shrinke fall perissh in this batail Sithe Chryst is present we muste nedis haue the victory And where soeuer is Chryste there be all his faithfull yea all his aungels wherfore we beinge his chosen muste nedis be withe them The aungels of the Lorde pitche their tentes rownde aboute vs. The aungels delyuer vs that feare the Lorde Psalm xxxiiij The thirde consolacion Owr cause is goddis cause and it is the moste iuste cause FUrthermore this thinge ought to confirme and counfort vs most especially for that we haue so iust so good and so godly a cause for it is not our cause wherfore we suffer but is is goddis cause euen his own holy gospel bi Chryste and the holy gost sent vs from heuen For as for vs we neuer thought to do any man iniurye nor hurte we take no mans goodis from him But we study to monishe and to profit all men vnto their saluacion We desyer onely and receyue the infinite and inestimable riches of the gospell with ioye at gods hande In which worde not els then the mere grace rightwisenes peace delyuerance from all euils helpe and helthe are promised and geuen vs in Chryst and for his sake to as many as beleue in him And this same so riche inestimable glorye of the grace of god in Chryste we wolde it purely and frely to be shewed tought preched and writen to all men vnto the glorye and sanctifyinge of the name of god for the right wysemakinge and saluacioÌ„ of many men For the gospell is the powr of god vnto saluacion to all them that beleue For this studye for this owr dewtye in spekinge wrytinge and good willis to profite and to sa ue all men and to bringe theÌ„ to the knowlege of god in Chryste do the world render to vs the same thankes whiche were once rendred to Chryste and his apostles and paynteth vs with the same sediriouse and obprobrious names For whilis we wysshe preache and wryte to them eternall peace thei accuse vs of the moste haâ—â—ouse cryme of sedicion When we teche them the moste certayn verite out of gods owne mouth they cal vs heretiques notinge and slaunderinge vs with al theÌ„ moste infamie and ignominye they can imagine then they rage and rase runinge vpon vs lyke wylde beastes and wode dogges enforcinge to throdowne to subuerte and extinguisshe bothe Chryste and all chrysten faithfull with the gospell to And yet make the bisshops of Englond men to recant that there is any persecucion in the realme but all is iuste execucioÌ„ As though it were nowe the same paradise alredye whiche first was created vpoÌ„ the whiche erthe there dwelt â—o â—â—o but Adam and Eue in the state of innocencye before any serpentyne sead tempted theÌ„ And as thoughe Englond were the same paradyse and londe of the perpetuall lyninge immortall bodyes now rysen ayen wherof Peter saythe Rightwysenes to dwell vpon it euen the same newe erthe kouered with a newe heueÌ„ and newe elements purged with fyer mencioned of I say and Iohan in the Apocalypse There is mencion in Luke and Matt. of a standing water called a Mear which was a comon passage oute of Galile into the londe of the Gadarens which Chrystis disciples and all men passed oft ouer without any perell But wheÌ„ thei chaunced to are the bisshops of Englond â—eâ—â—owpled and câ—â—fedeâ—ed with the bisshop oâ— Romes bisshops aÌ„d his wheâ—â—is in â—ewâ— the sonde as once were Sampsons foxes tayles tyed togither withe fyer brandis ageynst the Lorde his audinted to burne vp the Philynstens good vyneyardis euen the pore sely persecuted chirche of Chryste But let vs not be abasshed noâ— yet afrayd it is the truth that we set forthe It is the eternall and immutable will and counsell of god that Chryste shulde make sinners iuste salfe out of his mere grace and that this shuld be reueled and preached before all the worlde This mater wolde he to consiste in and vpon faith that who so beleue in Chryst shulde haue forgeuenes of his synnes and lyfeeternal not for his owne but for Christes merits This glorie of our fathers diuine mercye ought to be preched and setforthe before all men that thorowe Christe they might come vnto the father which hath sette Christ at his right hande and made him Lorde of the aungels of men and of all creatures celestiall and terrestriall and to be iuge ouer the lyuinge and dead and to raigne in the glory of the father with all the faithfull and chosen in Chryst. This is the constant immutable will of god This is his eternall sentence God will therfore defende fight for his own cause nother may any man resiste him Christ will raigne and put all his enimies vnder his feet And who shall let it He is of an infinite almighty powr and will sone defende his cause eueÌ„ ageynst all the power of the spirituall antichristis and let them take all the seculare swerdes and the deuill to to helpe them If this our cause might be ether weakened or ouercomen so were God and Chryste febled ouercomen But Chryste is allmighty vnable to be ouerthrone abideth for euer wher fore this his cause and owrs and his gospell and all that beleue it shall stand for euer inuincible For who so beleue in him shall neuer be confounded Mightier is Christe and his worde then all the worlde and Satan to with all his preistly prelates and shall bringe them all into an heuey dampnable destruccion whyles they enforce to subuerte vs Crystes gospell For Chryste is verely the stomblinge stone at whom whoso stomblethe he hurteth him selfe greuously But this stonne it selfe is not hurte nor once moued but standeth ferme and fast ageynst all his aduersaries assawtes vnhurte And who so falleth at him is all to broken aÌ„d vpon whom this stonne falleth he is all to pressed and grownden into powlder Singe and reade we the. ix x. xi and â–ª xij and siche lyke Psalmes and there let vs seke fyn de consolacion Nether let vs cesse at any tyme to heare and reade the scriptures the swete promises let vs engraue into our brestes and cleane to them constaÌ„tly For they be the moste certayne and assewered consolacions to vs in this heuey exyle and harde persecucion Faithfull is our Lorde God and trewe in all his wordis But as in Englonde the realme of ryghtwisenes lo there is no siche stonne to stomble therat so be there non that stoÌ„ble at Chryst but they leape quyte ouer him He falleth there vpon nomaÌ„ our noman vpon him There is no persecucion but all iuste execucion lo. And therfore is there no siche coÌ„solacion nor Psalmes nor scripture to lyft them vp agene But in a full heuey state be they that be fallen and dedely hurte and yet beleue they theÌ„ selues to staÌ„d vpright hole aÌ„d sowâ—de Full wo and ferefull may our aduersaries be which
turned into iuste execucion after theyr owne crafty construccion and execrable exposicion But when the stronger armed cometh vpon hym then rustleth Satan his harâ—es then stereth he vp tumults then bloweth he forth bataill sedicions conspirisons insurreccions rebellions amoÌ„ge his bishops preists that yet by these means were it possible he might kepe stil his kingdome and be not thrust out of his castle So that there is no certayner argument and more euident token of the gospell to be vtterly oppressed of Satan to raigne in peace as to se the publike concorde of and in the religion And there is no tokeÌ„ so certayn manifest and euident of the worde of god arysing and cominge forth into syght as when ye se a comon publike discorde in and of the religion For and yf euer men shuld haue loked and trusted for any open and generall concorde of in the religion in the worlde at the reuelynge and open prechinge of the gospell it shuld haue ben at that tyme when our lorde Iesus Chryst him selfe reueled and preached it emonge the Iewes He is the sone of god by whom al things were created no aposte nor prophete to be compa â—ed to him And yet wheÌ„ he shulde preche forth with great honour and created the prince of all Egipt Iob loste all his good but double was restored him Dauid was caste out into exile of Saul but yet was he called home agen and exalted into the regall maiestye Daniel was cast in to the lyons and a non made the prince of the Persians And as ye se that if our god in this worlde promoueth his out of affliccion and persecucion into glorye honor and felicite miche more translateth he his derely beloued chosen out of these miserable and heuey present persecucions into that heuenly perpetuall ioye and felicite in the other worlde And the lenger it is differred the more sweter it is when we haue it our lorde god yet counfortinge vs with his assewered promises sayinge I shall delyuer mi people froÌ„ all their tribulacioÌ„s Soner shall heueÌ„ and erth passe awaye then mi wordis to passe vnfulfilled hills and mountayns shal be shakeÌ„ down but my mercy shal not go fro me the couenaÌ„t of mi peace shall not be moued saith the lorde god moste mercifull Loke vpon Christe the sone of god whiche aftir he was deiected vnto the dethe of the crosse was he not exalted into the moste hyghe honor glory had geuen him a name aboue al names so that in the name of Iesu euery since boweth downe bothe in heuen erthe in hell and what is done in the head shall not the same be done in the meÌ„bers Wherfore the more affliccion and persecucion the worde of the crosse bringeth to vs the more felicite and greter ioye abideth vs in heuen But the worldly peace idle ease welthey pleasure and this present transitory felicyte which the vngodly imagin to procure them selues here by persecutinge and thrustinge awaye the gospell shal be turned here into their owne trouble bataill as ye now this daye see it and at laste into the horrible destruccions and mutacions of their realmes and aftir this if they repent not into ther own perpetual infelicite perdicion and dampnacion And if our lordely prowed bishops wolde consider and measure the state of the christen chirche by the actes of the Apostles they shuld see in howe greuouse persecucion it was when the moste nowmber of disciples encreased Agen if they wolde read the storyes ether of the holy or haithen they shulde see that when the chyrche was in moste welthe and ease the prelats in idlenes aspiringe for riches and honor then entred into it the most pesteleÌ„t poyson and destruccion of all godly doctrine then encreased all ydolatry heresyes supersticion and mens deuilyssh tradicions as ye may see in constantyne the emperours dayes and in gregoryes the grete his tyme howe Chrystes religion then began to dekaye And sone aftir or in Heraclius tyme howe the deuill did put forth his two litle great AntichristeÌ„ hornes Mahumet and the Pope of Rome So that where as is no persecucion of Christes religion but all in securite and reste there is that chirche lykely not to continewe longe in the trwe faithe For Christe is no where borne be he neuer so lytle without tumulte blodshedinge of innocents as it is wryten Matth. iâ— Trowth it is that Huldrike Zwing lius sayd In blode is the gospell planted wyth blode therfore must it be conserued and defended Let vs therfore chrysten brethren be constant in obeyinge god rather then men although they slay vs for the verite For our innocent blode shed for the gospell shall preache it with more frute as did abelis steuens etc then euer did our mouthes and pennes Consyder the begynninge of the chrysten religion and the fyrste frutes of the prymitiue chirche and we shall se innumerable innocents slayne as it hath ben these 20. yeres paste for the preachinge and bringinge in agen of the gospell For neuer did the â—aythe nor innocent lyuinge more florâ—sshe then in those dayes Let vs therfore reioyse and thanke â–ª God that it wold please him to vse our bodyes and bloude vnto his glorye and promouinge of his worde and edifyinge of his chirche For the lordis felde when it wexeth drye leaâ—e and baryn it must be watered made fat dunged and composed with the innocent blode and bodyes of his faithfull For what profit sayd Dauid comethe of my blode if it be layd downe with my body in graue to be corrupted Is it not beter spent powered forth vpon the lordis felde to be there wyth made fatte feâ—unde and fertyle â–ª Nowe thou seest christen reader that they that wrote and preâ—hed persecucion to be a perpetuall inseperable companion of the gospell erred not as it was wel vere fyed of them selues beynge compelled to recant this manyfeste verite But of whom were they compelled verely of them that yet beleue not the gospell to be the worde of the crosse euen the very enemyes vnto the crosse of Chryste of theÌ„ I say that laugh Chryst and his worde to skorne which yet sit in the chayer of the peruerse pestelent skorners to whom as to the wyse gentilis of the worlde the gospell of Chryst is but folisshnes and as it was â—o the Iewes a sclaunder and â–ª stomblinge stone where at thei now fallen haue prouoked the wrath of god vpon theÌ„ Deus misereatur nostri et benedicat nobis vt cognoscamus in terra viam suaÌ„ AmeÌ„ I thought not when I began to haue digressed so farre I returne therfore to our Gadarens Of whiche some ther be feble saythed a fraid greatly of the losse of their litle pigges sayinge Yet we set siche as professe Chryste and his gospell to be cruelly haÌ„dled and to suffer miche misery presone affliccions persecucion and losse of all they haue And therfore although we know it to be
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