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.

Hovv vve ought to bee instructed in trueth and veritie, and to haue no confidence in mens traditions. The xxij. Chapter.

GOd will that we beliue, trust, and be ruled by him and his word, one∣ly, and not in no maner of wyse, by the aucthoritie of men, although they séeme neuer so wyse, holy, and fayth∣full: if they teach and instruct not, by the prescript worde of God, wherein is all trueth. Bycause if our trust in God, be accordyng to (& had by) theyr outward fained holines and goodnes, it serueth for little or nothing, but to make vs so weake and féeble, that we cannot tast the drink of the liquor of lyfe: which is the fruit of the Go∣spell: with so stiffe & stoute a stomake as we oughte: And also y^t the rather our weakenesse shall bée made more weake, & our infirmitie more infirme and sicke. But if we belieue onely in Iesu Christ, & trust stedfastly in him, we shall be necessarily instructed and strengthened: not to dismaye vs, but to be more firme and strong, agaynst

all kynde of euill and wickednes. Yet for all that the ministers of God will onely teache according to the worde, that mē should repose their trust who∣ly in Christ (as aforesayde,) and that he is the aucthor of all truth and righ∣tuousnesse. Their intent is nothyng but to be faithfull to the Lord which sent them. And to prepare his waye, teachyng and shewyng vnto men by the law the condempnation in which they were by sinne, and howe seuere God is in his iudgementes to the vn∣beléeuers, and superstitious aucthors, of guyle and deceipt, (and the folow∣ers thereof) contrary to true religion: they will reduce, and induce as ma∣ny as they can, to Iesus Christ their master by the gospell onely, as to one in whom is alwayes a remedie for a∣ny kynde of mischiefe. For that from him the elected doe receiue all things, and doe know by him y^t God is theyr father almightie: they do not, nor wil not, sel nor giue them selues for gods, nor yet maintain themselues for gods Viccars generall vppō earth: nor one

of them doeth not chalenge more au∣thoritie in bynding and loosing, bles∣sing or curssing, nor in distributing y^e word of God then an other doth: they shewe them selues for men, subiecte to all humaine infirmities, as wel one as another of them. They doe teache and preach y^t our faith must not come from men, from them, but from God: the word of truth doth teach them this doctrine and vs also. And therfore let vs not attribute any kind of thing vn∣to any maner of mā, neither faithfull, holy, nor Saincte, but vnto God who giueth lyfe to y^e dead, & some time con∣uerteth the hartes of (and calleth) our persecutors into the way of rightu∣ousnesse and truth.

Although y^e men be weake, lacketh strength, & doth often stumble, to do a∣ny thing that is good, yet Gods truth which they teache is not so: Although they be discoraged & afraid, bicause of the persecution which they sée, yet the word of trueth is almightie, & fayleth not. All y^e disciples themselues fainted and feared at y^e death of y^e redéemer of

the world, & yet he fainted nor feared not in his truth to shew what he was: nor yet did his truth loose any parte of the valor, for all y^e terrible trouble, and pagan passions, and persecutions that happened vnto him. So true, so good, so iust a iustifier, so immutable, so al∣mightie was he, as was none: & yet his own denied him, & were in such feare and doubtes of his doings, as though they had neuer knowne him. So y^t the truth of God dependeth nothing vppō men, although they be euen his verie disciples & ministers: but on him selfe onely. Although they fainted, feared, and doubted of him, bicause of his pas∣sions & persecutiōs which he suffered: yet for all y^t did not he forget, put out of knowledge, abhorre, nor deny thē, but did most louingly reduce thē, and bring them again vnto y^e truth & true knowledge therof: And there where now he is, sitting on y^e right hande of his father, he hath not altered his cō∣dition, nor yet hydden hys accustomed loue from them that be his.

Although they were weake, strayed

out of y^e way, stombled, & fell with the weight of the crosse of cruell persecu∣tion, yet did he make them partakers of his mercie, with a free forgiuenes or pardon generall, and did giue them strength and force a freshe, to ouer∣come all their weakenesse. And there∣fore he being such a one as he is, that did loue the weakelinges so, that hée would nor did not cast them away, for all their weakenesse & rebellion. Wée also being lyke vnto them, oughte to loue him & not to forget nor forsake him: but to hope and trust that he wil doe with vs as hée dyd with his fyrst disciples, which had the first fruites of the spirite. Let vs not be of the num∣ber of y^e enimies of God, nor of those which haue any enmitie vnto hym or hys, which doe take and vse all hys workes so, that it is an occasion why they are set farther distant from him, doe refuse to loue him as he ought, and in the company of his aduersaries doo blaspheme his holy name: But rather as obedient and faithfull children, let vs vnderstand the intent of our cele∣stiall

father, and take and gather out of his workes only, all such fruite as he doeth pretend in them. Which is the better to knowe him, the more to submit our selues to his good pleasure and will, and not to flye further from him as the wicked doe, but to cleaue more nigher vnto hym by fayth, that by recouerie of newe force, wée maye perseuer in the way of truth.

Now if there be any weakenesse in any of vs, (as no doubt there is, con∣trary to our expectation,) that weake∣nes commeth not of nor from y^e truth: but from our selues & our filthy flesh. Let vs not think it a straunge thing, that there is such weaknesse in man, for that all of vs in as muche as wée are men, and of the fleshe, our delight is in nothing but in weaknes & things of no validitie nor force but of y^e flesh. Here we may all of vs vnderstād and sée, what great necessitie we haue (as well those which stande vpright, as they which bend and fall) of the helpe and power of Christ, without whome we can in no wise indure to doe any

parte of our dueties. And therfore let vs be vigilant & looke vppō the weak∣nesse & falling one of another as in a glasse: bicause therby we might know our owne weaknesse: & so humble our selues before God as we ought, for of our selues wée are cleane repugnant vnto him & to all goodnes whereof he is the author. And sith that we are all called to the crosse of affliction and ca∣lamitie, and to fight against the pride and presumption that is in vs, and so to be occupyed in contemplation ther∣fore: Let none of vs iudge a wrye or amisse of those which are fallen or doo fall, but let him which is vpright and on his féete, take héede he fall not also. Bycause that God is almightie, and wil raise vp and cast down whom him lifteth, & will not forsake, but rayse vp them that fall, will exalte the hum∣ble and méeke, and knit & close theyr cracks and breakings most sure. The cause whye, hée doeth not forsake them that are fallen, is for that they bée his children, and that he wil make hys glorious workes to illustrate and

appeare more brighter in thē by the meanes thereof, bycause where as sinne doeth abound there doeth grace superabound, and his mercy and good∣nesse is shining the brighter.

The wicked worlde cannot abyde that any man shuld repugne or gein∣say agaynst his iudgement: nor yet allow any thing that is condempned therein. But the children of God, as they haue a sence & féeling of Christ, so they doe allow by Christ, all which God doth commaund. And so likewise by him doe they reproue & cōdempne the iudgement of the world for abho∣minable and wicked. And therfore the worlde and his worldlings togither doe against them, all the mischief they can: to the ende to banish from them this féeling of the truth, and so by con∣sequent to dispoyle them from God whose they are. But in consideration thereof hée will confounde both the worlde, worldlings, and their iudge∣ments altogither.

And if it happen that the chyldren of God, doe stumble and fall with the

weight of the crosse of cruell persecu∣tion, & giue wrong iudgement, disa∣lowing the truth which they ought to alow, and doe alowe a lye, which they ought to reproue: yet their louing god and father wil bring it so to passe, that it shal serue them for their best & grea∣test cōmoditie, to bring them to be en∣riched with true humilitie: with their onely trust in God, whose goodnesse is wonte to ryse, stirre, and take out of greatest euilles and wickednesse, most great blessednesse and happinesse. For that those which loue him, he doth cō∣uert vnto them all things for the best, yea euen out of sin he doth take great riches to glorify them with. As he did to Noah, Dauid, & to Peter: after their fals, he tooke such occasiō therby, as he turned many thinges to their greate goodnes, & commoditie, & did make to shyne in them great light out of the darkenesse the which they were in. By meanes hereof, wée béeyng for∣saken of the world, and crucified ther∣in. And also the worlde béeyng for∣saken of vs, wée shall come to great

knowledge by experyence, that ney∣ther honors, riches, noblenes of birth, humayne fauour, wisedome, nor yet estimation had of men, is of no force nor valour in our spirituall batteile. But onely a sure fayth and hope in God our Lord.

And so beeyng made mightie, méeke, and hūble, in this maner, we remain vnited and suerly knit with the vine, which is Iesus Christ, & more prompt and ready to receiue his gifts then at the first. The cause why y^e father doth so picke, prime, purge, and make clean the braūches (which are we his faith∣full) by y^e way and mean, is onely that we might bear & bring forth, more co∣pious, plentious, & aboundance of true fruite. So that Christ is he by whom we gaine, & Antichrist is he by whom those that folow him doe loose. And Christ is hée that gayneth, and Anti∣christ he that looseth. Bicause y^t where he thought & thinketh, y^t by his tirāni∣call meanes, he had and hath gotten, a number for his owne, of those per∣secuted lambes out of the handes of

God, he was and is deceiued: for that Iesus Christ doeth possesse them most mightifully, who will in no wise loose them. He doeth vnyte and knit them with him selfe most streightly, in and with the cheine or bonde of most vn∣fayned loue, for that he will not vary from the truth of hys promyse: with the which hée sayeth, that neyther the force of hell, the diuil, death, sinne, An∣tichrist, and all that they can doo, with the helpe of all their mynisters, is not so muche to preuayle agaynst them that bée elected, as is his strength to preuayle in defence to kéepe them for the inherytance of lyfe euerlastyng, which hée hath alreadie gyuen them from the fyrst day of theyr calling.

The wysedome of God is suche, that hée knoweth perfectly that of or amonge all those which hée hath cal∣led, there is none without sinne: but are most subiecte and apte therevnto, and to all kynde of wickednesse.

And yet notwithstandyng hée doeth accept them for hys own: and know∣ing of theyr great féeble weakenesse,

will not the losse of one of them. Ie∣sus Christ dyd know right well, that all his disciples would feare, faynte, forsake, and deny hym, yet although he knewe it, at hys laste supper with most firme loue and fauourable affec∣tion, he made them promises of per∣formance of the whole summe of hys goodnesse tyll the end: and in the end lyfe euerlastyng. And did also declare vnto them that his death and passy∣on, should bée to distroy sinne in them, and their discendentes or successors, and that they with them therby shuld receyue eternall lyfe. How be it for all that, afterwardes they did all fall, feare, faint, & did haue a doubt in him: But yet for that he had taken charge ouer them with promyse of forgyue∣nes, he did not deny & forsake thē, but had regard vnto them w^t such a loue, y^t he would not suffer them to perish. Al∣though y^t wilfully w^t a wauering mind they had gyuen them selues into the perdurable estate of perdition: yet hee with a francke, frée, and euer∣lastyng pardon, dyd restore them

to strength from thencefoorth, against all kynde of weakenesse and infirmy∣tie.

Notes

• Luk. 3. &. 4.
• Mat. 26. & 62.63. &c.
• Luke. 22. & 51.52. &c.
• Rom. 14. & 8.2. &c.
• Rom. 5. & 20.21.
• 1. Cor. 2. & 8.9. 1. Ioh. 5. & 4.5.
• Psal. 33. & 20.11.
• Rom. 8. & 9.11.13. &c.
• Gen. 9. & 21.
• Psal. 51. & 1.2.3. &c. Iohn. 21. & 7.••. 2. Cor. 2. & 6.13. Gala. 6. & 14.
• Iohn. 15. & 1.2.3. &c.
• Ioh. 15. & 2.
• Ioh. 10. &. 5. A promise of great comfort.
• Ioh. 8. & 12 23.31.32.51.
• Rom. 14. &. 1.7.6.
• Ioh. 14. &. ••.3. &c. Ioh. 15. & 7.8. Ioh. 16. & Ioh. 17. &. 1.2 4. &c.
• Hebr. 9. & 11.26.27. &c.
• Mat. 26. & 31.45. &c. Marc. 14. & 27.41. &c.