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.

¶The goodnesse of god is not to be despised, or lyghtly regarded before afflyctions. whirby god wyl punishe and gyue warnynge. Capi. xiiii.

GOD THERFORE giueth warnynge and monition be∣fore, that men shulde repente, and so repentynge, shulde beleue and receyue grace: and they whiche wyll not beleue, shuld be without excuse, and suffer punisshemente iustely.* 1.1 So Noe in his tyme dyd

admonishe men an hūdreth yeres. And Lothe dyd warne the Sodo∣mites.* 1.2 Also Egypte was in peryll to peryshe, thē Moyses was sent. It was shewed before by the pro∣phetes, that the .x. trybes shulde be caryed to Babylon, Hierusa∣lem shulde be ouerthrowen by the Chaldees, and the peple broughte to captiuitie. Hieremie was sente, whiche preached forty yeres.* 1.3 Na∣bugodonosor was made a frayde in his dreame. Soo Chryste dyd bewayle and shewe before the de∣struction of Hierusalē. The place of repentaunce with god is before the sentence gyuen: but not so, if it be wrytten: the folyshe virgins dyd aske oyle in vayne, when the yates were shutte vp. Esau mur∣ned to late, when Iacob had go∣ten the blessynge. So the psalm,

Seke the lorde whyle he maye be founde. Kyng Balthasar dyd not seke the lorde, nor dyd not fynde hym: but Nabugodonosor dyd seke hym, and dyd fynd hym. Also the vnfaithful ministers bounden both hand and fote, were cast out into outwarde darkenesse. When the wrothe of the lorde is consum∣mate or at the full, the godlye be punysshed with the wycked. The iugement of god, when he is an∣gry, is gyuen vppon all, as well good as yll,* 1.4 as Esai teacheth. Al∣so the psalm, The godly conceyue a hope of felycitie and grace, as they do confesse: We haue not for∣gotten the.* 1.5 The lorde shal not cut awaye his mercye for euer. And they whiche be chastened do suffer iudgement, and at length do ob∣teyne mercy. He wyl not be angry

for euer.* 1.6 Therfore the lorde dothe punyshe all the godly, whiche do repent, with peynes in this world, as he punysshed Dauid, that he myght make them more lowlyer: he dothe instructe them with ler∣nynge, and maketh them more cir¦cumspecte and ware. God doth e∣uer send before bothe messengers and tokens, that men myghte re∣pente: and to theym, whiche wyll not repent, no excuse shall be left: as the prophetes, Chryst, and his apostelles did warne men in theyr tyme, as it is written:* 1.7 Wysedome sitteth without the dores, and pre∣acheth in the stretes, and cryeth a∣loude. &c. He councelleth and stir∣reth his to repentaunce, that they maye feare, ne leste he caste them amonges the blasphemers. But they be not cast away, the whiche

made aferde by goddes worde, do beleue Chryst: but rather Christe draweth them to hym self, saieng, Come to me all you which labour and be burdened and ladē, and I wyll refreshe you. But thou wylt saye: The proper worke of god is to fauour and to haue mercy, and therfore he wyll reuoke his sen∣tence. It is trewe. for it is a strāge worke to hym to be angry: for ve∣rely, he wolde not the deathe of a synner, but rather that he shulde be conuerted and liue. But vnder this condition, he wyl reuoke his sentence, if we knowlege our syn∣nes:* 1.8 wherby we haue prouoked god to wrothe, and do repent. If the wycked do repent. &c. But Re∣pentaunce is conuertion and tur∣nynge of the wycked man, whose two partes be contricion & faith.

Contrition, is to knowledge the synne, and by the iudgement and sentence of god, truely to be made afrayde, sayinge, We haue sinned onely to the: beholde,* 1.9 thou art an∣grye. Also, I am he whiche haue synned. But Fayth is a constante truste of mercy, by the whiche we decree and recken surely, that our synnes be forgyuen vs for Chry∣stes sake: Then shall god reuoke his sentēce, when there is yet time to pacyfie god. as we rede in Io∣nas of the drownynge of the Ni∣niuites. And the word of god was spoken to Esai: Go and say to E∣zechias, This sayth the lorde god of Dauid thy father, I haue hard thy prayer, and seene thy teares & wepynges, beholde, I wyll adde and put to thy days fyftene yeres &c. So Chryste dyd set forthe the

fayth of the woman of Chananie, whiche before he semed to put a∣waye. Is god therfore to be este∣med mutable? no: for althoughe he reuoketh the sentence, whiche he wylleth to be secrete and hydde from vs, yet he doth not chaunge his eternall councell: but for this cause those thynges be doone by the godly prouydence of god, that the feyth of the ryghtuouse might be proued. Therfore the decreed purposes of god be irreuocable, and can not be called ageyne. nor any man lyuynge canne breake or disapointe the decree and purpose of god, as Esai witnesseth, saying. The lorde of hostes hath decreed it,* 1.10 who cā breke or make it voide? he hath put forthe his hande, who can turne hym ageyne? So Na∣um.* 1.11 Who canne stande before the

face of his wrothe and indignati∣on? And, who is able to resyste in the wroth of his fury? Surely, no man nor creature can breake the decreed appoyntement of god, or resiste his wrothe. The decree of god may be broken by repentāce: that is, by sorowe, that the synne is done: and by fayth, which doth certaynely beleue and fele, that al our sinnes be forgiuē vs for Chri∣stes sake. This faythe doth ouer∣come the iudgement of the lawe. (whiche is the decree of god) whi∣che is his wroth.* 1.12 Wherof Ezechi∣el speaketh: The lorde saythe, I haue serched for a man, the which wolde make vp the hedge, and set vp hym selfe in the gap before me in the londes behalfe. It is said to Moyses, Let me destroy this peo∣ple. He whiche sayth, let me, doth

sygnifie and declare, that he maye be letted, whiche by no carnal ar∣mure, no walles of defence, nor by no mannes wisedome, is or can be brought to passe, but by the onely faythe in the worde of god, which is Iesus Chryste.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Gen. 6.
• * 1.2

  2. Pet. 2. Gen. 19.
• * 1.3

  Daniel. 3.
• * 1.4

  Esai 64. Psal. 43.
• * 1.5

  Psal. 76.
• * 1.6

  Psal. 67.
• * 1.7

  Prouer. 1.
• * 1.8

  Ezech. 18.
• * 1.9

  Psal. ••0.
• * 1.10

  Esai. 14.
• * 1.11

  Naum. 1.
• * 1.12

  Ezec. 22.