But ye said no, q. d. we dare not trust to that, a good horse will do us more service at such a time than a good promise; Egypt is a better security in their eye than Heaven. This is the fruit of gross infidelity. And as wicked men do thus forsake God and cleave to the creature in time of trouble, so there is found a spice of this distrustfulness of God producing fear and trouble in the best men. It was in the Disciples themselves, Matth. 8. 26. Why are ye fearful O ye of little faith? A Storm had befallen them at Sea, danger began to threaten them, and presently you ⟨p. 13⟩find a storm within, their fears were more boisterous than the winds, and had more need of calming than the sea, and it was all from their unbelief, as Christ tells them; the less their faith, the greater their fear: If a man can but rely upon God in a promise, so far as he is enabled to believe, so far he will reckon himself well secured. Illyricus 1in his Catalogue of the witnesses relates this remarkable passage of one Andreas Proles, a godly aged Divine who lived somewhat before Luther, and taught many points soundly, according to his light then, he was called to a Synod at Milan, and afterwards in the Lateran, where opposing a proposition of the Pope about burdening the Church with a new Holiday, he was brought into much danger, and escaping very narrowly from Rome, he bought him a Bow and Weapons, but as he was riding, he began to bethink himself, That the cause was not his but Gods, and not to be maintained with sword and bow, and if it were, yet what could such a decrepit old man do with weapons? Upon which he threw away his weapons, committed himself, his cause, and his journey to God, relied upon his promises more than sword or bow, and came home safe, and afterward died quietly in his bed.
But ye said no, q. d. we dare not trust to that, a good horse will do us more service at such a time than a good promise; Egypt is a better security in their eye than Heaven. This is the fruit of gross infidelity. And as wicked men do thus forsake God and cleave to the creature in time of trouble, so there is found a spice of this distrustfulness of God producing fear and trouble in the best men. It was in the Disciples themselves, Matth. 8. 26. Why are ye fearful O ye of little faith? A Storm had befallen them at Sea, danger began to threaten them, and presently you ⟨p. 13⟩find a storm within, their fears were more boisterous than the winds, and had more need of calming than the sea, and it was all from their unbelief, as Christ tells them; the less their faith, the greater their fear: If a man can but rely upon God in a promise, so far as he is enabled to believe, so far he will reckon himself well secured. Illyricus 1in his Catalogue of the witnesses relates this remarkable passage of one Andreas Proles, a godly aged Divine who lived somewhat before Luther, and taught many points soundly, according to his light then, he was called to a Synod at Millain, and afterwards in the Lateran, where opposing a proposition of the Pope about burdening the Church with a new Holiday, he was brought into much danger, and escaping very narrowly from Rome, he bought him a Bow and Weapons, but as he was riding, he began to bethink himself, That the cause was not his but Gods, and not to be maintained with sword and bow, and if it were, yet what could such a decrepit old man do with weapons? Upon which he threw away his weapons, committed himself, his cause, and his journey to God, relied upon his promises more than sword or bow, and came home safe, and afterward died quietly in his bed.
- 1Illyr. Cat. Test. lib. 19.
