A word in season

Such an image of Tyrants and Tyranny the Holy Ghost painteth out unto us in this place. Why then shouldest thou fear? Why shouldest thou tremble? Why shouldest thou despair, as though thou hadst never seen most flourishing grass within few days to wither away of its own accord, or didst not know the nature of it to be such as cannot long continue? Athanasius (when Julianus the Emperor did many ways afflict both him and the whole Church, and fought, not only with cruelty, but also with craft and subtlety against the faithful, insomuch that others, as it were in a terrible tempest, were utterly discouraged and past all hope of deliverance) said that this Persecution of Julian was not a tempest but a little cloud. Indeed his heart was full of faith which could believe, that Julianus was like, not to a terrible and a violent tempest, not to a mighty black cloud wrapping all things in darkness, but unto a very little cloud, which the Sun doth quickly consume. In like manner must we also extenuate and diminish the power of our adversaries, and set at nought all their proud brags, and all their cruelty; not in respect of our own strength, but because they are of themselves nothing else but a bubble in the water, grass on the house tops, and a very shadow rather then men; besides this, that they provoke God also against themselves; whose fury & cruelty compared unto his power, is a thing more vain than grass on the house tops, or a bubble in the water; for it is nothing but a bare and a naked show, which seemeth to be something, when indeed it is nothing. So are all the attempts of the adversaries; full of threatenings, but in the end they come to nothing.

Such an image of Tyrants and Tyranny the Holy Ghost painteth out unto us in this place. Why then shouldest thou fear? Why shouldest thou tremble? Why shouldest thou despair, as though thou hadst never seen most flourishing grass within few days to wither away of its own accord, or didst not know the nature of it to be such as cannot long continue? Athanasius (when Julianus the Emperour did many wayes afflict both him and the whole Church, and fought, not only with cruelty, but also with craft and subtilty against the faithful, insomuch that others, as it were in a terrible tempest, were utterly discouraged and past all hope of deliverance) said that this Persecution of Julian was not a tempest but a little cloud. Indeed his heart was full of faith which could believe, that Julianus was like, not to a terrible and a violent tempest, not to a mighty black cloud wrapping all things in darkness, but unto a very little cloud, which the Sun doth quickly consume. In like manner must we also extenuate and diminish the power of our adversaries, and set at nought all their proud brags, and all their cruelty; not in respect of our own strength, but because they are of themselves nothing else but a bubble in the water, grass on the house tops, and a very shadow rather then men; besides this, that they provoke God also against themselves; whose fury & cruelty compared unto his power, is a thing more vain than grass on the house tops, or a bubble in the water; for it is nothing but a bare and a naked shew, which seemeth to be something, when indeed it is nothing. So are all the attempts of the adversaries; full of threatnings, but in the end they come to nothing.