A06710:18
A comfortable epistle, too God's faithful people in EnglandA comfortable epistle, too Goddes faythfull people in Englande
A comfortable epistle, too God's faithful people in England wherein is declared the cause of taking away the true Christen religion from them, & how it may be recovered and obtained again, newly made by Thomas Becon.A comfortable epistle, too Goddes faythfull people in Englande wherein is declared the cause of takynge awaye the true Christen religion from them, & howe it maye be recouered and obtayned agayne, newly made by Thomas Becon.
printed by J. Lambrecht?, 1554
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
¶ The. iiij. Chapter.
But / what is now to be done? shall we 1caste away all hope? Shall we yield our self to the pri•e of darkness? Shall we suffer our selves continually to be wrapped & covered in with the dreadful clouds of popish blindness? God forbid. Yea / rather let us with a lusty courage & bold spirit hunt out & seek some means / whereby we may be dispatched of this most miserable plague / wherewith we are at this present justly stricken for our unthankfulness & wicked life / & so recover the favour of God / that we may once again walk in the heavenly light of his most glorious countenance. Sin / as we heard afore / drove away 2from us the benefit of God's most blessed word / & of his true religion / as the prophet saith: Your wickednesses have made a wall 3between you & your God / & your sins hide his face from you. Now must we therefore seek how to appease the wrath of God kindled against us. Verily the mean / how to make God merciful unto us / is from henceforth to 4avoid that / which was the cause of Gods displeasure against us / & of the taking away of his blessed word from us / I mean sin. Sin must be taken away from among us / or else c•we never be reconciled unto God / nor obtain his favour / so far is it of / that we shall recover the heavenly benefit of his glorious gospel.