confess and grant, that the merciful goodness of God hath borne us in his bosom, and hath preserved us from divers dangerous perils, over and above all that ever we could think, imagine, or devise.

Now if God hath thus holpen and delivered us many and divers ways, without any labour or study of ourselves, yea, without any manner of care or sorrow of our parts, when as we neither knew nor thought that he was present with us; we must needs be very obstinate, dull, and mad, if we do not from henceforth, in any manner of trouble or necessity, cast our sorrow upon him, and suffer him to care for us; but we in such case (oh shame!) begin to doubt and fear lest he hath already forsaken us, or will from henceforth give us over. (Psal. lv. Matt. vi. Luke xii. 1 Pet. v.)

Psal. Iv. 22.

Matt. vi. 25,

Luke xii. 22,

Item, if God of his natural love, beneficialness, and free liberality giveth here in this transitory life health, strength, Pet. v. 7. riches, wealth, friendship, power, authority, honour, and such like, even unto the wicked and ungodly; why should not we determine and conclude upon the same, that he will deal and distribute a thousand times higher and greater benefits unto the godly and right faithful Christians, although they neither see nor receive those gifts at that present instant?

Besides this, the Lord also comforteth us: "If God take care for the fowls of the air and the flowers of the field, and provideth nourishment and clothing for them; truly he will deal as faithfully with us men, which excel many ways the fowls of the air and grass of the field." (Luke xii. Matt. Luke xii. 24 vi. x.)

Matt. vi. 28, X. 29.

THE THIRD AND LAST PART OF THIS

BOOK.

CHAPTER XXV.

WE MUST DIRECT OUR FAITH, HOPE, AND CONFIDENCE TOWARDS GOD.

HITHERTO hath it been declared, that the very right and true help, succour, and comfort resteth in God through Christ, and for his sake: now shall it consequently be taught, how we should order and behave ourselves again with faith, hope, prayer, repentance, amendment of life, and patience, that God may participate, distribute, and extend his grace and mighty merciful hand toward us.

First of all, although we must utterly despair of all manner of help and succour of man, and can in no wise devise or imagine what way or after what sort God will or may help and aid us; yet notwithstanding we must utterly resist and banish all manner of heavy, sorrowful, and desperate fancies and imaginations of the mind, and give no place unto them, but conceive steadfastly this sure trust and confidence in God, that he both knoweth and will take and hit the right time, measure, and means to help us, and will valiantly and gloriously deliver us.

Let us commit altogether joyfully and boldly without fear unto God, and let his mercy and gracious goodness more rejoice and comfort us, than all the misery and sorrow under heaven, upon earth, or in hell may fear us.

Yea, we need to care and sorrow for nothing so much as for this, that we be not too careful and sorrowful for ourselves, as though God had given over all his care and sorrow for us: for like as the governor, father, or good man of the house taketh all the care and sorrow upon himself, how he shall find, feed, and sustain his family; and the household servants ought to love their masters, to have a good trust and opinion of them, and also to labour and to do such service as they

are appointed unto, faithfully; even so all manner of care and sorrow for us belongeth unto God, and our parts and duty is no more but to trust and believe in him, and to serve in that vocation and condition of life, whereunto we are called and appointed of God, faithfully.

Now if God be most victorious and invincible, and his dear beloved Son also an everlasting strength, that can never fail, against the devil and the world; and again, both Christ and God himself, through faith, are ours and dwell in us, (Eph. iii.); then there is no cause why the faithful christian Eph. iil. 17. man should fear neither his own feeble flesh and body, nor his weak and impotent age, nor yet the whole power of the devil, though he be armed and weaponed with a thousand thousand crafts and subtleties. (1 Pet. v.)

1 Pet. v. 10.

For if so be that in God be all manner of joy, blessedness, and felicity, and we through faith do prove and find him a gracious and merciful God unto us; then may we lawfully rejoice in God, even in the midst of the highest sorrow and adversity that can be. To witness, Psalm xxv. lv.: "There Psal. xxv. 3. shall none be confounded and put to shame, that hopeth in thee." "Cast thy care and sorrow upon the Lord, and he shall defend and sustain thee." What can be thought or imagined more sweet or comfortable?

For example: the heathenish woman of Canany, all hope and comfort in the remedy and counsel of man set apart, desireth help and succour of Christ; and although the Lord giveth her at first rough and sharp answers, yet she is nothing abashed, nor will not so be answered. (Matt. xv.)

Even so hold thou on likewise with the heathenish woman, saying and crying still: "O thou Son of David, have mercy And so shalt thou hear at length this comfortable gospel and absolution: "Thy faith is great, be it unto thee as thou desirest."

upon me."

St Bernard sheweth very comfortably what a faith he had, in these goodly words: “O Lord, it is much better for me to suffer trouble, so that thou only mayest be by me, than to rule and live pleasantly and costly without thee. It is better and more pleasant unto me to be in a hot, burning, and flaming oven with thee, than to be even in heaven without thee'."

[1 Bonum mihi, Domine, tribulari, dummodo ipse sis mecum, quam regnare sine te, epulari sine te, sine to gloriari. Bonum mihi,

lv. 22.

Matt. xv. 22.

Hope.

And who did ever trust in the Lord, whom he at length forsook ? Besides all this, Almighty God commandeth that we should hope, trust, and look for help at his hand; which hope bringeth with her a mitigation and easement of the smart Psal. xxvi. 1. and sorrow. "I hope in the Lord, therefore shall I not fall." Psal. xxviii.7. Hope thou only in God, so shalt thou be holpen." "Hope is never confounded nor put to shame." (Psal. xxvi. xxviii. Rom. v.)

Rom. v. 5.

CHAPTER XXVI.

OF PRAYER IN TROUBLE AND ADVERSITY.

THE holy scripture teacheth us, in all manner of necessities, as well bodily as ghostly, to call upon God, and to flee unto him. And here doth it profit very much, if one be mindful of another in his prayer.

First and most spe

But what should a man pray for? cially, for remission of his sins. For when we have once obtained of God pardon of our sins, then certainly shall the sickness, adversity, or punishment either clearly cease, or else, through the gracious will and goodness of God, it shall redound to the furtherance of our salvation.

Secondarily, we must also pray either that God will help and deliver us, not after the device and fancy of our own brains, but after such wise as shall seem unto his godly wisdom; or else that he will mitigate and ease our pain and punishment, that our weakness may not utterly faint and sink down to the bottom.

Like as a sick person, although he doubt nothing of the faithfulness, honesty, and tenderness of his physician or surgeon towards him, yet for all that desireth him to handle his wound, and to dress him as easily and tenderly as is possible for him; even so in like manner may we call upon God, that,

Domine, in tribulatione magis amplecti te, in camino habere te mecum, quam esse sine te vel in cœlo.-Sti Bernardi Opera. In Psalm. xc. (xCI.) Serm. XVI. vers. 17. Vol. I. p. 883. E. Ed. Bened.

if it be not against his honour and glory, he will vouchsafe to give some mitigation and easement of the pain.

And specially let us desire of him to grant us strength, that we faint not, nor be overcome with the fear or greatness of our sorrow and grief, whereby we might forsake him, and fall into some wickedness; but that we may rather, after the example of the holy martyrs, suffer death and most intolerable torments, than either to forsake and deny our faith, or else to do any manner of thing against the will of God. (Rom. viii.) And it is very expedient for us to pray with Rom. viii. 36. the lost and desperate son: "I am no more worthy from henceforth to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hired servants." (Luke xv.) I will gladly with all my Luke xv. 17. heart have sorrow and trouble upon earth, even as a labouring servant that goeth for his hire, so that thou wilt but suffer me to dwell and remain in thy house for ever.

But now how should we pray ? St James in his first James i. 6. chapter teacheth us, that we should pray in faith without wavering, and nothing doubt but that God doth mercifully hear us. We must continually look upon the promise of God, and have this always before our eyes, that we do not only seek help and remedy at his hands, but also hope and look surely for it, committing both body and soul with a good will unto him. (Matt. xxi. Mark xi.)

"Call upon me in thy need, and I will help and deliver thee, and so shalt thou praise me." "Let him call upon me, so will I hear him; I am by him in his trouble, I will deliver him out, and bring him to honour." (Psalm 1. xci.)

Matt. xxi. 22.
Mark xi. 24.

Psal. 1. 15.

xci. 15.

And again: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever you shall pray for unto the Father in my name, (that is to say, in the trust and confidence upon my merits,) he shall give it unto you." (John xiv.) For example: when Moyses held John xiv. 13. up his hands unto God and prayed, his enemies, the Amalekites, were overcome. (Exod. xvii.) The two blind men Exod.xvii. 11. which did cry after the Lord, "O Son of David, have mercy upon us," were heard. (Matt. ix.) Of such like examples Matt. ix. 27. are the gospels full.

thanksgiving

Item, in trouble and adversity we ought to praise God, Praise or and to give him thanks that he hath not forgotten us, but to God. through his fatherly visitation calleth and draweth us unto him, and graciously helpeth us to bear all manner of burdens.