Sermons upon Deuteronomy

But if ye be once pinched with adversity, then will ye cling to your God. Hereby we be warned again, to bear the corrections patiently which God sendeth us: for they do us good: whereas prosperity blindeth us and breedeth our destruction. True §50it is that gods gentle handling of us, ought not to cause us to despise him nor to neglect him. When God showeth himself loving towards us, surely we ought to be the more inclined thereby to love him. But what? Our dragging clean backward, bewrayeth that prosperity is not good for us. And therefore our Lord must be fain to scourge us. Wherefore let us learn not to be grieved out of measure when God beateth us so with his rods: but to bear his stripes meekly,§60 forasmuch as we see that the end thereof is to our welfare according as it is said here, when thou art pinched with adversity. Yea and if our Lord having smitten us after one sort do double his stripes: let us not murmur against him as we be inclined to do. For [sometimes] they that have bin patient in some one adversity, fall to storming and chasing against God when it cometh to the second or the third. But we must not do so. For on the contrary part, we see our Lord withdraweth not his hand at the first as soon as he hath chastised us once: and we abide by it still. In deed when we feel any adversity, we will set a good face upon it at the first, and say, very well, seeing that God chastiseth me. I must return unto him. But let him turn his hand on the other side: and we fall to fretting and chafing by and by. Therefore we must be chastised throughly: that is to say, God must let us alone in distress, & adversity must so overmaster us, as we may be throughly tamed, & it may so stick by our ribs, that when he shall have withdrawn his hand, we may remember it all our life after. Then let us learn that we must be patient in our adversities, not only for a day or twain, or for some affection: but so as we hold out quietly under the hand of our God, even when he doubleth and increaseth his stripes. That is the effect of the thing which we have to mark.

But if yee be once pinched with aduersitie, then will yee cling to your God. Hereby wee be warned againe, to beare the corrections patiently which God sendeth vs: for they doe vs good: whereas prosperitie blindeth vs and breedeth our destruction. True §50it is yt gods gentle handling of vs, ought not to cause vs to despise him nor to neglect him. Whē God sheweth himselfe louing towards vs, surely wee ought to be the more inclined thereby to loue him. But what? Our dragging cleane backward, bewrayeth that prosperitie is not good for vs. And therefore our Lorde must be faine to scourge vs. Wherefore let vs learne not to bee grieued out of measure when God beateth vs so with his roddes: but to beare his stripes meekely,