THe case with Dauid at this time was not so hard, as to walke in the valley of the shadowe of death. For the Lord was his sheephearde in open sight, and ledde him as a shepe of greatest care into his pastures, and they greene and sweet for foode, soft and easie for rest, Situated by the waters side for best refreshing in hotter countries.

Onely in this verse he may seeme to put the case, and considering the goodnesse of God sundry times to him-warde experien­ced, he solemnely protesteth vpon the suppo­sall, fal out what may, and though he walke and often conuerse in the vallie of the shade of death, that is, in the middes of most gloo­mie and horrible daungers, hee would not feare, for his hope was with God.

Forecas­ting what may comeBy the way I note: that Dauid amidest his greene pastures, where hee wanted no­thing, and in his greatest ease, and highest excellencie, recordeth the vallie of miserie, [Page]and shade of death which might ensue, if God so would, and therewithall reckoneth of his safest harbour, and firme repose, euen in God alone.

And this is true wisedome indeede, in fay [...]e weather to prouide for a tempest, in health to thinke of sicknesse, in prosperitye, peace and quietnesse, to forecast the worst, and with the wise Emite in sommer to lay vp for the winter following.

The state of man is full of trouble, the cō ­dition of the godly man more. Sinners must be corrected, The trou­bles of this life. and sonnes chastised, there is no question. The Arke was framed for the waters, the Ship for the Sea, & happy is the marriner that knoweth wher to cast Anker. But O blessed is y ^e mā, that can take a right Sanctuary, and knoweth wherupon to rely and in whom to trust in the day of his neede. I wil not feare: for thou art with me.

A sheepe is a simple thing to deuise escape, impotent and vnarmed, and fearefull by na­ture, and therefore vnable to resist daunger, wherevnto notwithstanding Dauid resem­bling him selfe, voucheth boldly he will not fear, the Lord being with him.

In the whole I obserue, and shall most beate vpon these three thinges. First, the [Page]gate and conuersation, the walk of the god­lye vppon Dauids supposall. Though I walke. Then, his comfort he conceiueth in all his waies, I will not feare. And thirdly the grounde of his confidence to bee in the presence of God, For thou art with me.

The tennor of Dauids life, and the waies he walked are manifest in the comperts and euidences of the Bible.

In his nonage he was the least, and of least account in the familie of Isai, contem­ned of his father, not called to the feast, and in the campe dispitefully reproched of his eldest brethren, afterward Saul enuieth, Shimy raileth, Absalon rebelleth, Achito­phell conspireth, &c. These were vallies of vehement distresses, briefelye these with diuers others as you may reade, collected and quoted, By D. Rai­noldes 1586. & I pray you doe in a Sermon of thanks giuing at y ^e apprehension of trai­tours, to wit, Ballard and Babington, and their complices.

But you wil say, how saith Dauid he wold not feare: did he not flye & dissemble who he was? Or if he fled, as no doubt he did, from the speare of Saule, was it not for feare?

Feare is a quality incident to all flesh: & in this, & the like naturall affections, Feare. a fixed [Page]mind, & the cōstant mene, is hardly obtaned. What Dauid did is not denied, & it is gran­ted y ^• as else when, so namely he greatly fe­red, 1. Sam. 20. whē he fled to Achis, his & gods enemy, & whē he said in a shiuering perplexity: Surely, ther is scāt a strid betwixt me & death.

In this Psalme, I take it is rather vou­ched not what the Prophet alwaies perfor­med, but what in duety must be performed, and what Dauids purpose was to endeuour vnto for the time to come. For after so ma­ny pledges of Gods infinite goodnes vnder the guidaunce of his rodde, and stay of his shepe-hooke, godwilling he would not feare and this is the groūd-worke of his affiance.

Peter in the gospell by our Sauiour in consideration of infirmity thorough feare denying his maister, Mat. 26. is willed after his con­uersion by that fauorable aspect of our saui­our, to confirme his brethren, & to traine thē in constancy: for verely god requireth setled minds, resolute men & confirmed brethren.

So vpon occasions past, Dauid found it true that he should not haue bene heretofore at any time, and therfore professeth, that, for the time to come, he would be no Marigold-seruaunt of God, to open with the Sun and shut with the dewe, to serue him in calmer [Page]times only, and at a neede to shute neck out of coller, fearefully and faithlesly to slippe a side, or shrinke away.

Newters reproued.(Good people) in all hartlesse imperfecti­ones, marke I pray you, that they, who feare euery mist, that ariseth, or cloude that ap­peareth, who are like the Mulberie tree, that neuer shuteth foorth, or sheweth it selfe till all hard weather be past, who like stan­ders by and lookers on, Neuters, and inter­nimisters, who like Metuis Suffetius dare not venture vpon, nor enter into, nor inde­uour any good action of greatest duetie to God, Prince or Countrie, till all be sure in one side, are vtterly reprooued by this en­sample.

If the cause bee Gods, if the quarrell bee necessary, if thy calling suteable, if it bee a crosse that God layeth vpon thee in a mat­ter of faith and trueth, and requisite offices appertayning to pietie and charity, though it be a vale of daungers, Loe, Dauid profes­seth he cannot, he will not yeelde, he will not feare, much lesse dispaire, and houer a loofe, or let all alone as men amazed and astoni­shed in their feminine affections.

Peter, of whom before, hearing that the sheepeheard should be smitten, Peter. and the shepe [Page]scattered into sundry vallies of imminent daunger, notwithstanding bosteth himselfe that he forsooth, hee would not forsake his maister, and though the rest flie, hee alone would endure the combate, and not relente at all.

The sheepheard is smitten, and the flocke indeede is scattered, the rest flye, Peter more then flyeth, Presump­tion per­formeth little. for he denieth; and more then feareth, for he, of all the rest, forsweareth his maister. And so it fareth euer, when men cō ­paringly set out themselues as Giantes, in theyr own conceites, though it be in causes of best account. Yet in the ende they come shorte of theyr reckoning. But Dauid buil­deth vpon a surer rocke, then on himselfe.

In so many his exceeding daungers, hee will not feare. Why? the Lord is his sheep-heard, no Idoll, or absent sheepehearde, but ready to helpe: and able to succour.

In the boke of Genesis this was Iacobs comfort continually in all his viages, Iacob. whe­ther frō Canaan into Mesopotamia, or from Mesopotamia into Canaan, to and fro still, Loe, the Lord was with him.

In the six and fortith Chapter, he is wil­led to repaire into Aegipt, and expresly for­bidden to feare, and the reason was, God [Page]himselfe would goe downe with him, and conduct him thither, & preserue him there.

And for that as children, which ride on reedes, are soone ouertaken in their folly, so olde men may become children againe, and rest ouer much in ordinary hopes liable to sense, and probable in reason. God willeth Iacob in effect, to forsake such vaine cogi­tations, for cheefe releefe in the vsage, as of his own experienced yeres, his sons place & fauour with the prince, & the like, and only commandeth: Fear not Iacob, I wilbe with thee.

And good cause, and why should Iacob, or Iosua in the first of Iosua, or Gedeon in the sixt of Iudges, or Moses before these, the 4. of Exodus, or any of vs all after them feare, if God be with vs, as he wil be, Matth. 28 With his to the end of the world? If God be w ^t vs who can be against vs, effectually against vs to our finall destruction?

If God be with vs, what can we want? he that walketh in the sun, doth he lack light? He who walketh with God by his conuer­sation, as Enoc did, and with whom God walketh by his speciall grace (for there is a speciall respecte betwixte the grace of God and a gratious life) what is there, or [Page]what can there be wanting? By the grace of God we are that we are, and his grace in his is not in vain. In his light we see light, & in his strength we are more than conque­rors ghostly euer & euer bodily if it bee for the good of the sufferer, and for the glorie of god, for whose cause, and in whose presence, and by whose wisedome we suffer, and hold out. Gods pro­uidence is known but vnto gods own chil­dren.

The true meditation whereof (deer bre­thren) to the carelesse & godles man, is as a riddle, or a clasped booke, or sealed letters, which are brought by the carier & hādled of many, but are read of none, nor vnderstoode of anie, saue of him that of him that openeth them, and conceaueth the purport of them, and meaning of the sender.

Iob (the holy man) in his losse of goods, Iob. death of children, personall extremities, wiues cursed motions, and to those vnwise inferences and conclusions of his friendes replyeth, at one time: Naked I came into the world, at another time, The Lord gaue and the Lord hath taken away, at another to his Wife, ô folish woman: & to his frien­des, ô ye Physicions of no valu. But euer resolutly that euen in death he knew that he hadde a liuing redeemer, and so thorough [Page]faith controuling his some impatiencie, re­cognizeth, that God the redeemer of al his, was also in speciall his redeemer, and that it was not with God, as it may bee with mā, who standing on the shore, may se a far-of theyr deerest freendes and fellowe parte­ners plunged in daunger, and cannot helpe them, nor dare come to them.

When I recount the great deliuerances of olde, in fiers, in waters, in miery caues, & dreadfull prisons, of Elias vnder the Iuni­per tre, Moses in the flagges, the three chil­dren in the furnace, and of Ionas in the bel­lie of the Fish, in the bottome of the sea, and altogether intangled, as it were, in y ^e rootes of the depth, who was with him, or with the rest? or if God had not beene with them, in what case had they beene?

These were men as we are, and as saint Iames speaketh of one of them, I am. 5, 17. subiect to the like passions: The onely difference is, they were more excellent mē in their daies, and famous in theyr times, and therfore the rather registered as most fitte examples of comfort to al posterity for the time to come.

More generall are the ensamples of Is­raell in Aegipt, and of Iudah in Babilon, both which people God in his good time, re­membring [Page]his mercy, and pittying theyr misery, did wonderfully deliuer.

But there is no difference with God, to be with one or with many, to deliuer some fewe, or greater companies. All is one with the almighty. Some difference only may be this, which is in books printed of a large or a lesse letter, and paper, the matter not varying at all.

When God tooke his people from the fierie furnace, and mierie clay, and from the vncessaunt toile of gathering strawe, when he brought all Israell out of bondage, and left not an hoof behind, here the presence of God is printed as it were in Royall paper and in Capital letters. Againe, when Abra­hams wordes, Gen. 22. Deus prouidebit, when, I say, Gods prouidence is seene priuately, and felt priuately of some one, the foorm and pa­per are lesse, and the letter lesse, but the pro­uidence of God is the same, And yet the per­sonage may bee such that it may be more to doo for one, then for many, and I conster Dauids case to be of this kinde.

Dauid kept his fathers sheepe, 1. Sam. 17. and there came a Lion, and likewise a Beare, and tooke a sheepe out of the flocke. But Dauid (far vnlike some hirelings) followeth after, [Page]ventereth his life, redeemeth his sheepe, and slaieth the Beast. This had beene ouerhard for Dauid to haue done, had not God beene with him. For he was but a youth.

Farder, when he came to the campe, and heard the vncircūcised Giāt braue the hoast of the liuing God, straight way in a mono­machie, that is to say, one to one, himselfe a­lone with the Giant alone entred the cōbat, and according to Sauls wish at that tyme, The Lord was with him.

In processe, when Saule slue his thousand, Dauid slue his ten thousand, euery Damsell could sing of the oddes, euen to the regreete of Saule, that sought enuiously therefore to be dispatcht of Dauid. But Dauid euer delt wisely in all his waies, for why, The Lord was with him, sayth the text.

Now yet if Dauid for euer after should haue leade onely a priuate life, the case had beene lesse to see to then it was afterwards vpon great euents ensuing. For God had a purpose to take him from the sheepfoldes, Psal. 78. & to place him in roome of his maister to feed his people and guide his inheritance, so that al along Gods, being with Dauid, was im­mediately by him to be with his people, and with his inheritaunce.

Princes good or bad are the good or the ve­rie bane of their subiectes.For if God respect the Prince that pre­sently is, or apparantly & consequentlie shal be, it is the benefit of many: for the Prince is as the stomacke in the body of a realme, it receiueth little for it selfe, but most for the rest parts of the body. All sence is from the head, all life is from the hart. The Prince is as the head and hart of his people and for the excellencye of his various properties, hath diuers resemblances.

If the root be quicke the branches grow: if the foundacion be sure, all the building is the surer. A scholerly recitall with applica­tion herein is ouer easie.

And againe if the foundation be as a tot­tering wall, or rotten hedge, or slippery soile and quick sandy, the building cannot stand.

Like Prince, 1. King. 14. like people for the most part as it is written, Ieroboam was not a sin­ner alone, but he made all Israell to sinne. And againe, Ieroboam fel away from God (like a great Oke) and Israell (some as greater armes, some as lesser braunches) but all fell with him.

And contrariwise againe in times of bet­ter regiment, it went better. Israell serued the Lord all the dayes of Iosue, Iosu. 24. and all the like elders that ouer liued Iosue.

Looke to it ye rulers, but you are not the cheefe rulers, if skilleth not, you are rulers, lesse or more authoritie in rulers, dooth not alter the nature of ruling in your degrees. And water may be pure in the spring, & cor­rupted in the riuers, if it bee not looked to.

But God being both with the spring, and with the riuers, see, how is the lād refreshed as in Dauids time and in Salomons time? And to these happy endes was God with Dauid, as with a shepe of his own pastures and with the worke-manship of his owne framing, to most soueraigne purposes, as you haue heard.

AND now to looke homeward a little reflexiuely somewhat considering our own estate, Acts and Monu­mentes. euen by this glasse of Dauids ex­ample, you remember, I am sure, who she is that said, Tanquā Ouis, that she was a shepe, euen in the vallie of death, leade vnto, & shut vp in the slaughter house, and you may not forget, who he is that tooke the knife out of the butchers hand.

You knowe who she is that built vppon the rocke, and you know who that rocke is. Who hath not hard of that morneful voice, that She had no freend, & yet comfortable in this, But God alone: for how is he frind­les, [Page]that hath god for his frind? his word is a good, & a true word. Win-God, and win al.

One sayd, he was neuer lesse alone, then when he was left alone, I say it is true, in sence that when al men forsake vs, and God alone tarieth with vs, then are wee neuer lesse alone.

Good Queene Elizabeth hath founde it so, and God mollified the harts of some of her foes for his mercy sake at her praiers, & raised vp some others, dutifully and hono­rably to demeane thēselues vnto her grace, and one ready to die at her foote, if vilanous bouldnes should cause such neede, and after some long seasoning of so precious a woode for an excellent building, the happy 17. day of Nouember, 1558. commeth, and God maketh it manifest to all the worlde, that himselfe was with her in all these tempests, and then the plat-forme was broken vp, and the snare taken away, and a daughter of Dauid had as great deliueraunces as euer Dauid had, and so her owne confession both then an since is a duefull and true confessi­on, That neuer Prince, no neuer creature had euer greater.

Yet because this world is not the land of entire blessednes, euerlastingly to endure, [Page]sundry vncleane beasts haue entered, with ful entendment to staine the greene and fer­tle pastures wherein God hath placed her, and had done so (so it might haue beene) if God and his Christ, the great sheepehearde of our soules had not exerted his arme, and shewed himselfe, and stoode in the gap, and driuen away the Lion and the Beare, and the Popes sundry Bulles.

Verily as Elias his seruaunt sawe a small cloud by little and litle growing to a grea­ter matter: so (good countrimen) the cheefe seruauntes of God in the honorable seruice of the realme and her Maiesty by that pru­dency which God hath lent them, haue a long time since, looking for such extremi­ties, as the wicked world offereth espied the rising and proceedinge of a cloude to come, sometimes thickning in the North, & some­times threatning in the West, and of late time, all the waters of the salt Ocean, and brinish natures ascendinge and leaguinge themselues together to haue ouerwhelmed vs all, but the ground and subiect of theyr practises and complots failing them, and that onely or cheefe Pole-starre of these home-conspiracies and forraine drifts and troubles euen against her own onely sonne, [Page]being taken away, they haue missed theyr aime, Her will and testament, mencined in her letters to Mendoza to giue away the realme, to the King of Spaine, could not be prooued, nor that Tragical execution be executed & performed. And all these waues breaking in the fale, haue swallowed vp ma­ny of them, who would haue deuoured vs: & by the prouidence of him that keepeth Isra­ell, the strong horse & the proud rider, those tale ships, and furniture in them lie floting in the waters, and sincke in the sea. for since we desisted to chase and persue them most of this is come to passe, to the ende cheeflie to shewe and declare that this was not the worke of man, but the hand of God.

At theyr comming wee had warning of thē, at their entry we had a good beginning in their passage we gained the winde, or ra­ther God gaue it vs, & when they were roo­ted ouer-right vs, they were displanted a­gaine. In these things, & in whatsoeuer else either going before, or passed since, hee that seeth not the finger of God to haue bene, and to be with Queen Elizabeth, seeth nothing and the brightnes of God shining vpon her, and by her vpon vs, dooth dazell his sight, that he cannot see.

Wherin, the care of her maiesty, the vigi­lancy of her honorable councel, the faithful­nes of nobles, courage in Captains & souldi­ers, with ioynt willingnes of all Englishe harts in the realme, were merueilous vaile­able, & commendable, but except God keepe al in order & except he had vnited vs in true wisedome to forsee and in harty rep [...]ntance to fly vnto him, & in his strength boldly and happily to withstand these titulary conque­rers, their pride might haue made thē more foolish and most wicked to venter vppon o­ther mens dominions without end. Plus vl­tra, More, stil More, was his fathers posie. Charls the. 5.

But bee it that they haue receiued no harme by our resistaunce, as their louers faine, bee it that our weapons haue stunge them like Plinies flies, and that for the pre­sent they doo not feele what we haue don by Our peccatores, by our little poor sinners, For so at first they could terme our Nauy & imagine of our ships, bee it that God by vs was not against them, yet certainely, they cannot deny and wee must confesse to the worlds end, that The Lord was with vs, & herein we reioice & praise his name for euer more, & the more we giue to God, it is most true, that the great benefit of the sea about [Page]vs: w ^tin our Queene, her Councel, nobles, & peoples: abrod her Admiral, Viseadmirals and skilful Sea-men: or any where else, her forces, polisies, and helpes whatsoeuer, shal haue neuer a whit the lesse, as the widdowe had neuer the lesse, 1. King. 17 the more shee gaue to Gods Prophet.

Wherfore (my good brethren and deere countrimen) lift vp your harts, lift them vp vnto the Lord and praise his holy name. He that offereth praise, honoureth him with an acceptable sacrifice.

Consider then all his benefites, his olde, late, and his present benefites euen heaped vpon our Queene, and vpon vs her subiects and lay them all as diuers sweetes togea­ther, to make a Leuits fier of perfit thanke­fulnes that shall neuer out.

When a Spanish Prince and an Italian Priest ruled England, when superstition, humane deuises, will-worshippinges, and grosse idolatrie in a strange toung ouerru­led al, then were our goods spoiled, our flesh martyred, our bodies burnt, and our ashes scattered, and our very soules sterued.

A slight remembraunce of this good de­liuerie from these calamities is little worth and as fier of brush soone extinct, lay alto­geather [Page]which hath followed since, conspi­racies detected, rebellions repressed and preuented, inuasions diuerted euer by the Lords owne doing, & stil blessing embrode­red, infolded, & powred down blessing vpon blessing with a full horne? Truely the deli­ueraunces of Dauid were but a cast of those which we feede on.

Papists, the peeuishe and worst sorte of them bite the lippe hereat, and hang downe head not knowing, God knoweth, that their heads should be hanged vp soonest spe­cially the heades of the richest, for Luthe­rans and Caluinests, as well as other. Alas Cardinall Allen, C. Allen. who euer standeth aloofe as Pirrhus post principia, cannot be alwaies at hand with euery barberous souldier, to say, This man forsooth is a Catholique.

Well, for this time hether to (God bee thanked) Iacobs hand hath beene stronge enough to hold Esau by the heel, and if some Midwiues helpe out blooddy Esaus forces once againe, God that hath preserued vs so long, will not, we hope, forsake vs now.

Yet sweete wordes lull men a sleepe, the best Remora and stay to keepe them of, is an vnfayned repentaunce, and a generall conuersion, and certaine determination of [Page]the whole lād to serue him better thē in for­mer time, & in all these victories, or happie successes to prescribe al to y ^e cheefe directer.

The Flye in the Beasts eare, or the Em­mite on his horne cānot say they were they who plowed the land, and brought, aboute these matters.

If we haue done great thinges, hee hath don them by vs, & as one said to his souldi­ers, if I be an Egle, you be my feathers: so if▪ Captaines or Souldiers haue done any thing, the Lord of hoasts hath beene with vs all in al. And as he is a foolish Inne-keeper that keepeth not a perfect remembraunce of his cheefest geastes by whom he gaineth: so vnwyse are we, if we forget by whom we haue profited, and by whome wee haue so greatly and so often gained,

Leah beareth one sonne, and calleth hys name Reuben, Gen. 29. a second sonne, and calleth him Simeon, and a third, and calleth hym Leui. But when aboue expectation she con­ceiueth, and bareth the fourth time, she pur­posely calleth his name, Iudah, and expresly protesteth that She will praise the Lord.

If one benefit moue thee not, O England, many should, if many haue not done it, yet this late deliueraunce passeth all others, O [Page]call it Iudah, and let vs prayse the Lord. For any comfort saue in the Lorde, is like Agars water, that is soone dryed vp: but that sweete acclamation in the Prophet Zacherie, Grace, Grace, Zach. 4. is the euerlasting duetie of our Churche and common weale and the fatnesse of his Oliues, and the consolations of his spirite, and his beeing with our Candle-stick is our onlie comfort.

Legen­dary news in Spaine. 1569.Others imagine fabulous tales, and wic­ked hopes: feare them not: About the yeere of our Lord 1569. or some-what after, I reade, of false newes spread in Spaine of a supposed great battaile betwixte the Pa­pists and Christians, wherein an Angell with a Challice in his hand, was reported to haue discomfited manie thousands of our Queenes subiectes for the which putatiue victorie, there were in Spaine gratulati­ons and triumphes in the biest degree with concourse of nobles, ringings and singings, and much mad mirth, for the fortunate suc­cesse against the heretiques according to the meaning of the Pope-holy league, and charitable conspiracy of the couent of Trent. Belike some Mēdoza sent these news, they were so true. Sence the Spaniards them­selues haue had a long thirst to drink of the [Page]same cup, and out of the Challice which the Angell held then forth. And this fatall yere 88, they haue sought for it in England, and they haue tasted thereof in Ireland, wee know, and I think al Spaine would ring if not therefore, yet thereof by this time, if the king, or rather, if the holy house would suf­fer them.

A little thing would make fooles fayne now, they were so a gogge at nothing then. But proud Bennadab, must not bost, when he girdeth his harnesse, as when he putteth it of. But O foolish fugitiues and Englishe Seminaries, & seedemen of these tumults, what meane you, why seeke yee amity with euery straunger? Euen therefore God hath demonstratiuely taught you that your tre­cheries are wicked. Why goe you abroade? what want you at home? Because our Queene trusteth in the Lord & in the mer­cy of the most high, she and we haue not mis­caried, and God hath beene with vs, and though we be not as we should be, yet, good God, make vs better. They are thine open enimies. To make an ende for this time tyl on Tuesday next, when (God willing) ac­cordinge to our bounden duetie we meete againe, and then we shall ring for them, and [Page]sing for our selues and professe in a most cer­taine veritie, that not an Angell, but God himselfe had a fauourable eye towarde vs, & an holy hand ouer vs, and that hee was as much with vs as euer with any Nation, when notwithstanding all their crakes and famous Dons, and doutie Aduenteres, huge shippes all to be-swathed with gables and printed vauntes, we lost by them, who are now sent home a wrong way, neither man, nor ship, nor boat, nor mast of ship. O Grace, Grace. Thanckfulnes, Thankfulnes, call it Iudah, and praise the Lord, the King of Kings, the God of armies and the Lord of hosts, and mighty Iehoua for e­uer more. Amen.