Sermons upon the Book of Job

but he declareth that according as God showeth us that the wicked shall be confounded in the end, so he grounded himself thereupon, & was not shaken from it by any temptation, but although he had seen the wicked fly so high a pitch, yet he held still at one stay, saying: They must needs come to naught. Now we see in effect what is contained here. And let us apply this lesson to our own use, that we may know how agreeable the same is unto us. True it is that we have not to do with that condemning of other men: for it standeth every man in hand, rather to look unto himself, and that is the thing whereunto ⟨p. 88⟩every one of us must apply his endeavour. For those that meddle so hastily with the judging of their neighbours, forget themselves, & God will not spare them though they flatter themselves: they must be fain to come before their judge, who will handle them rigorously, because they overslipped themselves so much in their own faults. Let us note then, that our mind must not gad here and there to seek out the evil that is in our neighbours: but every man must enter into himself, & examine his own state and life: and when we find any fault in our selves, we §10must condemn it. Furthermore whereas it is said that we must also curse the wicked and the despisers of God: it is not to yield such authority or preeminence to us as of our selves. Howe is it then? First of all if the wicked sort persecute or trouble us, so as they do us any wrong or annoyance: we imagine that God hath given us over, and that he careth no more for us. And hereupon we be tempted to conceive a grief as though we had lost our time by walking in singleness and uprightness, saying: Howe now? I look that God should have succoured §20me at my need: but I have served him, I have put my trust in him, and yet he suffereth me to be tormented to the uttermost, I find no relief: when I pray unto him, he makes as though he were deaf. We see here a very troublesome temptation, when God seemeth too make none account of succouring us, at such time as men mistreat us and persecute us. And therefore, to comfort our slues withal, we must practise this lesson in all our troubles and encumbrances: which is, that though the wicked be in their triumph to day, so as they set their §30foot upon our throat: