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THE

CHRISTIAN KNIGHT,

TEACHING WARRIORS OF GOD NOT ONLY HOW THEY MAY

PREVAIL AGAINST SATAN AND HIS WICKED ARMY IN THIS WORLD, BUT ALSO HOW THEY MAY LIVE BEFORE GOD WITH A QUIET AND JOYFUL CONSCIENCE. NEWLY SET FORTH UNTO THE GREAT COMFORT OF THE GODLY READERS, BY THOMAS BECON.

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.—Matt. xxvi.

Be sober and watch, for your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour; whom resist steadfast in the faith.-1 Peter v.

To the right honourable sir Francis Russell, knight,

lord Russell, Thomas Becon wisheth the favour of God, continual health, and prosperous felicity.

If I had not by daily experience these few years past proved, yea, and that within mine own breast, right honourable lord, what disquietness, trouble, fear, and anguish, 'the remembrance of sin, conjoined with tħe contemplation and steadfast beholding of the righteous and terrible judgments of God, set forth in the holy scriptures against all ungodly and wicked persons, bringeth to weak and troubled consciences; I think verily, that no man living, although very excellent in persuading and moving affections, could have brought me to believe that so great a hell lurked, or rather lay buried, in the breast of any mortal man, although overwhelmed ever so much with the bottomless seas of sin, and estranged from all kinds of virtue and godliness. I have in times past heard by the relation of certain credible persons, how greatly divers godly and virtuous men have been troubled in their consciences by the consideration of their former life ; which has appeared to them so horrible and sinful, that they have not only cursed the day of their birth, as we read of Job and Jeremiah, but also have been at the point of falling into desperation, and at utter defiance with God; accounting him not as a Father of mercy and God of all

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consolation, but rather as a terrible Judge and fierce Lord; who, according to his righteousness, will punish, smite, slay, and condemn without mercy, all those that transgress his commandment, will, and pleasure.

And I myself a few years before, knew certain men of an honest conversation, and approved judgment, of whom some are yet living, and worthy and valiant champions in the court of the Most High, who were so turmoiled and tossed with the raging and cruel waves of desperation, that scarcely there remained any hope of salvation in their breasts; so terrible and loathsome was the appearance of their life to the eyes of their minds, and such fear conceived they of the righteous judgments of God. I have also read in the holy scriptures of God, and in authentic histories, of divers holy men who have been grievously vexed and turmoiled in their consciences, and almost ready to fall into the bottomless pit of desperation, if they had not been underset with the comfortable props of God's eternal mercy. But notwithstanding these things, if I had not proved the very same thing in mine own breast, which I have both heard and known of others, I should have thought the temptations of so many godly men to be but trifles, and things of no weighty importance; such carnal security and fleshly quietness concerning any grief of conscience reigns in the heart of natural man; which, as Jeremiah saith, (Jer. xvii.) is both wicked, and so stuffed with the filth of sin, that the bottom of it cannot be searched but by Him alone who trieth the hearts and reins.

If such trouble, anguish, disquietness, grief, and turmoiling be in the hearts of them who earnestly profess Christ, cleave unto God's mercy with strong faith, hang wholly on his most sweet promises made to us plenteously in Christ's dear blood; and repent their wicked manners, mortify their carnal lusts, walk in a new life, and so appoint their conversation, that in all their life they seem to seek nothing but the glory of God, and the profit of their neighbour; what is to be thought of the false christians who, professing Christ only in name, are very antichrists in their deeds, painted sepulchres full of all abomination and wickedness, glistering hypocrites, outwardly before men righteous, but inwardly before God full of hypocrisy, feigned holiness, dissimulation, and unrighteousness ? Oh what a hell-like fire boils in their breasts ; how are they disquieted, troubled, torinented, grieved, and turmoiled! the sorrows and pains of their hearts are unspeakable; the trouble of their consciences is nothing inferior to the raging sea. So that it is truly said by the prophet, (Isa. Ivii.) The wicked are like the raging sea that cannot rest, whose water foameth with mire and gravel. The wicked have no peace, saith the Lord God. What marvel, seeing they find nothing in their breasts but sin, damnation, death, hell, desperation, and the devil and all ! What quietness can there be where nothing is felt but the high indignation, hot wrath, heavy displeasure, and the sharp vengeance of God? If it be a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, who hateth all works of ungodliness, and threateneth eternal damnation to the transgressors of his law, yea, who condemns without mercy them that willingly tread under foot Christ his dearly beloved Son, and count the blood of the testament wherewith the faithful are sanctified as an unholy thing, and do dishonour to the Spirit of grace, (Heb. x.)—what quietness can such unfaithful and wicked people have in their hearts, seeing that God, his angels, and all his blessed saints, are enemies to them ? If God condemns, who is able to save? If God casts down to hell, who is able to lift up unto heaven? If God be an enemy, who can be a friend? Truly the wicked have against them, whatsoever and whosoever is of God; not only good men, heavenly spirits, and glorious saints, but also all creation.

In this sharp agony and great disquietness of mind, I may let the wicked pass, which as they know not God aright, so likewise they never flee unto the throne of his gracious mercy, but continue unto the last day in the raging sea of troublous tempests, and after this life, suffer much greater pains and torments. But, how shall the penitent sinner quiet his conscience, establish his mind, comfort his spirit, strengthen his faith, recover his valiance* in Christ Jesus, that he may be able to resist the fiery darts of Satan in the day of temptation? (1 Peter v.) What shall he do? whither shall he turn him, that he may be free from the dangers of so cruel an enemy, who sleeps not, who gives no days of respite, who by no means will be reconciled, entreated, or pacified; but, like a raging lion, continually goeth about seeking whom he may devour? He feared not to tempt many holy men in times past, yea, he feared not Christ Jesus, that most puissant Lord, but sought all means possible to allure him unto his most wicked will through his subtle suggestions; and is it to be thought that he will fear to assail us poor wretched sinners, who, if we be not strengthened by the Spirit of God, are ready to fall at every hour? Oh how ready is he at all times, namely, in the time of adversity, trouble, and sickness, yea, most especially at the hour of death, when our memory fails, our understanding decays, our bodies are weak, our senses wax dull, our heart faints, our tongue fails, and whatsoever we have ceases to do the right office. How ready is he then to vex, trouble, disquiet, turmoil us; to lay before the eyes of our mind our sinful living, our wicked manners, our ungodly conversation, the breaking of God's precepts, the heavy displeasure of God against the wicked, the intolerable pains and exceeding torments of hell-fire, the eternal death and everlasting damnation, all which are prepared for the unfaithful! What mortal man, being in the heavy and sharp agony of death, will not tremble at these things, and be ready to fall into desperation at contemplating and beholding so terrible a sight, if against so strong temptations he be not fortressed with the Spirit of God, and richly armed with the holy scriptures ?

* Courage.

The common people have a saying among them, that every man before he dies, shall see the devil! What is meant by this ? Verily nothing else, but that Satan in the extreme agony and bitter pains of death, will put man in remembrance of his most sinful and damnable living, accuse him of unrighteousness, reprove him of abominable wickedness, lay to his charge that he has ever been and still is, an outrageous sinner, an open malefactor, a shameless transgressor of God's most holy law, and prove him worthy of eternal damnation, by the righteous judgment of God, and justly to be committed to hell-fire for ever

Therefore shall Satan say to the sinner, Despair, die, and be damned. To consider these things in the heart, to see these things present with the eyes of the mind, wherein is nothing but wrath, displeasure, and damnation, what else is it than to see the devil, and to feel the pains of hell ? Now is man brought unto the brink of hell-pit, and sees in himself nothing but sin, death, and damnation. Again, when Satan is labouring to the utmost of his power, not only to lay things of most high wicked ness to his charge, but also is ready to accuse him before the righteous throne of the divine Majesty, in whose sight not even the stars are pure and clean ; what shall he now do? Whither shall he turn him, to whom shall he flee, how shall he escape the devouring teeth of this most greedy and grievous wolf? Here are dangers, more dangerous than can be expressed; how shall they be avoided ? Here is salvation either gotten or lost ; how shall it be gotten? Oh! blessed is the man who getteth the victory over Satan in this most perilous conflict. If Satan be now overcome, he is driven to utter confusion, the infernal army is scattered abroad, hell power is vanquished; the miserable afflicted christian is preserved, brought into the haven of quietness, carried unto eternal glory; the angels rejoice, and all the blessed saints and holy company of heaven are glad; God is glorified, praised, and magnified.

more.

How this victory over Satan and his soldiers may he gotten, is declared in the following dialogue, wherein the godly reader shall see how Satan labours to bring the Christian Knight unto desperation ; again how the Christian Knight defends himself against his enemy the devil, and valiantly puts him to flight. It contains, without doubt, much godly and spiritual doctrine, as they may easily see who read and mark it diligently. For whatsoever Satan can object against man, is here confuted by the word of God, and the sinner is thereby set in safe estate. So that in this little treatise, true knowledge may easily be gotten, both how to repel Satan and his cruel darts, and also how to obtain a joyful and quiet conscience before God in this life, which of all treasures is the most precious.

After I had finished this little treatise, your lordship came first unto my remembrance as one right worthy, to whom I might dedicate my travail in this behalf. For to whom should I offer this Christian Knight but to such a one as is, both in word and work, a true christian and godly knight, yea, and a lord, not only in name and dignity, but also in virtue and godliness. Your lordship's hearty good will and unfeigned favour, both toward the setting forth of the glorious gospel of our Saviour Christ, and also the promoting of the true professors and faithful preachers of the same, is more known than needs here be rehearsed. The works of love and tender compassion which your lordship also continually brings forth, unto the great comfort of Christ's poor members, are, not without a cause in these our days, reported and remembered by very many, unto the glory of God, the immortality of

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