es of God, the perpetual repetition of one thing, is fashions, & weerisome. This temptatiō I…confesse, may enter into Gods very elect for a time, but impossible it is, that therin they continue to the end: for Gods election besides other ouident signes hath this euer ioyned with it, that Gods elect are called from ignorance (I speake of those that are come to the yeares of knowledge) to some tast and feeling of Gods merciemercy, of the which they are neuer so satisfied in this life, but from time to time they hunger and they thirst, to ea…e the bread that descended from heauen, and to drink the water that springeth to life euerlasting: which they cannot doe but by the meanes of Fayth, and Fayth looketh euer to the wil of God, reuealed by the worde, so that Fayth hath both her beginning and continuance by the worde of God. And so I say, that impossible it is that Gods chosen children can despise or reiect the worde of their saluation of any long continuance, neither yet loath it to the ende. Often it is, that Gods elect are holden in such bondage and thraldom, that they cannot hauehave the bread of life broken vntounto them, neither yet free libertie to exercise them selues in Gods holie word: but then doe not Gods children loath, but most gladly doe they couet the foode of their soules: Then do they accuse their former negligence, then lament they the miserable affliction of their brethren, and then crye & cal they in their heartes (and openly where they dare) for free passage of the Gospel. This hunger and thirst doeth prooue the life of their soules. But of suche men, as hauing libertie to reade, and exercise them selues in Gods holie scriptures, & yet begin to be wery, because frō time to time they reade but one thing: I aske, why are not they weary, euerie day to eate bread, to drink wine, to behold the brightnesse of the Sun, & to vse the rest of gods creatures, which eueryevery day do keepe their own substāce, course and nature? They shal answere (I trust) Because such creatures hauehave a strength to preserue the life. O miserable creatures, who dare attribute more power & strength to the corruptible creatures in nourishing & preseruing the mortal carkas, then to the eternal woorde of God in the nourishment of the soule, which is immortal! To reason with their damnable vnthankfulnesse at this present, is not my purpose: But to you, my deare brethren, I wryte my knowledge, and do speake my conscience, That so necessarie, as the vse of meate & drink is to the preseruation of corporal life, and so neces…arie as the heate and brightnesse of the Sunne is to the quickening of the hearbes, and to expel darknesse: So necessarie is also to the life euerlasting, and to the illumination and light of the soule, the perpetual meditation, exercise & vse of Gods holie word. And therfore, deere brethren, if that yee looke for a life to come, of necessitie it is, that yee exercise your selues in the booke of the Lorde your God. Let …o day slip or want some comfort receiued from the mouth of God: open your eares, and he wil speake euen pleasant thinges to your heart: close not your eyes, but diligently let them beholde, what portion of substance is left to you within your fathers Testament. Let your tongues learne to praise the gracious goodnesse of him, whose meere merciemercy hath called you from darkenesse to light, and from death to life. Neither yet may ye do this so quietly, that ye wil admit no witnesse: no brethren, yee are ordained of God to rule your owne houses in his true feate, & according to his word. Within your houses, I say, in some cases ye are Bishops and Kinges: your wife, children, seruantes, and family, are your Bishopprike and charge: of your it shalbe required howe carefully and diligently ye hauehave alwayes instructed them in Gods knowledge, how that ye hauehave studied in them to plant vertue, and suppresse vice. And therefore I say, ye must make them partakers, in reading, exhorting and in making common praiers, which I woulde in euerie house were vsed once a day at least: but aboue al thinges, deare brethren, studie to practise in life, that which the worde of God commandeth, and then be yee assured, that yee shal neuer heare nor reade the same without fruite. And thus much for the exercise within your houses. Considering that S. Paule calleth the congregation, the bodie of Christ, whe…eof euerie one of vsus is a member, teaching vsus therby, that no member is of sufficiencie, to susteine and feede it selfe, without the helpe and support of an other: I thinke it necessarie, for the conference of scriptures, assemblies of brethren be had. The order therein to be obserued, is …xpressed by S. Paule, and therefore neede not I to vse many woordes in that behalfe: only willing that when the conuent are come together, which I woulde were once a weeke, that your beginning shoulde be from confession of your offences, and inuocation of the spirite of the Lorde Iesus Christ to assist you, in al your godly enterprises. And thē let some place of scripture bee plainely and distinctly redde, so much as shal be thought sufficient for one day or time: which ended, if any brother hauehave exhortation, questiō or dout, let him not feare to speake or moue the same, so that he doe it with moderation, either to edifie, or to be edified. And hereof I dout not, but great profite shal shortly ensue: For first by hearing, reading, and conferring the scriptures in the assemblie, the whole bodie of the scriptures of God shal become familiar: The iudgements and spirites of men shalbee tried. Their patience and modestie shalbee knowne, and finally their giftes and vtterance shal appeare. Multiplication of wordes, prolixe interpretations, and wilfulnesse in reasoning, is to be auoided at al times, and in al places, but chiefly in the congregation: where nothing ought to be respected, except the glorie of God, & comfort or edification of brethren. If any thing occurre within the text, or els arise in reasoning, which your iudgements can not resolue, or capacities comprehend: let the same be noted and put in writing before yee dismisse the congregation, that when God shal offer vntounto you any interpretor, your dout beeing noted and knowne, may hauehave the more expedite resolution, or els that when ye shal hauehave occasion to write to such, as with whō ye wold communicate your iudgementes, your letters may signifie and declare the vnceasing desire that ye hauehave of God, and of his true religion. And they I dout not, according to their talents, wil endeuour and bestow their faithful labours to satisfie your godly petitions. Of my selfe, I wil speake as I thinke, I wil more gladly spend ten houres in communicating my iudgement with you in explayning, as God pleaseth to open to me, any place of scripture, then halfe an houre in any matter beside. Further, I would in reading the scriptures ye should ioine some bokes of the olde, and some of the newe Testament together, as Genesis and one of the Euangelistes, Exodus with an other, & so forth, euer ending suche bookes as yee begin, as the time wil suffer. For it shal greatly comforte you, to heare that harmonie & wel tuned song, of the holie spirite, speaking in our fathers, from the beginning. It shal confirme you in these dangerous and perillous dayes, to behold the face of Christ Iesus his louing spouse and Church, from Abel to him selfe, and from him selfe to this day, in al ages to be one. Be frequent in the Prophets, and in the Epistles of S. Paul: for the multitude of matters most comfortably therin contained, requireth exercise & good memorie. Like as your assemblies ought to beginne with confession & in…ocation of God his holie spirite: So woulde I that they were finished with thanksgiuing, & commō praiers for princes, Rulers & Magistrates, for the libertie and free passage of Christ his Euangelie, for the cō fort and deliuerance of our afflicted brethren, in al places now persecuted, but most cruelly within the realmes of Fraunce and Englande: and for such other thinges, as the spirit of the Lord Iesus shal teach vntounto you to bee profitable, either to your selues or to your brethren, whersoeuer they be. If thus (or better) I shal heare that yee exercise your selues, deare brethren, then wil I praise God for your great obedience, as for them, that not onelyonly hauehave receiued the word of grace with gladnesse, but that also with care and diligence do keepe the same, as a treasure and iewel most precious. And because I can not suspect that ye wil doe the cōtrarie at this present, I wil vse no threatnings: for my good hope is, that ye shal walk, As the sonnes of light, in the middest of this wicked … ▪ That Ye …hal be a… Starre… in the night …eason, who yet a…e not chaunged into … That ye shal be wheat amongst the …, and yet that yee shal not chaunge your nature, which ye hauehave receiued by grace, through the …elowship and par…icipatiō which we hauehave with the Lord Iesus in his bodie and blood. And finally that ye shalbe of the number of the prudent vi…gins, dayly renuing your … with oyle, as you that patiently doe abide the glorious apparition and comming of the Lord Iesus: whose omnipotent spirit …ule and instruct, illuminate and comforte your … and mindes… in al assaules, … and euermore, Amen.
The grace of our Lord Iesus, rest with you. I.K.
Imprinted at London by Thomas Dawson, dwelling at the three Cranes in the Vintree. 1580.
End of the text · John Knox, A Fort for the Afflicted (1580)