A further consideration is this, the creatures do suffer for us, why should not we be willing to suffer to be serviceable to God? God subjects other creatures, they are fain to lose their lives for us, to lose what ever beauty and excellency they have to be serviceable to us, why should not we be willing to part with any ⟨p. 190⟩thing in way of service for God; certainly there is not so great a distance between other creatures and Man-kind, as there is between Man-kind and God, 'tis an expression of that Martyr Master Hooper, that we read of in the Book of Martyrs, in labouring to work his own heart, and the hearts of others to contentedness in the midst of his sufferings; he hath this similitude, and you may be put in mind of that every day, saith he I look upon the creature and see what it suffers to be useful to me; as thus: The brute beasts must die, must be roast in the fire, and boiled, must come upon the trencher, be hacked all a pieces, must be chewed in the mouth, and in the stomach turned to that which is loathsome if one should behold it, and all to nourish me, to be useful to my body, and shall not I be willing to be made any thing for God, for his service? what abundance of alterations the creature comes under to be made useful for me, to preserve me, then if God will do so with me for his use, as he doth subject the creatures to me for my use, why should not I rest contented? If God will take away my estate, and make me poor, if God will take away life, hack me to pieces, put me in prison, whatsoever he doth, yet I shall not suffer more for God then the creature doth for me, and surely I am infinitely more bound to God then the creature is to me, and there is not so much distance between me and the creature, as between me and God, such considerations as these wrought the heart of that Martyr to contentedness in his sufferings, and every time the creature is upon your trenchers you may think, what doth God make the creature suffer for my use, not only for my nourishment, but for my delight, what am I then in respect of the infinite God?
A further consideration is this, the creatures doe suffer for us, why should not we be willing to suffer to be serviceable to God? God subjects other creatures, they are fain to lose their lives for us, to lose what ever beauty and excellencie they have to be serviceable to us, why should not we be willing to part with any ⟨p. 190⟩thing in way of service for God; certainly there is not so great a distance between other creatures and Man-kind, as there is between Man-kind and God, 'tis an expression of that Martyr Master Hooper, that we read of in the Book of Martyrs, in labouring to work his own heart, and the hearts of others to contentednesse in the midst of his sufferings; he hath this similitude, and you may be put in mind of that every day, saith he I look upon the creature and see what it suffers to be usefull to me; as thus: The bruit beasts must die, must be rost in the fire, and boyled, must come upon the trencher, be hackt all a peeces, must be chewed in the mouth, and in the stomack turned to that which is loathsome if one should behold it, and all to nourish me, to be usefull to my body, and shall not I be willing to be made any thing for God, for his service? what abundance of alterations the creature comes under to be made usefull for me, to preserve me, then if God will doe so with me for his use, as he doth subject the creatures to me for my use, why should not I rest contented? If God will take away my estate, and make me poor, if God will take away life, hack me to peeces, put me in prison, whatsoever he doth, yet I shall not suffer more for God then the creature doth for me, and surely I am infinitly more bound to God then the creature is to me, and there is not so much distance between me and the creature, as between me and God, such considerations as these wrought the heart of that Martyr to contentednesse in his sufferings, and every time the creature is upon your trenchers you may think, what doth God make the creature suffer for my use, not only for my nourishment, but for my delight, what am I then in respect of the infinit God?
