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.

Vppon vvhat condition God receiueth vs, vvith an excelent comfort to the Christian. &c. The xxiij. Chapter.

SO that nowe, although y^e ouercome with weaknesse, we haue fallē vn∣derneath the crosse of froward & fury∣ous affliction and persecution: yet God will not forsake vs, bicause he hath e∣lected, accepted, and taken vs for hys owne,* 1.1 with promise of lyfe euerla∣sting. Those which he at any tyme of his mercy doth take charge of, he will not at no time suffer to perish, but wil helpe them in all their necessities, and cure theyr woundes to the glorifica∣tion of hym selfe therein: & also giue them life euerlasting.

* 1.2Bycause that when he doeth receyue vs, he doeth it not with any such cōdi∣tion y^t we should doe any good of our selues, be faithfull, or perseuer in any

goodnesse for it: for that he knoweth our natures, to be to, to much corrup∣ted, whereby of force it doth and will doo, to to much to the contrary.* 1.3 But he dooth receiue vs with condicion, that we should onely truste in him that he wilbe our lyfe, remittour, pardoner,* 1.4 and forgeuer of our sinnes: our strēgth and perseuerance, our Phisicion,* 1.5 and medicine, our maister, our teacher, our saluacion, and perpetuall redée∣mer.

It is a most greuous offence, to de∣ny the truth of God, and to giue our selues vnto lyes and errours: It is most execrable before God to bereaue him of all worship due vnto him, and giue the same vnto a beast:* 1.6 it is a true testimony of our ingratitude, and that we haue forsaken the lorde,* 1.7 by whose liberalitie we haue receiued so great and mightie a multitude of benifits.* 1.8 Go my people (sayth the Lord by Ie∣remy the Prophet) into the Ilelandes a farre of, sée and consider attentiue∣ly, and behoulde? If the people there dooe like vnto you, if any of them doo

change their owne proper gods for o∣thers, which in déede are no gods: yet you haue changed the glory of your god for an Idoll.

God dyd call vs bicause we should accompt him for our father, that we should loue and worshippe him as our father: he dyd take vs out of the most darcke and drowsie cloudes of deceit and errours, and dyd discouer vnto vs, that onely Iesus Christe is our moste gracious saluacion.* 1.9 When that we went lyke children of per∣dicion,* 1.10 worshippinge of stockes and stones, he dyd reduce vs into the right waye: when we were posses∣sid of the diuell and of sinne, he did deliuer vs from theyr mischeuous ti∣ranny:* 1.11 being a lost people he made vs his people, treated and vsed vs, as his owne people,* 1.12 geuinge vs his worde for our spirituall sustenaunce. He beinge our onely Lorde GOD and Father, we dyd denye him in an Idoll: the glory which he had ge∣uen vs beinge his people, we chaun∣ged

for vainest vanitie, takinge in and allowinge of false doctrine, and forsakinge of the trueth.

We haue left and forsaken our true and lawefull spouse Iesus Christ, with whome we dyd contract ma∣trimony by fayth in him (as saythe the Prophet Oseah) and haue com∣mytted fornicacion,* 1.13 in seperatinge oure selues from and denyinge the faythe that wée dyd vowe to haue in him, when we receiued our Bap∣tisme.

The Turckes, nor the Mores, doo dot refuse theyr religion, no more dooe the Indians, nor the slauishe subiectes of Antechrist denye theirs, and yet is it false, abhominable, and full of lyes.

But we hauinge a religion,* 1.14 so di∣uine, and pure as is possible, and also suche a benefite thereby, as is wholly holy and trwe, euen come downe from heauen: (the authour whereof is the LORD GOD al∣myghtie, maker of all thinges,)

doo deny it most shamefully, for a vain feare of loosing our liues, and yet our liues without gods true religion what are they better then liues of brute beastes, (surely nothinge at all) what doo we differ from all other nacions vnder heauen, but onely in that we doo know Iesus Christ the sonne, by the reuelacion of the father,* 1.15 and that we haue by him lyfe euerlasting. And where as they walke in the darcknes of theyr misticall errours, we (if we be ruled by this true doctrine which he hath giuen vs) doo walke in y^e light of lyfe by the worde of truth. By ver∣tue whereof, and to be conserued and kept thereby,* 1.16 God created all things. If God had béene our enimie at any tyme, if he had béene a tyrant or had béene cruell vnto vs,* 1.17 or if he had at a∣ny tyme deceiued vs, then had we had some reason to forsake him, to flée frō him, and to leaue him: to the ende we might get out of his wily deceits and tyranny.

* 1.18But beinge alwayes a God vnto vs, so louing as he hath beene, a God that

hath sauid vs, and brydeled the diuell, so that he cānot hurt vs.* 1.19 He that hath commaunded his creatures for our su∣stenaunce, (when we were his eni∣mies) he that hath deliuered vs from so many great perills and dangers of death, and hath béene alwaies our tu∣tor, gouernour and defēdour: and we without shame so to deny and forsake him, most greuous is our folly & falte therein: and so greuous that we haue deserued thereby, that he should for euer forsake vs and condempne vs to be vnder the tiranny of the diuel and antichrist eternally. To forget so ma∣ny vndeserued benefites, as he hath preferrid vs vnto, and to leaue him for so small and light troubles and af∣flictions, as are those which we haue suffered and are to suffer for the pro∣fession of his name: it is a thing wor∣thy of most gréeuous punishment. If Iesus Christ had not beene first cruci∣fyed himself, and made a cursse for vs,* 1.20 and for our transgression and sinne, & so callid vs to the crosse of worldly tri∣bulacion,* 1.21 we might well haue béene

deceiued or thought our selues so:* 1.22 but that is moste infallible and cer∣teine, for so he called vs to the pro∣fession of the same, and therefore to crosses and tribulacions, and not to worldly honours, ritches, and de∣lightes of this lyfe.

What a gréeuous thing were it ther∣fore to deny him: from whence may or can there arise, accrewe, or grow, and procede, suche a masse of misery as that, and that we dooe not (nor haue not) vnderstande and knowen aright the ende of our calling: which was especially and vppon purpose to make vs like vnto himselfe by passi∣ons, persecucions and afflictions sure∣ly it is a most monstrous offence. For that to forsake the trueth, thereby to eschew the crosse: is none other but to forsake Christ our onely Sauiour, bicause there is no way to Christ Ie∣sus, without heauie crosses of afflicti∣on and persecution: nor yet no true crosse of calamitie and persecucion, but is a way to passe by vnto him.

So that it resteth, and is moste fit and

conuenient for vs, to haue a great and greuous gréefe in mynde, with repen∣tance, that euer we dyd forsake or de∣ny him:* 1.23 and to leade the residue of our lyfe in a perfect and perpetuall repen∣tance for the same.

And therefore let vs be conuerted and torne vnto him, and behoulde at∣tentiuely that he (although offended with vs) is not our enimie, nor doothe not desire, nor procure our perdicion: but is our good GOD and Father, which doothe desire (and wyill per∣forme) our perfect health and salua∣cion.

As truely as I dooe liue (saythe the Lorde) I wyll not the deathe of a sinner,* 1.24 but rather that he torne from his wickednesse and lyue. It is god our Father that we haue denyed in our dooinges and sore offended, we haue moste worthely styrred hys wrathe to bée wreaked vppon vs, and yet hée spareth vs.

He is allwayes oure Father, and loueth vs as a moste louinge Fa∣ther,

and also dothe greatly reioyce at our conuercion from wickednesse, he dooth séeke and vse great meanes to induce, reduce, and bring vs again vnto his house and presence, after the wasting and quite consuming of that good porcion, that he dyd giue vs for our parpetuall patrimony. We dooe imitate y^e apostles altogether in fain∣ting and fearing at y^e crosse of Christ, and doo flée from it, and denye him as they dyd, for the vaine feare of death: let vs also doo as they dyd in conuer∣ting againe vnto him, for as he dyd receiue them, euen so will he receiue vs, and will comfort and imbrace vs with no lesse loue, then he dyd vse & shew vnto them, for that he is aswell our maister and redéemer now, as he was theirs then, he is our good God, a god almightie, and doothe loue vs as∣well sithens we fell, as he dyd before we dyd fall: for that the naturalnes, and burning bowels of loue that is in the father, is not nor wilbe remo∣ued, by the infirmities and weaknes of the children. The prodigall childe

after that he had consumed and wa∣sted quite,* 1.25 the goods and substanciall ritches of his father, (or that his fa∣ther had giuen him,) dyd retorne a∣gaine vnto him, with a most humble submission and confession of himselfe with repentaunce, to be vnworthy to be called his sonne.* 1.26 But the father sée∣ing him come a farre of, did méete him on the way with such a feruent ioye, that the sonne, had scarce opened his mouth to confesse his sinne and dys∣obedience, when he fel vpon his neck, imbraced and kissed him with great ioye, most zealously and gladly, and commaundyd him to be clothed with new and costly ritche garments, ma∣king moste merueilous feast with re∣ioycing, for his so penitent a conuer∣sion.

Behoulde here the father was found no lesse louing to his sonne beinge pe∣nitent, at the last, then he was at the first, notwithstanding so great a diso∣bedience and contemptuous offence. He was alwayes a father vnto him, aswell before his folly in falling and

offending, as afterwardes: he was not thereby remoued nor altered one iote from his fatherly goodnesse, ney∣ther in loue, qualitie, nor condicion: he dyd not vpbraide nor caste him in the téeth with his falts, although they wer most greuously great in his sight, but dyd rather reioyce for his penitit conuercion: so muche that his ioye would giue no place to his sonne to confesse his faltes and offences. Bi∣cause he had already (pardoned and) put them quite out of memory,* 1.27 and dyd wyll and commaunde that he, with all the reste in his house should reioyce with him for the happy reco∣uery of his sonne that was first dead and then aliue.* 1.28

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ioh. 15. & 7.8.
• * 1.2

  Ioh. 6. & 35. &c.
• * 1.3

  2. Cor. 2. & 6. &c.
• * 1.4

  Iohn. 10. &. 5.
• * 1.5

  Esay. 61. & 2.3.7.
• * 1.6

  Apoc. 13. &. 4.12.
• * 1.7

  Vnthank∣fulnesse.
• * 1.8

  Iere. 2. &. 20.11
• * 1.9

  Act. 14. & 15.16.17.
• * 1.10

  Acts. 17. & 30.31.
• * 1.11

  Deut. 4. &•• 20.
• * 1.12

  Psal, 14••. & 3.6.
• * 1.13

  Oseah. 2. & 5.6.
• * 1.14

  True reli∣gion.
• * 1.15

  Esay. 45. &. 24.
• * 1.16

  2. Pater. 1. &, 12.13.
• * 1.17

  Esay. 8. & 14.20.
• * 1.18

  Psal. 67. &. 1.2.3. &c.
• * 1.19

  God is our sauiour.
• * 1.20

  Math. 10. & 19.24.
• * 1.21

  Luke. 12. &. 11. &c.
• * 1.22

  Gala. 3. & &. 1.2. &c.
• * 1.23

  Perpetuall penance.
• * 1.24

  Ezech. 18. &. 21.••2.
• * 1.25

  Luke. 15. & 18.20. &c.
• * 1.26

  A token of true repen∣tance.
• * 1.27

  Ezech. 18. &. 22.
• * 1.28

  Iere. 31. &. &. 34.