Defense of our Days over the Days of our Forefathers, Title page – Dedication
An Apologie, or Defence of our dayes, againſt the vaine murmurings & complaints of manie: Wherein is plainly proued, that our dayes are more happie & bleſſed than the dayes of our forefathers.
In the latter dayes, I will powre out my ſpirite on all fleſh. Ioel. 2.
In the Euening, it ſhalbe light. Zachar. 14.7.8.9.
The Goſpell ſhal be preached through all the world, for a witneſſe vntounto all Nations: and then ſhall the ende come. Math. 24.
LONDON Printed by Iohn Wolfe. 1589.
To the right worſhipfull, Sir Anthonie Thorrold Knight, and to the vertuous Ladie Anne Thorrold his wife: Francis Trigge wiſheth this yeare with manie others, proſperous & ioyfull in this world, & in the world to come, life euerlaſting.
BEeing prouoked (right worſhipfull) by your manifold curteſies at all times ſhewed to my mother & mee. Leſt I ſhould ſeeme ingratefull (which of all ſinnes, both towardes God and amongeſt men, I accompt the greateſt) I was euen enforced to ſhewe my ſelfe thankfull vntounto your worſhips. And whereas at this time, euerie one, doe not onelyonly in wordes but alſo in deedes, with their preſents & gifts, ſhewe ſome ſigne and token of this their thankefulnes: Euen ſo I alſo, out of my ſimple garden, hauehave choſen a handfull of Flowers, as it were a Noſegay (the beſt preſent I could get) to offer vntounto you: In the which, although ſome of the flowers perchaunce ſhal ſeeme rough, and to hauehave ſome prickes, yet I truſt (as the Gilliflower and the Roſe) they ſmell ſweete, that is, taſte of trueth: being grounded on the vndoubted trueth of Gods worde.
The which I hauehave intituled, A defence of our daies, againſt the murmurings and complaints of manie: Then the which murmuring and complaining, we hauehave no one ſinne amongſt vsus more common: nor anie one more odious to the Maieſtie of God, which ſtoppes his bleſſings from vsus, & yearely, in my iudgement pulles his heauie wrath and plagues vponupon vsus: For amongſt the old Iſraelites, after their departure out of Egypt,Exod. 16. this ſinne was almoſt continuall, and daily among them: they were neuer content: they ſtill found fault with ſomthing. They either lacked water, or victuals, or Quailes: or their enimies were too mightie for them, or Moſes & Aaron tooke too much vponupon them. And by this meanes, thoſe 40 yeares they angred the Lord, and prouoked the holie one of Iſrael (as ſaieth the Pſalmiſt.) And S. Paul by their examples giues vsus a leſſon:1. Cor. 10. Be not murmurers (ſaith he) as ſome of them were, and were deſtroyed of the deſtroyer. Thus to murmure or complaine, we accompt but a ſmall thing, & almoſt no ſin at all. But behold, it is a deadlie ſinne, it bringeth death, vnnaturall & vntimelie euen of the deſtroyer. And ſurelie I feare mee, this one thing hath cauſed the vntimelie deathes of manie of our riche men this laſt yeare: When as God had ſent them plentie of corne, yet they were not content, they would hurd vp their old. They would ſaie, it wil be deare ſtill: nay they would deuiſe how to make it deare. They would complaine of much ſtrawe & little corne, and ſo no doubt they angred the Lorde God with theſe hurdings vp & murmurings: and euen ſhortened their owne daies. For we are all taught this generall leſſon by our doctor & maſter S. Paul:1. Theſſ. 5. Phil. 2. In all things giuegive thanks: And againe, do al things without murmurings & reaſonings. And Dauid ſhewes vsus the talke & ſpeaches of Gods ſeruants: They ſaie alwaies, the Lord be praiſed. And S. Paul himſelfe, not onlie by word of mouth, but by his own example teacheth vsus this leſſon, who going vp to Ieruſalem, and as he went by the waie, certaine Prophets tolde him, that of a trueth he would be hardlie welcomed thither, & that he ſhould be bound & impriſoned, who neuer grudged at ſuch hard tydings, but ioyfullie aunſwered: The Lords wil be done.Eccleſiaſticus. 39. ver. 13. I am not readie to be bound, but to die for the Lord Ieſus. And Eccleſiaſticus giueth vsus this counſel: Hearken vntounto me O ye holie children, & bring foorth fruite as the Roſe that is planted by the brookes of the field, and giuegive you a ſweet ſmel, as incenſe, & brings forth flowers as the Lylie, & giuegive a ſmell, & ſing a ſong of praiſe Bleſſe the Lord in al his works. This is a ſweet roſe vntounto the Lord, euen at Chriſtyd. This is the ſweete frankinſence that the Lord delightes in. This is the pure white Lyllye flower. And none may ſaye, what is this? wherefore is that? At all times conuenient, they ſhall al be ſought out. We ſhall one day perceiue that all the workes of God, euen our great fluddes, our yll ſeede forrowes, our great windes, our weete harueſtes, ſhall tende to the ſaluation of our ſoules, though they diminiſh the gaine of our purſes. Therefore let vsus not ſaie: Oh what a weather is this? Oh what a harueſt is this? But rather, the Lord be praiſed, who ſendeth this. The booke of the wiſedom of Salomon, in the firſt Chapter teacheth vsus the ſame leſſon, as a chiefe and principall point of wiſedome. The eare of Ielouſie heareth all thinges, and the noiſe of the grudgings, ſhall not be hidden. Therefore beware of murmuring which profiteth or auaileth nothing. See what great reaſons Salomon alledgeth, that wee ſhould beware of this murmuring. He compares God to an earneſt louer, which cannot abide his giftes, his tokens to be founde fault withall. The Lord markes our words & geſtures, when he ſends vsus raine, windes, faire weather, how we take theſe his tokens. He tryes vsus whether we louelove him or not. If we frowne when we receiue them, it is a ſigne wee louelove him not perfectly in deede. A true and a faithfull louer will receiue anie thing, and that cheerefully at his louers handes: So ought wee to doe at Gods handes. Secondly, all our murmurings and complainings auaile nothing, they make the weather neuer the better, therefore they are in vaine. Beware therefore of vaine murmuring and complaining. The Lorde, when as wee our ſelues deſerue to be drowned with the olde worlde, for deſpiſing not Noah the eight preacher of righteouſnes, but euē eight ſcore: He drownes our Haye & our paſtures, when as we our ſelues deſerued to be deſtroyed with thoſe ſame couetous Gergeſites: For deſpiſing his Goſpel, & making light account of it. He killes & deſtroyes but our ſwine. He rottes our ſheepe. When as the Axe being laid long agoe to the roote of the tree by manie Iohn Baptiſts: who preach vntounto vsus euen his verie commiſsion & preaching (Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.) And we waxing eueryevery yere worſe and worſe, deſerue quite to be cut downe: he doth by his ſharpe windes, of warres & taxes, but pluck of our leaues, pinch our purſes. And ſhal we complaine? or not rather commend, & extoll this great goodnes of our God: and finde fault with our ſelues, and ſay with Dauid, in the like caſe being plagued for numbring the people: Loe, it is I that hauehave ſinned, & that hauehave done wickedly, but thoſe ſheepe, what hauehave they done: Let thy hand I pray thee, be againſt mee and againſt my fathers houſe. Thus we ought in all theſe externall plagues & puniſhments of the Lord, to find fault with our ſelues, and to ſaye, that wee hauehave deſerued euen the ſame plagues, & not to find fault with thoſe iudgements of God, which are far leſſe then we hauehave deſerued. And yet ſurelie amongſt vsus in theſe daies, no ſin more cōmon. We ſhal come in no place, we ſhal talke with no man, but we ſhal finde him complaining, or grieued with ſomewhat. The gentleman, he complaines, all things are deare, & money ſkant, & his charge great: which dearth in trueth, him ſelfe in ſome parte, is the cauſe of: For if hee let his paſtures & fermes deare, he muſt needes buy deare againe. The husbandman he complaines, that corne is too cheape: he is not able to paie his rents & ſeruants wages of his crop. The Artificer, he ſaith, there are ſo manie of an occupacion, that one cannot liue by another: and that he can not get his debtes paid, whoſe prices, without all conſcience, the Lord ſometimes plagues with euil paiments. The ſeruants ſome times lack maſters, (men wil do their worke them ſelues) ſome lack wages, ſome victuals. So that from the top to the toe, no part is free: euerie one is grieued, euerie one complaineth. So that this plaiſter is verie neceſſarie, the diſeaſe being ſo general, & dangerous. Therefore I conclude with our laſt weekes leſſon out of S. Paules Epiſtle to the Philippians fit for our times:Phil. 4. The Lord being euen now at hand in deede: Reioice in the Lord alwaie, & againe I ſaie reioyce: Let your curteſie or gentlenes be knowen or manifeſt to all men. The Lorde is euen at hand. Be careful for nothing, but in all things, let your petitions be manifeſt vntounto God in prayer & ſupplication with giuing of thanks. Let vsus reioyce in the Lord, who is now our aduocate, our lawyer that pleadeth al our cauſes, ſhal be our Iudge. Let our curteſie & mercifulnes be knowen to al men, that we may find merciemercy & curteſie at the Lords hand at that daie: For with what meaſure we meaſure to others now, in the chaffe and pelfe of this world, ſhal then no doubt be meaſured vntounto vsus againe. The Lorde is euen at hand: let vsus be careful for nothing, but in al our needs & neceſsities, let vsus praie vntounto him, and we ſhal receiue. What is more eaſie then to aske and hauehave? But aboue al things let vsus giuegive thankes. Let vsus beware of murmuring & complaining. So ſhal the Lord, not only this yeare, but euerie yeare, powre down his bleſsings vponupon vsus. Thus deſiring your worſhips to accept this my ſimple gift, praying the Lorde to bleſſe you both with his holie ſpirite this yeare & manie others, to his glorie, & the benefit of this our countrey, and in the world to come, of his great merciemercy, to crowne you with euerlaſting glorie: I moſte humblie take my leaue.
Welborne this xv. of Nouember. 1589.