A pathvvay to patience in all manner of crosses, tryals, troubles, and afflictions: inwardly for sinne, or outwardly by sicknesse, pouerty, enemies, imprisonment, banishment, slaunders, disobedience of children, houshold-crosses betweene man and wife, &c. With necessary prayers for euerie of them; as also for diuers other necessarie purposes. By I.N.

To the beneuolent Reader, and especially to such as are afflicted or vnder any kinde of crosse or trouble.

THere is no grea∣ter comfort to a Christian man, then here to feele Gods ready helpe in his necessities, troubles, and af∣flictions; euery man by nature desires it, yet fewe attaine vnto it, for that they vse not the meanes, which are faith, prayer, and pa∣tience: faith to beleeue it, prayer to obtaine it, & patience, to wayte for it.

Patience is a most especiall vertue, the Mistres and guide as it were of all the affections, and

gouernour of the inward minde; which being thereby well and con∣stantly setled, will restraine thee from all extrauagant and vnruly wayes: It will gently curbe all thine vngodly desires; It will with-hold thee from taking or seeking rash reuenge of them that doe thee iniurie: It will keepe thee in equall temper, as well in aduersity as in prosperity. And thou canst not be truly reputed a patient man, If thou shew thy selfe discontent (as to murmure or grudge) in any outward crosse or inward affliction: Or if thou can not suffer and passe by iniuries, wrongs, rebukes, slaunders, and abuses (without vndiscreete and peeuish passions) with a stayed, set∣led, and patient minde, thou canst not truly be accounted a Christi∣an valiant man.

Yet true it is, that many thinke it such a disgrace vnto them, to put vp any small iniurie without desperate and rash reuenge, as hee

looseth thereby the reputation of his valour; but (if it be dulie considered▪) he is the most mag∣nanim••ous man, that can best keepe vnder, tame and rule his owne passions: and he that is foy∣led by his owne froward and heed∣lesse fury, discouereth greatest in∣firmitie, and sheweth himselfe vnworthie to be called a morall vertuous, much lesse a truely re∣ligious man.

True Religion is euermore ac∣companed with a vertuous & va∣lorous minde, which (if it be per∣fect) hath euermore patience ioy∣ned with it, as chiefest of all other mentall vertues: and therefore, he that in euery iniury, crosse or affli∣ction, grosly bewrayeth his impa∣tience, howsoeuer he may otherwise seeme (not moued) he is neither rightly religious, nor truely ver∣tuous.

No man indeed, can be truly knowne to be a religious or a ver∣tuous man, vnlesse hee meete

with the contraries of both, and therein shew his valour, constan∣cie and patience, in maintaining the one, and shewing testimonies of the other: for the man that is carried away or shewes himselfe newter, betweene true and false Religion, or betweene vertue and vice, hath neither Religion nor vertue.

Men are not knowne to be truly vertuous but by tryall; for, as there are certaine minerals, that seeme to be the very mother of gold or siluer, which being cast into the fire, appeare onely sul∣ferous, euaporate, and turne to smoake; so is there a kind of meeke and ciuile behauiour in some men, that giueth a certaine outward faire lustre, and show, that it will beare the teste; but when it is tryed by the fire of af∣fliction, crosses, troubles, iniu∣ries, reproches and the like, it will appeare a meere shadowe without any true shew of that

substantiall approued vertue.

Who is not a vertuous and va∣lorous man before he be tryed? and who is not a patient man be∣fore he be crost? there be many seeming very valiant, stout and strong men, not dismaid or daun∣ted at any perill, yet if but a fea∣uer take them, the goute possesse them, sickenesse befall them, or any affliction crosse them, they will either shewe their impatience, by murmuring or grudging, hanging downe their heads like a Bul-rush, or sigh and groane vn∣der the burthen, as if Maluerne hils were fallen vpon them; and this for want of patience.

A rich man as long as he en∣ioyeth health, wealth and honour, wished successe in all his affaires, nothing crossing him; how can he but be patient in shewe? But when his wealth turneth into want, his health into sickenesse, his honour into disgrace; when aduerse suc∣cesse crosses his hopes, and affli∣ction

seize vpon him (as hee is a man without patience) he will change his countenance, and by his gesture and cariage, shewe himselfe ashamed of the change of his estate; fretting himselfe in the gall of his bitter impatience, as if God did him iniurie thus to correct him: whence also ariseth to the increase of his impatience, diuersities of mens censures, as they did of holy Iob. Surely, (sayes one) he is a wicked man that God doth thus punish him: Another, Hee was very, prodigall, hee was proude, vaineglorious, ambitious, & the like; and therefore hath God laid this heauie crosse vpon him: as though they had liued in the very bosome of the man, & were priuie to the very counsell of God, in punishing or correcting him.

In like manner doth the vnadui∣sed multitude commonly censure all men afflicted, be it by sorrow for sinne, sickenesse, and some

lingring disease, pouertie, im∣prisonment, banishment, ene∣mies, shipwracke, losse of goods, by whatsoeuer meanes, stubbornnesse of children, dis∣quietnesse betweene maried couples; and in what sort soeuer a man is afflicted and visited by the hand of God (though in his speciall loue) hee must looke for censures, according to the per∣uerse cenceits and opinions of such as seeme to knowe the very cause of Gods punishing and correcting men here belowe; and yet neither looke into themselues, nor knowe nor thinke of the cause of causes.

Seeing then, that the best and dearest children of God are sub∣iect to afflictions, crosses and troubles of infinite kindes, and consequently to the rash censures of the braine-sicke vulgar, haue they not all good cause to flie vn∣to God for this heauen••y vertue Patience, to support and sustaine them, not onely in their proper

crosses, but in the vniust scandals of idle men?

But iudge thou no man, hee standeth or falleth, he is comfor∣ted or crossed according to the good pleasure of God; and receiue thou thy lot whatsoeuer it be, pros∣perous or aduerse, as sent of God for thy good.

If he visit thee with sickenesse, accept it as his fatherly chastise∣ment, to reforme thee before thou goe hence, thereby summoning thee shortly to appeare before the Throne of his Maiestie.

If thou become poore bereft of all thy goods, and haue little or nothing left, content thy selfe; & consider, thou hast yet more left thee then thou broughtest into the world with thee: and were thou neuer so rich, hadst thou ne∣uer so great possessions, neuer so high place of dignitie in the world; thou must be taken from all, thou must leaue all, and all must leaue thee: and as thy life is short, so

are thy pleasures, crosses and pa∣tience of no long continuance.

If thou be backe-bitten and slaundered, thinke thy selfe no better nor more worthy the ap∣plause of the world, then Christs owne Apostles, and Christ him selfe; who were scoffed at, railed vpon, and scornefully reuiled, yet reuiled not, but with patience endured buffetings, stripes and death, in greatest meekenes.

If thou be banished thine owne natiue Countrie, and from thy dearest friends, inforced to wander from Countrie to Coun∣trie, from Citie to Citie, re∣member wee are all strangers and pilgrims in this world, and nothing better resembleth our earthly pilgrimage then doth ba∣nishment, which may moue vs to thinke seriously and continual∣ly of a permanent Citie promised, after our long and tedious exile, which endureth but a little season, and then wee returne, ariue, and

shall be receiued into the Coun∣trie of peace, and Citie of perpe∣tuall freedome.

If thou be troubled with diso∣bedient and refractarie chil∣dren, haue patience, remember Adam had a Kayne: Abraham an Ismaël; Izaacke an Esaii: Dauid an Absalon. It is the case of many a godly and reli∣gious father to haue an vngodly sonne.

If thou be troubled with a dis∣quiet, proude, sullen, tarte and taunting wife, be patient vnder thine vnpleasant yoake; looke in∣to the Scriptures, and thou shalt finde many good and godly men to haue gone before thee, that haue shewed thee the way to beare this erosse with patience; as Moses his Zipporah: Dauid his Mi∣chal, and others: and if thou looke neere at home, thou shalt finde many of thy good neighbours sicke of thy disease; and nothing can ease it but patience, prayer,

good counsell in the feare of God. These are the salues for euery sore, the phisicke for euery disease, and Antidotes against euery poysonous and pestilent pas∣sion of the minde.

And for thy better help, I haue (though indeed weakely) in this Treatise, endeauoured briefly to touch many of the cros∣ses that may befall thee; wherein if thou be ignorant, thou maist therein learne in some measure, how to prepare thee to the patient bearing of them, wayting the Lords leisure and his good plea∣sure with prayer, in a liuely faith, in true repentance of all thy sinnes, which are the cause of all thy troubles, cros∣ses, and calamities what∣soeuer; and thou shalt finde the burthen of them light, and the yoake which the Lord, layeth vpon thee, easie.

And be assured, that if God correct thee here, he loueth thee,

and doth it to reforme thee to saue thee. Ieremie the most fa∣mous amongst the Prophets, con∣fesseth, that before the Lord touched him with affliction, he was like a wilde and vnta∣med Colte: and Dauid, the worthiest among the Kings, ac∣knowledgeth, that before he was afflicted he went awrye: And Paul the chiefe among the Apostles, thought it his grea∣test glory to suffer affliction for Christ; and many they were that he suffered, see 2. Cor. 6.

Outward affliction, or inward sorrow for thy sinnes hurt thee not; the one argues the loue of God towards thee, the other thy desire to obay him. There is no∣thing more hurtfull to thee, nor more offensiue to God then thine impatience, thy murmuring and grudging at Gods gentle chastise∣ments, which are the euils of thy minde and most afflict thee: whereas true patience in faith,

is as a brasen Bulworke against all the attemptes and assaults of sinne and Satan; the workers of all the crosses, troubles & calami∣ties in the world: Imbrace there∣fore whatsoeuer befalleth thee with godly patience; and the Lord assist thee.

Thine in Christian good will: I. NORDEN.