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<DATE>2014-06-06</DATE>
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<NAME>Alexis Jakobson</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="1">
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<HEAD>&para; A MEDICINE FOR the &s;oule, as well for them that are whole of body as for them that be &s;ick, mo&s;t nece&s;&s;ary in the bytternes of death, and in the&s;e la&s;t moo&s;t daungerous &s;ea&s;ons.</HEAD>
<P>_DI&s;ea&s;es vexing the bodies, and this cor+poral death, with very great reare do &s;hake our myndes, that euen at the re|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="6 letters"> of them we often tymes dreadfully do tremble. For &s;u|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">y the nature of man, whiche had rather not be at all, then to be in an euil ca&s;e, cannot but waxe pale &amp; be &s;orowful, when the&s;e euilles doo greuou&s;ly op|pre&s;&s;e him. But vndoubted, no mi&s;ery ca~ chau~ce vnto ma~ more rygorous, none more horrible,
<PB REF="2"> none more fearce, then the &s;ick|nes of the &s;oule &amp; the death of the &s;ame. Ther is none but doth dete&s;t, none but moo&s;t &s;pedely doth fle fro~ &amp; abhor the puni&s;h|me~tes, turme~tes, infirmities &amp; this death of the body: Muche more then the cau&s;es of the&s;e greifes, whiche are our &s;ynnes and offences, we &s;hould e&s;chew and auoyde: and the anger of God, which with &s;o many tre&s;|pa&s;&s;es we heape vpon vs, we ought to be afrayde of. For the paine of the di&s;ea&s;ed body; in al ha&s;t we runne to the phi&s;ician, no co&s;t herein can be to dere, all thinges are neglected, &s;o lyfe may be &s;aued. with much mony remedies and medicines are pre|pared, wherby this earthly ve&s;|&s;el and this pot&s;hard (whiche
<PB REF="2"> neuertheles &s;hortly after &s;hall fal in pieces) may be patched vp together. why do we not with like &s;tudy &amp; careful endeuour to heale the &s;ores of the &s;oule far more greuous and perilous, or|daine &amp; &s;eke out remedies? For what profit &s;hould a man take, if that he had all the ryches of the world, and might prolonge his life a whole thou&s;and yere, enioying continually the moo&s;t exqui&s;ite plea&s;ures of this lyfe, nether &s;hould be puni&s;hed with &s;icknes or any other kind of ca|lamities, but neuertheles (the &s;oule in the meane &s;ea&s;on beyng infected with the dete&s;table fault and venome of &s;innes and oppre&s;&s;ed by the tyranny of Sa|than) &s;huld haue god di&s;plea&s;ed, &s;o that he myght mo&s;t certainly
<PB REF="3"> knowe that after the end of this life he &s;hould both of body and &s;oule &s;uffre eternal death &amp; dampnacion? Therfore Chri&s;t moni&s;hyng vs, &s;ayeth: watche ye, for ye know not the day nor the houre in the which the &s;o~ne of man &s;hall com<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. And that we &s;huld not (the hetter and farre more &abpro;fitable thinges di&s;pi&s;ed) couet after lyght thinges, fre|uolous, and vile, he &s;heweth vs a mo&s;t compendious, certaine, &amp; &s;ure way to attaine to the per|fite felicitie, where as he &s;aith, Seke fir&s;t the kyngdom of god and the iu&s;tice of it, &amp; al thing is &s;halbe ca&s;t vnto you. Both day and night bu&s;ines about our li|uing, about the e&s;tabli&s;hment of our goodes, &amp; about other thin|ges al&s;o, oftentymes found bri|kle
<PB REF="3"> and tran&s;itorie, turme~teth &amp; werieth vs: whiche very lytle do profite vs, yea many a tyme &s;urely at the occa&s;io~ of mo&s;t gre+uous calamities &amp; filthy vices. But in &s;erching out and obtai|nyng the heauenly trea&s;ures, what thing is more &s;lothful the~ we are, what more recheles, what more vnmyndfull, what more dul? what maner of blynd+nes and madnes I pray you can there be more to be abhorred? whyl&s;t we liue in health vneth at any time of the life to come &amp; of this our death of the body, a light remembranc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> entreth in to our thoughtes. But whe~ we lying in our beddes are febled with &s;icknes&punc; death now knoc|king at the yates, at what tyme we &s;huld &s;ta~d &s;toutly in battail &amp;
<PB REF="4"> fight, there then at the la&s;t with what weapons we myght con|tend again&s;t &s;atan, and of the a|mendment of our life we begyn to imagine. This is a &s;ufficient argument, that we haue a very weake and &s;lendre faith, &amp; that very faintly we haue exerci&s;ed our &s;elues in the warrefare of Chri&s;t. God haue mercye vpon vs. Amen.</P>
<P>But a&s;&s;uredly euery age is apt to amende, and no repentance is to late, &s;o that it be done before the end of this life. yet notwith+&s;tanding I coun&s;el and moni&s;he erne&s;tly, that no man prolonge &amp; deferre to do repentaunce vntil this la&s;t mo&s;t terribil contencio~. For very hardly euen thei, whi|che beyng in good health &amp; lu&s;ty throughout all their lyfe, haue
<PB REF="4"> prouided and made them &s;elues redy again&s;t this houre of depar+tyng, do &s;tand &s;tedfa&s;t: yea and with muche ado &s;cantly can de|fend them &s;elues again&s;t the de|ceiptes, the &s;nares, the ingynes, and the a&s;&s;aultes of that farre mo&s;t cruel and crafty enemy.</P>
<P>What then &s;hall chaunce vnto them that beyng de&s;titute of all feare of God, and knowing not how to repe~t, haue liued a &s;oule di&s;&s;olute and naughty life? how I pray you &s;hal thei make war? how &s;hall thei re&s;i&s;t? Now ther+fore, &s;eyng that there is an infi|nite &s;ort and multitude of men in all places, &amp; mini&s;ters of the go&s;pel euery where are not pre|&s;ent, neither can thei to all men at all tymes geue their atten|daunce, I with a good &amp; godly
<PB REF="5"> mynde to help al men mo&s;t redy haue written this way &amp; forme of comforting, teching, &amp; exhor|ting the di&s;ea&s;ed, gathered out of the worde of God, for their &s;akes e&s;pecially, whiche as yet are ignora~t, neither again&s;t any &s;uch<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> ca&s;ualties are in&s;tructed with &s;ente~ces of the holy &s;crip|ture, that heering the &s;ered may co~ceiue a &s;tedfa&s;t hope and true comfort, lea&s;t in the moo&s;t horri|ble panges of death thei ca&s;ting doune their myndes, &s;huld di&s;|paire and peri&s;he.</P>
<P>&para; Fayth chiefly is nece&s;&s;ary to a &s;icke per&s;on, wherby he may take pacie~tly the greifes of the body, &amp; the temptacions wher|with he is oppre&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P>Therfore a ma~ dreue~ to kepe his bed by the extremitie of
<PB REF="5"> &s;ickenes, and beyng in di&s;paire of his life, with diuers and gre|uous te~ptacions wherwith he mu&s;t ma~fully fight, is a&s;&s;aulted and ouerwhelmed. And fir&s;t of al this is a mo&s;t &s;harp<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &amp; bytt<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> temptacion, wheras (the moo&s;t &s;orowfull image of death &s;tan|ding be<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ore our eyes) we call to remembrance that we mu&s;t for|&s;ake the mo&s;t plea&s;ant &amp; accep|table lyght of this lyfe, all our kynne&s;folke &amp; familiar frendes, and to be &s;hort al other thinges that ar mo&s;t dere &amp; be&s;t beloued Furthwith al&s;o our &s;ynnes co~|mitted of vs aga<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n&s;t the wyll &amp; co~mandment of god no &s;hew the~ &s;elues, and with a great vio|lence forcyng vpon vs, ar fully renued and wered rawe, and do &s;eme muche more in numbre
<PB REF="6"> and more heynous, then they ap+peared before at any tyme, and wonderfully do greue, vexe, &amp; turment our con&s;cience. heare death the iugement of God, hel, dampnacion, fearfulnes &amp; dread as it were making an ho&s;t, doo inuade our olde man with the mo&s;t ragious and trouble&s;ome, &s;tormes of byttere&s;t &s;orowes &amp; feares, and with mo&s;t rigorous ingynes of dolour and lamenta|cio~ do &s;hake &amp; &s;trike our hartes.</P>
<P>In the&s;e agonies except with a mighty and con&s;tant &s;aith our heart be e&s;tabli&s;hed, it &s;halbe a ieoperdie le&s;t beyng weried and made faint with the multitude and huge greatnes of temptaci|ons, we di&s;paire in our myndes. For tho&s;e thingis do &s;eme, whi+che chaunce vnto vs in our infir+mities
<PB REF="6"> of all moo&s;t terrible and violent: and that for no other cau&s;e then that our faith doth wauer and is very feble, neither as yet &s;o able, that tru&s;ting in the worde of god, can apprehe~d tho&s;e larg &amp; ine&s;timable goodes and riches of the &s;onnes of god, vndoubted the forgeuenes of all our &s;ynnes by Chri&s;t, the re|&s;urrection of the body, that de|&s;ired and &s;wete&s;t &s;ocietie of all the elect, and the lyfe that euer &s;hall endure, &amp; all the&s;e thinges frely to be geuen in Chri&s;t &amp; for Chri&s;tes &s;ake.</P>
<P>In the&s;e articles of our faith we &s;hould practy&s;e our &s;elues daily, the&s;e beyng diligently ex|amined and wayed of vs, we ought &s;tedfa&s;tly to fa&s;ten in our myndes. Often tymes al&s;o the
<PB REF="7"> co~munion or that holy table we ought to come vnto, but beyng throughly &abpro;ued before, exactly in&s;tructed and made ready. For that thing chyefly ought to be taken hede of, that we handle not with defiled ha~des &amp; &s;oules that mo&s;t precious &s;acrament of thankes geuing. A thyng to be lamented truely and an vnwor|thi, that nowe many a yere <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">his &s;acrament of the bodye &amp; bloud of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, is vnreuerently and nothing to the dignitie of it handled &amp; min<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;tred and after &s;uche a &s;ort of certaine hereti|kes vtterly di&s;pi&s;ed. how &s;orely and dreadfully herein it is tra~&s;|gre&s;&s;ed, the pre&s;ent puni&s;hmen|tes do beare &s;ufficient witnes. And &s;aint Paule al&s;o hath &s;ore &s;poken it, in the fir&s;t Epi&s;tle to
<PB REF="7"> to exerci&s;e and beare in mynde all the articles of our catholike faith: but in the vexacions of death principally and diligently the&s;e foure mu&s;t be examined &amp; poured into vs, that is to &s;ay, of the co~union of &s;aintes, of the re+mi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes by the bloud of Chri&s;t, of the re&s;urrectio~ of the body, and of the lyfe euerla&s;ting</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>&para; Dy&s;ea&s;es why they are &s;ent vnto vs from God.</HEAD>
<P>EVen as death therfore is the rewarde of &s;ynne, &s;o likewi&s;e al&s;o di&s;ea&s;es ma|ny a tyme are &s;ent vnto vs fro~ God by the occa&s;ion of our &s;innes. which this by many te&s;ti+monies of the &s;cripture doth eui+dently appere. Ioan. 5. P&s;al. 88. Deute. 28.2. Reg. 24. we are afflicted al&s;o often tymes, that
<PB REF="8"> our faith myght be proued. For then at the la&s;t it is to be &s;eene how we do loue god, how much confidence we put in him, when we are thru&s;t doune &amp; troubled with &s;ome paynfull aduer&s;itie. wherfor here before al thinges take heede, that all thy whole hart, mynd, &amp; all thy &s;en&s;es be|yng turned vnto-God, vnfayned+ly thou doe&s;t repentance: &amp; that before god thou do&s;t bewaile &amp; co~fe&s;&s;e thi &s;innes, for the which we haue all de&s;erued euen the moo&s;t iu&s;t angre and greuous &s;courge of God. But the moo&s;t plentyful con&s;olacion, and that whiche they call ab&s;olucion, or the forgeuenes of &s;innes, which Chri&s;t in&s;tituted in the churche thou &s;halt lerne out of the go&s;|pel of &s;. Ihon, the xx. chapiter.
<PB REF="8"> This myghty great trea&s;ure is dayly opened and offered vnto the: Receiue ye &s;ayth Chri&s;t, the holy gho&s;t, who&s;e &s;innes &s;oeuer ye remytte, they ar remitted vn|to them, and who&s;e &s;ynnes &s;o|euer ye retain, thei are retained.</P>
<P>Now when we haue de&s;ired pardon for our mi&s;dedes &amp; haue obtained it, without doubt the paine and infirmitie or affliction whiche re&s;teth vpon vs, eith<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r will cea&s;e and leaue vs, or els through the farre be&s;t will of God, &s;hal turne to the &s;aluation of th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> di&s;ea&s;ed. For this thing &s;afely per&s;uade with thy &s;elfe and of this doubt nothyng, but that the &s;ame puni&s;hement or cro&s;&s;e (how great &s;oeuer a yoke and burden it &s;eameth to the flea&s;he) is certainely a fatherly
<PB REF="9"> fatherly rodde, with the which God draweth backe &amp; pulleth from &s;ynne the his &s;onne beyng called &amp; allured vnto him. Vere|ly with a mo&s;t ardent affection of loue God doth embrace vs, from his heart wylleth he well to vs, &amp; doth all thinges to this end, that he myght amende vs, and that thei myght be profita|ble vnto vs. For whom loueth he, him doth he correct, and him here he cha&s;teneth &amp; &s;courgeth, that he might not after this life be turmented in the euerla&s;ting paine of hel. Neither &s;halt thou doubt, but moo&s;t certainly con|ceiue with thy &s;elfe, God to be a father that loueth the be&s;t &amp; is moo&s;t de&s;irous to do for thee, how angry &s;oeuer he &s;hal &s;hew him &s;elfe to be. This is not the
<PB REF="9"> anger of a tyrant &amp; a mankyller but as a father entyrely louyng vs, whiche wyll not that we &s;huld be lo&s;t, but ame~ding &s;huld repent and attaine to &s;aluacion. This thing is more true then euer was oracle of Apollo, if that we beyng endued with &s;o &s;lender a fayth, can yet &s;o much as beleue it. Fyr&s;t of al therfore a&s;ke remi&s;&s;ion &amp; forgeuenes for all thyne offences, but by Chri&s;t and with a heart truely bent to do repentaunce: that thou and God may well agree, that thou maye&s;t wynne &amp; haue him mer|cyful vnto the. After that, thou maye&s;t de&s;yre al&s;o, that he wold deliuer the from thy vehement greife. So teacheth vs Eccle&s;i|a&s;ticus in the xxxviii. Chapiter. My &s;onne &s;ayth he, in thyne in|firmitie
<PB REF="10"> di&s;pi&s;e not thy &s;elfe, but pray vnto the Lord &amp; he &s;hall make the whole, &s;o prayeth Da|uid al&s;o in the lxxix. P&s;alme.</P>
<P>O remembre not our old &s;ynnes let thy mercyes preuent vs and that &s;one. helpe vs O God our &s;aiuiour. Lord God of ho&s;tes turne vs againe, how long wilt thou be di&s;plea&s;ed? Shewe the light of thy countenaunce &amp; we &s;halbe whole.</P>
<P>Fyr&s;t he prayeth for remi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes, that he might be iu&s;ti|fied through the grace of God. Then after he entreateth that the anger of God myght cea&s;e. And thou praying for the deli|uerance and ea&s;ement from the payne oppre&s;&s;yng the, alwayes &s;halt put vnto this clau&s;e, thy wil be fulfylled farre mo&s;t holy
<PB REF="10"> and precious. For we ca~not pro+uide better for our &s;elues, then he our father, beyng mo&s;t tru&s;ty &amp; of an infinite power, wi&s;dome and goodnes that cannot be de|mini&s;hed: who no where tur|neth his eyes from vs, who ta|keth care of vs with chiefe&s;t di|ligence, who quyckeneth all thynges, maketh to flori&s;he, no|ri&s;heth, defendeth, bringeth vp, tendeth and kepeth fro~ harme: who fore&s;eeth all thynges and prouideth for them muche more and better, yea then any crea|ture is able to wy&s;he.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>&para; Thre thinges there be, which in the bytternes of death moo&s;t greuou&s;ly &amp; fear&s;ly do turment vs, &amp; with a vehement terror do moue our mindes, that is to &s;ay, &s;ynne, death, &amp; hell or da~nacion.</HEAD>
<PB REF="11">
<P>Synnes, wherin we haue vn|thriftely &amp; wretchedly pa&s;|&s;ed ouer our lyfe, where|with both God &amp; our neigh+bour we haue moo&s;t heynou&s;ly offended, the&s;e when they come to our mynde lying &s;icke in our beddes, we ar &s;triken with the greate&s;t feare and griefe, as S. Paule &s;ayth to the Romanes. 2. Indignacion and wrath, tribu|lacion and anguy&s;he vpon the &s;oule of eueri ma~ that doth euil.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>&para; Death.</HEAD>
<P>Adam and this our fle&s;he mo&s;t vnwillyngly dyeth. when deth therfore beginneth to approche with &s;uche great &s;orowe and vexacions as no tonge is able to expre&s;&s;e, the heart of man is weakened and made faint. For the feareful nature &amp; the fle&s;hly
<PB REF="11"> ma~ of ours is in mi&s;erable dread lea&s;t ones beyng dead &amp; &s;topped into the earth, he &s;hould neuer returne and be releued againe, &amp; euen nowe he doth thynke him &s;elf al together to be ca&s;t away.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>&para; Hell and damnacion.</HEAD>
<P>The&s;e when they appere in &s;yght, there then man feareth lea&s;t he &s;hould vtterly be reiec|ted from the pre&s;ence of God, &amp; no other thyng doth he &s;ee but eternal death. Here he had nede to quicken his &s;pirites, here he bad nede of a &s;tout corage, that no place might be geue~ to faint hart and de&s;peracion.</P>
<P>O moo&s;t mercyfull God, oh moo&s;t fauourable father grant I be<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">eche the and helpe that as yet we hauing our welfare and beyng in health myght learne
<PB REF="12"> the feare of thee, embrace &amp; loue thy worde, &s;et thee before our eyes as a marke of al our doyn|ges, &amp; that we beyng myndeful euer of this moo&s;t bytter brunt, myght defend &amp; arme our &s;elues &s;o that we myght be &s;aued, that beyng holy and dreadyng thee, might direct al thing belonging vnto vs to thy glorie, &amp; finally enioy the lyfe eternal. Sobeit.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>&para; when our &s;ynnes do burden our con&s;cience, what is to be done.</HEAD>
<P>Thynke that the &s;onne of god came doune fro~ hea|uen to the lowe&s;t places, and being made ma~, hath layde vpon him thy &s;ynnes and the &s;ynnes of the whole world, &amp; for them of his owne accorde dyed vpon the cro&s;&s;e, for euery
<PB REF="12"> of them hath been a full &s;ati&s;|faction, &s;ufferyng moo&s;t bytter paynes for our &s;ake. This blud of Chri&s;t mo&s;t precious was &s;hed al&s;o for thy &s;aluacion Of his death euen thou art partaker, if thou wylt beleue Chri&s;t in lyke ca&s;e to haue dyed for the, as for Peter &amp; Paul. Neither oughte&s;t thou to dout any whyt, but that he &s;uffered death as wel for the as he did for Paule. For thou art baptized to dye with Chri&s;t. This &s;hould comfort the, this &s;hould &s;tyrre vp and &s;trengthen thy mynde. For &s;eyng that thou art baptized to dye with Chri&s;t. The death of Chri&s;t &s;hall heale and helpe the. By the death of Chri&s;t thou &s;halt dye vnto thy &s;ynnes. By the death of Chri&s;t thou &s;halt receyue a &s;ure for|geuenes of all thyne offences,
<PB REF="13"> furthermore by the death of Chri&s;t thou &s;halt ry&s;e againe to a new and euerla&s;ting lyfe. For Bapty&s;me is a promi&s;e, a coue|nant, and a token of the grace &amp; fauour of God, in the whiche thou art adioyned to God, that by him thou maye&s;t haue a mery and quiet co~&s;cience, becau&s;e thy &s;ynnes ar forgeuen thee by the re&s;urrection of Chri&s;t. Of a &s;uer+tie to the al&s;o Chri&s;t &s;peaketh in the in&s;titucion of his &s;upper, where he doth profe&s;&s;e &amp; te&s;tifie his bloud to be &s;hed for the re|mi&s;&s;ion of &s;ynnes. Now therfor albeit for the moo&s;t part thou ha&s;t pa&s;&s;ed ouer thy lyfe, neither altogether innocent, neither on eueri &s;ide vn&s;potted, there is no cau&s;e why thou &s;hulde&s;t di&s;pair But no delay made without ce&s;|&s;yng
<PB REF="13"> call vpon the name of the lord, &amp; thou &s;halt be &s;afe Ro. 10. And bra&s;t out into the&s;e wordes O mo&s;t merciful god, o father of all pitie, the father of our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, be fauourable vn|to me beyng a &s;ynner, ayde me a wretche with thy &s;pedy helpe, extendyng thy mercye for that mo&s;t &s;harpe &amp; yet mo&s;t glorious pa&s;&s;ion and death of thy onely begotten &s;o~ne Ie&s;us Chri&s;t our onely redemer &amp; &s;auiour, &s;obeit, &s;obeit. Enter not Lord into iudgement with thy &s;eruaunt. Deale not with me according to my de&s;ertes, neither reward me accordyng to my vnrighte|ou&s;nes, but for thine infinite &amp; vncea&s;&s;yng goodnes &amp; mercyes &s;ake receiue me. A wretched &amp; a feble creature am I in thy ha~d
<PB REF="14"> In thy powet &amp; in thy det I am. O moo&s;t meke, O moo&s;t myghty God, O father mo&s;t redy to for|geue, leaue me not, ca&s;t me not away as a wretche for&s;aken.</P>
<P>Thyne I am altogether. None there is that can comfort, none there is that can deliuer, none there is that can helpe me, but thou onely. Thou art the true remedy to put awaye mi&s;chief, thou art the &s;ure&s;t and pre&s;e~te&s;t ayde helpe, &s;tay, and bulworke in al nece&s;&s;itie, thou art a tower of chiefe&s;t defence. Thou O GOD art our refuge, thou art our &s;trength, thou art he whiche deliuereth vs out of tri|bulacions. In the O Lord do I tru&s;t, let me not be confounded. Let me neuer be a&s;hamed, beyng ledde with a vaine hoope, but
<PB REF="14"> through thy iu&s;tice &s;aue me.</P>
<P>Bowe doune thyne eare vnto me, make ha&s;t to deliuer me, be vnto me a God of defence, and a hou&s;e of &s;uccour that thou may make me &s;afe. Thou art my for+titude and my refuge. Thou art my Lord. My lottes are in thy handes, Shew the lyght of thy cou~tenance vpo~ thy &s;erua~t, &s;aue me through thy mercy O Lord. Furthermore chiefly this thou art to be admoni&s;hed of, whiche art payned with &s;ickenes, that thou thynke&s;t not of the &s;ynnes that thou ha&s;t doen, but rather behold the ymage of the hol&s;om &amp; mo&s;t precious death of Chri&s;t beyng &s;ette before thyne eyes, prynt that throughly in thy minde, &amp; &abper;&s;uade thy &s;elf &s;tedfa&s;t|ly, with thy offences that thou
<PB REF="15"> ha&s;t committed now not the but Chri&s;t to be bourdened, al tho&s;e to be layd vpo~ the &s;houlders of Chri&s;te: whiche hath pourged them beyng turned vpon him, &amp; hath paied the price of them for our &s;akes: &s;o that he wyl neuer impute them vnto vs, but for|geue them all freely, as in our Crede we &s;ay, I beleue the for|geuenes of &s;ynnes.</P>
<P>&para; Here te&s;timonies of the &s;crip|ture ought diligently to be de|clared vnto the &s;icke per&s;on, of the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes by Chri&s;t wherof we haue hereafter re|her&s;ed &s;ome, that thei myght be in redynes.</P>
<P>Ioan. 1. Behold the lambe of God, whiche taketh away the &s;ynnes of the world.</P>
<P N="1">1. Peter. 1. Not with corrup|tible
<PB REF="15"> thinges, as with gold and &s;yluer we ar redemed, but with the precious bloud of Chri&s;t, as of a lambe vndefiled &amp; without &s;pot.</P>
<P>The&s;e &s;ayinges, brother, mo&s;t depely let &s;ynke into thy mynd; let this &s;tyrre vp &amp; comfort the. There is no cau&s;e why thou &s;houlde&s;t doubt of the forgeue|nes of &s;ynnes. For certainely if thou ha&s;t profe&s;&s;ed the name of Chri&s;t, and putte&s;t thy confide~ce in his mercy, he wyl take away thine offences al&s;o. And if thou wilt &s;hrynke nothyng, but con|&s;tantly beleue this thyng, euen now thou art deliuered from al thy mi&s;dedes, eue~ now thou art made the &s;onne of God. There is no cau&s;e why thou &s;houlde&s;t wauer, there is no cau&s;e why
<PB REF="16"> thou &s;houlde&s;t be afrayde. But heare the te&s;timonies, and heare them &s;o, that thou maye&s;t prynt the~ in the botome of thine hart. Ioan. 3. So god loued the world that he hath geuen his only be|gotten &s;onne, that none that be|leue in him &s;hould peri&s;he, but &s;hould haue euerla&s;tyng life. He that beleueth on him, &s;hall not be condempned.</P>
<P>Math. 9. I came not to call the iu&s;t, but the &s;inners to repe~te~ce. Math. 11. Come vnto me all ye whiche labour and are heuy la|den, and I wyll refre&s;he you. He calleth al vnto him, dere bro+ther, he for&s;aketh none, he ab|iected none. In this worde (all) thou &s;halt include thy &s;elfe al&s;o &amp; thou &s;halt call vpo~ his mercy, &amp; he wyl refre&s;he &amp; receiue the.
<PB REF="16"> Ro. 5. God &s;etteth out his loue that he hath to vs, fora&s;muche as whyle we were yet &s;ynners, Chri&s;t died for vs. Muche more then now (beyng iu&s;tified in his bloud) &s;hall we be &s;aued from wrath through him.</P>
<P>This go&s;pel ful of the chiefe&s;t con&s;olacion, to thee al&s;o good brother, would God the father haue denounced, whiche loueth the moo&s;t entyrely, For euen to the Chri&s;t was &s;ent, to the al&s;o dyed he. Beleue onely, &amp; betake the to Chri&s;t thy &s;auiour and thy reuenger.</P>
<P>Roma. 5. If when we were e|nemyes, we were reconcyled to God by the death of his &s;onne: muche more &s;eyng we are recon+cyled, we &s;halbe pre&s;erued by his lyfe.</P>
<PB REF="17">
<P>1. Corin. 1. Chri&s;t is made vnto vs of God, wy&s;edome, and al&s;o ryghteou&s;nes, and &s;anctifiyng, and redempcion.</P>
<P>Here derely beloued brother take a good courage, how great a &s;inner &s;oeuer thou art, there is no cau&s;e therfore why thou &s;houlde&s;t be faint harted, but co~+fe&s;&s;e and acknowlege thy &s;elfe before Chri&s;t to be an offender. Call vpon the mercy of Chri&s;t, a&s;ke pardon &amp; beleue Chri&s;t to be thy onely &s;auiour, Chri&s;t to be thy &s;aluacion and iu&s;tice, and he wyll be incontinent thyne, &amp; wyll couer &amp; wype away al thy &s;innes, that thou nede&s;t fear nei|ther dau~ger nor harme therby.</P>
<P>1. Cor. 5. he hath made him to be &s;ynne for vs, whiche knewe <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">o &s;inne, that we bi that meanes
<PB REF="17"> &s;hould be that ryhgteou&s;nes whiche before God is allowed. Gala. 1. Chri&s;t gaue him &s;elf for our &s;ynnes, to deliuer vs from this pre&s;e~t euil world, through the wyll of God our father.</P>
<P>Ephe. 1. By Chri&s;t we haue re|dempcion, through his blud the forgeuenes of &s;innes, according to the ryches of his grace.</P>
<P>1. Timo. 1. Chri&s;t Ie&s;us came into the world to &s;aue &s;ynners. This thyng brother, tru&s;t thou for al&s;o, put thy fayth in the&s;e wordes as S. Paule did, then thou &s;halt be &s;aued &amp; iu&s;tifyed.</P>
<P>1. Timo. 2. Chri&s;t Ie&s;us gaue him &s;elfe a raun&s;ome for al men. This beleue &s;tedfa&s;tly, and now thou art one of the~ whiche &s;hal be redemed without all contro|uer&s;ie.</P>
<PB REF="18">
<P>Hebre 10. we are &s;anctifyed by the offeryng of the body of Ie|&s;us Chri&s;t ones for all.</P>
<P>Math. 26. Thou heare&s;t Chri&s;t in his &s;upper talkyng with the, fedyng the with his body, offe|ryng vnto the that thou maye&s;t drinke his bloud to eternal life, where as he &s;ayth: take, eate, this is my body which is geuen for you. Do this in my remem|braunce After the &s;ame maner he toke the cuppe when &s;upper was done, &s;aying: this cuppe is the new te&s;tament in my bloud, whiche is &s;hed for you in remi&s;|&s;ion of &s;ynnes: this do as oft as ye drinke it in the remembrance of me. The&s;e wordes thou &s;halt thinke to be &s;poken to the and moo&s;t inwardly &s;halt fa&s;ten them in thy mynde. For where
<PB REF="18"> as he &s;peaketh vnto al he &s;pea|keth al&s;o vnto thee: all thynges &s;hal profyte thee, &amp; turne to thy health and commoditie, whiche Chri&s;t hath &s;uffered, no le&s;&s;e the~ they haue helped &s;anct Peter &amp; &s;anct Paule.</P>
<P>1. Peter. 2. Chri&s;t his owne &s;elfe hath borne our &s;innes in his bo|dy on the tree.</P>
<P>1. Peter. 3. Chri&s;t hath ones &s;uf|fered for &s;ynnes, the iu&s;t for the vniu&s;t, for to bryng vs to God.</P>
<P>1. Ioan. 1. The bloud of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t clen&s;eth vs fro~ all &s;ynne. 1. Ioan. 2. If any man haue &s;yn|ned, we haue an aduocate with the father, Ie&s;us Chri&s;t which is ryghteous, and he is a mercy &s;tocke for our &s;ynnes. Thou maye&s;t gather more &s;entences or fewer, euen as thou &s;halt &s;e the f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ble per&s;on to be di&s;po&s;ed.</P>
<PB REF="19">
<P>Thou ha&s;t hard here welbelo|ued brother, the wordes not of a man, but of the holy gho&s;t, whiche do te&s;tifye plainly, that God the father, which will not the death of a &s;ynner, but that he be conuerted &amp; lyue, for that moo&s;t fragrant affection of loue that he beareth towarde thee, hath ea&s;ed the from the burden of thy &s;ynnes, &amp; hath layd them vpon the &s;houlders of his mo&s;t entyrely beloued &s;onne. He hath borne and &s;uffered them in his body, that they cannot co~demne the at any tyme, For God doth repute and take the death of his &s;onne in the place of a full and &s;ufficient repentaunce, &s;ati&s;fac|tion and redempcion for all thy my&s;dedes, &s;o that thou wilt be|leue in Chri&s;t. Seyng therfore
<PB REF="19"> that thy &s;ynnes beyng ca&s;t vpon Chri&s;t, could not kepe him in death, ouercome and condemne him, in very dede now it is &s;ati&s;|fied for them, and they all euen now are forgeuen thee. Beleue this &amp; thou &s;halt lyue for euer. Chri&s;t him &s;elfe hath borne thy &s;ynnes, and hath dyed for them but he is ry&s;en againe, and the &s;ynnes of them that beleue, by Chri&s;tes death abundantly are raun&s;omed and purged. And &s;o the &s;traight and &s;euere iu&s;tice of God for &s;ynne is pacifyed, &amp; al that more then ynough by Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. Chri&s;t now is thyne and beleuers, with all his ryches, with his death, with his re&s;ur|rection, with his a&s;cencion into heauen, with his lyfe, with his merites, &amp; with his glory. Ro. 8.
<PB REF="20"> wherfore Satan hath no power ouer the, he can do the none in|iurye, &s;eyng that thou art iu&s;ti|fyed by Chri&s;t, &s;eyng that thou art deliuered from all thy tre&s;|pa&s;&s;es, &s;eyng that thou art the &s;onne of God, God is thy father louyng the moo&s;t intyrely, for Chri&s;tes &s;ake, whiche hath reco~+cyled the. Therfore be of good chere, &amp; reioy&s;e in the lorde, for &s;eyng that thou art in the han|des of almyghty God, &amp; &s;ayle&s;t in the hauen of thy moo&s;t tru&s;ty and be&s;t father, thou art with|out all ieopardye, no incommo|ditie, no aduer&s;itie can happen vnto the: for thou art hedged aboute with Gods cu&s;tody and with a gari&s;on of angelles.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t is thyne al together, he couereth and wypeth away all
<PB REF="20"> thy &s;ynnes by his innocencye. None can drawe the out of the handes of thy heauenly father. As &s;one as this cro&s;&s;e and cor|poral puni&s;hement (whiche for|&s;eth beyng co~pared to the eter|nal lyfe, is a mo&s;t lyght &amp; &s;hort thyng) thou ha&s;t &s;uffered and &s;wallowed vp, the victorye is thyne. Chri&s;t was in the lyke, yea in farre more &s;harpe &amp; hor|rible paine. He went before the, he is thy heade, to whom it is nece&s;&s;arye that thou be made like, &amp; dye to thi &s;innes, &amp; put of this lyfe drenched and defyled with vices, that thou may&s;t liue with Chri&s;t thy lord in the true euerla&s;ting life. Let not thy &s;in|nes greue the, there is no cau&s;e why thy con&s;cience &s;hould be
<PB REF="21"> afflicted for them, &s;eyng that thei are now taken away &amp; abo|li&s;hed. That euil &s;pirite whiche imagyneth di&s;truction to our &s;oules, is vanqui&s;hed, is vtterly de&s;troyed vnto thee. God now hath a re&s;pect vnto the, taketh charge of the, defe~deth and ke|peth the, all the multitude of an+gelles &amp; felow&s;hip of &s;anctes re+gardeth the al&s;o. And as Chri&s;t cannot be dampned, &s;o neither thou can&s;t be dampned, if that thou cleuyng vnto Chri&s;t wylt beleue with all that confidence of thy heart. If that &s;ynne, death, hel, ca~ do thy lord Chri&s;t no harme, neither ca~ thei harme thee, if that thou art in Chri&s;t &amp; Chri&s;t in thee. Therfore thou can&s;t neuer be dampned. But if thy &s;elf &s;houlde&s;t beare &amp; clen&s;e
<PB REF="21"> thine owne offe~ces, then in dede thou coulde&s;t by no meanes be fyt to cary &s;o heuy a burden, thi &s;ynnes would farre ouerway thee &amp; &s;walow the doune, drow+ned to the depe pyt of hell. But Chri&s;t beyng very God, and the &s;ame al&s;o very ma~, hath offered of his owne accord him &s;elf for thee, and hath placed him &s;elfe in thy rome, paying the price of al for the, as in the lxix. P&s;alme he &s;ayth: I am fayne to pay the thynges I neuer toke.</P>
<P>Thou vndoubted ha&s;t com+mytted tre&s;pa&s;&s;es again&s;t thy &s;elfe, but tho&s;e Chri&s;t hath wy|ped out and purged for the, and hath &s;et the at libertie, &amp; made the partaker of the lyfe that e|uer &s;hall endure, if that thou wilt beleue this glad tydinges.
<PB REF="22"> although beloued brother, that the wyckednes of the whole world &s;huld lye vpon the only, yet there were grace and mercy inough to be had at Gods hand yea &amp; more then were &s;ufficient. God hath &abpro;my&s;ed the in Chri&s;t bli&s;&s;ing and grace, and the &s;ame in Chri&s;t thy lord is confirmed, and &s;tabli&s;hed, full and perfite. Thou can&s;t not but be &s;aued, if that thou wylt ca&s;t thyne eyes vpon Chri&s;t. Nothyng is more certaine then thi &s;aluacion. For Chri&s;t is the natural &s;onne of God, concernyng his &s;ub&s;taunce the diuine truth it &s;elfe: concer|nyng his humanitie our bloud and our fle&s;he. Of whom &s;hall we be more &s;ure of the geuyng and performyng the promy&s;e of
<PB REF="22"> grace, the~ of this Chri&s;t? who&s;e owne &s;elfe is the truth of the &s;ame promy&s;e, who loueth vs mo&s;t feruently and vehemently &s;o that he him &s;elfe had rather &s;uffre death, then to deceiue vs of any promy&s;e. Wherfore if thou wylt beleue in Chri&s;t, euen nowe thou art made a coparte|ner of the heauenly bly&s;&s;yng, euen nowe thou art lo&s;ed from the burden of thy &s;ynnes, euen now thou art the heire of God, and the coheire with Chri&s;t for euer. For heauen &amp; earth &s;hall pa&s;&s;e, but the worde of the Lord abydeth euermore. Beleue ther fore brother, and with a good hope &s;tyrre vp thy &s;pirite, and doubt not but that mo&s;t mygh|ty &amp; be&s;t God, for the al&s;o, that is to
<PB REF="23"> &s;ay, for thi &s;aluacion was made man, yea was borne for the, died vpon the cro&s;&s;e for the, ro&s;e a|gaine from the dead for the, and a&s;cended into heauen. And all tho&s;e thynges which were pro|mi&s;ed vnto vs, he hath perfour|med and geuen willyngly. All the promi&s;es of God in Chri&s;t are, yea, and are in him. Amen.</P>
<P>2. Cor. 1. wherfore require and loke for none other thyng of God then mere grace and mercy &amp; the &s;ame for &amp; by Chri&s;t. For &s;urely without Chri&s;t there is no delyght, no health, no hope, no helpe. In this Chri&s;t alon<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> is all comfort, all refre&s;hing, a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> ayde and defence: and to be brie<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> all the way to our &s;aluacion, all grace and mercy is in him, much &amp; without mea&s;ure more great,
<PB REF="23"> more ple~tyful, &amp; more high, then any ma~ is able either to compre|hend or de&s;yre. God vouche&s;afe to graunt vnto vs a &s;tedfa&s;t and a con&s;tant fayth: After this &s;ort, or with a longer or &s;horter ex|hortacion, euen as the opportu|nitie &s;hal require, thou &s;halt co~|fort the weake per&s;on. And I moni&s;he the brother in the lord, that with as great endeuoure &amp; &s;tudye as thou can&s;t, thou with drawe thy mynd. fro~ that dread|ful and terrible beholding of thi &s;innes &amp; of death, and that thou directe all thy thoughtes vpon Chri&s;t alone, loke &s;tedfa&s;tly with the eyes of thy mynde vpon him cleue vnto him with al thy hart receiue him into the, with a ful confidence of thi mynde cal vpo~ him, and betake thy &s;elfe vnto
<PB REF="24"> him wholy. For in this Chri&s;t thou &s;halte fynde none other thyng, then chief innocency, iu|&s;tice, lyfe, &amp; &s;oule health: which all beyng be&s;towed vpon the by Chri&s;t, are nowe thyne, if that thou wylt onely acknowledge Chri&s;t, as the authour of thy &s;aluacion &amp; thy redemer. Wher|fore very often I exhort thee, &amp; no le&s;&s;e often I beate it into the (neither that vnadui&s;edly) that thou renewe not in thy mynde the remembraunce of thyne of|fences, and waying the multi|tude and greatnes of them, thou afflict thy &s;elfe. Thy &s;ynnes be|yng farre bani&s;hed fro~ the, only Chri&s;t crucified &s;et before thine eyes, print him in thy heart, vpo~ that be all thy &s;tudy &amp; thought,
<PB REF="24"> with a perfecte tru&s;t flee vnto him with al thi myght &s;tycke to him gredely. &amp; as one not po&s;&s;i|ble to be di&s;&s;olued from him. By this meanes thou &s;halt preuaile &amp; &s;tand &s;toutly again&s;t the yates of hel, although they be neuer &s;o ve~gible, fearce, and horrible, Cal to thy remembraunce with how great kindnes, with what wonderful cleme~cy, with what vn&s;peakeable mekenes and be|nygnitie Chri&s;t in the &s;torye of the Go&s;pel hath accepted and handeled al tho&s;e &s;ynners whi|che beyng &s;tryken with repen|taunce haue a&s;ked forgeuenes, and lamentably be&s;ought him of his helpe. Thou &s;halte fynde Mary Magdalene, thou &s;halte fynde the robber whiche
<PB REF="25"> which was ha~ged on the ryght &s;ide of the cro&s;&s;e, thou &s;halt find the Publicane, thou &s;halt fynde zacheus and diuers other, who beyng receiued by a &s;yngular fa+uour, he hath pronounced free from all their &s;ynnes how loth|&s;ome &s;oeuer they &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">med to be.</P>
<P>For Chri&s;t is the verye grace it &s;elfe, mercy, helpe, con&s;olacion, lyfe, gladnes and health to all tho&s;e whiche do loke for the&s;e thynges at his handes, and put their tru&s;t in him. God hath promy&s;ed all tho&s;e thynges for Chri&s;tes &s;ake, whiche is the truth and cannot lye. Therfore he neuer deceiueth vs, he neuer di&s;apointeth vs, he neuer for&s;a|keth vs.</P>
<P>Furthermore when thou art in that ca&s;e that thi life lieth in
<PB REF="25"> ha&s;ard, it &s;halbe ryfe in thy me|morye, if thou at any tyme ha&s;t harmed or done iniury vnto thy neighbour, as for example, if thou at any tyme ha&s;t by theft or force taken any thyng away, or defamed the good name of a|ny per&s;on. Here thou &s;halt do the &s;ame that Chri&s;t did vpon the cro&s;&s;e, thou &s;halt pray for al thy euil wyllers, and forgeue them euen from thy heart all their offences. If any thyng of thyne be &s;tolne from the, thou &s;halt not a&s;ke it againe with vi|olence. If thou thy &s;elfe ha&s;t co~+ueyed any thyng away wrong|fully, re&s;tore it againe if thou can&s;t, or at the lea&s;t &s;e that it be re&s;tored: neither mu&s;t thou kepe clo&s;e any thyng but confe&s;&s;e and be &s;orye that thou ha&s;t &s;ynned,
<PB REF="26"> and de&s;yre forgeuenes. But if by rea&s;on of pouertie thou art not able to make re&s;titucion of that whiche thou ha&s;t taken vn+iu&s;tly, it &s;halbe &s;ufficient if thou forgeue other, whiche either vnto thi goodes or per&s;on haue commytted harme &amp; damage, &amp; by detraction haue &s;tained thine hone&s;t report. I &s;ay if thou wilt from the botome of thyne heart forgeue, there is no cau&s;e why thou &s;houlde&s;t be carefull, com|fort thi &s;elf, &amp; doubt not but god al&s;o wyll pardon the thyne in|iury which thou ha&s;t done vnto other. Neither can he of a &s;uer|ty do any other but relea&s;e him of his faultes, which forgeueth his neighbour. For he him &s;elfe hath taught vs this meanes of requityng &amp; relea&s;yng.</P>
<PB REF="26">
<P>Math. 6. If ye forgeue other men their tre&s;pa&s;&s;es, your hea|uenly father &s;hall forgeue you.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>&para; Whether the di&s;ea&s;ed may lawfully de&s;yre the helpe of the Phy&s;icions and v&s;e the remedy of medicines or no.</HEAD>
<P>LEt the pacient neither &s;et at naught the ayde of the Phi&s;icians, neither reue|rence it to much. His chief co~fidence let it be fyxed in god, who lyke as alone planteth the &s;oule in the bodye, &s;o alone he plucketh it out euen when his will is. Sometyme yet notwith+&s;tandyng the Phi&s;ician is to be &s;ent for, lea&s;t we &s;hould &s;eme to tempt God. For where as me|dicines by them &s;elf can neither bryng helth nor brede di&s;ea&s;es,
<PB REF="27"> yet when thei are mini&s;tred of a Phi&s;ician knowyng the nature of thynges, and well practy&s;ed in the preceptes of rea&s;on, they may lawfully be called the han+des and remedies of God, hero|philus beyng wytnes. whiche thyng al&s;o the holye &s;criptures do te&s;tifye, for it is written: ho|nour the Phi&s;ician: becau&s;e of nece&s;&s;itie god hath created him. The lord hath created medicine of the yearth, &amp; he that is wy&s;e wyl not abhorre it. Soth&s;ayers Charmers &amp; Coniurours, with fal&s;e prayers and charmes wyl heale the infirmed, as plages ar to be auoided and driuen away: for they are the venemous ha~|des of the euil &s;pirites, not of al myghty God, by who&s;e worde and power all thynges ought
<PB REF="27"> to be ruled and gouerned.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>&para; When death putteth vs in feare what is to be done.</HEAD>
<P>Thou &s;halte thynke that death is va~qui&s;hed &amp; vt|terly de&s;troyed by Chri&s;t And excepte Chri&s;t ha|uyng pytie on vs, had &s;uffered death for vs, the feare of death &s;hould haue vexed vs with a myghty and vehement greif and with turmentes vnpo&s;&s;yble to haue been &s;u&s;teined. But death beyng now ouercommed &amp; put to the wor&s;e by Chri&s;t, the &s;ou|les of the~ that beleue in Chri&s;t cannot dye and peri&s;h, But after the departyng out of this body, they go the ryght waye vnto Chri&s;t, euen as the thefe heard beyng at the point of death: to day thou &s;halt be with me in pa+radi&s;e.
<PB REF="28"> In the meane &s;ea&s;on the body lyth a quiet in a &s;ure hope that it &s;hal ry&s;e again at the la&s;t day to that mo&s;t bly&s;&s;ed euerla|&s;tyng lyfe, with noble glory, re|nowne and honour: that beyng renewed and purifyed together with the &s;oule may liue for euer with Chri&s;t and all his electe: among whom al&s;o there &s;halbe found many, which were ioyned vnto vs in this worlde, either by the bonde of amytie or kyn|red. And therfore the holy &s;crip|tures cal the death of the rygh|teous a &s;lepe. For this &s;ame ve|ry tra~&s;itory, brikle, weake, mor|tal &amp; corruptible bodye of ours in the la&s;t day &s;halbe ray&s;ed eue~ as a man is &s;tyrred vp from his &s;ound &s;lepe, &amp; immediatly death beyng extyngui&s;hed &amp; aboli&s;hed, it &s;hal
<PB REF="28"> &s;hew it &s;elfe incorruptible, glo|rious, bewtyfull, &s;trong, fre&s;he, immortal, whole, pure, &s;ounde, and &s;piritual. 1. Cor. 15. Ther|fore the 16. P&s;alme &s;ayth: How precious is the death of the &s;a~|ctes. The&s;e thynges, brother, way in thy mynde, be not &s;edu|ced with the worlde, whiche doth fanta&s;y vs to dye wholy, that the body &amp; the &s;oule toge|ther doth decay and pery&s;he, &amp; that nothyng of vs doth remain after the di&s;&s;ea&s;yng out of this lyfe. But it erreth farre fro~ the truth. At no time our body is &s;o vyle &amp; &s;o muche di&s;py&s;ed before the face of god: his honor, glory and health is prepared and ap|pointed for him. For this &s;elfe &s;ame body wh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">che we carrye a|bout, which lying in bed is &s;cour+ged &amp; di&s;quieted with &s;ickenes,
<PB REF="29"> I &s;ay this &s;elf &s;ame body beyng made new againe and glorified, together with the &s;oule &s;hall lyue for euer. But if we &s;hould le&s;e our bodyes, and neuer reco|uer them againe, nothing preci|ous and goodly, but ba&s;e, horri|ble, and moo&s;t fylthy were the death of the &s;anctes. Wherfore ponderyng the&s;e thynges with diligence, thou &s;halt vnder prop with &s;entences of the &s;cripture thy wauering mynde, &s;trength|ned with a &s;ure hoope, Beleue them and doubt nothyng. They are certaine and moo&s;t true that I&s;ay. Euen as the bodye of Chri&s;t lying buryed vnto the iii. day, the third day reuiued vnto a newe and euerla&s;tyng lyfe, ne|uer to dye againe, So al&s;o th<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> bodyes of all them which hath
<PB REF="29"> &s;lepte in Chri&s;te, that is to &s;ay, whiche hath beleued in Chri&s;t, do re&s;t in their graues to the tyme onely of the moo&s;t ioyful &amp; plea&s;aunt re&s;urrection with a mo&s;t &s;tedfa&s;t hope to ry&s;e againe in that la&s;t day to a newe &amp; per|petual lyfe, where there &s;halbe neither &s;inne, nor death, nor any calamitie at all, nor any other thyng then iu&s;tice, innocencye, life, gladnes, bli&s;&s;ednes &amp; health for euer and euer. God hath pro+mi&s;ed the&s;e thynges, whiche is of an infinite power, whiche is the truth it &s;elfe. They &s;hall come to pa&s;&s;e therfore without co~trouer&s;ie. Geue credite to his promi&s;es, welbeloued brother.</P>
<P>Furthermore the te&s;timonyes of &s;cripture as touching the re|&s;urrection of the fle&s;he, ought
<PB REF="30"> depely to be po~dered &amp; through+ly poured into thy mynd. Sanct Paule teacheth vs this thyng, that we e&s;tabli&s;hyng one an o|ther mutually with &s;uche lyke talkynges of the re&s;urrection, may put our myndes in a good comfort. Neither can there any more certaine or more plentyful con&s;olacions be geuen, then tho&s;e that we learne out of the &s;criptures concernyng the re|&s;urrection. We do not pronou~ce the wordes of man but of God, who without faile &amp; that mygh+tely wil performe tho&s;e thinges that he hath &s;poken. No man can chaunge the wyll of God, no ma~ can let or hinder his pur|po&s;e &amp; intent. His power is infi|nite: He is true &amp; tru&s;ty, his good+nes and mercy is vn&s;peakeable
<PB REF="30"> and neuer cea&s;&s;yng. Let no man therfore hault at this thyng.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>&para; Te&s;timonyes of the re&s;ur|rection of the dead.</HEAD>
<P>Math. 13. The iu&s;t &s;hal &s;hyne as the &s;onne in the kyngdome of their father.</P>
<P>Ioan. 5. Verely, verely I &s;ay vnto you: he that heareth my woorde, &amp; beleueth on him that &s;ent me, hath euerla&s;tyng lyfe, and &s;hal not come into dampna|cion, but is &s;caped fro~ death vn|to lyfe. Ioan. 6. This is the wyll of my father that &s;ent me, that euery one which &s;eeth the &s;onne and beleueth on him hath euerla&s;ting lyfe, and I wyl rai&s;e him vp at the la&s;t day.</P>
<P>Ioan. 8. Verely, verely, I &s;ay vnto you, if a man kepe my &s;ay|inges, he &s;hall neuer &s;ee death.</P>
<PB REF="31">
<P>Ioan. 11. Chri&s;t &s;ayth that Laza+rus doth &s;lepe, who notwith|&s;ta~ding had yelded vp the gho&s;t, who&s;e cor&s;e al&s;o already was layde in the graue. But Chri&s;t doth re&s;tore the dead to lyfe, &amp; calleth tho&s;e thinges whiche ar not, that they may be. Roma. 4. Therfore he &s;ayeth after, I am the re&s;urrection &amp; lyfe, he that beleue in me although he be dead &s;hal lyue. Furthwith after the&s;e wordes he rai&s;eth vp La|zarus which had lyen there iiii. daies now beyng putrifyed and eu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">l &s;auouryng.</P>
<P>And forbecau&s;e in the&s;e co~fli|ctes by nature we are weake &s;pryted and faint hearted, that we myght haue the more fur|theraunce to beleue that there &s;halbe a re&s;urrection. Many are
<PB REF="31"> called from death to lyfe in the tyme of the Prophetes &amp; of the Apo&s;tles. Chry&s;t &s;tyrreth vp fro~ the dead the &s;o~ne of the wydow (Luc. vii.) he ray&s;eth fro~ death the Rulers &s;onne of the &s;ynago|ge. (Luc. viii.) And he renyueth Lazarus (Ioan. xi.) Peter al&s;o bringeth againe Tabitha to life (Act. ix). and Paule re&s;toreth Enrycus. (Act. xx.) Eli&s;eus the Prophet calleth to lyfe his ho|&s;te&s;&s;es &s;o~ne (4. Reg. 4) and Ely|as the Prophet, the deade chyld of the woman of Sarepta. 3. Reg. 17. Al&s;o God toke vp to him tho&s;e two mo&s;t notable and holy men Enoch. (Gene&s;is. v.) and Elyas. 4. Reg. 2. alyue both body and &s;oule, drawen by force out of this frayle and wretched lyfe: that by the~ he myght &s;hew
<PB REF="32"> &s;ome token of the true lyfe that is to come: le&s;t that we al&s;o (ac|cording to the iudgement of the Ethenykes and Epicures) &s;huld beleue nothyng of vs to remain after this &s;orowful lyfe.</P>
<P>Be&s;ide al this thou &s;halt put the impotent &s;icke per&s;on in mynde that he may remembre, what that mo&s;t great and mighty lord of lyfe and death Ie&s;us Chri&s;t doth &s;ay Luc. 8. weepe not, the wenche is not dead, but &s;he &s;le|peth. Vnbeleuyng rea&s;on nor perceiuing the my&s;teries of god doth &s;kot at the&s;e thinges. But Chri&s;t adioyning fidelitie to his wordes, together with this &s;ay+<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ng re&s;toreth to lyfe the dead da+mo&s;el. This &s;ame Lorde Ie&s;us Chri&s;t wyll receiue thy &s;oule &amp; kepe it, and in the la&s;t day wyll
<PB REF="32"> deliuer agayne the body to thy &s;oule, and cople them together to the life that euer &s;hal endure</P>
<P>Ioan. 5. The houre &s;hal come, in the whiche al that are in the graues &s;hall heare his voyce, &amp; &s;hall come furth, thei that haue done good, vnto the re&s;urrectio~ of lyfe.</P>
<P>Roma. 8. But if the &s;pirite of him that ray&s;ed vp Ie&s;us from death, dwel in you: euen he that ray&s;ed vp Chri&s;t fro~ death, &s;hal quicken your mortal bodies, be|cau&s;e of his &s;pirit that dwel|leth in you.</P>
<P>1. Cor. 6. God hath ray&s;ed vp Chri&s;t the lorde, and &s;hall ray&s;e vs vp by his power.</P>
<P>The 15. Chapiter of the fir&s;t to the Corinthians is &s;tuffed with moo&s;t delectable and hole&s;ome
<PB REF="33"> comforth, therfore no golde to be iuged worthy wherewith it myght be e&s;temed. In the &s;ame Chapiter. S. paule doth &s;o knyt &amp; fa&s;ten our re&s;urrection to the re&s;urrection of Chri&s;t, that it ca~ not be &s;eperated and &s;euered fro~ it: by thys &s;entence Chry&s;te is ry&s;en from the deade (whyche is mo&s;t certayne) therfore wyth out controuer&s;ye we al&s;o &s;hall ry&s;e agayne: For Chry&s;t is our heade, and we be the membres. Thys heade is not wythout his members, neither hath he lefte and for&s;aken his me~bers. Where Chry&s;t is, there al&s;o &s;hal we be: for we ar the members of the &s;ame body, of his fle&s;he and of his bones. Who can &s;uf|ficiently to the dignitie of it pu|bly&s;he that vnmea&s;urable glory
<PB REF="33"> of ine&s;timable and vn&s;peakeable grace and mercy, that god hum|blyng him &s;elfe from heauen to the Lowe&s;t places, vouche&s;afed to become a mortall man, that this tran&s;itory and frayl natur<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> of men vnyted to the nature of god, &s;huld be exalted to euerla&s;|tynge lyfe, beyng made parta|ker of the cele&s;tiall kyngdome, throughe the infynite and inco~|prehe~&s;yble power and myghty|ne&s;&s;e of the deite</P>
<P>If that we beleued &s;o great ry|ches to be geuen vnto vs, and &s;o ble&s;&s;ed a kynde of lyfe to be pre+pared readye for vs, after what &s;orte, I pray yow, could we be ouerthrowen &amp; vexed in minde? The nature of all the faythfull whiche both were before and after Chri&s;t and &s;halbe, without
<PB REF="34"> doubt in Chri&s;t very man &amp; very God hath put on immortalitie. It is therfore a moo&s;t full and effectual comfort of the re&s;ur|rection of Chri&s;t, wherwith S. Paule doeth &s;tably&s;he the hear|tes of the Corinthians, where as he &s;ayth: Chri&s;t is ry&s;en from the dead, and become the fyr&s;t frutes of them that &s;leape. For by a man came death, and by a ma~ came the re&s;urrection of the deade. For as by Adam all dye: &s;o by Chri&s;t, &s;hall all bee made alyue, but euery man in his order. The fyr&s;t is Chri&s;t, then they that are Chri&s;tes.</P>
<P>Sanct Paule addeth here vnto a &s;imilitude of natural thynges wherby the re&s;urrection of the bodyes clerely and manyfe&s;tly
<PB REF="34"> may bee perceiued and opened. The &s;imylytude is taken of the &s;eede, whiche beyng ca&s;t drye in to the grounde of the hu&s;band|man, dothe as it were dye and rotte: yet be&s;towed in the earth doth not peri&s;he vtterly: but it &s;pryngeth out of the grounde new and fre&s;he with a plea&s;ant goodly &amp; delectable forme and &s;hape: &s;o al&s;o our body &s;hal ry&s;e againe, not corruptible, tran&s;i|torye, frayle, feble, and mortall as it is nowe, but fayre, comly, deautyfull, myghty, of perfecte &s;trength, and immortal, into the euerla&s;tyng lyfe. This is the waye by this bodyly death into the true and eternal lyfe, into the natiue cou~trey. Fle&s;he and bloud cannot attaine vnto the inheritaunce of the kyngdome
<PB REF="35"> of God, in the whiche there is nothyng but lyfe. And therfore this corruptible body mu&s;t put on incorrupcion, &amp; this mortall body be indued with immorta|litie. Then that &s;aying &s;halbe fulfylled whiche is wrytten: Death is &s;wallowed vp in vic|tory. Thei that beleue in Chri&s;t euen nowe haue ouercommed &s;yn, death &amp; hel: Therfore thou di&s;pi&s;ing death and beyng now &s;tout and couragious in Chri&s;t, &s;halt &s;ay: Death, where is thy &s;tynge? hel where is thy victo|ry? the &s;tynge of death is &s;ynne? the power of &s;ynne is the lawe, but pray&s;e be vnto God whiche hath geuen vs victory, through our lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. We wyll reher&s;e al&s;o other &s;entences ful of mo&s;t plentyful con&s;olacion.</P>
<PB REF="35">
<P>1. Cor. 4. He that ray&s;ed the lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t fro~ the dead, wyll ray&s;e vs vp al&s;o.</P>
<P>Phil. 3. Our conuer&s;acion is in heauen from whence we loke for the &s;auiour, euen the Lorde Ie&s;&abus; Chri&s;t, which &s;hal chau~ge our vyle body, that he may mak it lyke to his glorious body ac|cordyng to the workyng wher|by he is able al&s;o to &s;ubdue all thynges vnto him &s;elfe.</P>
<P>Colo&s;. 1. ye are dead, &amp; your lyfe is hyd with Chri&s;t in God. when&s;oeuer Chri&s;t (whiche is our lyfe) &s;hall &s;hewe him &s;elfe, then &s;hall ye al&s;o appeare with him in glory.</P>
<P>1. Te&s;&s;a. 4. I would not bre|thren that ye &s;hould be ignorant concernyng them whiche are, f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">llen a &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">eape, that ye &s;orowe
<PB REF="36"> not as other do whiche haue no hope. For if we beleue that Ie|&s;us dyed and ro&s;e againe, euen &s;o them al&s;o whiche &s;lepe by Ie+&s;us, wyll God bryng agayne with him. Sanct Paule al&s;o comforteth Tymothe his di&s;ci|ple with the artikle of the re|&s;urrection, by the&s;e woordes: Remembre that Ie&s;us Chri&s;t of the &s;eede of Dauid, ro&s;e againe fro~ death, according to my go&s;|pel. If we be deade with him, we &s;hall al&s;o liue with him: If we bee pacient, we &s;hall al&s;o reigne with him. 2. Timo. 2.</P>
<P>To the Hebrues 2. he &s;ayth: Chri&s;t by the grace of God for vs to haue ta&s;ted of death. And in the &s;ame place he affirmeth that Chri&s;t was made partaker of fle&s;he &amp; bloud, that is to &s;ay,
<PB REF="36"> was verye man, that throughe death he myght expell him that had lord&s;hip ouerdeath, whiche is, the deuil, &amp; that he myght deliuer them, whiche thorowe feare of death were al their lyfe tyme &s;ubdued vnto bondage.</P>
<P>2. Timo. 1. God hath &s;aued vs, and called vs with an holy cal|ling: not according to our dedes but according to his owne pur|po&s;e and grace: whiche was ge|uen vs through Chri&s;t Ie&s;u be|fore the worlde beganne, but is now declared openly by the ap|pearyng of our &s;auiour Ie&s;u Chry&s;t, whiche hath put away death, and hath brought lyfe &amp; immortalitie vnto lyght.</P>
<P>1. Ioan. 3. we knowe that we are tran&s;lated fro~ death to lyfe, becau&s;e we loue our brethren.</P>
<PB REF="37">
<P>1. Ioan. 4. In this appeareth the loue of God to vs warde, be+cau&s;e that god &s;ent his only be|gotten &s;o~ne into the world that we myght lyue through him.</P>
<P>Iob. 19. I am &s;ure, that my redemer lyueth, and that I &s;hal ry&s;e out of the earth in the lat|ter day: that I &s;hall be clothed againe with this &s;kynne, and &s;e God in my fle&s;he. yea I my &s;elfe &s;hal behold him, not with other but with the&s;e &s;ame eyes.</P>
<P>The&s;e te&s;timonyes of &s;cripture he which atte~tyuely doth pon|der, cannot but be moued with the greate&s;t comfort &amp; excedyng muche gladnes. Of that thyng &s;anct Paule may be a mo&s;t eui|dent example vnto vs, who be|yng mery from his heart, doth reioyce to him &s;elf, that he hath
<PB REF="37"> knowen Chri&s;t and the power of his re&s;urrection, wherby our death is va~qui&s;hed. Now ther|fore death vnto them whiche beleue in Chri&s;t, is dead, ther is now no terrible thyng in death that ought to be dreaded and feared be&s;yde the ymage and forme, euen as a &s;erpe~t de&s;troied doth kepe that his olde &amp; dread full &s;hape, but as to hurt, he hath no power in him. And in lyke ca&s;e as by that bra&s;en &s;er|pent erected in the wyldernes by Moy&s;es, through the diuine power of the woorde when it was loked vpon, lyuely &s;erpen|tes dyed, neither could the Ie|wes be poy&s;oned with the ve|nome of the liuing &s;erpentes: &s;o al&s;o our death dyeth, &amp; is made harmeles &amp; nothyng to be fea|red,
<PB REF="38"> if we wyll behold with the eyes of our layth the whol&s;ome death of Chry&s;te. To be breife, death is like the image and &s;ha|dow of death, yea rather the be|ginnning and entre into the true lyfe. Chry&s;t which is the truth it &s;elfe, doth &s;ay: If any ma~ wyl ob&s;erue my wordes, he &s;hall ne|uer &s;ee death. Howe I pray you commeth this to pa&s;&s;e? I wyll &s;hewe you. A man tru&s;tyng in the mercye of Chri&s;t, thorowe fayth learned out of the go&s;pel, is &s;o incorporated (if I may &s;o &s;ay) with Chri&s;t his lord, which is the true lyfe, &s;oo knytte and copled, that he cannot be deui|ded and &s;undred fro~ him. This bodye therfore is parted from the &s;oule, in a perfyte hope of a
<PB REF="38"> glorious re&s;urrection vnto lyfe euerla&s;tyng. For within a lytle &s;pace of tyme, the body is re&s;to|red vnto the &s;oule againe, that it may enioye the endle&s;&s;e bly&s;&s;e. And &s;o beleuing in Chry&s;t, the eternal death of the body and &s;oule, that is, euerla&s;tyng dam|nacion &amp; very death in deede, he doth not &s;ee. For vndoubtedlye the death of the ryghteous is a pa&s;&s;age and a goyng out of this mortal, into an immortal lyfe, to Chri&s;t, to the Angels, and to al the &s;anctes.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>&para; When hel and dampnacion euerla&s;tyng commyng to mynde do feare vs.</HEAD>
<P>THat malicious &s;pirit doth ca&s;t in to a ma~ a meruai|lous carefulnes of his prede&s;tinacio~, prompting
<PB REF="39"> him with theis cruel &amp; horrible thoughtes: what if thou didde&s;t not plea&s;e god? what if he hath reiected the? how knowe&s;t thou that thou art in the numbre of them whom god hath cho&s;en to eternal lyfe. The&s;e &amp; lyke long temptacions are mo&s;t bytter, &amp; mo&s;t fearcely do freat and tur|ment the mynde. Wherfore it is nedefull heare that thou &s;tande (as they &s;ay) on both feete, and &s;tedfa&s;tly in this bru~t that thou defend thy partes. Al&s;o if thou wylt wynne the victory in this conflycte, thou mu&s;t &s;ette vpon him with this policie &amp; this art. Immediatly when the&s;e temp|tacions are throwen into the of Satan, &s;ee that thou fall not in di&s;putacion with him, &s;ee that
<PB REF="39"> thou medle not with him, and an&s;were&s;t him of the contrarye part: but with the&s;e wordes or thoughtes him deferred dryue from the: Get the hence Satan auoyde with euil &s;pede. It is written, Thou &s;halt not tempte thy Lord God. Where as God alwaies of his fatherly affectio~ toward me hath repleni&s;hed me with the greate&s;t &amp; mo&s;t infinite benefites, where as he hath en|dued me with this lyfe, &amp; hath nouri&s;hed &amp; pre&s;erued the &s;ame hetherto, wher as he hath hea|ped me with all kynde of good thynges, what madnes were it to doubt any thyng of his mer|cy? where as he hath imputed me in the numbre of the chri&s;ti|ans beyng receiued by bapti&s;me
<PB REF="40"> into his flocke, where as he hath called me to the go&s;pel of his grace, in the which he hath promy&s;ed me that he would be my father how &s;huld I not loke for the b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t thynges from him, &amp; promy&s;e to my &s;elfe the cheife&s;t good thynges of him? howe &s;hould not his wyll be mo&s;t rea|dy and at hand, &amp; mo&s;t inclyned towardes me? what nede many wordes? It is a mo&s;t foli&s;he and daungerous thyng, to folowe the&s;e fanta&s;yes of de&s;teny. Fur|thermore thou &s;halt ouerthrow and preuent the&s;e thoughtes with other, wherwith God wil that thy mynde bee occupyed: Vndoubted with the&s;e whiche Chri&s;t him &s;elfe hath appointed where as he &s;ayth: he that be|leueth in Chri&s;t doth not pery&s;h
<PB REF="40"> but hath euerla&s;tyng lyfe.</P>
<P>Doe&s;t thou not heare that he whiche beleueth in Chri&s;t, whi|che doth acknowledge Chry&s;t to be his &s;anctifycacion, health, and iu&s;tice, cannot be dampned? and that he &s;halbe a partaker of &s;aluacion and lyfe eternal? As many therfore as do tru&s;t in the mercy of Chri&s;t without contro+uer&s;ie ar of the numbre of them which are elected to euerla&s;ting lyfe: in Chry&s;t fore knowen and prede&s;tinate, beyng longe &s;yns written in the boke of lyfe. But they that ar prede&s;tinate to eter+nal lyfe, are made lyke to the i|mage of Chri&s;t. Fayth wherby they are accompted iu&s;t before God, they receyue not but out of the woorde of God. By this faythe therefore, that is, by
<PB REF="41"> a &s;ure confide~ce of mercy, gran|ted frely for Chri&s;tes &s;ake, they are &s;aued. The&s;e &s;ayinges are mo&s;t certaine and farre mo&s;t true. God can neither be decei|ued nor deceiue any man. This is the coun&s;el of God the father beyng moo&s;t meeke, and a louer vnfaynedly of mankynd. The&s;e he hath &s;o from the begynnyng purpo&s;ed, &s;o fore knowen, &s;o de+termined. Ther is no cau&s;e ther fore, that tho&s;e thynges &s;hould hynder or make the agay&s;hed, which that enemy enuying our welfare, and deui&s;yng ruyne to our &s;oule, do<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h in&s;truct thewith and obiecte again&s;t the&s;e thyn|ges. Take hede onely that thou beleuyng in Chri&s;t, doe&s;t com|fort thy &s;elfe with the hope of his mercy, and there &s;halbe no
<PB REF="41"> peril at al. For if thou doe&s;t put thy hope &amp; confidence in Chri&s;t, Chri&s;t is thine &amp; thou art Chri|&s;tes. he redemyng the, thou ca~&s;t not peri&s;he and be dampned by no meanes. For in very deede they that beleue in Chri&s;t, are drawen by the fath<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r vnto Chri&s;t. By the &s;ame Chri&s;t he wyll them to b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;aued, neither any of them to be ca&s;t away.</P>
<P>Wherfore &s;ee that thou be of a bolde courage, &s;e that thou be|leue firmely, and co~ceiue a good hope of Chri&s;t. who&s;oeuer thei be that beleue in Chri&s;t, the &s;ame ar prede&s;tinate vnto life euerla|&s;tyng. Our eyes therfore ought to be bent towarde Chri&s;t, we ought to flee vnto him, this our onely and true &s;auiour mu&s;t be apprehended with fayth, if we
<PB REF="42"> intend to bee &s;aued. Here lette euery ma~ diligently ponder that wayghty exhortacion of &s;. Paul who&s;e wordes are the&s;e: Let vs runne with pacience vnto the battail that is &s;et before vs, lo|kyng vnto Ie&s;us the capitayne &amp; fini&s;her of al our fayth, which (for the ioy that was &s;et before him) abode the cro&s;&s;e, and di&s;py|&s;ed the &s;hame, and is &s;et doune on the ryght hand of the throne of God. Furthermore euery temptacion where with (beyng moo&s;t intollerable) Chri&s;t was vexed, for our &s;ake and for vs he &s;uffered, the &s;ame &s;anct Paul to the hebrues the .iiii. beyng wytnes: we haue not an hygh prei&s;t whiche cannot haue com|pa&s;&s;ion on our infirmities, but was in al pointes tempted, lyke
<PB REF="42"> as we are, but yet without &s;yn. Let vs therfore go boldly vnto the &s;eate if grace, that we may obtayne mercy, and fynde grace to helpe in tyme of nede. The&s;e thynges brother, prynt in thy heart. Chry&s;t was geuen vnto vs, fyr&s;t for this cau&s;e, that he &s;hould redeme vs, reconcyle vs and make vs parteners of euer|la&s;ting &s;aluacion: next, that he &s;hould be an example vnto vs, to leade and pa&s;&s;e our lyfe holyly. Therfore if thou doe&s;t couete to depart out of this world de|uoutly and bly&s;&s;edly, &s;ee that (Chri&s;tes death beyng put be|fore thine eyes) after his exa~ple thou ende thy lyfe. For Chri&s;t is &s;et furth before vs, an exam|ple to folow, in lyfe, in all affli|ction, in death.</P>
<PB REF="43">
<P>No ma~ &s;hal lyue vertuou&s;ly, no man &s;hall endure tribulacions, no man &s;hal dye happely, except he wyll endeuour him &s;elfe to folowe the lyfe and death of Chri&s;t beyng put before him. By Chri&s;tes death, the death of all the godly people is &s;walowed vp &amp; clerely extincte. wherfore thou &s;halt con&s;ider and way at|tentiuely what kynde of death he &s;uffered, howe he behaued him &s;elfe in that farre mo&s;t &s;ore contencion, when hangyng on the cros he was oppre&s;&s;ed with mo&s;t haynous temptacions. Be a folower of this Chri&s;t, calling for the helpe of God.</P>
<P>Fyr&s;t he was tempted with death when it was obiected vn+to him: he hath &s;aued other, him &s;elfe he cannot &s;aue. As though
<PB REF="43"> they had &s;ayd: now is he lo&s;t, he mu&s;t nedes dye &amp; peri&s;he vtterly No man &s;hal deliuer him out of our handes. After the &s;ame &s;ort that enemy al&s;o of ours vnpo&s;&s;i|ble to be reconcyled vnto vs, wyll &s;tryke the feare of death in to vs. But be thou the more &s;tout on the other &s;yde. Lyft vp thi &s;tomake, and co~firme it with a good hope. Chri&s;t hath di|&s;troyed that conquered enemye. Thou &s;halt ouercome him al&s;o by Chri&s;t. Direct the buckler of faith in Chri&s;t. Thy lord Chri&s;t kyng of glory, and the &s;ame lord of lyfe, is not made &s;ubiecte to death. but he lyueth &amp; reigneth. This lord and thy champion li|uyng &amp; reignyng, wyll not leue thee de&s;titute, nor &s;uffre that death may execute vpo~ the &s;uch
<PB REF="44"> a tyranny. He cannot di&s;apoint the, neither dethe he lye, &s;eyng that he is the truth. Conceiue this tru&s;t in him, promy&s;e to thy &s;elfe the be&s;t thynges of him, &amp; thou &s;halt lyue with him for euer. Truely wheras he would haue the to&s;&s;ed with temptaci|ons, and fele the death of the bodye, that altogether is done for thy loue. Neither for&s;oth is there any other waye to go into that true and endeles lyfe, then by the death of the body. Ther|fore this lyfe is to be for&s;aken and layd a&s;yde, if thou wylt at|taine to the euerla&s;tyng life. So after this lyfe thou &s;halt begyn at the la&s;t to lyue in dede. Fur|thermore this corporal death a|uayleth to this thyng, that the &s;harpnes and &s;owernes of it be|yng ta&s;ted, thou maye&s;t haue the
<PB REF="44"> porfe and knowlege, how bur|nyng the zele of Chri&s;tes loue toward the hath been, what an ine&s;timable benefite he hath be|&s;towed vpon the, when geuyng him &s;elfe to death for thee, he payed with his body and wyped awaye all thy tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, death beyng wholy blotted out and anulled, the yates of hell ca&s;t doune, ouerthrowen, &amp; &s;ha|ken in peces. For thou coulde&s;t neuer otherwi&s;e haue tryed and vnder&s;tode howe mighty the o|peracion and power of lyfe in Chri&s;t had been, who hath de|uoured our death, neither &s;houl|de&s;t thou haue knowe~ the gret|nes of the benefite, neither haue yelded thankes &s;o feruently to Chry&s;t thy Lord and redemer. wherfore Chry&s;t lyuyng, thou &s;halt liue al&s;o: &amp; this deth &s;halbe
<PB REF="45"> vnto the a certaine happye and whol&s;ome &s;lepe, an acce&s;&s;e and a wycket into that perfyte and mo&s;t bli&s;&s;ed lyfe.</P>
<P>Secundarily, Chri&s;t was temp|ted with &s;ynne, as an euil doer, and one gilty of a mo&s;t haynous offence, when it was ca&s;t vnto him as a reproche: If thou art the &s;onne of God, come doune fro~ the cro&s;&s;e: Thou ha&s;t &s;aued other, why doe&s;t thou not &s;aue thy &s;elf? The&s;e &s;pytful wordes what other thyng do they im|port, then that they iudged him to haue begyled men by fraude, deceiptes, &s;ubtyltie, guyles, and naughty craftes: And to be no|thyng le&s;&s;e then the &s;onne of God, yea rather a mo&s;t wycked vngracious, &amp; vengeble ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. In lyke ca&s;e Satan temptyng man
<PB REF="45"> beyng now in ha&s;ard of his life, what &s;oeuer at any tyme hath been commytted of him again&s;t god, he layeth afore him, &amp; inua|deth his mynde with whoale cart lodes of &s;ynnes, &amp; heapeth them vp into an huge greatnes, wherby he may bring him to de|&s;peracion, wauering in the mer|cy &amp; forgeuenes of god, through the bytternes &amp; heuy bourdeine of his &s;ynnes. And here thou re+&s;y&s;ting myghtely with a &s;tedye foote, &s;halt put backe thy &s;oo a&s;&s;autyng the, with <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">he&s;e wor|des: I graunt that I am a mo&s;t great and greuous &s;ynner: but Chri&s;t gylty of no &s;ynne, that in|nocent lambe in who&s;e mouthe there was founde no guyle for my &s;ynnes hath t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ted cruel death, by him all are appea&s;ed,
<PB REF="46"> how heuye &amp; how many &s;oeuer they be, for them al plenteou&s;ly &s;ati&s;faction is made. The death of Chri&s;te al&s;o is a pacifying &s;a|crifice for my &s;ynnes. Chri&s;t truly hath borne my weakenes, Chri&s;t him &s;elfe in verye deede hath &s;u&s;teyned my &s;orowes, he was wounded for myne iniqui|ties, he was torne for my wyc|kednes: by his pa&s;&s;ion I am &s;a|ued. He hath turned all myne offences vnto him &s;elfe. I nowe knowe none I thanke Chri&s;t, whiche hath acquited them all with his body.</P>
<P>Thyrdly, he was te~pted with hel or eternal damnacion, when they layde to his charge he tru|&s;ted in God, let him deliuer him, let him &s;aue him now, if he wyl haue him. As though they had
<PB REF="46"> &s;ayd: all the confidence that he hath in God &s;hall deceiue him: God turneth him &s;elfe fro~ him and abhorreth him, and beyng thru&s;t doune into hel, wyll con|demne him for euer. when that t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">mpter &s;hall prouoke the al&s;o with lyke temptacions, &s;ee that thou ones moue not thy foote.</P>
<P>There is no cau&s;e why thou &s;hould<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t tremble: bee nothyng dredful. Let them not &s;tyrre the at al, how &s;ore &s;oeuer they &s;eme to be that he &s;heweth thee. Put out of thy minde &amp; anoyde farre from thee, as well &s;ynne, as death &amp; hel. They haue no rule ouer thee, if thou wylt beholde Chry&s;te with thine eyes. Laye hand vpon him, betake thi &s;elfe wholly to him. Chri&s;t is thyne, Chry&s;t bequeueth him-&s;elfe all
<PB REF="47"> together vnto thee. He from the tyrannye of the deuyl and euerla&s;tyng dampnacion, with an ine&s;tamable pryce hath raun|&s;omed thee. This Chri&s;t is thy innocency, thy lyfe, &amp; thy iu&s;tice. Beware onely that thi heart be not withdrawen from Chry&s;te crucified by any kynd of temp|tacion. If thou wylt cleue to this Chri&s;t, eue~ as though thou were placed vpon an hygh, mo&s;t &s;ure, and inuyncible rocke, thou art &s;afe fro~ all the yates of hel: that thou may&s;t with Chri&s;t cry aloude: I haue &s;et God alwaies before me, for he is on my ryght hand, therefore I &s;hall not fall. wherfore my heart was gladde and my tonge reioy&s;ed, my fle&s;h al&s;o &s;hal re&s;t in hope. Thou &s;halt &s;hewe me the path of life: in thy
<PB REF="47"> pre&s;ence is the fulnes of ioy and at thy ryght hande is plea&s;ure for euermore. By &s;uche a fayth in Chry&s;te thou art the &s;onne of God, brother &amp; coheire of Chri&s;t and a partaker of lyfe euerla|&s;tyng. This fayth iu&s;tifyeth the iu&s;t, that is to &s;aye, beleuers in Chry&s;t. For this faythes &s;ake thou art the bli&s;&s;ed &s;onne of the cele&s;tyal father, &amp; pa&s;&s;yng from hens, thou &s;halt take the waye into the kyngdome of heauen, prepared for the electe chyl|dren from the foundacion of the world. But if thy fayth in temp|tacions doeth &s;taggar and wa|uer, And when thou take&s;t not the wyll of God the father pa|ciently &amp; &s;oberly ynough, when thy loue towarde God is &s;ome what colde, when thy hope is
<PB REF="48"> feble and &s;lender, and therfore art in feare le&s;t God and thou &s;houlde&s;t my&s;agree, or le&s;t thou &s;houlde&s;t haue his wrathe kyn|deled again&s;t thee: This doubt|les is a moo&s;t weyghty, a moo&s;t laborous, and a moo&s;t difficute temptacion. But thy thought &amp; per&s;ua&s;ion to thy &s;elfe &s;halbe, deare brother, that Chry&s;t hath abode for thy &s;ake an intollera|ble and an inuincible te~ptacion, wherin there appeared no help, comfort, ayde, or defence at all, wherin both God &amp; the whoale worlde &s;emed to be mo&s;t fearce and moo&s;t vtter enemyes, when he cryed out: My God, my God, why ha&s;t thou for&s;aken me? Oh this mo&s;t dreadfull &amp; &s;ore temp|tacion? Good God, how &s;harpe, how painfull, how harde, how
<PB REF="48"> &s;oure was that death, whiche he became &s;ubiecte vnto for our &s;akes, that he myght make the way of the cro&s;&s;e ea&s;y vnto vs? Therfore &s;eyng that Chry&s;t of his owne accorde hath &s;ubmyt|ted &amp; humbled him &s;elfe to the&s;e &s;o horrible &amp; intolerable griefes and calamities (our mo&s;t louing heauenly father willyng the &s;ame) without all paraduenture he knoweth and wyteth our weakenes al&s;o, no doubt he ha|uyng pytie vpon vs, wyll not handle vs accordyng to the ry|gour of the lawe, but wyl beare muche with our infirmitie.</P>
<P>Doth not he, callyng euery eche one vnto him, &s;aye: Come vnto me all ye that labour and are la|den, and I wyll refre&s;he you?</P>
<PB REF="49">
<P>what fuller, what larger com|forte, I praye you, maye be ge|uen at al? Many and excedinge weyghty thynges of truth, do afflycte and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">reate mankynde.</P>
<P>What more greuou&s;e thynge canne there bee to fraye, what more cruell thynge canne there bee to di&s;cruciate &amp; turment the con&s;cience of man &s;ow&s;ed in &s;ynnes, then when he doubteth in the mercye of God, when he dreadeth le&s;t god be again&s;t him &amp; ca&s;teth him vp, when he hath no power to receiue this fayth or confidence of mercye, &amp; doth fanta&s;y him &s;elfe as a wethered member to be cut of &amp; reiected? Here O Ie&s;u chri&s;t be redy with thy pre&s;ent ayde and help: Here there is nede of refre&s;hinge, le&s;t this, black, outragious, &amp; rough
<PB REF="49"> te~pe&s;t of waues do drowne thee mi&s;erable vanqui&s;hed man. But there is no cau&s;e why we &s;huld be inco~&s;tant: Chry&s;t is not vain: he maketh his promi&s;es to take effecte, he wyl recreate and for|tifye vs. At what tyme therfore that thy fayth is not &s;table y|nough, at what tyme that thy hart is &s;tryken with fearefulnes and dreade, at what tyme that thou fele&s;t thy &s;elfe to faynt in the mercy of God, and to be as it were endued with no fayth, &s;trayght way cal vpon God, be|&s;eche him of mercye, &amp; bewayle thine incredulitie, craue his &s;uc|cour with erne&s;t reque&s;tes, and he wyl &s;trengthen &amp; helpe thee, and from thensfurth thou &s;halt glorify and pray&s;e him. He hath taken vpon him to performe the
<PB REF="50"> &s;ame, and he wil accompli&s;he it: Thou onely beware that thou cea&s;&s;e&s;t not to cal vpo~ him. With out intermi&s;&s;ion crye vnto that father of all con&s;olacion with &s;yghes, &s;lowing fro~ the botome of thy &s;tomake, that he may not withdrawe his countenance fro~ thee. Poure into his bo&s;ome thyne imbecilitie, yea and euery eche thyng that grudgeth and paineth thee: Crye aloude with the di&s;ciples, Lord increa&s;e my fayth: Al&s;o with the father of the lunatyke: I beleue Lorde, fulfyll that that wanteth in my beleife. Lord make ha&s;t to helpe me, before that I &s;ynke beyng made to &s;toupe with this &s;o huge a burden. Thy mercy is a|boue all thy workes. O moo&s;t merciful, O mo&s;t benigne father
<PB REF="50"> Lord God of my &s;aluacion, my defence, and my refuge, enter not into iudgement with thi &s;er|uaunt. Chri&s;t is my iu&s;tice, and my redempcion, and myne inno|ce~cy, who for my loue hath been content to abyde the moo&s;t di&s;|plea&s;aunt and moo&s;t rygorous death. Let the&s;e thynges moue thee O father of all mercy. For this thi &s;o~ne Chri&s;tes &s;ake haue compa&s;&s;ion vpon me: Confirme and fortifie my harte with faith in Chri&s;t, &s;tyrre me vp with the co~fortes of the holy &s;pirit, that I may euerla&s;tyngly po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e the perfyte ioyes in Chri&s;t. Sobeit. In this maner thou labouryng, wra&s;tlyng and &s;triuing with thy weakenes, blaming and beway|lyng before God thyne vnbeleif and faynt courage, if thou &s;halt lay hold vpon Chri&s;t, and beyng
<PB REF="51"> caught adioyne thy &s;elfe fa&s;tely and gredely vnto him, a&s;kyng and praying for &s;uccoure with flagrant and contynr al de&s;ires, that he &s;upplyinge thy roume may make that perfyte that wa~+teth in thee: If thou &s;halte do the&s;e thynges, then all thyng frameth to the be&s;t: then is it well and very excellently with thee, there is no daunger at all, the matter is &s;afe. For the&s;e .ii. thynges, to beleue in Chri&s;t, and to de&s;yre fayth with feruent re|que&s;tes, differ not muche in &s;un|der. Although thou art feble &amp; adourned with a weake &s;pirite, let this neuertheles comforte &amp; encourage thee, that God com|maundeth and willeth him &s;elfe to be called vpon, &amp; that he hath made a couenaunt beyng called
<PB REF="51"> vpon, to enclyne his eare vnto vs, and a&s;&s;i&s;t vs with his helpe. Furthermore as nothyng is re|quired of God more iu&s;tly, then a true fayth, &s;o he heareth no prayer &s;oner or more gladly, the~ that whiche a man fyndyng no goodnes in him &s;elfe, knowled|gyng his infirmitie, his pouerty and my&s;ery, bewayling and cur|&s;ing his incredulitie, doth poure out before him, couetyng fayth with careful &amp; often accu&s;tomed &s;yghes, and moo&s;t vehement re|que&s;tes. The&s;e reque&s;tes, the&s;e &s;yghes, the&s;e prayers, this faith how &s;mal and lytle &s;oeuer it be, &s;urely is a goodly and a deuout &s;parke, the &s;eede of God, which &s;pryngeth not furth except that God woorketh and be effectual in vs: who by the prophet E&s;ay
<PB REF="52"> &s;ayth of Chry&s;t. Chap. 42. The &s;moking flaxe &s;hal he not que~ch &amp; a bro&s;ed rede &s;hal he not brek. Wherfore &s;e that thou con&s;tant|ly beleue in Chri&s;t, or at the le&s;t pray with ardent de&s;ires that thou may beleue, lamentyng be|fore God thy want of fayth. If thou wylt do thus, thou nede&s;t to doubt no whyt that thou art reputed of God to be iu&s;t, to bee his &s;onne: who not vnadui&s;edly nor in vayne hath layde vpon Chri&s;t his onely begotten &s;onne our frayeltie and our offences. In the v. chapiter of &s;. Mathew Chri&s;t him &s;elfe &s;ayth: Ble&s;&s;ed are the poore in &s;pirit, for theirs is the kyngdome of heauen.</P>
<P>Ble&s;&s;ed are they that morne, for they &s;hal receiue comfort. Ble&s;|&s;ed are they whiche hunger and
<PB REF="52"> thyr&s;t after ryghteou&s;nes, for they &s;halbe &s;ati&s;fyed. The&s;e wordes are pronounced to thee al&s;o, mo&s;t louyng brother, the&s;e agree properly vnto thee. Thou &s;orrowe&s;t and art pen&s;i&s;e for thi lyfe euil pa&s;&s;ed ouer, from thy heart thou lamente&s;t, thou thir|&s;te&s;t and hungere&s;t after ryghte|ou&s;nes: beleue, be of good chere, the thynges that thou couete&s;t thou &s;halt receiue, &amp; nowe thou art ryghteous before God by Chri&s;t. After this, by the exam|ple of Chri&s;t and &s;anct Stephan thou &s;halt commytte thy &s;pirite into the handes of God the fa|ther, by the&s;e wordes: Into thy handes (O mo&s;t merciful father) I co~mend my &s;pirit, yea thi &s;pirit rather, &s;eyng that thou ha&s;t be|queued it me for a tyme graffed
<PB REF="53"> into this bodye, &s;eyng that it is thi proper image and &s;imilitude made vnto thy lykenes, &s;eyng that to redeme the &s;ame thi only begotten &s;onne hath &s;hedde his mo&s;t precious bloud. This thy &s;pirit (I &s;ay) often tymes I com+mend into thy handes, O moo&s;t fauourable father, O God of all compa&s;&s;ion. Thyne I am all wholly, receiue I be&s;eche thee, pre&s;erue and endue with eternal lyfe me thyne owne, for Ie&s;us Chri&s;tes &s;ake thy onely begotte~ &s;onne our Lord. So beit, &s;obeit.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>&para; Of the makyng of the la&s;t wyll, and of the con|fe&s;&s;ion of &s;ynnes.</HEAD>
<P>VVhen as yet a perfecte minde exi&s;teth in the bo|dy, their te&s;tament ought to be ordayned, whiche
<PB REF="53"> haue of their owne to bequeue and may lawfully make their wyll: le&s;t that if they prolonge that bu&s;ynes vnto the la&s;t mo|ment of lyfe, they be preuented with death. Therfore lette him whiche hath lawfull heyres be coun&s;eled, that he betake to the~ all the charge of his te&s;tament. And if he hath gotten any goo|des wrongfully, or be in det to any per&s;on, let him declare that openly and &s;ee that his dettes be di&s;charged. The&s;e beyng fy|ni&s;hed, let him put apart fro~ him all &s;uche as are bent to trouble him with any worldly matters, wherein verye many do offende without mea&s;ure, which to him that no we lyeth at the point of death, do ca&s;t doubtes of his te|&s;tament &amp; of outwarde matters,
<PB REF="54"> and &s;ometyme do compell him to &s;ub&s;cribe, yea and that with|drawyng him &s;elfe, vnwyllyng, &amp; abhorryng their importunitie by who~ he ca~ not be &s;uffered qui+etly to depart. The~ the whiche frendes, what can therebe more vnfre~dly? Afterward if the kin+de of the di&s;ea&s;e doth &s;uffre, let him endeuoure him &s;elfe, before that he goeth in ha~d with his bo+dye, to heale his &s;oule by a &s;hort co~fe&s;&s;io~, but &s;incere &amp; without fal&s;hode, and receyne of a prie&s;t the remedy of penaunce with a|ful fayth and greate&s;t reuere~ce, from the botome of hys &s;tomake let hym call vpon the mercy of god and purpo&s;e wyth him &s;elfe to amende his lyfe if it fortune hym to be recouered of hys in|fyrmitie. But if it chaunce that
<PB REF="54"> a prie&s;t be not at hande, let him not forthwyth (as certayne &s;u|per&s;ticions folke are wont) tre~|ble and ca&s;t downe hys mynde, but to god hym &s;elfe from hys harte let hym dy&s;clo&s;e hys vn|righteou&s;ene&s;&s;e, who of his cle|mencye wyll vouch&s;afe too ac|cepte the intente of the mynde for the acte it &s;elfe, and fulfyll of hys &s;inguler grace, that that wanteth in the outward &s;ignes of the &s;acrame~tes, for bi him all the &s;acrame~tes take their effect, which after a &s;ort are tokens of his godly beneficence towardes vs: but the &s;ame god wythoute &s;ygnes when nede &s;hall require hath a re&s;pecte to mannes &s;afe|guarde, onely that neglegence and contempte of the &s;acrame~ts be ab&s;ent, and fayth with a pro~|pte good wil be pre&s;ently redy</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB REF="55">
<HEAD>&para; Of the communion, and of extreme Vnction.</HEAD>
<P>The minde beyng purified by a true and perfyte co~|fe&s;&s;ion iu&s;tly made vnto God and the prie&s;t, lette the paciente with al his myghte de&s;yre the mo&s;t reuerent &s;acra|ment of the bodye and bloud of Chri&s;t to be brought vnto him. And let him in e&s;pecialli beware that he come not vnto the com|munion or that &s;acred holy ta|ble with defyled handes. For it is not to be &s;uppo&s;ed tho&s;e mo&s;t greuous thretes which are me~|cioned of &s;. Paul to be fru&s;trate. Therfore after that he hath pre+pared him &s;elfe according to his capacitie and maners, let him deuoutly ponder and pronounce the&s;e wordes: Lord thou art the
<PB REF="55"> viande of oure pylgrymage, wherwith we are recreated and nouri&s;hed as longe as we tra|uayle in this wylde worlde and runne in this race. Leade me therfore O Lorde by this recei|uyng of the body into the lande of the liuyng, into that countre of the lyuyng, where I &s;hall be|hold thee face to face in the glo+ry of the father. When he hath made an ende of the&s;e &s;ayinges, let him receiue the &s;acrament of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">he body of Chri&s;t with a plen|tyful &s;ayth in the remembrance of his death and pa&s;&s;ion. The Lordes &s;upper beyng fyny&s;hed, if the &s;ycknes be iudged curable by no art of Phi&s;ycke, lette the prie&s;t praye ouer the di&s;ea&s;ed, a|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">oyntyng him with oyle, not by <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ttyng to any charmes as the
<PB REF="56"> Ethenikes are accu&s;tomed) but by calling vpon the name of our lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, the~ the which there is no kind of enchau~tment more effectuall. Let a &s;ure confi|dence al&s;o be anexed to the prai|ers, the~ god wil heare the~, &amp; &s;aue the &s;ick per&s;o~. Ia. 5. Neither on|ly the health of the body &s;halbe re&s;tored vnto him (if that &s;halbe profitable for the &s;ycke) but al&s;o if he hath committed &s;ynnes (as for the mo&s;t parte the infirmities of the body &s;pring of the il di&s;po|&s;itions of the minde) they &s;halbe forgeue~ him at the praiers of the elders, if that faith commendeth both tho&s;e that do pray and him for whom they praye.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>&para; That &s;orow &s;hould be mea&s;u|red by the ryght rule of rea|&s;one, which for the deathe of their parentes &amp; frendes
<PB REF="56"> of very many is taken more then ought to be.</HEAD>
<P>AL mea&s;ure and rea&s;on &s;et a &s;ide, to geue hym &s;elfe wholy to weping, belon|geth not to a chri&s;tia~ ma~ but rather to an Ethinike: which neadeth no further confirmacio~ then this onely rea&s;on, that with no lamentacion (though it be ne|uer &s;o great, and frequented ne|uer &s;o manye yeres) they that be mourned for, can be re&s;tored a|gayne to lyfe. Therefore the&s;e teares are in vayne &amp; of no force and &s;uche as bring forth neither fruit nor profite: whereof kynge Dauid hath left vs a notable ex|ample: who as longe as the in|fant borne of Beth&s;abee &s;ycke|ned &s;ore, fa&s;ted and wepte py|tiou&s;lye, and goynge in, laye
<PB REF="57"> vpon the yearth, praying vnto the Lord for the health of the chylde. But a&s;&s;one as he vnder|&s;tode by his &s;eruauntes why&s;pe+ryng together that the chylde was deade, he ca&s;t of the mour|nyng and fylthy garmentes, and clothed him &s;elfe with more clenly apparel, wa&s;hed his face and the table beyng &s;pred dyd eate with a cherefull counte|naunce. His &s;eruauntes merua<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">|lyng at that thyng (thinkyng that he would haue vexed him &s;elfe &s;orer, hearyng of his chyl|des death, who whyl&s;t that it yet lyued, after &s;uch a &s;ort wa|&s;ted him &s;elfe with fa&s;tyng and teres) and a&s;king him the cau&s;e thereof, he an&s;wered: for the childe whyle it was yet alyue, I fa&s;ted &amp; wept: For this I &s;ayd:
<PB REF="57"> who can tell whether the Lord wyll geue me him, and the child may lyue? But now &s;eyng he is dead, wherfore &s;huld I fa&s;t? can I bryng him againe any more? I &s;hall go to him rather, he &s;hal not come againe to me. By the whiche wordes Dauid &s;heweth wy&s;ely, that we &s;hould not be|wayle or be &s;orowfull for him, which cannot be recouered and called againe. And S. Cyprian al&s;o in his &s;ermon of the morta|litie of mankynd, prote&s;teth him &s;elfe often to haue ben admoni|&s;hed by a holy reuelacion, yea &amp; co~manded of God, that he &s;huld openly teache and preache vnto al me~, that tho&s;e brethren ought not to bee lamented for, whiche by a diuyne callyng do vany&s;he out of this world: and that this
<PB REF="58"> wailyng is abhorred of God, &amp; nothinge acceptable vnto him. yet le&s;t we &s;hold &s;eme to be har|de &amp; &s;tony harted, or els to haue loued our frende departed, but &s;lenderly and after the co~mune &s;ort, it is mete that we &s;hold par+do~ him, which wepeth of a god|ly zeale and a &s;incere affectio~ of pitye, &s;o that he pa&s;&s;eth not the bo~des of rea&s;on. For Chri&s;t our Lorde, the mo&s;t ab&s;olute image of all vertues, louingly beway|led Lazarus beyng deade: &amp; h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s deuout &s;i&s;ters Mary and Mar|tha highly are co~mended in that they lame~ted their brothers fu|neral. Al&s;o tho&s;e &s;erui&s;able wo|men, whiche &s;tode diligently by Chri&s;te, &s;ufferyng the greate&s;te extremityes vpon the cro&s;&s;e, are not vnworthily pray&s;ed, in that
<PB REF="58"> they mourned for him being de|ad &amp; buried with much weping. Furthermore we read in the ac|tes of the Apo&s;tles of. &s;. Stepha~ the fir&s;t martire, that deuout me~ (as touching the funerals whi|ch were done in the burial) dre&s;|&s;ed him, &amp; made great lamentati|on ouer him. Be&s;ide the&s;e, Ec|cle&s;ia&s;ticus al&s;o aduerti&s;eth vs to wepe for the dead, but not im+moderatlye, neither for a longe &s;ea&s;on, &s;aiynge: when one dieth make lame~tatio~ for him, becau|&s;e the light faileth him. Make but little wepyng for the dead, for he is come to re&s;t. Al&s;o very many epi&s;tles of the holy father S. Ierome co~forting tho&s;e that are aliue vpon the death of the di&s;ce&s;&s;ed, do wo~derfulli make to the co~firmatio~ of the &s;ame mat|ter which we nowe entreate of.
<PB REF="59"> For they enforce both by autho+rities of &s;cripture and al&s;o by pythy argumentes, that they ought not to bee lamented for without mea&s;ure, whiche haue chaunged their lyfe for death: As that epi&s;tle, whiche is writ|ten to heliodorus of the death of Nepotian: and that whiche he &s;ent to Paula of the &s;lepe of Ble&s;ylla hir daughter: and that whiche is written to Tyra&s;ius co~cernyng the departyng of his daughter: And dyuers other E|pi&s;tles of the &s;ame moo&s;t bly&s;&s;ed father touching the like matter.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>&para; An exhortacion to all that profe&s;&s;e the name of Ch<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">i&s;t.</HEAD>
<P>NOw I de&s;ire and be&s;eche <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ou for the mercy of god as manye as are named chri&s;tians, that &s;omtyme
<PB REF="59"> at the la&s;t for&s;akyng this olde hatefull darkenes &amp; errour, you would returne to a more thrifty kynde of lyfe, &amp; heare the whol|&s;om word of god receiued with mo&s;t erne&s;t endeuour &amp; holynes of mind, and knocking without cea&s;&s;e, you would pray vnto the father in heauen through Chri&s;t that he would in&s;tructe vs, and open vnto vs the true know|lege of Chri&s;t: that vngodlynes and worldly lu&s;tes beyng layde a&s;ide, we may lyue &s;oberly, rygh+teou&s;ly, and deuoutly in this pre+&s;ent world, loking for that ble&s;|&s;ed hope and appearance of the glory of the great God and our &s;auiour Ie&s;us Chri&s;t: who hath geuen him &s;elfe for vs, that he might redeme vs fro~ al iniquitie and make cleane vnto him &s;elfe
<PB REF="60"> a peculier people, a folower of good workes.</P>
<P>The worde of grace, lighte, and all comforte hathe &s;hyned vnto vs by the mighty benefite of god, we haue excellent and verye manye examples in holy &s;crypture witne&s;&s;ing the incon|&s;umable goodne&s;&s;e, long &s;uffer|ringe, and mekene&s;&s;e of god to|wardes vs: whexeby it maye be &s;ene, howe God wyll not that we be lo&s;te, but that we turne and lyue: howe &s;one al&s;o hys moo&s;te iu&s;te wrath is appea&s;ed: howe lightly he pardoneth oure de&s;erued puni&s;hment, at what tyme we erne&s;tlye repentyng do thinke to amend oure lyfe. We being moued wyth the&s;e things brethren, let vs al&s;o fle vnto god in al aduer&s;itie, lette vs craue of
<PB REF="60"> him with continual praiers, that all oure &s;innes, being mercifully forgeue~, he wold vouch&s;afe for his derely beloued &s;onnes &s;ake Ie&s;us Chri&s;te, to kepe, nouri&s;he, defend, &amp; comfort vs, &amp; to be &s;pe|dely at hande wyth his pre&s;ente helpe in al nece&s;&s;itie. Dauid be|ing ca&s;t into extreme peril, when that for his offe~ce by the viole~ce of the plage. 70. thou&s;a~d me~ died wythin a fewe dayes inco~tine~tly a&s;&s;one as he had re&s;orted vnto God for &s;uccoure, openinge hys fault, a&s;kyng pardon, be&s;eching god of his mercy, &amp; rearinge vp an aultare in the thre&s;hinge flo|er of Areunah the Iebu&s;ite had offered burnte &s;acrifices &amp; peace offerynges, GOD was appea&s;ed with the lande (&s;ayeth the Scip|ture) and the plage cea&s;&s;ed from I&s;rael. ii. Regum. xxiiii.</P>
<PB REF="61">
<P>By the example of him, you lyke wy&s;e deare brethren confe&s;&s;yng your &s;ynnes, call for the grace and mercy of God, rendring vn|to him an acceptable &s;acrifice of a penitent and contrite heart, &amp; he wyl be ready with his helpe vnto you, neither wyll geue you ouer at any tyme. In lyke ca&s;e God &s;e~dyng Ionas doth thrette~ to di&s;troy Niniuie a cytie moo&s;t full of people and mo&s;t famous: But incontinently after the Ni|niuites had done repentance at the preachyng of Ionas, God extendyng his pitie vpon them, the tre&s;pa&s;&s;e beyng forgeuen he withdrewe the puni&s;hement.</P>
<P>The example of the&s;e men put before you, brethren, to fo|lowe. My&s;tru&s;t not the mercy of God, for not as yet truely the</P>
<GAP DESC="missing">
<PB REF="61">
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
