Certain prayers and godly meditations very needful for every ChristenCerteine prayers and godly meditacyons very nedefull for euery Christen

¶Persecution.

¶Persecutyon.

After these and such other works let every man bolden and comfort his brothern to suffer the cross that god will lay on them to prove them whether they will abide in his word or fly back again. And let all men cast their pennyworths before Luc .xiiij. And every day that they are not vexed let them count that won ne / and look every hour when the cross shall come / for this is a plain case / God scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Hebr .xij. and Paul sayeth .ij. Tim. iij. All that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution. Now if they can endure chastening and suffer patiently / then god offereth him self unto them as unto sons Hebr .xij. so that they shall be destitute in no thing / for what can they lack which have god him self? Forgive heartily your enemies and persecutors praying unto god for them that he would vouchsafe to open their blind hearts and give them true knowledge for there is no man so mad / cruel / furious / and indurate / but that all other of them selves are even ⟨image 138⟩as were wide from god as he / so that every man which is not so wicked / may thank god that he keepeth him from that impiety / thou seest a man that is a these a whoremonger / and a murderer: there seest thou even thine own nature for if god kept thee not out of such vices / thou shouldest be even as evil as be / if thou be not such glory in god & not in thy self. Be not angry therefore with thine enemies and persecutors / but the sorry for them & lament their blind ignorance? Receive the cross gladly and rejoice there in / for this fire and tribulation (which is the trying of your faith) bringeth for patience / patience bringeth feeling / feeling bringeth hope / and hope maketh us not ashamed Roma. v. But maketh us boldly to look for his judgement / in which the unfaithful shall not be able to stand.