The Marks of the Children of God and their Comforts in Affliction, Chapter 7
That the afflictions that happen vntounto vsus, hauehave beene foretolde, and therefore they ought to confirme vsus in the aſſurance of our adoption.
CAP. 7.
THE holie Ghoſt hath at all times foretold and teſtified by ſundry and manifeſt ſentences, that the children of God ſhoulde be perſecuted and afflicted in this life, yea, in ſuch ſort, as the firſt afflictions ſhoulde bee but the beginnings of greater; and that paſsing one euill, they ſhoulde prepare themſelues to indure others that ſhould followe as the waues in the Sea.Gen. 3.15 Prophecies of the olde teſtament. GOD from the beginning of the worlde, hauing pronounced, that hee woulde put enmitie betweene the ſeede of the woman and the ſeede of the Serpent, hath aduertiſed vsus, that as long as there ſhalbe deuils in the world, and children of God, they muſt vnderſtand, that ſuch enemies will imploy all their ſtrength & means to perſecute thē: As this alſo is repreſented in the Reuelatiō in that which is ſaid by S. Iohn, Reue. 12that the olde ſerpent not being able to deuoure the Sonne of GOD, nor the body of the church, was very angry, and went to make war with the reſt of her ſeede which kept the commaundements of God, and which had the teſtimonie of Ieſus Chriſt. Likewiſe God hauing promiſed ſeede vntounto Abraham, and added, that it ſhoulde bee as the Starres of the Heauen.Gen. 15.13 He tolde him by and by, that it ſhoulde bee afflicted, ſaying: Knowe thou for a certayne, that thy ſeede ſhall dwell and ſerue in a Land that is not their owne, and ſhal be afflicted foure hundred yeeres. And that which is more, hee confirmeth this aduertiſement by a viſion or notable ſigne, commaunding him to diuide in peeces an heifar, a ramme, a hee goate, a turtle, and a pigeon; and ſending a flight of Birdes vponupon the dead carcaſes cut in peeces: he ſhewed him, that his ſeede (by the greatneſſe of afflictions) ſhould be like vntounto dead carcaſes cut in peeces, and expoſed for a pray vntounto the Birdes. Dauid in a few wordes ſheweth this condition to be common to all the children of GOD, ſaying,Pſal. 34.20 that the afflictions of the righteous are manie. And in howe manie ſortes, and in how many places hauehave the Prophetes foretolde of the afflictions that came vponupon the tenne tribes of Iſrael carried after captiues into Aſſyria? In like manner of the kingdome of Iuda, the deſtruction of the Temple, the ſacking of the Citie, the maſſacre of a great part of the people, and the captiuitie of the reſt,Prophecies of the newe teſtament. Mat. 10.16 by the ſpace of ſeauentie yeares in Babylon. Aboue all, Ieſus Chriſt, who is the wiſedome of GOD, how often hath hee foretolde the afflictions of his faithfull ſeruants and members of his body? Beholde (ſaith he) to his A poſtles, I ſend you as Sheepe amongeſt Wolues. Yee ſhall bee deliuered vntounto the Conſiſtories, and whipped in the Synagogues. Yee ſhall bee hated of all men for my names ſake. If they hauehave called the Maſter of the houſe Beelzebub, how much more his ſeruauntes. I am not come to bring peace vponupon the Earth, but a Sworde.Mat. 16.24 If anſe will followe mee, let him renounce him ſelfe, and take vp his Croſſe and followe mee. They ſhall deliuer you to bee puniſhed, and ſhall ſlay you.Mat. 24.9 If they hauehave Perſecuted mee, they will alſo perſecute you. Againe,Ihon 16.2 Verelie, verelie I ſaie vntounto you, that yee ſhall weepe and lament, and the worlde ſhall reioyce. Yea, hee compareth the faithfull vntounto a Woman which trauaileth of childe.Iho. 16.21 True it is, that the wicked are alſo tormented in their courſe. But Iudgement ſayeth Saint Peter, 1. Pet. 4.17muſt beginne at the houſe of GOD. And of this iudgement it is that Saint Paule dooth ſpeake,2. Theſ. 3.7 ſaying: That wee are ordayned to bee afflicted, which hee dooth confirme by a Sentence full of comforte,Act. 14 22 faying: That by manie tribulations wee muſt enter into the Kingdome of Heauen. Agayne,2. Tim. 3.12 all they that will liue godlie in Chriſt, muſt ſuffer perſecution. But aboue al, that is to be noted that hee ſaide in an other place:Col. 1.24. I reioyce, and fill vp in my ſelfe that which wanted of the ſufferings of Chriſt: meaning by Chriſt, all the faithfull, with their head, and ſhewing, that GOD hath ordained a certain meaſure of paſsions for this Chriſt, and conſequently to eueryevery one of his members his portion, which hee muſt ſuffer, to accompliſh the paſsions of Chriſt. Now this is not without great reaſon, that the Holie Ghoſt hath ſo carefully, and in ſo many ſortes and manners foretolde, that the children of GOD ſhoulde bee afflicted. It is to this ende, as Ieſus Chriſt him ſelfe teacheth his Apoſtles,Ihon 16.1. that we ſhold not be troubled or offended, when we ſee the faithful to be ſpoiled, chaſed away, impriſoned, mocked, & murthered, that then we ſhould remember that it was told vsus before. And that it commeth not to paſſe by fortune or chaunce, nor by the abſolute will of mē that we are afflicted. But by the appointment of God the father, and that this is the entertainment which he hath ordained for his ſeruants and children. But our fleſh doth Iudaize too much in this behalfe. For as the Ievves in olde time, looking for a Meſſias triumphing in the world, were offended at his humilitie & baſe eſtate, & ſo at the croſſe of Ieſus Chriſt, and therefore reiected both him and his doctrine: euen ſo our fleſh at this day doth ſtill imagine a goſpel of veluet agreeable to their deſires, and a kingdome of Chriſt that were of this world. See now why it is troubled and offended, deriding a Chriſt crowned with thornes, bearing his croſſe vppon his ſhoulders, and laying it vponupon all thoſe that will be the children of God with him. But if the Iewes had wel weied that which Eſai foretold of the Meſſias, Eſai. 53.That he ſhould grow vp as a roote out of a drie groūd, That he ſhuld hauehave in him neither faſhion nor beautie to be deſired, That he ſhould be deſpiſed and reiected of men; a man ſo afflicted and accuſtomed to ſorowes, that men ſhuld hide their faces frō him, ſo much ſhould he be contemned; That hee ſhould bee oppreſſed with iniurie, afflicted, & led to the ſlaughter as a Lambe. To bee ſhort, that he ſhuld be numbred among the tranſgreſſors. Alſo that which Zacharie ſaith; Behold thy king commeth to thee humble,Zach. 9.9 riding vponupon an Aſſe. And that which Daniel ſaieth, That the Chriſt ſhould be cut off,Dan. 9.26 and ſhould not be. If, I ſay, the Iewes had well weighed theſe Prophecies, and manie other like theſe, touching the abaſement and afflictions of Chriſt: ſo far off is it, that they would hauehave reiected him, that on the contrarie, they would hauehave knowen by the accompliſhment of thoſe thinges that were foretolde of him, that he was in deede the Meſſias promiſed. In like manner, if we would carefully meditate on that which the holie Ghoſt hath fore ſpoken of our condition, and that wee muſt be conformable vntounto the image of Chriſt,Rom. 8.17 ſuffer and die with him: the tribulations which accompanie the profeſſion of the Goſpell, ſhoulde bee vntounto vsus ſignes and teſtimonies,, that wee are Chriſtians, and the Children of God.Luk 2
When the Angell ſhewed vntounto the Shepards the natiuitie of Ieſus Chriſt, ſaying, I ſhewe vntounto you greatioy, that this day is borne to you a Sauiour in the Citie of Dauid, which is Chriſt the Lord: Hee addetth, you ſhall hauehave theſe ſignes, yee ſhall finde the childe wrapped in ſwaddeling cloathes, and laid in a maunger. Now, if theſe ſhepheards (beeing come to Bethlehem,) had found the holie Virgine in an honourable pallaice, and the Childe in a magnificall and royall cradle, had they not had iuſt occaſion to doubt of the tidings of the Angell, this eſtate not agreeing with the ſigne that hee had giuen? But hauing found the Childe in poore eſtate in a maunger, as the Angell had foretolde, they were confirmed to beleeue, that it was the Meſſias.
Euen ſo, GOD hauing reuealed vntounto vsus by his Woord, that hee hath choſen vsus to be his Children, hauing ſealed it in vsus by the teſtimonie and effects of the vnction of the holie Ghoſt: and hauing alſo giuen vsus the markes in this, that he hath made vsus the members of his Church: hee hath foretolde, and hath alſo giuen one ſigne more of our adoption, that we ſhall be reproached & perſecuted. If then the world did make much of vsus, loued and honoured vsus, we might after ſome ſort dout of the word of God, and of our election and adoption. But ſeeing the accompliſhment of that, that was foretolde vsus, we ought to bee ſo much the more confirmed in this aſſurance, that we are not of the world, but appertaine to our God. And this is it that Ieſus Chriſt tolde his Apoſtles, ſaying;Ioh. 15.19. If yee were of the world, the world would louelove his owne: but nowe becauſe I hauehave choſen you out of the world, the world hateth you. If we aske the way to goe to anie place, & that one tell vsus (for a ſigne of the right way) that it is at the beginning durty & afterward full of hils, we wil leaue the other waies which ſeeme ſtraight, drie, faire and eaſie: and finding in that way which wee take, durte and hills foretold and giuen vsus for a ſigne, wee will bee ſo much the more confirmed, that wee are in the right way. So the holie Ghoſt hauing foretolde,Act. 14.…. that thorough manie tribulations wee muſt enter into the Kingdome of heauen,Matt. 7.13. and that the waye leading to eternall life is narrow and difficult: If wee finde the way of the Goſpell narrow & full of troubles, let vsus acknowledge that we are in the right way to the kingdom of heauen, & that we ought therfore to bee ſo much the more confirmed in aſſuraunce that wee are the Children of God.