A commentary or, exposition upon the divine second epistle general, writtenA commentary or, exposition vpon the diuine second epistle generall, written

And as our fear of God is, so is our faith: little fear, little faith: no fear at al• no faith at all. Judgement may be threatened; but the stubborn soldier Mari•• will not hear the laws for the clattering of armour. The great things of the L•• are drowned in some clamour; Satan that cunning silver-smith, raising an uproar mo•• agreeable to mens humours; Great is Diana. The shriekings of Moloch, and the pitiful lamentation of burning infants, were not heard, because they deaffed themselves with the instruments of music. After the massacre of many Christian virtues, steps in conscience, in the phrase of Jobs messenger; I am alone escaped to […] thee. We like not the message, and imprison the bringer: and if the subsidiary gra•• of God come to succour and relieve this crying and dying conscience; men fl•••y to stupefy their own hearts.^r Thus the children are come to the birth, and there is […] strength to bring forth. Strength enough, but it is to strangle the birth, not to bri•• it forth. The midwives of Egypt feared God, and preserved the children alive but the still-borne motions of Gods Spirit may often testify to our faces, that w• are bloody mid-wives. The frowns of men we fear, as ducks use to dope at every stone thrown into the water: we fear an Ague, an enemy, a danger; yet […] the Lord, who commands all these. Let us fear God more, and we shall fe••• all other things less: if could turn all our fear into the fear of God, we sho•• then turn all our works unto the praise of God: and he will honour them, […] honour him.

And as our feare of God is, so is our faith: little feare, little faith: no feare at al• no faith at all. Iudgement may be threatned; but the stubborne souldier Mari•• will not heare the lawes for the clattering of armour. The great things of the L are drowned in some clamor; Satan that cunning silver-smith, raising an uprore mo agreeable to mens humours; Great is Diana. The scriekings of Moloch, and the pitifull lamentation of burning infants, were not heard, because they deaffed themselves with the instruments of musicke. After the massacre of many Christian vertues, steps in conscience, in the phrase of Iobs messenger; I am alone escaped to thee. We like not the message, and imprison the bringer: and if the subsidiary gra of God come to succour and relieve this crying and dying conscience; men fly to stupefie their owne hearts.