An Exhortation to the Carrying of Christs Cross, Chapter 3
The. 3. Chapter.
Trouble can not hurte gods chyldren.
BVt this muſt not you cō ſider according to ye iudgemente of reaſon and her ſenſe, but after the iudgment of gods worde and the experience of faith. Els you marre al. For to reaſon and experyence or ſenſe of the outward man, we poore ſoules (whyche ſtycke to gods worde to ſerue hym, as he requyreth onelyonly) are counted to be vanquiſhed and ouercome, in that we are caſte into priſon, loſe our liuinges, frends, goods country and lyfe alſo at length concerning this worlde.
But dearly beloued, gods word teacheth other wyſe, and faith faleth accordyngly. Is it not written: who ſhall ſeparate vsus from ye Roma. 8,louelove of god? ſhal tribulacyon, or anguiſhe, or perſecucyon, either …onger, eyther nakednes, either peryll, eyther ſworde? As it is written: For thy ſake are we kylled al day longe, and be counted Pſal. 44as ſhepe appoynted to be ſlaīne. Neuertheles in all theſe thyngs we ouercome, thorow hym that loued vsus.
For I am ſure, that neyther death, nother lyfe, neyther aungels, nor rule, neyther power, nether thynges preſente, neyther thynges to come, neither higth, nor loweth nether any other creature ſhalbe able to part vsus frō that louelove, where wyth God loueth vsus in Chryſt Ieſu our lord.
Thys ſpake one, whyche was in afflyccyon (as I am) for the lordes goſpel ſake: his holi name be prayſed therfore, & he graūte me grace wyth the ſame to continew in lyfe ſufferyng vntounto the ende. Thys (I ſaye) one ſpake whiche was in afflicciō for the goſpell: but yet ſo farre from beyng ouercome, that he reioyced rather of the victory, whyche the goſpel had.
For though he was boūd, yet the goſpel was not bounde. And 2. Tim. 2therefore rendereth he thankes vntounto god, who alwayes geueth victory in Chryſte, and openeth 3. Cor. 2.the ſauoure of hys knowledge bivs, and ſuche as ſuffer for hys trueth: although they ſhut vsus vp neuer ſo much, and dryue vsus neuer ſo farre out of our owne naturall country in eueryevery place.
The worlde for a tyme may dyſceaue it ſelfe, thynkynge it hath the victory: but yet the end wyll trye the contrary. Dyd not Cayn thynke he had the victory, whan Abel was ſlayne? But how ſaye Gene. 4.ye nowe, is it not founde otherwyſe? Thought not ye old world, that they were wyſe and well, and Noe a fole, whyche woulde crepe into an arke, leauynge hys Gene. 7. 8.houſe, landes and poſſeſſyons? for I thynk he was in an honeſt ſtate.
As for the world, they iudged that he was a daſtard & a foole. But I pray you, who was wyſe whā ye floud came? Abraham (I Gene. 12.trow) was coūted a fole, to leaue his own own country & frendes, kyth and kine, becauſe of gods word. But, dearly beloued, we know it proued otherwiſe. I wil leaue al the patriarkes, and come to Moſes and the children of Iſraell.
Tell me, were not they thoughte to be ouercome and ſtark madde whan for feare of Pharao, at gods worde, they ranne into the Exo. 14.reed Sea? Dyd not Pharao and the Egipcians thynke thē ſelues ſure of the victory. But I trowe it proued cleane contrary. Saul was thought to be wel, and Dauyd …. Re. 16. & cin euil caſe and moſt miſerable, becauſe he had no hole to hid hym in: but yet at length Sauls miſery was ſene, and Dauids felicitie beganne to appeare. The Prophet Micheas, beeyng caſte into priſon for telling Achab the …. Reg. 22.trueth, was thought ouercome of Sedechias and the other falſe Prophets. But, my good brethr… and ſiſtern, the holy … …orye telleth …yſe.
Who dyd not thynke the prophetes vnhappye in their tyme. For they were ſlayne, priſoned, Iere. 20,laughed to ſcorne, and reſted at of eueryevery man. And ſo wer all the Apoſtles, yea the deare beloued …. Cor. 4.frende of god, Iohn Baptyſte: who was beheaded, and that in priſon, euen at a dauncynge damoſels deſyer.
As al theſe, to the iudgement of reaſon, were than counted heretikes, runne agates, vnlearned fooles, fyſhers, publicans &c. ſo now vnhappy and ouercome indede, if Gods worde and fayth dyd not ſhewe the contrary. But what ſpeake I of thoſe? Loke vponupon Ieſus Chryſt, to whom we Roma. 8.mu…t be lyke … here, yf we wyl be lyke hym els where.
How ſay you, was not he taken for a moſt foole, a ſedicyous perſon, a newe felow, an heretyke & one ouercome of eueryevery body, euē forſaken both of God and men? But the ende tolde them, and telleth vsus another tale. For now is he in maieſtye and glory ioyful. Whan he was led to Pilate or Herode, or whan he was in priſō in Caiphas houſe, dydde not there reaſon thynke, that he was ouercome? Whan he was beatē, buffeted, ſcourged, crowned wt thorne, hanged vponupon the croſſe, and vtterly lefte of all his diſciples, taunted of ye highe pryſtes and holy fathers, curſed of the cōmons, rayled on of the Magiſtrates, and laughed to ſcorne of the lewde heathen: would not a man then hauehave thoughte, that he had been out of the way, and his diſciples, to folow hym and beeleue hym. Thynke you, y• whiles he lay in hys graue, men dyd not poynt wyth theyr fyngers, wh… they ſawe any that had loued, or beleued in hym and hys doctryne, ſaying: where is theyr maſter and teacher nowe? Whatis he gone? For ſoth if they had not been fooles, they myght wel hauehave knowne thys learnyng, he taught, could not long contynue. Our doctors and Phariſees are no fooles, nowe they maye ſe. On thys ſorte men either ſpake, or myght hauehave ſpoken agaynſte al ſuche, as loued Chryſt or hys doctryne: but yet at length they and all ſuch were proued fooles and wycked wretches. For oure ſauioure aroſe mawgrie theyr beerdes, and publiſhed hys goſpel plentifully, ſpyte of theyr heades and the heades of all the wycked world, wyth the greate powers of the ſame: alwayes ouercommyng, and then moſte of all, whan he and hys doctryne was thought to hauehave the greteſt fall.
Now, dearly beloued, the wicked world reioyceth: the papiſts are puft vp agaynſt poore chriſt and his people, after their olde kynde: now crye they: where are theſe newe founde preachers? Are they not in the tower, Mar ſhalſye, in the flete, in ye kynges benche, in newe gate &c. and beyonde the ſeas? Who wold hauehave thought that our old biſhoppes, doctors & deanes wer fooles, as they wold hauehave made vsus beleue, and in dede hauehave perſwaded ſōe already, whych are not of ye wyſeſre, ſpeciallye if they come not home againe to the holy church? Theſe and ſuch lyke words they hauehave to caſt in our teeth, as tryumphers and conquerours. But dearly beloued, ſhorte is theyr ioye: they begyle thē ſelues: this is but a lyghtning beefore theyr death. As god, after he had geuē ye wicked Iewes a tyme to repēt, viſited them by Deſpaſian and Euſebius. Eccl. hiſto. Lib. 3. ca. 5 6. 7. 8. 9.Titus, moſt horribly to their vtter ſubuerſion, delyueryng firſte of all, hys people from amonge them: euen ſo (my deare brethre) wyl he doe wyth thys age.
Whan he hath tryed hye chil dren from amongſt thē (as now he begynneth) ano by ſufferyng, hath made vsus like to his Chriſt, and by beyng ouercome to ouercome in dede to oure eternal comfort: thē wil he, if not otherwiſe, 1. Theſſa. 4.come hymſelfe in the clowdes. I meane our deare lord, whō we confeſſe, preache and beleue on. He wyl come (I ſaye) wyth the blaſt of a trōpe and ſhowte of an Archangel, and ſo ſhall we bee caught vp in the clowds to mete hym in the ayer: The aungels ga Math, 13.theryng together y• wicked wretches (which now walter and wa lowe as the worlde and wynde bloweth) to be tyed in bondels, and caſt into the fier, which burneth for euer moſt paynfullye. There and then ſhal they ſe, who hath the victorye, they or we.
Whan they ſhal ſee vsus a farre of in Abrahames boſome, then Luke. 16.wyll they ſay: alas, we thought theſe folkes fooles, and had thē Sapi. 3.in deriſion: we thoughte theyr lyfe madnes, and theyr end to be wythout honor.
But lo, how they are counted among the children of God, and theyr porcyon is wyth ye ſaintes. Alas, we hauehave gone amyſſe, and would not harke….
Suche worde … theſe ſhall the wycked ſay on …y in hell, though now they triumph as cō querours. And th… muche for you thirdly to lofe often vponupon: namely, that what ſoeuer is dōe vntounto you (yea euen very death) ſhall not daſhe or hurte you, no more then it dyd Abel, Dauid, Daniel, Iohn Baptiſte, Ieſus Chryſt our Lord, wyth other the deare ſaynctes of God, whyche hauehave ſufferd for hys names ſake. Let not reaſon therfore be iudge in thys matter, but fayth & gods worde: in the which if we ſet before our eyes ye ſhortneſſe of thys The tyme of ſufferi… is but a triffle.preſent tyme, wherin we ſuffer, and conſider the eternitie to cōe, we ſhall fynde it moſt certayne, that our enemyes and perſecutors ſhall be helples in intolerable paynes: and we, if we perſeuer vntounto the ende, ſhall be daungerles in ſuch felicite and ioy, as the very hart of man in no poynt 1. Cor. 2. Iſa. 64.is able to conceaue. Conſidering thys (I ſay) we can not but euen contemne and ſet nothyng by ye ſorows and grefes of the croſſe, and luſtely go thorow thick and thynne wyth good courage.
Now hauehave I declared vntounto you. 3. thynges, neceſſarye to bee much …uſed vponupon of euerye one, whych wyl abyde by Chryſ…e & hys goſpel in theſe troubleſome tyme, as I truſt you al wil: namely, firſte to conſyder that we are not of thys world, nor of ye nomber of the worldlynges, nor any reteyner to S…n: that we are not at home in our own country, but of another worlde, of the cō gregacion of the ſayntes and reteynees to Chryſt, althoughe as Hebru, 2,yet in a region …lete and ful of vntractable enemyes.
Secondly, that we maye not thynke it a ſtraunge thyng to be perſecuted for gods goſpel: from the which the deareſt frendes of God were in no age free: as indede it is vnpoſſyble they ſhold be any long tyme, theyr enemies beyng alwayes aboute them to deſtroy them, if they could. And thirdly, that the aſſaultes of our enemyes, be they neuer ſo many and fearce, ſhal in no poynt be able to preuayle agaynſte oure fayth (albeit to reaſon it ſemeth other wyſe) where throughe we ought to cōceaue a good courage and comfort. For who wyll be afrayed, whan he knoweth, that the enemyes can not preuayle?