sten his awin children, whose glory and honour, becaus the
reprobat can never see, thairfoir thei dispyise thame, and the
wonderouse werk of God in thame. And yit, (said he,) the joy and
rejosing of the warld is but meare sorrow, becaus the end of it tendith
to suddane destructioun, as the ryatouse banquetting of Balthasar
declaireth. Applying these headis to the tyme and personis, (he said,)
yf none of Goddis children had suffered befoir us the same injureis that
presentlie we susteane, these our trubles wald appear intollerable;
suche is our tender delicacie, and self luif of our awin flesche, that
those thingis whiche we lychtlie pass over in otheris, we can greatlie
complane of, yf thei tweiche our selfis. I dowbt not bot that some of us
have ofter then ones redd this Psalme, as also that we have redd and
heard the travaill and trubles of our ancient fatheris.[1057] But whiche
of us, eather in reading or hearing thair dolouris and temptationis, did
so discend in to oure selfis that we felt the bitterness of thair
passionis? I think none. And thairfoir hes God brocht us to some
experience in our awin personis.

[SN: _SPECIALIS APPLICATIO_]

But, yit, because the mater may appeir obscure, onless it be more
propirlie applyed, I can nott bot of conscience use suche plainnes as
God shall grant unto me. Oure faces ar this day confounded, oure
ennemyes triumphe, oure heartis have quaiked for fear, and yitt thei
remane oppressed with sorrow and schame. But what shall we think to be
the verray cause that God hath thus dejected us? Yf I shall say, our
synnes and formar unthankfulness to God, I speik the treuth. Butt yitt I
spack more generalie then necessitie required: for when the synnes of
men ar rebucked in generall, seldome it is that man discendeth within
him self, accusing and dampnyng in him self that whiche most displeaseth
God. Butt rather he dowttis that to be a cause, whiche befoir God is no
cause in deid. For example, the Israelitis, feghting against the tribe
of Benjamin, wer twise discomfeitted, with the loss of fourtie thowsand
men. Thei lamented and bewailled boyth first and last; but we fynd nott
that thei cam to the knawledge of thair offence and synne, whiche wes
the cause that thei fell in the edge of the sworde; but rather thei
dowted that to have bene a cause of thair mysfortoun, whiche God had
commanded: for thei ask, "Shall we go and feght any more against our
brethren, the sonnes of Benjamin?" By whi