CHristian profession is by the Ho­ly Spirit, 1. Cor. 9.24. &, Heb. 12.1. resembled to a race. The run­ners in this race are the profes­sours of Christianity, men & wo­men, of all rankes, all Christians. Stadium est haec vita morta­libus; híc contē ­dimus, vt alibi coronemur. Hieron. ep. ad Eustochium. We al runne, non pedum celeri­tate, sed virtute, pietate, fide: our running is, not by swiftnesse of foot, but by vertue, pie­ty, and faith. And we runne for a price. The price is a crowne. NoA. Gellius Nect. Attic. lib. 5. cap. 6. murall, no ovall, no civil, no triumphal, no obsidional crowne; no such crowne, as worthy champiōs of old contended for; no crowne of grasse, no crowne of oliue, no crowne of oake, no crowne of gold. Al these were vile and contemptible in regard of the crowne, which we run for. They were all transitory and corruptible; but the crowne which we runne for, is a crowne of eter­nity. S. Peter in his 1. Epist. chap. 5. ver. 4. calleth it τὸν ἀ­μαράντινον τῆς δόξης στέφανον, a crown of glory, that fadeth not. S. Paule, 1. Cor. 9.25. calleth it τὸν στέφανον ἄφθαρτον, an in­corruptible crowne. Now the place where we runne for [Page 2] this incorruptible and never fading crowne is, civitas huius mundi, the city of this world. Here weMagnis in­imicorum cir­cundamur agminibus; hostiū plena sunt omnia. Hieron vbi. suprà. meete with many stops; many lets, many hinderāces. Temp­tations vpon temptations do even swarme before vs, behinde vs, beside vs, round about vs. Temptations of prosperity, temptations of adversity, temptations of heresie, these stand in the streets, likeGen 3.24. the flaming sword, to stop our way to Paradise.

The greatest obstacle or impediment, most likely to overthrow vs in this race, is the temptation of the crosse, the temptation of adversity. The godly man, he who hath the 1. Tim. 4.8. promises as well of the life that now is, as of that which is to come, as wellDeut. 28 1. &c. Lev. 26.3. &c. corporall, as spirituall, if he be depressed and kept vnder in disgrace and misery, while the wicked man before his face is highly advā ­ced to honour & preferment, how is he discouraged? how discomforted? With this temptation was Da­vid exercised. For when he saw the prosperity of the wicked, and considered, that they were not afflicted like other men, that they encreased in riches, that whatsoever they took in hand, it went well forward; his feet were almost gone, his steps had well-nigh slipt. It is his owne confes­sion, Psal. 73.2. Did this temptation so farre prevaile with David, Act. 13.22. a man after Gods owne heart? How shall the rest of the Godly withstand it? Behold for them an anchor, able to keep them, that they be not overwhel­med with the waues of this tēptation; even the words of my text, ‘Shall there be evill in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?’

Here are seaven interogations together without any interruption. This is the seaventh, and is like the rest. It beareth the forme of an Interrogation, but is for matter a vehement Asseveration. It's vsuall with the Scriptures then to propound a matter by way of question, when they will most of all affirme it. Gen. 18.14. the LORD saith to Abraham: Is any thing too hard for the LORD? It is as if he had said; al things are easie with the LORD; there is nothing impossible, nothing too hard for him. Mar. 12.24. Iesus answering the Sadduces said vnto thē, Doe yee not therefore erre, be­cause yee knowe not the Scriptures, neither the power of God? It is, as if he had said: doubtlesse yee therefore erre because yee knowe not the Scriptures, neither the power of God. 1. Cor. 10.16. S^t Paul saith, The bread which we breake, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? It is, as if he had said: The bread which wee breake is the communion of the body of Christ. Many other pla­ces of like nature I might produce: But by these wee see, that an Interrogation vseth to be put from an Af­firmation; as in my text, ‘Shall there bee evill in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?’

It is as if our Prophet had said: There shall be no evill in a city, but the LORD will doe it. Or, whatsoever evil is in a city, the LORD hath done it.

Durus est hic sermo, happyly will some say, as those fleshly hearers of Christ said to Christ, Ioh. 6.60. When Christ had told them, that they were to eate his flesh, & to drinke his blood, else they should not liue. Durus est [Page 4] hic sermo, This is a hard saying; who can endure to heare it? Shall there be no evil in a city, but the LORD will doe it? but he hath done it? Durus sermo; This is a hard saying.

This stumbling blocke, this stone of offence will easily be remoued, if you will bee pleased to consider with me three circumstances expressed in the letter of my text: Quis, Quid, Vbi. An Agent, an Action, The place of performance. The Agent is the LORD, the Actiō is a doing of evill, the place where this action is to bee per­formed, is a City. Shall there be evill in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?

Follow me, I beseech you, in these three, I will passe them over as briefly, and as plainely as I may. If in my discourse I shall seeme for a while somewhat thorny, or perplexed, helpe me with your attention.

Shall there be evill in a city, & the LORD hath not done it?] The first circumstance to bee now considered is Quis. The Agent. My text cals him IEHOVAH.

IEHOVAH! It is the most proper name of God. No creature is made partaker of it; nor man, nor Angel. It betokeneth first the essence of God, secondly the truth and complement of his promises. First it signifi­eth, that God is verè τὸ ὂν: à quo πάντα τὰ ὄντα ; that God is so of himselfe, thatRom. 11.36. of him, and through him, and to him are all things. Secondly it signifieth, that God is e­ver faithful in his promises. From whence two things should deeply, and perpetually bee fastned in the me­mory of every Christian: one is, that our God is an e­verliuing God, is the chiefest good, is the author of all [Page 5] good, and is therefore alwaies, and aboue al things to be loued: the other is, that our God is ever true in his promises, and therefore that our whole trust must e­ver lie on him. For he only is IEHOVAH: IEHOVAH is his name for ever, it is his memoriall vnto all generations. So it is called, Exod. 3.15. and Hos. 12.5.

This our God, the Lord, IEHOVAH, who is of himselfe alone, and is only true in all his sayings, hee is not that God of those shamelesse blasphemers, theAugust, de Haeresib. c. 46. Manichees andIbid. c. 22. Marcionites, Zanchius de Attribut. Dei. lib. 4. cap. 1. qu. 1. thes 4. Deus malus, à quo sit omne malum, an evill God from whom commeth all evill. Our God is no such God; there is no evill in him, there proceeds no evill frō him: he is whollyPs. 33.5. & 73.1. & 103.11, 17. & 136.1. &c. good: good In se Deꝰ bo­n' est suâ essē ­tiâ, & summè. Polā Syntag. Theol. lib. 2. cap 20. of himselfe; & by his essence. Now, if hony, of its owne nature and essence sweet, hath no bitternesse in it; if the Sunne of its owne nature and essence light, hath no darknesse in it; without doubt God of himselfe, of his owne nature & essence good, hath no evill in him. Wee confesse with David, Psal. 5.4. O our God, thou art not a God, that hath pleasure in wickednesse, neither shall any evill dwell with thee.

Thus you see, Quis, who this Agent is. It is IEHOVAH, the Lord our God, whose being is of himselfe, who is true in all his sayings, who is absolutely good, in whom there is no staine of evill. Such is the Agent. The next circumstance is Quid, the Action, a doing of evill; Shall there be evill in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?

The naturalist saith;Mat. 7.17. A good tree bringeth forth good fruit: the Philosopher saith; Omne Arist. 2. Phys. Aquin. 2. Dist. 18. qu. 2. Art. 1. ad. 4. Zanch. de At­trib. l. 2. cap. 7. qu. 3. agens agit sibi simi­le; Such as the Agent is, such is the Action: if the A­gent [Page 6] be good, the Action cannot be evil. How then is it, that God of himselfe and absolutely Good, is here, in my text, noted, for a doer of evill?

For answer herevnto wee must with S^t Austin cap. 26. contra Adimantum Manichaeum distinguish of evils: there is malum, quod facit homo, and malum, quod pati­tur, there is an evill which man doth, and there is an evill which man suffereth: the first is sinne, the other is the punishment of sinne, of this, not of that, must God be said to be the doer. This distinction is more plainely delivered by Tertullian, contra Marcion. lib. 2. cap. 14. There is malum delicti, and malum supplicij, there is ma­lum culpae, and malum poenae; there is an evill of sinne, & an evill of paine, Suum cui (que) parti definimus autorem, saith that Father, malorum quidem peccati & culpae Dia­bolum, malorum verò supplicij & poenae Deum creatorem. Of the evills of sinne and fault the Devill is the author, but in the evils of paine and punishment, wee acknow­ledge the hand of God the Creatour.

This distinction of evils, saithAnnot. 82. in locum Tertulliani. Pamelius, is worth the noting against Calvin, and his followers; as if Cal­vin, or the rest, who maintaine the truth of that do­ctrine, which Calvin professed, denied this distinction of Evils, to make God the cause and author of sinne.

This horrible blasphemie and impietie, wherewithDe amiss. Grat. & statu reccati lib. 2. cap. 4. Bellarmine, Octavâ ratione. Campian, Defensione. praefationum Bellarm. Tom 1 pag. 5, & 6. Gretser, Tom. 1. Opusc. 3. de autore pec­cati p. 98. Becan, andBernard. Dörhoff A­podix 1. cap. 3. pag. 32. Carol. Scri­banius Or­thod. fidei controvers. lib. 2. cap. 3. pag. 121. &c. Matth. Kelli­son, in his Reply to Sut­cliffes answer to the Survey 5. booke pag. 356. &c. other of that rabble, haue branded vs, I haue elsewhere di­verted in a Sermon vpon Hos. 10.2. wherein I confir­med two positions.

One: There is a degree of some forwarder disposition of [Page 7] God, in the actions of vnrighteous men, then his bare tole­ration.

The other: Though God bee a worker in the workes of the wicked, yet is the will of the wicked thereby no way cō ­pelled. Whence followeth this conclusion; God is not to any construction, the cause or author of sinne. This we affirme in our bookes, we teach in our pulpits, we de­termine in our Schooles.

We say, and our adversaries will say no lesse, that God is the author of all actions in the world; that hee is the author of every motion within vs. In him we liue and moue, and haue our being, Act. 17.28. without him we liue not, we moue not, we haue no being. Yet wee say that sinne, is wholly and only of man himselfe; we cannot challenge God for any part thereof.

Distinguish then the accident from the subiect, di­stinguish the sinne of the action from the action it selfe; God in the one shal be glorified, and man shal be iust­ly condemned for the other. God is not to any cōstructi­on the cause, or author of sinne. Yet, you see my text char­geth him, as if he were the cause & author of Evill. Shall there be evill in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?

Evill! If by evill you will vnderstande according to my former distinctions (malum poenae, malum supplicij, malum, quod homo patitur, which you may call, malum afflictionis) if by Evill you will vnderstand the evill of paine, the evill of punishment, the evill of affliction, you haue the meaning of my Prophet: Shall there be a­ny Evill] Any evill of paine, punishment, or afflictiō, Shall there be any such Evill in a city, and the Lord hath [Page 8] not done it?

These now brought distinctions of evill may serue for the vnfolding of other texts of Scripture: of that, Esay 45.7. I, the Lord, create Evill; & that, Lament. 3.38. Out of the mouth of the most high proceedeth Evill; & that Ion. 3.10. God repented of the Evill, that he had said, hee would do vnto them. By Evill in all those places, as here in my text, we are to vnderstand the Evil of paine, pu­nishment, and affliction.

The Evill of paine, punishment, and affliction! Why Euil? Doubtlesse whatsoever paine, punishmēt, or affliction befalleth vs, it is good. 1. Because it is laide vpon vs, by God, who is of himselfe, and absolutelie good. 2. Because it is iust: and what is iust, must needs be good. 3. Because it tendeth to the glory of God, and the salvation of the elect; and who will deny this to be good? For these reasons whatsoever paine, punish­ment, or affliction may befall vs, it is good. Why then is it in my text, and elsewhere noted by the name of Evill?.

Jt is so noted, because in our sense and feeling it is Evill. Things may bee tearmed Evill two manner of waies: some are Euill indeed, and of their owne nature; in this rancke we must place our sinnes: some are Evill, not indeed and of their owne nature, but in regard of our sense, apprehension, and estimatiō; & in this ranke we must place whatsoever, paine, punishment, or afflictiō God layeth vpon vs in this life for our sinnes. I say thē, that the Euill in my text, is indeed good, but improperly Evill; it is good in its owne nature, but Evill only, as wee [Page 9] call Euill, whatsoever liketh vs not, or is not for our ease. Thus farre haue you my second circumstance, Quid, the Action, a doing of Euill: Shall there be euill in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?

The third circumstance is Vbi, the place where this Action is performed. My text cals it a City. Shal there be Evill in a City] In Civitatibus, in Cities, so Lyranus expoūdeth it. In Civitate aliquâ, in any City, it is Mer­cerus his exposition. I say, in Civitate huius mundi, in the City of this world.

This vniverse, & admirable frame of Nature wherin IEHOVAH, the LORD, our God, Ps. 97.1. & 91.1. raigneth, consisteth of two Cities: the one is,August. Re­tract. l 2. c. 43. Civitas Dei, the city of God, the other is,August. de temp. serm. 106. Civitas huius mundi, the city of this world. The one isAug. de Civ. Dei lib 14. cap. 28. Celestiall, the other is Terrene; the one is of the Aug. de ca­techizandis rudib. l. 1. c. 19 Saints, the other of the wicked; the one isAug. Enar­rat in Ps. 61. Ierusalem, the other is Babylon. In the first, that most glorious city of God, and his Saints, the Celestiall Ie­rusalem, all teares are wiped away from the eies of the Ci­tizens; there is neither death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor paine, Revel. 21.4. There is no Evill there; no not the E­vill of affliction. Wherefore that City, is not the City in my text.

In the other City, the City of this world, the Terrene city, the city pestered with the wicked, Babylon, great Babylon, the city of confusion, there is no sure repose for the Godly there. There may they become aPs 79 4. reproach to their neighbours, there may they be a scorne, and deri­siō, to them, with whō they liue; there may theyPsal. 88.9. mourne daily by reason of affliction. For even the Godly, who [Page 10] areAugust. de civitate Dei lib. 15. cap. 1. by grace cives sursum, Citizens aboue, citizens of the supernall and Celestiall City of God, they are also by grace peregrini deorsum, pilgrimes, or strangers here below, in this Terrene city, the city of this world. Here must they passe through many evils; here must they be cut, hewen, and squared, with sundry tribula­tions, sicknesses, and diseases, before they can bee made fit and liuely stones for the heavenly Ierusalem.

Thus haue wee found out the City in my text; it is this Terrene City, the City of this world; and this was my third circumstance. Vbi, the circumstance of the place, where the Agent performeth his Action.

Now the meaning of my text is plaine. Shall there be evil in a city; and the LORD hath not done it? Shal there be evill] Any evill of paine, punishment, or affliction, In a City] Not only in this City, wherein wee are now assembled, but in any City, or other place of the whole world, in the city of this world, Shall there bee any such evill any where, and the LORD hath not done it?] Or, as the diverse reading is,In the mar­gin of the new translation. Shall not the LORD doe some­what? The doctrine from hence to be commended to your most serious and religious meditations, is, ‘Whatsoeuer affliction befalleth any one any where in this world, it is from the LORD.’

By affliction in this proposition I vnderstand the suffering of any thing, the sense, or cogitation whereof our nature shunneth. Whatsoever is any way grie­vous, or offensiue, to our humane nature, I call Afflictiō. The temptations of the flesh, the world & the Devil; the diseases of the body, an infortunate husband or [Page 11] wife, rebellious children, vnthankfull friends, losse of goods, reproaches, sclaunders, war, pestilence, famine, imprisonment, death; every crosse and passion, bodily or ghostly, proper to our selues, or appertaining to such as are of our blood private or publike, secret or manifest, either by our owne deserts gotten, or other­wise imposed vpon vs, I call Afflictions. In a word, all manner of miseries, calamities, vexations, or molesta­tions in this life from the least to the greatest, from the paine of the little finger, to the very pangs of death, I call Afflictions.

There are two sorts of men (shall I say, in this city? I say in the city of this world) there are two sorts of men visited with afflictions: the one, the Scriptures cal the reprobate; the other, the elect; they are the wicked, these the godly. Whatsoever Affliction befalleth the first sort, the Reprobate, the wicked, it is, (as Divines call it) τιμωία, a punishment wherewith God as a fearefull iudge avengeth himselfe vpon the wicked for their sins; properly a punishment; a punishment inflicted on men sinning, that the iustice of God may thereby bee satis­fied.

With the other sort, with the Elect, with the Godly it is not so. Whatsoever afflictions befall them, they are not properly punishments for their sinnes; they are more rightly called Crosses. Punishments they cannot properly be called; because whatsoever punishment is due to any of the Elect for their sinnes, it's fully answe­red by Christ in his actiue and passiue obedience, in his life and death. He is become our λύτρον, hee hath paid [Page 12] the price of our redemption, he hath fully satisfied for all our sinnes; our sinnes past, present, and to come. And therefore if any afflictions be vpon vs, we are not to call them properly punishments for our sinnes; the name of crosses will befit them better.

These crosses of the godly are either παιδιεῖαι or δοχι­μα [...]αι, they are either chastisements for our sinnes alrea­dy perpetrated, to make vs the more wary for the time to come, that we fall not againe into the same, or the like sinnes; or they are trials, and exercises, of our faith, hope, charitie, patience, and other like Christian vertues. Now all these fore-mentioned afflictions, ei­ther properly punishments for sinne, such as are the afflictions of the wicked, or chastisements, or trials, such as are the afflictions of the Godly, they are all from the LORD according to the truth of my doctrine, ‘Whatsoever affliction befalleth any one, any where in this world, it is from the LORD.’

The LORD, he is [...], the primary cause of all afflictions, and of many the immediate cause. Of the vni­versall deluge, and floud of waters in the daies of Noah, Gen. 6.17. Of the burning of Sodom, Gomorah, and their sister Cities, Gen. 19.24. Of the overthrow of Pharaohs host in the midst of the sea, Exod. 14.27. Of the smiting of Nabal to death, 1. Sam. 25.38. of all these was God the immediate cause.

Some afflictions it pleaseth God to effect mediatè, by secundary, and instrumentall causes, by Angels, by mē, by other creatures.

First God afflicteth by Angels. By an Angel he smote [Page 13] Davids people, so that there died of the pestilence frō Dan to Beersheba, seauenty thousand men, 2. Sam. 24.15. By an Angel he smote in the campe of the Assyrians, one hundred fourescore and fiue thousand, 2. King. 19.35. By an Angel he smote K. Herod, so that he died, Act. 12.23.

Secondly, God afflicteth by men. Here might I tell you of the afflictions, wherewith God exercised his people Israel by Cushan-Rishathaim K. of Mesopotamia for eight yeares, Iudg. 3.8. By the Midianites for seaven yeares, Iudg. 6.1. By the Philistines, and the Ammonites for eighteene yeares, Iudg. 10.8. By the Philistines againe for forty years, Iudg. 13.1. Here might I relate vnto you the many afflictions, wherewith God proved his peo­ple, the people of Iudah, by sending against them the Egyptians, Assyrians, and Chaldeans. The bookes of the Kings and Chronicles are copious in describing them. I need not remember you of Ashur, Esai, 10.5. how there he is stiled the rod & the staffe of the wrath of God, to signifie, that he was organum, siue instrumentum Dei, the executioner of Gods vengeance vpō Hypocrites. I will not hold you with any long narration of Attila, King of the Hunnes, Medes, Gotthes, and Danes, how in his title or inscription he called himselfe, metum orbis, flagellúm (que) Dei, the terrour of the world, & the scourge of God. I passe over the great Turke, whom you know now to bee the hammer of the world, and the rod of Christendome.

Come we home vnto our selues. Here shal we find it made good, that by men God afflicteth men. Else why is it come to passe according to Ieremies words, chap. [Page 14] 9.4. that a neighbour deceiueth his neighbour, that a bro­ther supplanteth his brother? Why is it now according to Micah's words, chap. 7 6. that the sonne dishonoureth his father, that the daughter riseth vp against her mother? Why are aMicah 7 6. Matth 10.36. mans enimies now the men of his owne house? Why doth the corrupt MagistrateAmos 2.6. sel the righ­teous for siluer, and the poore for a paire of shooes? Why doth the cruell LandlordAmos 2.7. pant after the dust of the earth on the head of his poore tenant? Why behold we in our cities biting vsurie, Hab. 1.2, 3. violence, oppression, false dea­ling? Certainely God is even now pleased to afflict men by men.

Thirdly, God afflicteth by other creatures also. This the story of Gods visitation vpon Pharaoh, and the E­gyptians, Exod. chap. 8, 9, 10. maketh plaine vnto vs. There we finde that frogges, lice, flies, grashoppers, thun­der, haile, lightning, murraine, botches, and sores, did in­strumentally avenge God vpon man & beast in Egypt. Not in Egypt only, but every where else, those & other like creatures, as fire, and snow, and vapours, and stormy windes, doe fulfill what God commandeth. So saith the Spirit, Ps. 148.8.

Infinite might I be in the prosecution of this point & yet keepe my selfe within the limits of Sacred writ. But I may not dwell hereon. Only in summe I say; Ie­hovah, the Lord our God, the Agent in my text, is Deus exercituum, a God of hosts. All creatures, Celestial, Ter­restrial, Infernal, & the rest, that are either in the aire, or in water; they are all of Gods armie, and are ready to doe his Holy will. By these God afflicteth vs. These [Page 15] are the instruments, but God is the author of our affli­ctions. Thus is my doctrine established, ‘Whatsoever affliction befalleth any one any where in this world, it is from the Lord.’

Whatsoever affliction] be it punishment, chastisemēt or triall, Befalleth any one] wicked or Godly, Any where in this world] either here or else where, in the city of this world, It is from the Lord] either immediatly and primarily of himselfe, or mediatly and secundarily, by Angels, men, and other creatures, the instruments & executioners of his holy and iust iudgements.

This doctrine thus confirmed and explained is pro­fitable many waies.

First it may serue for reproofe of some olde Here­ticks, the Coluthians, and Florinians. TheAugust. de haeres. cap. 65 Coluthians affirmed, that God doth no evill, contrary to my pre­sent text and doctrine. The Florinians affirmed, that God createth evill, contrary to that, Gen. 1.31. God saw every thing, that he had made, and behold it was very good. These two sects of Hereticks are one against the other, but both against the dictates of the holy Spi­rit. S. Austine cap. 66. lib. de haeresib. hath fitted one an­swer for both: Creat Deus mala, poenas iustissimas irro­gando, quod Coluthus non videbat; non autem malas cre­ando naturas, at (que) substantias, in quantum sunt naturae, at (que) substantiae, vbi Florinus errabat. The summe of his answer is: God may bee said to create evill, to doe evill, by laying vpon offenders iust punishments, which Coluthus saw not; but not by making evill natures and substances, which was Florinus his errour. God crea­teth [Page 16] evill, God doth evill; vnderstand it notPaulus de Palatio. de malo culpae & criminū, but de punitione, poenâ (que) scelerum, vn­derstand it not of the evill Rupertus. of iniquitie, but of the e­vill of affliction, you are in right. For, ‘Whatsoever affliction befalleth any one any where in this world, it is from the LORD.’

Is it from the LORD? Then in the second place this doctrine serueth to reproue such, as doe volunta­rily, and wilfully thrust themselues into afflictions, not expecting the good houre, when God should lay his rod vpon them. The offenders in this kind are the Pa­pists, such as betake themselues to the discipline, as they cal it, [...] to beat themselues naked with rods & whips: such as superstitiously [...] weare sackcloath, [...] goe barefoo­ted, and [...]. lie vpon the ground; thinking by these, and such toies, to expiate their sinnes, and to demerite vn­to themselues eternall life.

A vaile for this their hypocrisie they thinke they haue, in 1. Cor. 9.27. where S^t Paul saith of himselfe, I keepe my body vnder, and bring it into subiection. The words are much stood on by Gretser lib. 1. de Discipli­nis cap. 4. Hee collecteth from them, that S^t Paul did discipline himselfe, that is, did punish himselfe with strokes of rods or whips. For what else, saith hee, is ὑποπιάζειν, but to beate with mightie strokes? And what is that, but facere disciplinam, to vse discipline vpon himselfe.

This vaile we easily take from them. S^t Paule takes his ὑποπιάζω tropically, as translated from the manner of fight betweene a champion, and his antagonist. [Page 17] But what is this to the Iesuites purpose, who takes it literally?

S^t Paule kept his body vnder, and brought it into subiection. I graunt it. So should we after his example. Jt's our parts also ὑποπιάζειν: it's our parts to keepe our bodies vnder, to bring them into subiection. The mea­ning is not, that wee should afflict and macerate our bodies with whips, with scourges, with hairecloths, with lying vpon the ground, and the like; S^t Paule did not do so; but the meaning is, that we should subdue the re­liques of the old man within vs, that wee should keepe vnder the body of sinne within vs, that we should bring into subiection the corrupt nature within vs, that thus mortified in the flesh, we may bee quickned by the Spirit, as S^t Peter speaketh. 1. Epist. chap. 3.18. Thus mortified in the one, and quickned by the other, wee shall bee ar­med with patience to beare whatsoever affliction shal light vpon vs, being well assured, that every such af­fliction is from the LORD, according to the truth of my doctrine, ‘Whatsoever affliction befalleth any one, any where in this world, it's from the LORD.’

Is it so beloued? Then in the third place, this doc­trine serueth to confute the vaine opiniō of Fortune, wherevnto, like the Philosophers of old, some carnal ignorant people now adaies vse to ascribe such their afflictions, whereof they see not an apparant cause. If by fire, by lightning, by tempests, by windes, by wa­ters, by vnseasonable weather, by theeues, or otherwise, they receaue losse, they ascribe all to Fortune; quasi [Page 18] Deus otium coleret in coelo, & non curaret res humanas, as if they were to hold it for an article of their beleefe, that God liueth idlely in Heaven, and hath no care of mans affaires.

Noli fortunam, quae non est, dicere caecam. Foolish man! why dost thou for thy losses accuse blinde for­tune, when there is no such thing? Looke vp to Heavē. There is the seate of Maiestie, whereon he sitteth, who ordereth all thy losses. Be patient towards him. He is the Lord. How knowest thou, whether hee will not deale with thee, as he dealt with Iob, cha. 42.12? It may be, hee will make thy latter ende, better then thy be­ginning was. Forget not therefore what now thou hast learned, ‘Whatsoever affliction befalleth any one any where in this world, it is from the LORD.’

Is it from the LORD? Here then in the fourth place we haue, wherewith to comfort our selues in the day of affliction. Whatsoever affliction shall befall vs, its frō the LORD: the LORD he is omnipotent, he is merciful, he is ever present with vs; he will not suffer vs to be temp­ted aboue our abilities; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that wee may be able to beare it. So saith S. Paule, 1. Cor. 10.13. Well: we may be troubled on every side, but we shall not be overpressed; we may bee perplexed, but shall not be in despaire; we may be perse­cuted, but shall not be forsaken; wee may be cast downe, but shall not bee destroyed. The same Apostle doth as­sure vs hereof, 2. Cor. 4.8. Say, it is our case. Wee are troubled, perplexed, persecuted, cast downe; what shall wee [Page 19] doe? Wee will support our selues with Davids confi­dence, Psal. 23.4. Though we walke through the valley of the shaddow of death, we wil feare no evil; for thou LORD, art with vs. Thou, LORD art with vs;Rom. 8.13. Quis contra nos? WeHebr. 13.6. will not feare, what man can doe vnto vs.

Wherefore to conclude, sith there is no affliction, that befalleth any man in this world, but it's from the LORD; and he is a bastard, not a sonne, that is not par­taker of afflictions, as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrewes witnesseth, chap. 12.8. Let vs with S. Iames, chap. 1.2. account it exceeding ioy, when we are afflicted. The Patriarches, the Prophets, the Evangelists, the A­postles, haue found the way to Heavē narrow, rugged, and bloody: and shall wee thinke that God will strew carpets for our nice feete to walke thither? He that is the dore, and the way, our LORD & Saviour, Iesus Christ, hath by his owne example taught vs, that by many afflictions we must enter into the kingdome of Hea­ven. There is but one passage thither; and it is a strait one. If with much pressure we can get through, and leaue but our superfluous rags, as torne from vs, in the throng, we shall be happy.

Let vs therefore, whensoever any adversity, crosse, calamity, miserie, or affliction shall betide vs, let vs with due regard to the hand, that smiteth vs, receiue it with thankes, keepe it with patience, digest it in hope, apply it with wisedome, bury it with meditation, and doubtlesse it shall end vnto vs in peace and glory, in peace of Conscience in this life, and in glory eternall in the highest Heavens. Of this peace of Conscience in [Page 20] this life, and that immarcessible crowne of glory in the life to come, vouchsafe gracious Father, to make vs all partakers for thy best beloued Sonne Iesus Christ his sake: to whom with thee in the vnitie of the Holy Spirit be all praise and power, might and Maiestie, dignitie and dominion for evermore. Amen.