A Comfortable Epistle to Gods Faithful People in England, Chapter 10
¶ The. x. Chapter.
TAke one or twoo examples out of the new Testament / for the confirmatiō of our faythe in this behalfe / that we maye learn God to be one / and the same louing Mala. 3.father in all ages / & neuer more doubt of his fatherly goodnes towarde vsus / but cō ceaue an assured hope and perfect truste off hys present helpe / euen in the depest of our aduersities / as he sayeth: Though I walke thorow the valley of the shadow of deathe / I wyll feare no euell / for thou arte wyth Psal. 23.me.
Whan Christ and hys disciples were in the shipp… / Christe at a certayn tyme slept. In the meane whyle their arose a greate Math. 8.tempeste in the sea / in so muche that the shyppe was couered wyth the waues. The disciples perceauynge them selfes too be in greate daunger and peryll of drownynge / and not knowynge what to do / nor how to escape / came vntounto Chryste / awoke hym and sayde: Master / saue vsus / we peryshe. Christe aunswered: Why are ye afrayde / O ye of littell faythe? Then he arose and rebuked the wyndes and the sea / & there folowed a great calme. O the tender mercye of the Lorde oure God / towarde all suche as in the time of theyr trouble fie vntounto his name as vntounto a stronge bulwarke. Thys historye teacheth vsus / that thoughe the seas and the wyndes / yea / though the deuel & the worlde ryse / rore / rage & ruffle against vsus neuer so much / yet if we fie vntounto God with harty & faythfull praier / he wil surely helpe vsus / so that nothinge shal hurte vsus / seme oure case neuer so miserable / & our daunger neuer so perillous. The waues of the sea are mightye / sayeth the Psalmographe / & rage horri Psalm. 93bly / yet the Lorde that dwelleth on hye / i… mightier.
The lyke historye rede we of Peter / whiche whan he saw Christe walkinge on Math. 14the sea / sayde: Lorde / bid me come vntounto the on the water. Christ sayde / come. And wh… Peter was come doune out of the shippe / he walked on the water to go to Iesus. But whan he sawe a mighty wynde / he was afraide. And whan he beganne to syncke / he cryed / sayeng: Lord saue me. And immediat lye / Iesus stretching forth his hāde / caught hym and sayde vntounto hym / O thou of litle fayth / wherefore dedist thou doubte? O the merciful fauour of the Lorde oure God towarde his weake & feble creatures. Here fynde we the sayeng of the Prophete true / A broosed rede / shall he not breake / & smoking Esay. 42.flaxe shal he not quenche.
But as I maye at the laste come too the history of our Sauiour Christ / Who seeth not …he mightie power of God / in raisinge vp Christe crucifyde & dead / whan all reason and wisedom of men thought it a thing Mat. 27.impossible? The Iewes now promised thē selfs many fayre holy daies / great safegard muche quietnes and continuall rest / seynge they had brought Christ their head enemye to his long home / as they vse to say. Euen as oure Papistes at this present daye promise them self many good morowes / greate Papistes.assuraunce of their wealthy liuinges / long rest / perfect establishement of their kyngedome and sure saffetie for euer / forasmuche as they hauehave now gottē agayn their deuelishe and abhominable Masse / their vnfruteful Latin seruice / their beggarly ceremonies / &c. & hauehave so handled the matter / that the true preachers / beyng put to silence thei alone / both at Paules crosse and els / where are the trompet blowers not of Christes Gospell / but of that Romishe Antichr…es dyrtie / deuelish decrees / as their sermons / if thei be worthy that name / now of late hauehave manifestly declared vntounto the great derogation of Gods glorie / the dishonoure of hys holy Gospell / and the vnspekeable sorowe of all faithful and Christe hartes. The Iewes / but specially the Bishops & the Priestes / Mat. 26. 27.the Scribes & the Lawers / the Phari seis & the Saduceis founde the meanes to laye hande on Christ / to bynde him / to cary him vntounto the hye powers / to accuse hym / to condemne him / to crucifie him & to kyll Note.him. Yea / beynge buried and a greate stone rolled to the bodre of the sepulche / they sealed the stone / and sette watch men with bylles / halbardes / gleyues / s…aues / speares / py… kes & all manner of weapon to kepe Christ doune / that he shoulde ryse nomore / and trouble the holy religious and spirituall fathers with hys doctrine / as he dyd afore. But what is the power of this worlde before God? very weakenes / and the wysedome 1. Cor. 3.playne folishenes. For whan they thought them selfes sure ynough of Christ for euer rysing agayne / and them selfes set in suche a goodly staye / as no misfortuyne coulde chaunce to them and to their kyngedome / Christe by the power of hys Godhead / Math. 28rose agayne a tryumphante and victorious conquerour of all his enemies / and raygneth nowe in the glorye of hys father for euer and euer. And shortlye after / the doctrine of Chryste / whyche they soughte by all meanes possible too destroye / and for the whyche they so hated Christe / that they thoughte hym vnworthye too lyue / dyd so aryse / spryng / growe / encreace / prosper and floryshe / that it was not onelye taughte in Iewrye and Samaria / but also in all the partes of the worlde / and the Iewes for theyr vnthankefulnes and disobediēce after certayne yeares / with theyr countrye vtterly peryshed and came to noughte. After Bevvare ye papistes.thys sorte / without all doubte shall it come to passe with oure papistes. For where as they thynke prosperously longe too raygne by suppressynge the worde of God / and hol dynge doune / yea / quenchyng the glorious light of Christes Gospell / the Gospell off Rom. 1Christe / whiche is the power of God / shall moste triumphantly ryse agayne maugre the enemies / florysh and prosper / and they with all theyr pompe / pryde / vanitie / super sticion / papistrye / hypocrisye / Idolatrye / ceremonies / masses / decrees / constitucions / counsayles / customes / &c. shall perishe and come to nought. For God hymself sayeth / I will honour them / that honour me / and I wyll brynge them to shame / that do dishonoure 1. Reg. 2.me.
And oure Sauioure Christe sayeth: He that falleth vppon thys stone / shall be broken Math. 21.on peces / but vppon whomesoeuer it fall / it shall crushe hym all to pouder. Here to pertayneth the sayenge of sainct Paule / 2. Tim. 3.They resiste the trueth / beynge men of a corrupte iudgement and lewde / as concerning the fayth / but they shall preuayle no lenger. For their madnes shall be knowen too all men. Agayne / the God of peace shal treade Rom. 16.sathan vnderunder your fete …hortly.