OF AFFLICTIONS

The chiefe questions are, 1 How manie kindes of afflictions there be. 2 What be the causes of them. 3 What comforts are to be opposed against them.

1 How manie kindes there be of afflictions

Some afflictions are temporal, and some eternall. Eternal, are the tormentes of the soule and bodie, proper vnto the wicked, into which all the Diuels are to bee throwen, and all wicked men who are not conuerted in this life.

The qualitie of these tormentes is expressed, when they are called in scripture, a worme, fire, horror, euerlasting torment; likewise, euerlasting death, which is not a destruction of the bodie and soule, or a perpetuall senselesnes, but an infinite and endlesse continuaunce of those tormentes which the wicked in this life dispairing begin to feele: or, it is, neuer to be dead, & yet to die continually; that is, to liue, forsaken and abiected of God, subiect to all tormentes both of bodie and soule.

But wee are here to collect testimonies of scripture against Epicures (of which heard not a fewe are found euen in the Popes court) thereby to demonstrate, that the pains & torments of the wicked both in bodie and soule,¹ shalbe eternal. 1. Isai. 66.24. Their worme shal not die: & their feare shal not be put out. Mar. 9.43. Into hell into the fire that neuer shalbee quenched, where their worme dieth not & the fire neuer goeth out. Mat. 25.41. Go into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the Diuel & his Angels. 1. Pet. 4.18. If the righteous scarcelie be saued, where shall the vngodlie & sinner appear? Mat. 10.28. Feare him who can cast both bodie & soul into helfire. The soul is the cause & fountain of sins: the body, as a thing without reason and brutish, doth execute that which the soul sheweth & commandeth: wherefore both the author & instrument of sins shalbe punished. 2. The reason also, why the paines and punishments of sins should be eternal & infinit, is euident: because for sin committed against the infinit good, an infinit punishment is iustlie exacted: neither coulde there be made by anie temporall punishment of a meere creature sufficient satisfaction vnto gods infinit & eternal iustice: & therefore the temporal punishment of Christ, that it might be sufficient to deliuer the elect, was to be equiualent to eternall pains.

Here the Epicures obiect: He that is exceeding mercifull,² cannot behold the eternal torments of his creatures, much lesse inflict such on them. God is exceeding merciful; because his mercie doth far exceed our sins: Therefore he doth not suffer his creatures to remain in eternal torments. Answ. The Maior is true, when exceeding & most exact iustice, such as is in god, doth not exact, & require that exceeding sinne haue exceeding punishment. Replie. Exceeding strict iustice doth not stand with exceeding mercie: because that admitteth no mitigating equabilitie. In God is exceeding iustice, therefore not exceeding mercie. Answ. Both the Maior, and the proofe thereof is false. Because God, punishing of his exceeding iustice our sin with exceeding punishment, doth notwithstanding shewe exceeding equability and fauorablenes, whiles he translateth the punishment thereof from vs, & laieth it vpon his sonne. They frame also the same reply on this wise: With him, that followeth extreme or strict iustice, mercie and equabilitie hath no place. But god in punishing sinnes foloweth strict iustice. Therfore he is not merciful. To which we answer. 1. that the Maior is false in respect of him, who for his wisedome knoweth means to mitigate punishmēts, or to exercise mercy, as that notwithstanding his iustice may remaine inuiolated, and himselfe bee satisfied. So god doth execute extreame and exquisite iustice in punishing our sinnes, shewing neuerthelesse exceeding and maruelous equabilitie and lenity, while hee punisheth them in his Sonne, and not in vs. And therefore one degree of mercie denied, doth not straight enforce the deniall of others. God punisheth sinne in the reprobate with eternal punishments: & yet is he merciful, while he is not delighted with the death of him that dieth: but doth by differring, and mitigating the punishment, and by bestowing benefites inuite all men to repentance. When a Iudge putteth a robber to death, he executeth extreame iustice: yet may he be mercifull withall, if hee reioice not at the destruction of the man, but had rather hee were saued, if so the lawe permitted.

³ Temporall afflictions belong to both: both vnto the godly and to the reprobate. These are either punishments, or the Crosse. The punishment, is either destruction or torment inflicted by order of iustice on the person giltie of sinne. And this is proper vnto the reprobate, because it is inflicted on them to this ende, that Gods iustice may bee satisfied. For the law bindeth all men, either to obedience, or to punishment.

⁴Obiection. But the euils which the wicked suffer in this life are lighter than that they shoulde satisfie Gods iustice. Answere. They are a part of their punishment, though not their whole punishment. Nowe as euerie part of the Aire is called Aire, so euerie part of punishment, is punishment. The degrees therefore of the punishment and paines, which the wicked suffer, are to bee obserued. The first degree is in this life. For when the conscience of their misdeedes and wickednesse doth gnawe, vexe, and terrifie them, then beginneth their hellish and infernall worme. The second degree is in temporall death: When they departing out of this life without comfort, come into the place of torment and vexations, Luke. 16. The third degree is at the day of iudgement, when againe to euerie of their bodies, raised from the dead, their soules shalbee reunited. For then at length shall the paines of hell bee consummated, and shall fall in troupes together on both bodie and soule.

The Crosse, is the affliction of the godly.⁵ For this is not properly a punishment, because it is not inflicted, that thereby Gods iustice shoulde bee satisfied for their sinnes. Nowe the Crosse is of foure sortes, which are drawen from the endes, for which it is laid on the godly. First, the Chastisementes,⁶ which GOD layeth on the godly, for the remnaunts of sinne in them, and oftentimes also for some peculiar sinnes committed by them, that they may bee admonished of their vncleannesse, and stirred to repentaunce, and the studie of godlinesse and good workes, least persisting in their sinnes, they bee condemned.

For they are not according to iustice inflicted, to bee any satisfaction or recompence for their sinnes: but according to mercie, for their amendment and saluation. For by these chastisementes they are admonished of the anger of GOD against sinnes, and of eternall punishment, which GOD will inflict on them, if they repent not. Secondly,⁷ The proofes and tryals of their faith, hope, inuocation, feare of GOD, and patience: that the elect may goe forwarde in these vertues, and the same also bee made knowen to others. Such was the affliction of Iob. Thirdly, Martyrdomes,⁸ which are testifications concerning their doctrine. For when the godly are, for the confession of true doctrine, pressed with calamities, or slaine, these afflictions are no punishmentes of certaine transgressions, but martyrdomes, whereby they testifie and witnesse, the doctrine of the gospell which they professe, to bee true, and doubt not to seale this with their bloud, and whereby also they witnesse that they in exceeding tormentes and death feele and haue experience of that comfort, which they did promise out of that doctrine, in their teaching vnto others. They witnesse also and testifie, that there remaineth another life, and an other iudgement after this life. Fourthly & lastly, the Crosse is their Raunsome, euen the obedience of Christ alone,⁹ which is a satisfaction for our sinnes, consisting of his whole humiliation, from the very first point of his Conception in the wombe, to his last agonie on the Crosse.

A briefe type or table of mans afflictions.
Afflictions are some Temporal In the wicked: as punishmentes properly, & in speciall so called. In the godly, as the Crosse: and that is, 1 Chastisements. 2 Trials. 3 Martyrdome. 4 Raunsome. Eternal: as the hellish torments of the damned.

2 What are the causes of afflictions

¹⁰ SInne is the impellent cause (because it is an euill merite and deserueth euill) of punishmentes in the wicked, and also of the Crosse in the godlie: yet after a diuers maner and in diuers respects. It is a cause of punishment in the wicked, that sinne may bee recompensed with iust punishment. In the godly, the cause of the Crosse is not to satisfie Gods iustice, but that sinne may be knowen, and so relinquished and put off. The impellent cause then of punishmentes in the wicked is their sin to be punished or recompensed.¹¹ The principall efficient cause is the iustice of god inflicting punishmēt for sin. Instrumentall causes thereof are diuers:¹² Angels and men, both good and bad, and all other creatures, which are all armed against sinners, and fight vnder GODS banner. The finall cause is, that the iustice of GOD may bee satisfied.

¹³ The causes of the crosse of the godlie are, 1 The acknowledgeing and purging out of sin. God doth not giue the bridle vnto the godly, but by fatherly chastisementes restraineth, recalleth and amendeth them.¹⁴ 1. Corin. 11.32. When wee are iudged, wee are iudged of the Lord. Psalm. 119.71. It is good for mee, O Lord, that thou hast humbled mee. But hee giueth the raines to the wicked, that they may gallop to destruction: he endoweth them with the commodities of this life, and suffereth them to enioy a short ioy, thereby to shewe his loue towardes his creatures, and to conuince them of vnthankfulnes, and to take away al excuse from them. 2. The hatred of the Diuell and the wicked.¹⁵ Iohn. 15.19. If ye were of the world, the world would loue you. The Diuel especially lieth in wait & ambush against the church and assaulteth it, both by tyrants, and by heretiques, to pul many from God. 1. Pet. 5 8. The diuel goeth about like a roaring Lyon. 3. The triall in exercise of godlines,¹⁶ that we may bee established and go forward in spiritual gifts, and that both vnto our selues & others our hope, faith & patiēce may be made known. Eccle. 34.10. He that hath not been tempted, what knoweth he? So then it is apparant that glorying in prosperity is but vaine. Rom. 5.4. Experience bringeth hope. 4.¹⁷ Particular defects and fallings in the Saints. Diuers haue diuers defects: and therefore Gods chastisements also are diuers. God sheweth that hee is angry also with the sinnes of the godly, and is desirous that they returne from them. The scriptures are rise and ful of examples hereof: As in Dauid when he numbred the people, when he committed adultery, and added murther vnto it, God shewed his wrath in plaguing the people for the former, and in taking away by death the child borne in adultery, hee shewed his anger against his adultery. Againe, hee shewed how desirous hee was to haue him rise againe, by sending his Prophet to make his sinne knowen vnto him, and so to call him to repentance. So many times dealt he with the Israelites also, whose often falling, as also Gods often recalling them is in the Scripture frequent. 5. The confirmation or testimonie of their doctrine in their martyrdomes. Ioh. 21.18.¹⁸ Peter is foretold, by what death he should glorifie God, and confirme the doctrine of Christ which he preached. 6. The glorious deliuery, that is, the manifestation of the immeasureable wisedome, power, mercy, and iustice of God, in the miraculous & wonderful deliuerance of the church. God bringeth his into extreme dangers, & findeth out & sheweth a waie of deliuery, where no creature could saue or deliuer them. 1. Sam. 2.6. He bringeth down to hel, and bringeth back againe. 7. The making of a conformity between the members and Christ their head,¹⁹ both in afflictions & in glory. 2. Tim. 2.12. If we suffer with him, we shal also raign with him. Rom. 8.29. Those which he knew before, he also predestinate to bee made like to the image of his sonne. Ioh. 11.16. and. 16.20. Mat. 10.24. The seruant is not greater than his Lord, neither the Disciple aboue his master. 8. The afflictions of the godly in this life are a testimony & confirmation of the iudgement and life to come.²⁰ Because the iustice and truth of God requireth, that at length it goe wel with the good, and il with the bad. But this commeth not so to passe in this life. Therefore there is remaining yet another life. And hence we are to aunswere the argument which the worlde vseth against the prouidence of God.

The Church of God (say they) is not the Church, because it is oppugned throughout the whole woorld, and troden vnder foote of al men. Answere. This argument maie bee wel inuerted on this wise: The company of those that embrace the doctrin of the Prophets and Apostles are in a good cause vniustly oppugned, and afflicted by the wicked and reprobate: Therefore they are the true Church, and the people of God, and are to be at length certainly, fullie, and gloriously deliuered, the wicked being cast into eternal tormentes. For God is iust and true: Therefore he wil be one daie a reuenger of those iniuries, whereby not onely the Godly in this life are hurt, but the glory also of God himselfe is by the wicked obscured, and darkened, and troden vnder foote.

3. What are the comforts and consolations, which are to be opposed against afflictions

Of comforts in afflictions, some are proper vnto the Church, some are common to it with Philosophie.²¹ Proper, are the first and two last of those, which shall be recited. The rest are common, and that but in outwarde shewe onely and in name,²² but not beeing further entered into and discoursed of 1. Remission of sinnes and reconciliation vnto GOD. This is the ground and foundation of the rest: Because without this wee cannot rightly apply the rest vnto vs, neither reape any comfort from them: But if this bee well setled, the rest follow of their owne accorde. For they who are not certaine of the remission of their sinnes, alwaies doubt, whether the promise of grace belong vnto them: but he who is certaine of this, knoweth that the anger of GOD, punishments and eternall death are taken away, and that those euils which are laide vpon him, are no punishment, but a fatherly chastisement, Roman. 5.1. Beeing iustified by faith we haue peace toward GOD. Againe: If when we were enemies, we were reconciled to GOD, much more beeing reconciled wee shall bee saued. Roman 8.3. If GOD be on our side, who can be against vs? The reason is, because, take awaie the cause, and you take awaie the effect: take awaie sinne, and the punishment also of sinne is taken awaie. 2. The necessitie of obeying GOD,²³ and the loue due vnto him. The Godlie knowe, that they must obey the fatherly wil of GOD in suffering euils, both bicause he wil that they suffer them: and also because he hath so deserued of them, as that they ought for his sake to suffer far greater, and lastly because they are his fatherly chastisemēts. Job. 2.10. Shall we receiue good at the hand of God, and not receiue euill? Psal. 3.9.9. I held my peace, because thou diddest it. Iob. 1.21. Blessed be the name of the Lord. The Philosophers also say, that it is patiētly to be suffred, which can not be altered or auoided, and that it is foolishnes to kicke against the prick. But in the meane while they hold a fatal necessity, and in suffering calamities submit not themselues to god, neither acknowlege them to be a iust punishment, neither suffer thē to that end, as thereby to obey him. And therefore they find either smal or no comfort at al hereof.²⁴ 3. The worthines of vertue, that is, of obedience towards God which is tru vertu, for which a man is not to cast away his courage in bearing the crosse. Mat. 10 37. & 16.25. He that hateth not his father and mother for my sake, is not worthy of me. He that seeketh to saue his soule, shall leese it. This dignity of vertue doe the Philosophers most of all vrge, but coldly,²⁵ because they are destitute of true vertues. 4. A good conscience. The godly are assured of remission of sinnes in Christ, and haue a purpose to obey God: and therefore beare a good conscience vnto themselues in Christ. The Philosophers comfort not theirs on this maner. For the Philosophers beeing once afflicted, thinketh, why doth not good fortune followe a good conscience? And therefore hee murmureth against God, and fretteth, as did Cato and others. 5. The finall causes in their chastisementes, trials,²⁶ and Martyrdomes. Those causes are, first, Gods glorie. The torment is lesse to the godly, when they know that GOD is honoured by their sufferings, and that thereby they shewe their thankefulnesse vnto him. Psalm. 119.75. Thou art iust, O Lorde, and thy iudgements are right. Secondly, Our saluation, which is accomplished by afflictions. Psalm. 119.71. It is good for mee that I haue beene afflicted. 1. Cor. 11.32. When wee are iudged we are chastened of the Lorde, because wee shoulde not bee condemned with the woorlde. Thirdly, the saluation of others, that is, their conuersion and confirming. For Actes 5. The Apostles reioyced (euen because they sawe many by their ministerie to bee conuerted vnto GOD, and faith to bee confirmed in others, by the example of their afflictions and constancy in the truth and doctrine) that they were counted woorthy to suffer rebuke for Christs name. The Philosophers say, It is a good end for which thou sufferest, that thou maiest saue thy country, and attaine vnto euerlasting renowme and glory. But yet in the meane season, wretched man, hee thinketh, what will these thinges profite me, when my selfe perish? But we are chastised that wee may not perish with the world.²⁷ 6. The conference and comparing together of euentes. It is better for a short time to be chastised of the Lord, with certaine and assured hope of a glorious deliuery, than to liue in plenty and aboundaunce of thinges, and to be pulled from God, and to run into euerlasting perdition.

The Philosophers conferring and comparing euils together, finde but little good, arising out of so manie euils:²⁸ Because the true good, for the obtaining whereof they suffer euils, they are wholy ignoraunt of. 7. The hope of recompence. Matth. 5.12. Your rewarde is great in heauen. Wee knowe that there remaine other blessinges for vs after this life, nothing to be compared with these momentary afflictions. Euen in this life also the Godlie receiue grater blessinges than other man. For they haue GOD pacified and pleased with them, and other spirituall giftes, and the beginning of eternall life. Therefore also corporall blessinges are profitable for their saluation. Marc. 10.29. There is no man that hath forsaken house, or bretheren, or children, or landes, for my sake, and the Ghospels, but hee shall receiue a hundred-fould nowe at this present, and in the woorlde to come eternall life. Psalm. 37.16. A small thing to the iust man is better than great riches to the wicked. Roman. 5.3. Wee reioyce in tribulations. A recompence in small euils doth in some sort comfort the Philosophers, but in great euils not at all: because they thinke that they hadde rather want that recompence, than buie it so deare: the reason whereof is, because the recompence is but vncertaine, small, and transitorie. 8. The example of the Sonne of GOD. For the seruaunt is not aboue his Maister, Iohn 15.20.²⁹ And God will haue vs to bee made like to the image of his Sonne. Roman. 8.29. And Philip. 2.5. Let the same minde bee in you that was euen in Christ Jesus. 2. Cor. 8.9. IESVS CHRIST beeing rich for your sakes, became poore. Let vs accompany therefore Christ in ignominy and in glory. For both the thankfulnesse, which we owe, requireth this: and seeing Christ hath died, not for his owne profite, but for ours, why shoulde wee refuse to suffer any thing for our owne profite and commodity? Likewise, the examples of other holy and godly men, who haue suffered with the sauing both of themselues & others, & haue not perished in afflictions, but haue beene maruailouslie saued & preserued. Mat. 5. So did they persecute the Prophets, which haue beene before you. The examples therefore of holy Martyrs doe comfort and hearten vs, while we thinke, that we are not better than they, but rather woorse. And therefore ought wee much more patiently to beare our crosse. Againe, seeing they haue beene preserued by GOD amiddest their afflictions, and haue escaped out of them, wee haue confidence also that wee shall bee preserued and deliuered, because the Loue of GOD towardes his is immutable, and knoweth no chaunge. 9.³⁰ The presence and assistaunce of GOD in all cases and chances of our life. Wee know that God hath a care of vs euen in our crosse: that he will defend, comfort, strengthen, and establish vs by his spirite, that wee may not through griefe and paine forsake him. 1. Cor. 10.13. God doth not suffer vs to be tempted aboue our power. Psal. 19.15. I am with him in his tribulation. Iohn. 14.16. I will send you another comforter. Iohn. 14.23. I & my father will come vnto him. Ioh. 14.18. I will not leaue you comfortles. Esay. 49.15. Can a woman forget her child, and not haue compassion on the Son of her wombe? Though shee should forget,³¹ yet will I not forget thee. 10 The finall and full deliuerie. For as of punishment, so also of deliuerie there are three degrees. The first is in this life, where we haue the beginning of eternall life. The second is in our bodily death, when the soul is caried into Abrahams bosome. The third is after the resurrection of our bodies, when wee shall bee both in body and soule perfectly blessed, that is, fully deliuered from all both sinne and punishment. Ioh. 10.28. No man shall plucke them out of mine hande. Rom. 8.30. Whom he iustified, them also he glorified. Reu. 21.4. God shall wipe away all teares from their eies. Wherefore as the first consolation is the foundation and beginning, so this last is the finishing and accomplishment of all the rest.