with his faith he shal neuer despeper For certain it is the some of our helthe to staÌ„d vpon fayth in Iesu Chryste vpon this growndsole is the dore of our saluacion turned and returned Let vs therfore apprehende with our faith this diuine promise whiche we nother may nor can deser ue and we haue all these celestiall benefitis euen remission of our sinnes the holy goste and eternall lyfe All these hath god promised vs in Christe and for Chrystis sake In this promise consisteth all our coÌ„solacion our hope our rightwysenes reconciliacion and helthe Beleue god to be trwe of his promise and caste not awaye the gospell of his sone preched vnto the but receyue it thankfully with all thy herte enbrace it with bothe thyne armes aÌ„d dout it not this gospell to be as well thyne as Pauls and Steuens as mightely to saue the as it saued them Doute not of the grace mercye powr trowth of God and thou art iustifyed and as salfe as is Abraham and all the sayntis in heuen To do good workes commanded of god studye and endeuour thy selfe ernestly with all diligence so that thou doiste nothinge els but well Studye to excell almen in innocencye of lyuinge in alâ—ose dedis doing be merciful counfortable piteouse and helping all men yea and euen thyne enemyes But vse these deadis continually as thy dewtye seruice dewe vnto god as testimonyes of thy faithe and obedience vnto his lawes Euermore aknowledginge them to be farre inferiour vnpurer weaker and vnperfitter then that thou maist of them reioyse and glorye before god or by theÌ„ to deserue any rightwysenes Think thy self an vnprofitable seruant yea when thou haste done all which is but thy dewtye and no deseruinge And beware lest thou thinkest thy workis to be meritis of right wysenes and helthe before God For this opinion and persuasion is an vngodly blasphemie ageynst Chryste For in the cause of our saluacioÌ„ we may not truste in any parte to our owne workis but onely by faithe cleaue to the promises of God in Chryst. The workis merits of Christe onely geue vs frely our saluacion not ours nor yet the workes of any creature els Let vs therfore with faithset fast holde vpon the promyses of god in the gospell nether be we diuelled from them by any engyne of tentacion or persecucion Let vs consyder the verite of God to be inuiolable promisinge and geuinge vnto vs his faithfull in Chryste lyfe eternall for Chrystis sake It is he onely that hath deserued it for vs. It is his onely benefit vnto him onely must we â—â—â—der the thankis Unto him onely must we cleaue by faith And so shall we with stand all temtacions wrestle out of and ouercome all difficulties If the promyse as concerninge vs shulde not be out of fauour frely made so could it not be ferme and certayn because our workis and obedience to the lawe of god be so vnpure miserable filthei and so imperfit and naught if they shulde be compared layd ageynst the severe iugement and extremite of the lawe of god Thus therfore dothe the holy goste counfort vs vtwardly in the holy scryptures and inwardly with this lyuely testimonye of the spirit as Paul affirmeth sayinge Ye haue not receyued the spirit of bondage ageyne vnto feare But ye haue receyued the spirit of adopcion by whom we crye father father The same spirit witnesseth vnto ours that we be the sonnes of god If we be his sonnes so be we the ayers of god and euen the felowe ayers with Chryste if we suffer with him to be also glorifyed with him Which con firmeth vs also in Cryst for it is god that hath anoynted vs and sealled vs vp geuen vs the pledge of his spirit in ouâ— hertis Agene saith Paul Aftir ye had beleued the gospell of your saluacion ye were vp sealed with the holy promised spirit which is the pledge of our heretage into the redempcion of our purchased possession into the prayse of his glorye Also the spirit helpeth our weaknesses For trewly the thinge that we shuld prayfore and how to aske it we knowe not But the spi rit him selfe maketh intercession for vs with sythes vnable to be expressed Nether is it any lesse counfort whiche our god and father hath ordined for vs in his great felowship emonge the faithfull congregacioÌ„s of whom mencion is made emonge the articles of our faithe We beleuinge theÌ„ to be the holy catholyke chirche Whiche all be our members we all togither beinge one bodye as techeth vs Paul right counfortably i. Cor. xij One meÌ„ber to be carefull for a nother of whiche if one of vs suffer all the rest haue compassion and if one of vs be hole and well all the other membres reioyse with the fame So that we beinge thus kâ—it to gither with the bondis of loue haue all thing is hothe mierth and sorowe heuines and ioye comon And if one of vs suffer for Chrystis sake in EngloÌ„d all the trwe brethern and sisters in the same londe in France in Germany orels where suffer the same And where one of vs being pâ—â— sent cannot counfort another yet beinge neuer so farrof we praye incessauntly one for other vnto god our father to be counforted with his holy spirit that it wolde please his goodnes for Chrystes sake to lyft vp to restore and confirme our persecuted brethern and systeâ—â— and to make theÌ„ constaÌ„t in all Crysten pacieÌ„ce strongly in faithe to endure in our affliccion to perseuer â—o bere awaye a gloriouse victorye And if the prayer of one faithfull maÌ„ may do so miche with god as the scripture teacheth of howe mighty efficacye muste then be the comoÌ„ prayers of all the hole holy congregacions ioyned togither in faith and loue Uerely we are not a loue in our affliccions we wrestle and fight not aloue in these labours nether suffer we a lone persecucions But euen Chryste suffereth with vs. For who so thus per secuteth and molesteth vs he iniuriethe persecuteth Christ and all the hole chirches of Chryst. For we be al one bodye hauinge one head euen Chryst one holy spirit withe all his spirituall giftis comon to vs all And whiles we thus praye together we doutles be herde of god For we haue the moste grave and plentuouse yea many aÌ„d that the moste present promises of god full of all consolacion that he will heare our mutuall prayers aÌ„d be present with his helpe in all our distresses nede and trouble If we shuld here a lone wrestle and buckle with Satane we were all to weake and shulde despayer ouercomen in our affliccions whiche is our own pusillaâ—iâ—ite and naturall feare But sith we be sewer to haue Chryste with all the hole chirche of Chryst on ower sydes to fyght for vs with their mutuall and continuall prayers yea and all the aungels of heuen defending and fightinge for vs howe can we
lyke theÌ„ God therfore casteth his blessinges vpon the wyked that yet fight ageynst him to excercyse our faith sendinge vs in our afflic cions vnto his propiciatory Chryst to his worde there to serche oute as ye here see the cause of their prosperite and of our owne affliccions into owr present coÌ„solacion declaringe vnto vs howe vyle he estemeth these ryches these welthy prosperities and transitorye blessings of the worlde especially in vnthankfull tyrants techinge vs howe terrible are his iugements so hyghe to lyft a man vp to thentent he wold sodenly caste him downe the more greuously Here gaue he the ryche gloton his heuen here aftir to haue his hell Here he gaue Lazarus his hell after this to haue his heuen Reioyse we therfore afflicted Christen brethern in owr trowblouse persecucions and heuye exyle For if we here pacieÌ„tly suffer with christe we shallbe also glorifyed with him in heuen Nether do I saith saynt Paul repute the affliccioÌ„s of this worlde worthei of the glory tocome which shalbe openly geuen vs. Unto vs therfore his childern the curses are become his blessingis and sweete crosse whiche our father laith vpoÌ„ vs to folowe his deare sone owr sauiour Chryst that we might be trwly fasshoned vnto his image once lost in paradise For as we haue borne the image of the erthy Adam so muste we bere the image of our heuenly AdaÌ„ Chryste He thus spekinge vnto vs. My childerne neglecte not my correccion nore faint not when ye be chastened for whom I loue them I chasteÌ„ beat euery childe whom I receyue If ye paciently suffer my chastysinge I will offer my self vnto you alouinge father For what chylde hathe the father whoÌ„ he correcteth not If ye shulde be fre fro my correccion so were ye not my childerne but bastards Now by faith and this knowlege are the curses turned into our blessed and sacred crosses ioyfully and gladly to be borne aftyr Chryste for our correccion lest we be condempned with the wealy wyked worlde God workinge in vs a strange worke to worke his owne as Isay saith This is the rok whom god shewed to Moses Exo. xxxiij aftir he was ta ken out of the water of affliccioÌ„ vpon the which rok god coÌ„maÌ„ded him tostoÌ„de whiles his glorie was in passing foreby where he did sette Moses in the riftes of the same rok defending him with his almighty hande koueringe him vntill his haÌ„de takeÌ„ of he shewed him his hinder parties euen Chryste him selfe his members at laste to come by thorowe the crosse to entre into his glorye And to exclude his our merits for so suffeirnge he tolde him for all that he spake so famyliarely with him that he wolde be mercyfull to whoÌ„ he listed to be piteous Heere also beholde the tree which when Moses Exo. xv did put into the bitter waters of marath auoÌ„ they were made swete so that the people of god myght well drynke of them Beholde the bitter passioÌ„ of Christe hanginge vpon the crosse of tre sufferynge for thy synnes and what water of tribulacioÌ„ is so bitter to the but in him and for his sake layinge it vpon the is not swete and ioyfully dronken of yea it is to the turned into the swete wyne so changed from water at the mery meriage What childe of god will thinke him selfe so innocent that he is worthei no chastement Let vs therfore christen persequnted brethern ascende paciently into this secrete holy place euen owr mercye seat Chryst beholdinge all these heuye curses to be casteÌ„ vpon him beringe awaye all our synnes and sustayninge the paynes dewe vnto them for owr sakis and saluacion made for vs the curse and execracion to redeme vs froÌ„ the curse of the lawe made for vs the malediccion that thorowe him they might be turned into our blessings made I saye for vs vnrightwysenes and synne that we thorowe him myght be rekened of god ryghtwyse and iustyfyed or absolued from synne Thus be we blessed in owr sauiour whilis we suffer persecution for his names sake here aftir to heare it of his owne mouthe openly callynge vs sayinge Come ye my blessed and possede the kingedom prepared for you from the beginninge Nowe therfore let vs paciently suffer dependinge vpon our fathers pleasure whyles his aduersaries persecute vs for preachinge and wrytinge vnto them the trwth let vs constantly suffre to be exyled for that we abhorre theyr idolatry theyr antichrysten rytes and supersticious ceremonyes let vs flye in holy derkenesse out of Babylon into the deserte with our pore lawfull wyues rather then wykedly to suffer our selues violently coÌ„trary to gods lawe to be separated whoÌ„ god hath ioyned This is owr crowne praise as Peter saith vnworthely to suffer with a good consciens for the trwthes sake and not as any malefactours Happy be we whiche haue the worde of owr counfort the doctryne of our faithe confidence hope and ioye in the holy goste to bolden and to confirme vs in these our heuye affliccions for well doinge And wo be vnto theÌ„ whiche haue taken awaye the worde of consolacion from the laye peple whiche soernestly in their anxt thirste for it in stede of the same haue thruste into the coÌ„gregacions erroneouse doctryne idolatrye supersticion and deceyuable sermons and institucions into the dampnacion of many men Them selues not onely seducinge the vnlerned but also with theyr synfull dampnable lyuinge drawinge many aftir theÌ„ vnto perdicion Whereby thei declare theÌ„ selues to haue dronkenin that pharisaicall blodye tyrannouse spirite which may not abyde to heare the verite Which serpeÌ„tyne sprite went euer about to take trap Christe in his wordis deprauinge euery facte miracle worde whiche he wrought or sayd yea although their owne consciences tolde it theÌ„ the same to be done spoken of the holy goste very god This did they to bringe Christe his doctrine into the hatered of all men to be detested abhorred as an heretique a deceyuer a sediciouse persone traytor ageynst the emperowr belyinge him moste deadly moste shamefully For when in iugemeÌ„t Pilate affirmed him innoceÌ„t to haue fownde no capitall cryme in him there this pharisaicall spryte rored out furiously krying He maketh coÌ„mocion and sedicioÌ„ thorowt all Iewrye and Galile Away with him cruâ—ifye crucifye him And eueÌ„ so is our pore afflycted chirche vexed and oppressed with the 〈…〉 calamities iniuries lyes â— tyraÌ„nie The same rebukes iniuste verâ—rious and cruell persecucioÌ„s do we suffer this daye But let vs be of good chere seinge we suffer all this for rightwisenes wel doinge For what thinge do thei persecute vs verely for no nother cause then that we desyer to know to teche the pure clere knowledge of Chryst the very waye of our saluacioÌ„ of the christeÌ„ religion that we other might se the immeÌ„se riches of the mercye rightwysenes lyfe helthe whiche we shuld haue
perpetuall lyfe We are sewer that our bodyes shall ryse ageyne gloriouse and immortall vnto the whiche gloriouse immortalyte we daily aspire aÌ„d clyme knowinge that this corporall dethe is not els then a nightis sleape to vs that beleue in Chryste and so at laste to be with Christe in ioye bothe body and sowle This faith and hope of any other lyfe aftir this haue not our cruell haithen persewers albeit thei speke it with their lippes and therfore thei feare flye and abhorre dethe so miche But we haue the worde of our Lorde and god that he hathe for vs taken awaye broken and ouercomen the powr and stinge of death This our victoriouse Lorde and destrier of dethe to animate to confirme and to counfort vs in all our perels and calamities saith vnto vs. I tell you my frendes be not afraid of theÌ„ that slaye your bodies aÌ„d then can theâ— do nomore to you But I shall shewe you whoÌ„ ye shall feare feare him whiche aftir he hath slayne your bodyes he hath power to caste bothe bodye and soule into hell fyer There is not so lytle a byrde that diâ—the without our fathers will he hath tolde all the heares of our headis of whiche not one shall be brent without our fathers will And are not we of a rycher pryce then sparows and heares But I shall tâ—ll you saith Chryste Whoso confesse me before men I shall aknowledge him before my father all the aungels in heuen Reioyse ye therfore For I haue ouercomen the worlde and your heuines shall be turned into gladnes which no man shall take from you Chrystis victory is owrs If we beleue in Cryste our faith is the victory that ouercometh the worlde Our persewers thinke to hurte vs miche in killing our bodies and we thinke knowe it therby to haue great lucre as saith Paul Chryste is to me lyfe and death is to me lucre And albeit our flesshe be infirme and weake yet a godly mynde in his inwarde man desyereth with Paul to be dissolued out of this miserable sinfull worlde and to be with Chryste For Christe hath so promised me to be where so euer him silf is and hath obtayned it me bi his prayer of his father What now can all the antichristeÌ„ vngodly do ageynste vs verely nothing at all vnto our hurte thei can not take faithe and Chryste from our hertis they may with violence kut out our tongues but from our hertis may they not take our faithe our profession and praise of crystis glorye And yet what so euer they do it is by the sufferance of god for our saluacion and into their owne dampnacion They may take awaye our corporall transitory goodis whiche we set not miche vp seinge for theÌ„ god geueth vs goodis eternall and celestiall They kyll our bodyes but thei sende our soules into the handis of our heueÌ„ly father and make our dethe preciouse in the syght of god WheÌ„ their deathes shall be moste horrible and terrible to departe from so many pleasures into perpetuall tormentinges Wherfore Paul exhorting vs vnto constancye biddeth vs to helpe eche other with prayers that we might with a manly faith fight in the gospels quarell beinge not afraid of our aduersaries Unto whom that at is to them the cause of their owne perdicion the same is vnto vs the cause of our saluacion yea aÌ„d that of god When our aduersaries and persewers thinke to slaye vs thei slaye them selues bodye aÌ„d soule withe the death of euerlastinge dampnacion Is not this then a miserable an execrable powr at whiche our persewers enioye and reioyse so detestably into their owne euerlastinge destruccion dampnacion This is sewer that all the faithfull departed coÌ„stantly professinge Chryst lyue with him nowe in ioye But where be now the enimies of Chryst and the persewers of the crystiaÌ„s Where is decius whiche so cruelly persecuted the exystians Where is Dioclesiane whiche proclamed all holy bokis to be brent all that professed Chri ste to be cruelly slayne where be now Ua lerius Maximinianus Maximius Lucinius Iulianus where is Aurelius cesar with al the other tiraunts And if we shul de descende into our dayes we might aske where be nowe the popes cardinals bisshops withe their coniured papistike complices ageynst the gospell and Bible to be brought in traÌ„slated into Englisshe where are they that brent so many newe testaments at Pauls crosse and so many lerned men trwe crystianes which preched and professed constantly gods holy worde where is Thomas wolsaye cardiuall bisshop of Yorke where is Iohan stokesley bisshop of London where is west of Ely fox of Herforde doctour London all the abbots priours fryers commissaâ—ies Syr Thomas More aÌ„d Iohan Fissher bisshop of Rochester withe all the cloysters and abbeys monkes and preistes which haue these xvi yeres persequuted the gospell Are they not all whiche beleued not the gospell condempned with Satan and his aungels vnto euerlastinge dampnacion nowe lyinge in moste greuouse tormentinges what hurt then did their transitorye persecucion and crosse to the martires of god Ageyne what nowe profiteth them their transitory pleasure in kyllinge and burninge the pore innocent lombes of Chryst Are thei not now tormented in hell in perpetuall fyer for burning gods worde and the professours therof Thei labored by temporall death to pluke pore men from god and his gospell facinge and fering them in their courtes and ingement seates vnder their canopeis but shortely cometh the great terrible daye in which thei muste all stande before the iugement seat of Cryste in great feare and tremblinge dead for anxt and heuines there to receyue their generall and laste sentence of eteruall dampnacioÌ„ both in bodyes and soulis Then shall it be verifyed of vs bothe whiche is wryten The souls of the iuste are in the handis of god and the tormeÌ„ts of death shall not touche them Thei apered to the eyes of the folisshe vngodly to haue dyed and their death to haue had ben an heuey payne but they went quyetly into relte And albeit before men they suffered torments yet was their hope full of immortalyâ—e Their â—exacion was to them a swete crosse for they had ample benefits For God tempted them and fownd them worthei for him selfe Then shall the rightwyse stand in great constancye before their oppressers reuylets WhoÌ„ when they beholde they shall be smyten with soden great feare and be astonned at their soden saluacioÌ„ Then they touched with penance and wailinge for anguishe of mynde shal thus saye with theÌ„ selues Is not this he whom we once laughed to skorne iested vpon him coÌ„tumeliously foles that we were then our selfs had weÌ„t his lyfe to haue ben madnes and to haue dyed an heretique And see he is nowmbred emonge the sonnes of god haninge his reward emonge the rightwyse We we our selues then erred froÌ„ the way of trwthe the lyhht of the trwe forme of iustificacion did