Exposition of Psalm 22, Sermon 2
❧ Howe they ought to be comforted that are in bodyly ſyckneſſe or trouble.
DEarly beloued brother I truſte ye beleue that all thynges, whether it be ſyckneſſe, anguyſhe, or what miſfortune ſo euer it be, it commeth all from almyghtye God. For yf he be your faythfull father,Rom. viii All thynges ſerue for the beſte vntounto thē that louelove God. thā doth he it to your furtheraunce that he taketh holde on your olde Adam, and leadeth hym preſoner wyth thys bonde of your ſyckneſſe, and helpeth you to tame and to mortyfy hym, that ſo ye maye yelde youre ſelfe the better vntounto your LORDE God, and hange on the croſſe wyth Chriſte. For thys cauſe is ſuche ſyckneſſe of yours a fatherly chaſtenynge: For whome God loueth,Heb. xii. hym doth he chaſten. And of hys fatherly mercy taketh he thus holde vponupon you wyth very truthe and louelove. Happely he ſeyth that your olde Adam wyll be to wanton and raſh for you, and waxeth to ſtronge & fearce for you. And for thys cauſe putteth the LORDE a brydle into hys mouth, whereby he be not hurtfull vnts your noble ſoule and myſcary her. Fleſh and bloude is ſtronger in you thā the ſprete, therfore helpeth he your ſprete to fyghte. Perchaunce yf ye were whole, it myghte entyce you to ſynne agaynſte God, whereby hys holy name myghte be blaſphemed, and ſo were youre ſoule the more curſed for ye fylthyneſſe of manyfolde ſynnes. But nowe doth he auoyde all that from you thorow fatherly mercy, and turneth awaye youre fleſh and bloude that alwaye rageth agaynſte the ſprete,Rom. vii. and leadeth it captiue, ſo that it hath no more rowme nor occaſion to couet all maner of ſynnes.
Seynge than that hys fatherly wyll is ſuche, and that ſuche thynges do happen vntounto you to good, therfore do I earneſtly admonyſh you that by no meanes ye do wythſtande hys fatherly wyll, but praye hartely, that hys wyll be done and fulfylled in you vntounto hys prayſe. And hūbly beſeke to graunte you his mercy, tha tye may beare thys croſſe of hys paciently:Rom. v. For pacience bryngeth experience, experience bryngeth hope, but hope letteth vsus not come to confuſion. Thus hauehave ye nowe occaſion to be paciente, and wyllyngly to ſuffre al maner of thynge that God ſendeth vntounto you, for ſo muche as ye perceaue in your harte, that he meaneth the thynge in very dede, and thys commeth by tryenge. For wythout ye aſſaye it wyth the dede how good it is ſo to retayne the LORDE, (as Dauid ſayeth:Pſal. c. xviii. i. It is good to my that I hauehave ben in trouble, yt I maye learne thy ryghteouſneſſes) ye can not hope and truſte in hym: In ſo muche as ye hauehave not aſſayed that ſuch fatherly louelove is hyd vnderunder thys rodde.
But whan ye hauehave perceaued ſuche a thynge, than are ye bolde in all ſufferynge, and take hope vntounto you, the lōger the more: ſeynge God doth ſo truely aſſiſte you. And though he do let you ſyncke a lytle whyle & ſtyck faſte, yet doth he drawe you forth agayne, though it be longe. He ſuffreth you a lytle to ſwymme and to douke, but not to drowne. Wherby ye maye perceaue that he wyll neuer forſake you, whyche hath ſo ofte and many tymes ayded you. Yf he doth brynge you ſometyme in greate anguyſhe,Dan. xiiii. ſo that ye myght thynke it all to be done wyth you, yet forſake hym not, but let your truſt and hope remayne faſte and ſure in hym: for ye hauehave heretofore learned well ynough the propertye and nature home he goeth aboute wyth hys: ye knowe alſo that it is not done of anger or hate, but of pure and entier louelove. Abyde therfore for the LORDE in all your ſufferynge, and truſte wholy and inceaſſaūtly in his mercy and helpe, how longe ſo euer he wythdraweth hymſelfe and taryeth: And be fully perſuaded that thys your ſyckneſſe, (or ſuche other grefe) is not vntounto death,Ioh. ix. xi. but for the honoure of God, and your profyte & ſaluacion. For who ſo darre truſte ſo in God, and beleue his promyſes ſtedfaſtly, the ſame ſhall neuer dye, as Chriſte hymſelfe ſayeth: Yee and byndeth it alſo wyth an oth that it be ſo in dede,Ioh. viii ſayenge: Verely verely I ſaye vntounto you: Yf ony man kepe my word, he ſhall neuer ſe death. And in another place ſayeth Chriſte:Ioh. xi I am the reſurrection and the lyfe. He that beleueth on me, ſhall lyue, though he were deade already: and who ſo euer lyueth & beleueth on me, ſhall neuer dye.
Kepe and holde ſure thys comforte, and be bolde there vponupon. For who ſo beleueth in Chriſte, ſhall not tayſte of death, but is already paſſed from death to lyfe. Euen as he wytneſſeth of hymſelfe, where he ſayeth: Who ſo beleueth on me,Ioh. v hath euerlaſtynge lyfe. But thys is the lyfe euerlaſtynge:Ioh. xvi… that they knowe the, that thou only arte the true God, & whom thou haſt ſente Ieſus Chriſt. The lyfe euerlaſtyng begynneth here in this lyfe, & ēdureth euer. For who ſo hath Chriſt, theſame truely hath very lyfe: for he hym ſelfe is the lyfe. Ioh. xv. He is alſo the truth. What ſo euer he promyſeth you, that ſhalbe yee, and not naye. He wyl abyde faſte by his promyſe, euen as he ſayeth hymſelfe: I will not take away my kyndneſſe from hym,Pſal. lxxxviii. nor ſuffre my truth to fayle. I wyl not breake my conuenaunte not diſanulle the thynge that is gone out of my lyppes.