Of the preparation to the crosse, and to deathe and of the comforte vnder the crosse and death, two bokes very fruictefull for deuoute people to rede, translated from latyn to englysshe, by Rycharde Tracy.

¶Yet in afflyction or syckenes, medicyne and councell are not to be des∣pised. Cap. x.

FOR GOD by instrumentes performeth his wyll, and doth and worketh all thynges in theyr order by meanes, as clerely testifi∣eth holy scripture.* 1.1 Esai comman∣ded to take a cluster of fygges, & to playster them vppon Ezechias wounde, and so to be made hole. This is certaynely a great prayse and defence to physicke.* 1.2 For god wil not the vse of his creatures to be neglected or dyspysed. He con∣demneth

onely the faythe and con¦fidēce in creatures. And although he mought easyly haue healed E∣zechias, with one worde: yet wold he doo it by medycine. Soo he mought bringe forth and increace chyldren of mannes body, other∣wyse or by some other maner, but yet he wyll do it by the womanne. Wherfore let vs vse thynges, as god hath created them, with than¦kes gyuyng, and let vs onely put no confidence in them: as we rede that Asa dyd,* 1.3 whiche in his sycke∣nes sought not the lorde, but phi∣sitions. Hope must chiefely be put in the lorde, and afterwarde lette vs vse the helpe of physitions, as the benefytte of god. Moreouer, we muste consider, that god hath created medycine, as wytnesseth Iesus Syrach:* 1.4 Honour the phy∣sition

for necessyties sake, for the hyghest hath created hym. For of god is al remedy. &c. Besyde that, amonge the people of god, there were euer physitions, and Luke hym selfe the euangeliste was al∣so a phisition.* 1.5 But yet (as I said) we muste put no confidence in the phisition, but rather in god. For phisike without the workynge of god, helpeth nothynge, as wyt∣nesseth the historie of the woman,* 1.6 whiche twelue yeres suffered the fluxe. For the outwarde phisike is deceytfull, and nothyng at all, ex∣cepte helthe be inwardely gyuen of god. The woman is not repro∣ued, bycause she spente moche on physitions, but rather is priuyly shewed, that physycke is vayne, when it is attemted without god. So maye we not despise phisicke,

whom the hyghest hath created of the erthe: so that we renounce our wyll into the hande of god, which is the chiefe poynt, that is by phi∣sicke, other to heale vs, or to kyll vs. This is the stronge faythe in god, throughe which, no sickenes is so greuous and vncurable, whi¦che is not made hole. This faythe I saye, is nothynge elles, but the most lyuely opinion and vndoub∣ted trust in the mercy of god, wher¦by a man vndoutedly perswadeth hym selfe, that he is in the fauour of god, and that god is courteyse and forgyuynge hym al thynges, that he hath other doone or sayde. Courteyse, in good thinges: forgi¦uynge, in yl thynges.* 1.7 This faith commeth by herynge, and hering by the word of god. Phisicke ther¦fore may not be despised. For god

is the aucthor and creator of thin∣ges, in whiche also he worketh as by a meane. Soo Helizeus toke salte and caste it into the fountain of waters, whiche were verye yll, and vnholsome, and made the wa¦ters hole. Agayne. He purged and ryd the lepre of Naaman,* 1.8 captain vnder the kynge of Syria, in the water of Iordan.* 1.9 Water without the worde and promyse of god, is nothyng. as if any other had was∣shed hym selfe a hundred times in Iordan, he shulde not haue bene clensed. Naaman is clensed, for he had a promyse. Be thou wasshed, and thou shalt be hole. When he regardeth not this promyse, but onely the water, he erreth, and ta∣ryeth in leprosye, and so shoulde haue perished, and haue bē a blas∣phemer agaynste god, onelesse he

had ben warned of his seruantes. He came therfore with faythe, and was made hole.* 1.10 Soo Chryste to make the blynde man hole, made clay with spyttell. Agayne.* 1.11 The hem of christes garment touched, delyuered the woman frome the fluxe of bloud. The voice of Christ called forthe Lazarus. The voyce of Christ called forth vncleane spi¦rites from men. The shadowe of Peter expelleth syckenes. So mo¦che can the creature do, taken into the handes of the almyghty, whi∣che hath not this strengthe of na∣ture, but of the euerlastyng word of god. of whome it receyueth the strength of doinge, that it resteth not, but is euer workynge and myghtye. For there is nothynge made of god in vayne, althoughe it be neuer soo vyle. For therfore

god created those vile thynges, to signifie, that he him selfe worketh in those abiecte and vyle thinges: but the wycked doo attrybute the strengthe of curynge, healynge, multiplieng, and bringyng forth, to the erthe, nature, and herbes: but the faythefull attribute it, to the lyuynge worde of god, and to the present power of god. For god worketh all thynges, by the erthe, herbes, and other his creatures, as by instrumentes: but yet we ought not to attribute those thin∣ges to trees & herbes, althoughe god vse those thīges for our sake, but to god, which worketh al thin¦ges, in all thynges, that all thyn∣ges maye be referred to theyr first well sprynge. Wherfore it is sure, that god by instrumentes dothe worke, clense, heale, and make

safe. So god only fedeth vs,* 1.12 your heauenly father fedeth them, yet vseth he bread as an instrument to fede by.* 1.13 Bread confyrmeth the harte of man. Agayn. God alone kepeth vs and defendeth vs, ac∣cordynge to this.* 1.14 Except the lorde do kepe the citie, he that kepeth it, watcheth in vayne, and yet he ke∣peth it, with the mynistery of an∣gelles and gouernours. Fynally, god is the auctour and lorde of al thynges, he hath his organes and instrumentes, with the which, as with meanes he doth what he wil.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Esai. 38.
• * 1.2

  4. Re. 20. 2. Par. 32.
• * 1.3

  2. Co. 15.
• * 1.4

  Sirach. 3••
• * 1.5

  Colo. 4.
• * 1.6

  Matth. 9.
• * 1.7

  Rom. 10.
• * 1.8

  4. Re. 2.
• * 1.9

  4. Re. 5.
• * 1.10

  Ioh. 9.
• * 1.11

  Matth. 9.
• * 1.12

  Matt. 6.
• * 1.13

  Psal. 104.
• * 1.14

  Psal. 227.