cropt cut mowne and reaped still A shade a breath a blast a span a flower A mornings deaw that's dried in an hower First marke the sorrowes of this wretched life And how thy soule still clogged is with sinne How worldly cares doe keepe thee still in strife The many perils thou art wrapped in Then shalt thou see this life to vs hath lent But harts vexation griefe and discontent Our greatest pleasures end in paines distresse The Elements offend vs with their heate The earth with vapours colde doth vs oppresse Our health is mixt with sicknes dangers great To be alone alacke it grieues vs sore And companie disturbeth vs much more Admit the Lord hath lent thee earthly treasure And thou enioyest the labour of thy hands Thy wife and children is to thee a pleasure Thou raisest sumptuous buildings on thy lands What is all this wert thou a Prince of power Hauing no charter of thy life one houre This life alasse is but a winke of Time And on eternitie our ioyes depend Our mortall bodies are but earth and slime Ordainde of God his glorie to attend Like to a bubble weake as brittle glasse Or like a shadow that full soone doth passe Why should we sleepe or slug one night in sin Seeing that night might chance to be our last What grieuous danger should our soules be in If vnpreparde so sinfull hence we past Then euery minute waile thy sinne with sorrow Men here to day are laide in earth to morrow But thou wilt say the world bids me delay And tels me that I neede not feare my life I shall liue long and in great pleasure stay And haue much time t'auoide all future strife Ah thinke not so the flattering world doth lie While yet thou speakest thou maist on suddaine die Amend thy life therefore without all let Least when the time approacheth thou should'st dye Thou dost thy soules chiefe comfort quite forget When thousand cares will leade thy thoughts awrie Repent repent death hath thy life in gage Repent in youth stay not till crooked age O thinke what wofull state thy soule is in When death drawes neere with terrible assaults That houre maist thou be vexed so with sin So much tormented with thy filthie faults And with thy bodies paine so vexed bee That true repentance will be farre from thee What time thy wofull minde will chieflie run Which way thou maist haue ease of bodies smart And how thou maist those bitter gripings shun That with such sorrow burdens thy poore hart How ill aduisde wast thou in fainting breath To post repentance to the houre of death What horror then will thy poore hart indure When feare of death doth so afflict thy minde When phisickes helpe cannot thy conscience cure Nor for thy soule a remedie can finde When thou shalt see the diuell accusing stand And gaping hell vpon the other hand But in respect this griefe is nought at all Touching thy soule and whither it shall goe After she leaues this fading life mortall She at Gods iudgement seate her selfe must shew Sentence to haue and glory to obtaine Or else sad sorrow and eternall paine O thinke what torments sinners haue in hell That's mad with paine and there doth rore and crie In extreame torment which no tongue can tell Alwaies a dying but can neuer die O hart ô minde ô eyes beholde and see Obserue and marke what endlesse torments bee Iudas too late doth there himselfe excuse Too late for Achan to restore his golde Gehezi doth his gifts too late refuse And Diues all too late his faultes vnfolde Lord though with these we haue deserued paine Yet to thy kingdome let our soules retaine The seas saltnes is tasted by one drop False oathes describes a guiltie heart within The world wins our flesh to a seruile lot Feare doth seduce vs vnto deadly sin Most mightie Lord therefore to thee we pray That thy true spirit may our conscience stay Sweete Iesu Christ resplendent in thy seate Which purchast by thy death mans perfect ioy For my misdeedes thy pardon I intreate With wings of mercie shroude vs from anoy Thy death slew death thy pains was our protectiō Thou triumphst ouer all by glorious resurrection It was foretolde and truely spoke of thee By holy Prophets many yeares agoe Gods glorious sonne should no corruption see Layde dead in graue from graue aliue should goe The sealed stone the carefull watchmens eye Could not keepe downe thy mightie maiestie But when I had my Sauiours presence lost Inforste I was vnto my former trade On surging waues my fishing boate was tost Yet of great labour little gaine I made All day I toyld but all in vaine I wraught And all the tedious night nothing I caught But when the cheerefull mornings light appeard Vpon the sandy shore my Sauiour stood Whose heauenly voice our heauie harts so cheard Calling to vs vpon the surging flood My friends quoth he what haue you any meate We answered no nor yet one bit to eate Then said the Lord that made both sea and land Vpon the right side of your sliding ship Cast forth your tangling nets with nimble hand And you shall finde what earst from you did slip We did the same whereby such store we got As neuer like did fall vnto our lot So full of skipping fish the net was found That we by all our force our strength and power Not able were to draw it from the ground Such was the store we got that instant houre At that one draught my selfe did tell and see An hundred mightie fishes fiftie three I knew not Lord thy sacred maiestie For sinne and shame had dulled Peter quite Till Iohn to me thy glorie did descrie I quite forgot my Christ the Lord of might Yet see my Sauiour in my greatest neede Forsooke me not for all my hainous deede This did reuiue my heauie mournfull minde A treble comfort did my ioy restore Iohn childe of grace did soone our Sauiour finde Who said t'is Iesus standeth on the shore It is the Lord vndoubted it is he As by this worke we may sufficient see I hearing that in hast did leaue my net And to my Sauiour sworm whereas he stood Through many mounting billowes did I get For he presern'd me in the raging flood The peacefull shore when so I had attaind There saw I fire and fish and bread ordaind A heauenly dinner on the earth below New raised Christ for vs had there preparde He saw our want and did our hunger know Poore men distrest the Lord doth still regarde Christ therefore calde and bad vs come to dinner The righteous Lord eates with a wretched sinner With his most holy hand he brake vs bread And gaue vs fish our hunger to asswage A gracious countnance on vs did hee spread Whose conquest did both death and hell enrage And this was now the third time truely knowne To his Disciples Christ himselfe had showne Then after dinner Christ tooke me aside And thrice
Could I so kind and louing Lord forget That in my wants my neede supplied euer Carefull he was in paying my due debt My wiues sicke mother heal'd he of a feuer When I lackt coyne great Caesars right to pay A fish he forc't to bring me some straightway To grace me with a blest Apostles right Three times he charg'd me for to feed his sheepe But I false wretch did disobey him quight His flocke from harme I had no care to keepe Oh how could I to them a Pastor be When I my selfe did stray so grieuouslie Yet was his gracious fauour such to me He tooke me vp into the mountaine hie His Transfiguration for to see Which then appear'd in mightie Maiestie Where Moses and Elias both did walke And with out blessed Sauiour fell in talke Bright as the Sunne in chiefest of his pride So did the glory of his face appeare His seamelesse garments shin'de on euery side Like to the light when it is found most cleare All this and more did I behold and see Yet fearelesse fell to foule iniquitie Who would against this blessed God offend Who durst a Iudge so mightie quite denie Who would not feare and learne his life to mend Sith such a Lord his secrets can discrie Who would not mon'th day minute time and hower Yea alwayes dread his Iustice might and power Yet I transgrest against this Prince of might Whose Maiestie sits in a glorious Throne His eyes like fire shining pure and bright His face more cleere then any precious stone Angels and Saints attend in his presence Thrones Prophets Powers Martyrs Innocents Sweete Lorde with fauour measure my offence Let true repentance counteruaile thine ire Let teares appease where trespasse doth incense Let pitie moue let humble hope desire Lord scourge me not according to desart Let sinners see how mercifull thou art The holy feast of Easter drawing nie Vnto Ierusalem would my Sauiour goe Shewing to vs what death he was to die As holy Prophets often did foreshow That he thereby might saue from death and hell The soule of man which by transgression fell Thus Adams trespasse brought a scourging rod His poore successors to torment for sinne Which pluckt from pleasure th' Image of our God See what destruction Adam did beginne His fall brought sinne and sinne did death require Sinne drown'd the world and Sodom set on fire Ah wretched Eue that first procur'd this strife By tasting of the Tree both good and ill Which brought to vs a wofull labouring life With sweating face the barren earth to till For which offence the holy Godhead said Returne to earth whereof thou first wast made For this foule fact mans soule was damn'd to hell And nothing could appease Gods wrathfull ire But his Sonnes blood whom he belou'd so well Who for our sakes did shamefull death desire We did transgresse and he did suffer smart But then this knowledge was not in my heart Wherefore when I did vnderstand and heare That Christ to faire Ierusalem would goe The Scribes and Elders I did greatly feare Which sutly sought his life to ouerthrow Then did I take my Lord aside and say Looke to thy selfe Lord shun this bainfull way But my rash zeale full sore my God offended Who cald me Sathan laying to my charge I fauour'd not his holy will intended But like a flatrer slipt my wordes at large False fainting zeale shadow'd with good pretence No vayle can hide the shame of my offence Now marke the sorrow that I shall vnfold When he to faire Ierusalem was come The traytor Iudas his good Master sold For thirtie pence God wot a slender summe Which damned deed although he sought to hide Christ knew ful well by whom all hearts are tride Then when he had his blessed Supperended Vp to mount Oliuet did he sadly goe And we vpon our heauenly Master tended In whose sad soule deaths sorrow then did grow Who said to vs when he the hill ascended All you this night through me shall be offended For it is written and it shall be so I'le smite the Shepheard on the fertile plaine Then all his flocke shall scatter to and fro But when from vanquisht death I rise againe By mighty power and heauenly deitie I'le walke before you into Galile But hereupon this answere I did make And freely spoke what I in heart intended My Lord and Master will I not forsake Though all the world with thee should be offended But Iesus said Before the cocke crow twice This night for feare thou wilt deny me thrice Vpon these wordes I did my speeches double And told my Lord what euer came of me I would not shrinke for any worldly trouble Respecting not inforc't calamitie In all disgraces Peter first will die A lingring death ere he his Lord denie Then went my Lord himselfe alone to pray With heauy heart and layd him on the earth Who said to vs VVatch you a while and stay For my sed Soule is heauie to the death But while he sweat cold water mixt with blood We carelesse slept and did no other good Three times came Christ and found vs fast asleepe While he attended Iudas spitefull howre To thinke thereon it makes my heart to weepe Christ tasting then a bitter bleeding showre Thus lay we carelesse while his care increast We slept and he in praying neuer ceast What drowsie drones were we that had no power On Gethseman to watch a little space Ah could not we forbeare one sleeping hower While Christ lay praying with a watrie face Whose Agony that time was found so great That he all ouer bath'd in bloody sweat Then came our Sauiour vnto vs and said Sleepe now henceforth and euer take your rest The hower is at hand the plot is laid That wretched sinners must haue their request Arise arise so drowsie doe not stand I shall be tooke the traytour is at hand Our Sauiour had these wordes no sooner spoken But Iudas came with others very strong The Traytour gaue a kisse which was the token Betraid my Lord so tooke they him along O Sinne of sinnes what falsehood worse then this To harbour Treason in a trothlesse kisse My Sauiour thus abus'de I banisht feare At this lewd troope I straight drew out my sword And smiting Malcus I cut off his eare For which my Christ gaue me a checking word Then leading him away on my reproofe With lingring steps I follow'd him aloofe Oh Coward here thy hollow heart beginnes I follow'd in the darke as all vnknowne Which doth encrease my great and grieuous sinnes In Calender of shame my name is showne I that erewhile such mightie brags did make With pale-fac't feare did now begin to shake False hearted man and full of wicked ill Into the court of Caiphas did I goe And warm'd me there while cold my heart did kill Coldnesse of faith the roote of all my woe O wretch of all men well deseruing hate For buying fire at such a damned rate There came
my soules distresse begonne Sinne causeth griefe for sorrow is their share That in the shop of shame trades periur'd ware Sinnes farme I rented with hard intrest bought The rent my soule yet all my gayne was griefe Deere was that purchase which my downfal wrought In Caiphas court I lost my soules reliefe O wretched men that buyes the curse of hell With wrecke of soules the wares that diuels sell Lord let thy mercy be the onely key To ope the doore of my afflicted hart Where my accounts in secret hidden lye Griping my conscience with extremest smart And thereby let thy holy spirit in Which is of force to dispossesse my sin Lord seeke the sheepe that long hath gone astray The prodigall to thee his mone hath made I haue procur'd and wrought my owne decay And of damnation am I sore afraid If thou wilt helpe O sweet Christ helpe me now And make not Peter breake although he bow O write my teares within the booke of life The register of thine elected fold Where mercie and compassion shineth rife There Lord let Peters name be sure intold Protect me Lord and free me from all feares Whose soule is drencht within a showre of teares With mildenes measure my submissiue minde Meekely forgiue I craue with contrite hart Let thy poore seruant thy free mercie finde With sighs I beg release of earned smart Bent knees thicke sobs wet eyes sad hart begin Pleade clients pleade Gods mercie sweete to win Sinfull Disciple fall flat on thy face And warme the thirstie earth with flowing teares Yea rise not vp till thou hast purchaste grace Ring rufull sobs repentant in his eares A true and contrite heauie soule for sin The Lord regardes and most doth ioy therein Redeeme me then with ransome of thy loue Release my bondage from sinnes captiue gaile Let Peters true repentance pittie moue And let thy mercie be my soules sure baile Tender my suiâ—e cancell offences great With feare I craue with hope I doe intreat O that I had not borne so base a minde As to deny my Christ that did me make But that I had with constant Steuen been kinde To haue been stoned for my masters sake Then had I neuer knowne this hellish smart That wounds my conscience and doth kil my hart What did produce me to this cursed crime How came I so securelie rockt asleepe The monster sinne my wings of faith did lime I could not flie that hellish danger deepe Blasphemous hart benumd with deadly colde Thou didst my tongue to periuries vnfolde Ah woe is me I am that cursed Caine That murdered Abel I may iustlie say His precious blood doth issue out amaine And t'was my sinnes that did my Sauiour slay Had I so many eyes as Starres in skie For this offence well might I weepe them drie I doe bewaile my foule committed sin Gainst Christ redeemer of my soule from hell Sweete Sauiour let my soule thy mercie win That I among the damned may not dwell For I confesse without thy mercies store I shall be damnd in hell for euermore Ah seruile feare that maskes a drooping minde Subiect to sinne base captiue vnto thrall Couldst thou permit a sillie woman kinde To be contriuer of thy shamefull fall Were now the Cocke to crow as thrice he crue No woman though I dyde should me subdue O hastie rashnes where true faith was fled Vnsauorie tree where fruits of sin do grow For want of faith let floods of teares be shed Baptize anew thy soule in streames of woe Too long they liue that liue till they be nought How cheape sold I what Christ so deerly bought Come idle eyes t'is long time since ye wept Straine out my sorrows fruits of my vntruth That springing streams of teares may still be kept To blaze with plaints the Ecchoes of my ruth Vnkind in kindnes where faint feare tooke place To spit thy poyson in thy makers face O wretched Peter far worse then the Iewes That hist at Christ like poysoned stinging snakes Whose scornfull mocks his patience did abuse Who notwithstanding dyed for their sakes My oaths were darts my cruell tongue the sting My God the marke and him I did maligne With sin O Lord my soule is sore attainted My mind my thoughts my hart is clog'd with griefe Heart throbbing feare and treason hath me haunted All these are ruines of my soules reliefe Inconstancy foule fraud and false selfe will These gaue attendance my poore soule to kill Dispaire not Peter doo not thy God forget To call for mercy doo thy best indeuour Neuer did he refuse a sinner yet Nor crau'd his death but wisht him life for euer All burdned soules come vnto me saith he And of your griefe you shall released be Therefore I thinke my selfe thrice happie blest For that I hope I shall beholde his blisse Although this flesh be fraile full of vnrest Against the spirit working much amisse Yet Christ his mercie floweth like a spring While his woundes bleede receiued for my sinne I did offend thee Lord with periurde speech Which wicked deed I doe from heart repent Therefore sweete Lord I humbly doe beseech To saue his soule that doth for sinne lament For I beleeue and for a truth I know My scarlet sinnes thou canst conuert to snow Lord clense me then thy blessing on me spread With many foes my soule is hard beset Be thou my strength and helmet for my head And with thy treasure pay my seruile debt As teares of vines foule leprosie doth cure So vlcer sinnes is by thy blood made pure Why then my soule wherefore art thou so sad And why art thou disquieted within Plucke vp thy selfe be ioyfull and most glad Christ by his passion washt away my sinne Though of all men the worst to be esteemed Yet by my Sauiour is my soule redeemed Then Peter breake from that vilde tirant strong Shake off his chaines and burst his hellish bands Sinne hath thee kept in seruitude too long And run to Iesus where he meekely stands Spread on the Crosse wide open with his armes Thee to imbrace keepe thee from all harmes Lo thus with faith and hope still did I pray Christ heard my suite and all my sinnes forgaue Poore sinners suites no time he doth delay He came from Heauen repenting soules to saue None can on earth a greater sinner be Then I was found and yet he saued me The wicked Iewes that halde him to the Crosse With many taunting tearmes and hatefull scornes He greatly grieude their soules eternall losse While they did crowne his holy head with thornes They whipt his body bor'd his hands and feete Yea pearst his side and did reioyce to see'r But this Beathlemite deare sonne of God Which by his wisedome could haue staide this strife Yet rather chose to feele Gods heauie rod Then we should lose the ioyes of blessed life For rather then we should hels torment trie He spared not to yeelde himselfe to die Yet cursed Scribes did take no
The blood of the Martyrs is the seede of the Church Christ himselfe foretold that whosoeuer would be his Disciple must take vp his crosse and folow him these Apostles these Disciples haue done no lesse 1. PEter otherwise called Simon the sonne of Iona of the Prouince of Galile of the towne of Bethsaida the brother of Andrew from a fisherman Christ called him to be an Apostle commaunding him earnestly three times to feede his sheepe three times Peter denied Christ three times Christ asked Peter if hee loued him and three times Peter answered thou knowest Lorde I loue thee For denying of Christ his submission was so great that by continual kneeling in prayer to God his knees elbowes were growne thicke numme and hard like the hoofe of an Oxe his armes with leaning on them were growne crooked his eyes were bleard with dayly weeping and the streames of teares which flowed from his eyes made gutters in his cheekes Peter the Apostle was y e first Bishop of Antioch he continued there seuen yeeres seuen yeeres about Ierusalē the Easterne regious he was imprisoned by Herod Agrippa and deliuered by an Angell Christ came to his house healed his wiues mother of a feuer he preached the Gospel of Christ in Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Bythinia and Asia Peter was of that courage boldnesse that he walked vpon the water to go to Iesus Peter seeing Christ transfigured talking with Moses and Elias he was so rauished with that ioyfull sight that he said vnto him Lord here is good being for vs if thou wilt Let vs make here 3. tabernacles one for thee one for Moses and one for Elias Christ did foretel Peter of his death saying When thou wast young thou girdedst thy selfe and walkedst whither thou wouldest but when thou shalt be olde thou shalt stretch forth thy handes and another shall gird thee and leade thee whither thou wouldest not Peter was crucified at Rome the third Calends of Iuly in the last yeere of Nero with his head downewards which kind of death he himselfe desired Moritur ad terram verso capite in cruce Petrus 2. IAmes the sonne of Zebedeus brother to Iohn was a poore fisherman and being in the shippe mending of his net Iesus came by and called him to be an Apostle He preached the Gospel of Christ vnto the twelue dispersed Tribes he was the next Martyr after Stephen he was slaine by the sword in India by Herod Agrippa his corps was afterward transported into Compostella in Spaine 3. IOhn the Euangelist was the sonne of Zebed and brother to Iames he was called from the fisher-boate to bee an Apostle of Christ he was of all other beloued of Iesus he leaned on the breast of our Sauiour he was banished by the Emperor Domitian into the Isle of Patmos where hee wrote the Reuelation Ierome and Abdias saith that at Rome he was throwne into a tunne of hotte burning oyle yet he came forth and tooke no harme Hee conuerted a Thiefe that was Captaine of a bande of theeues all wholy bent to slaughter murder and extreame crueltie saying Yet there remaineth some hope of saluation I will vndertake for thee with Christ I will die for thee if neede be as Christ dyed for vs I will hazard my soule for thine Trust me Christ sent me The Thiefe hearing this stoode still shooke off his armour trembled for feare repented and wept bitterly After the death of Domitian Iohn the Euangelist returned from the Isle of Patmos when Nerua had raigned a little aboue a yeere Iohn gouerned the Churches in Asia and remained at Ephesus Augustine calleth him a martyr by will Policrates Bishop of Ephesus as Eusebius alleadgeth sticketh not to call him a Priest a martyr and a doctor but that which Augustine and Dorotheus writeth of his end is strangest of all and let the credite thereof rest in the choise of the Reader how Iohn at Ephesus in the presence of diuers people went aliue into his graue there dyed being an hundreth and twentie yeeres old 4. ANdrew being a poore fisherman was called with his brother Peter to bee an Apostle hee preached the Gospell of Christ vnto the Scythians Sogdians and Sucians and in the middle of Sebastopilis inhabited of the wilde Ethiopians being crucified by Aegeas King of Edessa the last of Nouember and buried at Pataris a citie in Achaia 5. PHilip was chosen to be an Apostle of Christ hee was borne in the citie of Bethsaida a citie in Galile when Christ demaunded of Philip where they might buy bread to satisfie the people that followed him Philip answered him Two hundreth pennie worth of bread is not sufficient for them that euery one may take a little This was said to proue him Christ at that instant fedde fiue thousand men with fiue barly loaues and two fishes and when the people were satisfied the disciples filled twelue baskets with that which remained Philip preached the Gospell of Christ in Phrygia he went to a citie in Samaria and there conuerted Simon Magus the sorcerer who had a long time seduced the same citie with his sorcerie witchcraft The Painims crucified Philip at Hierapotalis 6. THomas otherwise called Didymus was one of the twelue Apostles of Christ hee doubting of the resurrection of Christ saide vnto his fellowes which tolde him that they had seene the Lord Thomas said Except I see in his hands the print of the nayles and put my handes into his side I will not beleeue After eight dayes Thomas being with the disciples Iesus came againe and stood in the middest of them saying Peace be vnto to you said to Thomas Put thy finger here see my hands and thrust forth thy hand put it into my side and be not faithlesse but faithfull Then Thomas did conceiue a full faith that it was the Lorde and saide Thou art my Lord my God which confession Iesus did well accept Thomas sent Thaddaeus vnto Agbarus king of Edessa to preach the Gospell of Christ and to cure Agbarus of his maladie Thomas the Apostle preached the Gospell of Christ vnto the Persians Medes Caramaines Hircaines Bastraines and Magitians he was slaine at the heathen Kings commaundement with a dart in India and was buried at Calimina 7. BArtholomew was chosen to bee an Apostle of Christ hee preached to the Indians and deliuered vnto them the Gospell of Matthew in their owne language he suffered martyrdome at the commaundement of Polemius king of India the first day of his martyrdome he was beaten with cudgels the second day crucified and flayne aliue his skin puld ouer his eares as he was fastened to the crosse Last of all while
breath remained in him he was beheaded 8. MAtthew the Euangelist was chosen to be an Apostle of Christ he wrote the Gospell of our Lord Iesus in the Hebrew tongue and deliuered it to Iames the sonne of Alpheus he preached the Gospell in Aethiopia he was by the commandement of Hyrtacus runne through with a sworde 9. IAmes the sonne of Alpheus Marie sister to Marie the Lords mother called the brother of Christ was the first Bishop of Ierusalem he liued vertuously he vsed no woollen vesture but wore a Syndon his knees were after the guise of a camels knee benumd and bereft of the sence of feeling by reason of his continuall kneeling in supplication to God he continued Bishop thirtie yeeres and was martyred by the Iewes but especially by Ananias the high Priest who set him vpon a pinackle of the Temple to preach to the people threw him downe headlong he hauing breath after his fall one came with a Fullers club knockt him on the head and brained him 10. SImon the Cananite sonne to Cleopas surnamed Zelotes the Lordes cousin germaine hee was chosen to bee one of the twelue Apostles of Christ he preached the Gospel throughout Mauritania Aphricke Aegypt and Persia he returned thence and succeeded Iames in the Bishopricke of Ierusalem the heretickes accused him that he lineally descended of the stocke of Dauid and that he was a Christian which profession they hated he was scourged for the space of many dayes together so that Aticus the Iudge and his company was marueilously amased and marueiled how that he being an hundred and twentie yeeres old was able to abide that bitter torment in the end he dyed a death agreeable with the passion of Christ 11. IVde the brother of Iames called also Thaddeus was called to be an Apostle he preached vnto the Edessians through all Mesopotamia he was slaine at Berito in the time of Agbarus king of Edessa 12. MAtthias one of the seuentie Disciples was chosen to be an Apostle in the roome of Iudas the traytor hee preached the Gospell first in Macedonia then in Aethiopia about the hauen called Hissus and the riuer Phasis afterward he went into India where the Iewes stoned him and last of all he was beheaded with an axe after the Romaine manner Thus endeth the commemoration of the liues and deaths of the twelue Apostles HERE FOLLOWETH the Election Liues and Martyrdoms of S. Paul Marke the Euangelist and Stephen one of the seuen Deacons PAVL which before was called Saule was an Apostle of Christ yet out of the number of the twelue was borne in Iurie in a towne called Gascalis which towne beeing taken by the Romanes he with his parents fled to Tharsus a towne in Cilicia afterwards hee was sent vp to Ierusalem and there brought vp in the knowledge of the Law at that time when Stephen suffered martyrdome Paul was a persecutour in raging against the Church of God entring into the houses of the faithfull and gaue forth precepts that both men and women should be imprisoned he was conuerted to beleeue in Christ by a voice that spake to him from heauen as he went towards Damascus and from a persecutour he was made a professor an Apostle a martyr a witnes of the Gospel and a chosen vessell not of men neither by men but by reuelation from Iesus Christ among other his manifold labours and trauelles in spreading the doctrine of Christ hee wanne Sergius Paulus the Proconsul of Ciprus to the faith of Christ whereupon his name was turned from Saul to Paul he began to preach the Gospell of Christ at Ierusalem and went on still to Ilyricum Italie and Spaine his Epistles are extant at this day full of heauenly wisedome hee was accused before the Emperour Nero for teaching a new doctrine and stirring vp sedition against the Empire whereupon Nero commanded him to declare the order of his doctrine which was to teach all men peace and charitie how to loue one another that rich men should not bee puft vp in pride nor to put their trust in their treasure but in the liuing God meane men to be content with food and raiment and with their present state poore men to reioyce in their pouertie with hope fathers to bring vp their children in the feare of God children to obay their parents husbands to loue their wiues wiues to loue their husbands citizens and subiectes to be true to their Prince This was the summe of Paules teaching which hee receiued from Iesus Christ which spake to him from heauen When Nero had heard this he gaue sentence of death that Paul should bee beheaded vnto whose executiō Nero sent two of his Esquires Feraga Parthemius to bring him word of Paules death he was beheaded at Rome the last yeere of Nero the third calends of Iuly and was buried in the way to Ostia in the thirtie sixt yeere after his conuersion thirtie seuen yeeres after the Passion of Christ MArke the Euangelist was the first Bishop of Alexandria he was the first that preached Christ vnto the Egyptians in the time of Traian hee had a cable rope tyed about his necke and drawne through the streetes of Alexandria that his flesh was rent in pieces and the stones coloured with blood he was drawne from Blocus to a place called Angels where hee was burned to ashes by the furious Idolaters in the moneth of April and buried at Blocus STephen was chosen to bee one of the seuen Deacons by prayer and laying on of the Apostles hands for the publike administration of the Church affaires hee was stoned to death at Ierusalem by them that slew the Lorde he was the first of the triumphing Martyrs of Christ and as they stoned him he said Lord Iesu receiue my spirit and kneeling downe he cryed with a lowde voyce Lord lay not this sinne vnto their charge and so fell asleepe in the Lord. This is to beare the crosse of our Sauiour this is to drinke of one cuppe with Christ Christ saith He that taketh not vp his crosse and followeth after me is not worthie of me hee that will saue his life shall loose it and he that looseth his life for my sake shall saue it Great are the troubles of the righteous but the Lord deliuereth him out of them all Through many tribulations wee haue to enter into the king dome of heauen but hee that endureth to the ende he shall be saued Infinite are the number of the Saints of God that haue suffered for the testimonie of Christ as Hierome in his Epistle to Chromatius and Heliodorus saith Nullus esset dies quinon vltra quinque millium numerum martyrum reperiri posset ascriptus excepto die kalendarum Ianuarij