Sermons upon the Book of Job

yet there needeth no great force to destroy them, for the only §20blast of God will be enough to dispatch them quite and clean. And now let us come to that which is said concerning the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. For this said power is referred to the breath of his mouth, and to his word: that is to wit, that the wicked shall be rooted out by it. Behold how Isaiah speaketh, and Paul applieth the same text to the latter coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Howe then is it that Jesus Christ reigneth? It is when his enemies are confounded by his simple word, which is as a blast, and he needeth no other thunderbolts to §30overthrow them. Sith the case standeth so: let us look to our selves. For as oft as the Gospel is preached, God thundereth upon all the despisers thereof, and upon all such as become hard hearted and stubborn against him. True it is that for a time we perceive not the force of this word in punishing the wicked. But yet in the end they shall be fain to feel, how it is not in vain that God hath said by his Prophet, and confirmed it by his Apostle, that Jesus Christ shall destroy the wicked by the blast of his mouth and by the virtue of his word. And therefore (for §40fear of the said sentence) let us submit our selves to the Gospel, that we feel not the force enclosed in the same to our own confusion, but rather see the experience of it to our welfare. Thus much concerning the text. Afterward there is a similitude of Lions, Lionesses, and Lionesses whelps, how all of them shall be scattered and destroyed. There is no doubt but that Eliphassis meaning here, is that God stretched out his strong arm against such as are outrageous, and violent against men, and to be short, which resemble Lions and wild beasts. Here we see what the §50effect is. True it is that we see the meek ones so afflicted, as it seemeth that God would break them and bruise them in pieces, as we have example in David. But yet for all that, this sentence ceaseth not to be true, specially if we consider Gods judgements, how he proceedeth with them most commonly. For as touching the punishments that God layeth upon the world, there can no rule be made of them without exception. When it is said that such as are merciless shall have judgement without mercy:

yet there needeth no great force to destroy them, for the only