Sermons upon the Book of Job

Lord thou diddest draw me out of my mothers womb, thou diddest gather me up from the matrice, thou haste showed thy self to be my God before I could know thee or call upon thee. David did set this gear before him, of purpose to render thanks unto God, and too sing unto his name in the midst of his sorrows: and afterward he stablisheth himself in good hope for the time to come, not doubting but God ⟨p. 58⟩regarded him still with compassion, considering that he had showed himself so gracious & pitiful towards him already. Here we see a lesson common to all men: which is, that when we be distressed with adversity too the uttermost, even that it seemeth a vain thing and but lost labour to call unto God: yet it behoveth us to consider, that he hath created us and put us into this world, imprinting his own image in us, and giving us many tokens to know that he taketh us for his children. This ought to make us lift up our minds aloft, to yield him his worthy praise: and §10moreover it must serve us for a spur to make us to trust in him, doubting not but he will show himself the same hereafter, whom we have felt him heretofore. True it is, that it were better for a man to be unborn, than to be utterly left up unto misery: in so much as our Lord sayeth, unhappy is he by whom offences come: It were far better for such a man, that he had never been borne. Yea, but when the case standeth but upon the suffering of calamities and troubles: we must not take them so sore to heart, as to forget the gracious goodness §20that he showed us, when it pleased him too make us to enjoy the light of the world, specially with condition that we should be his children, because he hath printed his image in us. There was therefore a piece of unthankfulness in Job. But let us mark therewithal, that he spake not as one that consented to such meaning. He was so turmoiled, that this escaped his mouth unawares: & yet nevertheless he was fully resolved in his hart still, that God had done him so much good, as of very reason he ought to acknowledge it. And hereby we be §30taught, that although God strengthen us by his holy spirit, so as we have some patience and power to withstand adversities:

Lorde thou diddest draw mee out of my mothers wombe, thou diddest gather mee vp from the matrice, thou haste shewed thy selfe to bee my God before I coulde knowe thee or call vpon thee. Dauid did set this geere before him, of purpose to render thankes vnto God, and too sing vnto his name in the middes of his sorowes: and afterwarde he stablysheth himselfe in good hope for the time to come, not doubting but God