The solace of the soule agaynst the bytter stormes of sycknes and deathe greatly encouragynge the faythfull, paciently to suffer the good pleasure of God in all kynd of aduersite, newly set forth in Englysshe by Thomas Becon.

¶How they are to be comfor∣ted, whyche are in pa∣rell of death.

THE best God and thy most louing father hauyng pytie on the (o Brother) calleth the from thys most wretched & misera∣ble lyfe, wyllyng to remoue the vn∣to him, and to cary the into y^• perpe∣tual ioyes of the heauēly life. Ther¦fore yelde, gyue ouer & cōmende to hym wholly thy selfe, & all that euer thou hast, & what so euer hys wyl is lette thy wyll be thesame, and saye, lette thy wyl be done o father God, and not myne: cry vnto Christ with the thefe fastened to the crosse, remē ber me, o Lorde, when thou comeste into thy Kyngdome: erye wyth the

Publican, Lorde be mercifull to m•• wretched synner cry instanstly with that earneste woman the Cana∣nite, o sonne of Dauid haue mercy on me. Yf thou cryest thus, Chryste wyll heare the, doubte not, he wyll haue mercy on the, he wyll forgyue the thy synnes, yea thou shalte be wyth hym in paradyse: therfore lay hande on thys Christe, cleue to him wyth tothe and nayle, commyt thy soule vnto him: cry wyth this christ crucifyde vnto God the comon fa∣ther, o Lorde my truste is in the, let me neuer be putte to confusion, but rydde me, and delyuer me thorowe thy ryghteousnes: Bowe downe thyne eare vnto me, make haste to delyuer me. Be thou my God and stronge holde (wherunto I may al∣waye fle) that thou mayst helpe me, for thou arte my strenght and refu∣ge: thou art my defender: Into thy handes I cōmende my spirite: crye

also wyth Dauid: o Lorde thou art my strenghte, my sure holde, my re∣fuge and my delyuerer. O my God thou art my helper, my defēder, and the horne of my health and my pro∣tection. Unto the o Lord, lyfte I vp my soule: o my God my truste is in the, let me not be dryuen to shame: dyrecte me in thy truth, thou art the God my sauionre, Remēber, o Lord thy tender mercies, and thy pyteful compassions, whiche thou hast euer vsed: Remember not the trespasses of my yonghe: Accordynge to thy mercye remember me for thy good∣nes sake: for thy names sake (o lord) forgyue my synne, for it is muche: loke on me, and haue pytye on me, deliuer me from my necessities: for∣gyue me all my offenses kepe my soule, and delyuer me: Lette me not be put to cōfusion for my hole trust is in the. Yf on thys maner thou wylte call for the helpe of God with

and hole hart, god wyl surely helpe•• the in tyme conuenient, and he wyll say vnto the that, whyche is in the Psalme. Forasmuch as he hath put his trust in me, I wyl delyuer him: I wyll defēde hym because he hath knowen my name: He hathe cryed vnto me, & I wyll fauorably heare hym. I am wyth hym in hys tribu∣latiō: I wyll delyuer him & glorifie hym. Wherfore (o thou Christiane) fyght here a good fyght, stryue va∣leaūtly & with a good corrage, as it becometh a true christeā man: take hede, y^• geuest not ouer, take hede, thou turnest not thy backe: ther is no daunger thou stryueste not here alone, but Iesus Christ the kyng is thy guyde in thys agony, thys thy guyde & captaine shal be thyn auen ger, & in this battel he shal defende and delyuer the frō all the enemyes of thy soule, frō all perell & from all misery and wretchednes: folow this

captayn goyng before the in this cō¦flicte and battell: he is a kynge not like to other but of an exceding and infinite powre: he hath alredy ouer∣come and throwne vnder the foote for thy sake: death, Satan and hell death is swallowed vp into victory Christ dyed for the: Therfore euer∣lastyng death hath no power in the Christ went down for the vnto hel, that he myght deliuer the from this euerlasting darknesses therfore be on a lustye and bold•• mynde, and wyth a valeaūte courage brast into the army. Put awaye all feare, ther is no daunger in thys behalfe: ther is no cause why thou shuldest feare the fearce and streyghte iudgement of God. Christe Iesus is a media∣tour before God, the same is an ad∣uocate, yea and thy Patrone, de∣fender, Byshoppe and Preeste: He hathe reconcyled the to God, and hathe restored to the hys fa∣fatherly

mynde, whych before was estraunged from the for thy sinnes, God for Christes sake is nowe thy father, he taketh charge of the, he entierly loueth the as his most ten∣der sonne. Nowe seynge that so no∣ble a kyng stādeth on thy syde, who shall putte the to any busynes, who shall be bolde to assayle the or ones fyght agaynst the? who I pray the, shal do the any wronge? what daū∣ger cā ther be? heare Paule: Yf god be on our syde, sayth he, who can be agaynst vs? whyche spared not hys awne son, but gaue hym for vs all, how is it possible, that wyth him he shoulde not gyue vs all thynges? who shal lay any thyng to the char∣ge of Gods electe? It is God that iustifieth, who is he that cā condem¦ne? it is Christ that dyed, yea whych rose agayne, whyche also is at the right hande of god, and maketh in∣tercession for vs: Who shall sepa∣••ate

vs from the law of? God I am sure that neyther death, nor lyfe, nor ••yghenes, nor depenes, nor any o∣ther creature can seperate vs from tha law of God, whych is in Christ Iesu oure Lorde. Therfore seynge that Christ is gyuen, to the wyth all that euer he hathe, so folowethe it that hys ryghteousnes, innocency, health and euerlastynge lyfe is gy∣uen to the, as Paule wytnesse the, sayinge. Christe is made of God oure wysdome, ryghteousnes, sanc∣tification and redemptiō. Therfore putte all thy hope, truste and con∣fidence in thys Christe, whyche is the heade cornerstone. Thys stone is a valeaunte, stronge, stedfaste and sure foūdation, wherunto thou mayste safely truste and commytte thy selfe. No tempest although ne∣uer so blacke and horryble, no sho∣wers, no stormes cā shake and top∣ple euer thys foundation: In thys

Christe, I saye, let all thy hope and confydence be sette. Caste thy selfe wholly on hym, yelde thy selfe alto∣gyther to hym, cleue to hym wyth stronge fayth, let no trouble or tēp∣tation plucke the frō him, although all thynges seme neuer somuche to the go to hauocke, althoughe slesh•• and bloude yell the neuer so muche the contrary, and reason thynkethe farre otherwyse, yea althoughe th•••• Deuyll sometyme whysper in thy mynde that thou arte vtterlye vn∣done, that God is an extreme enemy vnto the, and that thou haste deser∣ued the punishment of hel fyre, and therfore thou must nedes be dāpned▪ For faith is a sure confidence and •• lokynge for of thys thynges that are to be hoped, that is to saye, pro∣mysed, and a certen••e and euyden knowelege of those thynges tha•• doo not appeare wyth that holy

〈◊〉〈◊〉 Patriarche Abraham thou must beleue vnder hope agaynste hope: thy faythe and hope muste nedes resyste and set them selfes agaynste all those thynges, whych euer blin∣de reason dothe Imagyne, or that mooste sutle, and craftye enemye doo brynge to remembauns and worke agaynste the: wherfore thou muste thoroulye learne what cu∣••••tme, God dothe kepe in sauynge hys: whome he wyll lyfte vp into heauen, hym he bryngethe downe fyrste vnto Hell: Whome he wyll ••uycken, hym dothe he fyrste kyll, vpon whome he wyll exercyse hys excedynge Mercye, hym wyll he fyrst trye, and make asthoughe he woulde dampne hym. And thys is that vnfained purgatory and that true purgyng fyre, into the which God castethe hys Seruauntes

and prouethe them as Golde in the fyre: wherefore when thou fealeste none other thynge then moste pre∣sente deathe, when God ••emeth to be mooste angry wyth the, to be gone awaye moost furdeste from the, and to haue forsaken the vtterlye, yea when he semethe that he hathe cast •• the awaye and wyll condemne the euen then thynke thou mooste cer∣tenly that he is mooste nyhhe vnto the, that he wyl defende the and de∣lyuer the, yea that he then moste en∣tyerly loueth the, and carethe moost of all for the: for when he doth lay•• afflyction and trouble vpō the, th•• dothe he remember hys mercye, as•• the Prophete saythe. He is not an∣gry for euer: as the father hath py∣tye of hys sonnes so hath the Lord•• compassion of them that feare hi•• for he knowethe our makynge, and remembreth that we are but duste•• The mercy of the Lorde endureth

euer and euer: The Lorde is a ten∣der fauorer and mercyfull, he is longe sufferynge and full of com∣passyon. Wherfore spare the eyes of thy senses, caste away the iudge∣mente of reason, and submyt, yelde, gyue ouer, and commende thy selfe wholly to Chryste, and take it to good worth, howe so euer he hand∣leth the: esteme not deathe and the dredefnlnes and sorowes therof af∣ter the iudgemente of the eyes, sen∣les or reason, but after the worde of God. Dauid say the, precyons is the deathe of Sayntes in the syghte of the Lorde. Agayne, Blessed are the ded, whych dye in the LORDE. Chryste also saythe, he that bele∣ueth in me, shall not taste ••eathe. Therfore yf any thynges come to remembraunce, whyche go aboute to turne the from Chryste, and to ••aste the into desperation, cast them all out of thy minde: cleue to the ly∣uely

worde of God wyth tothe and nayle, haue thy medytation in that and euer be whettynge of that in thy mynde: For thou shalte neuer by the perspycacyte and quyckenis of thy reason perceyue, howe it maye be possyble, that by Deathe thou shouldeste goo vnto the true lyfe, howe when thou gyueste vp the Ghoste, thou shouldest departe vnto a better state, howe thy soule shoulde be kepte in the Lorde, and reaste vnto the laste daye, agayne, howe thy body beynge rotten, con∣sumed and eaten of wormes, maye ryse agayne at the laste Iudge∣mente, and come forthe in a newe godly forme, shape or fashon. Thys can not reason comprehende. Fayth alone is able to do it. Therfore call to thy remembraunce contynual∣ly the artycles of thy faythe, and boulte oute euerye parcell of them

dylygently, and weyghe them ear∣nestly in thy harte.

Notes

• Mat. x
• Luce. ••
• nc. xviii
• ••ath. xv
• al. lxi.
• Psal. vxii
• ••sal. xc,
• Hebrc. i•••• i. Cor. x•• Oze. xiii
• i. Tim••
• i. Iohu. Hehre.
• om. viii
• i. Cor. i.
• psal. cxv••
• i. Pet. ii
• Math. vi••••
• ebre. xi
• deu. xxx
• i Reg. ii.
• Tobi. xii
• Sap••e. xv
• Psal. c. xi••
• The true Purgator
• ••pien, iii
• sal. c. ii
• Psal. cxv••
• Apo xii
• Iohu. vi