An exhortation to his owne sister, constantly to sticke to the truth, which she had frutefully professed.
GOd the eternall Father,* 1.1 who hath iustified you by the bloud of his sonne Iesus Christ, and called you to hal∣low his name through a good conuersation and profession of life, he sanctifie you with daily encrease of vertue & faith by his holy spirit, that you may appeare a vessell of sancti∣fication, in the middest of this wicked & peruerse genera∣tion, to the laud and praise of the Gospel, Amen.
I haue occasion (mine owne deare sister) to praise God in you for 2. causes: the one, that to your habilitie you are ready to shew your self a naturall louing sister to me your poore afflicted brother, as by your gētle tokens you haue eftsoones testified being absent, as also presently visiting me: which wel declareth that you be a very naturall sister in dede, and to be praised in this behalfe. But in the other, yt you be also a sister to me in faith after Christes Gospell, I am occasioned to thanke God so muche the more,* 1.2 howe much the one excelleth the other, and the spiritual consan∣guinitie is more perdurable then that which is of flesh & bloud, & is a worker of that which is by nature: for com∣monly such as be vngodly, be vnnatural & only louers of themselues, as daily experience teacheth vs. The lyuing Lord, which through the incorruptible sede of his worde, hath begotten you to be my liege sister, geue you grace so to growe in yt generation, that you may encrease to a per∣fect age in the Lord, to be my sister with Christ for euer.
Looke therfore that you continue a faythfull sister as you are called and are godly entered, not onely to me but to all the Church of Christ, yea to Christ himselfe, who voucheth you in this your vnfayned fayth, worthy to bee his sister. Consider this dignitie to surmount all ye vayne dignities of the worlde, & let it accordingly preuayle more with you, then all earthly delightes: For therby you are called to an equall portion of the euerlasting inheritaunce of Christ, if now in no wise you do shew your selfe an vn∣naturall sister to him in forsaking him in trouble, which I trust you will neuer for no kinde of worldly respect doe. You are vnder daungerous temptations to be turned frō that naturall loue you owe vnto Christ, and you shalbe tryed with Gods people thorough a siue of great afflictiō:* 1.3 for so Sathan desireth vs to be sifted, that through feare of sharp troubles we might fall from the stablenes of our fayth, and so be depriued of that honour, ioy, and reward, which is prepared for such as continue faythfull brothers and sisters in the Lordes couenant to the ende. Therfore the wise man in the booke of Ecclesiasticus: biddeth them that come to the seruice of the Lorde,* 1.4 To prepare them selues to suffer temptations.
Since then yt for the glory of God and our faith, we are called now to abide the brunt of them, and that when our