hath no power but from God Which power notwithstanding the Lorde alwaies doth moderate that of his malice he cannot afflict more than the wil of God is he shoulde This maketh the godlie neither to feare the power nor to set à rushe by Sathan for al his malice Because he can do nothing but by sufferance God also himselfe doth bring the godlie into troubles and that as afore I said partlie of his wisedome and partlie of his iustice In his wisedome he doth correct them for diuers ends First to trie whether theie are such indeede as theie would seeme to be For manie doe both thinke themselues and are thought also to be valiant Christians who in the time of tentation are but verie cowardes And therefore as when warre is hot men are proued whether theie haue hearts or no So affliction sheweth who is the faithful Christian. For God proueth them and findeth them meete for himselfe He trieth thē as gold in the fornace receiueth them as à perfect fruite offering He hideth himselfe oftentimes and turneth-awaie his face but not in wrath It is to trie not to destroie them Yet trieth he not Christians the better to know them himselfe For he both knew them before theie were fashioned in the wombe and continnalie beholdeth the secretes of mans hearte But that both theie them selues others also should see what theie are Secondlie to bring them into his feare Because in prosperitie euen the righteous oftentimes forget the Lord but in aduersitie theie remember him For as the starres do shine in the night but in the day time are not seene so the virtues of men which in prosperitie appeare not in aduersitie are most glorious to beholde And then theie see both the frailtie of their owne nature and theie acknowledge it and the vnspeakable mercie of God and theie commende it and the general miserie of mankinde and theie bewaile the same This made the Prophet to saie In the daie of my trouble I sought the Lorde my sore ranne and ceased not in the night my soule refused comfort I did thinke vpon God and was troubled I praied and my spirite was ful of anguish Againe Lord in trouble they haue visited thee theie powred-out à praier when thie chastening was vpon them And againe Before I was afflicted I went astray but nowe I keepe thie worde It is good for me that I haue beene afflicted that I maie learne thie statutes Thirdly y ◠they may be like vnto Christ and that partelie because he is their eldest brother Nowe no reason is it that the yonger brethren should haue greater preheminence then the eldest so longe as he is good But Christ their eldest and good brother suffered and so entered into his glorie wherefore the yonger and wicked of necessitie must looke for troubles For otherwise theie are neither the sonnes of God nor the heires annexed with Christ Partlie for that he is their master But he was persecutde and hated Therfore they are to looke for persecution and harted For the seruant is not greater than his master but à greate praise is it for seruantes rightlie to follow the steppes of their Lordes It sufficeth the disciple to be as his master and for the seruant to be as his Lorde And partlie because theie are commanded to follow his steppes For so saith Peter Here vnto ye are caled For Christ also suffered for vs leauing vs an ensample that we shoulde followe his steppes And Paul If we be dead with him we also shal liue with him If we suffer with him we shal also reigne with him As who should saie If we die not as he did we shal not liue with him and if we suffer not after his ensample temporal affliction we shal not reigne with him in eternal felicitie Fourthlie that both themselues should be assured and others know howe theie are not of the world For God hath chosen them out of the world And therfore theie are hated For which cause the doctrine of the Gospel is caled the word of the crosse and the prouerbe is Crux comes Euangelii The crosse accompanieth the Gospel because the worlde doth persecute the professors of the same not for anie euil which theie doe but for that theie reproue y e works of darknes which thing the worlde cannot abide And therfore theie persecuted the Prophets Apostles and Sainctes of GOD from time to time Then seeing theie protest the same trueth let them prepare themselues vnto the like patience For we must through manie afflictions enter into the kingdome of God And al that wil liue godlie in Christ Iesus shal suffer persecution Fiftlie to put them in mind what they are and whither theie tende For in this world theie are pilgrims and strangers their countrie is heauen Which countrie theie woulde little couet-after enioied theie prosperitie according vnto their heartes desire O death saith Ecclesiasticus howe bitter is the remembrance of thee to à man that liueth at rest in his possessions vnto the man that hath nothing to vexe him and that hath prosperitie in al thinges yea vnto him that is able to receiue meat O death how acceptable is thie remembrance vnto the needeful and vnto him whose strength faileth and that is nowe in the last age and is vexed with al thinges and to him that dispaireth and hath lost patiēce Therfore y ◠Lord knowing this doth in his wisedome crosse afflict his seruants on al sides that theie maie be out of loue both with the world and with the thinges in the worlde and desire as Paule did to be loosed and to be with Christ Sixtelie that it maie appeare howe the godlie doe fauor Christianity and religion not for temporal profit or preferment not for glorie and praise of men or in anie worldelie respect but principalie of meere zeale and duetie to God-ward Seuenthlie that their deliuerance which in the iudgement of mā could neuer come to passe maie assure the consciences of them and others too of God his continual prouidence and presence with his seruantes So doubtles the miraculous deliuerance both of Ioseph out of his troubles of the Israëlites out of Egypt of Dauid out of the handes of Saul of the three yong men out of the consuming fire and of the godlie from time to time out of the cruel pawes of rauening wolues tyrants and oppressors doth not a litle strengthen the mindes of al the godlie in their miseries and confirme their faith touching the continual presence of God with his seruāts at al seasōs Eightlie to shew that intolerable shalbe the paines of the reprobate For if God so afflict his Children howe wil he torment his enimies If he spare not the righteous how wil he punish the reprobate If iudgement begin at the godlie what shal the ende be of them which obeie not the Gospel If the righteous
the corporal resurrectiō And as it is writtē If ye be risen with Christ seeke those things which are aboue which is y e spiritual So is it wtitten I am sure that my redeemer liueth he shal stand the last on the earth And though after my skin wormes destroie this bodie yet shal I see God in my flesh Whome I my selfe shal see and mine eies shal beholde none other for me though my reines be consumed within me which are the corporal Which difference theie marke not and therfore they goe-astraie and haue made shipwracke as concerning faith CHAP. 8. Against the Saturnians Valentinians and such like whoe denie the resurrection of the flesh AN hard thing it is to make flesh and blood beleeue that there shalbe à resurrection of the flesh Therefore haue theie who defended the affirmatiue part had manie aduersaries Much contradiction saith Cyril yet but one trueth Grecians denie it Samaritanes beleeue it not Heretikes saie it shal not be And al of them to proue their vane opinions doe bring either reason as theie thinke or scripture Their reasons are these Man dieth rotteth is eatē-vp of wormes which wormes also doe perish Seeing therefore the body so putrifieth and perisheth how can it rise-again Manie are drowned and deuoured of fishes which fishes afterwarde perchance be taken and eaten-vp Howe then shal the whole bodie arise These and manie moe idle imaginations which of purpose I ouer-passe theie bring-foorth to proue the impossibilitie of the bodies resurrection Vnto which S. Cyril as in other places christianlie so most diuinelie in his 18. Catecheis doth answere to this effect Thou which we beleeuest not those things which are written concerning the resurrection being carnalie minded look-vpon earthlie and material thinges and thou shalt see most notable examples of the resurrection Beholde the seede which is sowen how doth it spring-afresh and florish if it putrifie if it putrifie not it would neuer spring Which seede is created for vs and our vse not for it selfe Shal therefore that which is made for man being euen dead spring-afresh and shal not man himselfe rise-againe when he is dead Looke somewhat higher vpon the trees consider them as theie are in the winter season and consider them as theie are in Sommer In the winter theie are dead without both leaues and fruite in the Sommer most goodlie to beholde either with greene leaues or goodlie fruite or with both For God who knoweth thine hardnes of heart euerie yeere setteth à resurrection before thine eies that by thinges without soule thou mightest beleuee the resurrectiō of reasonable mē which haue soules Looke higher yet vpon heauen and thou shalt finde à most euident proofe of the resurrection The Moone sometime is in the waine and sometime at the ful sometime it is bright as daie and sometime red as blood Which thing God doth saith Cyril that thou man consisting of blood shouldest not doubt of the resurrection of the dead and that thou shouldest beleeue that of thie selfe which thou seest happen to the Moone in heauen With manie other both strong and Christian arguments doth Cyril in that fore-saide place ouerthrow the foolishe opinion of fleshlie minded men the which either because I studie to bee brief or for that I know these by me now alledged be sufficient to preuaile with à man anie whit reasonable I omit confuting their error concluding this point with an excellēt place of Irenaeus which is this Theie therefore denie the power of God and see not the trueth who looke vpon the weakenes of the flesh and consider not his power who raised it from the dead For if he doe not quicken that which is mortal neither make that incorrupt which is corruptible God is not almightie But inasmuch as in al these things he is mightie we should think-vpon and cal into minde our beginning For God tooke duste of the grounde and made man And vndoubtedlie more harde and incredible is it to make man yea and à liuing and reasonable man too of bones and sinewes and veines and forme which neuer was before then to raise-againe that which sometime was beeing dissolued into earth for those reasons aboue mentioned yea though it returne vnto that whereof at the first he made him to be who was not when he thought good much more wil he now that willinglie restore thē whe sometime were into that life which he giueth Hitherto Irenaeus The principal place of scripture wherby theie would proue that the body shal not rise-againe is this Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdome of God Which place maketh no whit to their purpose For y e Apostle in that whole chapter wherout that text was taken as no where else so forceablie proueth the resurrection of the flesh What therefore doth the Apostle meane by these words Flesh and blood cānot inherit the kingdome of God Is it that so manie as are not regenerated by the holie Ghost shal neuer be partakers of heauenly cōsolation or equiualent with that of our Sauiour He that beleeueth not shal not see life but the wrath of God abideth vpon him yes vndoubtedlie Of which iudgement Irenaeus is as appeareth in these his wordes The Apostle adhorting vs vnto the participation of the spirit according to the reasons aboue mētioned did saie Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdome of God As if he should saie Be not deceiued for vnles the word of God abide the Spirit of the Father be in you vanelie as it falleth out ye haue spent the time so being blood and flesh ye cannot inherit the kingdome of God This to the ende we should not refuse the ingraffing of the spirit by following fauoring the flesh And thou being saith he à wild oliue wast graffed into the good oliue and made partaker of the fatnesse of the Oliue As therefore à wilde Oliue if being ingraffed it continue as first it was is cut-waie but if it keepe the ingraffing and change into the nature of à good oliue it beareth fruite as though it were planted in the paradise of à king so mē if through faith they profit in godlines take the spirit of God prosper in bringing-out fruit of the same they shalbe spiritual as it were planted in Gods paradise But if theie refuse the spirit and abide as theie were at first liking better of the flesh than of the spirite thē rightlie it is saide of such Flesh and blood shal not inherit the kingdome of God Againe y e more fullie to answere them I saie the word Flesh hath not alwaies one signification in the holie scripture Frr somtime it is properlie taken as the nature therof doth import for à masse substāce of flesh as where Paul faith Al flesh is not the same flesh but there is one flesh of mē another of beasts another of fishes and another of birds
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