The Right Way from Danger of Sin and Vengeance, Chapter 10
CHAP. X.
The best way for eueryevery man to sorrow for his owne sinnes, to pitie other mennes miseries, and altogether in vnitie of Faythe and Charitie, too call and truste vntoo God for merciemercy and grace in Christ.
O Englishman & womā, who or where so euer thou arte, behold & sée how the merciful goodnesse of god by many euils, miseries, and daungers, doth driue théefrō hope & trust in thy self, in man or in any worldly thing, that he may the better by the light of the Gospell allure and winne thée vntounto his merciemercy, grace, and saluation in Christ Iesu.
Thou mayst learne by the law of God, and experience of all ages, that there is nothing of mannes minde and imagination, but the euill of sinfull abhomination. The woorde of God doothe witnesse, that what ceremonies, sacrifice or seruice any man at any time did of theyr owne zeale and deuotion, deuise to honour and please God, was in déede superstitious idolatrie and abhomination afore God. Thou maist see by the light of the Gospell through the power and presence of Gods spirite, spred and preched in eueryevery place, that such shadowes & figures in sacrifices and ceremonies, yea & suche bodily presence of Christes humanitie vppon earth, as God ordeyned to serue in their time and place, be nowe … terly abolished as vnprofitable, for that they could not hauehave continued, or bene renued, but that the cléere lyght of the Gospel, should by them be sore blemished and hindered. Nowe by the grace of the holy Ghoste, sent and come to declare, teache, and witnesse the truthe of God in playne preaching of the Gospel, thou mayest heare, sée, and perceiue the world, so reproued and rebuked of sinne, of righteousnesse and iudgement, as maketh it playne and euident, that suche horrible sinnes as seuerally in certaine times did euer prouoke some sore plagues and vengeance, doe nowe all together so fully flow into this wicked worlde, and into thée O England, as dothe deserue vtter & sodaine destruction. Therefore thou that feelest, and confessest thy selfe sore, sick and deseased, greeuously wounded, and heauily charged and burdened with the abhomination of thine owne sinfull wretchednesse, and with the daunger of deserued plagues and vengeance, thou mayest beste assure thy selfe by fayth in Christe, of comfortable deliuerance and sure saluation.
For vntounto thée, euen vntounto thée, sauing health is prouided, and proffred of God, in him, and by him whiche sayeth: They that be in healthe hauehave no néede of a Physition, but they that bée sicke and diseased: I came not to call the rightuous, but sinners vntounto repentance: Come thou therfore vntounto mée, which labourest, and art heuie laden, and I shall ease thée. I shall helpe, deliuer, and saue thée. Come therfore in sorowing thine owne sinnes, and pitying all mens miseries, and I will not refuse the sacrifice and oblation of thy humble spirite and contrite hart. I wold not hauehave set forth the abhomination of thy sins so openly, and shewed so many tokens of plagues and vengeaunce comming presently, but to make thée more willing to come at this my earnest calling bycause now thy danger is great, thy tyme is shorte, and thou canste hauehave no refuge or remedie, if thou doe not spéedily come vntounto me, whiche am willing & able to heale all thy diseases, to forgiue all thy sinnes, to deliuer thée out of all daungers, and to turne perillous plagues of vengeance from thée, into plentifull prouision of all comfortable commodities vntounto thée.
Remember and consider the example of the children of Iacob, which by enuying of their brother Ioseph, casting him into a dungeon, and selling him vntounto straungers, deserued such a plague of famine & hunger, as forced them to seeke for food in a strange countrey: and there when as they pittying Beniamin their yongest brother with charitable louelove one towardes an other, did all togither hūble thēselues in praier afore the ruler of the coūtry, which did speake sharply: then the ruler, béeyng in déede Ioseph their brother, coulde no longer vse himselfe strangely towardes them, but with louing pitie did forgiue them all their former fautes agaynst him, and did make moste comfortable and plentifull prouision for them, their father, their wyues, and children. And if you, whose sins hauehave caused Christe to be bought and solde, to dye and suffer, whiche hauehave falsly pretended, fayntly fauored, yea shamefully sclandred, and cruelly persecuted the gospell of Chryst, which wilfully and wittingly in manifeste and manifolde periuries, hauehave prouoked the wrathe and vengeance of GOD, whiche hauehave enuied, hated, and sclaundered one an other, and so deserued daungerous plagues: but yf you will now pittie them that bée in miserie, and in vnitie of Fayth and brotherly charity, altogether humble your selues in prayer afore your heuenly father, then Christe whiche hath all authoritie, of tender harte will embrace you with louing pitie, take you as his own brethren, forget and forgiue all that hath bene done against him, and prouide plentifully al things commodious or necessary for you & youres. Hée will fetche you from farre into that wealthie place, where as he is a ruler: he will gather you oute of all quarters, into that church, wherof he is the head, that whiche you did meane euill towards him, will hée so order as shal be best for you. I say surely, for all you yt being thus now called, will come after this maner, yea if you be many, all the rest also shall be spared for your sakes, if you be but few in numbre, yet eueryevery one of you shall bée so prouided for, that if there remayne vponupon earth any godly comfort for you, ye shall be reserued and kept to sée and enioy it: and if nothing shall remaine but miserie and mischiefe, then shall ye be preserued and deliuered oute of the griefe and danger of it, vntounto ioy and glorie with Christ.