have the gospel in their lips, live so contrary to the doctrine of the gospel, as though there were no gospel at all. In ambition, in pride, in covetousness, in envy, in malice, in wantonness of life, &c. they give place to none. Another sort are so drowned in papistry, in 'superstition, în hypocrisy, &c., and burn with such hatred against God's word, that they can neither abide it (otherwise than according to their fancy,) nor the preachers of it, nor yet such as advance it. Can God do otherwise than send his plagues where such impiety and ungodliness reign? It cometh from God's great mercies that we are not consumed, and even as Sodom and Gomorrah. But our own damnation sleepeth not, if we do not both shortly and earnestly repent and amend.

Ph. Truth it is indeed, that God many times sends the plague of famine into the world for sin, as it came to pass in the time of that most wicked and idolatrous king Ahab, and at divers other times. And Moses, in the twenty-eighth chapter of Deuteronomy, sets forth at large, the many and great blessings that come to those who hearken diligently to the voice of the Lord, to observe and to do all his commandments, and the curses that shall come upon them that hearken not to the same. Read that chapter.—The prophet Isaiah also saith, If ye be loving and obedient, ye shall eat the good things of the earth. But if ye be obstinate and rebellious, ye shall be devoured with the sword. For thus the Lord hath promised with his own mouth, (Isaiah i.) These sentences, with many others in Holy Scripture, evidently show that famine and hunger are sent by God for our sins.

Eu. It is needful therefore that we all hearken to the admonition of God, given by the psalmist, which is, That there be no strange God among us, and that we worship no other God but him alone, who only is the Lord our God that delivered us out of the spiritual Egypt, that is, from the servitude and tyranny of Satan. (Psalm lxxxi.) If we do so, God promises that he will give us whatsoever we ask of him. He will feed us with the finest wheat flour, yea, and satisfy us with honey out of the stony rock. But to obtain of God this abundance and wealth, we must worship him, and have no strange gods. Strange gods are not only idols and mammets* made of wood and stone, which in times past the simple and foolish ignorant people worshipped as gods; but the abominable vices which now so

* Puppets, images.

commonly reign among us. I mean covetousness, pride, ambition, gluttony, lewdness, malice, &c. These are strange gods. These must be put out of our hearts if we will have God to be merciful and liberal to us. For is it reasonable for us to serve strange gods, and to give ourselves over as bond slaves unto them, and yet to require our wages and reward of the true and only living God? What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? What company hath light with darkness? What concord hath Christ with Belial? either what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (2 Cor. vi.) How agreeth the temple of God with idols? Know ye not, saith St. Paul, how that to whomsoever ye commit yourselves as servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether it be of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Rom. vi.) Christ saith, Every one that doth sin is the servant of sin. (John viii.) We must be God's servants before we flatter ourselves with obtaining the good things promised by God, or else we deceive ourselves. If once we be the servants of God, and faithfully continue in his service, then may we be bold to ask our wages of him, and to persuade ourselves that all the comfortable histories and sentences which we read in the Holy Scriptures pertain unto us.

Neither meant I by

Ph. I confess all this to be true. talking so much of God's gentleness and liberality, and by alleging these comfortable histories and sentences, to establish the idolaters in their idolatry, the wicked in their wickedness, the covetous worldlings in their covetousness, the proud in their pride, the lewd in their lewdness, the idle in their idleness, and yet that notwithstanding, they should look for all those good things at the hand of God which belong unto his servants, as he witnesses by the prophet. (Isa. Ixv.) But I meant to declare for your comfort and mine, that so many as give themselves over unto God, believe in him, fear him, serve him, and live according to their vocation, shall never perish for hunger, but at all times have whatsoever is necessary for them. And if any should famish, which seldom or never happens, God suffers them so to do, partly that he may sooner call them unto his glory, partly that their death may turn to the greater damnation of such unmerciful monsters as suffered the servants of God to perish for hunger.

Eu. I spake that which I spake, to this end, that men

should not flatter themselves with the sweet and comfortable promises of God, when they live in all wickedness and abomination; which promises pertain not unto them, but unto the faithful servants of God, who shall enjoy no less at the hand of God than he hath promised. If they will enjoy the same advantages, they must do the like service. They must put away their strange and newly found gods; I mean pride, covetousness, gluttony, whoredom, malice, &c., and serve the only true and living God.

Ph. Well neighbours, to sum up our talk in a few words, you have heard how beneficial God is to those who put their trust in him, and live according to their vocation, so that those who are faithful need not despair of comfort, though the scarcity of things be even so great, that it almost brings present death with it. For in that dearth and penury, the faithful man who casts his care on God, and depends wholly on his fatherly providence, may well say with the psalmist, If I walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will not fear any evil, for thou art with me. God is ever present with his people in all their tribulation, and he will undoubtedly deliver them, and save them harmless. This now remains-when you come among the poor needy Christians, comfort them with these sweet Scriptures which you have heard, which without doubt shall much quiet their minds, and restrain them from attempting any unlawful redress of things. Again, according to your ability relieve their poverty with your riches. Exhort your rich neighbours likewise to do good to the poor, as the faithful stewards of God, remembering it is unto that end God hath endowed them with their possessions. Pray unto God that he may give a merciful and liberal heart unto the covetous worldlings, that after this they may no less willingly seek the profit of their neighbours, than hitherto they have sought their own private lucre and individual advantage. To conclude, Pray unto God, that every one of us may so live, and so frame our lives according to his will, that he may vouchsafe to bless us and send us what is needful for us, that we may the more freely, and with the more quiet minds, serve him in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life.

GIVE THE GLORY TO GOD ALONE,

THE

CHRISTIAN KNIGHT,

TEACHING WARRIORS OF GOD NOT ONLY HOW THEY MAY PREVAIL AGAINST SATAN AND HIS WICKED ARMY IN THIS WORLD, BUT ALSO HOW THEY MAY LIVE BEFORE GOD WITH A QUIET AND JOYFUL CONSCIENCE. NEWLY SET FORTH UNTO THE GREAT COMFORT OF THE GODLY READERS, BY THOMAS BECON.

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.-Matt. xxvi. Be sober and watch, for your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour; whom resist steadfast in the faith.-1 Peter v.

To the right honourable sir Francis Russell, knight, lord Russell, Thomas Becon wisheth the favour of God, continual health, and prosperous felicity.

IF I had not by daily experience these few years past proved, yea, and that within mine own breast, right honourable lord, what disquietness, trouble, fear, and anguish, the remembrance of sin, conjoined with the contemplation and steadfast beholding of the righteous and terrible judgments of God, set forth in the Holy Scriptures against all ungodly and wicked persons, bringeth to weak and troubled consciences; I think verily, that no man living, although very excellent in persuading and moving affections, could have brought me to believe that so great a hell lurked, or rather lay buried, in the breast of any mortal man, although overwhelmed ever so much with the bottomless seas of sin, and estranged from all kinds of virtue and godliness. I have in times past heard by the relation of certain credible persons, how greatly divers godly and virtuous men have been troubled in their consciences by the consideration of their former life; which has appeared to them so horrible and sinful, that they have not only cursed the day of their birth, as we read of Job and Jeremiah, but also have been at the point of falling into desperation, and at utter defiance with God; accounting him not as a Father of mercy and God of all

consolation, but rather as a terrible Judge and fierce Lord; who, according to his righteousness, will punish, smite, slay, and condemn without mercy, all those that transgress his commandment, will, and pleasure.

And I myself a few years before, knew certain men of an honest conversation, and approved judgment, of whom some are yet living, and worthy and valiant champions in the court of the Most High, who were so turmoiled and tossed with the raging and cruel waves of desperation, that scarcely there remained any hope of salvation in their breasts; so terrible and loathsome was the appearance of their life to the eyes of their minds, and such fear conceived they of the righteous judgments of God. I have also read in the Holy Scriptures of God, and in authentic histories, of divers holy men who have been grievously vexed and turmoiled in their consciences, and almost ready to fall into the bottomless pit of desperation, if they had not been underset with the comfortable props of God's eternal mercy. But notwithstanding these things, if I had not proved the very same thing in mine own breast, which I have both heard and known of others, I should have thought the temptations of so many godly men to be but trifles, and things of no weighty importance; such carnal security and fleshly quietness concerning any grief of conscience reigns in the heart of natural man; which, as Jeremiah saith, (Jer. xvii.) is both wicked, and so stuffed with the filth of sin, that the bottom of it cannot be searched but by him alone who trieth the hearts and reins.

If such trouble, anguish, disquietness, grief, and turmoiling be in the hearts of them who earnestly profess Christ, cleave unto God's mercy with strong faith, hang wholly on his most sweet promises made to us plenteously in Christ's dear blood; and repent their wicked manners, mortify their carnal lusts, walk in a new life, and so appoint their conversation, that in all their life they seem to seek nothing but the glory of God, and the profit of their neighbour; what is to be thought of the false Christians who, professing Christ only in name, are very antichrists in their deeds, painted sepulchres full of all abomination and wickedness, glistering hypocrites, outwardly before men righteous, but inwardly before God full of hypocrisy, feigned holiness, dissimulation, and unrighteousness? Oh what a hell-like fire boils in their breasts; how are they disquieted, troubled, tormented, grieved, and turmoiled!