Sermons upon the Book of Job

but contrarily (as I have showed heretofore) the very truth of the matter is, that he should not find any of the Saints to be of his company. And why so? For the Saints were always of a meek mind in their adversities: and God chastised them after such assort, as he refrained his rigour, so as the end was good & happy. And although they had for a time been as it were shaken off at his hand, in such sort as it could not be §30perceived that he had any care of them: yet notwithstā ding they referred themselves unto him, & prayed always unto him, assuring themselves they should never be utterly forsaken of him, nor disappointed of the salvation that he had promised them. Lo here the intent of Eliphas. So then we see here that the Papists are falsifiers, & have manifestly corrupted the holy Scriptures. Verily they had need to be borne withal in one behalf: I mean not in their beastliness: but in that they had very great need to wrest and wring the holy Scripture too prove their §40dreams. They would make men believe, that they ought to pray unto Saints deceased: and yet the holy Scripture ciphereth not one word of it, neither can a man find so much as one syllable there for the good proof of it. But they will prove it: and therefore they must needs confound all, and white must be turned into black. But in the mean while it behoveth us to shun all mens inventions, which have been foolishly contrived without Gods warrant. And wherefore? For first of all men wander out of the right way of salvation, when they follow their §50own devises: and secondly it causeth the holy Scripture to be torn a pieces, so as men corrupt it and turn it upside down. Therefore let us learn to mislike whatsoever thing men have forged of their own brain, and let us hold us to this simplicity, namely that we must not covet to know ought, saving that which God hath declared to us with his own mouth. And to conclude, let us mark well these two points, which we have glanced at already: that is to wit, as often as we be scourged by Gods hand, let us mark well whither the faithful that §60have gone before us, have not been in the like plight. If we find that God hath exercised them in many tribulations:

but contrarily (as I haue shewed heretofore) the very truth of the matter is, that he should not finde any of the Sainctes to bee of his company. And why so? For the Sainctes were alwayes of a meeke minde in their aduersities: and God chastized them after such asort, as he refrained his rigour, so as the end was good & happy. And although they had for a time bene as it were shaken off at his hande, in suche sort as it coulde not bee