Fourteen Points of Consolation, Chapter 2
The ſecond chapter of the ſecond conſideration, which is of the euill to come or before a man.
IT will not a litle lighten eueryevery preſent euill, if thou turne thy mind to them that are to come, which are ſo many, ſuch, & ſo great, that hereunto alone is referred that great and one of the principall affections which is called feare, Feare what it is.which ſome define to be an affection of the euill to come, according as the Apoſtle ſaith Rom. 11: Be not hie minded but feare. The euil to come.This euil is ſo much greater, as it is more vncertaine, of what ſort and how great it wilbe when it come, ſo that it is a common ſaying: There is no age to whom ye ſcabb may not come, which notwithſtanding is an euill that is wont to happen to children and infants. So that no man is free and exempt from any euills of any man, but whatſoeuer one man ſuffereth, the ſame alſo may an other ſuffer.
This is verified by the hiſtories & tragedies of all ages, by all the complaints of the whole world: by more then three hundred ſorts of diſeaſes, whereby mans body may be troubled, as ſome hauehave well noted. If there be ſo many diſeaſes, how many other il chaunces thinkeſt thou wil there be of other thinges, of frendes, finally of the minde it ſelfe, which is the principall ſubiect of all euills, and the onelyonly receptacle of ſorrow and euills?
Moreouer the force & feeling of euils is ſo much more increaſed, by howe much the ſtate is greater & more worthy, whē as pouertie, ignominie, & all il chaunces, ſeeing that they may euen ſodenly come, muſt needes, foraſmuch as all thinges hange as it were by a ſclender thread, be feared eueryevery howre, no otherwiſe then that ſworde, which Dionyſe the tyran hoonge ouer the head of his gueſt. It ought greatly to comfort vsus, & moue vsus to louelove and praiſe God, that we being in daū ger of ſo many euils, few or none come vntounto vsus.Now whatſoeuer of theſe do not come, it is to be counted for aduaſitage, & for no ſmal cōfort againſt that euill that chaunceth, ſo that thou art here compelled to ſay with Ieremie: it is through the mercies of ye Lorde that we are not deſtroyed. For whatſoeuer of them doth not chaunce, it chaunceth not, the right hand of ye Higheſt letting or prohibiting it, which mightely preſerueth vsus on eueryevery ſide as it is declared in Iob, ſo that Satan and euils doe euen grudge and beare it vnpatiently that they are letted and prohibited. Wherfore we ſee, how ſweetely the Lord is to be loued, as often as any thing chaunceth vntounto vsus, foraſmuch as by this one euil our moſt louing father admoniſheth vsus to conſider howe many euils are ready to aſſaile vsus, if he did not ſtay and let them: as if he ſayd: Satan and a huge heape of euills deſire to ſifte thee: but I hauehave ſet boundes to the ſea, and hauehave ſayd vntounto it, hitherto ſhall thy ſwelling waues come, Death the moſt terrible & moſt certaine euil to come, yet the time of the comming therof moſt vncertaine.and here ſhall they ſtay, as he ſayth in Iob chap. 28. But none of them ſhall come, perhaps the will of God being ſo: howbeit that which of all terrible things is ſayd to be the greateſt, namely death, ſhall moſt certainely come, and nothing is more vncertaine then the hower thereof. Which euil is ſo great, that we ſee that many men had rather liue euen with all the foreſayd euils, then they being ended to dye once. And to this one the Scripture alſo, wheras it contemneth the reſt, referreth feare, ſaying: Remember the end and thou ſhalt neuer do amiſſe.
Conſider how many meditations, howe many bookes, how many meanes and remedies are ordained hereunto, ſo that with the remembrance of this onelyonly euill it is vſual to fray men from ſinnes, and make the world contemptible, to lighten ſufferings and euills, and to comfort the afflicted by comparing their euills with ſo horrible & great an euill, which ſhall at one time or other of neceſſitie come. There is no man, who would not wiſh to ſuffer all euills, if thereby he might auoide the euill of death. This the Sainctes alſo hauehave feared: this Chriſt ſuffered with feare and ſweat like dropps of blood. So that the diuine mercy hath bene careful to ſtrengthen & comfort the weake & faint harted in nothing more then in this euill as we ſhall ſee hereafter.
As for Chriſtians they hauehave a ſpeciall and proper cauſe to feare the euill to come, VVhat euil to come Chriſtians ought to feare.which exceedeth all the other euils: this is that which ye Apoſtle ſetteth forth I. Cor. 10. ſaying: Let him that thinketh he ſtandeth, take heede leſt he fal. So ſlipperie is the way, ſo mighty is the enemy, being armed with our owne proper ſtrength (that is, with the aydes of the fleſh & of all euill affections) accompanied wt infinite hands & companies of the world, with delights & pleaſures on the right hand, with troubles & the euil wils of men on ye left, beſide that art, a thouſand wayes to hurt, ſeduce, & deſtroy, whereof he is moſt kilfull. We liue ſo that we are not ſure of our good purpoſe ſo much as a moment. Cyprian ſpeaking of many ſuch things in his epiſtle of mortalitie, teacheth that death is to be wiſhed as a ſpeedy helper to auoyde theſe euils.
And for the moſt part where men hauehave a good hart, True Chriſtians con…ene death, & all euils, that they may be deliuered frō the euill of ſinne.& duely reuolue in their minde theſe infinite perils, we ſee them, deſpiſing life and death, that is all the aforeſaide euills, wiſh to be loſed, that they may be alſo loſed from this euill of ſinnes wherein they are, as we hauehave ſayd in the firſt chapter, and into which they may fall, whereof we ſpeake nowe. And ſurely theſe are two moſt weighty reaſons, to moue vsus not onelyonly to wiſh for death, but alſo to contemne all euills, not to beare one euil onelyonly lightly, if the Lorde ſhall giuegive to any to be moued with them, for it is the gift of God to be moued with them. For what true Chriſtian will not wiſh euen to dye, and not only to be ſicke, who ſeeth and feeleth, that he while he liueth in healthe, is not onelyonly in ſinnes, and continually may and daily doth fall into moe, and ſo without intermiſſion doth contrary to the moſte louing will of his moſt louing Father? With this vehemencie of indignation Paule beinge moued (as it is declared Rom. 7.) when he had complayned that he did not the good which he woulde, but the euill which he would not, cryed out: O wretched man that I am, who ſhall deliuer me from the bodye of this death? The grace of God ſayth he by Ieſus Chriſt, &c. He litle loueth God his Father, who doth not chooſe rather the euill of death, then this euill of ſinning, ſeing that he hath ordayned death hereunto that this euil may at the laſt hauehave an ende, and death may be the miniſter of life and righteouſnes, whereof ſhal be ſpoken hereafter.