The.x. Chapter. A special comfort in all temptacion

BUt nowe muste this nedes be to man an inestimable comforte in all temptacion, if his fayth fayle him not, yt is to wit, yt he may be sure that God is alway ready to geue him strengthe agaynst ye deuylles might, & wysdō againste y• deuilles traynes: for as the Prophet sayth: Fortitudo m[…]et laus mea dominus factus est mihi in salutem. My strength and my prayse is our Lorde, he hathe bene my safegarder. And the scripture sayth. Pete a deo sapientiam et dabit tibi. Aske wisdō of God and he shall geue it thee: Vt possitis (as. S. Paule sayth: deprehendere omnes artes, that you maye spye & perceyue all ye craftes. A greate cōforte maye this be in all kyndes of temptaciō, ye god hath so his hande vpō him that is willing to stande & will truste in him, and call vpon him yt he hathe made him sure by many faythfull promyses in holy scripture, that eyther he shall not fall, or if he some tyme thorowe fayntnes of fayth stagger & happe to fall, yet if he call vpon God betymes, his fall shall be no sore bruisinge to him, but as the scripture sayth: Iustus si ceciderit non[…] collidetur quia dominus supponit manū. The iuste mā though he fal shal not be bruised, for our lorde holdeth vnder his hande. The Prophete expresseth a playne cōfortable promise of God agaynst all temptacion, where he saieth: Qui habitat in adiutorio altissimi, in proteccit one dei […]eli commorabitur. who so dwelleth in the helpe of the highest God, he shall abyde in ye protecciō or defence of y• God of heauen. Who dwelleth nowe good Cosyn in the helpe of the highe God? suerly he ye thorowe a good […]aythe abideth in y• truste & confydence of Gods helpe and neyther for lacke of that fayth and truste in his helpe. falleth desperate of all helpe, nor departeth from the hope of his helpe to seke him selfe helpe as I toulde you the other daye, of the fleshe, the worlde or the deuyll. Nowe he than yt by fast fayth and suer hope dwelleth in Goddes helpe and hangeth alwaye therupon, neuer fallinge from that hope, he shall, sayth the Prophet euer abyde and dwell in Goddes defence and prot[…]ccyon, that is to saye, that whyle he fayleth not to beleue well and hope well, GOD wyll neuer fayle in all temptacion to defende him. For vnto suche a faythfull well hoping man the Prophet in the same psalme sayth farther: Scapulis suis obumbrabit tibi & sub pennis eius sperabis: with his shoulders shall he shadowe thee, and vnder his feathers shalt thou trust.

Lo, here hath euery faythfull man a sure promyse, that in y• feruent heate of temptacion or tribulaciō (for as I haue sayde dyuers times before) they be in suche wyse coincydent, that euery trybulacion the Deuyll vseth for temptacion to bringe vs to impacience, and thereby murmure, grudge & blasphemy, and euery kynde of temptacion is to a good man that fighteth against it, and will not folowe it, a very paynfull tribulacion. In the feruent heate, I saye therfore, of euery temptacion, GOD gyueth the faythfull man that hopeth in him the shadowe of his holy shoulders whiche are brode and large suffycient to refrygerate and refreshe the man in that heate, and in euery trybulacion he putteth his shoulders for a defence betwene.

And than what weapon of the Deuyll maye geue vs any deadly wound, whyle that impenetrable pauyce of the shoulder of GOD s[…]andeth alwaye betwene? Than goeth the vearse farther and saythe vnto suche a faythfull man, et sub pennis eius sperabis. Thy hope shall be vnder his feathers, y• is to wete, for the good hope thou haste in his helpe. he will take the so nere him into his proteccyon, that as the henne, to kepe her younge chyckyns from the kyght, nestleth them togather vnder her owne wynges, so fro the deuilles clawes, ye rauenouse kyght of this darke ayre, ye God of heauen wyll gather his faithful trustinge folke, nere vnto his owne sydes, and set them in surety very well and warme vnder the couering of his owne heauenly winges. And of this defence and protection our sauyor spake him selfe vnto the Iewes, as mention is made in the.xxiii. Chapter of. S. Math. to whome he saide in this wise, Hierusalem Hierusalem que occidis Prophetas & lapidas eos qui ad te missisunt, quotics volui congregare te sicut gallina congregat Pullos suos & noluist[…]? that is to saye, Hierusalem Hierusalem, that kyllest ye Prophetes and stonest vnto deathe them that are sent vnto the, how oftē woulde I haue gathered the together as ye henne gathereth her chyckens, and thou wouldest not?

Here are wordes Cosyn Uincent, wordes of no litle comforte vnto euery christen man, by which we maye see, with how tender affeccyon GOD of his greate goodnes longeth to gather vnder the proteccion of his wynges, and howe often lyke a louynge henne he clocketh home vnto him, euen those chickēs of his, that wylfully walke abrode in the kyghtes danger, and will not come at his clockynge, but euer the more he clockethe for them, the farther they goe from him. And therfore can we not doubte if we will folowe him & with faythfull hope come runne vnto him, but that he shall in all matter of temptacion take vs nere vnto him and sette vs euen vnder his wynges, and than are we safe, if we will tary there. For against our wil can there no power pul vs thence, nor hurt our soules there. Pone me (saith ye Prophet) iuxta te, & cui[…]suis manus pugnet contra me. Set me nere vnto the, & fight against me whose hand that wyl: and to shewe the great safegarde and suerty that we shall haue while we syt vnder his heauenlye feathers. The Prophet sayth yet a great deale farther. Sub vmbra alarum tuarum exultabo. That is to wete, that we shall not onely (when we sitte by hys swete syde vnder his heauēly wing) sytte in safegard, but that we shall also vnder the couering of hys heauenly wynges, wyth greate exultacion reioyse.