An excelent comfort to all Christians, against all kinde of calamities no lesse comfortable, then pleasant, pithy, and profitable: Compendiously compiled by Iohn Perez, a faithfull seruant of God, a Spaniard (in Spanish) and now translated into English by Iohn Daniel, of Clements Inne, with diuers addicions by him collected and therevnto annexed.

Of the propertie of persecutours with a perswasion to pa∣cience. &c. Cap. xii.

GOd dyd call and vnite vs to his flocke, & dyd put vs in his fowlde which is his Churche catholicke, for that we should be his shéepe, & might haue his sonne Iesus Christe to be our shéepeheard. We were wol∣ues before we were called, but nowe are we shéepe, and the shéepe cannot, nor dooth not knowe how to dooe any kinde of euil, but yet is subiect to take & receiue any euill that is offered. She hath no tongue to cursse nor speake spitefully, no téethe to byte, no nailes to scratch, no anger to be irefull, no hatred to abhorre, and finally she hath nothinge wherewith to doo euill but hath many thinges wherewith to doo good.

Euen so it ought to be with vs, bi∣cause we beare the name of christi∣ans,

the which doothe import in all points asmuch as I haue spoken of. Men doo persecute vs like fearce Ly∣ons, they doo afflict vs with fury lyke raueninge Wolues, they dooe teare vs in péeces lyke Tygers, they search vs by suttelties and wyles lyke fine fickle Foxes. They doo leaue neither arte nor crueltie vnvsed, nor vnprac∣tised against vs. Is it méete or were it well that we should pay them with theyr owne mony, or with the lyke a∣gaine. No, God forbid, for why we were not called to be lyke vnto them, but for that we should be lyke vnto himselfe. He dyd call vs to be his chil∣dren, so that we must be like vnto his sonne Iesus Christ, he is our head, God hathe bidden and commaunded vs to be guyded by him. And bicause we should learne of (and followe) him, Christe (saythe Sainct Peter) dyd suffer for vs, geuing vs example to followe his footesteppes. In what should we follow them: mary in suf∣fering y^e euil which our enimies offer

vs, and in answeringe them againe the best we can therefore: what with enuie: no, none, but with charitie, for that is our callinge, and therein are we taught, bothe by the wordes and workes of Iesus Christe our swéete sauiour, redemer, pastour, and shéepe∣herde. Let not vs take any regarde at all of the euill and harme that our persecutours vse towardes vs, but let vs chiefely regarde and looke dili∣gently to that which Iesus Christ did amongst vs, and commaund vs vnto. The imitacion of him let vs not ab∣horre, condempne, nor speake euill of, but rather let vs doo the contrary. Let vs loue to imitate him, and let vs doo the workes of loue. The cause why that our enimies and afflictours dooe persecute vs, is declared by our Saui∣our & Lorde Iesus Christ, who sayth, they shall cast you out of their Sinna∣gogs, excomunicate you, & persecute you vnto deathe for my name sake, & shall thincke they doo therin to God very great seruice, & they shal do these

thinges bycause they haue neyther knowen me nor yet my Father.

There is not nor can not be a grea∣ter mischiefe, then to be ignorant of (or not to know at all) our God and Father almightie, nor yet his sonne Iesus Christ. The want of know∣ledge hereof maketh all them which lacke the same, to be possessed of the diuell, seruaunts of sinne, and heires and inheritours of hell. And also dooth make them to beare, carry, and main∣teine continually, a curssed & cruel ca∣pital war, against god, heauen, and all y^t is his. The which dooth bring vnto them their vtter distruction & perdici∣on for euer. Their hell, they doo al∣wayse carry with them, their owne consciences doo condempne them, bi∣cause the worme thereof, euer dying and neuer deade, doothe and will for euer accuse them. The iudgement of GOD doothe lye very heauy vppon them, the Lawe hathe curssed them, and the woorckes and déedes which they dooe in persecutinge the faythe∣full, are euident tokens & testimony of

their vtter condempnation. Bycause that those whom they persecute, (with persecutions, slaunders, condempna∣tions, curses, cloathed with saint Be∣nits crosses, shut vp in close prysons, and afterward burned,) are little or nothing touched thereby, but Iesus Christ in them. It is he, it is he that beareth the spitefulnesse of their pas∣sions and Persecutions: as hée hym∣selfe did declare to Saint Paule be∣fore his conuersion, for when that he had cruelly persecuted the Christians, (our sauiour Christ sayde with a ter∣rible voyce) Saule Saule, why perse∣cutest thou mée. What greater euill may be thought then to persecute our swéete sauiour and redéemer, how can the wrath of God be more euident vn∣to to them, then when they may sée that he careth not for them, but suffereth them to fall and runne headlong into that loathsome lake of perdition, and yet in vsing y^e same, they think them∣selues in suche securitie of saluation, that they solemnise their tiranycall dispositions, as if they did solemly ha∣low

some festiuall feast. And doe think they doe God good seruice. Oh lamen∣table case that they know not y^e truth in those their wicked doings. Sin hath so captiuated and blynded them that they estéeme light for darkenesse, the truth of God for deceyueable errours, and the rightuousnesse of heauen for iniquitie. And therefore with the bo∣wels of pitifull compassion we ought to pray to God for them, beséechyng him of his mercy, that hée will take them out of that so mortal, deadly, and dampnable estate. Now then sith it is God that is the aucthor of our afflicti∣ous, calamities, and griefs, if we take them at his hands, they wil be health∣full for vs, and make vs to be true i∣mitators and folowers of Christ hys sonne, so that we shall not at all dys∣daine our enimies, nor shal in no wise vse them euilly for euil, but rather de∣sire that they may be brought into the bowels of his loue, and so reduced in∣to the way of health.

With faintnes are we filled with e∣dible wrath & indignatiō against thē,

bicause we thinke y^t with their irefull hatred, their caluminate strifes, & flaū∣derous reportes, their false testimo∣nies and burning desires to shead our blud, they doo, or can do as much grief or harme. But if we doe vnderstande Gods diuine counsell a right, & doo not looke a wrye from his worde, we shall and may know perfectly wel, how im∣possible it is for thē to doo vs any kynd of dammage, with all y^t euer they can doe or imagine, whatsoeuer it bée. If we doe but heare the words that the holy Ghost speaketh by the Prophet Dauid, we may wel vnderstand & sée, that they can not preiudice vs in any thing at all.

Notes

• Iohn. 10. & 1.12.15.
• 1. Peter. 3. &. 14.18.
• Iohn. 1. & 21.27.
• Iohn. 3. & 36.
• Mar. 10. &. 29.30.
• 1. Peter. 3. &. 14.
• 1. Peter. 4. &. ••
• Hebr. 12, &. 7.28.
• 1. Iohn. 2. & 15.16.
• Iohn. 16. &. 3.3.
• VVhat it is to know God.
• Iesus christ persecuted in his mem∣bers.
• Act. 9. &. 4.
• 2. Thes. 2. &. 3.12. Esay. 5. & 20
• Psal. 115. & 12.