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.

¶The articles of the Christen fayth.

FYRST, I beleue in one god Deut. vi. And father of oure Lorde Iesu Christe. ii. Cor. i. The whych is the Lorde of heauen

and earth. Luke: xit. And creator of all, creatures. Hebre. i. Yea he is father of vs all, and: Epe. iiii. The which hath elected vs to be his children through Iesu Christ. Ephe. i. And therfore shall we all hym wor∣sh••ppe onely, and besyde hym haue none other goddes. Deut. vi Also we shal feare hym as one almighty God. Psal. xxxiiii. And as mercy full father we shall loue hym wyth all oure hartes, wyth all our soule, and wyth all our power and mynde Math. xxii•• And vpon hym muste stāde all our hope. Hiere. vii. For he is the father of lyghte. Iacob. i. Of the whych all mankynde leueth Aetu. xiii. And receyueth both bo∣delye goodes. Prouerb x. And e∣nerlastynke saluation. Psal. xxxvii Togyther wyth all perfite gyftes, whych come and descence from him alone. Iacobi .i. Furthermore I beleue in Iesu Christe, the sonne of

the lyuing God our lord. i. Cor. vii The whych is the very bryghtnesse of hys fathers glorye, and the very ymage of his substaunce. Hebre. i. Yea he is the onely begotten sonne of the father. Iohn. i. Come forth of the mouthe of the moste hyeghest God. Eccles. xxiii. Fyrst boren be∣fore all creatures. Collos. i. Tho∣row the whych all thynges are cre∣ated. Hebre. i. In whom we haue redemption, namely remyssyon of synnes thorow hys bloude. Col. i. With the which he hath washed vs Apo. i. And hath also recōciled vs again to his most holy & gloriouse father. Ephe. ii. That were afore enemyes to God. Roma. viii. For after the tyme that God had made man, after hys ymage and symily∣tude, he seate hym in Paradise that he shoulde eate of all the fruytes in the gardyn of pleasure, exceptynge

him the tree of knowledge of good and euyll. Gene. ii. But man dys∣obeyed the Lord his God, and trās∣gressed hys commaundemente. Gene. iii. Thorow the whyche dis∣obedyence and transgressyon of the godly commaundement, death and curse is come ouer all mankynde. Roma .v. And when ther was no helpe, nor comforte for man where∣by he myghte haue bene redeymed, or delyuered oute of Sathans po∣wer, then hathe God the mercyfull Father pytye vpon mankynde, and Promysed them a seade, namelye Iesus Chryste, hys onelye begot∣ten sonne, the whych shoulde treade vpon the heade of the Serpente, and ouercome the Dyuyll, and re∣store vs to lyfe agayne. Genesis. iii. And lykewyse as God is rygh¦tuouse in all hys wayes, and holy in all hys workes. Psalmes. clv.

And true in al hys wordes. Psal. li. So hath he kepet all hys promises tre••ly. And as the time was fulfil∣led. Gala. iiii. God leat hys word descend in to the wombe of the vir∣gyn Mary, and by the workyng of the holye ghoste became fleshe: As Iohn witnesseth saiyng: The word became fleshe, and dwelt emong vs and we saw hys glory, as the glory of the onely begotten Sonne of the father, full of grace and veritie. Iohn. i. Also thys onely begotten of God became lyke vnto vs in all thynges excepte syn. Hebre. ii. He hath suffereth death for oure sake. Esay. liii. And hath taken awaye Sathans power, and restored lyfe in againe. i. Timothe. vi. Yea he is made vnto vs wysdō, and right∣wysnes, sātifyeng, and redemption. i. Cor. i. And lykewyse as he dyed for oure synnes. Hebre. ii. So is he rysen agayne through the power

of hys father. Roma. vii. For our ryghtuousnes. Roma. iiii. And as he oftentymes shewed him selfe af∣ter hys resurrection: vnto hys dys∣ciples. Actu. i. So is he ascended vnto heauen in ther presens. Luke. xxiiii. And sytteth at the ryghte hande of the almyghty father. Rom viii. Aboue all rule and myghte, and dominion, and aboue all that maye be named, not onelye in thys world: but also in the world to come Ephe. i And hath subdued al thin∣ges vnder hys fete. Hebre. ii. To be brefe he is a Lord aboue all lor∣des, and a kynge aboue all kynges Apoc. xix. Yea he is an almyghtye God wyth hys father. Apoc. xxii. Iohn. x. And neuerthelesse he is our aduocat, & mediator. i. Iohn. ii ••••. Timot. ii. Our only hye preiste. Hebr. v. The saceifice that he hath done for our synnes, abydeth for e∣ueermore of valure. Hebre. x. Fur∣thermore

lykewyse as Christe is as∣cended vp in to heau••n, so shall he come agayne from heanen. Actu. i Wyth the dominion of hys father, and wyth the angels. Mach. xxv. For to gyue euery man rewarde af∣ter his workes, yea for to iudge the quycke and dead. Act. x. i. Tim. iii.

I beleue also in the holy Ghost equall god wyth the father & the son which holy ghost is a teacher of all christē. Iohn. xiiii. and he doth cloth thē wyth his gyftes, & geueth euery one the measure of faythe after hys awne wyl. i. Corin. xi••. And kepeth thē vnmouable in one fayth for he is a ruler of the christian cōgrega∣tion. Aet. xx. He is also the anoin∣mente .i. Iohn. ii. Wherewyth all Christen are anoynted, and of that behalfe are called the anoynted of the Lord. Psal. c. iiii. So is this holy ghost giuen vnto the Christen as an ernest of ther inheritaunce to

ther redemption, and they agayne be hys awn to the pryse of his glory Ephe. i. To be shor ••it is impossible wythout thys holy ghost to knowe God truely .i. Cor. ii. Or wythall the hope of the hart to beleue vpon him .i. Cor. xii Or to call vpon him as a father. Romanorum. viii.

And therefore dothe God powr thys hys holye Ghoste vppon hys chyldren, wherby they maye treuly know hym, and treuly beleue hym: and as a trew father call upon him Gala. iiii. This is my beleue in the father, in the sonne, and in the holye ghost, which tree I knowlege to be one god. Deut. vi. whous seate is the heauē, and the earth is a benche of his fete. Esay. xlvi. Yea y^• which is an euerlasting .ii. Mach. i. and almyghtye God. Psal. c. xlv, The whyche alone wyll be worshypped, and serued. Dent. vi. For he can alone helpe vs. Esay. xliiii. which

he doth for his names sake, & not for our righruousnes sake. Esa. xliiii.

Furthermore as I haue sayde. that al they that do belene ar ioined togither, & through the holy ghoste knytte in vnitie. so is ther a louing christē church the which is buylded of lyuyng stones .i. Pet. ii. whych church is the house of god. Hebr. iii And the house of God is the cōgre∣gation of god .i. Timo. iii. And the congregation of god is the body of Christ Eph. i. And seyngy^•al ryght Christians are one body .i. Corin. x. In the whyche they all thorow one spryte are baptised. i. Cor xii. So must ther be a congregatiō of sain∣tes, namely that all saintes or trew beleners ar also ioyned togyther in fayth, as the members of one body Roma, xii. And in this cōmunion of saintes is remissiō of sinnes, and that without it is no syn forgeuen, nor any hope of saluatiō. Ephe. ii. yea as it is vnpossible that a mēber

can lyue which is not in the body, so it is vnpossible that any man maye liue in his soule, and cā be rele••ced out of death by remission of syn, the whych is not a mēber of the body of Christ: for Christ hath recōcileo vs al vnto god his father in one body Ephe. ii. And therfore must al they stand in var••aūce that at no mēbres of this body, of the whych Christ is the head. Ephe. i. To the whych he gyueth saluation. Ephe. v.

Now muste we also knowe that albeit, that god alweyes forgeueth synnis. Esay. xliii. yet hath Christ gyuen vnto hys cōgregatiō power to bynde & to loose, whiche shall not be vnderstand after y^• Antichristes doctrin. The bishop of Rome which chalenge••h power to remyt synnes, but the Christē congregatiō whose heade is Christ, & not the Romyshe antichrist, and his ruled of the holy ghost, & not of the fornicatish spirit

of the prophetesse Iesabel. This cō¦gregatiō I say hath power to bynd and to loose, that is to say, all what she bindeth other looseth is done by the poweh of our Lord Iesu Christ i. Cor. v And thorow the holy ghost as a ruler of the christē cōgregatiō. Actu. xx. so is there is the Christen congregation remissyon of synnes.

Ther shalbe also a general resur rectiō of the fleshe, namely that all they that ar dead, shall ryse agayne, some to euerlastynge lyfe, & some to euerlasting paine & dānatiō. Iohn v. And they y^• shall lyue & remayne vntyll the cōming of one lord Iesu Christ, they shalbe chaunged in the tīkeling of an eye at the tyme of the last trūpeth .i. Cor. xv. For the trū¦pet (sayth Paul (shal blow, and the dead shall ryse vncorruptible, & we shalbe chaūged. for the corruptible body must put on vncorruptibilite and this mortall body must put on

immortalitie. Cor. xv. At the last is ther also one euerlysting lyfe, Iohn xvii. which al they shal receiue that beleue on Iesu Christe. Iohn. vi. and stedfastly abyd in good workes sekynge prayse, honour, and immor¦talitie. Roma. ii.

Thys is the summe of my beleefe yea & a trew Christe beleefe, thorow the whych faythal rightuouse lyue Aba. ii. And without the which be∣lyefe no man may please god. Hebre xv. Therfore must the euerlastyng God be blessed, that our ofr hys im∣mesurabl mercy and grace hath gy¦uen vs thys thorowe Iesu Christe Ephe. ii. To whom with the fa∣father and the holy ghost be prayse, honor, and glo∣ry, for euermore.

AMEN.

Apoca.

Be faythfull vnto the death and I wyll gyue the the crowne of lyfe.