yet through his wisedome he wil haue the ciuil magistrate to punish such and that partlie that others maie be terrified by their punishment from following their example but especialie that notorious offenders maie haue notorious and deserued correction Againe he iudgeth by the ciuil Magistrates when throgh strength of armes and force of warre the innocent are defended against al enimies whatsoeuer be theie domestical or forreigne vsurpers of anothers kingdome or Tyrants in their owne And theie who take such warres in hand are saide to fight the Lordes battel as both Ioshua Dauid Machabeus did praised be God our renoumed Queene doth both in defending her loial subiects against al enimies and in protecting the oppressed against vsurpers By himselfe the Lord also doth iudge and that diuerslie And though in al his workes he be maruelous yet most wonderful is he in those his iudgements For he iudgeth secretelie and he iudgeth openlie he iudgeth particularlie some he iudgeth vniuersalie al mē by himselfe By his secrete iudgement he stirreth-vp the hearts of man against man manie-times and againe maketh some to be extraordinarilie fauoured This do the godlie note And therefore when either theie do finde for loue enimitie for good wil hatred for benefites ingratitude or get y ◠friendship which theie neuer looked for the one theie impute vnto the righteous iudgement of God for their neglecting his loue requiting his friendship with vnkindenes his manifold good turnes with vnthankfulnes and for the other theie crie with the Psalmist To come vnto preferment is neither from the East nor from the West nor from the South but God is the iudge he maketh low and he maketh hie By this iudgement the Lord both taketh awaie good magistrates sometimes turneth the heartes of Princes and changeth the state of Common-weales For à true sentence is that of Cominaeus God suffereth no wickednesse to goe vnpunished although sometime it be long ere he take vengeance For so often as we see anie notable alteration in mightie Princes we ought certainlie to persuade our selues that it proceedeth from the iustice of God And by this iudgement he succoureth yea and preserueth his Church miraculouslie from destruction and also punisheth the enimies of the same from time to time Secretelie also the Lorde doth iudge when hee toucheth the minde of man with the feeling of sinne and wickednes And this iudgement of God if the holie spirite be not assistant is vnportable For herebie diuers haue desperatelie finished their lines as Kain Iudas and in our age Franciscus Spira By this iudgement diuers which seeme in manie outward and worldlie respectes as either for authoritie or for their nobilitie or for their places or for their learning or for their profession or for their wealth happie yet are theie by the testimonie of their gnawing conscience which accuseth them continualie of hainous and manifolde crimes in à curssed state and condition Last of al when the wilful despisers of God his mercies preached by the Gospel and the malitious resisters or peruertors of his worde be deliuered-vp into reprobate mindes wherebie there take darkenes for light sower for sweete for trueth falsehoode wickednes for holines superstition for true religion mans fantastical imaginations for the verie seruice of God and folowe without remorse of conscience or sense of wickednesse sinne and that with greedinesse what is it but the secrete yet righteous iudgements of the Lord Secondarilie without the ministerie of man God iudgeth by himselfe openlie to the sight of the worlde by diuers means as by the fire somtime by water somtime by the earth sometime c. By which and such like the Lorde in his iustice doth punish vs in these daies manie times So haue we bine by great fires great inundations great earth-quakes great plagues corrected yet verie mercifulie For we are neither consumed of fire as Sodome was nor drowned of water as the olde world was nor swallowed-vp of the earth as Korah Dathan and Abiram were and that not because we are more innocent nowe in the sight of God than theie were nor God is either lesse righteous that he wil not or of lesse power that he cannot punish so seuerelie as euer he did for both we are by so much more wicked thantheie were as we contemne greater benefites than euer theie enioied and God also is as righteous for iustice and for his power as mightie as euer he was For he is the Lorde and changeth not But of his infinite mercie he bringeth vs not vnto vtter confusion but punisheth vs by litle litle because we should amend Thirdlie by himselfe God openlie punisheth particular men and that notoriouslie that others maie beware Thus hath he punished long-ago both Herode Antipa for his crueltie and Herode Agrippa for his pride and Cerinthus and Arius curssed heretikes for their blasphemies and the enimies of Narcissus for their periurie and Hatto of Maguntia for insatiable couetousnes and crueltie and Dalburgius of Wormes in Germanie for his lewde and vnchaste conuersation and to omit à number mo Frier Bacon for his familiaritie with Satan For one of those Herodes hee threwe from hie authoritie downe to extreame beggerie the other was eaten-vp of vermine Cyrinthus was bruzed into peeces with the fal of an house the bowels of Arius gushed-out and so horriblie ended his daies one of Narcissus his enimies with fire another with an odious sicknes y e third hauing lost his eies with weping perished miserablie Hatto was pursued yea at y e lēgth deuoured of Myce and Rats Dalburgius going to naughtie companie in the night fel into à cellar and so tooke his death and Frier Bacon pined-awaie with hunger hauing both à greedie desire to eate and plentie of meate to feede-vpon And of verie late yeares what notable and howe manie examples of God his iudgements against wickednes haue we seene What à death came Anne Auerie à notable example of auarice for her wilful periurie vnto How died widowe Barnes because she wold haue defrauded her owne children of their portions of goods due vnto them by Lawe Howe desperatelie did father Lea finish his life for bearing false witnesse to à matter Howe died one Thomas Hil at Feuersam in Kent for murthering his owne Mother Did not the verie excrements of Anne Auerie come-out of her mouth Was she not stroken with such à sickenes and that sodenlie that neither her feete could moue nor her mouth speake nor anie member of hers in à manner do the duetie it should Died she not odiouslie in à stinking stable for her abhominable couetousnes and periurie Fel not widowe Barns out of an hie windowe and so brake her necke Did not Father Lea dispatch himselfe with à rustie knife and that two yeares after hee had forsworne himselfe And did not fiue smal points strāgle in strange
the wicked than of the godly diseased But not so manie wicked are imprisoned Who shal be iudge shal the iudges of realmes They wil answere for one godlie man they sende twentie wicked vnto the iayle some for polling some for roaging some for quarreling some for periurie which vices the godlie wil not defile themselues withal And therefore more wicked then godly imprisoned But not so many wicked come to vnnatural ends as godlie Who shalbe iudg Shal common experience That must needes declare that for one godly person an hundred come vnto euil ends some for thefte some for murther some for treason some through desperation With which vices the godlie wil not be stained for al the goods in the world And therefore mo of the wicked than of the godlie doe come vnto vnnatural ends On the otherside what prosperity hath God promised for this life but the godlie enioy y e same so wel as the wicked For riches they are welthie for health lustie for power mighty learned for knowledg wise for experiēce honorable for calling for fame renowmed so wel as they Yea but al the godly are not such Neither be al the wicked But moe wicked yet than godlie be such Howe canst thou tel that the scripture saith by outward things no mā knoweth either loue or hatred al things come alike to al and the same condition is to the iust and to the wicked to the good and to the pure and to the polluted to him that sacrificeth to him that sacrificeth not as is the good so is the sinner he that sweareth as he that feareth an othe But doe the wicked more florish Let them assure themselues they haue their reward And haue y e godly lesse prosperity They are to reuiue their spirites through consideratiō that à time wil come when they shal fully be cōforted and the vngodlie tormented Againe be it that they find lesse fauor moe troubles in the world not for manifest wickednes but through the malice of Sathan and his mēbers than the wicked doe yet are theie punished as vniustly of man so iustly of the Lord and that both because he exacteth à greter righteousnes of them than of other men which he findeth not also looketh for more thankfulnes for his extraordinary benifites cōferred vpon them and they yeeld it not CHAP. 17. Where the bodies and soules of men are vntil the daie of iudgement SEeing nowe à general iudgement shal ensue what becommeth of bodies and soules vntil y e daie of iudgment wil some say Touching the bodies theie are dead without any either sense or feeling at al vntil the last daie abide in their places if theie were neuer buried in the graues if theie were cōmitted to the earth But the houre shal come in which al that are in the graues shal heare Christ his voice And theie shal come foorth c. and such also as haue beene either deuoured of beastes or consumed of fire or drowned of waters or any way dead since the beginning of the world theie altogether in à moment in the twincling of an eie shal arise But whie reasteth the bodie and goeth not presently with the soule either vnto ioie or paine It is because neither the sins of al y e wicked are yet perfectly ripe nor the number of the faithful fulfilled For neither the wicked which haue died since the beginning of the worlde shal preuent those which are to come vnto them in extreme tormentes nor any of the godly enioie perfect happines vntil y e whole nūber of y e faithful com together Whie shal the bodie arise at al The reason is easilie giuen That whole man may be rewarded according to his deserts y e is that as neither the soule without the bodie did anie thing nor the body without the soule while it was aliue so both bodie and soule together maie receiue either the reward of wel doing or the punishment of sinne For we blaspheme with the mouth we pray with the mouth we praise God with the mouth We are wanton with the bodie and we are chast with the bodie Wee pil and poll with the hand and we giue almes with the hand c. Seeing then saith Cyril the bodie is à doer in al thinges it shal reape the fruit of his labour in the time to come But some wil saie How are the dead raised vp and with what bodie come theie foorth O foole that which thou sowest is not quickned except it die And that which thou sowest thou sowest not that bodie that shalbe but bare corne as it falleth of wheate or of some other But God giueth it a bodie at his pleasure euen to euerie seede his owne bodie c. So also is the resurrectiō of the dead The bodie is sowne in corruption and is raised in incorruption It is sowen in dishonor is raised in glorie it is sowen in weakenes is raised in power It is sowen a naturall bodie is raised a spiritual bodie Wherbie it is euidēt howe the same bodie in substance which we haue but not in qualitie shal arise For the qualitie shalbe changed of the same Hereunto Cyril beareth witnes when he saith This bodie shal arise but not subiecte to infirmities yet this same verie bodie being transformed into an incorruptible body Euen as iron burned in the fire becommeth fire But more than so as the Lorde rising knoweth best This body than shal arise but not remaine as it is but be eternal It shal not stand in neede either of meat to liue withal or ladders to climbe by for it shal become spiritual A certaine glorious thing it shalbe such as sufficientlie for theworthines of the same cānot be expressed The righteous shal shine as the sunne as the moone as the brightnes of the firmament And God foreseeing this incredulitie of man hath giuen to smale wormes bright bodies in the summer that therebie theie maie shine to make men by apparent thinges to beleeue that which through hope we lookefor For he that canperforme a part can also accomplish the whole and hee that hath made a worme to shine with cleerenesse can much more make the iust to be glorious So then we shal be raised hauing eternal and al like bodies but he that is righteous shal receiue à celestial body that he maie accompanie the Angels and he that is wicked shal take an eternal bodie by which he maie suffer the punishmēt of sinnes and burne in fire and yet neuer be consumed so Cyril This being spoken of the place of the bodie and resurrection of the same I wil nowe shew what I thinke concerning the places where the soules are had I recited the sundrie opinions of diuerse men touching this matter For great varietie of iudgementes haue beene here-about The Pharisees haue one opinion the Dormitans an other the Papistes another the fathers another and the
hast made the heauen and the earth Thou hast made the heauen and the earth by thy great power and there is nothing hard vnto thee Thou hast afore-time laide the foundation of the earth and the heauens are the worke of thine handes theie shal perish but thou shalt endure euen theie al shal waxe olde as doth à garment as à vesture shalt thou change them and theie shalbe changed But thou art the same and thie yeares shal not faile Let al the earth feare the Lord let al that dwel in the worlde feare him For he spake and it was done he commanded and it stoode Of nothing he did make the worlde Therefore no good reason is it but à meere fallacie to saie because we cannot make of nothing some-what therefore God cannot or because man doth not therefore God did not Secondlie saith Iauel according to the minde of Aristotle Al men thinke that heauen is Gods abiding place But an eternal thing cannot haue à corruptible place For the place and the thing placed must haue like proportion Therefore heauen which is supposed to be God his abiding place is eternal as God is I answere the Maior is false For al men thinke not that heauen is Gods abiding place For Salomon wiselie Behold the heauen and heauens of al heauens are not able to conteine thee And Bernard notablie Whether then is the beloued gone from the beloued and we will seeke him Where is he What said I wretch that I am But where is he not He is higher than heauen deeper then hel broader than the earth huger than the sea He is no where and yet is euerie where because he is neither absent from anie nor contained in anie place But God saith by the Prophet Isaiah Heauen is my seate and earth is my footestoole I grant so doth the Spirite of God in S. Peter saie The eies of the Lorde are ouer the righteous and his eares are open vnto their praiers and the face of the Lorde is vpon them that doe euil Yet hath not God either eies eares or face But it is an vsual phraze of the Scripture to giue vnto God members actions and affections of man for our capacitie vnderstanding saith Hemmingius by the figure Anthropopathie and by à certaine excellencie he is said to be in heauen as proueth Zanchius For the eies of God signifie his fauour his eares his willingnes to heare and his face his displeasure saith Thomas Aquinas And though it cannot be douted that God is euerie-where yet is he so in heauen as in respect thereof he seemeth not to be in earth at al as maie appeare in Bernard Thirdlie and last of al to omit the other vane reasons vsed of the Philosophers saie theie It is impossible that God who is infinite either could or maie be euerlastinglie idle But God both had bine idle if the worlde had not continued frō euerlasting and should be idle if it continue not euermore Therfore theie conclude the world hath bine and shalbe euerlasting I answere the Minor containeth à fallacie fetcht from no cause as if it were à cause For it followeth not that God should be idle though he made not the worlde from euerlasting For his workes are eternal in himselfe though none of them appeare outwardlie Nowe if anie be not yet satisfied but wil needes knowe what God was about before the world was made I answere yet not I but Augustine He was preparing of hel for al such as curiously enquire there-about If yet not satisfied hee wil further demaund what he wil doe when the world hath an end not Augustine but I make answere hee wil not ceasse from tormenting thee and such like in hel and also reioyce with his saincts in perpetual blisse CHAP. 4. Against them which allowe the beginning but denie the end of this world SAint Peter through the spirit of God did foretel that in the last daies mockers shoulde come who wil deride and scoffe at the doctrine of the worlds consummation Whose wordes because they are continualie to be fixed in mind I wil recite as I finde them placed in the sacred Bible This first vnderstand saith S. Peter that there shal come in the last daies mockers which shal walke after their lustes and saie where is the promise of his comming For since the fathers died al thinges continue alike from the beginning of the creation For this theie willinglie knowe not that the heauens were of olde and the earth that was of the water and by the water by the worde of God Wherefore the worlde that then was perished and ouerflowed with water But the heauens and earth which are nowe are kept by the same word in store and reserued vnto fire against the daie of iudgement and of the destruction of vngodlie men In which wordes among other notable pointes these are chiefelie to be considered for this place First the speakers who they are secondlie the arguments which they do vse thirdlie the answere of the Apostle last of al the manner of the worlds destruction The enimies of this doctrine are described here to be mockers such as deride al religion and walke after their lustes not according to Gods word Therfore none wil impugne this comfortable doctrine but such as are meere Epicures for their leude conuersation and Atheists for their diuelish opinions One argument which they doe vse is this Since the fathers died al thigns continue alike from the beginning of the creation Therefore they shal continue after vs and after our posteritie too at one staie as they haue done neither is there anie iudgement to bee feared nor resurrection to be hoped for Vnto this vngodlie assertion the Apostle answereth by an argument taken from y e vndoubted historie of the floud which historie he saith they against their conscience denie who be of opinion that the world shal haue none end For he denieth that euer the worlde was drowned with water who denieth that the worlde shalbe destroyed yea he thinketh that the Raine-bowe which is the signe of the couenant betweene God and vs is but à toie to mocke men with al. For we are to thinke and learne vndoubtedlie by that great punishment First that the worlde and al therein was made to serue for the vse of the godlie and virtuous not of the wicked and that the saincts of God euerlastinglie shal enioie the same the reprobate being cast into vtter condemnation Secondlie we must thinke that God assuredlie wil punish wickednes although he haue promised and the Raine-bowe doth witnes that he wil not ouerwhelme the world again with an vniuersal floud but consume it with fire For which cause he hath set diuers colors in the Rain-bow as blew principalie and red whereof the one sheweth howe it hath bene drowned the other
howe it shalbe consumed with fire At these things saith Peter doe these Atheists and Epicures euen contrarie to their verie conscience denie And therefore there needeth none other confutation but onelie to laie before them either the historie of Noahs floud or the Rainebowe in the cloudes For beholding either of them they cannot choose but cōfesse that the world must haue an ende Another of their arguments is this Had God minded to bring the world vnto an end he would haue done so before this But seing it hath continued these 5500. yeres vpwarde likelie it is that euermore it shal endure Thus do they miserablie deceiue themselues saith Peter in effect not considering that God being eternal is not encluded within the compasse of anie time For one daie is with the Lorde as a thousande yeares and a thousande yeares as one daie Therefore it followeth not because hee differreth the destruction of the worlde that he wil not make an end thereof But hee is patient toward vs and would haue no man to perish but would al men to come vnto repentance The cause then whie it is not yet vtterlie ouerthrowne is his great and infinite mercie for our euerlasting welfare For the patience long-sufferance and bountifulnes of God leadeth vnto repentance So did he spare the old world an hundred and twentie yeares before he drowned it and Ierusalem 40. yeares after Christ his death before he destroied the same It is therefore a special cause whie wee shoulde seeke to please so gratious and merciful à God no cause to make vs secure The manner of the worlds destruction at the day of iudgement is signified by à comparison For as the worlde in time passed for the wickednesse of men was after à sort destroied with water so it shall burne and bee consumed with fire And that both for a signe of the eternal paines which y e vngodlie shal endure and also for the purging and repairing of the world For as filthily diseased persons infect the places where they are so haue the wicked polluted this worlde with their manifolde sinnes Therefore it must be purged with fire that it maie be à meete fit and pleasant theatre as it were both for Angels and the chosen seruants of God with Christ for euermore CHAP. 5. Against the Manichies and their adherents who saie there shalbe no general iudgement nor resurrection of mankinde THeie who denie the general iudgement to come are diuers of diuers opinions For some doe holde that it shal not be at al some that it is nowe and some that it is alreadie past The first sort are Manichies the seconde H. N. or the Familie of Loue the laste the fauorers of Hymeneus and Philetus as the Familie of Loue. Al wicked heretical and abhominable For proofe whereof they al doe bring not humaine reason altogether as they did whom alreadie we haue confuted but they abuse y e diuine Scripture as shal appeare Of euerie of these therefore as they stand The Manichies and their adherents to proue that there shalbe no general iudgement doe bring-out first à place out of the thirde of Iohn where it is thus written God sent not his sonne into the world that hee shoulde condemne the world but that the worlde through him might be saued If therefore saie they hee came not to condemne the world it shal not be iudged Against which their allegation I might bring à contrarie place out of the same Gospel where our Sauióur saith I am come vnto iudgement into this world and so let one place answere vnto the other But I answere there is à two-folde comming of our Sauiour Christ à first and à seconde the first is past the seconde is to come The principal cause of his first cōming was not to condemne but to be condemned the principal cause of his seconde shalbe to execute iustice iustice with seueritie vpon the reprobate iustice with mercie vpon his elect yet iustice vpon both vpon the one sort for imbracing his Gospel by à liuelie faith vnto their saluation vpon the other for contemning the same vnto their vtter condemnation Therefore according to his diuerse commings hee beareth the persons of diuerse men in his first comming of à priest whose part is both to teach and to offer sacrifice in his seconde of à iudge whose duetie we haue shewen Secondlie theie cite this place out of the same Chapter of Iohn He that beleeueth in him which is Christ shal not bee condemned but hee that beleeueth not is condemned alreadie because he beleeueth not in the name of the onelie begotten sonne of God They saie therefore If he who beleeueth shal not come into iudgement and he who beleeueth not is condemned alreadie where are they whom hee shal iudge at the daie of iudgement In effect if none are to bee iudged there shalbe no iudgement I answere first touching the righteous who beleeue that though they shal not bee condemned yet that they shal bee iudged For Christ wil rewarde euerie-man according vnto his workes There is then a iudgement of saluation and a iudgement of condemnation The righteous shalbe iudged yet not condemned but quited by proclamation the wicked shalbe iudged and condemned both by God and the countrie that is by their owne conscience and al the Angels in heauen Secondlie against the wicked I saie with our Sauiour because they beleeue not they are condemned But doth it followe thereof that they shal not bee iudged I beleeue not For it is à phrase vsed much in y e holie Scripture to take the time present for the time to come As cursed be he or more plainelie cursed is euerie man that continueth not in al things which are written in the booke of the Lawe to do them It is not Cursed shalbe euerie man but Cursed is euerie man c. For God hath signified what shal become of vnbeleeuers and wicked men onlie there lacketh but pronouncing of sentence at his general Sessions So saith Saint Augustine He that beleeueth not is now iudged that is condemned by the foreknowledge of God who knoweth what hangeth ouer the heads of vnbeleeuers And verie notablie in another place he saith Iudgement hath not yet appeared and yet iudgement is come For the Lord knoweth who are his hee knoweth who are to be crowned who to be burned He knoweth his wheate and hee knoweth his chaffe He knoweth his good corne and he knoweth his tares He who beleeueth not is now condemned By which their obiection occasion is giuen for our profit and comfort to consider these three thinges Firste the wretched state of the wicked theie are condemned that is in the eies of the Almightie theie goe euen with their handes bound their feete fettred and their necks be in cords onely theie tarie but for these wordes Hangman dispatch them or
Now seeing the Prophets Christ himselfe his Angels Apostles who haue not lied nor deluded men at any time before with vane prophecies haue foretold of à iudge ment to come the godlie doubtlesse wil build their faith vpon their wordes especialie because theie al haue spoken therof moued thereunto by the spirite of God who cannot lie Which testimonies maie bring much good vnto al mankinde For first the godlie herebie in al their troubles maie receaue great and vnspeakeable comfort considering that their afflictions shal not alwaie endure but that one daie when the Lord thinketh good theie shal be adorned with euerlasting glorie and life according to his promises This made S. Paul to breake into these words I account that the afflictions of this present time are not worthie the glorie which shalbe shewed vnto vs. Secondlie the wicked hearing these prophecies of the Lorde touching the last iudgement maie be terrified frō displeasing so gratious à God who of his mercie hath reuealed what shal betide the wicked and vngonlie that theie maie with heartie sobs and sorowe repent Last of al both good and bad maie herebie as in à glasse beholde howe the world neither is gouerned by chance nor shal endure euerlastinglie but that as the old world the sinnes of men being come vnto ripenes was drowned with water so the whole world when iniquitie hath gotten the vpper hand shal perish and be cōsumed with fire Theie also both good and bad I meane ought herebie to learne so to set thēselues in order by repentance that when theie shalbe summoned to appeare at that general Assise theie maie boldlie stand in the presence of his glorious Maiestie But beside these testimonies which I haue aleaged there be sundrie other great arguments of the worlds consummation For the present condition of men in this life is a manifest proofe that this worlde cannot alwaie endure For who are in more prosperitie then the wicked and who more afflicted thē the godlie in this life Therefore of necessitie there must be a iudgement where at both the vngodlie are to be condemned for their wickednes and the virtuous to receaue rewardes for their wel-doing For euerie good master to his power wil prefer his good seruants and euerie vpright iudge wil quite the innocent and punish malefactors Is this vprightnesse among mortal men saith Cyril and shal not God the immortal king reward euerie man according to his workes Hee which otherwise thinketh is in a wrong opinion For as it is in à certaine Psalme God is not a God that loueth wickednesse neither shal euil dwel with him The foolish shal not stande in his sight for hee hateth al them that worke iniquitie He shal destroie them that speake lies The Lorde wil abhorre the bloudie man and deceitful Wherfore seing though now then some yet al the wicked are not destroied there must be à iudgement at which al the vngodlie shal perish from the face of the earth and be damned For the Lord neither can because he is iust neither wil for that he is holie suffer his seruants and holie ones alwaie to be afflicted alwaie to be oppressed to be kept in thraldome and bondage of the reprobate alwaie Let the wicked then consider that à daie wil come when tribulation and anguish shalbe vpon the soule of euerie man that doth euil And though either through policie or friendship theie escape the displeasure of man yet that they cannot auoide the wrath of God For idolaters blasphemers and al wicked persons God wil iudge though man do not because he is righteous Further let them note that though they suffer and that deseruedlie in this worlde yet if theie die impenitent the ende of their life is but the beginning of an euerlasting death For God is righteous and wil punish most seuerely vnles his wrath be turned-awaie by the teares of Christian repentance Moreouer man punisheth outwarde offences but god outward and inward too Man executeth correction for one or à few but God for al sinnes which either the heart mouth or any member of the bodie hath committed and that because he is righteous Againe the ende whie this worlde was created is an vndoubted argument that à iudgement one daie must come For it was created onlie to serue for y e vse of the saints sonnes of God not of Atheists Epicures A iudgemēt therfore is to come whereby the wicked must be cast-into euerlasting torments that the godlie and none beside maie enioie the creatures of almightie God Hitherto maketh that of the Apostle For the feruent desire of the creature waiteth when the sonnes of God shalbe reueiled because the creature is subiect to vanitie not of it owne wil but by reason of him which hath subdued it vnder Hope Because the creature also shalbe deliuered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious libertie of the sonnes of God For we knowe that euerie creature groaneth with vs also and traueleth in paine together vnto this present This Peter meaneth when he saith by the comming of the day of God the heauēs being on fire shalbe dissolued the elements shal melt with heate But we looke for newe heauens a new earth according to his promise wherein dwelleth righteousnes Againe the base estate of the saints in this world doth proue the same For they are now humbled therefore they shalbe exalted for before glory goeth humility So then We are with Christ to suffer that with Christ we maie be glorified And the life of the saints is hid with Christ in god There remaineth then à manifestation and à glorification of the godlie When Christ which is our life shal appeare then shal yee also appeare with him in glorie Nowe saith Iohn are we the sonnes of God but yet it doth not appeare what wee shalbe and wee knowe that when hee which is Christ shal appeare we shalbe like him For we shal se him as he is In this worlde wee are saued by Hope Therefore the time must come when our Hope shal cesse and we shalbe saued in deede and by the sentence of à righteous iudge be pronounced the verie sonnes of God and heires with Christ of that kingdome which hath bene prepared for the elect euen from y e foundation of the world where we shal see god face to face and know not in part but as we are knowen Moreouer the verie conscience of men is an euident argument of à iudgement to come By this murtherers whoremongers wicked liuers be pricked tormented This made Cicero to saie There can no euils bee imagined but I am troubled therewith notwithstanding in respect of the griefe of sinne which is greatest and eternal theie are al easie to brone Therefore vndoubtedly those torments of mind are tokens that God is the auenger of wickednes and that a seuere
Iewes in Iob his friends as they were called in respect of Iob in the barbarous people in respect of Paul and in the Turkes at this day in respect of Christians For who were out of God his fauour more than the Romans than Iobs friends than Paul his aduersaries and who more miserable in deede than the Turkes notwithstanding their prosperitie And such is the state of the wicked at al times Then whie doth the Lorde suffer the wicked in the sight of men to florish and whie doth hee not in iustice confounde them speedilie and vtterlie Sundrie reasons may be giuen hereof For either of his wisedome he thinketh it no due time as yet to punish them or of his mercie he spareth them because they shoulde repent or in his iustice hee hath quite forsaken them In his wisedome he spared Sodome vntil the sinnes therof were exceeding ripe and cried-up to heauē for vengeance in his mercie he spared y e old world an hundred twenty yeeres that theie might amende g in his iustice oftentimes he spareth the wicked in this present world because he hath giuen them ouer into reprobate minds and reserued thē for euer-during torments in the life to come So doe good Physicions suffer such to haue their wils with-out gaine-saying them who are past recouerie But as they who are so desperatelie sicke in bodie are nigh vnto death so they whom God for saketh and leaueth to their owne hists are nigh vnto damnation And as calues the fatter they be the nigher they are to be killed and as trees the bigger there are the more vnfruitful the nighter to bee hewen-downe so the prosperitie of the vngodlie is an vndoubted argument of their destruction at hande Which punishment of their shal thē by so much be the more grieuous intolerable by howe much the time was great before the Lord executed his iudgment Phatao is a notable example hereof For hee was long spared but at the length ouerwhelmed in the red sea So is Balthasar who in the middes of his iolitie came to destruction But they which are best knowen and most of al to be noted are Sodom and the old world the one whereof was vtterlie consumed with fire the other drowned with water both special examples of the sudden and vtter damnation of the vngodlie CAP. 13. Causes whie the godlie doe endure such miserie and troubles in this worlde FVrthermore it maie bee demanded Whie such as feare God of al others most zelouslie and fauour religion best suffer such miserie and affliction in this present world as they do I answere one cause is in them-selues through their zeale of godlinesse they chuse it another in Satan their enimie through his malice against them hee seeketh it à third in God who partlie of his wisedome and of his iustice partlie doth send it For to speake seueralie of these causes somewhat doubtles the godlie endure affliction oftentimes when wold they but assēt vnto sin or consēt vnto the wicked they migh florish in al outwarde happines and worldly as they cal it felicitie But for that they haue the feare of God alway before their eies and thinke-upon the valor-both of religion virtue they chuse rather to be afflicted for righteousnes sake then either for wickednes to be aduanced or that the glorie of their profession should be blemished Herebie manie endure displeasure which might haue fauor manie suffer pouertie which might be rich manie be obscure which might be of countenance and manie are in great aduersitie that might doe wel in the worlde So Michaiah for speaking the truth faithfullie without flatterie Daniel for seruing the true God zelously with out hypocrisie olde Eleazer for obseruing the holie Lawes of his God religiouslie Ioseph for his loialtie to his master ward and such like both were punished and are daily afflicted Of which their inuincible courages manifold commodities do arise For first in so doing albeit they lacke outwarde comfort of the world yet they haue the inward ioie of a good conseience which as Salomon saith is a continual feast Secondlie they giue testimonie vnto the worlde how they fauor Christianitie religiō not of hypocrisie or in worldlie respectes but of pure zeale and that theie regarde those wordes of our Sauior Whosoeuer shal confesse me before men him wil I confesse also before my Father which is in heauen But whosoeuer shal denie me before men him wil I also denie before my father which is in heauen Againe He that loueth father and mother more than mee is not worthie of me And he that loueth sonne or daughter more than me is not worthie of me And he that taketh not his crosse and followeth mee is not worthie of me He that wil saue his life shal lose it and he that loseth it for my sake shal saue it Thirdlie manie-times therebie theie winne such as are without make them to glorifie God to forsake either their naughtie life if theie haue beene sinners or their idols and errors if theie haue beene superstitious And last of al theie both encourage the weake and confirme the strong in good motions by their examples Again considering how it is impossible to please God and in the world to florish too and that such thinges as delight the bodie are extreme enimies to the soule theie voluntarilie abandon al occasions that maie with-drawe them from God or quench the zeale of virtue within thē Whereof it is that theie doe yea it cannot be but theie must suffer manie troubles as Lactantius noteth For it is verie hard to be holie in this worlde and happie too Therefore theie doe chuse and willinglie for welth pouertie for pleasure paine for à florishing state affliction and though theie doe neither with Democritus pluck-out their eies nor with Spurina deface their faces nor with the Monches liue by them-selues nor with the superstitious Iesuites whip their owne corpses yet with Saint Paul theie beate downe their bodies that their flesh preuaile not ouer the spirite Furthermore insomuch as the diuel is for power mightie in that hee is à Prince and his hatred is deadlie because there is enimitie betweene his seede and the godlie and his crueltie vnsatiable being à dracon and his subtleties manifolde because he is a serpent maruel it is not though the saincts of God in this worlde wherein theie are but strangers enioie neither such ease nor such honor nor such prosperitie as the wicked doe Notwithstanding whatsoeuer the diuel doth against them it is because God doth either sende him or suffer him And therefore although his hatred be mortal his crueltie extreeme and his subtleties past finding-out yet can he doe nothing to hurt the godlie without God permit So that his wil is nought but his power is good For his wicked wil is of himselfe but he