A Fort for the Afflicted

A Fort for the afflicted. Wherein are ministered many notable and excellent remedies against the storms of tribulation. Written chiefly for the comfort of Christ's little flock, which is the small number of the Faithful, by John Knoxe. John. 16. 33 In the world ye shall have affliction, but be of good comfort: I have overcome the world. Imprinted at London at the three Cranes in the Vintree, by Thomas Dawson, 1580. To the Religious Reader. WHo art thou (O Christian) that being sick in soul, and desire to be sound? Sorrowful in spirit, and crauest comfort? unquiet in mind, and seek to be at rest? wounded in conscience and would be in safety? tormented in thought, and longest for relief? Who art thou (I say) that having offended thy God, and art therefore punished? tried with tribulation, and criest out to be refreshed? visited with affliction, and feign would be delivered? Get thee to Gods word, and there learn thy lesson: hear his holy Gospel preached, and thereby receive instruction: peruse and ponder, examine and consider, meditate and exercise thy self in the good books of Gods faithful servants, and they shall teach thee wisdom. And among all books tending to this (...) Christian^ to be embraced and followed, this notable exposition of that zealous man of God, Master John Knoxe upon the sixth Psalm, containing sundry comfortable and excellent doctrines, in number many, in matter weighty, under the person of that Princely Prophet David, and after his example and pattern too be applied unto all such as are touched either in mind or body, with any kind of cross or calamity, to direct them to the path of patience, and to show them by a president, unto whom they must run for refuge in the time of their visitation, if they desire either partly too have their miseries mitigated, or themselves wholly from troubles to be delivered. The benefit of this Book belongs to every particular member of Christ's Mystical body, and they only have the grace to use this and the like at convenient seasons. Moreover, the manifold comfortes of this worthy Authors most fruitful Epistle, written for the consolation of Christ's afflicted flock, are of no less force and virtue, in cases of calamity, then his other treatise: the one, commodious, the other necessary, both beneficial.

Thine to do thee good, Abraham Flemming. To his beloved Mother, I. K. sends greeting in the Lord. THE desire that I have to hear of your continuance, which Christ Jesus in the day of this his battle which shortly shall end to the confusion of his proud enemies, neither by tongue, neither yet by pen can I express, beloved Mother. Assuredly it is such that it vanquisheth, and overcomes all remembrance and solicitude, which the flesh uses to take for feeding and defense of herself. For in every realm and nation God will stir up some one or other to minister those things that appertain to this wretched life, and if men will cease to do their office, yet will he send his ravens: so that in every place, percha^ce I may find some feathers to my body. But alas where I shall find children to be begotten unto God by the word of life, that can I not presently consider. And therefore the spiritual life of such as sometime boldly professed Christ (god knows) is to my heart more dear then all the glory, riches, and honor in the earth. And the falling back of such men, as I hear daily to turn back to that idol again, is to me more dolorous, then I trust the corporal death shall be, when ever it shall come at God his appointment. Some will ask then, why did I fly? assuredly I cannot tell. But of one thing I am sure that the fear of death was not the chiefest cause of my flying, I trust that one cause has been to let me see with my corporal eyes, that al had not a true heart unto Christ, that in the day of rest and peace, bare a fair face. But my flying is no matter, by God his grace I may come to battle, before all the conflict be ended. And haste the time O Lord, at thy good pleasure, that once again my tongue may praise thy holy name before the congregation, if it were but even in the very hour^ of death. I have written a large treatise touching the plagues that assuredly shall apprehende obstinate Idolaters and those also that dissembling with them, deny Christ, in obeying to idolatry, which I would you should read diligently. If it come not to you from the South, I shall provide that it shall come to you by some other means. Touching your continual trouble given unto you by God, for better purpose then we can presently epsy: I have begun unto you the exposition of the sixth Psalm. And as God shall grant unto me opportunity and health of body (which now is very weak, I purpose to absolve the same.

The Argument. IT appears that David after his offense fell into some great and dangerous sickness, in the which he was sore tormented, not so much by corporal infirmities, as by susteining and drinking some large portion of the cup of God his wrath: and albeit that he was delivered (as then) from the corporal death, yet it appears that long after (yea and I verily believe that all his life) he had some sense and remembrance of the horrible fear which before he suffered in the time of his sickness. And therefore the holy Ghost speaking in him, shows unto us what be the complaints of God his elect under such cross how diversely they are tormented, how that they appear to have no sure hold of GOD, but to be abject from him: and yet what are the signs, that they are Gods elect. …