A Comfortable Epistle to Gods Faithful People in England, Chapter 8
¶ The. viij. Chapter.
ANd albeit that ye do not perceau… Continuāc… in prai…r. Psal. 12….remedy straight wayes / yet cease not to praye / but as the eyes of seruauntes looke to the handes of their masters / & as the eyes of a mayden vntounto the hande of her maystresse / euen so let your eyes wayte vponupon the Lorde youre God / vntill he hauehave mercy on you. He will vndoubtedly come & Abac. 2 Heb. 10not tarrye / whan his godly wisdome seeth the tyme / yea / & that on suche sorte / as shall make moste for his glory and your cōforte. For the poore shall not alway be forgotten / the pacient abiding of the meke shal not perish Psalm. 9.for euer. The Lord will be a defence for the oppressed / euen a refuge in due tyme of trouble / as he hym selfe witness…th / sayeng: For the comforteles troubles sake of the nedye / and because of the depe syghynge of Psal. 12.the poore / now will I vp sayth the Lorde / & will helpe eueryevery one frō him / that swelleth againste hym / and will set hym at rest. Remember this sayeng of the prophete Esaye: Esa. 30In silence and hope shall your strenght be. And thise sentence also of Ieremye: It is Thre. 3.good with sylence to tarrye for the sauyng healthe of God. Murmure not agaynste God / nor appoynte hym not hys tyme / but paciently abyde hys working / referring all Pacience.thinges to hys godly pleasure / and submittinge your wil to his blessed will / whiche alwayes both willeth and doeth that thing that is best for hys glory and for oure salua cion. In your pacience / sayeth our sauiour Christe / shall ye possesse your soules. We Luc. 21.are commaunded too heare the woorde off God with an honeste and good harte / too Luc. 8.kepe it faste / and to bringe forthe the frute therof with pacience. The tryall of youre fayth / sayeth s. Iames / bringeth forthe pacience / but let your pacience hauehave a perfect Iac. 1.worke / that ye maye be perfecte / and whole and sounde on eueryevery parte. To the Hebrues Heb. 10also it is written: Caste not awaye youre confidence / whiche hath greate rewarde to recōpence. For ye hauehave nede of paciēte / that after ye hauehave done the will of God / ye might receaue the promyse. For yet a littell whyle / and he that shal come / will come / & wil not tarry. Pray therfore with paciēce / paciētly abyding the good pleasure of God and his most gracious working. Let youre fayth & hope neuer departe from God / but whan thinges become to moste extremitie / & reasō iudgeth hauocke vtterly to be made and all thinges too be paste remedye / than s…eke moste faste to God & to his promises / let not your holde go / but in the middes of death / hope for lyfe / & loke for deliueraūce at the Lordes hāde. Be lyke vntounto hym that Iob. 13sayde: Though he kylleth me / yet wil I put my trust in hym. Saye with the Psalmographe / the Lorde is my light & my s…luaciō / whom then shall I feare? The Lorde is the Psal. 27.strength of my lyfe / of whome then shall I be afrayde? When the wicked (euen myne enemies and my foes) came vpō me to eate vp my flesh / they stōdled and fell. Thoughe an hoste of men were layde agaynst me / yet shal not my hart be afrayd / & though there rose vp warre against me / yet wil I put my trust in him. For know ye / this to be the pro Gods propertie in his seruauntes.pertie of God. He first casteth doun / before he lifteth vp / as we may se by Ioseph / Dauid / Daniel & such other. And whā thinges seme to be past all remedy / thā he setteth to his hād / & maruelously helpeth / that he mai shew hī self to be an almighty Lord & valeaūt ruler of all creatures / & that there is no wysdome / no forecast / no coūs… / that cā Prou. 21preuayle against the Lord / as Dauid sayth: The Lord bringeth the counsaylles of the Psal. 33.Heathen to nought / and maketh the deuyses of the people to be of none effect / and casteth out the counsailes of princes. But the counsayl of the Lorde shal endure for euer / and the thoughtes of hys harte from generation to generation.