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.

The first Chapter.

THe grace and peace of God our father, and of our Lorde Iesus Christ, be with you al that trust in his mer∣cy, and that call vpon him with a pure hart, desire his com∣ming, and the setting forth of his glo∣ry. By the which may it please him to comfort vs all, and to geue vs strēgth by y^e vertue of his holy spirit, againste all the common temptacions, that we (which are partakers of his reconsili∣ation) are afflicted with in this world. For that by thē we might not be dis∣couraged, but rather made constant til the end, in the grace y^t god hath geuen vs to know his sonne Iesus Christe for the aucthour of our saluacion: and

euerlasting aduocat before his diuine maiestie, bicause we might haue by his onely rightuousnes, a firme & sure hope, to enioy wholly y^e eternall inhe∣ritāce, promised to all those which are sātified by the word of trueth. Amen.

God is so faithful that he wil suffer nothing to touch vs, without his ex∣presse wil, whose potēcy & might, is w^t∣out any determinate ende, equal with his wil, for that he may & can all y^t he will, & wil nothing that doth not serue for his honour & glory, & for y^e helth of his chosen, which maketh y^t al things how aduersse so euer they be, do serue vs for our helth, welth, & prosperitie. And for y^e god hath giuen vs of his cle∣mēcy Iesus Christ his sonne to be our head, & made vs all mēbres of his holy body, it is not possible (so being) but y^t one of vs shuld féele spiritually y^e pain & trouble of another, how far soeuer we be distant a sondre corporally, bi∣cause y^e spirite of Iesu Christ (by the which we his mēbres do liue) hath cō∣ioined, knit & vnited vs more nigher & closer togither thē is y^e soule to y^e body

Forasmuch dearly beloued brethre,

(according to my hope) y^t I am parta∣ker of the mercy y^t we all shal receue, in the name & behalfe of y^e lord y^t dyd giue his lyfe for ours, I haue thought it good to cōfort you in your afflictiōs, with the which you are troubled and oppressed in this world, only bicause you wold liue faithfully in Christ Ie∣su. For y^e quickned & strēgthened by y^e word of trueth, I am partaker of the ioy of your consolacion & comfort, & al∣so of the firmnesse of your faith, for y^e I haue hope in his goodnes, y^t he wyll make perfect his worke in euery one of vs, in such maner & sort that by all wayes & meanes possible, he may be glorified, all be it we liue or dye, bi∣cause y^t in lyfe & death he is our gaine & we his glory. The persecutiō y^t we suffer now at these dayes is cruel, ve∣ry perilous & dangerous, for that they which persecute vs, are no Turks nor Pagās in their professiō, but baptised as we are, and that saye they haue a zeale and loue to god as we haue, and in that they vse and put in vre to af∣flict vs with, they doo it to serue god &

to merit or deserue Heauen. (But greatly deceaued no doubt) wherefore we ought to procure to be so much the more certaine and sure of our vocaci∣on and calling, & of the good will that God had and hath vnto vs, and that we doo not doubt by no way nor mea∣nes of the immutabilitie and firmnesse of his diuine councel, with and by the which he dyd determine before the be∣ginninge of the worlde to saue vs in Christ Iesu, in knowledge of whome dothe concist all our wealth, comfort, and consolacion.

The want of knowledge & the doubt had hereof, is wont to, & dooth engen∣der great amasednesse, dismayinges, & troubles, in the myndes of some of the faithfull, it dooth make them fearfull, weake, full of cowardise, sad, discom∣forted, mistrustfull, and doth put them into great forgetfulnesse of the bene∣fits which they haue receiued of God. From hence dooth also arise, growe, & springe, those déepe moorninges, gro∣ninges, and sighinges, with the which many séeinge themselues afflicted for

the trueth, doo repent them that they haue vsed their eares, heard, and be∣leeued the voyce of the Lord. Bicause that they séeinge the aduersities that doo succede & follow, by reason of pro∣fessing and confessing the name of Ie∣su Christ, they call it guile and deceit, and doo retorne againe to wallow in the dirtie mire of their olde errours, and supersticions in which they were before their calling, & doo become more enemies to God, and more cruell a∣gainst the trueth, by meanes wherof their last ending is worser then theyr beginninge. And for the contrary, to know the trueth thereof aright, and well, and to haue the same printed in the hart, it dooth make the good christi∣an the stronger againste all kindes of aduersities, and the more mightie to warre and fight, magnanymousely & manfully, against all the might & force of hell, and neuer more to turne his shoulders to the enemie, but doth be∣come from day to day y^e more inriched with heauenly giftes whereby he is made the more exceptable to god. All

that is agaīst Iesus Christ in y^e world maketh war & contradiction againste him, but yet he ouercommeth all vic∣toriously, and most triumphantly, by the vertue and strength of his perfect knowledge thereof. And how much y^e more as it is printed in his heart, so much y^e more shalbe increased his cō∣fort in the time of affliction & persecu∣cion, more strong firme & constant in aduersitie, more burning in desire to be with god, greater in disdaine of the worlde, and of all the delights y^e reig∣neth therein, & know the better how to sanctifie the name of the Lord, and to demaunde with more feruent zeale that his kingdome may quickly come, bicause his enimies might be destroi∣ed wholly, and that he alone might be obeyed and reigne in the consciences of all those which he hath redéemed with his most precious bloud.

Notes

• 1. Peter ••. &. 1.9.10.
• Hebr. 7. &. 25.
• 1. Cor. 10, &. 13,
• Math. 10. &, 29 30.31 Psal. 113, & 4.5,
• Rom. 8. & 17, 29,
• Collo. 1. &. 18, Ephes. 1. &, 22.
• 2. Timo. ••. &. 11.12,
• Rom. 14. &. 8,
• Philip. 1. &. 20.21.2••.
• Ephes. 1. & 4.5 Collo. 2. &. 5.15. Iohn. 17. &. 5.
• 2. Pet. 2. &. 22.
• Math. 12. &. 45. 2. Pet. 2. &. 20.
• Math. 7. &, 24
• Luke, 6, &. 48.