The texte.

THis farre foorth haue we rehearsed suche thinges, as de∣clare cure troubles and miseries, and such• ma•iers, as in mennes iudgementes br•ng vs rather in contempte, than in any renoume. But nowe whether I should also rehearse other thinges or not, I haue not fully determi∣ned, of whiche yet some falsly boaste thēselues. Shoulde I glorie or not? Yea sometyme expediente is it to glorie, namely since the brifte of myne epistle hath brought me to the visions and reuelacions of the Lorde Iesus, of whiche sorte synce false apostles fayne manye, and wantonlye boaste them, euen agaynste my wyll, as one compelled, (leste in this I seeme behynde thē) I wyll reh•arse but onelye one, and that not to my glorie neither, but to the glorie of god. I knowe a certayne manne, whiche aboue. xiiii. yeares a goe was taken vp, whether it were in the bodye, or without the bodye I cannot tell, god knoweth, whiche yet was taken vp into the thyrde heauen, and •hence agayne taken vp into paradise, and in bothe places hearde secrete woordes, whiche no manne can vtter.

Page  [unnumbered]For this mannes sake, to whome through gods fre goodnes such blisfulnes befell, glory will I, but of my selfe boast wil I not, sauing in the rehearsing of such thinges as declare my weakenes and infirmitie. And yet if I in this matier also minded sumwhat to speake of my selfe, since I should neither lie nor of my selfe speake vaingloriously, though I haue acknowledged folish∣nes, yet could I not iustly be condemned thereof: but yet for your sakes, and not for myne owne abstayne I from rehearsing of them, leste some thinke more in me, thā there is, and suppose that I am some greater one, thā either myne actes, or my preaching pretende. And peraduenture it is not without ieopardie neither, to glorye of suche thinges as make vs great, and thereby nigh vnto the ieopardie of arrogancie. For this cause leste I myghte bee to proude by reason of high reuelacions, or els among men be taken for grea∣ter than it is expedient I shoulde: I haue by the sufferaunce of the moste* merciful god, gyuen vnto me vnquietnes and affliccion of bodye, bothe to put me in remembraunce of my condicion, and also to teache all men, that I am a mortall manne, vnder lyke miseries, as other been. There is geuen (I saye) to truble me, whiche do Christes seruice, the messanger and mini∣ster of Satan, to resiste my gospell, and with mooste cruell persecucions to vexe me, as one that on the heade gyueth me buffettes, keapyng vn∣der and suppressyng me, leste I mighte to muche bee exalted. And be∣cause this punishemente exceadynglye disquieted me, thryse besoughte I the Lorde, that he woulde from this affliccion delyuer me, but he seeyng, what was better for me, than I coulde my selfe, he aunswered me after this sorte: Paule bee contente with my goodnes towardes thee, and de∣syre nomore. As for thyne affliccions appertayne bothe to the magni∣fying of my glorye, as who throughe my ayde canste not bee ouercommen, bee the stormes neuer so greate, and also to thy saluacion, whiche by bo∣dilye affliccions, arte in spirituall treasures of the soule dayelye more and more enriched.

And so dooeth mannes weakenes make perfite the power of God,* and infirmitie accomplyshe strengthe. For when by preachyng of vile and weake personnes the gospell not onelye holdeth on, but also flouris∣shethe agaynste the deuyll and the worlde, vsyng agaynste it all kyndes of cruelnesse, it maketh a playne profe that this geare is not, by anye worldelye power broughte aboute, but by the power of God. Nowe then the more affliccions we suffer, the more is Goddes glorye sette foorthe, whiche by vs woorketh and sheweth his power. Synce than I was thus aunswered of God, hencefoorthe wyll I of nothyng more gladlye reioyce, than of my affliccions, whereby I seeme rather feble, than greate, in whiche also if there appeare anye greatenesse or heygthe, all is to the glorye of god: that where for Christes sake I seeme feble, by hym I maye seeme strong and mightie.