The bright star which leadeth wise men to our Lord Jesus Christ, or, A…

But a man must neither wrong God nor himself in diminishing and concealing the things that God in goodness hath given him, not to deny them, but to use them to his glory. So for matters of this life, come to men for work of mercy, and and then there is such a whining, how poor they be, what a great charge they have, what losses they have sustained, and I know not what, then they will needs be poor, whereas their own soul bears them witness that they are wealthy, and have much more then many men that do a great deal more good then themselves. Therefore, though a man do not slander his neighbour, yet if he slander himself he is to be reproved as a liar. Herein divers of Gods children fail much in time of contemplation. Those that have been, and are sound and true hearted Christians if they have lost their feeling a while, & cannot find that rejoicing in God and comfort in good things that in former times they have, then comes the accuser of the brethren Satan that old and subtle serpent, and he strives to make them accuse themselves falsely. On saith he, if you had been good indeed, and had had a true heart to God, he would never have forsaken you thus, and given you over to such a deadness, and then through weakness, Gods children are ready to join with the devil against themselves ⟨image 182⟩and to think; it is true, sure I was but an hypocrite, and hollow hearted, my former comforts were but delusions & presumptions, if they had be been true, I should not have lost them. But this ought not to be, never yield to Satan, but if he strive to accuse▪ do you strive to excuse, & if he would cast you down, by so much the more lift up your self by reasons out of Gods word, and by former experience in your self & other Christians. For that is no good reason, because you have no feeling, therefore you have no faith, and because you have lost the sense of your comfort, therefore it was no true comfort; this is no true conclusion, for those whom God once loved, he loved to the end, and will never forsake them.

But a man must neither wrong God nor himselfe in diminishing and concealing the things that God in goodnesse hath giuen him, not to denie them, but to vse them to his glorie. So for matters of this life, come to men for worke of mercie, and and then there is such a whining, how poore they be, what a great charge they haue, what losses they haue sustained, and I know not what, then they will needs be poore, whereas their owne soule beares them witnesse that they are vvealthie, and haue much more then many men that doe a great deale more good then themselues. Therefore, though a man doe not slaunder his neighbour, yet if he slaunder himselfe he is to be reprooued as a lyar. Heerein diuers of Gods children faile much in time of contemplation. Those that haue beene, and are sound and true hearted Christians if they haue lost their feeling a while, & cannot finde that reioycing in God and comfort in good things that in former times they haue, then comes the accuser of the brethren Satan that olde and subtile serpent, and he striues to make them accuse themselues falsely. On saith he, if you had beene good indeed, and had had a true heart to God, he vvould neuer haue forsaken you thus, and giuen you ouer to such a deadnesse, and then through vveaknesse, Gods children are readie to ioyne vvith the diuell against themselues