of the common Laws the common quieâ— should be disturbed How can you say you will be the Queens true Subject whenas you do openly profess you will not keep her Laws Answ. I grant it to be reasonable that he that â—y words and gentleness cannot be made to yield to that which is right and good he that will not be subject to Gods Word should be punished by the Laws These things ought to take place against him who refuseth to do that is right and just according to true godliness not against him which cannot bear superstitions quietly but doth hate and detost from his heart such kind of proceedings and that for the glory of the Name of God Whosoever love their Countrey in Truth i. e. in God they will alwayes judge if at any time the Laws of God and man are contrary that a man ought rather to obey God then man and they that think otherwise and pretend a love to their Countrey forasmuch as they make their Countrey to fight as it were against God in whom consisteth the onely stay of that Countrey such are to be judged most deadly enemies and Traitors to their Countrey Satan indeed hath ever this dart in readiness to hurl against his Adversaries to accuse them of sedition that he may bring them if he can in danger of the higher Powers Thus Ahab said unto Elias Art thou he that troubleth Israel The false prophets complained of Jeremy to their Princes that his words were seditious and not to be suffered The Scribes and Pharises accused Christ as a seditious person and one that spake against Caesar. Did not they at the last cry If you let this man go you are not Caesars friend Thus the Oratour Tertullus accused Paul before Felix the Deputy We have found this man saith he a pestilent fellow and a stirrer up of sedition unto all the Iews in the whole world But were these indeed seditious persons God forbid but they were of men falsly accused and wherefore I pray you but because the reproved before the people their guiles superstitions and deceits A man indeed ought to obey his Prince but in the Lord and never against the Lord for he that knowingly obeyeth his Prince against God doth not a duty to the Prince but is a deceiver of the Prince and a helper to him to work his own destruction He is also unjust which giveth not to the Prince that is the Princes and to God that is Gods Hitherto you see good Father how I have in words onely made a flourish before the fight which I shortly look for and how I have begun to prepare certain kind of weapons to fight against the adversary of Christ. And here methinks I see you suddenly lifting up your head to Heaven after your manner and then looking upon me with your Prophetical Countenance and speaking thus unto me Trust not my Son I beseech you vouchsafe me the honour of this Name for in so doing I shall think my self both honoured and loved of you Trust not to these word-weapons for the Kingdome of God is not in words but in power Remember alwayes the words of the Lord Do not imagine aforehand what and how you will speak for it shall be given you even in that same hour what ye shall speak Mat. 10. For it is not ye that speak but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you Mar. 11. I pray you therefore Father pray for me that I may cast my whole care on him and trust on him in all perils for I know and am surely perswaded that whatsoever I can think aforehand is nothing except he assist me with his Spirit when the time is Pray that I may out of a true Faith say with David I will not trust in my bow and it is not my sword that shall save me Psal. 44. For he hath no pleasure in the strength of an horse c. But the Lord delights in them that fear him and put their trust in his mercy I beseech you Pray pray pray that I may enter this fight onely in the Name of God In his Letter to Mr. Bradford and his Fellow-Prisoners How joyfull it was to us to hear the report of Dr. Tailor and of his godly Confession c. I assure you it is hard for me to express Blessed be God which was and is the Giver of that and of all godly strength and stomack in the time of adversity It is not the slanderers evil tongue but a mans evil deed that can with God defile a man and therefore with Gods grace ye shall never have cause to doubt but that we will continue c. Sir Blessed be God with all our evil reports grudges and restraints we are merry in God and all our cure and care is and shall be by Gods grace to please and serve him of whom we look and hope after these temporal and momentary miseries to have eternal joy and perpetual felicity with Abraham c. through Jesus Christ our Lord. In his Letter to his Cousin I can do no less then lament their case who for fear of trouble or loss of goods will do in the sight of the world those things they know and are assured are contrary to the Will of God being assdred their end will be so pitifull without speedy repentance that I tremble to think of it Alas such as should in this dangerous time have given you and me comfortable instructions have perswaded us to follow I lament to rehearse it superstitious Idolatry yea and the worst of all is they seek to prove it by Scriptures The Lord for his mercy turn their hearts Amen In another Letter to Mr. Bradford Oh dear Brother seeing the time is now come wherein it pleaseth the Heavenly Father for Christ our Saviour his sake to call upon you and to bid you come happy are you that ever you were born thus to be found awake at the Lords Calling If it be not the place that sanctisieth the man but the holy man doth by Christ sanctifie the place then happy and holy shall be that place where in thou shalt suffer and which shall be sprinkled over with thy ashes in Christs Cause All thy Countrey may rejoyce of thee that it ever brought forth such an one which would render his life again in his Cause of whom he had received it We do look now every day when we shall be called on blessed be God I ween I am the weakest many wayes of our company and yet I thank our Lord God and Heavenly Father by Christ that since I heard of our dear Brother Rogers his departing and stout confession of Christ and his Truth even unto death my heart blessed be God rejoyced of it that since that time I never felt any lumpish heaviness in my heart as I grant I have felt sometimes before Oh good Brother blessed be God in thee and blessed be the time that ever I knew thee In his
Hunter you can do no more then God will permit you Well said B. will you recant indeed by no means No said H. never while I live God willing Bonner asking him how old he was he said He was Nineteen years old Well said B. you will be burned ere you be Twenty if you will not recant H. answered God strengthen me in his Truth Bonner even after Sentence was past offering him if he would then recant to make him a Freeman of the City and to give him Forty pound in money to set up with or to make him Steward of his House c. Hunter said unto him My Lord if you cannot perswade my Conscience by Scriptures I cannot find in my heart to turn from God for the love of the world for I count all things worldly but loss and dung in respect of the love of Christ. If thou diest in this mind said B. thou art condemned for ever God judgeth righteously said H. and justifieth them whom man condemneth unjustly When he was brought to Burntwood to be burned his Father and Mother came to him and desired heartily of God that he might continue to the end in that good way which he had begun and his Mother said unto him That she was glad that ever she was so happy to bear such a Child which could find in his heart to lose his life for Christs Names sake Then said he to his Mother For my little pain which I shall suffer which is but short Christ hath promised me a Crown of Joy May you not be glad of that Mother With that his Mother kneeled down on her knees saying I pray God strengthen thee my Son to the end Yea I think thee as well bestowed as any Child that ever I bare His Father said I was afraid of nothing but that my Son should have been killed in the Prison for hunger and cold the Bishop was so hard to him The night before his Execution he had a dream that he was where the Stake was pitcht where he should be burned and that it was at the Towns end where the Butts stood which was so indeed and that he met his Father going to the Stake and that there was a Priest at the Stake which went about to have him recant and that he said to him Away false Prophet and that he exhorted the people to beware of him and such as he was which things came to pass accordingly Whilst he was led to the Stake the Sheriffs Son came to William and embraced him saying William be not afraid of these men who are here present with Bills and Weapons ready prepared to bring you to the place where you shall be burned William answered I thank God I am not afraid for I have cast my account what it will cost me already Then the Sheriffs Son could speak no more to him for weeping When he met his Father according to his dream his Father said unto him God be with thee Son William William answered God be with you good Father and be of good comfort for I hope we shall meet again when we shall be merry At the Stake the Sheriffe told him That there was a Letter from the Queen if he would recant he should live if not he must be burned No said William I will not recant God willing Mr. Brown telling him upon his desire to the people to pray for him as long as he was alive I will pray no more for thee then I will pray for a Dog Mr. Brown said William now you have that you sought for and I pray God it be not laid to your charge in the last day howbeit I forgive you I ask no forgiveness of thee said Mr. Brown Well said William if God forgive you not I shall require my blood at your hands Then said William Hunter Son of God shine upon me Immediately the Sun in the Firmament shined out of a dark cloud so full in his face that he was constrained to look another way When the Priest came according to his dream he said Away thou false Prophet Beware of them good people and come away from their abominations lest that you be partakers of their plagues Then said the Priest look how thou burnest here so shalt thou burn in Hell William answered Thou lyest thou false Prophet away thou false Prophet away When the fire was kindled his Brother said to him William think on the holy Passion of Christ and be not afraid of Death William answered I am not afraid Then lift he up his hands to Heaven and said Lord Lord Lord receive my spirit Higbed Mr. Higbed of Essex being prest by Bonner to recant answered I will not abjure for I have been of this mind these sixteen years and do what ye can ye shall do no more then God will permit you to do and with what measure ye measure unto us look for the same again at Gods hands When his Articles and Answers were read he said Ye go about to trap us with your subtilties and snares and though my Father and Mother and other my Kinsfolk did believe as you say yet they were deceived in so believing and whereas you say Doctor Cranmer and others c. be Hereticks I do wish that I were such an Heretick as they were and be Then Bonner asked him again Whether he would turn from his error and come to the unity of their Church No said he I would ye would recant for I am in the truth and you in error Hus. Mr. Iohn Hus preaching at the honourable and very solemn Funeral of three in Prague who had been put to death in Prison for calling the Pope Antichrist and speaking against Indulgences at whose Funeral was sung on this wise These be the Saints which for the Testament of God gave their bodies c. much commended them for their constancy and blest God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who had hid the way of his Verity so from the prudent of the world and had revealed it to the simple who chose rather to please God then man This occasioned his expulsion out of Prague being before excommunicated by the Pope The Emperour having given safe conduct to Mr. Iohn Hus to come to the general Council at Constance he promised to come professing he was ready alwayes to satisfie all men which shall require him to give a reason of his faith and hope c. and giving notice to all that could object any error or heresie to him to appear and not spare him The Twenty sixth day after he came to Constance two Bishops c. were sent to him to bring him before the Pope and his Cardinals To whom he answered I am not come to defend my Cause particularly before the Pope and his Cardinals but to appear before the whole Council and there answer for my defence openly c. unto all such things as shall be demanded or required of me Notwithstanding forasmuch as
examined before me The Lord grant us grace to stand together fighting lawfully in his Cause till we be smitten down together if the Lords Will be so to permit it for there shall not an hair of our heads perish against his Will but with his Will whereunto the same Lord grant us to be obedient unto the end and in the end Amen Sweet mighty and mercifull Lord Jesus the Son of David and of God Amen Amen let every true Christian say and pray I told the Chancellor That I would not be out of the Catholick Church but into his Church by Gods grace I would never come Well said he then is our Church false and Antichristian Yes said I. When I desired leave to confirm my Doctrine by writing you would not grant it because I was a private person and the Parliament was above the Authority of all private Persons and therefore the sentence thereof might not be found fault with c. And yet my Lord said I I can shew that one man hath come into a general Council and after the whole had agreed upon an Article hath by the Word of God declared so pithily that the Council had erred in declaring the said Article that he caused the whole Council to alter their Act. Panormitanus also said I saith That unto a simple Lay-man that bringeth the Word of God with him there ought to be given more credit then to a whole Council assembled together The Chancellor facing me and hoping to dash me out of Couutenance I told him in that Cause being Gods Cause he should not make me afraid to speak I was never the worse but the better to be earnest in a just and true cause and in my Master Christs matters When Winchester had read the Condemnation he declared that I was in the great curse c. Well my Lord said I here I stand before God and you and all this honourable Audience and take him to witness that I never wittingly nor willingly taught any false Doctrine and therefore have I a good conscience before God and all good men I am sure you and I shall come before a God that is righteous before whom I shall be as good a man as you and I nothing doubt but that I shall be found there a true Member of the true Catholick Church of Christ and everlastingly saved and as for your false Church ye need not to excommunicate me forth of it I have not been in it these twenty years the Lord be thanked therefore But now ye have done what ye can my Lord I pray you yet grant me one thing that my poor wife being a stranger and having ten children by me may come and speak with me as long as I live She shall not come at thee said he Then I have tried out all your charity said I. Two things more I purposed to have touched if I could have been permitted The one how it was lawfull for a private man to reason and write against a wicked Act of Parliament or ungodly Council c. The other was to prove that Prosperity was not alwayes a token of Gods love For the first I shall adde one example more The high Priests the Elders Scribes and Pharisees decreed in their Council and gave â—he same command to the Apostles that they should â—ot preach in the Name of Christ as ye have also forbidden us Notwithstanding when they were charged therewithall they answered We ought more to obey God then man Even so we may answer you God is more to be obeyed then man and your wicked Laws cannot so tongue-tie us but we will speak the Truth The Apostles were beaten for their boldness and they rejoyced that they suffered for Christs Cause Ye have also provided rods for â—s and bloody whips yet when ye have done that which Gods Hand and Counsel hath determined that ye shall do be it life or death I trust that â—od will so assist us by his holy Spirit and Grace that we shall patiently suffer it and praise God for it And whatsoever become of me and others which now suffer for speaking and professing the Truth yet be ye sure that Gods Word will prevail and have the upper hand when your bloody Laws and wicked Decrees for want of sure foundation shall fall in the dust For the second point It may please your Lordship to understand That we poor Preachers whom you so evil intreat did most boldly and plainly rebuke the evil government of those under King Edward in many things especially their covetousness and neglect and small regard to live after the Gospel as also their negligence to occasion others to live thereafter I might instance in what I once did at Paul's Cross for which I was fain to answer before all the Council and many of my Brethren did the like so that we for the not rebuking of their faults shall not answer before God nor be blame-worthy before men I am an English man born and God knoweth do naturally wish well to my Countrey I have often proved that the things which I have much feared should come to pass have indeed followed I fear you have and will with your Governing bring England out of Gods Blessing into a warm Sun I pray God I may fail of my guessing in this behalf but truly that Englands welfare will not be with expelling the true Word of God out of the Realm and the shedding innocent blood Gods works are wonderfull and incomprehensible by mans Wisdome c. He hath put his Beloved and Dear Heart into his enemies hands This to worldly wise men is a madness above all madness and yet God doth this Can the world shew the cause This I am right sure of that it was not because they were in Heresies and subject to false gods services and idolatry and their enemies men of God and beloved of God The Herods and Pharaohs plainly determined that if the men which they killed and handled evil had been Gods people God would never have suffered them to come into their hands but rather have done the contrary and have let Iohn Baptist kill Herod and the Israelites Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar Even the like is now to be seen in us and in our most cruel adversaries They are not therefore the Catholick Church because our mercifull God hath at this present given our lives into their hands neither are we therefore Hereticks because we suffer punishment at their hands The holy men of God recorded in Scripture were in their dayes accounted to be Hereticks Seditious and Dâ—sturbers of the whole world But here they will cry out Lo these men will be still like â—â—hn Baptists the Apostles and Prophets c. I anâ—â—er We make not our selves like to them in doing â—iracles c. but onely in this in Doctrine and in â—ffering persecution and infamy for the same We â—â—ve preached their very Doctrine and none other â—â—ing and for this Cause
glory my care in my great temptations was to have the senses of my soul open to perceive the Voice of God saying Whosoever denieth me before men him will I deny before my Father and his Angels And to save the life corporal is to lose the life eternal and he that will not suffer with Christ shall not reign with him Therefore most tender Ones I have by Gods Spirit given over the flesh with the fight of my soul and the Spirit hath the victory The flesh shall now ere it be long leave off to sin the Spirit shall reign eternally I have chosen Death to confirm the Truth by me taught What can I do more Consider with your selves that I have done it for the confirmation of Gods Truth Pray that I may continue to the end The greatest part of the assault is past I praise my God I have in all my assaults felt the present aid of my God I give him most hearty thanks therefore Look not back nor be ye ashamed of Christs Gospel nor of the bonds I have suffered for the same It is no time for the loss of one man in the Battel for the Camp to turn Back Up with mens hearts blow down the dawbed Walls of Heresie Let one take the Banner and the other the Trumdet I mean not to make corporal resistance but pray and ye shall have Elias defence and Elizeus company to fight for you The Cause is the Lords My heart with pangs of death is assaulted but I am at home yet with my God alive Pray for me c. From Newgate Prison in haste the day of my Condemnation I. R. In his Letter to the Congregation two dayes before he suffered Whosoever will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution for it is given unto them not onely to believe but to suffer and the Servant or Scholar cannot be greater then his Lord or Master but by the same way the Head is entred the Members must follow My dear soul is departing this Life to my great advantage I make change of morality for immortality of corruption to put on incorruption to make my body like to the Corn cast into the ground which except it die first it can bring forth no good fruit Happy are they that die in the Lord which is to die in the Faith of Christ professing and confessing the same before many Witnesses What a Journey by Gods power I have made these eight dayes is above flesh and blood to bear but as Paul saith I may do all things through him who worketh in me Iesus Christ. My course Brethren I have run I have fought a good fight the Crown of Righteousness is laid up for me my day to receive it is not long to Pray Brethren for the enemy doth yet assault Be not ashamed of the Gospel of the Cross by me preached nor of my suffering for with my blood I affirm the same I go before I suffer first the baiting of the Butchers Dogs yet I have not done what I should have done What was undone impute that to frailty and ignorance and with your love cover that which was and is naked in me God knoweth ye are all tender to me My heart bursteth for the love of you Ye are not without the great Pastour of your souls who so loveth you that if men were not to be found as God be praised there is no want of them he would cause stones to minister unto you Cast your care on that Rock the wind of temptation shall not prevail Past and pray for the dayes are evil Look up with your eyes of hope for your redemption is not far off but my wickedness hath deserved that I shall not see it and also that which is behind of the blood of our Brethren which shall also be laid under the Altar shall cry for your relief The Friday at night before Mr. Rough was taken being in his Bed he dreamed That he saw two of the Guard leading Cuthbert Sympson Deacon of the said Congregation and that he had the Book about him wherein were written the Names of all them that were of the Congregation Afterwards he awaked and having told the dream unto his Wife after some time spent in reading he fell asleep again and dreamed the same dream again and awaking told his Wife his dream and said O Brother Cuthbert is gone And whilst he was making ready for to go and see how it was with him Mr. Sympson came into Mr. Rough's House and brought the Book with him Mr. Rough having told him his dream perswaded him to carry the Book no more about with him which he was loth to promise because said he dreams are but fancies and not to be credited Then Mr. Rough straitly charged him in the Name of the Lord to do it Whereupon Mr. Sympson left the Book with Mrs. Rough. And so the Congregation was preserved The next night Mr. Rough dreamed That he himself was forcibly carried to the Bishop and that the Bishop pluckt off his beard and cast it into the fire saying these words Now I may say I have had a piece of an Heretick burned in my House And so accordingly it came to pass Rose Mr. Thomas Rose born at Exmouth in Devon when he was first taken was sorely stocked in Prison The Stocks were very high and great so that day and night he did lie with his back on the ground upon a little straw with his heels so high that by means the blood was fallen from his feet his feet were without sense for a long time His Mother might not be suffered to see him Afterwards Cranmer set him at liberty When he was brought before Gardiner being taken at Bow in London with five and thirty more Winchester told him That he would know who were his Maintainers or else he would make him a foot longer My Lord said he you shall do as much as pleaseth God and no more yet the Law is in your hand but I have God for my Maintainer and none other At his second Examination the Chancellour ask'd him What he said to the real presence in the Sacrament I wist right well said he you are made an instrument to seek innocent blood Well you may have it if God permit it is present and at hand for I came not hither to lie but to die if God see it good in defence of that which I have said Wherefore you may begin when you think good c. At his third Examination the Bishop saying Ah Sirrah you will admit nothing but Scripture I see well No truly my Lord said he I admit nothing but Scripture for the Regiment of the Soul for Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God and where the Word of God is not there ought no belief to be given for whatsoever is not of Faith is sin Roth. Richard Roth in his Letter to certain Brethren and Sisters condemned at Colchester
good counsel that they might become good Catholicks Sir said she they have a better Instructour then I for the Holy Ghost doth teach them I hope who I trust will not suffer them to erre Thereupon the Knight said It is time to look to such Hereticks Sir said she with that which you call Herelie do I worship my Lord God Then I perceive said Tyrrel you will burn with the rest for company No Sir said she not for company but for my Christs sake if so I be compelled and I hope in his mercies if he call me to it he will enable me to bear it To try her Tyrrel burnt the wrist of her hand with a candle till the very sinews crackt asunder saying often to her What whore wilt not thou cry To which she answered That she had no cause she thanked God but rather to rejoyce You said she have more cause to weep then I if you consider the matter well At last she said Sir have you done what you will do He answering yea and if thou thâ—nk it be not well then mend it She replied Mend it Nay the Lord mend you and give you repentance if it be his will and now if you think it good to begin at the feet and burn the head also She being asked by one how she could abide the painful burning of her hand She said at first it was some grief to her but afterward the longer she burned the less she felt even well near none at all Almondus My Body dies said Aâ—ondus a Via my Spirit lives Gods Kingdome abides ever God hath now given me the accomplishment of all my deâ—â—res Alost Francis d' Alost a Cutler in Flanders being conducted to Prison said Now you have taken me you think to deprive me of life and thereby to bring great damage to me but you are deceived for it is all one as if you took counters from me to fill my hand with a great sum of gold As he went to suffer he used that speech of the Apostle St. Peter I must now shortly put off this my earthly tabernacle 2 Pet. 1.10 which the love of Iesus my Lord constraineth me to do 2 Cor. 5.14 Amâ—chus Turn said he the other side also least raw flesh offend you Ambrose I have not so lived said he that I am ashamed to live longer nor yet fear I death because I have a good Lord. To Calignon Valentinians Eunuch threatning death he said Well do you that which becomes an Eunuch I will suffer that which becomes a Bishop Andrew When the Proconsul threatned Andrew the Apostle with the Cross if he left not off his preaching I would never said he have preached the Doctrine of the Cross if I had feared the suffering of the Cross. When he came to the Cross on which he was to be crucified he said O Cross most welcome and long look'd for with a willing mind joyfully I come to thee being the Scholar of him that did hang on thee welcome O Christ longed and looked for I am the Scholar of him that was crucified long have I coveted to embrace thee in whom I am what I am Anvil Frederick Anvil of Bearne to the Friers that willed him to call on the Virgin Mary three times repeated Thine O Lord is the Kingdome thine is the power and glory for ever and ever Let us fight let us fight Avant Satan avant Apprice Bonner asking Iohn Apprice what he thought of the Sacrament of the Altar he answered The Doctrine you teach is so agreeable to the world and embraced of the same that it cannot be agreeable to the Word of God Ardley Iohn Ardley being urged by Bonner to recant cried out If every hair of my head were a man I would suffer death for my Religion Being again sollicited to recant No God forbid said he that I should do so for then I shall lose my soul. Arethusius Marcus Arethusius having at the command of Constantinus pulled down a certain Temple dedicated to Idols and instead thereof built up a Church where the Christians might congregate under Iulianus he was beaten cast into a filthy sinck put into a basket anointed with honey and broth hung abroad in the heat of the Sun as meat for Wasps to feed on hereby it was hoped he would be enforced either to build up again the Temple which he had destroyed or else give so much money as would pay for the building of the same This good man whilest he hung in the basket did not onely conceal his pains but derided those wicked instruments of his torments calling them bafe low terrene people and himself exalted and set on high when they told him they would be contented with a small sum of money from him He said It is as great a wickedness to confer one half-penny in case of impiety as if a man should bestow the whole Askew Mrs. Iane Askew being called by the Bishop of Winchester a Parrot told him that she was ready to suffer not onely his rebukes but all things that should follow besides yea and all that gladly To her Confession in Newgate she thus subscribed Written by me Jane Askew who neither wish death nor fear its might and as merry as one bound towards Heaven In her Confession of her Faith she saith Though God hath given me the bread of adversity and the waters of trouble yet not so much as my sins have deserved When Nicholas Sharton counselled her to recant as he had done she said It had been good for him never to have been born In an Answer to a Letter of Mr. Lacell's she writ thus O Friend most dearly beloved in God I marvail not a little what should mâ—ve you to judge in me so slender a faith as to fear death which is the end of all misery In the Lord I desire you not to believe of me such weakness for I doubt not but God will perform his work in me like as he hath begun When Wrisley Lord Chancellor sent to her Letters at the Stake offering her the Kings pardon if she would recant she refusing once to look upon them gave this answer That she came not thither to deny her Lord and Master Attalus He answered to every question I am a Christian Being fired in an iron Chain Behold said he O you Romans this is to eat man's flesh which you falsly object to us Christians Audebert Blessed be God said Anne Audebert of Orleance for this Wedding Girdle meaning the Chain my first marriage was on this Lords Day and now my second to my Spouse and Lord Christ shall be on the same Augustine Boughs fall off trees said he and stones out of buildings and why should it seem strange that mortal men die Austine Austine a Barbar born about Hennegow in Germany as he was led to execution being desired by a Gentleman to have pity upon himself and if he would not
if she will condemn me to perpetual imprisonment I will thank her The Chancellor pressing him to do as they had done in hopes of the Queens mercy and pardon My Lord said he I desire mercy with Gods mercy i. e. without doing or saying any thing against God and his Truth pag. 290. but mercy with Gods wrath God keep me from Gods mercy I desire and also would be glad of the Qâ—eens favour to live as a Subject without clog on Conscience but otherwise the Lords mercy is better to me then life Life in his displeasure is worse then death and death with his favour is true life He having refused again and again to answer to the Chancellors Quaeries said That no fear but the fear of perjury made him unwilling to answer he having been six times sworn not to consent to the practising of any Jurisdiction or any Authority on the Bishop of Râ—me's behalf within the Realm of England I am not afraid of death I thank God I look and have looked for nothing else from your hands a long time but I am afraid when death cometh I should have maâ—ter to trouble my Conscience by the guilt of perjury As for my death as I know there are twelve hours in the day so with the Lord my time is appointed and when it shall be his good time then I shall depart hence but in the mean season I am safe enough though all the reople had sworn my death into his hands have I committed it and do his good will be done The Earl of Derby sending one of his Servants to him willing him to tender himself He told the Messenger that he thanked his Lordship for his good will towards him but in this case I cannot tender my self more then Gods honour The same Servant saying also Ah Mr. Bradford consider your Mother Sister Friends Kinsfolk Countrey what a great discomfort it will be to them to see you die as an Heretick Mr. Bradford replied I have learned to forsake Father Mother Brother Sister Friends and all that ever I have yea and my own self for else I cannot be Christs Disciple Being askt by a good Gentlewomans Servant that was sent to him How he did he answered Well I thank God for as men in Sailing which be near to the Shore or Haven where they would be would be nearer even so the nearer I am to God the nearer I would be In a Letter to his Mother and Brethren I am at this time in Prison sure enough from starting to confirm that I have preached unto you As I am ready I thank God with my life and blood to seal the same if God vouchsafe me worthy of that honour If we suffer with him we shall also reign wâ—th him Be not therefore faint-hearted but rather rejoyce at the least for my sake who now am in the right and high way to Heaven for by many afflictions we must enter into the Kingdome of God Now will God made known his Children When the wind doth not blow the Wheat cannot be known from the Chaffe but when the blast cometh then flieth away the Chaffe but the Wheat remaineth and is so far from being hurt that by the wind it is more cleansed from the Chaffe Gold when it is cast into the fire is the more precious so are Gods Children by afflictions Indeed I thank God more for this Prison then for any Parlour yea then for any pleasure that eyer I had for in it I find God my most sweet good God alwayes Of all deaths it is most to be desired to die for Gods sake such are sure to go to Heaven Death nor Life nor Prison nor Pleasure I trust in God shall be able to separate me from my Lord God and his Gospel Rejoyce in my sufferings for it is for your sakes to confirm the truth I have taught Howsoever you do be obedient to the Higher Powers that is in no point either in hand or tongue Rebel but rather if they command that which with good conscience you cannot obey lay your head on the Block and suffer what they shall do or say By patience possess your souls In his Letter to the City of London I ask God heartily mercy that I do no more rejoyce then I do having so great cause as to be an instrument wherein it may please my dear Lord and Saviour to suffer Although my sins be manifold and grievous yet the Bishops and Prelates do not persecute them in me but Christ himself his Word his Truth and Religion Let the anger and plagues of God most justly fallen upon us be applied to every one of our deserts that from the bottome of our hearts every one of us may say It is I Lord that have sinned against thee It is my hypocrisie my vain-glory my covetousness uncleanness carnality security idleness unthankfulness self-love c. which have deserved the taking away of thy Word and true Religion of thy good Ministers by Exile Imprisonment Death c. Prepare your selves to the Cross be obedient to all that be in Authority in all things that be not against God his Word for then answer with the Apostle It is more meet to obey God then man Howbeit never for any thing resist or rise against the Magistrates Avenge not your selves Commit your Cause to the Lord. If you feel in your selves an hope and trust in God that he will never tempt you above that he will make you able to bear be assured the Lord will be true to you and you shall be able to bear all brunts but if you want this Hope flee and get you hence rather then by your tarrying Gods Name should be dishonoured In his Letter to Cambridge Thou my Mother the University hast not onely had the truth of Gods Word plainly manifested unto thee by Reading Disputing and Preaching publickly and privately but now to make thee altogether excuseless and as it were almost to sin against the Holy Ghost if thou put to thy helping hand with the Romish Rout to suppress the Verity and set out the contrary thou hast my life and blood as a Seal to confirm thee if thou wilt be confirmed or else to confound thee if thou wilt take part with the Prelates and Clergy which now fill up the measure of their Fathers which slew the Prophets and Apostles that all the righteous blood from Abel to Bradford may be required at their hands For the tender mercy of Christ in his bowels and blood I beseech you to take Christs eye-salve to anoint your eyes that you may see what you do and have done in admitting the Romish rotten Rags which once you utterly expelled O be not the Dog returned to his vomit be not the Sow that was washed returning to her wallowing in the mire Beware least Satan enter in with seven worse Spirits c. It had been better you had never known the truth then after knowledge to have run
pure Law of God which proveth the best of us all damnable sinners in the light of God and that our best works are polluted in such sort as the Prophet describes them with the which manner of speaking our free-will Pharisees are much offended for it felleth all mans righteousness to the ground In his Letter to Mr. Augustine Bernher Pray for me that I may be strong and hardy to lay a good load on that bloody beast of Babylon O that I might so strike him down that he should never be able to rise again but that stroke belongeth onely to the Lord to strike at his coming which I hope will be shortly Carpenter All Bavaria said George Carpenter is not so dear to me as my wife and children yet for Christs sake I will forsake them cheerfully Carver Mr. Derick Carver being asked by Bonner whether he would stand for his Confession answered He would for your Doctrine is poyson and sorcery If Christ were here you would put him to a worse death then he was put to before At the stake he spake thus Dear Brethren and Sisters I am come here to seal with my blood Christs Gospel because that I know it to be true As many of you as do believe upon the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost unto everlasting life see you do the works pertaining to the same As many of you as do believe on the Pope of Rome you do believe to your utter condemnation and except the great mercy of God prevent not you shall burn in Hell perpetually In his Prayer O Lord my God thou hasâ— written He that will not forsake wife children house and all that ever he hath and take up his cross and follow thee is not worthy of thee Lord thou knowest that I have forsaken all to come unto thee Lord have mercy upon me for unto thee I commend my Spirit and my soul doth rejoyce in thee Chrysostome Eud xia the Emperess having sent him a very threatning message he gave this answer Go tell her Nil nisi peccatum timeo I fear nothing but sin When she had procured his banishment as he went forth of the City he said None of these things trouble me but I said within my self if the Queen will let her banish me the Earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof if she will let her cast me into the sea I will remember Ionah if she will let her cast me into a burning fiery Furnace or among wild beasts the three children and Daniel were so dealt with if she will let her stone me or cut off my head I have St. Stephen and the Baptist my blessed Companions if she will let her take away all my substance Naked came I out of my Mothers womb and naked shall I return thither again He used to say the Devil 's first assault is violent resist that and his second will be weaker and that being resisted he proves a Coward Clarebachius I believe said Adolphus Clarebachius that there is not a merrier heart in the world at this instant then mine is Behold you shall see me die by that faith I have lived in Colham See Sir Iohn Oldcastle under the Letter O Clark When Roger Clark was sentenced he said with much vehemency Fight for your God for he hath not long to continue At the Stake he cried out to the people Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world Coligni Iasper Coligni great Admiral of France who was slain in the Massacre at Paris August 24. 1572. being shot in the left Arm with two Bullets and the fore-finger of the right hand broke off with a third and being told by a Gentleman that it was to be feared the Bullets were poysoned he said All must be as it pleaseth God Seeing his Friends weep which held his Arm whilst the Incisions were made he said My Friends why do you weep I judge my self happy that bear these wounds for the Cause of my God To Mr. Merlin his Chaplain he said These wounds my Friend are Gods blessings The smart indeed is troublesome but I acknowledge the will of my Lord therein and I bless his Majesty who hath been pleased thus to honour me and to lay any pain upon me for his holy Names sake Let us beg of him that he will enable me to persevere to the end Speaking concerning those that wounded him I know assuredly said he that it is not in their power to hurt me No though they should kill me for my death is a most certain passage to eternal life N When the Blood-hounds brake open the house where he lay wounded he spake thus I perceive what is a doing I was never afraid of death and I am ready to undergo it patiently for which â— have long since prepared my self I bless God that I shall die in the Lord. â— now need no longer any help of man therefore my friends get ye hence The presence of God to whose goodness I commend my soul is abundantly sufficiently for me Coâ—vâ—r Sheep we are for the slaughter said Francâ— Co'ver to his two Sons massacred together with himself this is no new thing let us follow millions of Martyrs through temporal death unto eternal life Coo. Roger Coo being asked by the Bishop of Norâ—ichâ— whether he would not obey the Kings Laws answered As far as they agree with the Word of God I will obey them Whether they agree with the Word of God or no we are bound to obey them said the Bishop though the King were an Infidel Coo replyed If Shadrach Mâ—shach and Abednâ—go had so done Neluchadnâ—zzar had neveâ— confessed the Living God Constantine Being carried with other Martyrs in a Dungâ— Cart to the place of Execution he spake thusâ— Well yet are we a precious odour and a sweeâ— savour to God in Christ. Cornford Iohn Cornford one of the last five that suffered Martyrdome in Queen Mary's dayes when thâ— Sentence should have been passed and they should have been executed by the Papists being moveâ— in Spirit with a vehement zeal for God in the namâ— of them all pronounced Sentence of Excommunication against the Papists in these words In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of the most mighty God and by the power of the holy Spirit and the authority of his holy and Apostolick Church We do hereby give into the hands of Satan to be destroyed the bodies of those Blasphemers and Hereticks that do maintain any errour against his most holy Word or do condemn his most holy Truth for Heresie to the maintenance of any false Church or feigned Religion so that by this thy just judgement against thy Adversaries thy true Religion may be known to thy great glory and our comfort and to the edifying of all our Nation Lord Jesus So be it It is observable that within six dayes after this Excommunication Queen Mary died and the tyranny of all
will strengthen me therein When he was told that his four Quarters should be hanged at four parts of Calice and his Head upon the Lanthern-gate Then shall I not need said he to provide for my Burial Delos Alas said Iames Delos to the Monks that called him proud Heretick here I get nothing but shame I expect indeed preferment hereafter Denley Mr. Iâ—hn Denlâ—y being entreated by Bishop Bonner to recant said God save me from your Counsel In the Fire with the burning flame about him he sung a Psalm and having his face hurt with a Fagot hurled at him he left singing for a while and clapt his hands in his bleeding face and afterwards put his hands abroad and sung again till he died Dionysius Dionysius Areopagita who seeing the generâ—â—â— Eclipse of the Sun at Christ's death said to oneâ— Either the God of Nature now suffers or the frame of the World shall be dissolved and to another God unknown in the flesh doth suffer When he was apprehended by Sisinius the Praefect and sharply reproved for preaching against the worship of their Gods and required to confess his errour said That they were no gods whom they worshipped but Idols the works of mens hands and that it was through meer ignorance folly and idolatry that they adored them adding that there was but one true God as he had preached After he was grievously tormented he was brought before Sisinius the second time who sentenced him to be beheaded forthwith Dyonisius told him he worshipped such Gods as would perish like Dâ—ng upon the Earth but as for my self said he come life come death I will worship none but the God of Heaven and Earth He pray'd thus at his death O Lord God Almighty thou onely-begotten Son and Holy Spirit O Sacred Trinity which art without beginning and in whom is no division Receive the soul of thy Servant in peace who is put to death for thy Cause and Gospel He used to say That he desired these two things of God 1 That he might know the Truth himself and 2 That he might preach it as he ought to others Driver Alice Driver in her first Examination havâ—ng got her Adversaries to acknowledge that a Sacrament is a sign and that it was Christ's Body his Disciples did eat the night before he was crucified Seeing it is said she a sign it cannot be the thing signified and how could it be Christ's Body that was crucified seeing his Disciples had eaten him up over night except he had two Bodies At the end of her second Examination She said Have you no more to say God be honoured You be not able to resist the Spirit of God in me a poor Woman I was an honest poor man's Daughter never brought up in the University as you have been but I have driven the Plough before my Father many a time I thank God yet notwithstanding in the defence of God's Truth and in the Cause of my Mr. Christ by his Grace I will set my foot against the foot of any of you all in the maintenance and defence of the same and if I had a thousand lives they should go for payment thereof When she was tied to the Stake and the iron Chain put about her neck O said she here is a goodly Neckerchief blessed be God for it Drowry Thomas Drowry the blind Boy to whom Bishop Hooper as he was going to the Stake after he had examined him said Ah poor Boy God hath taken from thee thy outward sight but he hath given thee another sight much more precious He that endued thy soul with the eye of Knowledge and Faith Shortly after Bishop Hooper's Martyrdome was cast into Prison Afterwards the Chancellor of Glocester asking him who taught him that Heresie that Christ's Body was not really present in the Sacrament of the Altar he said You Mr. Chancellor when in yonder Pulpit you taught us that the Sacrament was to be received spiritually by Faith and not carnally and really as the Papâ—â— teach But said the Chancellor Do thou as I haâ—â— done and thou shalt live as I do and escape buâ—â—ing Though you said Drowry can so easily dâ—â—pense with your Conscience and mock God aâ—â— the World yet will not I do so Then said tâ—â— Chancellor I will condemn thee God's Will bâ—â— fulfilled said Drowry E. Edward King Edward the Sixth our English Iâ—sias being prest by Archbishop Cranmer and Bishop Ruley to permit the Lady Mâ—ry to have Mass in heâ—â— House after he had argued notably against iâ—â—bid them be content for he would spend his life and all he had rather then to agree to and graâ—â—â— that he knew certainly to be against the Truth and then fell a weeping insomuch that the Bishop wept as fast as he and the Archbishop tolâ— Mr. Cheek his Scholar had more Divinity in hiâ—â— little finger then all they had in all their Bodies Elizabeth The Lady Elizabeth afterward Queen of England when she came out of the Barge at Traytorâ— Stairs going into the Tower said Here landed as true a Subject being a Prisoner as ever landeâ— at these Stairs And before thee O God I speak it having no other Friends but thee alone Her Gentleman-Usher weeping she demandeâ— of him what he meant so uncomfortably to use her seeing she took him to be her Comfort and not to dismay her especially for that she knew her Truth to be such that no man should have cause to weep for her When the Doors of the Prison were locked and bolted upon her she called for her Book desiring God not to suffer her to build her foundation upon the Sands but upon the Rock wâ—ereby all blasts of blustering weather should have no power against her When she was locked up close in Prison at first she was much daunted but afterwards she brake forth into this Speech The skill of a Pilot is unknown but in a Tempest the valour of a Captain is unseen but in a Battel and the worth of a Christian doth not appear but in time of Tryal and Temptation Mr. Burrough's Mos. Self-denial pag. 31. Upon Gardeners and other Counsellors strict Examination of her she said My Lords you do sift me very narrowly but well I am assured you shall not do more to me then God hath appointed and so God forgive you all Some telling her that they were perswaded God would not suffer Sir Henry Bâ—nâ—field to make her away privately Well said she God grant it be so for thou O God canst mollifie all such tyrannous hearts and disappoint all such cruel purposes and I beseech thee to hear thy Creature which am thy Servant and at thy Command trusting by thy Grace ever so to remain As she passed over the Water to Richmond going towards Windsor in their Journey to Woodstock she espied certain of her old Servants standing on the other side very desirous to see her and sent one of her men standing by unto
is the true Cross saith Mr. Frith in his Treatise called A preparation to the Cross which God doth lay upon us For the Word of God to suffer all scorns mocks lyes and persecutions and not to fear the most cruel yea even the most shameful death That we may be prepared to bear the true Cross we must consider that no calamity falleth on us by fortune or chance but by the counsel and appointment of God as witnesseth the holy Scripture It is undoubtedly no smaâ— comfort to be assured that the Cross is of God and that we are chastened of God and not of the Devil or of any wicked man who utterly can have no power upon us not so much as to move one hair of our head beside the will of the Lord. But it is not enough to consider that we are afflicted through the counsel and will of God but must moreover mark the cause and intent of his godly will for reason judgeth that we are punished to the end to be hurt or destroyed c. but we must forsake Reason and cleave to the Word of God which teacheth that we suffer affliction to our health and salvation for afflictions are not signs of wrath and displeasure but of grace and favour This is no small comfort to them that bear the Cross that they are not punished of the Lord to their hurt or destruction but to their health and salvation and that their afflictions poverty c. are not signs of Gods wrath but instruments by which God is glorified When God doth afflict his people for their sins he doth not therefore afflict them that by their afflictions they should satisfie for their sins for the passion and suffering of Jesus Christ is the ransome and expiation of our sins but that by affliction he may bring sinners to repentance When a Christian seeth himself forsaken of all men he must pray and not cease to pray but pray in faith mistrusting nothing God calleth Invocation or crying on him in trouble a Sacrifice the true and most acceptable honour So likewise he calleth the Hope whereby we tarry his help in affliction Sacrifice Sacrifice you the sacrifice of Justice and hope ye in the Lord q. d. that Hope is a Sacrifice whereby we yield justice to God that seeing he hath so promised he will pluck us out and deliver us for so much as he is righteous and true Of patience to God-ward springeth forth patience toward men for when the heart is at peace with God it tarrieth help of him and utterly setteth aside lust to revenge Our reason is therefore troubled and vexed in persecution because it thinketh that we are afflicted because God either hateth us or doth not regard us neither will help us These false opinions God plucketh from us and teacheth us that we are afflicted not because he hateth us but because he will either amend us or when we be amended continue us so And that in our affliction he will help us and keep us and also comfort us with the Holy Ghost and set our Conscience at peace and make us be glad in God c. Christian patience hath certain conditions whereby it is known to be true patience 1 It grudgeth not neither excuseth it self as though it should suffer unworthily for his sins wherefore he sitteth down and holdeth his peace as Iâ—remiah saith 2 Is casteth all carefulness on God and committeth it self wholly to God that Gods will be done and not his 3 It humbleth himself and casteth off the pleasures of the World 4 He is merry and ready to suffer yet more heavy and gâ—ievous evils We must look for help in all afflictions for God promiseth his help saying I am with you Fâ—ar ye nâ—t I will strengthen you But the manner time and kind of help is unknown unto us that Faith and Hope may have place which sticketh to these things which are not seen nor heard God delivereth when most need is that his glory may shine the brighter He will therefore help when we be in a manner compelled to despair in all humane help and when all carnal counsel deceiveth us for God only will be glorified He doth prolong help for our utility and profit that he might exercise and prove Faith by temptation so that he onely might possess the title and name of Helper He that believeth makes not haste He which yet seems afar off shall appear at the end and shall not lye although he tarry yet look for him for he is coming and at the last he shall come and shall not be slow It is also a great comfort to them that be in affliction to remember that they have Christ and his Prophets and Apostles and all good and holy men for their examples Furthermore it is a great comfort to the godly that the wicked whom God doth use as a rod to scourge the godly go not clear away without punishment whom he maketh either shamefully ashamed or through their own counsel he doth take them and bringeth them into the same destruction which they themselves have studied and found out for others The cause is For he that hurteth one faithful wrongeth not onely him but God who doth revenge the injury and wrong done to the faithful as injury done to himself He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye Saul Saul why persecuteth thou me If thou beest tempted concerning the Gospel or suffering persecution for the Gospel think of these Scriptures He that receeveth not my Cross and follows not me is not worthy of me If any man will come after me let him forsake himself and take his Cross and follow me For he that will save his soul shall lose it Contrariwise he that loseth his soul for my sake shall find it He that will confess me before men I will confess him before my Father The Apostles rejoyced that they were counted worthy The Servant is not above his Lord all they that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution If thou must die and leave Wife and Children and thy dear Friends say The Lord shall be their Defender for Gâ—â— both will and is able to cherish mine to nouriâ—â— and defend them for he is the Father of the faâ—therless and the Widows Husband I forget thingâ— behind my back and endeavour my self to thâ—â— things that are before my face They that haâ—â— Wives let them be as though they had none anâ— they that weep as though they wept not If Satan say thou must forsake the world what then Answer thou contrariwise I shall attain Heaven For blessed are the dead that die in the Lord. All thâ— world lyeth in wickedness All that are born â—â— God overcome the world and this the victorâ— which overcometh the world our faith All thâ— world shall perish with its lusts and desires Loâ—â— not the world nor the things of
unto us but also personally to visit the Poor oppressed and see that nothing be lacking unto them but that they have both ghostly comfort and bodily sustenance notwithstanding the strait inhibition and terrible menacing of these worldly Rulers even ready to abide the extreamest jeopardies that Tyrants can imagine This is an evidence that you have prepared your selves to the Cross of Christ according to the Counsel of the Wise man which saith My Son when thou shalt enter into the way of the Lord prepare thy self unto tribulation This is an evidence that you have cast up your accounts and have wherewith to finish the Tower which ye have begun to build and I doubt not but he that hath begun this work in you shall for his Glory accomplish the same even unto the coming of the Lord which shall give unto every man according to his deeds And albeit God of his secret Judgements for a time keep the rod from some of them that ensue his steps yet let them surely reckon upon it for there is no doubt but all which will live devoutly in Christ must suffer persecution for whom the Lord loveth he correcteth and chasteneth every child that he receiveth If ye be not under correction of which we are all partakers then are ye bastards and not children Nevertheless we may not suppose that our most loving Father should do that because he rejoyceth in our blood or punishment but he doth it for our singular profit that we may be partakers of Holiness and that the remnants of sin which through the frailty of our Members rebel against the Spirit and Will causing our works to go unperfectly forward and may some deal be suppressed least they should subdue us and reign over us Of these things God had given me the speculation before and now it hath pleased him to put in ure and practise upon me I ever thought yea and do think that to walk after Gods Word would cost me my life at one time or another and although the Kings Grace should take me into his Favour and not suffer the bloody Edomites to have their pleasures upon me yet will I not think that I am escaped but that God hath onely deferred it for a season to the intent that I should work somewhat that he hath appointed me to do and so to use me to his Glory And I beseech all the faithful followers of the Lord to arm themselves with the same supposition marking themselves with the sign of the Cross not from the Cross as the superstitious multitude do but rather to the Cross in token that they be ever ready willingly to receive the Cross when it shall please God to lay it upon them The day that it cometh not count it clear won giving thanks to the Lord who hath kept it from you and then when it cometh it shall nothing dismay you for it is no new thing but that which you have continually looked for And doubt not but that God who is faithful will not suffer you to be tempted above what you are able to bear but shall ever send some occasion by the which ye shall stand stedfast for either he shall blind the eyes of your enemies and diminish their Tyrannous Power or else when he hath suffered them to do their best and that the Dragon hath cast a whole flood of waters after you he shall cause even the Earth to opeâ— her mouth swallow them up So faithful is he anâ— careful to ease us when the vexation shall be too heavy for us he shall send a Ioseph before you againâ—â— ye shall come into Egypt yea he shall so provide foâ— you that ye shall have an hundred Fathers for one an hundred Mothers for one an hundred House for one and that in this life as I have proved bâ— experience and after this life everlasting joy witâ— Christ our Saviour Notwithstanding since thiâ— steadfastness comes not of our selves as St. Austiâ— saith there was never man so weak or frail no noâ— the greatest offender that ever lived but that every man of his own nature should be as frail and commit as great enormities except he were kept from it by the Spirit and Power of God I beseech you Brethren in the Lord Jesus Christ to pray with me that we may be Vessels to his land and praise what time soever it pleaseth him to call upon 〈◊〉 The Father of Glory give us the Spirit of wisdome understanding and knowledge and lighten the eyes of our mind that we may know his wayeâ— praising the Lord eternally Amen John Frith the Prisoner of Iesus Christ at all times abiding his pleasure In his Letter to his Friends concerning his troubles I doubt not dear Brethren but thâ—â— it doth some deal vex you to see the one part 〈◊〉 have all the words and freely to speak what they list and the other to be put to silence and not to be heard indifferently but refer your matter unto God who shortly shall judge after another fashion The Archbishop of Canterbury having sent one of his Gentlemen and one of his Porters to fetch Mr. Iohn Frith out of the Tower to be examined The Gentleman pitying him endeavoured to perswade him to relent to Authority and to give place for a time and not to cast himself away and suffer all his singular gifts to perish with him with little profit to the world c. Mr. Frith gave him thanks for his good will but told him farther thus My Cause and Conscience is such that in no wise I either may or can for any worldly respect without danger of damnation start aside c. If I be demanded what I think of the Supper of the Lord otherwise called the Sacrament of the Altar I must needs say my Knowledge and my Conscience though I should presently lose twenty lives if I had so many And if I may be indifferently heard I am sure mine Adversarie cannot condemn me or mine Assertion c. Yea marry quoth the Gentleman you say well if you might be indifferently heard but I much doubt thereof for that our Master Christ was not indifferently heard neither should be as I think if he were now present again in the world c. Well well quoth Frith unto the Gentleman I know very well that the Doctrine of the Sacrament which I hold and have opened contrary to the Opinion of this Realm is vety hard meat to be digested both of the Clergy and Laity but this I will say to you That if you live but twenty years more you shall see this whole Realm of mine Opinion c. and if it come not to pass then account me the vainest man that ever you heard speak with a tongue All things well and rightly pondered my death in this Cause which is Gods and not mine shall be better unto me and all mine then life in continuaâ— bondage and misery The Gentleman was 〈◊〉 wrought upon that he contrived a way
and seven children brought to him the Bishop hoping to overcome him by his natâ—ral affection to them and his wife beginning to exhort him to favour himself He desired her not to be a block in his way for that he was in good course running toward the mark of his salvation Gibson Some of the Articles exhibited against Mr. Richard Gibson 3 That he hath commended allowed defended and liked both Cranmer Lâ—timâ—r Ridley and all other Hereticks here in this Realm of England according to the Ecclesiastical Laws condemned for Hereticks and also liked their Opinions 4 That he hath comforted aided assisted and maintained both by words and otherwise Hereticks and erroneous Persons or at the least suspected and infamed of Heresies c. 5 That he hath affirmed that the Religion now used in this Realm is in no wise agreeable to Gods Word and Commandment c. The Bishop asking him if he knew any cause why the Sentence should not be read against him he said the Bishop had nothing wherefore justly to condemn him Sentence being read He again admonished Gibson to remember himself and so save his soul. Mr. Gibson answered That he would not hear the Bishops babling boldly protesting that he was contrary to them all in his mind though he aforet me kept it secret for fear of the Law And speaking to the Bishop he said Blessed am I that am cursed at your hands We have nothing now but thus will I for as the Bishop saith so it must be And no heresie is it to turn the truth of Gods Word into lies and that do you Mr. Gibson also propounded Nine Articles to Bonner by him to be answered by yea or nay or else by saying he could not tell 1 Whether the Scriptures of God written by Moses and other holy Prophets of God through faith that is in Christ Jesus be available Doctrine to make all men in all things unto salvation learned without the help of any other Doctrine or no 3 Whether the holy Word of God as it is written doth sufficiently teach all men of what dignity estate or calling by Office whatsoever be or they be their full true and lawful duty in their Office and whether every man be found upon the pain of eternal damnation in all things to do as he is thereby taught and commanded and in no wise to leave undone any thing that is to be done being taught and commanded by the same 4 Whether any man the Lord Jesus Christ God and man only except by the holy Ordinance of God ever was is or shall be Lord over Faith 5 By what lawful Authority or Power any man of what Dignity Estate or Calling soever he or they be may be so bold as to alter or change the holy Ordinances of God or any of them or any part of them 6 By what evident tokens Antichrist in his Ministers may be known seeing it is written That Satan can change himself into the similitude of an Angel of Light and his Ministers fashion themselves as though they were Ministers of righteousness 7 What the Beast is which maketh war with the Saints of God and what the gorgeous and glittering Whore is which sitteth upon the Beast Gilby Mr. Anthony Gilby an exiled Minister of Christ in Queen Mary's dayes in his Admonition speaks thus Whereas many have written many profitable Admonitions to you twain O England and Scotland both making one Island most happy if you could know your own hapiness and others with Pen and Tongue with Word with Writing with jeopardy and loss of Lands Goods and Lives have admonished you both twain of that cankered poyson of Papistry that ye foster and pamper to your own perdition and utter destruction of your selves and yours souls and bodies for now and ever I thought it my duty seeing your destruction to mans judgement to draw so near hom much or how little soever they have prevailed yet once again to admonish you both to give testimony to that truth which my Brethren have written and especially to stir your hearts to repentance or at the least to offer my self a witness against you for the justice of God and his righteous judgements which doubtless if your hearts be hardned against you both are at hand to be uttered Thus by our writing whom it pleaseth God to stir up of your Nations all men that now lâ—ve and that shall come after us shall have cause also to praise the mercy of God that so oft admonisheth before he strikes and to consider his just punishment when he shall pour forth his vengeance Give ear therefore betimes O Britain for of that name both rejoyceth whilest the Lord calleth exhorteth and admonisheth that is the acceptable time when he will be found If ye refuse the time offered ye cannot have it afterward though with tears as did Esau ye do seem to seek it Yet once again in Gods behalf I do offer you the very means which if God of his mercies grant you grace to follow I doubt nothing but that of all your enemies speedily ye shall be delivered Ye rejoyce at his Word I am sure if ye have any hope of the performance Then hearken to the matter which I write unto you not forth of mens Dreams and Fables nor forth of prophane Histories painted with mans wisdome vain eloquence or subtile reasons but forth of the infallible Word of God Is not this Gods curse and threatning amongst many others pronounced against the sinful Land and disobedient people That strangers shall devour the fruit of thy Land and be above thee c. and thy strong walls wherein thou trusted shall be destroyed c. And doth not Isaiah reckon this also as the extremity of all plagues for the wickedness of the people to have women raised up to rule over them But what saith the same Prophet in the beginning of his prophesie for a remedy against these and all other evils Yâ—ur hands are full of blood saith he O ye Princes of Sodom and people of Gomorrah but wash you make you clean take away your wicked thoughts forth of my sight â—ease to do evil learn to do well c. Then will I turn my hand to thee and purge out all thy dross and take away thy tynne and I will restore thy Iudges as aforetime and Counsellors as of old And Moses said before in the place alledged That if thou wilt hear the voice of the Lord 〈◊〉 God and do his Commandments thou shalt be blessed 〈◊〉 the Town and blessed in the Field The Lord shall caâ—â—â— thine enemies that rise up against thee to fall befoâ—â— thee c. Lo the way in few words O Britany 〈◊〉 win Gods favour and therefore to overcome thinâ— enemies But to print this more deeply upon your hearts O ye Princes and people of that Island whom God hath begun to punish seek I want you no snifting holes to excuse your faults no political
It is no arrogancy nor presumption in any man to burden God as it were with his promise and of duty to claim and challenge his aid help and assistance in all our perils dangers and distress calling upon him not in the confidence of our own godliness but in the trust of his own promises made in Christ. His Word cannot lye Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will hear thee and thou shalt praise me I answered the enemy also on this manner I am a sinner and therefore unworthy to be a witness of this truth What then Must I deny his Word because I am not worthy to proâ—ess it What bring I to pass in so doing but adde sin to sin What is greater sin then to deny the truth of Christs Gospel He that is ashamed of me or of my words saith Christ of him also will I be ashamed before my Father and all his Angels I might also by the same reason forbear to do any of Gods Commandments When I am provoked to pray the enemy may say to me I am not worthy to pray therefore I shall not pray c. When the Bishop came to Lichfield he perswaded me to be a Member of his Church which had continued so many years As for our Church as he called it it was not known he said but lately in King Edward's time I profess my self to be a Member of that Church said I that is builded upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Jesus Christ being the head corner-stone And this Church hath been from the beginning said I though it bear no glorious shew before the world being ever for the most part under the Cross and affliction contemned despised and persecuted The Bishop contended on the other side that they were the Church So cried all the Clergy against the Prophets of Ierusalem said I saying The Church the Church c. So much out of Mr. Glover's choice Letter After he was condemned his heart was lumpish and desolate of all spiritual consolation whereupon fearing least the Lord had utterly withdrawn he made his moan to Mr. Austine Bernher his familiar friend telling him how he had prayed night and day to God and yet had no sense of comfort from him The Minister desired him to wait patiently the Lords leisure and howsoever his present feeling was yet seeing his cause was just he exhorted him constantly to stick to the same and to play the man not doubting but the Lord in his good time would visit him and satisfie his desire with plenty of consolation whereof said Mr. Bernher he was right certain and sure and therefore desired him whenever any such feeling of Gods heavenly mercies should begin to touch his heart that then he should shew some signification thereof The next day as he was going to the place of his Martyrdome and was come within light of the Stake although all the night before praying for strength and courage he could feel none suddenly he was so mightily replenished with Gods holy comfort and heavenly joys that he cried out clapping his hands to Austine and saying in these words Austine He is come he is come c. and that with such joy and alacrity as one seeming rather to be risen from some deadly danger to liberty of life then as one passing out of the world by any pains of death Godfrey When one called Godfrey de Hâ—mmele Heretick he said No Heretick but an unprofitable Servant yet willing to die for his Lord and reckoning this death no death but a life Goodman Mr. Christopher Goodman an exiled Minister of Christ in Queen Mary's dayes declaring the cause of all the then misery in England and the onely way to remedy the same writes as followeth from Geneva If all in whom the People should look for comfort be altogether declined from God as indeed they appear to be at this present time in England without all fear of his Majesty or pity upon their Brethren Then assure your selves dear Brethren and Servants of God there can be no better counsel nor more comfortable or present remedy which you shall prove true if God grant you his Spirit and Grace to follow it then in continual and daily invocation of his Name to rest wholly and onely upon him make him your shield buckler and refuge who hath so promised to be to all them that are oppressed and depend upon him to do nothing commanded against God and your conscience preferring at all times the will of God to the will of men saying and answering to all manner of persons This God hath commanded this we must do That God hath forbidden that we will not do If you will rob us and spoil us for doing the Lords will to the Lord must you make answer and not to us for his goods they are and not ours If ye will imprison us behold you are oppressours if ye will hang us or burn us behold ye are murtherers of them which fear the Lord. And for our part if you take from us this vile and corruptible life we are sure the Lord will grant it us again with joy and immortality both of soul and body If God give you grace to make this or the like answer and strength to contemn their Tyranny you may be sure to find unspeakable comfort and quietness of conscience in the midst of your danger and greatest rage of Satan And thus boldly confessing Christ your Saviour before men as by the examples of thousands of your Brethren before your faces God doth mercifully encourage you you may with all hope and patience wait for the joyful confession of Christ again before his Father and Angels in Heaven that you are his obedient and dearly beloved Servants being also assured of this that if it be the will of God to have you any longer to remain in this miserable world that then his Providence is so careful over you and present with you that no man or power can take away your life from you nor touch your body any farther then your Lord and God will permit them which neither shall be augmented for your plain confession nor yet diminished for keeping of silence for nothing cometh to the Servants of God by hap or chance whose hairs of their heads are numbred Whereof if ye be so assured as ye ought there can be nothing that should make you to shrink from the Lord. If they do cast you into Prison with Ioseph the Lord will deliver you If they cast you to wild beasts and Lions as they did Dâ—niel you shall be preserved If into the Sea with Ionas you shall not be drowned or into the dirty dungeon with Ieremy you shall be delivered or into the fiery Furnace with Shadrach Meshach and Aâ—ednego yet shall not be consumed Contrariwise if it be his good pleasure that you shall glorifie his holy Name by your death what great thing have you lost changing death for life
pour upon the diligent hearers of his Word as was in David who desired being a King Rather to be a door-keeper in the House of God then to dwell in the tents of the ungodly lamenting nothing so much the injuries done to him by his Son Absalom which were not small as that he was deprived of the comfortable exercises in the Tabernacle of the Lord which then was in Sion Neither doth there appear in such persons that greedy desire whereof Isaiah makes mention which ought to be in the Professours of the Gospel who never would cease or rest till they should climb up to the Lords hill meaning the Church of Christ saying one to another Let us ascend to the hill of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob and he will teach us his wayes and we shall walk in his footsteps for the Law shall come forth of Sion and the Word of the Lord from Ierusalem Which zeal the Prophet doth not mention in vain but to shew what a thirst and earnest desire should be in true Christians and how the same appeareth in seeking and resorting to those places where it is set forth in greatest abundance and perfection as was after Christs Ascension in Ierusalem And as that zeal shewed them to be of Christ by the like must we be judged Christians also that if we flee for Christ the places whereunto we flee may bear witness for what cause we are fled Neither is it a sufficient excuse which many alledge that they believe to be saved by Christ that they have sufficient knowledge of their duty and the rest they can supply by their own diligence I dare say their faith is not so much but they had need to desire with the Apostles Lord encrease our fâ—ith And if they will so confess why do they forsake the chiefest means that God hath ordained which is the open Congregations of his people where his Word the fountain of Faith is most purely preached and where the godly Examples of others may be a sharper spur to prick them forward and as for the knowledge and diligence of such there may be no buckler to defend their doings for if they have those gifts whereof they boast where may they better bestow them then in the Church of God except they will say they are born to themselves and have the gifts of God which he would have common to others applied to their own private fancy which is to lap them up in a clout and not to put them forth to the vantage of the owner as did the unprofitable Servant and as do all they to whom God hath given either learning counsel or worldly substance who either for the strength of Cities pleasantness of the air traâ—fick or merchandize or for any other worldly respect or policy do absent themselves from the Congregation and company of their poor Brethren where Christ hath advanced his Standard and blown his Trumpet If God then give you not strength at the first to stand in his Profession to the death nor that you cannot be quiet in conscience abiding in your Countrey you see how his mercy hath given you liberty to kill and what places he hath appointed you to flee unto that is where you may do good to your selves and others where ye may be free from Superstition and Idolatry where your faith may be encreased and not diminished and your selves strengthened and confirmed and more strongly armed But if you in tarrying will neither stand manfully to Christ your Master but betray him doing as the Papists do nor yet with thanks use this remedy that God hath granted to our infirmity to resort to his Churches godlily instituted what answer shall ye be able to make to his Majesty when he shall call for an account of your doings How shall you avoid his wrathful indignation now ready to be poured upon his enemies For in taking part with their impiety you must be partakers of their Cup likewise Neither is this any new or hard Doctrine that may exceed your capacity but may rather be termed your A. B. C. and first Principles wherein none ought to be ignorant That if we will be Christs Scholars we must learn to bear his Cross and to follow him not to cast it off our shoulders with the enemies and run from him Be no more deceived in so plain a matter If the Lord be God follow him if Bâ—al be God go after him Let not the example of any lead you into errour for men are but mortal Trust in the Lord for he is a sure rock Trust not your own shifts for they will deceive you Mark the end of others and in time be warned These Lessons are hard to the flesh but eaâ—â—e to the spirit The way of the Lord is a strait path but most faithful sure and comfortable From Geneva this first of Ian. An. 1558. Goose. Iohn Goose burnt in England An. 1473. being prest by the Sheâ—â—ff of Lâ—ndon to recant and so deliver himself from death answered That for his Religion he was at a pass and neither could nor would recant the same When the Sheriff gave him some meat of which he did eat heartily he said to the standers by I eat now a good and competent Dinner for I shall pass a sharp shower before I go to Supper Gordius When a solemn Feast was celebrated in Caesarea in honour to Mars Gordius a Citizen thereof who had been a Centurion and had chosen exile for sometime in the heat of Persecution left the Desert wherein he lived in exile and got him up into the chief place of the Theater and with a loud voice cried out Behold I am found of them that sought me not and to those that asked not for me have I openly appeared The Sheriff asking him who he was from whence he came and for what he came thither I am come said he to publish that I set nothing by your desires against the Christian Religion but that I profess Jesus Christ to be my hope and safety The Sheriff threatning him with all kind of torments It would be to me a damage said he if I should not endure divers torments for Christs Cause When he was tormented he lifted up his eyes to Heaven saying The Lord is my helper I will not fear the thing that man can do unto me I will learn no evil for thou Lord art with me He blamed the Tormentors if they favoured him at all The Sheriff promising great things if he would deny Christ It lieth not in you said he to place any in Authority which be worthy to have a place in Heaven When he was led out of the City to be burnt many with tears beg'd him to save himself but he said Weep not I beseech you for me but rather for those that bring us to the fire and thereby purchase Hell fire to themselves Truly I am ready for the Name of Christ to suffer
entirely desiring your everlasting felicity to warn you and most heartily desire you to watch and pray On the high mountains doth not grow most plenty of grass neither are the highest trees farthest from danger but seldome sure and alwayes shaken of every wind that bloweth Such a deceitful thing saith our Saviour is honour and riches that without grace it choketh up the good seed sown c. It maketh a man think himself somewhat that is nothing at all for though for our honour we esteem our selves and stand in our own light yet when we shall stand before the living God there shall be no respect of persons for riches helpeth not in the day of vengeance nor can we make the Lord partial for money Though the world rage and blaspheme the Elect of God ye know that it did so unto Christ his Apostles and to all that were in the Primitive Church and shall be unto the worlds end I beseech you in the bowels of Christ my Lord Jesus stick fast unto the Truth let it never depart out of your hearts and conversations c. Yours in him that liveth for ever In his Letter to his Wife after his Condemnation I exhort you to love God with all your heart and soul and mind c. To lay sure hold on all his promises that in all your troubles you may run strait to the great mercy of God c. And be sure that neither Devil Flesh nor Hell shall be able to hurt you But if you will not keep his holy Precepts and call for Gods help to walk in the same but will leave them and do as the wicked world does then be sure to have your part with the wicked world in the burning lake Beware of Idolatry which most of all stinks in Gods Nostrils and hath been of all good men detested from the beginning of the world for the which what Kingdomes c. God hath punished with most terrible plagues c. to the utter subversion of them is manifestly to be seen through the whole Bible yea for this he draadfully plagued his own people c. But how he hath preserved those that abhorred superstition and idolatry c. is also to be seen from the beginning out of what great danger he hath delivered them yea when all hope of deliverance was past as touching their expectation c. I exhort you also in the bowels of Christ that you will exercise and be stedfast in Prayer the onely mean to obtain of God whatsoever we desire so it be askt in Faith O what notable things do we read in Scripture that have been obtained through fervent Prayer Whatsoever you desire of God in Prayer ask it for Jesus Christ's sake for whom and in whom God hath promised to give us all things necessary Though what we ask come not by and by continue still knocking and he will at length open his treasures of mercy c. Yet once again I warn you that ye continue fervent in Prayer c. In his Letter to Mr. Throgmorton Whereas the love of God hath moved you to require my Son to be brought up before your eyes and the self same love hath also moved me to leave him in your hands as a Father in my absence I shall require you in Gods behalf according to your promise that ye will see him brought up in the fear of the Lord and instructed in the knowledge of his holy Word that he may learn to leave the evil and know the good c. And this I require you to fulfill or cause to be fulfilled as ye before the Living God will make answer for the same Yours and all mens in Christ Iesus Hector Bartholomew Hector being condemned was threatned that if he spake any thing to the People his Tongue should be cut off yet he did not forbear He pray'd for the Judges That God would forgive them and open their eyes He refused a Pardon offered him at the Stake At his Death many wept saying Why doth this man die who speaketh of nothing but of God When he was called before Authority to be examined he would answer them to nothing before he had made his Prayer to God Whereupon falling down upan his knees he said Lord open my mouth and direct my Speech to utter that onely that may tend to thy honour and glory and the edification of thy Church When he was bound to the Stake Gunpowder and Brimstone was brought to be placed about him he lifting up his eyes to Heaven said Lord how sweet and welcome is this to me Hernaudes Mr. Iulian Hernaudes a Spanish Martyr came from the Wrack and the Tortures of the Inquisition inflicted on him for bringing with him and causing to be brought into Spain many Books of the Holy Scriptures in Spanish as from a Conquest saying to his Fellow-prisoners as he past by them These Hypocrites are gone away confounded no less then wolves that have been long hunted When he was brought forth to his Execution he said to the rest Courage my valiant and constant Brethren now is the hour come in which as the true Champions of Iesus Christ we must witness his Truth before men and for a short tryal for his sake we shall triumph with him for ever and ever Herwyn When Iohn Herwyn of Flanders was led to Prison the Bailiffe meeting certain Drunkards in the Street and saying They say we have many Gospellers in Houscot but it little appears by these disorders he replied Mr. Bailiffe is drunkenness a sin What of that said the Bailiffe Why then said Herwyn commit you not these fellows to Prison seeing it is your office to punish vice and to protect such as fear God After he was in Prison because he was not called forth before the Magistrates assoon as he desired and expected he grew heavy and sad asking Why they so delayed the matter for his heart was fired with an holy zeal to confess Christ before his Judges When he was brought forth he admonished his Judges to examine the Doctrine of the Roman Church by the true Touch-stone which is the holy Scripture that so they might discern how opposite and contrary the one is to the other Consider also said he what the words of St. Peter import where the affirms That we ought to obey God rather then man c. When he craved for Justice either one way or another they urged him to desist from his Opinion but he answered That his faith was not built on an Opinion but said he the Lord hath taught me to eschew evil and do good Seest thou not said they how these opinions have troubled the world and how many of the learneder sort do contradict them So far is it off said he that the Doctrine of the Gospel should be the cause of troubles debates and strifes which raign in the world These troubles indeed arise from the rage of men And as for your learned
you do require me so to do I will not refuse to go with you and if it happen that they evil intreat me yet nevertheless I trust in my Lord Jesus that he will so comfort and strengthen me that I shall desire much rather to die for his glory sake then to deny the Verity which I have learned by his holy Scriptures When he came to the Cardinals they told him they had heard that he had taught great and manifest errors through the Realm of Bohemia c. You shall understand answered Mr. Hus that I am thus minded and affectioned that I should rather chuse to die then I should be found culpable of one only error much less of many and great errors For this cause I am willingly come to the general Council to receive correction if any man can prove any errors in me Some of the Articles presented to the Council against him 4 He saith that all Priests be of like power 8 He holdeth this opinion That a man being once ordained a Priest or a Deacon cannot be forbidden or kept back from the office of preaching When several false witnesses rose up against him he said Albeit they were as many more in number as they are I do much more esteem yea and without comparison regard the witness of my Lord God before the witness of all mine adversaries He being ask'd whether it was lawful for him to appeal unto Christ answered Verily I do affirm before you all that there is no more just nor effectual plea then that which is made unto Christ forasmuch as the Law doth determine that to appeal is no other thing then in a cause of grief or wrong done by an inferiour Judge to implore and require aid and remedy at an higher Judges hands Who is then an higher Judge then Christ Who can know or judge the matter more justly or with more equity In him is found no deceit nor can he be deceived Who can better help the miserable and oppressed then he It being in his Accusation that he counsel'd the people to resist with the sword all such as did gainsay his Doctrine c. he answered That he at all times when he preached did diligently admonish and warn the people that they should arm themselves to defend the truth of the Gospel according to the saying of tbe Apostle With the helmet and sword of salvation that he never spake of any material sword but of that which is the Word of God Some more Articles against him taken out of his Treatise of the Church 1 There is but one holy universal or Catholick Church which is the universal Company of all the Predestinate 6 A reprobate man is never a member of the holy Church 18 An Heretick ought not to be committed to the secular powers to be put to death for it is sufficient that he suffer the Ecclesiastical censure In his appeal Forasmuch as the most mighty Lord One in Essence Three in Person is both the chief and first and also the last and uttermost refuge of all those which are oppressed and forasmuch as the Lord Jesus Christ very God and Man being compassed in with the Priests Scribes and Pharisees wicked Judges and Witnesses c. hath left behind him this godly example for them that shall come after him to the intent they should commit all their causes into the hand of God O Lord behold my affliction c. thou art my Protector and Defender O Lord thou hast given me understanding and I have acknowledged thee For mine own part I have been as a meek Lamb which is led unto sacrifice and have not resisted against them Deliver me from mine enemies for thou art my God I appeal to the Sovereign and most just Judge who is not defiled with cruelty nor can be corrupted with gifts and rewards neither yet be deceived by false witness I Iohn Hus do present and offer this my appeal to my Lord Jesus Christ my just Judge who knoweth and defendeth and justly judgeth every mans just and true cause The day before his condemnation when four Bishops were sent by the Emperour to him to know whether he would stand to the judgement of the Council Mr. Iohn de Clum spake thus unto him Mr. I. Hus I require you if you know your self guilty of any of those errours which are objected against you that you will not be ashamed to alter your mind to the will of the Council if contraiwise I will be no Author to you that you should do any thing contrary to your conscience but rather to suffer any kind of punishment then to deny that which you have known to be the truth Mr. Hus with tears answered Verily as before I have oftentimes done I do take the most High God for my witness that I am ready with my whole heart and mind if the Council can instruct me any better by the Scripture to change my purpose One of the Bishops telling him he should not be so arrogant as to prefer his own opinion before the judgement of the whole Council he said If he which is the meanest or least in all this Council can convict me of errour I will with an humble heart and mind do whatsoever the Council shall require of me When they condemned his appeal as heretical he said O Lord Jesus Christ whose Word is openly condemned here in this Council unto thee again do I appeal which when thou wast evil intreated of thine enemies didst appeal unto God thy Father committing thy Cause unto a most just Judge that by thy example we also being oppressed with manifest wrongs and injuries should flee unto thee Whilst they were reading his Sentence He interrupted them often and specially when he was charged with obstinacy he said with a loud voice I was never obstinate but as alwayes heretofore even so now again I desire to be taught by the holy Scriptures and I do profess my self to be so desirous of the truth that if I might by one onely word subvert the errours of all Hereticks I would not refuse to enter into what peril soever it were to speak it When the Sentence was ended kneeling down upon his knees he said Lord Jesus Christ forgive mine enemies by whom thou knowest that I am falsly accused c. forgive them for thy great mercies sake When he was degraded he spake to the people thus These Lords and Bishops do exhort and counsel me that I should here confess before you all that I have erred the which thing to do if it might be done with the infamy and reproach of man onely they might peradventure easily perswade me thereunto but now truly I am in the sight of the Lord my God without whose great ignominy and grudge of mine own conscience I can by no means do that which they require of me With what countenance should I behold the Heavens With what face should I look upon
my witness that I never preached Christ Jesus in contempt of any man neither mind I at any time to present my self to that place having either respect to my own private commodity or to the worldly hurt of any creature But to delay to preach to morrow unless the body be violently withholden I cannot in conscience for in this Town and Church God began first to call me to the dignity of a Preacher from the which I was reft by the tyranny of France and procurement of the Bishops what torment I sustained in the Gallies c. is now no time to recite This onely I cannot conceal which more then one have heard me say when absent from Scotland That my assured hope was in open audience to preach at Saint Andrews before I departed this life And therefore my Lords seeing that God above the expectation of many hath brought my body to the same place where first I was called to the office of a Preacher and from the which I was most unjustly removed I beseech your Honours not to stop me from presenting my self unto my Brethren And as for the fear of danger that may come to me let no man be sollicitous for my life is in the custody of him whose glory I seek and therefore I cannot so fear their boast or tyranny that I will cease from doing my duty when of mercy he offereth the occasion I desire not the hand of any man to defend me onely I crave audience c. Whereupon the Lords were fully content he should preach and so he did upon the ejection of the buyers and sellers forth of the Temple applying the corruption that was then to the corruption that is in Papistry and Christs fact to the duty of those to whom God gives power and zeal to remove all Monuments of idolatry When the Lords and those that favoured Reformation were driven from Edinburg to Sterling which was the time of their greatest trouble Mr. Knox preached on Psal. 80.5.6 7 8. In the Sermon God in wisdome sometimes suffers his chosen Flock to mockage and dangers yea apparent destruction that they may feel the vehemency of Gods indignation that they may know how little strength is in themselves that they may leave a testimony to the generations following as well of the malice of the Devil against Gods people as of the marvellous Work of God in preserving his little Flock by far other means then man can espy It is a great and sore temtation when God turns away his face from our Prayers c. This temptation no flesh can overcome or abide unless the mighty Spirit of God interpose as appears in Saul when God would not hear him The difference between the Elect and Reprobate in this temptation is this The Elect sustained by the secret power of Gods Spirit still call upon God albeit he appear to contemn their Prayers as Iacob did c. But the Reprobate being denied their requests do cease to pray and contemn God and it may be seek to the Devil for what they cannot obtain by God Such is our tender delicacy and self-love of our own flesh that those things which we lightly pass over in others we can greatly complain of if they touch our selves When the sins of men are rebuked in general seldome is it that man descendeth within himself accusing and condemning in himself that which most displeaseth God but rather he doubteth that to be a cause which before God is no cause indeed as the Israelites supposed the cause of their overthrow was because they had lifted the Sword against their Brethren of Benjamin and yet the express command that was given them did deliver them from all crime in that cause The true cause was their going to execute judgement against the wicked without repentance for their own former offences and defection from God and their trusting in their own strength they were a great multitude and the other far inferiour to them When we were a few c. we called upon God and took him for our Protector Defence and Refuge among us we had no bragging of multitude nor of our strength nor of our policy we did onely sob to God to have respect to the equity of our Cause and to the cruel pursuit of the tyrannical Enemy But since that our Number hath been multiplied and great Ones joyned with us nothing hath been heard but This Lord will bring these many hundred Spears this man hath the credit to perswade the Countrey If this Eare be ours no man in such bounds will trouble us Thus we made flesh our Arm. It resteth that we turn to the Eternal our God who beateth down to the death that he may raise up again to leave the remembrance of his wonderous deliverance to the praise of his own Name which if we do unfeignedly I no more doubt but that this our dolour confusion and fear shall be turned into joy honour and boldness then that God gave victory to the Israelites over the Benjamites after that twice with ignominy they were repulsed Yea whatsoever shall become of us and our mortal carkases I doubt not but that this Cause in despight of Satan shall prevail for it is the eternal Truth of the eternal God It may be that God shall plague some for that they delight not in the Truth albeit for worldly respects they seem to favour it yea God may take some of his dearest Children away before that their eyes see greater troubles but neither shall the one nor the other so hinder this Action but in the end it shall triumph After the taking of Kinghorn at which time the Queen Regent blasphemously said Where now is Iohn Knox his God My God is now stronger then he even in Fife Mr. Knox preached a comfortable Sermon on the danger wherein the Disciples of Christ when they were in the midst of the Sea and Jesus upon the Mountain exhorting them not to faint but to rowe against the contrary blasts till that Jesus Christ should come for said he I am assuredly perswaded that God will deliver us from this extreme trouble as that this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ which I preach unto you this day The fourth watch is not yet come abide a little the Boat shall be saved and Peter which hath left the Boat shall not drown In his Letter to Sir William Cicil Secretary of State in England As from God you have received Life Wisdome and Honours c. so ought you wholly to apply the same to the advancement of his glory c. which alas in times past you have not done For to the suppressing of Christs true Evangel to the erecting of Idolatry and to the shedding of the blood of Gods most dear Children have you by silence consented and subscribed this your most horrible defection from the known Truth and once professed c. He hath not dealt with you as with others
age and by the same Spirit he did so evidently foreshew and prophesie of all those plagues which aâ—terward ensued that if England ever had a Prophet he was one As touching himself he ever affirmed That the preaching of the Gospel would cost him his liâ—e to the which he no less chearfully prepared himself then certainly was perswaded that Winchâ—ster was kept in the Tower for that purpose as the event did too truly prove the same It may be queried Seeing that Latimer was outed of his Bishoprick in the dayes of King Henry the Eighth on the account of the sixth Article why was he not restored to the same under King Edward the Sixth especiall seeing Heath his Successour was legally deprived and the place actually void whereas on the contrary Hugh Latimer continued Hugh Latimer without any addition of preferment A late Ecclesiastical Historian answers It was not for want of any favour from the King c. nor because his down-right Sermons disobliged the Courtiers who generally delight in soft Preaching as in soft Clothing nor out of sullenness because he would not be bedded again with that wife which though unwillingly had in his absence embraced another c. But we impute it either to his conscience oft-times sharpest in the bluntest men because he would not be built on the ruines of another especially knowing Heath one of a meek and moderate nature or to his age who Barzillai like was superannuated for earthly honour c. Or because he found himself not fit for Government better for Preaching then Ordering Ecclesiâ—stical Affairs Or lastly because he prophetically foresaw that the ingratitude of the English Nation would shorten their happiness and King Edward's life and he was loth to come into a place onely to go out thereof Sure I am it was a loud lye which Parsons tells That Latimer was kept bare He kept himself bare living not in the want but neglect yea contempt of all worldly wealth though he was the Corban or Treasury into which restored-ill-gotten-goods were cast to be bestowed on the poor according to his discretion At the coming of Queen Mary by the means no doubt of Winchester a Pursevant was sent down to cite him to appear at London of which Iohn Carles gave him notice six hours before yet he would not escape but prepared himself for his journey before the said Messenger came to his house at which the Pursevant wondred thereupon he said unto him My Friend you be a welcome Messenger to me And be it known unto you and to all the world that I go as willingly to London at this present being called by my Prince to render an account of my Doctrine as ever I was at any place in the world I doubt not but that God as he hath made me worthy to preach his Word before two excellent Princes so will he enable me to witness the same unto the third either to her comfort or discomfort eternally c. As he came up to London through Smithfield without the Pursevant for he having delivered his Letters departed affirming that he had command not to tarry for him whereby it is evident they would have had him fled out of the Realm he said merrily That Smithfield had long groaned for him In the Tower being kept without fire in the frosty weather he bade the Lieutenant's man tell his Master That if he did not look better to him perhaps he would deceive him The Lieutenant charging him with these words His Answer was I did indeed say so for you look I think that I should burn but except you let me have some fire I am like to deceive your expectation for I am like here to starve for cold From the Tower he was transported to Oxford with Archbishop Cranmer and Bishop Ridley to dispute with the learned Men of both Universities about the Presence Substance and Sacrifice of the Sacrament When he was brought before the Commissioners and appointed to dispute he alledged age sickness disuse and lack of Books saying That he was almost as meet to dispute as to be a Captain of Calice but he would he said declare his mind either by writing or word and would stand to all that they could lay upon his back complaining That he was permitted to have neither Pen nor Ink nor any Book but onely the New Testament then in his hand which he said he had read over seven times deliberately and yet could not find the Mass in it neither the Marrow-bones nor the sinewes of the same When he was brought to dispute in the Close of his Protestation which he delivered to Dr. Weston in writing saying Let me here protest my Faith for I am not able to dispute and afterwards do your pleasure with me He hath these words O Sir you may chance to live till you come to this age and weakness that I am of I have spoken in my time before two Kings more then once two or three hours together without interruption but now I could not be suffered to declare my mind before you no not by the space of a Quarter of an hour without snatchings revilings checks rebukes and taunts I pray God give you grace ever well to use your gifts and ever to remember That he that dwelleth on High looketh on the low things on the earth and that there is no counsel against the Lord and also that this World hath been and yet is a tottering World and that though we must obey Princes yet in the Lord for who so doth obey them against the Lord they be most pernicious to them and the greatest adversaries that they have for they so procure Gods vengeance on them if God be onely the Ruler of things I would as fain obey my Sovereign as any in this Realm but in these things I can never do it with an upright conscience God be mercifull to us Amen Then said Westâ—n you refuse to dispute will you here then subscribe No good Master said Mr. Latimer I pray be good to an old man you may if it please God be once as old as I am you may come to this age and to this debility Dr. Cartwright telling him That he was of his opinion but he was sorry for it and desired he might repent also Will you give me leave said Mr. Latimer to tell what hath caused Mr. Doctor here to recant It is Poena Legis the Pain of the Law hath brought you back and converted you and many more the which letteth many to confess God And this is a great Argument There are few here that can dissolve it Smith telling him He was not of Chrysostome's and St. Austine's Faith I am said he of their Faith when they say well and bring Scripture for them and farther Austine requireth not to be believed Weston telling him He could not have found his Doctrine forty years agone The more cause said he have we to thank God that hath now sent the
the Will of God and fear not them that kill the body but have no power upon your souls My flesh repugneth marvellously against the Spirit but shortly I shall cast it away I beseech you pray for me O Lord my God into thy hands I commend my soul. Laurence I find three of this name recorded in the Book of Martyrs First Laurence the Deacon when Xistus his Pastour was martyred under the Emperour Valerianus was grieved that the Son should be secluded from the Father that he should not suffer with him Seeing him led alone as a Sheep to the slaughter he cried out to him O Dear Father whither goest thou without the company of thy dear Son whither hastenest thou O Reverend Pastour without thy Deacon never wast thou wont to offer sacrifice without thy Minister What crime is there in me that offendeth thy fatherhood Deniest thou unto him the fellowship of thy blood to whom thou hast committed the distribution of the Lords blood He having after three dayes respit promised the merciless Tyrant to declare where the Churches treasure lay caused a good company of poor Christians to be congregated and when the day of his answer was come and he was strictly charged to staud to his promise he stretching out his arms over the poor said These are the precious treasure of the Church these are the treasure indeed in whom the faith of Christ reigneth in whom Iesus Christ hath his mansion-place What more precious jewels can Christ have then those in whom he hath promised to dwell It is written I was hungry and ye gave me to eat I was thirsty and ye gave me to drink I was harbourless and ye lodged me Look what ye have done to the least of these the same have ye done to me No tongue is able to expreâ—s the Tyrant's fury and madness hereupon Kindle the fire of wood saith he make no spare Hath this Villain deluded the Emperour Away with him away with him whip him buffet him brain him Jesteth the Traitor with the Emperour roast him boyl him toss him turn him on pain of our high Displeasure do every one his office O ye Tormentors When he was on the fiery Gridiron which was as a soft Bed of Down to him he spake thus unto the Tyrant This side is now roasted enough Turn up O Tyrant great Essay whether roasted or raw Thou think the better meat Secondly Iohn Laurence who was burnt at Colchester March 29. An. 1555. He being not able to go being lamed with Irons in Prison was born to the fire in a Chair and whilst he sate in the fire the young children came about the fire and cried as well as they could Lord strengthen thy Servant and keep thy promise Lord strengthen thy Servant and keep thy promise Thirdly Henry Laurence who was burnt at Canterbury about the later end of August the same year He being required to put his hand to his Answers wrote Ye are all of Antichrist and him ye fol probably he would have written And him ye follow had not he been hindred Lawson Elizabeth Lawson continuing almost three years in Prison in which time her own Son and many others were burnt said often Good Lord what is the cause that I may not yet come to thee with thy children Well good Lord thy blessed Will be done and not mine This good old Woman about the age of sixty before she went to Prison had the Falling-sickness but she told a friend of hers That after she was apprehended she never had it more Leafe Bonner pressing Iohn Leafe an Apprentice of London to recant he said No but I will die in that Doctrine that Mr. Rogers Hooper Cardmaker c. died for My Lord you call mine Opinion Heresie it is the true Light of the Word of God and I profess I will never forsake my well-grounded Opinion whilst I have breath in my body When two Bills were sent to him in the Counter in Breadstreet the one containing a Recantation the other his Confessions to see which of them he would sign when that which contained his Confessions was read for he could neither read nor write in stead of a Pen he took a Pin and so pricking his hand sprinkled the blood upon the said Bill willing the Reader thereof to shew the Bishop that he had sealed the same Bill with his blood already Lewes Mrs. Ioyce Lewes was converted by Mr. Iohn Glover who after she was in some trouble willed her in any case not to meddle with that matter in respect of vain-glory or to get her self a Name shewing to her the great danger she was like to cast her self into if she should meddle in Gods matter otherwise then Christ doth teach When the Bishop reasoned with her she told him I find not these things in Gods Word which you urge and magnifie as things most needfull for mens Salvation If these things were in the same Word of God commanded I would with all my heart receive esteem and believe them The Bishop answering If thou wilt believe no more then is in the Scriptures concerning matters of Religion thou art in a damnable case she was amazed and being moved by the Spirit of God told him That his words were ungodly and wicked When news was brought of the coming down of the Writ de comburendo c. she sent for several Christians to consult with them how she might behave her self that her death might be more glorious to the Name of God comfortable to his people and most discomfortable to the enemies of God As for death said she I do not greatly pass when I behold the amiable Countenance of Christ my Dear Saviour the ugly face of death doth not greatly trouble me Two Priests sending her word that they were come to hear her Confession she sent them word again That she had made her Confession to Christ her Saviour at whose hands she was sure to have forgiveness of her sins As concerning the Cause for the which she should die she had no cause to confess that but rather to give unto God most humble praise that he did make her worthy to suffer death for his Word And as concerning that Absolution That they were able to give unto her by Authority from the Pope she did defie the same even from the bottom of her heart About three of the Clock in the morning before her Execution Satan questioned with her How she could tell that she was chosen to eternal life and that Christ died for her I grant that he died but that he died for thee How canst thou tell But Satan was soon put to flight and she comforted in Christ by arguing her Election and Christ dying for her in particular from her Vocation and the holy Spirit working in her heart love and desire towards God to please him and to be justified by him through Christ c. When the Sheriff about eight of the Clock
that my Lord Christ is stronger then our enemies that he will defend me from their rage if he will not his good will be done this I can confidently promise that no peril shall come to your Excellency for my sake An. 1522. In his Letter to Sebastian Schlick a Bohemian Nobleman The loathsome death of the Papacy is at hand and its unavoidable ruine approacheth and as Daniel saith She comes to an end and none shall help her In a short time I shall by my writings Christ favouring of me free the Bohemians from their reproach and cause that the name of Popery shall be odious and abominable throughout the world and that to be a Papist and to be anathematized shall be all one Iuly 15. 1522. In his Answer to King Henry the Eighth's Book against him Let not King Henry impute my sharpness against him to me but to himself If seeing that meer corruption and a wretched worm dare knowingly belye the Majesty of my Heavenly King it cannot but be lawfull for me for my Kings sake to bespatter the King of England with his own dirt and to trample under foot his Crown filled with blasphemy against Christ. The Lord cleared up his Will by degrees unto me till by the hand of the mighty Iacob it came to this that by evident and pure Scriptures I was convinced that the Pope Cardinals Bishops Priests Monks Masses and that whole Kingdome with their Doctrines and Ministries are meer lies idols and the very abomination standing in the holy place yea and the Scarlet Whore sitting upon the Beast drunk with the blood of Christs Witnesses and making the Kings of the Earth drunk with the cup of her fornications and abominations This Truth being discerned I was forced to retract some of my Writings and still do so being sorry at the very heart I ever writ one syllable in favour of the Pope and his Kingdome Yea I spake too modestly in my Treatise concerning the Babylonish Captivity of the Church in calling Papacy the Popes mighty hunting for that from the example of Nimrod may be said of all profane civil Powers to whom notwithstanding God would have us to be subject to honour them and pray for them I now say most truly That Papacy is the most pestilent abomination of Prince Satan Against the sayings of Fathers Men Angels Devils I set not ancient Custome not multitude but the Word of one Eternal God Here I stand sit abide glory triumph over the Papists Thomists Henry 's Sophisters and all the gates of Hell The Word of God is above all God is on my side what should I care if a thousand Austines a thousand Cyprians a thousand Churches of Henry be against me God cannot erre nor deceive but Austine and Cyprian as all the Elect may erre yea have erred Let the Henry's the Bishops the Turk and the Devil himself do what they can we are the children of the Kingdome worshipping and waiting for that Saviour whom they and such as they spit upon and crucifie If any be offended at my sharpness against the King let him take this Answer It is no great matter if I contemn and bite an earthly King whenas he feared not at all in his Writings to blaspheme the King of Heaven In the year 152â— a Diet was held at Norinberg in the absence of the Emperour wherein the Edict of Wormes was made null of this the Popes Legate complained to the Princes saying That Luther was not punished according to the Emperours Edict The Princes Answer was That the Court of Rome neglected Reformation that Germany was so far enlightned with the Sermons and Writings of Luther that if they should go about to put the Edict in execution great tumults would arise and the people would be ready to think that they went about to oppress the Truth and to put out the light of the Gospel that so they might the better defend those manifest vices which could be no longer concealed In the year 1525. Luther married Katherine a Boren who had formerly been a Nun The change of his Condition troubled him because of the unseasonableness of the time it being then when Germany weltred in the blood of the Clowns and Saxony mourned for the death of their Prince insomuch that Melancthon was fain to labour to comfort him all he could In his Letter to Melancthon who was much troubled at the rage of the Papists and Caesars threats to subvert the Gospel In private conflicts I am weak and you are strong but in publick conflicts you are found weak and I stronger because I am assured that our Cause is just and true If we fall Christ the Lord and Ruler of the world falleth with us and suppose he fall I had rather fall with Christ then stand with Caesar. I extremely dislike your excessive cares with which you say you are almost consumed That these reign in your heart it is not from the greatness of the danger but the greatness of your incredulity If the Cause be bad let us revoke it and fall back if it be good why do we make God a lyar Be of good comfort I have overcome the world If Christ be the Conquerour of the world why should we fear as if it would overcome us A man would fetch such Sentences as these upon his knees from Rome or Jerusalem Be not afraid â—e couragious and cheerfull solicitous for nothing the Lord is at hand to help us When the Diet was met at Ausburg in the year 1530. the Elector of Saxony sent to Luther to know Whether the Cause of Religion should be referred to the judgement of the Emperour He answered This honour is to be given to the Word of God onely to be Iudge of sacred Controversies In his Preface before the Smalcaâ—dian Articles In many Bishopricks divers Parishes are destitute of spiritual food c. I fear for this Christ will call a Council of Angels to destroy Germany as he destrâ—yed Sodom and Gomorrah Our sins weigh us down and suffer not God to be gracious to us because instead of repenting we defend our abominations O Lord Jesus Christ do thou summon and hold a Council and redeem thy Servants by the glorious coming The Popes and Popelings are past cure therefore help us poor and distressed men who groan unto thee and seek thee with our hearts c. When the Papists charged him for an Apostaâ—e he yielded himself to be one but a blessed and holy one who had not kept his promise made to the Devil I am said he no otherwise a Revolter then a Magician renouncing his Covenant made with the Devil and betaking himself to Christ. When he fell sick of the Stone he made his Will in which he bequeathed his Detestation of Popery to his Friends and to the Pastours of the Church having made before this Verse Pestis eram vivus moriens â—ro mortua Papa In English thus I living
stopt Romes breath And dead will be Romes death In this last Prayer Feb. 18. 1546. I pray God to preserve the Doctrine of his Gospel among us for the Pâ—pe and the Council of Trenâ— have grievous things in hand O heavenly Father my gracious God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ thou God of all consolation I give thee hearty thanks that thou hast revealed to met thy Son Jesus Christ whom I believe whom I profess whom I glorifie whom the Pope and the reut of the wicked persecute and dishonour I beseech thee Lord Jesus Christ receive my soul. O my heavenly Father though I be taken out of this life and must lay down this frail body yet I certainly know that I shall live with thee eternally and that I cannot be taken out of thy hands Lord into thy hands I commend my Spirit Thou O God of Truth hast redeemed me In this last Will. O Lord God I thank thee that thou wouldst have me live a poor and indigent person upon earth I have neither house nor lands nor possessions nor money to leave Thou Lord hast given me Wife and children Them Lord I give back unto thee Nourish instruct and keep them O thou the Father of Orphans and Judge of the Widow as thou hast done to me so do to them When he saw his Daughter Magdalen ready to die he read to her Isa. 26.19 Thy dead men shall live together with my dead body shall they arise c. Adding My Daughter Enter thou into thy Chamber in peace I shall ere long â—e with thee for God will not permit me to see the punishment which hangs over the head of Germany When the Elector gave him a new Gown he said I am made too much of for if here we receive a full recompence for our labours we shall hope for none in another life I say flatly That God shall not put me off with these low things In the Cause of God said he I am content to undergo the hatred and violence of all the world When his head was out of order as it used to be towards his later end he would usually say Strike Lord strike mercifully I am prepared because by thy Word I am forgiven mine iniquities and have fed upon thy body and blood He used to say that three things would destroy Christian Religion Forgetfulness of the Blessings received by the Gospel security which reigns every where and worldly wisdome which will seek to bring all things into Order and to support the publick Peace by wicked counsels Erasmus said of him God hath given to this later age a sharp Physician and that because of the greatness of its diseases Mr. Fox saith of him That Luther a poor Fryer should be able to stand against the Pope was a great miracle that he should prevail against the Pope was a greater and after all to die in peace having so many enemies was the greatest of all When Myconius fell into a Consumption 1541. and wrote to Luther That he was sick unto life and not unto death Luther wrote back I pray Christ our Lord our salvation and health c. that I may not live to see thee and some others of our Colleagues to die and go to Heaven and leave me here among the Devils alone I pray God I may first lay down this dry exhausted and unprofitable Tabernacle Farewell and God forbid that I should hear of thy death while I live The Lord prolong thy life for me This I desire this I will and let my will be done Amen for this will hath the glory of God not my pleasure nor advantage for its end By and by hopeless Myconius recovered and lived six years longer even till after Luther's death Hence Iustus Ionas speaking of him saith That man could have of God what he pleased He would by no means endure that any should be called after his Name for said he the Doctrine which I teach is none of mine neither did Idie for any man neither would Paul 1 Cor. 3.4 c. endure such terms Besides we are all Christians and profess the Doctrine of Christ And lastly because the Papists use to do so calling themselves Pontificians whom we nought not to imitate M. Mallot Often have we hazarded our lives said Iohn Mallot a Souldier for the Emperour Charles the Fifth and shall we now shrink to die for the King of Kings Let us follow our Captain Man Thomas Man having broken Prison after his recantation said If I be taken again of the pild knave Priests I wist well I shall go the holy Angel and then be an Angel in Heaven Accordingly the Sheriffe of London when he had brought him into Smithfield to be burnt put him into Gods Angel He thanked God that he had been instrumental to convert seven hundred persons Marbeck Iohn Marbeck was a skilfull Organist in the Quire of Windsor a man of admirable industry and ingenuity His English Concordance the first that ever was in English Bishop Gardiner himself could not but commend as a piece of singular industry King Henry the Eighth hearing thereof said That he was better imployed then those Priests that accused him Being prest to discover Hereticks and being told he could not do God and the King greater service If I knew said he who were Hereticks indeed it were somewhat But if I should accuse him to be an Heretick that is none What a worm would that be in my conscience so long as I live Yea it were a great deal better for me to be out of this life then to live in such torment He being called a Dolt who would not discover them who should be sent for and would utter then all they can of him Whatsoever said he they shall say of me let them do it in the Name of God I will say no more of them nor of any man else then I know Being further prest to write down what he knew of such he thus prayed unto God O most merciful Father of Heaven thou that knowest the secret doings of all men have mercy upon thy poor Prisoner that is destitute of all help and comfort Assist me O Lord with thy special grace that to save this frail and vile body which shall turn to corruption in its time I have no power to say or to write any thing that may be to the casting away of my Christian Brother but rather O Lord let this vile flesh suffer at thy will and pleasure Grant this O most merciful Father for thy dear Son Jesus Christs sake Then he rose up and began to search his Conscience what he might write and at last writ thus Whereas your Lordship will have me to write of such things as I know not of my Fellows at home May it please your Lordship to understand that I cannot call to remembrance any manner of thing whereby I may justly accuse any one of them
in all the will of God Whilst I was at Lancaster some of good will towards me but without knowledge that came to talk with me gave me the same counsel that Peter gave Christ as he went up to Ierusalem Master favour thy self c. But I answered with Christs sharp answer to Peter again Get thee behind me Satan and perceiving that they were an hinderance to me and that they savoured not the things which are of God but the things that are of men I made them plain answer that I neither could nor would follow their counsel but that by Gods grace I would both live and die with a pure Conscience and according as hitherto I had believed and professed for we ought in no wise said he to flatter and bear with them though they love us never so well which go about to pluck us away from the obedience which we owe unto God and to his Word but after Christs example sharply to rebuke them for their counsel God so strengthened me with his Spirit of boldness according to my humble request and prayer before everlasting thanks be given to him therefore that I was nothing afraid to speak to any that came to me no not even to Judges before whom I was thrice arraigned at the Bar among the Thieves with irons on my feet and put up my hand as others did but yet with boldness I spake unto them so long as they would suffer me They threatned and rebuked me for my preaching to the people out of Prison and for my praying and reading so loud that the people in the streets might hear When the Bishop of Chester came to Lancaster he was informed of me and desired to send for me and examine me but he said he would have nothing to do with Hereticks so hastily So hasty in judging and calling me Hereticks are our Bishops in their Lordly Dignities before they hear c. contrary to the Word of God which saith Condemn no man before thou hast tried out the truth of the matter and when thou hast made inquisition then reform righteously Give no Sentence before thou hast heard the Cause but first let men tell out their tale and he that giveth Sentence in a matter before he hear it is a fool and worthy to be confounded It is no new thing for the Bishâ—ps to persecute the Truth and the Prophets of the Lord for their constancy in preaching of the true Faith Faith for so did their Pharisaical Fore-fathers Pashur was the Head Bishop of the Temple the Ring-leader of false Prophets the chief Heretick-taker that is as much as to say the Outthruster of true Godliness He imprisoned the Prophet Ieremy c. The ungracious Bishop Iâ—son was such another Machab. 2.4 Such were also the execrable and blind Bishops Annas and Caiaphas who never spake the Truth of God themselves unless it were against their wills unwittingly to their own destruction At Chester several times came to me and with all probability of words and Philosophy or worldly wisdome and deceitfull vanity after the traditions of men and the beggarly Ordinances and Laws of the world but not after Christ went about to perswade me to submit my self to the Church of Rome and to acknowledge the Pope to be Head thereof and to interpret the Scriptures no otherwise then that Church did I answered That I do acknowledge and believe one Holy Catholick Church without which there is no Salvation and that this Church is but one because it ever hath doth and shall confess one Onely God and him onely worship and one Onely Messiah and him onely trust for Salvation which Church is ruled and led by one Spirit one Word and one Faith c. and is built onely upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Jesus Christ himself being the Head-corner-stone and not upon the Romish Laws the Bishop of Rome being the supreme Head c. and that this Church is a little poor silly flock dispersed and scattered abroad as sheep without a shepherd in the midst of wolves or as a company of Orphans and fatherless children led and ruled by the onely Laws Counsels and Word of Christ who is the supreme Head thereof assisting succouring and defending her from all assaults errours troubles and persecutions wherewith she is ever compassed about I was thrust at with all violence of craft and subtilty but yet the Lord upheld me Everlasting thanks be to that merciful and faithful Lord who suffereth us not to be tempted above our might but in the midst of our troubles strengtheneth us with his holy Spirit of comfort and patience giveth us a mouth and wisdome how and what to speak where against all his Adversaries are not able to resist At another appearance before the Bishop c. the Chancellor charged him That he had preached most heretically and blasphemously in many Parishes within the Bishops Diocess against the Popes Authority the Catholick Church of Rome c. He answered That he neither heretically nor blasphemously preached or spake against any of the said Articles but simply and truly as occasion served and as it were thereunto forced in Conscience maintained the Truth touching those Articles as said he all you now present did acknowledge the same in King Edward's dayes After the Bishop of Chester had read half-ways the Sentence of Condemnation he asked him whether he would not have the Queens mercy in time He answered He did gladly desire the same and did love her Grace as faithfully as any of them but yet he durst not deny his Saviour Christ and so lose his mercy everlasting and win everlasting death Being again called upon by the people to recant and save his life he said I would as fain live as any of you if in so doing I should not deny my Master Christ and again he should deny me before his Father in Heaven When the Bishop had read out the Sentence he said Now I will no more pray for thee then I will pray for a Dog Mr. Marsh answered That notwithstanding he would pray for his Lordship When he was in the Dungeon and none suffered to come near him some of the Citizens would at a hole upon the wall of the City that went into the Dungeon ask him how he did He would answer them most cheerfully that he did well and thanked God most highly that he would vouchsafe of his mercy to appoint him to be a witness of his Truth and to suffer for the same wherein he did most rejoyce beseeching him that he would give him grace not to faint under the Cross but patiently bear the same to his glory and comfort of his Church When he came to the place of Execution one shewing him a Writing under the great Seal and telling him It was a Pardon for him if he would recant he said That he would gladly receive the same but forasmuch as it tended to pluck him from God he would not receive it upon
Letter to the Brethren imprisoned What worthy thanks can we render unto the Lord for you my Brethren namely for the great consolation which through you we have received in the Lord who notwithstanding the rage of Satan that goeth about by all manner of subtile means to beguile the world and also busily laboureth to restore and set up his Kingdome again that of late began to decay and to fall to ruine ye remain still unmoveable as men grounded upon a strong rock And now albeit that Satan by his Souldiers and wicked Ministers daily as we hear draweth numbers unto him so that it is said of him That he plucketh even the Stars out of Heaven whiles he driveth into some men the fear of death and loss of all their Goods and offereth unto others the pleasant baits of the world c. to the intent they should fall down and worship not the Lord but the Dragon the old Serpent which is the Devil that great beast and his image and should be enticed to commit fornication with the Strumpet of Babylon c. Yet blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which hath given unto you a manly courage and hath so strengthned you in the inward man by the Power of his Spirit that you can contemn as well all the terrours as also the vain allurements of the world esteeming them as meer trifles and things of nought In the Faith of Christ stand ye fast my Brethren and suffer not your selves to be brought under the yoke of bondage and superstition any more and be of good comfort and remember that our grand Captain hath overcome the world We never had a better or more just cause either to contemn our life or shed our blood we cannot take in hand the defence of a more certain clear and manifest Truth Shall we or can we receive and acknowledge any other Christ instead of him who is alone the everlasting Son of the everlasting Father c. Let such wickedness my Brethren let such horrible wickedness be far from us What can your Adversaries else do unto you by persecuting you and working all cruelty and villainy against you but make your Crowns more glorious yea beautifie and multiply the same c. In another Letter to the Brethren Now even now out of doubt Brethren the pit is opened against us and the locusts begin to swarm and Abaddon now reigneth ye therefore my Brethren which pertain unto Christ and have the Seal of God marked in your foreheads i. e. are sealed with the Earnest of the Spirit to be a peculiar people of God quit your selves like men and be strong for he that is in us is stronger then he which is in the world and ye know all that is born of God overcometh the world and this is our victory that overcometh the world even our Faith Let the world fret let it rage never so much be it never so cruel and bloody yet be sure that no man can take us out of the Fathers hands for he is greater then all c. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect c. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ Shall tribulation c. In his Letter to Mr. West his quondam Chaplain I wish you grace in God and love of the Truth without which truly established in mens hearts by the mighty hand of the Almighty God it is no more possible to stand by the Truth in Christ in time of trouble then it is for the wax to abide the heat of the fire I am perswaded Christs words to be true Whosoever shall confess me before men him will I confess also before my Father which is in Heaven and I believe that no earthly Creature shall be saved whom the Redeemer and Saviour of the world shall before his Father deny If you had wished that neither fear of death nor hope of worldly prosperity should let me to maintain Gods Word and his Truth which is his glory and true honour it would have like me well You desire me for Gods sake to remember my self Indeed it is now time so to do for so far as I can perceive it standeth me upon no less danger then of the loss both of body and soul and I trow then it is time for a man to awake if any thing will awake him He that will not fear him that threatneth to cast both body and soul into everlasting fire whom will he fear With this fear O Lord fasten thou together our frail flesh that we never swerve from thy laws You say you have made much suit for me God grant that you have not in suing for my worldly deliverance impaired and hindred the furtherance of Gods Word and his Truth To write unto these whom you name I cannot see what it will avail me but this I would have you know That I esteem nothing available for me which also will not further the glory of God Sir How nigh the day of my dissolution and departure out of this world is at hand I cannot tell the Lords Will be fulfilled how soon soever it shall come My conscience moves me to require both you and my Friend Dr. Harvey to remember your promises made to me in times past of the pure setting forth and preaching of Gods Word and his Truth These promises although you shall not need to fear to be charged with them of me hereafter before the world yet look for none other but to be charged with them at Gods hand My conscience and the love I bear you biddeth me now say unto you both in Gods Name fear God and love not the world for God is able to cast both soul and body into hell fire What is it else to confess or deny Christ in this world but to maintain the Truth taught in Gods Word or for any worldly respect to shrink from the same He that will wittingly forsake either for fear or gain of the world any one open Truth of Gods Word if he be constrained he will assuredly forsake God and all his Truth rather then he will endanger himself to lose or to leave that he loveth indeed better then he doth God and the Truth of his Word I like very well your plain speaking telling me I must either agree or die Sir I know I must die whether I agree or no. But what folly were it then to make such an agreement by the which I could never escape the death which is common to all and also incur the guilt of death and eternal damnation Lord grant that I may utterly abhor and detest this damnable agreement so long as I live If you do not confess and maintain to your power and knowledge that which is grounded upon Gods Word but will either for fear or gain of the world shrink and play the Apostate indeed you shall die the death In his Letter to Mr. Grindall then in Exile at Frankford afterward Arch Bishop
of Canterbury Rejoyce in the Lord and as you love me and the other my Reverend Fathers and Concaptives which undoubtedly are gloria Christi lament not our state but I beseech you to give to our Heavenly Father for his endless mercies and unspeakable benefits even in the midst of all our troubles given to us most hearty thanks for know ye that as the weight of his Cross hath encreased upon us so he hath not nor doth he cease to multiply his mercies to strengthen us and I trust yea by his grace I doubt nothing but he will so do for Christ our Masters sake even to the end West your old Companion and sometime my Chaplain alas hath relented but the Lord hath shortned his dayes soon after he had said Mass against his conscience he pined away and died for sorrow My daily Prayer is as God doth know and by Gods grace shall be so long as I live in this world for you my Dear Brethren that are fled out of your own Countrey because you will rather forsake all worldly things then the Truth of Gods Word that God our eternal Father for our Saviour Christs sake will daily encrease in you the gracious gift of his Heavenly Spirit to the true setting forth of his Glory and Gospel and make you to agree brotherly in the Truth of the same that there arise no root of bitterness among you that may infect that good seed which God hath sown in your hearts already and that your life may be pure and honest according to the Rule of Gods Word that others may be in love with your Doctrine and with you and glorifie our Father which is in Heaven Now we expect nothing but the triumphant Crowns in the Lord of our Confession from our old enemy I commend my self humbly and heartily to your Prayers Dr. Grindal and to the rest of the Brethren with you dearly beloved by me in the Lord viz. Cheek Cox Turner Lever Sampson Chambers c. and others who love the Lord in Truth I commend also to you my Reverend Fathers and Fellow-prisoners in the Lord Thomas Cranmer now most worthy the Name of a true and great Shepherd yea Arch Bishop and Hugh Latimer that old Souldier of Christs and the true Apostle of our English Nation In his Letter to Augustine Bornher Brother Augustine I bless God with all my heart in his manifold merciful gifts given unto our dear Brethren in Christ specially to our Brother Rogers c. and also to Hooper Saunders and Tailor whom it hath pleased the Lord to set in the forefront of the Battel against his Adversaries and hath endued them all so far as I can hear to stand in the Confession of his Truth and to be content in his Cause and for his Gospels sake to lose their lives And evermore and without end blessed be our Heavenly Father for our dear and entirely beloved Brother Bradford whom now I perceive the Lord calleth for for I ween he will no longer suffer him to abide among the adulterous and wicked generation of this world I doubt not but he hath holpen those which are gone before in their journey that is hath animated and encouraged them to keep the high way and so to run that at length they might obtain the Prize The Lord be his comfort whereof I do not doubt I thank God heartily that ever I was acquainted with him and that ever I had such an one in my house I trust to God it shall please him of his goodness to strengthen me to make up the Trinity out of Paul's Church to suffer for Christ c. Upon the thirtieth of September 1555. Dr. Ridley with Father Latimer was brought before the Queens Commissioners to undergo his last Examination Whilst the Commission was reading he stood bare till he heard the Cardinal named and the Popes Holiness then he put on his Cap and being admonished by the Bishoy of Lincoln the Popes Delegate to pull it off he answered I do not put it on in contempt of your Lordship nor of the Cardinal in that he came of Royal Blood c. but that by this my behaviour I may make it appear that I acknowledge in no point the usurped Supremacy of Rome and therefore I contemn and despite all Authority coming from the Pope As for taking off my Cap do as it shall please your Lordships and I shall be content When Lincoln in a long Rhetorical Speech perswaded him to recant c. he said My Lord in your Exhortation I have marked especially three points which you used to perswade me to leave my Doctrine and Religion which I perfectly know and am throughly perswaded to be grounded not upon mans imaginations and decrees but upon the infallible Truth of Christs Gospel and to look back and return to the Romish See contrary to my Oath contrary to the Prerogative and Crown of this Realm and especially which moveth me most contrary to the expressed Word of God 1 That the See of Rome taking his â—eginning from Peter upon whom you say Christ hath builded his Church hath in all ages lineally from Bishop to Bishop been brought to this time 2 That the holy Fathers in their Writings from time to time have confessed the same 3 That I was once of the same Opinion For the first Christ in saying Upon this stone doth not mean Peter himself c. but his Confession that he was the Son of God upon this Rock-stone I will build my Church for this is the foundation and beginning of all Christianity with word heart and mind to confess that Christ is the Son of God Christs Church is built not on the frailty of man but upon the stable and infallible Word of God that Christ is the Son of God Whilst the See of Rome continued in the Promotion and setting forth of Gods glory and due preaching of the Gospel the Fathers commended and honoured Rome and so do I but after the Bishops of that See seeking their own pride and not Gods honour set themselves above Kings challenging to them the Title of Gods Vicars c. I cannot but with S. Gregory a Bishop of Rome confess that the Bishop of that place is the very true Antichrist whereof St. Iohn speaketh by the name of the Whore of Babylon For the third I cannot but confess I was once of the same Religion you are of yet so was St. Paul a Persecutour of Christ. Lincoln farther urging him to recant c. he said am fully perswaded that Christs Church is foundâ—d in every place where his Gospel is truly received and effectually followed Your gentleness is the same that Christ had of the High Priests Your Lordship saith You have no power to condemn me neither at any time to put a man to death so the High Priests said That it was not lawfull for them to put any man to death but committed Christ to Pilate neither would suffer him
to absolve Christ although he sought to do it What said Dr. Weston do you make the King Pilate No Dr. said Ridley I do but compare your deeds with Caiaphas his deeds and the High Priests who would condemn no man to death as you will not and yet would not suffer Pilate to deliver Christ. Being required to answer to his Articles presently though he had time given him till the morrow First said he I require the Notaries to take and write my Protestation that in no point I acknowledge your Authority or admit you to be my Judges as you are authorized from the Pope c. At last the Bishop of Lincoln with his Cap in his hand desired him to turn But Dr. Ridley made an absolute Answer That he was fully perswaded the Religion he defended to be grounded on Gods Word and therefore without great offence towards God great peril and damage of his soul he could not forsake his Master and Lord God For my part said Weston I take God to witness I am sorry for you I believe it well my Lord said Ridley forasmuch as one day it will be burthenous to your soul. After Sentence was read against him the Bishop of Glocester came to his Prison and would have perswaded him yet to recant upon promise of the Queens mercy but he answered him My Lord you know my mind fully herein and for the Doctrine which I have taught my conscience assures me it was sound and according to Gods Word to his glory be it spoken the which Doctrine the Lord God being my helper I will maintain so long as my tongue shall wag and breath is within my body and in confirmation thereof seal the same with my blood Do with me as it shall please God to suffer you I am well content to abide the same with all my heart The Servant is not above his Master if they dealt so cruelly with our Saviour Christ as the Scripture maketh mention and he suffered the same patiently how much more doth it become us his Servants The Bishop bidding him to hold his peace he answered That so long as his tongue and breath would suffer him he would speak against their abominable doings whatsoever hapned unto him for so doing When in the degrading of him they read We do take from you the Office of preaching the Gospel c. Dr. Ridley gave a great sigh and looking up towards Heaven said O Lord God forgive them this their wickedness After his Degradation Brooks the Bishop of Glocester refusing to talk with him he said Seeing that you will not suffer me to talk neither will vouchsafe to hear me what remedy but patience I refer my cause to my heavenly Father who will reform things that be amiss when it shall please him In his Supplication to the Queen It may please your Majesty for Christ our Saviours sake in a matter of Conscience and now not for my self but for other poor men to vouchsafe to hear and understand this humble Supplication It is so Honourable Princess that whilst I was Bishop of London divers Tenants took Leases of me and the Chaâ—ter for valuable considerations but now Bishop Bonner will not allow those Leases which must redound to many poor mens utter ruine Wherefore this is mine humble Supplication That either their Leases may stand or their moneys be restored to them and their former Leases now the Fines paid to me may easily be repaid if you will be pleased to command some portion of those Goods I left in my house to be sold for that end I suppose half of the value of my Plate will go nigh to restore all such Fines received When Bishop Brooks delivered Dr. Ridley to the Bailiffs charging them not to suffer any to speak with him and to bring him to the place of Execution when they were commanded he said God I thank thee and to thy praise be it spoken there is none of you all able to lay to my charge any open or notorious crime for if you could it should surely be laid in my lap I see very well you play the part of a proud Pharisee said Brooks exalting and praising your self No no no said Ridley to Gods glory onely is it spoken I confess my self to be a miserable wretched sinner and have great need of Gods help and mercy and do daily call and cry for the same The night before he suffered his Beard was washed and his legs and as he sate at Supper with Mr. Mr. Irish and Mrs. Irish he invited them to his Marriage To morrow said he I must be married and was as merry as ever in all his life Wishing his Sister he asked his Brother sitting at the Table Whether she could find in her heart to be there oâ— no yea I dare say said his Brother with all her heart I am glad to hear so much of her said Dr. Ridley At this talk Mrs. Irish wept whereupon Dr. Ridley said O Mrs. Irish you love me not now I see-well enough for in that you weep it doth appear you will not be at my Marriage neither are content therewith indeed you be not so much my friend as I thought you had been but quiet your self though my Breakfast shall be somewhat sharp and painfull yet I am sure my Supper shall be more pleasant and sweet When he arose from the Table his Brother offered him to watch all night with him but he said No no no that you shall not for I mind God willing to go to Bed and sleep as quietly to night â—s ever I did in my life When he espied Mr. Latimer at the Stake he ran to him embraced and kissed him and said Be of good heart Brother for God will either asswage the fury of the flame or else strengthen us to abide it After Dr. Smith had preached on 1 Cor. 13. If I give my Body to be burned c. Dr. Ridley kneeled down on his Knees towards the Lord Williams c. â—nd said I beseech you my Lord even for Christs like that I may speak but two or three words Whereupon the Bayliffs and Dr. Marshal Vice-Chancellor of Oxford ran hastily to him and with their hands stopped his mouth and said Mr. Ridley if you will recant you shall not onely have liberty to speak but your life Not otherwise said Ridley No said Marshal Well said Dr. Ridley so long is the breath is in my Body I will never deny my Lord Christ and his known Truth Gods Will be done in me I commit our Cause to Almighty God who shall indifferently judge all Being in his shirt he said O heavenly Father I give unto thee most hearty thanks for that thou â—ast called me to be a Professour of thee even unto death I beseech thee Lord God take mercy upon this Realm of England and deliver the same from all her enemies To the Smith he said Good Fellow knock in the Chain hard for the flesh
whole truth of his Word after the Doctrine of Christs Gospel these are bid in the time of Antichrists reign to flie into the Mountains i. e. places of safeguard The wo that followeth signifieth that such are then in extreme danger who are letted by any means whatsoever so that they be no wayes able to flie from the plague and Christs bidding to pray that our flight be not in Winter nor on the Sabbath day bids us to pray that we may flie in time and far enough from the danger of the plague Rev. 18. The Angel cries mightily with a loud voice Fliâ— my people out of Babylon lest you be infected with her faults and so be made partakers of her plagues for her offences and sins are grown so great that they come to Heaven Certainly the time doth approach and the Lords day is at hand Paul also that blessed Apostle forbids us 2 Cor. 6. to joyn our selves with the unfaithfull c. This counsel to depart the Realm some good persons may think good others may think it may indeed by Gods Word be lawfully done but not to be counselled to be done for they will peradventure say We should counsel a man alwayes to do that which is best of all and of most perfection but boldly in Christs Cause to spend a mans life is best of all and of most perfection and to flee may smell of cowardliness whereas in many things that which is best for one at sometimes is not best for all at all times and it is not meet for a child to covet to run before he can go But every true Christian either Brother or Sister after they be be called and brought into the wrestling-place to strive in Christs Cause for the best game i. e. to confess the Truth of the Gospel in hope of everlasting life should not shrink nor relent one inch nor give back whatsoever shall befall but to stand to their tackle and stick by it even unto death as they will Christ shall stick by them at the later day Some may think they may stay and escape the danger notwithstanding by keeping their Faith and Religion close to themselves inwardly worshipping God in spirit and truth and outwardly not transgressing common order Whereas Gods Word requireth not onely the belief of the heart but the confession of the mouth forbids not onely the thing that is evil but to abstain from all appearance of evil and both consenters and doers are accounted guilty by Gods Word and we may not do evil that good may come thereof Thy heart thou sayest God shall have and yet will suffer thy body to do the thing that God abhors Take heed O man what thou sayest thou canst not deceive the heart-searcher To give God thy heart is to give him thy whole heart to love him to dread him and to trust in him above all other things and he loveth God that keeps his commands and to dread God above all other is rather willingly to incur the danger and perill of all fearfull things then wittingly to do what God forbids and to trust in him above all things is assuredly to trust to his promise of his reward and of his tuition and of his goodness and mercy and to prefer that above all things in the world seem they never so strong so wise or so good Now how canst thou say truly that God hath thus thy heart when thy deeds do declare far another thing Thy body O man is Gods and all the parts thereof even as thy soul is he made them both and Christ with his blood redemed them both and is Lord of both for he hath bought them both dearly and darest thou suffer any part of either of them to do service to Satan Surely in so doing thou committest sacriledge and dost rob God What is it to bear the mark of the Beast in the forehead and in the hand that St. Iohn speaketh of I suppose he bears the mark of the Beast in his forehead which is not ashamed of the Beasts wayes but will profess them openly and he beareth his mark in the hand that doth the works though he may be ashamed to own them It may be objected O Sir it is no small matter you speak of to depart from a mans own Native Countrey into a strange Realm Some have Lands and Possessions which they cannot carry with them Some have Father Mother Wife Children and Kinsfolk from whom to depart is as hard a thing and almost all one as to suffer death c. I grant here thou mayest heap a number of worldly in commodities which are very like to ensue the departure out of a mans own Countrey but what of all these and a thousand more of the like sort I will set against them all one saying of Christ which to the true Christian is able to countervail all these yea to weigh them down viz. If any man do come to me and do not hate Father and Mother he means and will not in his Cause forsake his Father and Mother c. he cannot be my Disciple It may further be objected Alas Sir I am an impotent man an aged man a sick man a lame man or I have so many small Infants a Wife which live by my labour if I leave them they will starve and I am not able to carry them with me such is my state what shall I do O lamentable state O sorrowfull heart that can neither depart nor without extreme perill is able to tarry still Of the state of such as are not able to flie the infection of the pestiferous plague of Antichrists abominations Christ lamenting not cursing saith Wo be to the great bellied and travelling women c. For these my heart mourneth the more the less I am able to give any comfortable counsel but this That alwayes as they look for everlasting life they abide still in the confession of his Truth whatsoever shall befall and for the rest to put their trust wholly in God who is able to save them against all appearance And commonly in extremities when all worldly comfort faileth and the danger is at highest then unto his he is wont after his accustomed mercy to be most ready to put his helping hand instance in Daniel the three Children Paul pluckt out of the mouth of the Lion in the Mount God raised up most of the Judges for the delivering of his people As to such instances it may be objected these were special miracles of God which now are ceased and to require them at Gods hands were it not to tempt God I grant such were great wonderfull works of God c. but Gods hand is as strong as ever it was and he is as good and as gracious as ever he was but in such as are put to death for his sake he doth more when in anguish of the torments he standeth by them and strengthneth them in their saith to suffer in confession of
the Truth the bitter pangs of death c. To die in Christs Cause is an high honour to the which no man should aspire but to whom God vouchsafeth that priviledge for no man is allowed to presume to take to himself any office of honour but he which is thereunto called of God Iohn saith well speaking of them which have obtained the Victory by the blood of the Lamb and by the Word of his Testimony that they loved not their lives even unto death And our Saviour Christ saith He that shall lose his life for my Cause shall find it This manner of speech pertaineth not to one kind of Christians as the worldly do wickedly dream but to all that truly pertain to Christ for when Christ had called unto him the multitude together with his Disciples he said unto them Mark he said not this unto his Disciples or Apostles only but unto all Whosoever will follow me let him forsake or deny himself c. for whosoever will to save his life forsake me and my Truth shall lose it and whosoever shall lose c. Whosoever shall â—e ashamed of me and my words i. e. to confess me and my Gospel before this adulterous generation of him shall the Son of man be ashamed c. Know thou O man of God that all things are ordained for the furtherance of thee towards thy salvation All things saith Paul work with the good to goodness c. It is not as the wicked think That poverty adversity sickness tribulation yea painfull death of the godly be tokens that God doth not love them but even the clean contrary Now thou O man of God for the Lords sake let us not for the love of this life tarry here too long and be occasion of delay of that glorious consummation of all Christs Sufferers in hope and expectation whereof the former Martyrs have departed in the Lord and the which also the living indued with Gods Spirit ought so earnestly to desire c. crying out Come Lord Iesus come Then shall our weak body be transfigured and made like to Christs glorious body and then shall we see and have the unspeakable joy and fruition of the glorious Majesty of our Lord even as he is Who or what then shall let us to jeopard yea to spend this life which we have here in Christs Cause in our Lord God his Cause O therefore thou man of God that art loaden and so letted like unto a great bellied woman that thou canst not flie the plague yet if thou lust after such things as I have spoken of stand fast whatsoever shall befall thee in thy Masters Cause and take this thy letting to flie for a call from God to fight in thy Master Christs Cause Of this be thou certain they can do nothing unto thee which thy Father is not aware of or hath not foreseen before they can do no more then it shall please him to suffer them to do for the furtherance of his glory edifying of his Church and thine own salvation O be not afraid and remember the end What I have spoken for the comfort of the big-bellied woman I mean to be spoken likewise to the Captive and Prisoner in Gods Cause for such I count to be as it were already summoned and pressed to fight under the Banner of the Cross of Christ and as it were Souldiers allowed and taken up for the Lords Wars to do their Lord and Master good and honourable service and to stick to him even unto death c. To conclude I say unto all that love Christ Jesus our Redeemer and Saviour that love to follow the wayes of the holy Ghost who is our Comforter and Sanctifier that love Christs Spouse and Body c. yea that love life and their souls health Hearken my dear Brethren and Sisters c. to the Word of our Saviour Jesus Christ spoken to his Apostles and meant to all his in St. Matthew's Gospel Fear not them which kill the body for they cannot kill the soul but fear him c. The Lord grant us of his heavenly grace and strength that here we may so confess him in this world amongst this adulterous generation that he may confess us again at the last day before his Father c. In his Reasons why Images should not be placed and erected in Churches First the words of the Command Exod. 20. repeated more plainly Deut. 27. where observe those words Thou shalt not make to thy self mean to any use of Religion and those And setteth it in a secret place imply that no man durst then commit Idolatry openly The reason why God gave this general Prohibition is lest thou being deceived shouldst bow down to them and worship them This general Law is generally to be observed though some be not hurt by them Moses was not deceived or seduced by Iethro's Daughter nor Boaz by Ruth a woman of Moab yet the general Law was to be observed Thou shalt not joyn thy children in marriage with strangers least she seduce thy Son c. If by vertue of the second Commandment Images were not lawfull in the Temple of the Jews then by the second Command they are unlawfull in the Churches of Christians but c. in the Tabernacle and Temple of God no Images were appointed openly to beset nor by practice afterwards used or permitted so long as Religion was purely observed therefore c. For the second Command is moral and not ceremonial c. The Jews by no means would consent to Herod Pilate or Peâ—ronius that Images should be placed in the Temple at Jerusalem but rather offered themselves unto death then to consent unto it Besides that Iosephus commends them for observing the meaning of the Law sure they would not have endangered themselves so far if they had thought Images had been indifferent in the Temple of God Athâ—nasius tells us The invention of Images came of no good but of evil and whatsoever hath an evil beginning can never in any thing be judged good seeing it is wholly naught Tâ—rtullian expounding those words Little Children beware of Images saith That the meaning is as if he had said Little Children keep your selves from the shape it self or form of them Images in the Church either serve to edify or to destroy If they edify then there is one kind of edification which the Scriptures neither teach nor command but alwayes disallow if they destroy they are not to be in the Church The Command of God is Thou shalt not lay a stumbling-block before the blind and cursed is he that maketh the blind wander in his way Images are snares and traps for the feet of the ignorant Images do not stir up the mind to Devotion but distract the mind from Prayer hearing of Gods Word c. Hence in the Council-chamber of the Lacedemonians no picture was suffered least in Consultation of the weighty matters of the
we suffer the like reproach â—ame and rebuke of the world and the like perâ—ecution losing of our goods and lives forsaking as â—â—r Master Christ commandeth Father Mother â—â—ster Brethren Wives Children and all â—â—at there is being assured of a joyfull Resurâ—â—ction and to be crowned in glory with them â—ccording to the infallible Promises made unto us in Christ our onely and sufficient Mediatour c. But let us consider that if it be Gods good will and pleasure to give his own beloved heart i. e. his beloved Church and the Members thereof into the hands of their Enemies â—o chasten try and prove them and to bring them â—o the true unfeigned acknowledging of their own â—atural stubbornness disobedience towards God â—nd his Commands as touching the love of God â—nd their Brethren and their natural inclination â—and readiness to love Creatures to seek their own â—usts and pleasures c. to promote repentance in â—hem and crying to God for forgiveness and for he said of the Spirit daily to mortifie those evil deâ—ires and lusts c. with many other causes What doth he hereafter with those Enemies into whose â—ands he hath given his tenderly beloved Darlings He destroyeth and damneth the impenitent Enemies as is evident in Herod Pharaoh c. And think ye that bloody butcherly Bishop of W. and his most bloody Brethren shall escape or that England shall not for their offences and especially for the maintenance of their Idolatry and wilful following of them not abide a great brunt Ye undoubtedly If God look not mercifully on England the seeds of utter destruction are sown in iâ— already c. Spite of Nebuchadnezzar's beard and maugre his heart the captive inthralled and miserable Jews must come home again and have their City and Temple builded up again by Zerubbabel c. and Babylon's Kingdome must go to ruine and be taken of Strangers the Persians and Medes So shall the dispersed English Flock be brought again into their former estate or to a better c. and our bloody Babylonical Bishops c. brought to utter shame and ruine for God cannot and undoubtedly will not for ever suffer their abominable lying false doctrine their hypocrisie blood-thirst whoredome idleness their pestilent life pampered in all kind of pleasure their Thrasonical boasting pride their malicious envious and poysoned stomacks which they bear towards his poor and miserable Christians If judgement begin at the House of God c. The morning that he should be burnt he was found fast asleep so that he could scarce with much jogging be awakened At last being raised and waked and bid to make haste Then said he if it be so I need not to tie my Points So little daunted was this Proto Martyr of all the blessed Company that suffered in Queen Mary's dayes at the tidings of death and of such a death After he was degraded by Bonner but one Petition viz. That he might talk a few words with his Wife before his burning but that would not be granted Probably he desired to speak to her that he might reveal where he had hid the Book he had writ of his Examinations and Answers But mans malice could not hinder Gods Providence from bringing that Book to his Wifes hands after his death out of the blind corner in the Prison where he had hid and where it could not be found by his enemies though they made diligent search for his Papers When he was in Prison he told the Printer of Mr. Fox's Acts and Mon. who was then a Prisoner also for Religion thus Thou shalt live to see the alteration if this Religion and the Gospel to be freely preached again and therefore have me commended to my Brethren as well in Exile as others and bid them be circumspect in displacing the Papists and putting good Ministers into Churches or else their end will be worse then ours Whilst he was a Prisoner in Newgate he had devised that he with his Fellows should have but one meal a day they paying for two the other meal should be given to those that lacked on the other side of the Prison but their Keeper would not suffer it The Lords Day before he suffered he drank to Mr. Hooper being then underneath him and said That there never was a little Fellow that would better stick to a man then he would stick to him Supposing they should both be burnt together But it hapned otherwise As he was to be brought out of Newgate to Smithfield Mr. Woodroâ—fe one of the Sheriffs came to him and asked him if he would recant That which I have preached said Mr. Rogers I will seal with my blood Then said the Sheriffe thou art an Heretick That shall be known said he at the day of Judgement Well said W. I will never pray for thee But said he I will pray for you A little before his burning at the Stake his Pardon was brought to him if he would recant but he utterly refused it His Wife and Children being eleven in number ten that could go and one sucking on the Breast met him by the way as he was going towards Smithfield but this sight grievous indeed to flesh and blood could nothing move him As he was burning he washed his hands as it were in the flame Romanus When Galerius with Asclepiades invaded the City of Antioch by force of Armes to drive the Christians to renounce their pure Religion Romanus ran to the Christians at that time congregated together and declared that the Wolves were at hand that would devour the Christian Flock but fear not said he neither let this imminent peril disturb you my Brethren Hereupon old Men and Matrons Fathers and Mothers young Men and Maidens were most ready to shed their blood in the defence of their Christian Profession Romanus so encouraged them that they did not stick to offer their naked throats wishing gloriously to die for the Name of their Christ. Whereupon Romanus was brought before the Emperour who said What art thou the Author of this sedition art thou the cause why so many shall lose their lives By the gods I swear thou shalt smart for it and first in thy flesh shalt thou suffer the pains whereunto thou hast encouraged the hearts of thy fellows Romanus answered Thy sentence O Emperour I joyfully embrace I refuse not to be sacrificed for my Brethren and that by as cruel means as thou canst invent And whereas thy Souldiers were repelled from the Christian Congregation that so hapned because it lay not in Idolaters and worshippers of Devils to enter into the holy House of God and to pollute the Place of true Prayer When the Tormenters would not truss him up and draw out his Bowels because he was of noble Parentage the Captain commanded him to be scourged with Whips with knaps of Lead at the ends Instead of tears sighs and groans Romanus sung Psalms all the time of his whipping requiring them not to favour him
for his noble Birth Not the blood of my Progenitors said he but Christian Profession maketh me Noble When the Captain commanded his Sides to be lanced with Knives until the Bones appeared white again Sorry am I O Captain said he not that my flesh shall be thus cut and mangled but for thy cause am I sorrowfull who being corrupted with damnable errours seducest others He preached the second time the living God and the Lord Jesus Christ his welbeloved Son and eternal life through faith in his blood together with the abomination of idolatry c. Whereupon his face was buffeted his eye-lids torn with their nails his cheeks scotched with knives the skin of his beard was plucked by little and little from the flesh c. Thereupon the meek Martyr said I thank thee O Captain that thou hast opened unto me many mouths whereby I may preach my Lord and Saviour Christ Look how many wounds I have so many mouths I have lauding and praising God When the Captain blasphemingly said Thy crucified Christ is but a yesterdays God the gods of the Gentiles are of most Antiquity Romanus desired the Captain to hear what a Child of seven years of age would say His request being granted Tell me my Babe said Romanus whether thou think it reason that we worship one Christ and in Christ one Father or else that we worship infinite gods To whom the Babe answered That certainly whatsoever it be that men affirm to be God must needs be One which with One is one and the same and in as much as this One is Christ of necessity Christ must be the true God for that there be many gods we Children cannot believe The Captain hereat amazed said Thou young Villain and Traitor where and of whom learnedst thou this Lesson Of my Mother said the Child with whose milk I sucked in this Lesson that I must believe in Christ. The Captain thereupon commanded the Child to be hoised up and scourged The joyfull Mother onely saw that sight with dry eyes yea the rebuked her sweet Babe for craving a draught of cold water She charged him to thirst after the Cup that the Infants of Bethlem once drank of forgetting their Mothers Milk and Paps She willed him to remember little Isaac who beholding the Sword wherewith and the Altar whereon he should be sacrificed willingly proffered his tender neck to the dint of his Fathers Sword Then the butcherly Tormentor pluckt the skin from the Crown of his head hair and all The Mother cried Suffer my Child anon thou shalt pass to him that will adorn thy naked head with a Crown of eternal Glory The Child received the stripes with a smiling countenance As they laid hands on Romanus to carry him to the place of Execution he looked back and said I appeal from this thy tyranny O Judge unjust unto the righteous Throne of Christ that upright Judge not because I fear thy cruel torments and merciless handlings but that thy judgements may be known to be cruel and bloody When the Tormentor required the Child of the Mother who had taken it up in her arms she kissing it delivered the Babe and said Farewell my sweet Child and as the Hangman was cutting off its head she sang All laud and praise with heart and voice O Lord we yield to thee To whom the death of all thy Saints We know most dear to be When Romanus was cast into the fire he said he should not burn Accordingly a great storm arose as it is reported and quenched the fire Then his Tongue was cut out Nevertheless he spake saying He that speaketh Christ shall never want a Tongue Think not that the Voice that uttereth Christ hath need of the Tongue to be the Minister Eusebius saith That by his constancy in enduring his Tongue to be pull'd out of his Mouth he really declared to all that a divine Vertue is never wanting to any who suffer for godliness sake which doth both mitigate their griefs and corroborateth their hearts This valiant Souldier of Christ was not at all terrified thereat but of his own accord put out his Tongue and willingly yielded the same to the Tormentors hands Then he was clapt in Prison again and there a long while cruelly tormented and at last in the year 306. strangled and thereby according to his own desire was crowned with Martyrdome Roper George Roper a young man at his coming to the Stake putting off his Gown fetcht a great leap So soon as the flame was about him he put out both his arms from his body like a roode and so stood stedfast not plucking his arms in at all till the fire had consumed them and burnt them off Rough. Mr. Iohn Rough a famous Scotch Minister in England in King Edward's dayes at the beginning of Queen Mary's reign fled into Frizeland with his Wife where he laboured for his living in knitting of Caps Hose c. till lacking of Yarn c. he came over into England to provide for the maintenance of his Occupation and at London hearing of the secret Society and holy Congregation of Gods Children there assembled he joyned himself unto them and afterwards being elected their Minister continued for some time in fellowship with them teaching and confirming them in the Truth and Gospel of Christ. But not long after he was by a false Brothers treachery taken and clapt in Newgate When he was before Bonner he told him That he utterly detested the Service then used and that if he should live as long as did Me huselah yet he would never come to hear the abominable Mass and other Service being as it was then Dr. Watson then Bishop of Lincoln being at his Examination urged that he had done more hurt in the North Parts in King Edward's dayes then an hundred besides c. Why Sir said Mr. Rough Is this the reward I have for saving your life in those dayes He said he had lived thirty years and yet had never bowed his knee to Ball. Before Bonner he affirmed That he had been twice at Rome and there had seen plainly with his eyes that the Pope was the very Antichrist for he saw more reverence given to him then to that which they accounted their God Mr. Rough having been at the burning of Austoo in Smithfield and returning homeward again met with one that as'd him where he had been I have been said he where I would not for one of mine eyes but I had been Where have you been replied his Friend Forsooth said he to learn the way And so he told him he had been at the burning of Austoo where shortly after he was burned himself In his Letter to some Friends The comfort of the Holy Ghost make you able to give consolation to others in these dangerous dayes when Satan is let loose but to the trial onely of the chosen when it pleaseth our God to sift his Wheat from the Chaffe I speak to Gods
will have his course When his Brother brought him Gun-powder he said I will take it to be sent of God therefore I will receive it as sent of him To my Lord Williams he said My Lord I must be a Suitor to you for divers poor men and my Sister c. There is nothing in all this world troubleth my conscience I praise God this onely excepted When he saw the fire flaming towards him he said Into thy hands O Lord I commend my Spirit Lord receive my soul Lord have mercy upon me In his Letter to all his true Friends I warn you all that ye be not amazed or astonied at the kind of my departure and dissolution for I assure you I think it the most honour that ever I was called to in all my life and therefore I thank my Lord God heartily for it c. For know ye that I doubt no more but that the causes wherefore I am put to death are Gods causes and the causes of the Truth then I doubt that the Gospel which Iohn wrote is the Gospel of Christ or that Paul's Epistles are the very Word of God And to have an heart willing to abide and stand in Gods Cause and in Christs Quarrel even unto death I assure thee O man it is an inestimable gift of God given onely to the true Elect and dearly beloved Children of God and Inheritors of the Kingdome of Heaven for the holy Apostle and also Martyr in Christs Cause St. Peter 1 Pet. 4. saith If ye suffer rebuke in the Name of Christ i. e. in Christs Cause and for his Truths sake then are ye happy and blessed for the glory of the Spirit of God resteth upon you and if for rebukes suffered in the Name of Christ a man is pronounced blessed and happy how much more blessed and happy is he that hath the grace to suffer death also Wherefore all ye that be my true Lovers and Friends rejoyce and rejoyce with me again and render with me hearty thanks to God our heavenly Father that for his Sons sake my Saviour and Redeemer Christ he hath vouchsafed to call me being so vile and sinfull a wretch in my self unto the high dignity of his true Prophets of his faithfull Apostles and of his holy Elect and chosen Martyrs to die in defence and maintenance of his eternal and everlasting Truth If ye love me indeed you have cause to rejoyce for that it hath pleased God to call me to a greater honour and dignity then ever I did enjoy before either in Rochester or London or should have had in Durham whereunto I was last of all elected yea I count it greater honour before God indeed to die in his Cause then is any earthly or temporal promotion or honour that can be given to a man in this world And who is he that knoweth the Cause to be Gods to be Christs Quarrel and of his Gospel to be the Commonweal of all the Elect and chosen Children of God of all the Inheritors of the Kingdome of Heaven Who is he I say that knoweth this assuredly by Gods own Word and the Testimony of his Conscience as I through the infinite goodness of God not of my self but by his grace acknowledge my self to do and doth in deed and in truth love and fear God love and believe his Master Christ and his blessed Gospel and the Brotherhood the chosen Children of God and also lusteth and longeth for eternal life who is he I say again that would not that cannot find in his heart in this Cause to be content to die Farewell Pembrohe Hall in C. of late mine own Colledge my Cure and my Charge what cafe thou art in now God knoweth I know not well Wo is me for thee mine own dear Colledge if ever thou suffer thy self by any means to be brought from setting forth Gods true Word In thy Orchard I learned without Book all Pauls Epistles yea and I ween all the Canonical Epistles save only the Apocalyps Of which study although in time a great part did depart from me yet the sweet smell thereof I trust I shall carry with me into Heaven The Lord grant that this zeal and love to that part of Gods Word which is a Key to all the Scripture may ever abide in that Colledge so long as the world shall endure O thou now wicked and bloody See of London c. hearken thou whorish Bawd of Babylon thou wicked limb of Antichrist thou bloody Wolf why slayest thou and makest havock of the Prophets of God why murthereft thou so cruelly Christs poor silly Sheep which will not hear thy voice because thou art a stranger and will follow none other but their own Pastor Christ his voice Thinkest thou to escape or that the Lord will not require the blood of his Saints at thy hands Instead of my farewell to thee now I say fie upon thee fie upon thee silthy Drab and all thy false Prophets To you my Lords of the Temporality will I speak c. Know ye that I had before mine eyes onely the fear of God and Christian charity toward you that moved me to write for of you hereafter I look not in this world either for pleasure or displeasure if my talk shall do you never so much pleasure or profit you cannot promote me nor if I displease you can you harm me for I shall be out of your reach I say unto you as St. Paul saith unto the Galatians I wonder my Lords what hath bewitched you that ye so suddenly are fallen from Christ unto Antichrist from Christs Gospel unto mans Traditions from the Lord that bought you unto the Bishop of Rome I warn you of your perill be not deceived except you will be found willingly consenters to your own death Understand my Lords it was neither for the priviledge of the Place or Person thereof that the See and Bishop of Rome were called Apostolick but for the true trade of Christs Religion which was taught and maintained in that See at the first of those godly men and therefore as truly and justly as that See then for that true trade of Religion and consanguinity of Doctrine with the Religion and Doctrine of Christs Apostle was called Apostolick so as truly and as justly for the contrariety of Religion and diversity of Doctrine from Christ and his Apostles that See and the Bishop thereof at this day both ought to be called and are indeed Antichristian The See is the Seat of Satan and the Bishop of the same that maintaineth the Abominations thereof is Antichrist himself indeed As for your displeasure by that time this shall come to your knowledge I trust by Gods grace to be in the hands and protection of the Almighty my heavenly Father the living Lord the greatest of all and then I shall not need I trow to fear what any Lord no nor what King or Prince can do unto me Much cause have you to
hear me patiently seeing I am appointed to die and look daily when I shall be called to come before the eternal Judge and therefore you cannot think but that I onely study to serve my Lord God and to say that thing which I am perswaded assuredly by Gods Word shall and doth please him and profit all to whom God shall give grace to hear and believe what I do say If the Popes supremacy be necessary to salvation to be owned How chanced it that ye were all my Lords so light as for your Princes pleasures H. 8. and E. 6. which were but mortal men to forsake the Unity of your Catholick Faith i. e. to forsake Christ and his Gospel How chanced it also that ye and the whole Parliament did not onely abolish and expell the Bishop of Rome but also did abjure him in your own persons and did decree in your Acts great Oaths to be taken for that purpose On the other side if the Law and Decree which maketh the supremacy of the See and Bishop of Rome over the universal Church of Christ be a thing of necessity required unto salvation by an Antichristian Law as it is indeed then my Lords never think other but the day shall come when ye shall be charged with this your undoing that which once ye had well done and with this your perjury and breach of your Oath which Oath was done in judgement justice and truth agreeable to Gods Law The Whore of Babylon may for a time dally with you and make you so drunken with the wine of her filthy stews and whoredomes as with her dispensations and promises of pardon a poena culpa that you may think your selves safe but be ye assured when the Living Lord shall try the matter by fire and judge it according to his Word unless ye repent without all doubt ye shall never escape the hands of the Living God for the guilt of your perjury and breach of your Oath then shall ye drink of the Cup of the Lords indignation and everlasting wrath which is prepared for the Beast his false Prophets and all their partakers For he that is partner with them in their whoredomes and abominations must also be partner with them in their plagues and be thrown with them into the Lake burning with brimstone and unquenchable fire In his Letter to the Prisoners c. and Exiles For the fervent love that the Apostles had unto their Master Christ and for the great commodities and increase of all godliness which they felt by their faith to ensue of afflictions in Christs Cause And thirdly For the heaps of heavenly joyes which the same do get unto the godly which shall endure in Heaven for evermore for these causes they rejoyced that they were accounted worthy to suffer contumelies and rebukes for Christs Name And Paul was so much in love in that which the carnal man loatheth so much i. e. with Christs Cross that he judged himself to know nothing else but Christ crucified he gloried in nothing else but Christs Cross. Why should we Christians fear death Can death deprive us of Christ who is all our comfort our joy and our life Nay forsooth But on the contrary Death shall deliver us from this mortal body which loadeth and beareth down the Spirit that it cannot so well perceive heavenly things in the which so long as we dwell we are absent from the Lord. And who that hath a right knowledge of Christ our Saviour that he is the eternal Son of God life light the wisdome of the Father all goodness all righteousness and whatsoever heart can desire yea infinite plenty of all these above that that mans heart can conceive or imagine for in him dwelleth the fulness of the Godhead bodily and also that he is given us of the Father and made of God to be our wisdome our righteousness our holiness and our redemption who I say is that believeth this indeed that would not gladly be with his Master Christ To die in the defence of Christs Gospel is our bounden duty to Christ and also to our neighbour to Christ for he died for us and rose that he might be Lord of all and seeing he died for us we also saith St. Iohn 1 Ioh. 3. should jeopard yea give our life for the Brethren Farewell dear Brethren farewell and let us comfort our hearts in all troubles and in death with the Word of God for Heaven and Earth shall perish but the Word of the Lord endureth for ever In his Lamentation for the change of Religion in England Of late in every Congregation throughout all England was made Prayer and Petition unto God to be delivered from the Tyranny of the Bishop of Rome and all his detestable enormities from all false doctrine and heresie and now alas Satan hath perswaded England by his falâ—hood and craft to revoke her old godly prayer c. This is one maxime and principle in Christs Law He that denieth Christ before men him shall Christ deny before his Father and all his holy Angels in Heaven Now then seeing the doctrine of Antichrist is returned again into this Realm and the higher Powers alas are so deceived and bewitched that they are perswaded it to be Truth and Christs true Doctrine to be errour and heresie and the old Laws of Anticrist are allowed to return with the power of their Father again What can be hereafter looked for of Christians abiding in this Realm but extreme violence of death or else to deny their Master Therefore prepare and arm thy self to die for both by Antichrists accustomable Laws and Scripture Prophesies there is no likelyhood of any other thing except thou wilt deny thy Master Christ which is the loss at the last of body and soul unto everlasting death My counsel to such as are yet at liberty is to flie from the plague and get them hence I consider not onely the subtilties of Satan and how he is like to deceive it it were possible even the chosen of God and also the great frailty which is oftentimes more in a man then he doth know in himself and which in the time of temptation will utter it self but also the examples of Christ Paul Elias c. and Christ saith When they persecute you in one City flie unto another Truly before God I think that the abomination that Daniel prophesied of so long before is now set up in the holy Place the Doctrine of Antichrist his Laws Rites and Religion contrary to Christ and to the true serving and worshipping of God I understand to be that abominition therefore now is the time in England for those words of Christ Then saith Christ they that be in Jewry let them flie into the Mountains then saith he mark this then for truly I am perswaded and I trust by the Spirit of God that this then is commanded By those in Iewry I understand such who truly confess one Living God and the