present doe testifie that they neuer sawe in any chylde more teares then brast oute from hym at that time all the Sermone while but specially when he recited hys Prayer before the people It is marueilous what commiseration and pitye mooued all mennes hearts that behelde so heauie a countenaunce and suche aboundance of teares in an olde man of so reuerende dignitie Cole after he had ended his Sermon called backe the people that were ready to departe to prayers Brethren sayde he least any man should doubt of thys mans earnest conuersion and repentaunce you shall heare hym speake before you and therefore I pray you master Cranmer that you will now perfourme that you promised not long agoe namely that you woulde openly expresse the true and vndoubted profession of your faith that you may take away all suspition from men and that all men may vnderstand that you are a Catholicke in deede I wil doe it sayde the Archbyshop and wyth a good will who by and by rising vppe and putting of hys cappe beganne to speake thus vnto the people I desire you well beloued brethren in the Lorde that you will praye to God for mee to forgeeue me my sinnes whyche aboue all menne both in noumber and greatnesse I haue committed But among all the rest there is one offence which of all at thys time doth vexe and trouble me wherof in processe of my talk you shall heare more in hys proper place and then putting hys hande into hys bosome hee drewe foorth his Prayer which hee recited to the people in thys sense The Prayer of Doctour Cranmer Archbyshop GOod Christen people my dearly beloued brethren and sisters in Christ I beseech you most hartely to pray for me to almighty God that he wil forgeue me al my sinnes and offences which be many without number and great aboue measure But yet one thing grieueth my conscience more then all the rest whereof God willing I entende to speake more heereafter But howe great and howe many soeuer my sinnes be I beseeche you to pray God of hys mercy to pardon and forgeue them all And heere kneling downe he sayd O Father of heauen O sonne of God redeemer of the worlde O holy Ghoste three persones and one God haue mercye vppon me moste wretched caitife and miserable sinner I haue offended both againste heauen and earth more then my tounge can expresse Whether then may I goe or whether should I flie To heauen I may be ashamed to lifte vp mine eyes and in earth I finde no place of refuge or succour To thee therefore O Lorde doe I runne to thee doe I humble my selfe saying O Lorde my God my sinnes be great but yet haue mercye vppon me for thy great mercy The great mysterie that God became man was not wrought for little or fewe offences Thou diddest not geue thy sonne O heauenly father vnto death for smal sinnes onely but for all the greatest sinnes of the world so that the sinner returne to thee with his whole heart as I do here at this present Wherefore haue mercye on mee O God whose propertie is alwayes to haue mercy haue mercy vpon me O Lord for thy great mercy I craue nothing for mine owne merites but for thy names sake that it maye be hallowed thereby and for thy deare sonne Iesus Christes sake And nowe therefore Our father of heauen halowed be thy name c. And then he rising sayde Euery man good people desireth at that time of their death to geue some good exhortation that other maye remember the same before theyr death be the better thereby so I beseche God graunt me grace that I may speake some thyng at thys my departing whereby God may be glorified and you edified First it is an heauy case to see that so many folke be so much doted vpon the loue of this false world and so carefull for it that of the loue of God or the world to come they seeme to care very little or nothing Therefore this shal be my first exhortation that you sette not your mindes ouer much vpon thys glosing world but vpon God and vpon the world to come and to learne to know what this lesson meaneth whych s. Iohn teacheth that the loue of this world is hatred against God The seconde exhortation is that next vnder God you obey your King and Queene willingly and gladly without murmuring or grudging not for feare of them onely but much more for the feare of God knowing that they be Gods ministers appoynted by God to rule and gouerne you and therefore who soeuer resisteth them resisteth the ordinance of God The third exhortatiō is that you loue altogether lyke brethren and sisters For alasse pitie it is to see what contention and hatred one Christen man beareth to an other not taking cache other as brother and sister but rather as strangers and mortall ennemies But I pray you learne and beare well away this one lesson to doe good vnto all men asmuch as in you lieth and to hurt no man no more then you would hurt your owne naturall louing brother or sister For thys you maye be sure off that who soeuer hateth any person and goeth about maliciously to hinder or hurte hym surely and wythout all doubte God is not wyth that man although he thinke himself neuer so much in Gods fauour The fourth exhortation shall be to them that haue great substance riches of this world that they will well consider and weigh three sayinges of the Scripture One is of our Sauiour Christ him selfe who sayeth It is harde for a rich man to enter into the kingdome of heauen A sore saying and yet spoken of hym that knoweth the truth The second is of S. Iohn whose saying is thys Hee that hath the substaunce of this worlde and seeth hys brother in necessitie and shutteth vp his mercy from him howe can he saye that hee loueth God The third is of S Iames who speaketh to the couetous riche man after thys maner Weepe you and howle for the miserie that shall come vpon you your riches do rotte your clothes be mothe eaten your golde and siluer doeth canker and rust and their rust shall beare witnesse against you and consume you like fire you gather a hoarde or treasure of Gods indignation against the last day Let them that be riche ponder well these three sentences for if they had occasion to shew their charitie they haue it now at this present the poore people being so many and victuals so deare And now for as much as I am come to the last end of my life whereupon hangeth al my life past and all my life to come either to liue with my maister Christe for euer in ioy or els to be in paine for euer with wicked Deuilles in hell I see before mine eyes presently either heauen ready to receiue me or els hell ready to swallow me vppe I shall
and aged folkes that before were not taught to know Christe in their childehood shoulde now euen with children and babes be forced to learne to know him Now therefore he roreth now he rageth But what els do they brethren which serue Satan and become his ministers slaues in mainteining of his impietie but euen the same which they did to whom Christ our Sauiour threatneth this curse in the Gospell Woe vnto you which shutte vp the kingdome of heauen before men take away the key of knowledge from them you your selues haue not entred in neither haue you suffered them that would enter to come in And from whence shall we say brethren that this horrible mischeuous darknes proceedeth which is nowe brought vpon the worlde From whence I pray you but euen from the smoke of the great furnace of the bottomlesse pit so that the sunne and the ayre are now darkened by the smoke of the pit Now euen now out of doubt brethren the pit is opened agaynst vs and the Locustes begyn to swarme and Abbadon now raigneth Ye therfore my brethren which pertaine vnto Christ and haue the seale of God marked in your foreheades that is to wit are sealed with the earnest of the spirite to be a peculiar people of God quite your selues like men and be strong for he that is in vs is stronger then he which is in the world and ye know that al that is borne of God ouercommeth the world and this is our victory that ouercommeth the worlde euen our fayth Let the world freat let it rage neuer so much be it neuer so cruel and bloudy yet be ye sure that no man can take vs out of the fathers handes for he is greater then all who hath not spared his owne sonne but hath geuen him to death for vs all and therefore how shall he not with him geue vs all thinges also Who shall lay any thyng to the charge of Gods elect It is God that iustifieth who shall then condemne It is Christ that is dead yea rather which is risen againe who is also at the right hand of God and maketh request also for vs. Who shall seperate vs from the loue of Christe Shall tribulation or anguish or persecution or famine or nakednes or perill or sworde the rest ye knowe breathren We are certainely perswaded with S. Paul by the grace of our Lorde Iesus Christe that no kynde of thyng shal be able to seperate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. Which thyng that it may come to passe by the grace and mercy of our Lord Iesus Christ to the comfort both of you of vs all as we for our partes will continually God wyllyng pray for you so deare brethren in the Lorde with all earnest and harty request we beseech you euen in the bowelles of our Lorde Iesus Christ that ye will not cease to pray for vs. Fare ye well deare brethren The grace of our Lorde Iesus Christe be with you all euermore Amen ¶ A Letter of Byshop Ridley answearyng to a certayne Letter of one Maister West sometime his Chapleine I Wishe you grace in God and loue of the truth without the which truely stablished in mens hartes by the mightie hand of almighty God it is no more possible to stande by the truth in Christe in tyme of trouble then it is for the waxe to abide the heate of the fyre Sir knowe you this that I am blessed be God perswaded that this worlde is but transitorie and as saint Iohn sayth The world passeth away and the lust thereof I am perswaded Christes wordes to be true Who soeuer shall confesse me before men hym will I confesse also before my father which is in heauen and I beleue that no earthly creature shal be saued whom the Redeemer and Sauiour of the worlde shall before his father denie This the Lorde graunt that it may be so graffed established and fixed in my hart that neyther thinges present nor to come hygh nor low lyfe nor death be able to remoue me thence It is a goodly wishe that you wish me deepely to consider thinges perteyning vnto Gods glorye but if you had wished also that neither feare of death nor hope of worldly prosperitie shoulde let me to mayneteine Gods worde and his truth which is his glory and true honour it would haue liked me well You desire me for Gods sake to remember my selfe In deede sir nowe it is time so to do for so farre as I can perceiue it standeth me vpon no lesse daunger then of the losse both of body and soule and I trow then it is time for a man to awake if any thyng will awake him He that will not feare hym that threatneth to cast both body soule into euerlasting fire whom will he feare With this feare O Lord fasten thou together our frayle flesh that we neuer swarue from thy lawes You say you haue made much sute for me Sir God graunt that you haue not in suing for my worldly deliueraunce impayred and hindered the furtheraunce of Gods worde and his truth You haue knowen me long in deede in the which time it hath chaunced me as you say to mislike some thinges It is true I graunt for sodaine chaunges without substantiall and necessary cause and the heady settyng foorth of extremities I did neuer loue Confession vnto the minister which is able to instruct correct comfort informe the weake wounded and ignoraunt conscience in deede I euer thought might do much good in Christes congregation and so I assure you I thynke euen at this daye My doctrine and my preaching you say you haue hearde often and after your iudgement haue thought it godly sauyng onely for the Sacrament which thing although it was of me reuerently handled and a great deale better then of the rest as you yet in the margent you write warily and in this worlde wisely and yet me thought all sounding not well Sir but that I see so many changes in this worlde so much alteration els at this your saying I would not a litle marueile I haue taken you for my frend and a man whom I fansied for plainnes and faythfulnes as much I assure you as for your learning and haue you kept this so close in your hart from me vnto this day Sir I consider moe things then one and wil not say all that I thinke But what neede you to care what I thinke for any thing I shal be able to do vnto you eyther good or harme You geue me good lessons to stand in nothing against my learning and to beware of vayne glory Truely sir I herein like your counsell very well and by Gods grace I intend to folow it vnto my lyues end To write vnto those whom you name I can not see what it wyll auayle me For this I woulde haue you knowe that I esteeme nothyng auayleable for me
shall be made manifest and appeare in glorye then shall the Children of God appeare what they be euen like vnto Christ for this oure weake body shall bee transfigured and made like vnto Christes glorious body and that by the power wherby he is able to subdue vnto himselfe al thinges Then that which is now corruptible shall be made incorruptible that nowe is vile shall then bee made glorious that is now weake shal rise then mighty and strong that is grosse and carnall shall be made fine and spirituall for then we shal see and haue the vnspeakable ioy and fruâ—tion of the glorious maiestie of our Lord euen as he is Who or what then shall let vs to ieoparde to ieopard yea to spende this lyfe whiche wee haue here in Christes cause in our Lorde God his cause O thou therefore man of God thou yâ— art loden so letted like vnto a great bellied woman that thou canst not flie the plague yet if thou lust after suche things as I haue spoken of stand fast what soeuer shall befall in thy maysters cause and take this thy letting to flye for a calling of God to fight in thy mayster Christ his cause Of this be thou certaine they can do nothing vnto thee whiche thy father is not aware of or hath not foreseene before they can do no more theÌ„ it shal please hym to suffer them to do for the furtheraunce of his glory edifying of his Church and thine owne saluation Let theÌ„ then do what they shall seeing to thee O man of God all thinges shall be forced to serue and to worke with thee vnto the best before God O be not afrayd and remember the end All this whiche I haue spoken for the comforte of the lamentable case of the man whome Christ callethe greate bellied woman I meane to bee spoken of likewyse to the captiue and prisoner in Gods cause for suche I counte to be as it were already summoned and pressed to fight vnder the banner of the crosse of Chryste and as it were souldiours allowed and taken vp for the Lordes warres to do their Lorde and mayster good and honourable seruice and to sticke to him as men of trusty seruice in hys cause euen vnto death and to thinke their lyfe lost in his cause is to win it in eternal glory for euermore Therfore now to conclude and to make an end of thys treatise I say vnto all that loue God our heauenly father that loue Christ Iesus our redeemer and sauioure that loue to follow the wayes of the holy Ghost whiche is our comforter and sanctifier of all vnto al that loue Christs spouse and bodye the true catholicke Churche of Christe yea that loue lyfe and theyr owne soules health I say vnto al these hearken my deare breathren and sisters all you that be of God of all sortes ages dignities or degrees hearken to the word of our sauiour Iesus Christ spoken to his Apostles and meant to all his in S. Mathewes Gospel Feare not them whiche kill the body for they cannot kil the soule but feare hym more which may destroy and cast both body and soule into hell fire Are not two small sparrowes sold for a mite and one of them shall not fall or light vpon the ground without your father All the heares of your head be numbed Feare them not you are muche more worthe then are the litle sparrowes Euery one that confesseth me before men him shal I likewise confesse before my Father which is in heauen But who soeuer shall deny me before men I shall deny him likewise before my father which is in heauen The Lord graunt vs therfore of his heauenlye grace and strengthe that here wee maye so confesse him in thys world amongst this adulterous and sinneful generation that he may confesse vs agayne at the latter day before hys father whiche is in heaueÌ„ to his glory and our euerlasting comfort ioy and saluation To our heauenly Father to our sauiour and redemer Iesus Christ and to the holy Ghost be all glory and honour now and for euer Amen Thus with the deathe and martyrdome of these two learned Pastorsr and constant souldiours of Christ mayster Latimer and B. Ridley you haue dyuers of theyr letters and other writinges of theirs expressed with the Farewels also of B. Ridley wherein he tooke hys leaue of the world taking hys iourny to the kingdome of heauen Diuers and sondry other treatises of his remayne also in my hand both in Latine and English to be remembred by the leaue of the Lorde in time and place conuenient The death and end of Stephen Gardiner Byshop of Winchester THe next moneth after the burning of Doctor Ridley and mayster Latimer which was the moneth of Nouember Stephen Gardiner Byshop and Chauncelloure a man hated of God and all good men ended hys wretched lyfe Concerning the quallities nature and disposition of which man for somuch as somewhat hath bene declared before in the storye of kinge Edwardes raygne I shall neede therefore the lesse now to stand greatly vpon the same First this Uipers byrd crept out of the towne of Bery in Suffolke brought vp most parte of his youth in Cambridge his wit capacitie memorye and other indumentes of nature not to bee complayned of if he hadde wel vsed and rightly applyed the same wherein ther was no great want of Gods part in hym if hee had not rather hymselfe wanted to the goodnes of his gifts Through this promptnes actiuitie towardnes of hys he profited not a little in such studyes as he gaue hys head vnto as first in the law ciuil then in languages and such other like especially in those artes and faculties which had any prospect to dignitie and preferment to be hoped for Besides other ornaments or helpes of nature memory chiefly seemed in hym very beneficiall rather then dilligence of study To these giftes and quallities were ioyned agayne is great or greater vices which not so much followed hym as ouertooke him not so muche burdened hym as made hym burdenous to the whole realme Hee was of a proude stomacke and high minded in hys owne opinion and conceit flattering himselfe to much in wit crafty and subtile towarde his superiour flattering and faire spoken to hys inferiours fierce agaynst hys equall stoute and enuious namely if in iudgement and sentence he any thyng withstoode hym as appeared betweene the good Lorde CroÌ„well and hym in the raygne of kyng Henry being of like hauâ—inesse of stomacke as the Poets wryte of Pelides Cedere nescius Who although would geue no place to men yet notwtstanding I wish he woulde haue geuen place to truth according as he semed not altogether ignorant of the truth What his knowledge was therin it is euident partly to vnderstand as wel by his book De vera obedientia as also by his sermon before king Edward also by his aunsweres to the Councell the same time and
a true Christian subiect to doe And iâ— her grace or her officers vnder her do require me to any thing contrary to Christes Religion I am ready also to do my seruice in Smithfield for not obseruing it as my bedfellow and other brethren haue done praysed be God for them Mart. By my trouth thou art a pleasaunt fellow as euer I talked with of all the Protestantes excepte it were Tomson I am sory that I must depart with thee so soone but I haue suche busynes now that I canne tarry with thee no longer Well yet thou canst not deny but you are at iarre amongest your selues in the kings Bench and it is so throughout all your congregation for you will not be a Church Careles No Maister Doctour that is not so There is a thousand tymes more varietye in opinions among your Doctours which you call of the Catholick Church yea and that in the Sacrament for yâ— which there is so much bloudshed now a dayes I meane of your latter Doctours and new writers as for the olde they agree wholy with vs. Mart. No Careles this is not so there thou art deceiued Carel. Uerily it is so Maister Doctour I am not deceiued therein any thing at all as it hath beene and is euidently proued by such as GOD hath endued with great learning Then he turned to the Marshall and whispered with him a while Martin Turning vnto me agayne sayd Farewell Careles for I can tarry no longer with thee now my busines is such Carel. God be with you good Maister Doctor The Lord geue your Maistership health of body and soule Mart. God haue mercy good Careles and God keepe thee from all errours and geue thee grace to doe as well as I would wishe my selfe Carel. I thanke your good Maistership I pray GOD I may do alwaies that is acceptable in his sight Whereunto they all sayde Amen And so I departed with a glad hart God onely haue the whole prayse Amen It appeareth by the examination of the foresayd Iohn Careles that he endured prisoner the space of two whole yeares hauing wyfe and children In the which his captiuity first being in Couentry Iayle he was there in such credite with his keeper that vpon his worde he was let out to play in the Pageant about the City with other his companions And that done keeping touch with his keeper he returned agayne into prison at his houre appointed And after that being broughte vp to London he was indued with such patience and constaunt fortitude that he longed for nothing more earnestly then to come to that promotion to dye in the fyer for the proâ—ession of his fayth yet it so pleased the Lorde to preuent him with death that he came not to it but dyed in the prison and after was buryed in the fieldes in a dounghill In the meane time while he was in prisoÌ„ in the kyngs Bench it chaunced he was in great heauines and perturbation of mind and conscience wherupon he wrote to M. Philpot being then in the Colehouse Uppon the occasion hereof Mayster Philpot sent an Epistle consolatory vnto him specified before among master Philpots letters pag. 1762. Unto the which Epistle Iohn Careles maketh aunswere agayne as foloweth ¶ Letters of Iohn Careles * A Letter of Iohn Careles aunswering to the louing Epistle or Letter sent to him before by Mayster Iohn Philpot. A faythfull frend is a strong defence who so findeth suche a one findeth a treasure A faythfull frend hath no peere the weight of gold and siluer is not to be compared to the goodnes of his fayth A faythfull frend is a medicine of life and they that feare the Lord shall finde him Ecclesiast 6. THe father of mercy and God of all consolation comfort you with his eternall spirite my most deare and faythfull louing frend good Mayster Philpot as you haue comforted me by the mighty operation of the same the euerlasting GOD be praysed therfore for euer Amen Ah my deare hart and most louing brother if I should do nothing els day and night so long as the daies of heauen do endure but kneele on my knees and read Psalmes I can neuer be able to render vnto God condigne thankes for his great mercie fatherly kindnesse and most louing coÌ„passion extended vnto me most vile sinnefull wicked and vnworthy wretch Oh that the Lorde would open my mouth and geue me a thankefull hart that from the bottome of the same might flow his coÌ„tinuall prayse Oh that my sinnefull flesh which is the cause of my sorowe were cleane separated from me that I might sing Psalmes of thankesgeuing vnto the Lordes name for euer that with good Samuels mother I might continually record this noble verse folowing the which by good experience I haue found most true praysed be my good God therfore The Lord sayth that good woman killeth and maketh aliue he bringeth downe to hel and fetcheth vp agayne Praysed be that Lord for euer yea and praysed be his name for that he hath geueÌ„ me true experience and liuely feeling of the same Blessed be the Lord GOD whose mercy endureth for euer whiche hath not dealt with me according to my deepe desertes nor destroyed me in his displeasure when I had iustly deserued it Oh what rewarde shall I geue agayne vnto Lorde for all the great benefites that he hath done for my soule I will gladly receiue the cuppe of saluation at his hand and will worship his name with prayer with prayse Ah my deare hart yea most deare vnto me in the Lord think not this sodeine chaunge in me to be some fickle phantasy of my foolish head as in deede some other woulde surely suspect it to be For doubtlesse it is the maruellous doing of the Lord moste merciful vnto me his vnworthy creature God for his great mercies sake geue me grace to bee more thankefull vnto him then I heretofore haue bene and keepe me that I neuer fall forth of hys fauour agayne And now my deare brother and moste blessed messenger of the Lord whose beautifull feet haue brought much glad tidings vnto my soule what shall I doe or say vnto you in the least part to recompence the fatherlye affection and Godlye care that you continually keepe for me Oh that God would geue me the spirite of feruent prayer that I might yet that way supply some litle part of my duty toward you Ah my true louing frend howe soone did you lay aside all other busines to make a sweete plaster for my wounded conscience yea and that out of a paynefull payre of stockes which place must needes be vneasye to write in But God hath brought you into a straight place that you mighte set my soule at liberty Out of your pinching and paynefull seate you haue plentifully poured vppon me your precious narde the sweete â—auour wherof hath greatly refresteed my tyred soule The Lord likewise refresh you both body soule by
poore afflicted Church Which thing shal surely redound to your euerlasting ioy and comfort as you shall most effectually feele or euer it be long though the wicked of the world iudge farre otherwise Ah mine owne hartes and most dearely beloued brethren Cauell Ambrose and both the Spurges blessed be the Lord on your behalfe and praysed be his name which hath geuen you such a glorious victory Full valiant haue you shewed your selues in the Lords fight ful faithfully in your paynefull seruice Faint not but go on forward as ye haue most godly begun for great shall your reward be at the end of this your trauell Ah my good faythfull brethren all what shall I say or what shall I write vnto you but euen the same that good Elizabeth did say to her godly kinswoman Mary the blessed mother of Christe Happy art thou quoth that good woman which hast beleued for al thinges which the Lord hath spoken to thee shal be fulfilled So I say to you my deare heartes in the Lorde happy are ye all yea twise happy shall ye bee for euermore because yee haue stedfastly beleued the most sweete promises which god the father hath made vnto you with his owne mouth in that he hath promised you which are the faythfull seede of the beleuing Abraham that ye shall be blessed euer world without end The promises of God your sweet father as ye do beleue so do ye beare record that God is true The Testymony wherof ye haue full worthily borne to the worlde shortly will full surely seale the same with your bloud yea euen to morow I do vnderstand Oh constant Christians oh valiant souldiers of the high captayne Iesus Chryste who for your sake hath conquered the deuill death sinne hel hath geuē you full victory ouer them for euermore Oh worthy witnesses and most glorious martyrs whose inuincible fayth hath ouercome that proude sturdye bragging Prince of the world al his wicked army ouer whom ye shall shortly triumph for euermore Ah my sweet harts the euerlasting treasures are full surely layd vp for you in heauen The immercessible and moste glorious crowne of victory is already made and prepared for you to be shortly clapt vpon all your happy heades The holy Aungelles of your heauenly father are already appoynted to conducte your sweete soules into Abrahams bosome All the heauēly host reioyseth already for that they shall shortly receiue you with ioy felicitie into their blessed fellowship Selah Reioyce with double ioy and bee glad my deare brethren for doubtles ye haue more cause then can be expressed But alas I that for my sinnes am left behinde may lye and lament with the holy Prophet saying Woe is me that the dayes of my ioyfull rest are prolonged Ah cursed Satan which hath caused me so sore to offend my most deare louing father whereby my exile and banishmente is so much prolonged Oh christ my deare aduocate pacifie thy fathers wrath which I haue iustly deserued that he may take me home to him in his sweete mercye Oh that I might now come home vnto thee with my blessed brethren Wel thy will O Lord be effectuously fulfilled for it is onely good and turneth all thinges to the best for suche as thou in thy mercies hast chosen And now farewell my deare heartes most happy in the Lord. I trust in my good God yet shortly to see you in the celestiall citie wherof vndoubtedly the Lord hath already made you free citizens Though ye be yet with vs for a litle time your very home is in heauē where your treasure doth remayne with your sweet Lord and Redeemer Iesus Christe whose calling you haue heard with the eares of youre heartes and therefore yee shall neuer come into iudgement but passe from death to life Your sinnes shall neuer be remembred be they neuer so many so greeuous or so great for your sauiour hath cast them all into the bottome of the sea he hath remoued them from you as farre as the East is from the West and his mercy hathe muche more preuayled ouer you then is distaunce betweene heauē and earth and he hath geue you for an euerlasting possession of the same al his holinesse righteousnesse and iustification yea and the holy Ghost into your harts wherwith ye are surely sealed vnto the daye of redemption to certifie you of your eternall election and that yee are hys true adopted sonnes whereby yee may boldly crye vnto God Abba deare father for euermore so that now no creature in heauen earth nor hell shall be able to accuse you before the throne of the heauenly king Satan is now cast out from you he himselfe is iudged and hathe no parte in you He will once more byte you by the heele and then he hath don for at that time you shall squise his head through your owne good Christ and so haue you finall victory for euermore In ioyfull triumphe whereof yee shall sweetly ascend into the place of eternall rest whether youre eldest brother christ is gone before you to take possession for you and to prepare your place vnder the holy aultar with Cranmer Latimer Ridley Rogers Hooper Saunders Farrar Taylour Bradford Philpot with many other who will be full glad of your comming to see sixe moe of their appoynted number that their bloud may so muche the sooner be reuenged vpon them that dwell on the earth Thus I make an ende committing you all to Gods most mercifull defence whose quarrell yee haue defended whose cause ye haue promoted whose glory yee haue sette forth and whose name ye haue constantly confessed Farewell for a while my deare hartes in the Lord I wil make as much haste after you as I may All our deare brethren salute you They pray for you and prayse God for you cōtinually Blessed be the dead that dye in the Lord for they rest from their labours sayth the holy Ghost and their workes follow them Your owne Iohn Careles a most vnprofitable servaunt of the Lord. Pray pray pray ¶ In the pag. 1742. ye heard before the letter of Thomas Whittel written to Iohn Careles wherin he yeldeth great thankes vnto him for the singular ioy and consolatiō receiued by his letters The copie of which letters sent vnto him if any be disposed to peruse here vnder foloweth to satisfie his desire ¶ To M. Greene M. Whittel and certaine other prisoners in Newgate condemned and ready to be burnt for the testimonie of our Lord Iesus THe euerlasting peace in Iesus Christe the continual comfort of his most pure and holy spirite be with you my most deare and faithfull brethren and sisters of Newgate the Lordes appointed sheepe vnto the slaughter to the good performaunce of the great and notable worke of the Lord which he hath so graciously begon in you al that the same may redoūd to the setting forth of his glory to the commoditie of his
denye to be lye or betraye the innocencye of that heauenlye doctrine or to bee ashamed to confesse and stande to the defence of the same seeing that Christe planted it with hys moste precious bloude and all good menne haue more esteemed the true and infallible woorde of GOD then all thys transitorye worlde or their owne mortall liues And I beleeue this doctrine of the Patriarkes Prophetes Christe and his Apostles to be sufficient and absolutely perfecte to instructe and teache mee and all the holy Church of our dueties towardes God the Magistrates and our neighbours Firste and principallye I do assuredly beleeue wythout any doubting that there is one Deitie or Diuine essence and infinite substaunce which is both called and is in dede God euerlasting vnbodilye vnpartible vnmeasurable in power wisedome and goodnesse the maker and preseruer of all thinges as well visible as inuisible and yet there be three distincte persones all of one Godheade or Diuine beynge and all of one power coequall consubstantiall coeternell the Father the Sonne and the holye Ghoste I beleeue in God the Father Almightie c. As touching God the Father of heauen I beleeue as muche as holye Scripture teacheth mee to beleeue The Father is the firste persone in Trinitie first cause of our saluation which hathe blessed vs with all maner of blessinges in heauenly thinges by Christe whych hathe chosen vs before the foundations of the worlde were layde that wee shoulde be holye and wythout blame before hym who hath predestinate vs and ordained vs to bee his childrenne of adoption thorough Christe Iesu. In hym as it is sayde we liue wee mooue and haue oure being he nourisheth feedeth and geueth meate to euery creature And in Iesus Christe his onely sonne our Lorde I beleue that the woorde that is the Sonne of God the seconde person in Trinitie did take mannes nature in the wombe of the blessed Virgine Marie So that there be in hym two natures a Diuine nature and an humaine nature in the vnitie of parson inseparable conioyned and knitte in one Christe truely God and truely man the expresse and perfecte Image of the inuisible God wherin the will of God the Father shineth apparantly and wherein man as it were in a glasse may beholde what he ought to doe that he maye please God the Father Borne of the Virgine Marie truelye sufferinge his Passion crucified deade and buryed to the entent to bring vs againe into fauoure wyth God the Father almightie and to be a sacrifice hoste and oblation not onely for originall sinne but also for all actuall sinnes of the whole generation of mankinde For all the woorkes merites deseruings doinges and obedience of man towards God althoughe they be done by the spirite of God in the grace of God yet being thus done be of no validitie worthine nor merite before God except God for his mercy and grace accoumpte them woorthye for the woorthinesse and merytes of Christ Iesus The same Christ went downe to the helles and truely rose againe the thirde day and ascended into the heauēs that he might there stil raigne and haue dominion ouer all creatures and from thence shall come c. I beleue in the holy Ghost coequall with God the Father and the Sonne and proceeding from them bothe by whose vertue strength and operation the true Catholicke Church which is the Communion and societie of Saintes is guided in all truthe veritie kept frō al errors fals doctrine the deuill all power of sinne Which Church is sanctified and halowed with the precious bloude and spirite of our Lorde Iesus Christe whiche hathe also her signe and mark that she heareth and foloweth the voice of her only and true pastour Christ and no strangers This church also is the house of God the congregation of the liuing God the piller of truth the liuely body of Christe a Church both in name and in deede I beleue the remission of sinnes by the only meanes and merites of Christes death passion who made vnto vs of God that onely sacrifice and oblation offered once for all and for euer for all them that be sanctified I beleue the resurrection of the body whereby in the last day al men shal rise again from death the soules ioyned againe to the bodies the good to euerlasting life the wicked to euerlasting pain and punishmēt And nothing may more certainly stablish confirme our faith that we shall rise againe immortal both in body soule thē the resurrection of Christ our Sauiour and first fruites of the deade Nowe that Christe our head is risen we beynge hys body and members must follow our head Death hell and sinne cannot sunder nor plucke vs from him For as the Sonne can not be deuided nor sundred from the Father nor the holy Ghost frō them bothe no more maye wee beinge the faithfull members of Christ be separated from Christ. And for a confirmation of our resurrection Christ would be seene after his resurrection in hys most glorious body his woundes being handled and felte speaking and teaching eating and drinking c. Wee looke sayeth S. Paul for Iesus Christ our Sauiour which shall trāsfigure our vile bodies conform them to his glorious body by the same power and vertue wherwith he is able to subdue all things euen like as the graine of wheate sowen in the grounde is first putrified and brought as into a thing of noughte yet after that it springeth vp freshly with a more goodly colour forme and beautie then it had before The body is sowne in corruption and riseth in incorruption it is sowen in dishonour and riseth in honour Thus I verely know and assuredly beleue the resurrection of oure bodies and to haue life eternall by Christ and for Christes sake Verely verely I say vnto you sayth Christ he that heareth my woorde and beleeueth on him that sent me hath euerlasting life and shall not come into damnation but is escaped frō death to life It is Christe that died once for oure sinnes and is risen againe neuer more to die it is he that swallowed vp death hath cast it vnder his feete for euer What now can death do vnto vs Verelye nothing els but for a little time separate oure precious soules from oure wretched bodies that diuine substaunce from a masse of sinne that eternall life from a body of death and so send our soules oute of this miserable wretched and sorrowfull lyfe combred with all calamities vnto that moste blessed felicitie and ioyes eternall As concerning the holy and reuerende Sacraments of Christes Churche which be in number two the Sacrament of Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord I beleeue them to be as S. Paul calleth them confirmations or seales of Gods promises whiche haue added to them a promise of grace and therfore they are called visible signes of inuisible grace The Sacrament of
doe offende me in the Masse I will rehearse vnto you those thinges whiche be moste cleare and seeme to repugne most manifestly agaynst Gods worde And they be these The straunge tongue the want of the shewynge of the Lordes death The breaking of the Lordes commaundement of hauing a communion the sacrament is not coÌ„municated to all vnder both kindes according to the word of the Lord. The signe is seruilely worshipped for the thing signified Christes Passion is iniuried for asmuch as this Masse sacrifice is affirmed to remayne for the purging of sinnes to be shorte the manifolde superstitions and triflyng fondnesse whiche are in the Masse and aboute the same Better a few thinges well pondered then to trouble the memory with to much you shall preuayle more with praying theÌ„ with studying though mixture be best For so one shall alleuiate the tediousnes of the other I entend not to contend much with them in wordes after a reasonable account of my fayth geuen for it shall be but in vayne They will say as theyr fathers sayd when they haue no more to say We haue a law and by our law he ought to dye Be ye steadfast and vnmoueable sayeth Saynt Paule and agayne persistito stand fast And how oft is this repeated if ye abide if ye abide c. But we shall be called obstinate sturdy ignorant heady and what not So that a man hath need of much pacience hauing to do with such men But you knowe howe greate a crime it is to separate your selfe from the communion or felowship of the Churche and to make a schisme or diuision you haue bene reported to haue hated the secte of the Anabaptistes and alwayes to haue impugned the same Moreouer this was the pernitious errour of Nouatus and of the Heretickes called Cathari that they woulde not communicate wyth the Church I know that the vnity of the Church is to be reteyned by all meanes the same to be necessary to saluation But I doe not take the Masse as it is at this day for the communion of the Churche but a Popishe deuise whereby both the commaundement and institution of our Sauiour Christ for the ofte frequenting of the remembraunce of his death is eluded the people of God are miserablye deluded The sect of the Anabaptistes and the heresy of the Nouatians ought of right to be condemned for as muche as without any iust or necessary cause they wickedly separated themselues from the communion of the congregation for they did not alleadge that the Sacramentes were vnduely ministred but â—urning away theyr eyes from theÌ„selues wherewith according to Saynt Paules rule they ought to examine themselues and caâ—ing theyr eyes euer vpon others either Ministers or Communicantes with them they alwayes reprooued something for the whiche they absteined from the Communion as from an vnholy thing I remember that Caluin beginneth to confute the Interim after this sort with this saying of Hilary The name of peace is beautifull and the opinion of vnitye is fayre but who doubteth that to be the true and onely peace of the Church which is Christes I would you had that litle booke there should you see how much is to be geuen to vnity Saynt Paule when he requireth vnitye he ioyneth straight with al secundum Iesum Christum according to Iesus Christ no further Diotrephes nowe of late did euer harpe vpon vnity vnity Yea Syr quoth I but in verity not in popery Better is a diuersity then an vnitye in Popery I had nothing agayne but scornefull giers with commaundement to the Tower But admitte there be in the Masse that peraduenture might be amended or at least made better yea seing you will haue it so admit there be a fault if you do not consent therto Why do you trouble your selfe in vayne do not you know both by Cyprian and Augustine that communioÌ„ of sacramentes doth not defile a man but consent of deedes If it were any one trifling ceremony or if it were some one thing of it selfe indifferent although I woulde wishe nothing should be done in the Churche which doth not edify the same yet for the continuance of the common quietnesse I coulde be content to beare it But forasmuche as thinges done in the masse tend openly to the ouerthrow of Christes institution I iudge that by no meanes either in word or deed I ought to consent vnto it As for that which is obiected out of the Fathers I acknowledge it to be wel spoken if it be well vnderstanded But it is meant of them which suppose they are defiled if any secret vice be either in the ministers or in them that communicate with them is not ment of them which doe abhorre superstition and wicked traditions of men and will not suffer the same to be thrust vpon themselues or vpon the Church in stead of Gods word and the truth of the Gospell The very marowe bones of the masse are all together detestable and therefore by no meanes to be borne withal so that of necessity the mending of it is to abolish it for euer For if you take away oblation and oration which doe hang vpon consecration and transubstantiation the moste papistes of them all will not set a button by the masse as a thing which they esteme not but for the gayne that foloweth thereon For if the English communion whiche oâ— late was vsed were as gaynefull to them as the Masse hath bene heretofore they would striue no more for theyr masse from thence groweth the griefe Consider into what dauÌ„gers you cast your selfe if you forsake the chuch you cannot but forsake it if you refuse to go to masse For the Masse is the Sacrament of vnity without the Arke there is no saluation The church is the Arke and Peters ship Ye know this saying wel enough He shall not haue God to be his Father which acknowledgeth not the church to be his mother Moreouer without the church sayth S. Augustine be the life neuer so wel spent it shall not inherit the kingdome of heauen The holy Catholicke or vniuersall church which is the communion of saintes the house of God the City of God the spouse of Christ the body of Christ the piller and stay of the trueth this Churche I beleeue accordinge to the Creede This Church I doe reuerence and honour in the Lord. But the rule of this Church is the word of God according to which rule we goe forwarde vnto life And as many as walk according to this rule I say with S. Paul peace be vpon them and vpon Israell which perteyneth vnto God The guid of this church is the holy ghost The markes whereby this church is knowne vnto me in this darâ—ke worlde and in the middest of this crooked and froward generatioÌ„ are these The sincere preaching of Gods holy worde the due administration of the Sacramentes charitye and faythfull
I may smite him againe with the sword of the spirit I learn also hereby to be in vre with armour and to assaye howe I can go armed In Tindall where I was borne not far from the Scottish borders I haue knowne my countreymen to watch night and day in theyr harnes suche as they had that is in theyr Iackes theyr speares in their hands you call them northern gads specially when they had any priuy warning of the comming of the Scottes And so doing although at euery such bickerings some of them spent their liues yet by such meanes like prettye men they defended their countrey And those that so dyed I thynke that before God they dyed in a good quarrell and theyr ofspring and progeny all the countrey loued them the better for theyr fathers sake And in the quarrell of Christ our sauiour in the defense of his owne diuine ordinaunces by the which he geueth vnto vs lyfe and immortalitie yea in the quarrell of fayth and christian religion wherin resteth our euerlasting saluation shall wee not watche shall wee not go alwayes armed euer looking when our aduersary whiche like a roaring Lyon seeketh whome hee may deuour shall come vpon vs by reason of oure slouthfulnes yea and woe be vnto vs if he can oppresse vs vnawares whiche vndoubtedly hee will doe if he finde vs sleepyng Let vs awake therefore For if the good man of the house knew what houre the theefe would come he would surely watch not suffer his house to be brokeÌ„ vp Let vs awake therfore I say Let vs not suffer our house to be brokeÌ„ vp Resist the deuill sayth S. Iames he will flee froÌ„ you Let vs therefore resist him manfully and taking the crosse vpon our shoulders let vs followe our captayne Christ who by hys owne bloud hath dedicated and hallowed the way whiche leadeath vnto the father that is to the light which no man can attayne the fountayn of the euerlasting ioyes Let vs follow I say whether hee calleth allureth vs that after these afflictions which last but for a moment whereby he tryeth our fayth as gold by the fire we may euerlastingly raygne and triumph with him in the glory of the father and that through the same our Lord and sauior Iesus Christe to whome with the father and the holye Ghost be all honour and glory nowe and for euer Amen Amen Good father forasmuche as I haue determined wyth my selfe to poure forth these my cogitations into your bosome here me thinketh I see you sodainly lifting vp your head towardes heauen after youre maner and then looking vpon me with your propheticall countenaunce and speaking vnto me with these or like woordes Trust not my sonne I beseethe you vouchsafe me the honour of this name for in so doing I shall thinke my selfe both honoured and loued of you Trust not I say my sonne to these worde weapons for the kingdom of God is not in words but in power And remember alwayes the wordes of the Lord do not imagine afore hand what and how you wil speake For it shall be geuen you euen in that same houre what ye shall speake For it is not ye that speake but the spirite of your father which speaketh in you I pray you therfore father pray for me that I may cast my whole care vppon him trust vpon him in all perils For I know and am surely perswaded that whatsoeuer I can imagine or think afore hand it is nothing except he assist me with his spirite when the tyme is I beseeche you therefore Father pray for me that such a complet harnes of the spirite such boldnes of minde may be geuen vnto me that I may out of a true faith say with Dauid I wil not trust in my bow and it is not my sword that shal saue me For he hath no plesure in the strength of an horse c. But the Lordes delight is in them that feare him and put theyr trust in his merâ—y I beseech you pray pray that I may enter this fight only in the name of God and that when all is past I being not ouercome through his gracious ayde may remayne and stand fast in him till that day of the Lord in that which to them that obtayne the victorye shall be geuen the liuely Manna to eate and a triumphant Crowne for euermore Now Father I pray you helpe me to buckle on thys geare a little better For ye know the deepenes of Sathan being an olde souldiar and you haue collored with him or now blessed be God that hath euer ayded you so well I suppose he may well hold you at the baye But truely hee will not be so willing I thinke to ioyne with you as with vs younglinges Syr I beseeche you let your seruaunt reade this my babling vnto you and now and then as it shal seeme vnto you best let your pen runne on my booke spare not to blotte my paper I geue you good leaue Syr I haue caused my man not onely to reade youre armour vnto me but also to write it out For it is not only no bare armure but also well buckled armure I see not how it coulde be better I thanke you euen from the bottome of my hart for it and my prayer shall you not lacke trusting that you doe the like for me For in deede there is the helpe c Many thinges make confusion in memory And if I were as well learned as sainct Paule I woulde not bestow much amongest them further then to gaul theÌ„ and spurgal too when and where as occasion were geuen and matter came to minde for the lawe shal be their shote anchor staye and refuge Therefore there is no remedye namely now wheÌ„ they haue the maister bowle in their hand and rule the roste but pacience Better it is to suffer what cruely they wil put vnto vs then to incurre Gods high indignation Wherefore good my Lord be of good cheare in the Lord with due consideration what hee requireth of you and what he doth promise you Our common enemy shall do no more then God will permit him God is faithfull which wil not suffer vs to be teÌ„pted aboue our streÌ„gth c. Be at a poynt what ye wil stand vnto sticke vnto that and let them both say and do what they list They can but kil the body whiche otherwise is of it selfe mortall Neyther yet shal they do that when they list but when God wil suffer them when the houre appoynted is come To vse many wordes with them it shal be but in vayne nowe that they haue a bloudy and deadly lawe prepared for theÌ„ But it is very requisite that ye geue a reasonable accompt of your fayth if they wil quietly heare you els ye knowe in a wicked place of iudgement a man may keepe silence after the example of Christ. Let them not deceiue you with
in trueth I meane Doctor Taylor not for my earthly countryes sake but for oure heauenlye fathers sake and for Christes sake whome I heard say he did so stoutly in tyme of perill confesse and yet also for our countryes sake and for all our mothers sake but I mean of the kingdome of heauen and of heauenly Hierusalem and because of the spirite whiche bringeth in hym in you and in your company such blessed fruites of boldnes in the Lords cause of pacience and constancie The Lord which hath begun this work in you all performe and perfite this his owne deede vntill his owne day come Amen As yet I perceaue yee haue bene not bayted and the cause therof God knoweth which wil let thē doe no more to his then is his pleased will and pleasure to suffer them to doe for his owne glory and to the profite of them which be truely his For the father whiche doth guide them that be Christes to Christ is more mighty then all they and no man is able to pul thē out of the fathers handes except I saye it please our father it please our mayster Christe to suffer them they shall not stirre one heare of your heades My brother P. the bearer hereof and mayster Hoopers letters woulde that we shoulde saye what we thinke good concerning your minde that is not for to answere except ye might haue somewhat indifferent Iudges We are as yee knowe separated and one of vs cannot in any thing consult with an other and much strayte watching of the Baliffes is about vs that there be no priuye conference amongest vs. And yet as wee heare the scholers beareth vs more heauily then the townesmen A wonderfull thing among so many neuer yet scholler offered to any of vs so farre as I know any maner of fauor eyther for or in Christes cause Nowe as concerning your demaund of our counsell for my part I do not mislike that which I perceiue ye are minded to do For I looke for none other but if ye aunswere afore the same Commissioners that we did ye shall be serued and handled as we were though ye were as wel learned as euer was either Peter or Paule And yet further I thinke that occasion afterward may be geuen you and the consideration of the profite of your auditory may perchaunce moue you to do otherwise Finally determinetely to say what shal be best I am not able but I trust he whose cause ye haue in hand shall put you in minde to do that which shal be most for his glory the profite of his flock and your owne saluation This letter must be common to you and Maister Hooper in whome and in his prison fellowe good father C. I blesse God euen from the bottome of my hart for I doubt not but they both doe to our maister Christ true acceptable and honourable seruice and profitable to his flocke the one with his penne and the other with his fatherly example of pacience and constancie and all manner of true godlinesse But what shall I neede to say to you Let thys be common among your brethrē among whom I dare say it is with you as it is with vs to whome all things heere are common meat mony and whatsoeuer one of vs hath that can or maye doe an other good Althoughe I sayde the Bailiffes and our Hostesse straitly watche vs that we haue no conference or intelligence of anye thinge abroade yet hath God prouided for euery one of vs in steade of our seruauntes faithfull fellowes whyche will be content to heare and see and to doe for vs what soeuer they can It is Gods worke surely blessed be God for his vnspeakable goodnesse The grace of oure Lorde Iesus Christe and the loue of God and the communication of the holy Ghost be with you all Amen Amen As farre as London is from Oxforde yet thence wee haue receiued of late both meate money and shyrts not onely from suche as are of our acquaintaunce but of some whome thys bearer can tell with whome I hadde neuer to my knowledge any acquaintance I knowe for whose sake they doe it to him therfore be all honor glory and due thankes And yet I pray you do so much as to shewe them that we haue receiued theyr beneuolence and God be blessed haue plentie of al such things This I desire you to do for I know they be of M. Hoopers your familiar acquaintaunce Maister Latimer was crased but I heare nowe thankes be to God that he amendeth againe Nicholas Ridley An other Letter of Maister Ridley vnto Maister Bradford OH deare brother seeing the time is now come wherin it pleaseth the heauenly father for Christe our sauiour his sake to call vpon you and to bid you to come happie are you that euer you were borne thus to be found awake at the lords calling Euge serue bone fidelis quia super pauca fuisti fidelis super multa te constituet intrabis in gaudium Domini i. Wel good seruaunt and faithful because thou hast ben trusty in small matters he shall set thee ouer great things thou shalt enter into the ioye of thy Lorde O deare brother what meaneth thys that you are sent into your owne natiue countrey The wisedome and policie of the worlde may meane what they will but I trust God will so order the matter finally by his fatherly prouidence that some great occasion of Gods gracious goodnesse shal be plenteously powred abroad amongst his our deare brethren in that country by this your martyrdome where the Martyrs for Christes sake shed their bloud and lost their liues O what wonderous things hathe Christe afterward wrought to his glory and confirmation of their doctrine If it be not the place that sanctifieth the man but the holy man doth by Christe sanctifie the place Brother Bradford then happy and holy shal be that place wherein thou shalt suffer and shalt be with thy ashes in Christes cause sprinkled ouer withall All thy countrey may reioyce of thee that euer it brought foorth such a one which would render his life againe in his cause of whome he had receiued it Brother Bradford so long as I shall vnderstande thou art in thy iourney by Gods grace I shall call vppon our heauenly Father for Christes sake to sette thee safely home and then good brother speake you and praye for the remnant that are to suffer for Christes sake according to that thou then shalt know more clearely We do loke now euery day when we shal be called on blessed be God I weene I am the weakest many wayes of our companie and yet I thanke oure Lorde God and heauenly Father by Christ that since I heard of our deare brother Rogers departing and stout confession of Christe and his truth euen vnto the death my heart blessed be God reioyced of it that since that time I say I neuer fealt any lumpish heauinesse in my
heart as I graunt I haue fealt sometimes before O good brother blessed be God in thee and blessed be the time that euer I knewe thee Farewell farewell Your brother in Christ Nicholas Ridley Brother farewell To the brethren remaining in captiuitie of the flesh and dispearsed abroad in sundry prisones but knit together in vnity of spirit and holy Religion in the bowels of the Lorde Iesu. GRace peace mercye be multiplied among you What worthy thankes can we render vnto the Lorde for you my brethren namely for the great coÌ„solation which through you we haue receiued in the Lorde who notwithstanding the rage of Sathan that goeth about by all maner of subtill meanes to beguile the worlde and also buâ—lâ— laboreth to restore and set vp his kingdome againe that of late began to decay and fall to ruine ye remaine yet stil 〈◊〉 as men surely grounded vpon a strong rocke And nowe albeit that sathan by his souldiors and wicked ministers daily as we heare draweth numbers vnto hym so that it is sayd of him that he plucketh euen the very starres out of heauen whiles hee driueth into some men thâ— feare of death and losse of all their goods and sheweth and offereth to other some the pleasaunt baites of the worlde namelye richesse wealth and all kinde of delightes and pleasures faire houses great reuenues â—at benefices and what not and all to the intent they should fall downe worship not the Lorde but the Dragon the olde Serpent whych is the deuil that great beast and his image and should be inâ—iced to commit fornication with the strompet of Babilon together wyth the kings of the earth wyth the lesser beast and with the false Prophetes and so to reioyce and be pleasant wyth her and to be drunken wyth the wine of her fornication yet blessed be God the Father of oure Lorde Iesus Christe which hath geuen vnto you a manly courage and hath so strengthened you in the inwarde man by the power of his spirite that you can contemne as well all the terrours as also the vaine flatteringe allurementes of the worlde esteeming them as vanities mere trifles things of nought Who hath also wroughte planted and surely stablished in your hearts so stedfast a fayth and loue of the Lorde Iesus Christe ioyned with such constancie that by no engines of Antichriste be they neuer so terrible or plausible yee will suffer any other Iesus or any other Christ to be forced vpon you besides him whom the Prophetâ— haue spoken of before the Apostles haue preached the holy Martyrs of God haue coÌ„fessed and testified with the effusion of their bloud In thys Faith stand ye fast my brethren and suffer not your selues to be brought vnder the yoke of bondage and superstition any more For ye know brethren howe that our sauiour warned his beforehand that such shoulde come as would poynt vnto the world an other Christ and woulde set him out wyth so many fals myracles and with such deceiueable and subtill practises that euen the very electe if it were possible should be therby deceiued such strong delusion to come did our Sauiour geue warning of before But continue ye faithful and constant and be of good comfort remember that our graund captaine hath ouercome the world for he that is in vs is stronger then he that is in the world and the Lorde promiseth vnto vs that for the elects sake the daies of wickednes shall be shortned In the meane season abide ye endure with patience as ye haue begun endure I say and reserue your selues vnto better times as one of the heathen Poetes said cease not to shew yourselues valiant Soldiours of the Lorde and helpe to maintaine the trauelling faith of the Gospell Yee haue neede of patience that after ye haue done the wil of God ye may receiue the promises For yet a very litle while and he that shall come will come and wil not tarie and the iust shall liue by faith but if anye withdrawe him selfe my soule shall haue no pleasure in him sayth the Lorde But we are not they which doe withdrawe oure selues vnto damnation but beleeue vnto the saluation of the soule Let vs not suffer these woordes of Christ to fall out of our hearts by any manner of terrours or threatnings of the worlde Feare not them which kil the body the rest ye know For I wryte not vnto you as to menne which are ignoraunt of the truth but which know the truthe and to this ende onely that we agreeing together in one faith may take comfort one of an other and be the more confirmed and strengthened thereby We neuer had a better or more iust cause either to contemne our life or shed our bloud we can not take in hande the defence of a more certaine cleare and manifest truthe For it is not any ceremonie for the which we contend but it toucheth the very substance of our whole Religion yea euen Christ him selfe Shall we either can we receiue and acknowledge any other Christe in steade of hym who is alone the euerlasting sonne of the euerlasting Father and is the brightnesse of the glory and liuely image of the substaunce of the Father in whome onely dwelleth corporally the fulnesse of the Godhead who is the onely waye the truth and the life Let such wickednesse my brethren lette such horrible wickednesse be farre from vs. For althoughe there be that are called Gods whether in heauen either in earth as there be many Gods and many Lordes yet vnto vs there is but one God which is the Father of whome are al things and we in him and one Lord Iesus Christ by whome are all things and wee by him but euery man hath not knowledge This is life eternal sayth S. Iohn that they know thee to be the onely true God and whome thou haste sent Iesus Christ. If any therfore would force vpon vs any other GOD besides him whom Paule and the Apostles haue taughte let vs not heare him but let vs flee froÌ„ him and hold him accursed Brethren ye are not ignorant of the deepe and profouÌ„d subtleties of Satan for he will not cease to raunge about you seking by all meanes possible whom he may deuour but play ye the men and be of good comfort in the Lorde And albeit your enemies and the aduersaries of the truth armed with all worldly force and power that may be doe set vppon you yet be not ye faynt harted nor shrinke not therfore but trust vnto your Captayne Christ trust vnto the spirit of truth trust to the truth of your cause which as it may by the malice of satan be darckened so can it neuer be cleane put out For we haue high prayse be geuen to God therfore most playnely euidently and clearely on our side all the Prophets all the Apostles and vndoubtedly all the auncient Ecclesiastical writers which haue writtan vntill
custodire vir autem ipse Irischius nomine mitis satis est oiÌ„bus â—xori vero plusquam obsequentiss Licet vxorem vti nosti nunquam habuerim tamen ex hac quotidiana consuetudine quem cum istis coniugibus habeo videor mihi nonnihil posse intelligere quam graue malum intolerabile iugum sit cum mala muliere in coniugio collâ—cari Recte ergo sapiens dixit vxor bona donum Dei iterum mulieris bonae beatus vir Vel haec inquam causa est vel quia á magnis magistratibus nescio quas ob causas illud est vt ita fieret ipsis mandatum idque illi si quando de mea nimia seruitute apud eos conqueror sedulo saepe rursus mihi inculcant At Cambridge as I heare say Omnes studiorum statutorum reformationes nuper factae nunc sunt denuo deformatae delete omnia sunt in pristinum chaos in antiquum papismum reducta omnes collegiorum prefecti qui synceritati Euangelij fauebant vel qui coniugati erant loco motiâ— sunt alij Papisticae factionis in eorum loca surrogati quod de socijs collegiorum qui noluerunt flectere genu Baal factum esse audio Nec mirum nam illud passim factum est in vniuerso regno Angliae in omnibus Archiepiscopis Episcopis Decanis Prebendarijs Sacerdotibus Ecclesiarum in toto clâ—â—o and to tell you muche naughty matter in fewe woordes Papismus apud nos vbique in pleno suo antiquo robore regnat The Lord be mercyfull and for Christes sake pardon vs our olde vnkyndnesse and vnthankefulnesse for when he powred vppon vs the gyftes of his manifolde graces and fauoure alas we did not serue him nor render vnto hym thankes according to the same We pastors manye of vs were to colde and bare to much alas with the wicked worlde our Magistrates did abuse to their owne worldly gayne both Gods Gospell and the ministers of the same The people in many places was wayward and vnkynde Thus of euery side and of euery sorte we haue prouoked Gods anger and wrath to fall vppon vs but blessed myght he be that hath not suffered his to continue in those wayes which so wholly haue displeased his secrete Maiestie but hath awaked them by the fatherly correction of his owne sonnes crosse vnto his glorie and our endlesse saluation through Iesus Christe our Lorde My dayly prayer is as God doth know and by gods grace shall be so long as I lyue in this worlde for you my deare brethren that are fled out of your owne Counâ—â—y because you will rather forsake all worldly thynges 〈◊〉 the truth of Gods worde It is euen the same that I 〈◊〉 to make to GOD for all those Churches abroad through the worlde which haue forsaken the kyngdome of Antichrist and professed openly the puritie of the Gospell of Iesus Christ that is that God our eternall father for our Sauiour Christes sake will dayly encrease in you the gracious gifte of his heauenly spirite to the true settyng forth of his glory and of his Gospell and make you to agree brotherly in the truth of the same that there arise no rote of bitternesse among you that may infect that good seede which God hath sowen in your hartes already and finally that your lyfe may be so pure and so honest accordyng to the rule of Gods worde and according to that vocation whereunto we are called by the Gospell of Christ our Sauiour that the honesty and purity of the same may prouoke all that shall see or knowe it to the loue of your doctrine and to loue you for your honesty and vertues sake and so both in brotherly vnity of your true doctrine and also in the Godly vertue of your honest lyfe to glorifie our father which is in heauen Ex nostratibus magni aliquot magistratus Cancellarius Wint. Comes Arundellus Dominus Pachetus iam legatione funguntur vna cum Cardinali Polo in partibus transmarinis ad componendam vt aiunt pacem inter imperatorem regem nostrum Francorum regem Post illorum magistratuum nostrorum reditum partum reginae quem iam quotidie expectamus iam aliquandiu expectauimus quemque Deus pro sui nominis gloria dignetur bene illi fortunare nos tunc statim nihil aliud quam nostrae confessionis de hoste nostro antiquo triúmphales in domino coronas expectamus Omnium vestrûm precibus me humillime ex toto corde commendo In primis tuis o chariss in Christo frater delectiss Grindalle chariss fratrum vnicè mihi in domino delectorum Checi Coxi Turneri Leueri Sampsonis Chamberi omnium fratrum nostrorum conterraneorum qui apud vos degunt deligunt dominum nostrum Iesum Christum in veritate Commendo etiam vobis reuerendiss patres concaptiuos meos in domino Thomam Cranmerum iam veri magni pastoris Archipresulis nomine digniss veteranum illum Christi nostrae gentis Anglicanae verum Apostolum Hugonem Latimerum Condona mihi frater harum prolixitatem non enim post hac credo charissime frater meis literis iam amplius aliquando turbaberis Oxonij N. R. ¶ To Augustine Bernher BRother Augustine I blesse God with all my hart in his maninifolde mercifull gyftes geuen vnto our deare breathren in Christ especially to our brother Rogers whom it pleased to set forth fyrst no doubt but of his gracious goodnes and fatherly fauour towardes hym And likewyse blessed be God in the rest as Hoper Saunders and Taylour whom it hath pleased the Lord likewyse to set in the forefront of the battayle agaynst his aduersaries and hath endued them all so farre as I can heare to stand in the confession of his truth and to be content in his cause and for his Gospels sake to lose their lyfe And euermore and without ende blessed be euen the same our heauenly father for our deare and entirely beloued brother Bradford whom nowe the Lorde I perceiue calleth for for I weene he will no longer vouchsafe him to abide among the adulterous and wicked generation of this worlde I do not doubt but that he for those giftes of grace whiche the Lorde hath bestowed on hym plenteously hath holpen those which are gon before in their iourney that is hath animated and encouraged them to keepe the hygh way sic currere vti tandem acciperent praemium The Lord be his comfort whereof I do not doubt and I thanke God hartely that euer I was acquainted with him and that euer I had such a one in my house And yet agayne I blesse GOD in our deare brother and of this tyme Protomartyr Rogers that he was also one of my calling to be a Prebendary Preacher of London And now because Grindall is gone the Lorde I doubt not hath and knoweth wherein
hys capitayne deposed hym of the thousand pound of possessions that is to say from euerlasting lyfe in glory and all his heires and posteritie for likewyâ—e as he had the spirit of science and knowledge for him and his heires so in like maner wheÌ„ he lost the same his heyres lost it also by him and in him So now this example prooueth that by our father Adam we had once in hym the very enheritance of euerlasting ioy and by him and in him againe we lost the same The heires of the captaine of Calice could not by any maner of claime aske of the King the right â—itle of theyr father in the thousand poundes possessions by reason the kyng myght aunswer and say vnto them that although theyr father deserued not of hymselfe to enioy so great possessions yet he deserued by hymselfe to loose theÌ„ and greater committyng so hygh treason as he dyd agaynst hys Princes commaundementes whereby he had no wrong to loose his title but was vnworthy to haue the same and had therein true iustice let not you thinke which bee hys heyres that if hee had iustice to loose his possessions you haue wrong to loose the same In the same maner it may be aunswered vnto all men and women now beyng that if our father Adam had true Iustice to bee excluded from hys possession of euerlastyng glory in Paradise let not vs thinke the contrary that be his heyres but that wee haue no wrong in loosing also the same yea we haue true Iustice and right Then in what miserable state be we that of the right and iust title of our owne deserts haue lost the euerlasting ioy and clayme of our selues to be the true inheritours of hell For hee that committeth deadly sinne willyngly byndeth hymselfe to be inheritor of euerlasting payne and so dyd our forefather Adam willingly eate of the apple forbidden Wherefore he was cast out of euerlastyng ioy in Paradise into this corrupt world amongst all vilenesse whereby of hymselfe he was not woorthy to do any thyng laudable or pleasaunt to GOD euermore bound to corrupt affections and beastly appetites transfourmed into the most vncleannest and variablest nature that was made vnder heauen of whose seede and disposition all the world is lineally discended in so much that this euill nature is so fused and shedde from one into another that at this day there is no man nor woman liuyng that can of themselues wash away this abhominable vilenesse and so we must needes graunt of our selues to be in lyke displeasure vnto God as our forefather Adam was by reason hereof as I sayd we bee of our selues the very children of the indignation and vengeaunce of God the true enheritours of hell and workyng all towardes hell which is the answer of this question made to euery man and woman by themselues Who art thou And now the world standyng in this damnable state commeth in the occasion of the incarnation of Christ the Father in heauen perceiuyng the frayle nature of man that he by hymselfe and of hymselfe could doe nothyng for hymselfe by hys prudent wisedome sent downe the second person in Trinitie hys sonne Iesu Christ to declare vnto man hys pleasure and commaundement and so at the fathers wyll Christ tooke on hym humaine nature beyng willyng to deliuer man out of this miserable way was content to suffer cruell passion in shedyng hys bloud for all mankynd and so left behynd for our safegard lawes and ordinaunces to keepe vs alwayes in the right path to euerlastyng lyfe as the Euangelistes the Sacramentes the commaundementes and so foorth which if wee doe keepe and obserue accordyng vnto our profession wee shall aunswer better vnto this question Who art thou then we dyd before for before thou diddest enter into the Sacrament of Baptisme thou wert but a naturall man a naturall woman as I myght say A man A woman But after thou takest on thee Christes Religion thou hast a longer name for then thou art a Christian man a Christian woman Now then seeyng thou art a Christian man what shall be thy aunswer of this question Who art thou The aunswer of this question is when I aske it vnto my selfe I must say that I am a Christian man a christian woman the childe of euerlastyng ioy thorough the merites of the bitter passion of Christ. This is a ioyfull aunswer Here we may see how much wee bee bounde and in daunger vnto GOD that hath reuiued vs from death to lyfe and saued vs that were damned which great benefite we cannot well consider vnlesse we doe remember what we were of our selues before wee medled wyth hym or hys lawes and the more we know our feeble nature and set lesse by it the more wee shall concâ—iue and know in our heartes what God hath done for vs and the more that we know what God hath done for vs the lesse wee shall set by our selues the more wee shall loue and please God so that in no condition wee shall eyther know our selues or God except wee doe vtterly confâ—sse our selues to bee meere vilenesse and corruption Well now it is come vnto this poynt that we bee Châ—istian men Christian women I pray you what doth Christ require of a Christian man or of a Christian woman Christ requireth nothyng els of a Christian man or a womaâ— but that they will obserue hys rule For likewyse as hee is a good Augustine Frier that keepeth well Saint Augustines rule so is he a good Christian man that keepeth well Christes rule Now then what is Christes rule Christes rule consisteth in many thyngs as in the commaundements and the workes of mercy and so foorth And for because I can not declare Christs rule vnto you at one tyme as it ought to be done I will applye my selfe accordyng to your custome this tyme of Christenmasse I wyll as I sayde declare vnto you Christes rule but that shall bee in Christes cardes And where you are woont to celebâ—ate Christenmasse in playing at cardes I intend with gods grace to deale vnto you Christes cardes wherein you shall pâ—rceyue Christes rule The Game that we will pâ—ay at shal be called the Triumph which if it bee well played at bee that dealeth shall winne the Players shall lykewyse winne and the standers and lookers vppon shall doe the same in so much that there is no man that is willyng to play at this Triumph with these cardes but they shall be all winners and no loosers Let therefore euery Christian man and woman playe at these cardes that they may haue and obtayne the Triumph you must marke also that the Triumph must apply to fetch home vnto hym all the other cardes what so euer suite they bee of Now then take ye this first carde which must appeare and be shewed vnto you as followeth You haue heard what was spoken to the men of the olde Lawe Thou shalt not kyll whosoeuer shall kyll shall be in daunger of iudgement But
and calling to serue hys glory walke in our vocation that we lose not that which they haue obteined but may proceed in all faythfulnes to build and keepe vp the house and temple of the Lorde to the aduansing of his glory and our euerlasting comfort in hym And thus much concerning the doings and laborious trauelles of M. Latimer Now after these thinges thus finished and discoursed perteining to the story of his lyfe lette vs come to his letters which he wrote at diuers and sundry tymes from the first beginning of his preachinge all which here to comprehend whiche he wrote both in English and Latine lacke of space and place at this present will not permitte neuertheles certayne we will take and fyrst concerning the articles aboue mentioned for the which he was troubled by the Priestes of the country about his benefice at West Kington whiche hee writeth thereof to M. Morice the copy thereof here foloweth Letters of M. Latimer ¶ A Letter of M. Latimer to Mayster Morice concerning the Articles written which were falsely and vntruely layed agaynst him RIght worshipfull and mine owne good mayster Morice salutem in Christo Iesu. And I thanke you for all harty kindnesse not onely heretofore shewed vnto me but also that now of late you would vouchsafe to write vnto me so poore a wretch to my great comforte among all these my troubles I trust and doubte nothing in it but GOD will reward you for me and supplye aboundauntly mine vnabilitie c. Mayster Morice you woulde wonder to know how I haue bene intreated at Bristow I meane of some of the Priestes which first desired me welcommed me made me cheaâ—e hearde what I sayde allowed my saying in all thinges whiles I was with them when I was gone home to my Benefice perceiuing that the people fauoured me so greatlye and that the Maior had appoynted me to preache at Easter priuilye they procured an inhibition for all them that had not the Bishoppes licence which they knew well enough I had not so craftely defeated mayster Maiors appoyntment pretending that they were sory for it procuring also certayne Preachers to blatter against me as Hubberdin and Powell with other moe whom when I had brought before the Maior and the wise Counsaile of the Towne to know what they coulde lay to my charge wherefore they so declaymed agaynst me they sayde they spake of information howbeit no man could be brought forth that would abide by any thing So that they had place and time to belye me shamefully but they had no place nor time to laye to my charge when I was present and ready to make them answere God ameÌ„d them and swage their malice that they haue agaynst the truth me c. Our Lady was a Sinner So they did belye me to haue sayd when I had sayd nothing so but to reproue certayne both Priestes and beneficed menne whiche doe geue so muche to our Ladye as though she had not bene saued by Christe a whole Sauiour both of her and of all that be and shall be saued I did reason after this maner that either she was a sinner or no sinner if a sinner then she was deliuered from sinne by Christ so that he saued her either by deliuering or by preseruing her from sinne so that without hym neyther she nor none other neither be nor could be saued And to auoyde all offence I shewed howe it might bee aunswered both to certayne Scriptures which maketh all generally sinners and how it might be aunswered vnto Chrysostome and Theophilact which maketh her namely and specially a sinner But all woulde not serue theyr malice is so great notwithstanding that fiue hundred honest men can and will beare recorde When they cannot reproue that thing that I do say then they will belye mee to say that thing that they can not reprooue for they will needes appeare to be agaynst me Sayntes are not to be worshipped So they lyed when I had shewed diuers significations of thys word Sayntes among the vulgare people First Images of Sayntes are called Sayntes and so they are not to be worshipped take worshipping of them for praying to them for they are neither Mediators by way of redemption nor yet by way of intercession And yet they may be well vsed when they be applied to that vse that they were ordeined for to be lay mens bookes for remeÌ„braunce of heauenly thinges c. Take Sayntes for inhabitours of heauen and worshippinge of them for praying to them I neuer denyed but that they might be worshipped and be our Mediatours though not by way of redemption for so Christ alonely is a whole Mediatour both for them and for vs yet by the way of intercession c. Pilgrimage And I neuer denyed Pilgrimage And yet I haue sayed that much scurffe must be pared away ere euer it can be wel done superstition idolatry false fayth and trust in the Image vniust estimation of the thing setting aside Gods ordinaunce for doynge of the thing debtes must be payd restitutions made wife children prouided for duetye to our poore neighbours discharged And when it is at the best before it be vowed it neede not to be done for it is neither vnder the bidding of GOD nor of manne to be done And Wiues muste counsell with Husbandes and Husbandes and Wiues with Curates before it be vowed to bee done c. Aue Maria. As for the Aue Maria who can thinke that I would deny it I sayd it was an heauenly greting or saluting of our blessed Lady wherein the Aungell Gabriell sent from the Father of heauen did annunciate and shewe vnto her the good will of God towardes her what he would with her and to what he had chosen her But I sayd it was not properly a prayer as the Pater noster whyche our Sauior Christ himselfe made for a proper prayer and bade vs say it for a Prayer not adding that we shoulde say 10. or 20. Aue Maries withall and I denyed not but that we may well saye the Aue Maria elso but not so that we shall thinke that the Pater noster is not good a whole and a perfit prayer nor can not be well sayd without Aue Maria so that I did not speake agaynst wel saying of it but agaynst superstitious saying of it and of the Pater noster to and yet I put a difference betwixte that that whiche Christ made to be sayd for a prayer c. No fire in hell Who euer could say or thinke so Howbeit good Authors do put a difference betwixt a suffering in the fire with bodyes and without bodyes The soule without the body is a spirituall substaunce which they say can not receiue a corporall quality and some maketh it a spirituall fire and some a corporall fire And as it is called a fire so is it called a Worme and it is thought of some
opus est magna patientia ad sustinendas calumnias malignantis Ecclesiae Syr I haue had more busines in my little cure since I spake with you what with sicke folkes and what with matrimonies theÌ„ I haue had since I came to it or then I would haue thought a man should haue in a great cure I wonder how men can go quietly to bed which haue great cures and many and yet peraduenture are in none of them all But I pray you tell none of your frendes that I sayd so foolishly least I make a dissention in a Christian Congregation and deuide a sweete and a restfull vnion or tot quot with haec requies mea in seculum seculi Syr I had made an end of this scribling and was beginning â—o write it agayne more truely and more distinctly and to correcte it but there came a man of my Lorde of Farleys with a Citation to appeare before my Lord of London in haste to be punished for suche excesses as I committed at my last being there so that I coulde not perfourme my purpose I doubt whether ye can read it as it is If ye can well be it if not I pray you sende it me agayne and that you so doe whether you can reade it or not Iesu mercy what Worlde is this that I shall be put to so greate laboure and paynes besides great costes aboue my power for preachinge of a poore simple Sermon But I trow our Sauiour Christ sayd true Oportet pati sic intrare tam periculosum est in Christo pie viuere velle yea in a christian Congregation God make vs all Christian after the right fashion Amen Here foloweth an other letter of M. Latimer writtten to K. Henry the 8. vpon this occasion Ye heard before of two sondry Proclamations set out by the Byshops in the time of K. Henry the one in the yeare 1531. and the other set out an 1546. In the which proclamatioÌ„s bâ—ing authorised by the kinges name were inhibited all english books either conteining or tending to any matter of the scripture Where also wee haue expreâ—ed at large the whole Catalogue of all theyr errors heresies which the sayd Bishops falsely haue excerpted and maliciously imputed to Godlye writers with theyr places and quotations aboue assigned in the page aforesayd Now M. Latimer growing in some fauor with the king and seing the great decay of Christes religion by reason of these Proclamations and touched therfore with the zeale of coÌ„science directeth vnto K. HeÌ„ry this letter hereunder ensuing therby enteÌ„ding by all meanes possible to perswade the kinges mind to set opeÌ„ again the freedome of Gods holy word amongest his subiectes The copy and tenor of his letter here foloweth ¶ The Letter of Mayster Latimer written to King Henry for the restoring agayne the free liberty of reading the holy Scriptures ⧠To the most mighty Prince King of England Henrye the eight Grace mercy and peace from God the Father by our Lord Iesus Christ. THe holy Doctour Saynt Austine in an Epistle whiche he wrote to Casulanus sayth that he whiche for feare of any power hideth the trueth prouoketh the wrath of God to come vpon him for he feareth men more then God And according to the same the holy man Saynt Iohn Chrisostome sayth that he is not alonely a traytour to the truth which opeÌ„ly for truth teacheth a lie but he also which doth not freely pronounce and shewe the trueth that he knoweth These sentences moste redoubted Kyng when I read nowe of late and marked them earnestlye in the inward partes of mine hart they made me sore afrayd troubled and vexed me grieuously in my conscience and at the last droue me to this strayt that either I must shewe forth such thinges as I haue read and learned in Scripture or elles to be of the sort that prouoke the wrath of GOD vpon them and be traitors vnto the trueth the which thing rather then it shoulde happen I had rather suffer extreme punishment For what other thing is it to bee a Traytour vnto the trueth then to be a Traytour and a Iudas vnto Christe which is the very truth and cause of all trueth the whiche sayth that whosoeuer denyeth him here before men he wil deny him before his father in heauen The which denying ought more to be feared and dread then the losse of al temporall goodes honour promotion fame prison sclaunder hurtes banishmentes and all manner of tormentes and crueltyes yea and death it selfe bee it neuer so shamefull and paynefull But alas how litle do meÌ„ regard those sharpe sayinges of these two holy men and how litle doe they feare the terrible iudgemente of almightye God and specially they which boast themselues to be guides and capitaynes vnto other and chalenging vnto themselues the knowledge of holy Scripture yet will neither shewe the trueth themselues as they be bounde neither suffer them that would So that vnto theÌ„ may be sayd that which our sauior Christ said to the Phariseis Math. 23. Wo be vnto you Scribes and Phariseis which shut vp the kingdome of heauen before men and neither will you enter in your selues neither suffer them that would to enter in And they will as much as in them lyeth debarre not onely the word of God whyche Dauid calleth a light to direct and shew euery man how to order his affections and lustes according to the Commaundementes of God but also by theyr subtle wylinesse they instruct moue and prouoke in a maner all Kinges in christendome to ayde succour and helpe them in thys theyr mischiefe and especially in this your Realme they haue sore blynded your Liege people and Subiectes wyth their Lawes Customes Ceremonyes and Banbery Glofes and punished them wyth Cursynges Excommunications and other corruptions corrections I woulde say and now at the last when they see that they cannot preuayle agaynst the open trueth which the more is persecuted the more it increaseth by their tiranny they haue made it Treason to your noble Grace to haue the Scripture in English Here I beseech your Grace to pardon me a while and paciently to heare me a worde or two yea and thoughe it be so that as concerning your high Maiesty and regall power whereunto almightye God hath called your Grace there is as great difference betweene you and mee as betwene God and man For you be here to me and to al your subiectes in Gods sted to defend ayde and succour vs in our right and so I should tremble and quake to speake to your grace But agayne as concerning that you be a mortall man in daunger of sinne hauing in you the corrupte nature of Adam in the which al we be both conceiued and borne so haue you no lesse need of the merites of Christes passion for your saluation then I and other of your subiectes haue whiche be all members of the misticall bodye of christ And though you be an
comely a person to them that were there present as one should lightly see and where as in his clothes he appeared a withered and crooked silke olde man he now stood bolt vpright as comely a father as one might lightly behold Then M. Ridley standyng as yet in hys trusse sayde to his brother it were best for me to goe in my trusse still No quoth hys brother it will put you to more payne and the trusse will do a poore man good Whereunto Maister Ridley sayd be it in the name of God and so vnlaced hymselfe Then beyng in his shirt he stoode vpon the foresayd stone and held vp hys handes and sayd Oh heauenly Father I geue vnto thee most harty thankes for that thou hast called me to bee a professour of thee euen vnto death I beseech thee Lord GOD take mercy vpon this Realme of England and deliuer the same from all her enemies Then the Smith tooke a chaine of iron and brought the same about both D. Ridleis and M. Latimers middles and as he was knockyng in a staple D. Ridley took the chayne in his hand and shaked the same for it did gird in his belly and lookyng aside to the Smith sayd good felow knocke it in hard for the flesh will haue hys course Then his brother did bring hym gunpouder in a bag and would haue tied the same about hys necke M. Ridley asked what it was His brother said gunpouder Then sayd he I take it to be sent of God therefore I will receyue it as sent of hym And haue you any sayd he for my brother meanyng M. Latymer Yea sir that I haue quoth hys brother Then geue it vnto hym sayd he betyme least ye come to late So hys brother went and caried of the same gunpouder vnto M. Latymer In the meane tyme D. Ridley spake vnto my L. Williams and sayd My L. I must be a suter vnto your lordship in the behalfe of diuers poore men and especially in the cause of my poore Sister I haue made a supplication to the Queenes Maiestie in their behalfes I beseech your Lordship for Christes sake to bee a meane to her grace for them My brother here hath the Supplication and wyll resort to your lordship to certifie you hereof There is nothing in all the world that troubleth my conscience I praise God this onely excepted Whiles I was in the Sea of London diuers poore men tooke Leases of me and agreed with me for the same Now I heare say the B. that nowe occupieth the same roume wil not allow my graunts vnto them made but contrary vnto all law and conscience hath taken from them their liuynges and will not suffer them to enioy the same I beseech you my Lord be a mean for them you shall doe a good deed and God wil reward you Then brought they a fagot kindled with fire and layd the same downe at D. Ridleys feete To whome Maister Latymer spake in this maner Be of good comfort maister Ridley and play the man wee shall this day light such a candle by Gods grace in England as I trust shall neuer be put out And so the fire beyng geuen vnto them when D. Ridley saw the fire flamyng vp toward hym he cryed wyth a wonderfull lowd voyce In manus tuas Domine commendo spiritum meum Domine recipe spiritum meum and after repeated this latter part often in English Lord Lord receyue my spirit M. Latymer crying as vehemently on the other side Oh Father of Heauen receyue my soule who receyued the flame as it were embrasing of it After as he had stroked hys face with hys hands as it were bathed them a little in the fire he soone died as it appered with very litle payne or none And thus much concerning the end of this old and blessed seruaunt of God M. Latymer for whose laborious trauails fruitfull lyfe constāt death the whole Realme hath cause to geue great thankes to almighty God But M. Ridley by reason of the euill makyng of the fire vnto hym because the wooden fagots were laid about the gosse and ouer high built the fire burned first beneath beyng kept downe by the woode Which when he felt hee desired them for Christs sake to let the fire come vnto him Which when hys brother in law heard but not well vnderstood entendyng to ridde hym out of his payne for the which cause he gaue attendance as one in such sorow not well aduised what he did heaped fagots vpon hym so that he cleane couered hym which made the fire more vehement beneath that it burned cleane all hys neather parts before it once touched the vpper and that made him leape vp and downe vnder the fagots and often desire them to let the fire come vnto him saying I cannot burne Which in deed appeared well for after hys legs were consumed by reason of his struglyng through the payne whereof he had no release but only his contentation in God he shewed that side toward vs clean shirt and all vntouched with flame Yet in all this torment he forgate not to call vnto God still hauyng in his mouth Lord haue mercy vppon me intermedling this cry let the fire come vnto me I can not burne In which paynes he laboured till one of the standers by with his bill pulled of the fagots aboue and where he saw the fire flame vp hee wrested himselfe vnto that side And when the flame touched the gunpouder hee was seene stirre no more but burned on the other side fallyng downe at M. Latymers feete Which some said hapned by reason that the chaine loosed other sayd that he fell ouer the chaine by reason of the poise of his body and the weakenes of the neather limmes Some say that before he was like to fall from the stake he desired them to holde him to it with their billes Howsoeuer it was surely it moued hundredes to teares in beholding the horrible sight For I thinke there was none that had not cleane exiled all humanitie and mercy which would not haue lamented to behold the fury of the fire so to rage vpon their bodies Signes there were of sorrowe on euery side Some tooke it greuously to see their deaths whose lyues they held full deare Some pitied their persons that thought theyr soules had no neede thereof His brother mooued many men seyng his miserable case seeyng I say hym compelled to such infelicitie that he thought then to doe hym best seruice when he hastened hys ende Some cryed out of the lucke to see his endeuor who most dearely loued hym and sought his release turne to hys greater vexation and encrease of payne But who so considered their preferments in tyme past the places of honor that they sometyme occupied in this common wealth the fauour they were in with their princes and the opinion of learnyng they had could not chuse but sorow with teares to see so great
whore in the fornication of her whorish dispensations pardons Idolatrye suche like abhominations so shall ye drinke with her except ye repent betime of the cuppe of the Lordes indignation and euerlasting wrath which is prepared for the beast his false prophetes and all theyr partakers For he that is partner with them in theyr whoredome and abhominations must also be partner with them of theyr plagues and on the latter day shall be throwne with them into the lake burning with Brimstone and vnquenchable fire Thus fare ye wel my Lords all I pray God geue you vnderstanding of his blessed will and pleasure and make you to beleue and embrace the truth Amen * An other farewell to the Prisoners in Christes Gospelles cause and to all them whiche for the same cause are exiled and banished out from theyr owne countrey choosing rather to leaue all worldly commodity then theyr mayster Christ. FArewell my dearely beloued brethren in Christ bothe ye my felow prisoners and ye also that be exiled and banished out of your countryes because ye will rather forsake all worldly coÌ„modity then the Gospell of Christ. Farewell all ye together in Christ farewell and be mery for ye know that the triall of your fayth bringeth forth patience and pacience shall make vs perfecte whole and sound on euery side and such after triall ye knowe shall receiue the crowne of lyfe according to the promise of the Lorde made to his dearely beloued let vs therefore be pacient vnto the comming of the Lord. As the husbandmanne abideth pacientlye the former and latter rayne for the encrease of his croppe so let vs bee paciente and plucke vp our hartes for the comming of the Lord approacheth apace Let vs my deare brethren take example of pacience in tribulation of the Prophetes which spake likewise Gods word truely in his name Let Iob be to vs an example of pacience the end which the Lord suffered which is full of mercy and pitty We know my brethren by Gods worde that our fayth is muche more precious then any corruptible golde and yet that is tryed by the fire euen so our fayth is therfore tried likewise in tribulations that it may be found when the Lord shal appeare laudable glorious and honorable For if we for Christs cause do suffer that is gratefull before God for thereunto are we called that is our state and vocation wherewith let vs be content Christ we know suffered for vs afflictions leauing vs an example that we shoulde folow his footesteps for he committed no sinne not was there any guile found in his mouth when he was rayled vpon and all to reuiled he rayled not agayne when he was euill entreated he dyd not threaten but committed the punishment therof to hym that iudgeth a right Let vs euer haue in freshe remembraunce those wonderfull comfortable sentences spokeÌ„ by the mouth of our Sauior Christ Blessed are they which suffer persecution for righteousnes sake for theirs is the kingdome of heauen Blessed are ye when men reuile you persecute you speake all euill against you for my sake reioyce and be glad for great is your reward in heauen for so did they persecute the Prophets which were before you Therfore let vs alway beare this in our mindes that if any incommodity doe chaunce vnto vs for righteousnes sake happy are we whatsoeuer the world doth thinke of vs. Christ our mayster hath tolde vs before hand that the brother should put the brother to death the father the sonne and the children should rise agaynst their pareÌ„ts and kill them and that Christes true Apostles should be hated of all men for his names sake but he that shall abide paciently vnto the end shal be saued Let vs then endure in all troubles paciently after the example of our Mayster Christ and be contented therewith for he suffered being our mayster and Lord how doth it not then become vs to suffer For the disciple is not aboue his mayster nor the seruaunt aboue his Lord. It may suffice the disciple to be as his maister and the seruaunt to be as his Lord. If they haue called the Father of the family the Mayster of the householde Belzebub howe much more shall they call so them of his householde Feare them not then sayth our Sauiour for all pâ—iuityes shall be made playne there is nowe nothing secret but it shall bee shewed in light Of Christes wordes let vs neither be ashamed nor afrayd to speake them for so Christ our mayster commaundeth vs saying that I tell you priuily speake openly abroade and that I tell you in your eare preach it vpon the house toppe And feare not them which kill the body for the soule they cannot kill but feare hym which can cast both body and soule into hell fire Know ye that the heauenly Father hath euer a gracious eye and respect towarde you and a Fatherly prouidence for you so that without his knowledge and permission nothing canne doe you harme Let vs therefore cast all our care vpon him and hee shall prouide that whiche shall be best for vs. For if of two small sparrowes whiche both are sold for a mite one of them lighteth not on the grounde without your father and all the heares of our head are numbred feare not them sayth our Mayster Christ for yee are more worth then many small sparrowes And let vs not sticke to confesse our Mayster Christe for feare of daunger whatsoeuer it shal be remeÌ„bring the promise that Christ maketh saying whosoeuer shall confesse me before men him shall I confesse before my father whiche is in heauen but whosoeuer shall denye me him shall I likewise denye before my father which is in heauen Christ came not to geue vnto vs here a carnall amity and a worldly peace or to knitte his vnto the world in ease and peace but rather to separate and deuide them from the world and to ioyne them vnto himselfe in whose cause we must if wee will bee his forsake father and mother and sticke vnto him If wee forsake him or shrinke from him for trouble or deathes sake which hee calleth his crosse he will none of vs we cannot bee hys If for his cause we shall lose our temporall liues here wee shall finde them agayne and enioy them for euermore but if in his cause we will not be contented to leaue nor loose them here then shall we loose them so that we shall neuer finde them again but in euerlasting death What thoughe our troubles here bee paynefull for the time and the sting of death bitter and vnpleasaunt yet we know that they shall not last in comparison of eternity no not to the twinckling of an eye that they pacieÌ„tly taken in Christes cause shall procure and gette vs vnmeasurable heapes of heauenly glory vnto the which these temporall paines of death and troubles compared are not to be estemed but to be reioyced vpon Wonder
vppon thee for thine owne desertes Canst thou be content to heare thy faults told thee Alas thou hast heard ofte and wouldest neuer amende England thy faultes of all degrees and sortes of men of Magistrates of the ministers and of the common people were neuer more playnely tolde since thou barest that name then thou diddest heare them of late euen before the Magistrates in king Edwardes dayes but thou heardest them onely and diddest amend neuer a whitte For euen of thy greatest Magistrates some the kinges highnesse then that innocente that godly harted pereles young Christian Prince excepted euermore vnkindely and vngently agaynst those that went about most busely and most wholesomely to cure their sore backes spurned pryuely and woulde not spare to speake euill of them euen vnto the Prince himselfe and yet woulde they towardes the same preachers outwardly beare a ioly countenance and a fayre face I haue heard that Cranmer and an other whome I will not name were both in high displeasure the one for shewing his conscience secretly but playnly and fullye in the Duke of Somersettes cause and bothe of late but specially Cranmer for repugning as they might against the late spoyle of the Churche goodes taken away onely by commaundement of the higher powers wythout any lawe or order of iustice and without anye request of consent of them to whome they did belong As for Latimer Leuer Bradforde and Knoxe their tongues were so sharpe they ripped in so deepe in theyr galled backes to haue purged them no doubte of that filthy matter that was festred in theyr hartes of insaciable couetousnesse of filthy carnalitie and voluptuousnesse of intollerable ambition and pride of vngodly lothsomnes to heare poore mens causes and to heare Gods word that these men of all other these Magistrates then could neuer abide Other there were very godly men and well learned that went aboute by the wholesome plasters of Gods worde how be it after a more softe maner of handling the matter but alas all sped in like For all that could be done of all handes theyr disease did not minishe but dayly dyd encrease which no doubte is no small occasion in that state of the heauy plague of God that is poured vppon Englande at thys daye As for the common sorte of other inferiour Magistrates as Iudges of the lawes Iustices of peace Sergeantes common lawyers it may be truely said of them as of the most part of the Clergy of Curates Uicares Parsones Prebendaryes Doctours of the law Archdeacons Deanes yea and I may say of Byshoppes also I feare me for the moste parte although I doubte not but GOD had and hath euer whome hee in euery state knew and knoweth to be hys but for the most part I say they were neuer perswaded in theyr hartes but from the teethe forwarde and for the kinges sake in the trueth of Gods word and yet all these did dissemble and bare a copy of a countenaunce as if they hath bene sound within And this dissimulation Sathan knew well inoughe and therefore desired and hath euer gone about that the highe Magistrates by anye manner of meanes myght bee deceaued in matters of religion for then hee beyng of councell with the dissimulation in the worldlye knewe well enough that he should bring to passe and rule al euen after his owne will Hipocrisie and dissimulation sainct Hierome doth call well a double wickednesse for neyther it loueth the trueth whiche is one great euill and also falsely it pretendeth to deceiue the simple for an other thing This hipocrisie and dissimulation with God in matters of Religion no doubte hath wholy also prouoked the anger of God And as for the common people although there were manye good where they were well and dilligently taught yet God knoweth a great number receaued Gods true word and high benefites with vnthankfull harts For it was great pity and a lamentable thing to haue seene in many places the people so lothsomly and so vnreligiouslye to come to the holy Communion and to receaue it accordingly and to the common prayers and other Diuine seruice which were according to the true vayne of Gods holye word in all poyntes so godly and wholesomely set foorth in comparison of that blynde zeale and vndiscreete deuotion whiche they had afore tymes to those things wherof they vnderstoode neuer one whiâ— nor could be edified by them any thing at all And agayne as for almes deedes which are taughte in Gods word whereby we are certain that God is pleased with them and dothe and will require suche at oure handes whiche are a part of true religion as Sayncte Iames sayth and suche as he sayth himselfe hee setteth more by then by sacrifice as to prouide for the fatherlesse infantes and orphanes for the lame aged and impotent poore needye folke and to make publicke prouision that the pouerty that might labour shoulde haue wherwith to labour vppon and so be kept from shameful beggerry stealing in these works I say how wayward wer many in comparison I meane of that great prodigality whereby in times past they spared not to spend vpon flattering Fryers false Pardoners painting and gilting of stockes and stones to be set vp and honored in Churches playnely agaynst Gods worde And yet because no place is to be defrauded of theyr iust commendation London I must confesse for such godly workes in sir Rich. Dobs knight then Lorde Maior hys yeare began maruelous well the Lord graunt the same may so likewise perseuer continue yea and encrease to the comforte and reliefe of the needy and helpelesse that was so godly begunne Amen All these thinges doe minister matter of more mournyng and bewayling the miserable state that nowe is for by this it may be perceaued how England hath deserued this iust plague of God And also it is greatly to be feared that those good thinges what soeuer they were that had theyr beginning in the tyme when Gods woorde was so freely preached nowe with the exile and banishemente of the same will depart agayne But to returne agayne to the consideration of thys miserable state of Christes Churche in Englande and to leaue farther and more exquisite searchyng of the causes thereof vnto Gods secrete and vnsearchable iudgements let vs see what is best now to be done for Chrystes little flocke This is one maxime and principle in Chrystes law He that denyeth Christ before men hym shall Chryst deny afore hys father and all hys Aungels of heauen And therefore euery one that looketh to haue by Chryst our sauiour euerlasting lyfe let him prepare hymselfe so that he deny not hys mayster Chryst or els he is but a cast away and a wretche how soeuer he be counted or taken here in the world Now then seing the doctrine of Antichrist is returned agayne into this Realme and the higher powers alas are so deceaued and bewitched that they are perswaded it to be truthe and Christes true
mynde therein euen playnely as I thinke and I haue euer beene agreeable to this poynt I haue often tymes reasoned in it I haue spoken and also written in it both beyond the Seas and on this side the Seas my bookes be abroade which I cannot vnwrite agayne I was euer of this opinion that it myght be receiued in both kyndes and it was a constitution prouinciall scarce two hundred yeare agone made by Peckam then Archbyshoppe of Canterburie that it shoulde be receiued in both kyndes at least wyse in ecclesijs maioribus that is in the greater Churches for in the smaller Churches it was not thought to be so expedient Thus haue I euer thought of this matter I haue neuer bene of other mynde nor I haue not changed my conscience but I haue obeyed followed the order of the Realme and I pray you to obey orders as I haue obeyed that we may all be the chyldren of obedience Nowe I wyll returne to the Text. When Symon had aunswered Tu es Christus filius Dei viui Thou art Christ the sonne of the Lyuing GOD. Then Christe sayde vnto hym Blessed art thou Symon Boriona for fleshe and bloud haue not opened that vnto thee but my Father whiche is Heauen and I say vnto thee that thou art Peter and vppon this rocke will I buylde my Churche and the gates of Hell shall not preuayle agaynst it Blessed art thou sayde hee for fleshe and bloud haue not opened that vnto thee For otherwyse in Iohn Andrewe tolde of Christe and sayd I haue founde the Messias which is Christe But that is not enough He that shall confesse Christe must haue an inwarde teachyng and must bee spiritually taught by the Father of Heauen for Andrewes confession was nothyng but a carnall confession and suche a one as any other might haue made by naturall reason but the confession of Peter was aboue reason of man for Christ was there a very man and Peters eyes told him that he was a man and nothing els but he was inwardly taught by the Father of heauen and had a secrete knowledge geuen him from heauen not by flesh and bloud that is to say by mans reason but inwardly by the Father of heauen and seeyng this was aboue reason it is a merueylous thing that reason shoulde be vsed to impugne fayth whiche is not within the precinct of carnall men and such as vse grosse reason But Peter had an other lesson inwardly taught him and because he could his lesson Christ gaue him a new name for Petra is a stone a new name of a Christian man for vppon this confession of thy fayth here I will buyld my Churche that is I wyll stablysh all those which I entend to gather vnto thee Et Daemones non preualebunt aduersus eam that is and the Deuils shall not preuayle agaynst it for he that with a good hart and sure fayth confesseth this he is sure from all euill this world nor Sathan can do him no harme But now for a further declaration it is a meruelous thing that vppon these woordes the Byshoppe of Rome should founde his supremacie for whether it be super Petram or Petrum all is one matter it maketh nothyng at all for the purpose to make a foundation of any such supremacie For otherwyse when Peter spake carnallye to Christe as in the same Chapter a lytle folowyng Sathan was his name where Christe sayde Go after me Sathan so that the name of Peter is no foundation for the supremacie but as it is sayde in Scripture Fundati eâ—tes super fundamentum Apostolorum Prophetarum that is by participation for godly participation geueth names of things he myght be called the head of the Churche as the head of the Riuer is called the head because he was the fyrst that made this confession of Christe whiche is not an Argument for dignitie but for the qualitie that was in the man For the fyrst man is not euermore the best The Headman of a Queste is not alwayes the best man in the Queste but is chosen to bee the Headman for some other qualitie that is in hym Vertue may allure men so that the inferiour person in dignitie may be the better in place as the Kyng sometime chuseth a meane man to be of his Counsayle of whom he hath a good opinion yet is the Kyng the Kyng styll And in some case the Kyng of Englande might sende to Rome and if the Bishoppe of Rome were a man of suche wisedome vertue and learnyng that he were able in matters of controuersie concerning Religion to set a vnitie in the Churche of Englande the Kyng myght well enough sende vnto him for his Counsayle and helpe and yet shoulde not in so doyng geue the Byshoppe of Rome any superioritie ouer the Kyng For if a Kyng be sicke he will haue the best Phisition if he haue warre he will haue the best Captaine and yet are not those the superiours but the inferiours A Scholemaster is a subiect a Phisition is a subiect a Captaine is a subiect Counsellours are subiectes yet do these order and direct the Kyng Wherefore leauing the Bishop of Rome this I say to declare of what opinion I am of I do not now speake what I could say I haue spokeÌ„ beyond the Seas I haue writteÌ„ my bookes be abroad But this is not the place here I say that this place maketh nothing for the Bishop of Rome but for Christe only for none can put Aliud fundamentum nisi id quod positum est qui est Christus Iesus But now to go forth declaring my mynde in my tyme hath come many alterations Fyrst a great alteration it was to renounce the Byshop of Romes authoritie and I was one that stode in it A great alteration it was that Abbayes were dissolued A great alteration it was that Images were pulled downe and to all these did I condescende and yet I haue beene counted a maynteiner of superstition and haue beene called a Maister of Ceremonies and of outwarde thynges and I haue beene noted to take that Religion which consisteth in outwarde thinges as though he were a right Christian that fulfylled the outwarde Ceremonies whereof I promised to declare my conscience and so will I and howe I haue esteemed ceremonies and that I haue neuer bene of other opinion then I am concerning ceremonies and mine opinion I haue gathered of Augustine and Ierome ancient fathers and Doctours of the Church Ceremonies serue to mooue menne to serue GOD and as longe as they bee vsed for that purpose they maye bee well vsed in the Churche but when manne maketh himselfe seruaunte to them and not them to serue hym then bee oure Ceremonies broughte to an abuse If by ouer muche familiaritie of them menne abuse them they doe euill For we must not serue creatures but Deo Wee hadde Monkerie Nunnerie Frierie of a wonderous noumber muche varietie of garmentes
constant martyr Who the xviii day of December in the middest of the fiery flames yelded his soule into the handes of the almighty God and full like a lambe gaue vp his breath his body being consumed into ashes Thus hast thou gentle reader the lyfe and doyngs of this learned and worthy souldiour of the Lord Iohn Philpot with all his examinations that came to our handes first penned and written with his owne hand beyng meruaylously reserued from the sight and hands of hys enemies who by all maner meanes sought not onely to stop hym from al writing but also to spoyle and depriue him of that which he had written For the which cause he was manye tymes stripped and searched in the prison of his keeper but yet so happily these his writinges were conueyed and hid in places about him or els hys keepers eies so blinded that notwithstanding all this malicious purpose of the Bishops they are yet remayning and come to light A prayer to be sayd at the stake of all them that God shall account worthy to suffer for his sake MErcifull God and father to whome oure sauiour Christ approched in his feare and neede by reason of death found comfort Gracious God and most bounteous Christe on whome Stephen called in his extreeme neede and receiued strength Most benigne holy spirite whiche in the middest of all Crosses and death diddest comfort the Apostle S. Paule with more consolations in Christ then he felt sorowes and terrors haue mercy ⧠The martirdome of maister Iohn Philpot Archdeacon with the manner of his kneeling and praying at the stake vpon me miserable vile and wretched sinner which now drawe neare the gates of death deserued both in soule and body eternally by reason of manifold horrible olde and new transgressions which to thyne eyes O Lorde are open and knowne Oh be mercifull vnto me for the bitter death and bloudshedding of thine owne onely sonne Iesus Christ. And though thy iustice do require in respecte of my sinnes that nowe thou shouldest not heare me measuring me with the same measure I haue measured thy Maiesty contemning thy dayly calles yet let thy mercy whiche is aboue all thy works and wherewith the earth is filled let thy mercy I say preuaile towardes me through and for the mediation of Christ our sauiour And for whose sake in that it hathe pleased thee to bring me forth now as one of his witnesses and a record bearer of thy veritye and trueth taught by him to geue my life therefore to which dignitie I do acknowledge dear God that ther was neuer any so vnworthy and so vnmeet no not the theef that hāged with him on the Crosse I most hūbly therfore pray thee that thou wouldest accordingly ayde helpe assiste me with thy strength and heauenly grace that with Christe thy sonne I may finde comfort with Stephen I may see thy presence and gracious power with Paule and all others whiche for thy names sake haue suffered affliction and death I may finde so present with me thy gracious consolations that I may by my deathe glorifie thy holy name propagate and ratifie thy veritie comfort the hartes of the heauy confirme thy Church in thy veritie conuert some that are to be conuerted and so depart foorth of thys miserable world where I do nothing but daily heape sinne vpon sinne and so enter into the fruition of thy blessed mercy wherof now geue and encrease in me a liuely truste sense and feelinge wherethrough the terrours of death the tormentes of fire the panges of sinne the dartes of Sathan and the dolours of hel may neuer depresse me but may be driuen away thorough the working of that most gracious spirite which now plenteously endue me withall that through the same spirite I may offer as I nowe desire to do in Christ by him my selfe wholy soule and body to be a liuely sacrifice holy and acceptable in thy sight Deare Father whose I am and alwayes haue bene euen from my mothers wombe yea euen before the world was made to whome I commend my selfe soule and body family and frendes countrey and all the whole Churche yea euen my very enemies accordynge to thy good pleasure beseeching thee intirely to geue once more to this Realme of England the blessing of thy word agayn with godly peace to the teaching setting forth of the same Oh dear father now geue me grace to come vnto thee Purge and so purifie me by this fire in Christes death and Passion through thy spirite that I may be a burnt offering of sweete smell in thy sight which liuest and raignest with the sonne and the holy God nowe and euermore world without end Amen ¶ Letters of Mayster Philpot. ¶ A letter which he sent to the christian congregation exhorting them to refrayne from the Idolatrous seruice of the papists and to serue God after his word IT is a lamentable thing to behold at this present in England the faithles departing both of men women frō the true knowledge vse of Christes sincere religion which so plētifully they haue bene taught do know their own consciences bearing witnes to the veritie thereof If that earth be cursed of God which eftsoones receiuing moisture pleasant dewes from heauen doth not bring forth fruite accordingly how much more greuous iudgemēt shal such persons receiue which hauing receiued from the father of heauē the perfect knowledge of his word by the ministery therof do not shew forth Gods worship after the same If the Lord wil require in the day of iudgemēt a godly vsury of all maner of talentes which he sendeth vnto men women how muche more wil he require the same of his pure religion reuealed vnto vs which is of al other talents the chiefest most pertayning to our exercise in this life if we hide the same in a napkin and set it not forth to the vsurye of Gods glory and edifying of his church by true confessiō God hath kindled the bright light of his Gospel which in times past was suppressed hid vnder the vile ashes of mās traditiōs and hath caused the brightnes therof to shine in our harts to the end that the same might shine before men to the honor of his name It is not onely geuen vs to beleue but also to confesse declare what we beleue in our outwarde couersation For as S. Paule writeth to the Romaynes The beliefe of the hart iustifieth and toe acknowledge wyth the mouth maketh a man safe It is al one before God not to beleue at al not to shew forth the liuely works of our belief For Christe sayth Either make the tree good and his fruites good or ells make the tree euill and the fruites euill because a good tree bringeth forth good fruites So that the person which knoweth his maysters will and doth it not shal be beaten with many stripes And not all they
be Pray I beseech you that I may be stil careles in my careful estate as you haue cause to be carelesse in your easier condition Be thaÌ„kful and put away all care and then I shall be ioyfull in my straite present care Commend me to all our brethren and desire them to praye for me that I may ouercome my teÌ„ptations for the deuil rageth against me I am putte in the stockes in a place alone because I would not answer to such articles as they would charge me wtall in a corner at the bishops appoyntment and because I did not come to Masse when the bish sent for me I will sic all the dayes of my life in the stockes by Gods grace rather then I wil consent to the wicked generation Praise God be ioyfull that it hath pleased him to make vs worthy to suffer somwhat for his names sake The deuil must rage for 10. daies Commend me to maister F. and thanke him for his lawe bookes but lawe neither equitie wil take any place among these bloud thirsty I would for your sake their vniust dealing were noted vnto the parlament house if it might auaile God shorteÌ„ these euil daies I haue answered the bish meetely plaine already and I said to him if he wil cal me in open iudgement I wil answer him as plainly as he will require otherwise I haue refused because I feare they will condemne me in hugger mugger The peace of God be with you my dear brother I canne wryte no more for lacke of light and that I haue wrytten I can not reade my selfe and God knoweth it is wrytten farre vneasily I pray God you may picke out some vnderstanding of my minde towards you Wrytten in a Colehouse of darkenesse oute of a paire of paynefull stockes by thine owne in Christ. Iohn Philpot. An other letter of M. Philpot to certaine godlye women forsaking their owne countrey for the Gospell full of frutefull precepts and lessons for all good women THe spirite of truthe reuealed vnto you my dearely beloued by the Gospell of oure Sauiour Iesus Christe be continually abiding with you and augmented into a perfect building of you into the liuely temple of God through the mighty operation of hys power Amen I reade in the Euangelistes of certaine Godly women that ministred vnto Christ folowing him in the daies of his Passion and neuer forsoke him but being dead in his graue brought oyl to annoynt him vntill that he had shewed himselfe vnto them after his resurrection and bidden them shewe vnto his Disciples which at his Passion were dispearsed and tell them that he was riâ—en and that they shoulde see him in Galile To whome I may iustly compare you my louinge Sisters in Christe who of late haue seene him suffer in his meÌ„bers and haue ministred to theyr necessity annoynting them with the comfortable oyle of your charitable assistance euen to the death and now since yee haue seene Christ to liue in the ashes of them whome the tyrans haue 〈◊〉 he willeth you to go away vpon iust occasion offred you and to declare to our dispearsed brethren and sisters that he is 〈◊〉 and liueth in his electe members in Englande and by death doth ouercome infidelitye and that they shall see him in Galile which is by forsaking this world and by a faithful desire to passe out of this world by those waies which he with his holy Martyrs hath gone on before God therfore entire sisters directe your way as he did Abraham Tobias vnto a strange land God geue you health both of body and soule that ye may go from vertue to vertue and grow from strength to strength vntil yee may see face to face the God of Syon in his holy hil with the innumerable companye of hys blessed Martyrs and Saintes Let there be continuall ascensions vnto heauen in your hearts Let there be no decrease of any vertue which is already planted in you Be as the light of the iuste such as Salomon saith increaseth to the perfect day of the Lord. Let the strength of God be commended in your weake vessels as it is Be examples of faith and sobrietie to al that ye shal come in company with all Let your godly conuersation speake where your toung may not in the congregation Be swift to heare and slow to speake after the counsell of S. Iames. Be not curious about other mens doings but be occupied in praier and coÌ„tinual meditation with reuerent talking of the word of God wythout contention amongst the Saintes Lette your faith shine in a straunge countrey as it hath done in youre owne that your father which is in heauen may be glorified by you to the ende This farewel I send you not as a thing nedefull which know already what your duety is be desirous to performe the same but as one that would haue you vnderstand that he is mindeful of your godly conuersation wherof he hath had good experieÌ„ce and therfore wryteth this to be as a perpetual memorial betwixt you and him vntil our meeting together before God where we shall ioy that we haue here louingly put one an other in memory of our duetie to performe it Farewell againe mine owne bowels in Christ and take me with you where soeuer you goe and leaue your selues wyth me that in spirite we may be present one with an other Commende me to the whole congregation of Christe willing them not to leaue their countrey without witnesse of the Gospell after that we al be slaine which already be stalled vp and appoynted to the slaughter and in the meane season to praye earnestly for our coÌ„stancie that Christ may be glorified in vs and in them bothe by life and death Farewel in the Lord. Yours for euer Iohn Philpot. An exhortation to his owne sister constantly to sticke to the truth which she had frutefully professed GOd the eternall Father who hath iustified you by the bloud of his sonne Iesus Christ and called you to hallow his name through a good conuersation and profession of life he sanctifie you with daily encrease of vertue faith by his holy spirit that you may appeare a vessell of sanctification in the middest of this wicked peruerse generation to the laud and praise of the Gospel Amen I haue occasion mine owne deare sister to praise God in you for 2. causes the one that to your habilitie you are ready to shew your self a naturall louing sister to me your poore afflicted brother as by your geÌ„tle tokens you haue eftsoones testified being absent as also presently visiting me which wel declareth that you be a very naturall sister in dede and to be praised in this behalfe But in the other that you be also a sister to me in faith after Christes Gospell I am occasioned to thanke God so muche the more howe much the one excelleth the other and the spiritual consanguinitie is more perdurable then that which is of flesh bloud
he acknowledgeth for his those no man without great impietie may exclude from the number of the faythful But God promiseth that he will not onely be the God of such as doe professe hym but also of Infants promising them hys grace and remission of sinnes as it appereth by the words of the couenaunt made vnto Abraham I will set my couenant betweene thee and me sayth the Lord and betweene thy seede after thee in their generations with an euerlasting couenaunt to be thy God and the God of thy seede after thee To the which couenaunt Circumcision was added to be a signe of satisfaction as well in children as in men no man may think that this promise is abrogated with Circumcision other ceremoniall lawes For Christ came to fulfill the promises and not to dissolue them Therfore in the Gospell he sayth of Infants that is of such as yet beleeued not Let thy little ones come vnto me and forbid them not for of such is the kingdome of heauen Agayne It is not the will of your father which is in heauen that any of these little ones do perish Also He that receyueth one such little chyld in my name receyueth me Take heede therefore that ye despise not one of these babes for I tell you their Angels do continually see in heauen my fathers face And what may be sayd more playner then this It is not the wyll of the heauenly father that the Infants should perish whereby we may gather that he receyueth them freely vnto this grace although as yet they confesse not their fayth Since then that the worde of the promise which is conteyned in Baptisme pertayneth as well to children as to men why shoulde the signe of the promise which is Baptisme in water be withdrawen from childrē when Christ hymselfe commandeth them to be receiued of vs and promiseth the reward of a Prophet to those that receiue such a little Infant as he for an example dyd put before hys disciples Now will I prooue with manifest argumentes that children ought to be baptised that the Apostles of Christ did baptise children The Lord commanded his Apostles to baptise all nations therfore also children ought to bee baptised for they are comprehended vnder this worde All nations Further whom God doth account among the faithfull they are faythfull for it was sayd to Peter That thyng which God hath purified thou shalt not say to bee common or vncleane But God doth repute children among the faithfull Ergo they be faithfull except wee had leaue to resiste God and seeme stronger and wiser then he And without all doubte the Apostles baptised those which Christ commanded but he commanded the faythfull to be baptised among the which infants be reckoned The Apostles then baptised Infants The Gospell is more then Baptisme for Paule sayd The Lord sent me to preach the Gospell and not to baptise not that he denied absolutely that he was sent to baptise but that he preferred doctrine before Baptisme for the Lorde commaunded both to the Apostles but children be receyued by the doctrine of the gospel of God not refused therfore what person being of reason may deny thē baptisme which is a thing lesser then the Gospell for in the Sacraments be two things to be considered the thing signified and the signe the thing signified is greater thē the signe and from the thing signified in Baptisme children are not excluded who therfore may deny them the sign which is Baptisme in water S. Peter could not deny them to be baptised in water to whom he sawe the holy Ghost geuen which is the certayne signe of Gods people For he sayeth in the Actes May any body forbid them to be baptised in water who haue receyued the holy Ghost as well as we Therefore S. Peter denied not Baptisme to Infantes for hee knew certaynely both by the doctrine of Christ and by the couenant which is euerlasting that the kingdome of heauen pertayned to Infants None be receyued into the kyngdome of heauen but such as God loueth and which are endued with his spirit for who so hath not the spirite of God he is none of hys But Infantes be beloued of God and therefore want not the spirit of God wherefore if they haue the spirit of God as well as men if they bee numbred among the people of God as well as we that be of age who I pray you may well withstand children to be baptised with water in the name of the Lord The Apostles in tymes past beyng yet not sufficiently instructed did murmure against those which broght their children vnto the Lord but the Lord rebuked them said Let the Babes come vnto me Why then doe not these rebellions Anabaptists obey the cōmandement of the Lord For what do they now adayes els that bring their children to baptisme then that they did in tymes past which brought their children to the Lord and our lord receiued them and puttyng his hands on them blessed them both by words and by gentle behauiour towardes them declared manifestly that children be the people of God and entirely beloued of God But some will say why then did not Christ baptise them Because it is written Iesus hymselfe baptised not but hys disciples Moreouer Circumcision in the old law was ministred to infants therfore baptisme ought to be ministred in the new law vnto children For baptisme is come in the stead of Circumcision as S. Paule witnesseth saying to the Collossians By Christ yee are circumcised with a Circumcision which is without hands when ye put of the body of sinne of the flesh by the Circumcision of Christ beyng buried together with hym through Baptisme Behold Paule calleth Baptisme the Circumcision of a Christian man which is done without hands not that water may be ministred without handes but that with hands no man any longer ought to bee circumcised albeit the mysterie of Circumcisiō do stil remain in faythfull people To this I may adde that the seruaunts of God were alwayes redy to minister the sacraments to them for whō they were instituted As for an example we may beholde Iosue who most diligently procured the people of Israell to be circumcised before they entred into the lande of promise but since the Apostles were the preachers of the word and the very faithful seruants of Iesus Christ who maye hereafter doubt that they baptised infants sithen baptisme is in place of Circumcision Item the Apostles dyd attemperate all their doyngs to the shadowes and figures of the olde Testament therfore it is certayne that they did attemperate Baptisme accordingly to Circumcision and baptised children because they were vnder the figure of Baptisme for the people of Israell passed through the red sea and the bottome of the water of Iordane with their children And although the children be not alwayes expressed
therefore declare vnto you my very faith how I beleeue wythout any colour or dissimulation for nowe is no time to dissemble whatsoeuer I haue sayd or wrytten in time past First I beleeue in God the Father almightye maker of heauen and earth c. And I beleue euery Article of the Catholicke faith euery woord and sentence taught by our Sauiour Iesus Christ his Apostles and Prophets in the newe and olde Testament And nowe I come to the great thinge that so muche troubleth my conscience more then any thing that euer I did or sayd in my whole life and that is the setting abroad of a wryting contrary to the truth which now here I renounce and refuse as things wrytten with my hand contrary to the truth which I thought in my heart and written for feare of death and to saue my life if it might be and that is all suche billes and papers which I haue wrytten or signed with my hand since my degradation wherein I haue wrytten many thinges vntrue And for asmuche as my hand offended wryting cōtrary to my heart my hand shall first be punished therfore for may I come to the fire it shal be first burned And as for the Pope I refuse hym as Christes ennemie and Antichrist with all his false doctrine And as for the sacrament I beleeue as I haue taught in my booke against the Bishop of Winchester the whych my booke teacheth so true a doctrine of the sacrament that it shall stand at the last day before the iudgement of God where the Papisticall doctrine contrary thereto shal be ashamed to shewe her face Here the standers by were all astonied maruailed were amased did looke one vpon an other whose expectation he had so notably deceiued Some began to admonish hym of hys recantation and to accuse him of falshoode Briefly it was a world to see the doctours beguiled of so great an hope I thinke there was neuer crueltie more notably or better in time deluded deceiued For it is not to be doubted but they looked for a glorious victorie and a perpetuall triumph by this mans retractation Who assoone as they heard these things began to lette downe their eares to rage frette and fume and so much the more because they coulde not reuenge their griefe for they coulde nowe no longer threaten or hurt him For the most miserable manne in the world can die but once and where as of necessity he must needes die that day though the papists had bene neuer so well pleased now being neuer so much offended with him yet coulde hee not be twise killed of them And so when they coulde doe nothing els vnto him yet least they shoulde say nothinge they ceassed not to obiect vnto him his falshoode and dissimulation Unto which accusation he answered Ah my maisters quoth he do not you take it so Alwayes since I liued hitherto I haue bene a hater of falshood and a louer of simplicitie and neuer before this time haue I dissembled and in saying this al the teares that remained in his body appeared in hys eyes And when he began to speake more of the sacrament and of the papacie some of them beganne to cry out yalpe and baule and specially Cole cried out vppon him stop the heretickes month and take him away And then Cranmer beinge pulled downe from the stage was ledde to the fire accompanied wyth those Friers vexing troubling and threatning him most cruelly What madnesse saye they hath brought thee againe into this error by which thou wilt draw innumerable soules with thee into hel To whom he answeared nothyng but directed all his talke to the people sauing that to one troubling hym in the way hee spake and exhorted him to gette hym home to hys studie and applye hys booke diligently saying if he did diligently cal vpon God by reading more he should get knowledge ⧠The description of Doctour Cranmer howe he was plucked downe from the stage by Friers and Papists for the true Confession of hys Faith ⧠The burnyng of the Archbishop of Caunterbury Doctor Thomas Cranmer in the Towneditch at Oxforde with his hand first thrust into the fire wherewith he subscribed before Then the Spanish Friers Iohn Richard of whom mention was made before began to exhort him and playe their partes with him a freshe but with vayne and lost labour Cranmer with stedfast purpose abidyng in the profession of his doctrine gaue his hand to certaine old men and other that stood by biddyng them farewell And when he had thought to haue done so likewyse to Ely the sayd Ely drewe backe his hande and refused saying it was not lawfull to salute heretickes and specially such a one as falsly returned vnto the opinions that he had forsworne And if he had knowen before that hee would haue done so he would neuer haue vsed his company so familiarly and chid those sergeants and Citizens whiche had not refused to geue hym their hands This Ely was a priest lately made and student in Diuinitie beyng thē one of the fellowes of Brasennose Then was an iron chaine tied about Cranmer whom when they perceyued to be more stedfast then that he could be mooued from hys sentence they commaunded the fire to be set vnto hym And when the woode was kindled and the fire began to burne neere hym stretching out his arme he put hys right hand into the flame which he held so stedfast immoueable sauing that once with the same hand he wiped his face that all men might see hys hande burned before his body was touched His body did so abide the burning of the flame with such constancy and stedfastnes that standyng alwayes in one place without moouyng of his body he seemed to mooue no more then the stake to which hee was bound his eyes were lifted vp into heauen and oftentymes he repeated hys vnworthy right hand so long as his voyce would suffer hym and vsing oftē the words of Steuen Lord Iesus receiue my spirite in the greatnesse of the flame he gaue vp the Ghost This fortitude of mynd which perchaunce is rare and not found among the Spaniards when Frier Ioh. saw thinkyng it came not of fortitude but of desperation although such maner of examples which are of the like constancy haue bene common here in England ranne to the L. Williams of Tame crying that the Archb. was vexed in mind and died in great desperation But he which was not ignorant of the Archbishoppes constancy beyng vnknowen to the Spaniards smiled only and as it were by silence rebuked the Friers folly And this was the ende of this learned Archb. whom least by euill subscribyng he should haue perished by well recantyng God preserued and least he should haue lyued longer with shame and reproofe it pleased God rather to take him away to the glory of his name and profit of his Church So good was the Lord both to hys
the Pope taketh vpon him to geue Empires and kyngdomes being none of his t◠such as will fall downe and worship hym and kisse his feete And moreouer his Lawyers and glosers so flatter him that they fayne he may commaund Emperors and kyngs to hold his stirrop when he lighteth vppon his horse and to be his footemen and that if any Emperour and kyng geue him any thyng they geue him nothing but that is his owne and that he may dispense agaynst Gods worde against both the old and new Testament agaynst s. Pauls Epistles and agaynst the gospell And furthermore what so euer he doth although he draw innumerable peoply by heapes with himselfe into hell yet may no mortal mā reprooue hym because he beyng iudge of all men may bee iudged of no man And thus he litteth in the Temple of God as he were a God nameth himself Gods Uicar yet he dispenseth agaynst God If this be not to play Antichrists part I cannot tel what is Antichrist which is no more to say but Christes enemy and aduersary who shall sit in the temple of God aduancing himselfe aboue all other yet by hypocrisie and fayned religion shall subuert the true religion of Christ and vnder pretence and colour of christian religion shall worke against Christ and therfore hath the name of Antichrist Now if any man lift him selfe higher then the Pope hath done who lifteth himselfe aboue al the world or can be more aduersary to Christ thē to dispense against gods lawes and where Christ hath geuen any commandement to command directly the cōtrary that man must needes be taken for Antichrist But vntil the tyme that such a person may be found men may easily coniecture where to find Antichrist Wherfore seyng the Pope thus to ouerthrowe both Gods lawes and mans lawes taketh vpon him to make Emperors and kings to be vassals and subiects vnto him especially the crowne of this realme with the lawes and customes of the same I see no meane how I may consent to admit this vsurped power within this realme contrary to myne othe myne obedience to Gods law mine allegeance and dutie to your Maiesty and my loue and affection to this realme This that I haue spoken against the power authoritie of the Pope I haue not spokē I take God to record and iudge for any malice I owe to the Popes personne whom I know not but I shall pray to God to geue hym grace that he may seeke aboue al things to promoote gods honour and glory and not to follow the trade of hys predecessors in these latter dayes Nor I haue not spoken it for feare of punishment and to auoyd the same thinkyng it rather an occasion to aggrauate them to diminish my trouble but I haue spokē it for my most bounden duty to the crown liberties laws customs of this realm of England but most specially to discharge my conscience in vttering the truth to gods glory casting away all feare by the comfort which I haue in Christ who sayth Feare not them that kil the body and cannot kill the soule but feare hym that can cast both body soule into hell fire He that for feare to loose this lyfe wyll forsake the truth shal loose the euerlasting lyfe And he that for the truthes sake will spend his lyfe shall find euerlasting life And Christ promiseth to stande fast with them before hys father which wil stand fast with hym here Which comfort is so great that whosoeuer hath his eies fixed vpō Christ cannot greatly passe on this lyfe knowyng that he may be sure to haue Christ stand by hym in the presence of his father in heauen And as touchyng the sacrament I sayd For as much as the whole matter standeth in the vnderstāding of these words of Christ This is my body This is my bloud I sayde that Christ in these wordes made demonstration of the bread wyne and spake figuratiuely callyng bread his body and wyne his bloud because he ordeyned them to bee Sacraments of his body and bloud And where the papistes say in those two points contrary vnto me that Christ called not bread his body but a substaunce vncertaine nor spake figuratiuely Herein I sayd I would be iudged by the old church and which doctrine could be prooued the elder that I would stand vnto And forasmuch as I haue alledged in my booke many old authors both Greekes and Latines which aboue a thousand yeres after Christ continuallye taught as I do if they could bring forth but one olde author that sayth in these two points as they say I offred 6. or 7. yeres ago doe offer yet still that I will geue place vnto them But when I bring forth any author that saith in most plain termes as I do yet saith the other part that the authors ment not so as who should say that the Authours spake one thing ment cleane contrary And vpon the other part when they cannot find any one Author that saith in words as they say yet say they that the authors mente as they say Now whether I or they speake more to the purpose herein I referre me to the iudgement of all indifferent hearers yea the old church of Rome aboue a thousand yeres togethers neither beleued nor vsed the Sacrament as the church of Rome hath done of late yeres For in the beginning the church of Rome taught a pure a sound doctrine of the sacrament But after that the church of Rome fell into a newe doctrine of transubstantiation with the doctrine they chaunged the vse of the Sacrament contrary to that Christ commanded and the old church of Rome vsed aboue a thousand yeres And yet to deface the old they say that the new is the old wherein for my part I am content to stand to the triall But their doctrine is so fond and vncomfortable that I meruaile that anye man would allowe it if he knewe what it is But howsoeuer they beare the people in hande that which they write in their bookes hath neither truth nor comfort For by their doctrine of one body of Christ is made ij bodies one naturall hauyng distance of members wyth forme and proportion of mans perfite body and this body is in heauen but the body of Christ in the Sacrament by their owne doctrine must needes be a monstruous body hauyng neither distaunce of members nor forme fashion or proportion of a mans naturall body And such a bodye is in the Sacrament teach they and goeth into the mouth with the forme of bread entreth no further thē the forme of bread goeth nor tarieth no longer then the forme of bread is by naturall heat in digesting So that when the forme of bread is digested that body of Christ is gone And for as much as euill men be as long in digesting as good mē the body of Christ by their doctrine entreth as farre
such in our consciences as euery Christian man is bound to confesse to be the truth of God and euery member of Christes church here in England must needes embrace the same in heart and confesse it with mouth if need require loose and forsake not onely house land possessions riches wife children and friends but also if God will so call them gladly to suffer all manner of persecution and to loose their liues in the defence of GODS worde and trueth set out amongest vs. For our Sauiour Christ requireth the same of vs saying Who soeuer shal be ashamed of me and my worde before this adulterous and sinfull generation the sonne of man will also be ashamed of hym when he shall come in the glorye of his father with the holye Aungels And agayne sayth he Who soeuer will confesse me before men I will confesse him before my father that is in heauen And who soeuer will deny me before men I will also deny hym before my father that is in heauen And whosoeuer shall speake a worde agaynst the sonne of man it shall be forgeuen him but who soeuer shall rayle against the holy ghost it shall not be forgeuē him We humbly beseeche the Queenes Maiestie and you her honorable Commissioners bee not offended with vs for confessing this truth of God so straightly geuen vs in charge of Christ neither bring vppon vs that great sinne that neuer shall be forgeuen and shall cause our Sauiour Iesu Christ in the great day of iudgement before his heauenly Father all his Aungels to deny vs to take frō vs the blessed price and raunsome of his bloudshed wherwith we are redeemed For in that day neither the Queenes highnes neither you nor any man shal be able to excuse vs nor to purchase a pardon of Christ for this horrible sinne and blasphemye of casting aside and condemning his word We can not agree nor consent vnto this so horrible a sinne but we beseeche God for his mercy to geue vs and all menne grace moste earnestly to flee from it and rather if the will of God be so to suffer all extremitie and punishment in thys world then to incurre such damnation before God Manasses who restored agayn the wickednes of idolatrous religiō before put down by Ezechias his father brought the wrath of God vpon the people so that the scriptures sayth Notwithstanding the reformation made by Iosias the Lord turned not from the fiercenes of his great wrath wherwith hee was angrye agaynst Iuda because of the prouocation with the which Manasses prouoked him And the Lord said euen Iuda will I take away from my presence as I cast away Israell I will cast away this Citty of Ierusalem and the house whereof I sayd my name shall be there Ieroboam who at Bethel and Dan erected vp a new found seruice of God and not onely sinned himselfe but also made all Israel to sinne with him so that not onely he was damned for commaunding but the wrath of God came vppon all Israell for obeing that his vngodly commandement Yet was it not so heynous offence to bring man Idolatry neither yet heard of as after reformation made by the godly kinges and princes by the vertuous and holy Bishoppes by the Prophets and seruaunts of God to reiecte and cast of the word and true Religion of GOD and to receaue againe a damned impietie This moste heynous offence is now offered vnto vs although the same be paynted and coloured with the name of reformation restoring of religion auncient fayth wyth the name of the catholicke Churche of vnitie Catholicke truth with the cloke of fayned holines These are sheepe skinnes vnder the which as Christ saith rauening Wolues couer themselues But Christ willeth vs to looke vpon their fruites whereby we may know them and truely this is no good fruite to cast aside Gods word and to bānish the English seruice out of the Churches and in the place of it to bring in a latine tongue vnknowne vnto the people Which as it edifieth no man so hath it bene occasion of all blindnes and errour amonge the people For afore the blessed reformation begun by the most noble Prince of godlye memory the queenes good father and by our late holy and innocent king her good brother finished it is not vnknowne what blindnes errour wee were all in when not one man in all this realme vnlearned in the latine could say in English the Lordes prayer or knew any one article of his beliefe or rehearse any one of the x. cōmandementes And that ignoraunce mother of mischiefe was the very roote and well spring of all Idolatry Sodomiticall Monkery and whorish chastitie of vnmaryed priests of all whoredome dronkennes couetousnes swearing blasphemie with al other wicked sinfull liuing These brought in the seuere wrathe and vengeance of GOD plaging sinne with famine and pestilence and at last the sword consumed and auenged all theyr impietie and wicked liuing As it is greatly to be feared the same or more greuous plagues shall now agayne follow We cannot therefore consent nor agree that the worde of God and praiers in our English tongue which we vnderstand should be taken away from vs and for it a latin seruice we wote not what for none of vs vnderstande it to be agayne brought in amongest vs specially seeing that Christ hath sayd My sheepe heare my voyce and follow me I geue to them euerlasting life The seruice in Englishe teacheth vs that wee are the Lords people and the sheep of his pasture and commandeth that we harden not our hartes as when they prouoked the Lordes wrathe in the wildernes least hee sweare vnto vs as he did sweare vnto them that they should not enter into his rest The seruice in Latine is a confused noyse which if it be good as the say it is yet vnto vs that lack vnderstāding what goodnes can it bring S. Paule commaundeth that in the Churches all thinges shoulde bee done to edifying which we are sure is Gods commaundement But in the Latine seruice nothing is done to edifying but contrarily al to destroy those that are already edified and to driue vs from Gods word and truth and from beleuing of the same and so to bring vs to beleue lyes and fables that tempting and prouoking God we shoulde be brought into the iudgement that blessed Paule speaketh of saying Antichrist shall come according to the working of Satan with all manner of power and signes and lying wonders in all deceiuablenes of vnrighteousnes in those that pearish because they haue not receyued the loue of the truth that they might be saued And therfore God wil send them strong delusion that they should beleue lyes be damned as many as haue not beleued the truth but haue approued vntighteousnesse Thus altogether drawne from God we shall fal into his wrath through vnbeliefe till
he sweare vnto vs as he did vnto the vnfaythfull Iewes that such Infidells shall not enter into his rest In the administration of the Lordes supper whiche we confessed to be the holye Communion and pertakinge with Christ and his holy Congregation we haue learned Gods holy commaundements and at the rehearsall of euery one of them to ask God mercy for our most grieuous transgressions agaynst them and to aske grace of God to keepe them in time to come that the same may not onelye outwardly sound in our eares but also inwardly by the holy ghost be written in our hartes Wee haue learned also the holye prayer made for the Queenes Maiestie wherein wee learne that her power and authoritie is of God therefore wee praye to God for her that shee and all magistrates vnder her may rule according to Gods worde and we her subiectes obey according to the same Truely most honourable Commissioners we caÌ„not thinke these thinges euill but thinke them moste worthye to be retayned in our Churches and we would think our selues not to haue true subiectes hartes if we shuld go about to put away such godly prayers as put vs perpetually in memory of our bounden obedience duety to God and our Rulers For as we thinke at this present the vnquiet multitude had more neede to haue these things more often and earnestly beaten and driuen into them specially geuen in many places to stirre and trouble then to take from them that blessed doctrine whereby onely they may to their saluation be kept in quiet Furthermore we caÌ„not forsake that blessed partaking of the body and bloud of our Sauiour Iesu Christes institution ministred with such godly prayers exhortatioÌ„s and admonitions teaching vs the knowledge of God the exceeding loue and charity of our louing redeemer Christ breaking hys body vpon the crosse for our sinnes shâ—dding his most precious bloud for our redemption whych we in eating of that blessed breade and drinking of yâ— blessed Cup assuredly beleue that we receiue and be perfectly ioyned with Christ and his holy Catholike Churche into one body and into one vnitie and brotherly loue wherby eche member faithfully embraceth other We must needes confesse thys institution of Christ to be moste holy godly whereof we haue the onely coÌ„fort in conscience against sinne damnation with the assurance of saluation wherof hath ensued reformation of many hainous sinnes much lawinge strife and contention is ended dronkennesse whoredome and other vices in some reformed goodnesse and vertue increased and nourished In the Latine Masse we neuer had no suche edifying but only we saw a great many of ceremonies and strange gestures as tourning of the Prieste crossings blessings breathings washing of handes and spreading abroade of hys armes wyth like ceremonies that we vnderstaÌ„d not And concerninge the Latine tongue wherein the Prieste prayeth we wote not whether hee blesseth or cursseth vs. Wee are not partakers of the Sacrament as Christes institution appoynteth we should be In the ministring of the Sacrament the Priests alter the institution of Christ committing theft and sacriledge robbing vs of the cup of Christes bloud coÌ„trary to Christes commandement saying Drinke yee all of this They rob vs also of Gods woord speaking all thyngs in Latine whych nothing edifieth vs eyther in Faythe or maners Christe commaunded not that his Supper shuld be ministred in an vnknowen tounge but for as much as faith commeth of hearing and hearing commeth of Gods woorde howe can wee beleeue Christes woorde and promise made vnto vs in thys holy Sacrament saying Thys is my bodye broken for you and this is my bloude of the newe Testament whiche is shedde for you for the remission of sinnes if the same promises of Christe either be not at all recited or els so recited in Latine that the Congregation vnderstandeth not or heareth not what is spoken S. Paul saith thus reciting the saying of Esay As truly as I liue sayth the Lorde all knees shall bowe vnto me all tongues shall geue praise vnto God Also he sayeth Al tongues must confesse that Iesus Christ is the Lord vnto the glory of God the father The holye Ghost came vppon the Apostles in fiery tongues so that they spake the tongues of all nations vnder heauen S. Paul ministred to the Corinthians and preached to them in theyr owne mother tongue and rebuked the bringyng in of straunge tongues into the congregations Wee can not thincke it to be well that so holy an Apostle rebuked And what soeuer vertue the Latine tongue hath to suche as vnderstand it to vs English men not vnderstandyng it it is altogether without vertue and edifying and therfore vnmeete for our Churches The Priestes complayne that we lay men loue them not nor haue them in honour But it is their owne faulte For how should we loue them that onely seeeke to keep vs in blindnes and ignorance to damne our soules to destroy our bodies to rob and spoyle our goodes and substaunce vnder a colour of pretensed holines We knowe right honourable Commissioners what honour is due to suche Wolues how by the authoritie of Gods word such are to be fledde as pestilences to the Lordes lambes whom they miserably dayly murder But we haue rather chosen by this our meeke supplycation humbly to desire the Queenes maiestie and you her honorable Commissioners to render Gods worde agayn vnto the Churches to permit vs freely to enioye the same For we certainely knowe that the whole Religion lately set out by the holy sainct of God our late most deare king Edward is Christes true religion written in the holy scripture of God and by Christe and his Apostles taught vnto his Church Wherefore we cannot allowe with safe consciences this refusall of it and casting of it out of oure Churches for asmuch as to refuse cast off to reiect is to cast off Christ himselfe and to refuse our part in his blessed body broken for our sinnes and his bloud shed for our redemption Which thing who so doth the same without repentaunce can look for no sacrifice for his sinnes but most fearfully wayte for the iudgement and for that vehement fire that shall destroy Christes aduersaries For if hee that despiseth the law of Moses is without mercye put to death vnder two or three witnesses howe much more greeuous tormentes shall he suffer that treadeth vnder foot the sonne of God and esteemeth the bloud of the Testament wherby he was sanctified as a prophane thing coÌ„tumeliously vseth the spirite of grace Wherefore wee moste humbly praye and beseeche the Queenes gracious Maiestie to haue mercy and pitty vpon vs her poore and faithfull subiectes and not to compel vs to do the thing that is agaynst our consciences and shall so incurably wound vs in hart by bringing into the churche the Latine Masse and seruice that nothing edifieth vs and and casting out of Christes holye Communion and
Commons faythfull and true subiectes members of the same body politicke wherof her Grace is supreme head All our bodyes goodes landes and lyues are ready to do her Grace faythfull obedience and true seruice of all commaundements that are not agaynst God his worde but in these thinges that importe a denyall of Christ and refusall of his word and holy Communion we cannot consent nor agree vnto it For we haue bound our selues in Baptisne to be Christes Disciples and to keepe his holy word and ordinances And if we deny him before men he will deny vs before his heauenly Father and hys holy Aungels in the day of iudgement which we trust her benigne Grace will not require of vs. And we humbly beseeche her Maiestie that we be not enforced vnto it but as we serue her grace with body and goodes due obedience accordyng to Gods commauÌ„dement so we may bee permitted freely to serue God and Christ our Sauiour keepe vnto him our soules which hee hath with his precious bloud redeemed that so as Christ teacheth we may reÌ„der to Caesar that is due to Caesar and to God that is due to God For we thinke it no true obedience vnto the Queenes highnes or to any other Magistrate ordeined of God vnder her to obey in things coÌ„trary to gods word although the same be neuer so straitly charged in her Graces name The Bish. of Winchester hath truely taught in that point in his booke of true obedience that true obedieÌ„ce is in the Lord not agaynst the Lord as the Apostles aunswered before the Counsaile at Ierusalem coÌ„maundyng them no more to preache in the name of the Lord Iesus Iudge you sayd they whether it be right in the sight of God to heare you rather theÌ„ God And agayne they sayd We must obey God rather then man Wherefore wee learne that true obedience is to obey God kyng of all kynges Lord of all Lordes and for him in him and not agaynst him and his word to obey the Princes and Magistrates of this world who are not truely obeyed when God is disobeyed nor yet disobeyed when God is faythfully obeyed Tobias disobeyed not his king although contrary to his commaundement contrary to the vsage of all other when they went to Dan Bethel he went vnto Ierusalem worshipped in the teÌ„ple of the Lord. The three youÌ„g men in Babylon refusing king Nabuchodonosors commaundemeÌ„t pleased God more then the whole multitude that obeyed And Daniel that prayed to the God of heaueÌ„ contrary to kyng Darius coÌ„maundementes bare a more true faythfull hart to the king theÌ„ those wicked CouÌ„sellers that procured that wicked law or those that for feare of flattery obeyed it Which two pestilences feare flattery haue euer destroyed true obedience to God and man when wicked godlesse men that care not if the deuill were worshipped so they may get obteine riches promotioÌ„s and dignities and worldly glory turne to and fro as euery winde bloweth and weake and frayle meÌ„ fearing losse of goodes punishment or death doe outwardly in body that thyng that their hartes conscieÌ„ces inwardly abhorreth and so outwardly disobey God and in hart dissemble with man which dissimulation we thinke worthy hate of all men and most vncomely for Christian men Wherfore we humbly beseeche the Queenes Maiestie with pitie and mercy to tender the lamentable suite of vs her poore subiectes which be by this coÌ„maundement sore hurt wounded in our consciences and driuen to many miseries by the malicious attemptes of wicked meÌ„ suffer great wronges iniuries sclaunders losse of goods bodyly vexations We thinke not good by any vnlawful sâ—urre or coÌ„motion to seeke remedy 〈◊〉 intend by Gods grace to obey her maiesty in al things not against God his holy woorde But vnto such vngodly bishoplike commandements as are against God we answer with the apostles God must be obeied rather then man If persecution shall ensue whiche some threaten vs with we desire the heauenly Father according to his promise to looke from heauen to heare our crye to iudge betweene vs our aduersaries to geue vs faith strength and patience to coÌ„tinue faithfully vnto the end to shorten these euil daies for his chosens sake and so we faithfully beleeue he will Notwithstanding we trust the Quenes gracious and mercifull heart will not suffer such tyranny to be done against her poore innocent faithful and obedient subiects that daily pray vnto God for her which haue no remedie in this world but to sue vnto her highnesse our most gracious and benigne soueraigne whom we pray beseech for the deare bloud of Christ to pitie our lamentable case and hurt of conscience and to call backe all such commandements as are against Gods honour as the good Kyng Darius Assuerus Traianus Theodosius diuers other haue done and to permit the holy woord of God and true religion set foorth by our moste holy and innocent king Edward a very Sainte of God to be restored agayne vnto our Churches to be frequented amongst vs. So shal we grow and increase in the knowledge of God of Christ in true repentance and amendement of life so shal we exhibite true obedience to our lawfull Magistrates and all superiors ordained of God so shall loue charitye of late thorowe this commandement so decaied be againe restored the honor of her regall estate the more confirmed and established and godlinesse and vertuous life among her louing subiects increased and maintained And we most hartily pray you right honorable commissioners to be meanes vnto the Queenes highnesse and to her honourable Counsaile that thys oure humble sute may be fauourably tendered and graciously hearde and graunted And we shall not cease daye and nyghte to pray vnto the heaueÌ„ly Father long to preserue her grace all other magistrates in his feare and loue and in prosperous peace and wealth with long life honor Amen Your poore suppliants the louers of Christes true Religion in Northfolke and Suffolke The story of Iohn Harpole of the parish of S. Nicholas in Rochester Ioane Beach wydowe of Tunbridge Martyrs TOuching the examination of Ioane Beach widowe and of Iohn Harpole within the dioces of Rochester by Maurice B. of the sayde Diocesse remembraunce was made before in the story of Nicholas Hal pag. 1591. wherin was declared the foure articles Consistorial of the byshop obiected and laide as vnto the sayd Nicholas Hall and his company so also to this Ioane Beach wydowe whereof the first was this 1 That shee was of the parish of Tunbridge in the Dioces of Rochester 2 Item that all persons which preache teach beleeue or say otherwise or contrary to that their mother holye Catholike church of Christ are excommunicate persons and heretickes 3 Item that the sayde Ioane Beach hath and yet dothe affirme maintaine and beleue contrary to the sayde mother holye Churche of
Christe videlicet that in the blessed sacrament of the aultar vnder forme of breade and wine there is not the very body and bloude of our Sauiour in substance but onely a token and memoriall thereof and that the very body and bloude of Christ is in heauen and not in the sacrament 4 Item that she hath bene and yet is amongst the parishioners of Tunbridge openly noted and vehemently suspected to be a sacramentarie and hereticke Her personall answeres to the said Articles TO the whych foresayde articles her aunsweares were these First that shee was and is of the sayd parishe of Tunbridge in the Dioces of Rochester 2 That al persons which do preach and hold otherwise and contrary to that which the holy catholicke churche of Christ doth are to be reputed for excommunicate and heretickes adding wythall that neuerthelesse she beleeueth not the holy Catholike church to be her mother but beleueth only the father of heauen to be her father 3 Thirdly that shee hath and yet doeth verely beleeue hold and affirme in the Sacrament of the Aultare vnder fourmes of bread and wyne not to be the very body and bloud of our Sauiour in substance but onely a token and remembraunce of hys death to the faithfull receiuer and that his body and substaunce is onely in heauen and not in the Sacrament 4 Lastly as touching howe shee hath beene or is noted and reputed among the parishners of Tunbridge shee sayd shee could not tell howbeit shee beleeued shee was not so taken and reputed Examination and condemnation of Iohn Harpole and Ioane Beach THe lyke matter and the same foure Articles were also the same present time and place ministred to Iohn Harpole by the foresayde byshop Maurice who after the like aunsweares receiued of hym as of the other before adiudged and condemned them both together to deathe by one fourme of sentence according to the tenor course of their seueral sentence which ye may read before in master Rogers storie And thus these ij Christian Martyrs coupled in one confession being condemned by the bishop suffered together at one fire in the towne of Rochester where they together ended their liues about the first day of this present moneth of Aprill Iohn Hullyer Minister and Martyr NExte after these ensueth the Martyrdome of Iohn Hullyer Minister who first being brought vp in the Schoole of Eaton was afterwarde Scholler and then Conducte in the Kings Colledge at Cambridge and in the same Uniuersitie of Cambridge suffered vnder Doctour Thurlby Bishop of Elye and hys Chauncelloure for the syncere setting out of the lyght of Gods gracious Gospell reuealed in these oure dayes In whose behalfe thys is to be lamented that among so many fresh wittes and stirring pennes in that Uniuersitie so little matter is leaft vnto vs touching the processe of his iudgement and order of hys suffering whych so innocently gaue hys lyfe in suche a cause among the middest of them By certayne letters whych hee hym selfe leafte behinde him it appeareth that hee was zealous and earnest in that doctrine of truthe whych euerye true Christian man oughte to embrace His Martyrdome was about the second day of this present moneth of Aprill ¶ Letters of M. Iohn Hullier Minister A Letter of Iohn Hullier to the Christian congregation exhorting them faithfully to abide in the doctrine of the Lord. IT standeth now most in hand O deare Christians all them that looke to bee accounted of Christes flocke at that great and terrible day when a separation shal be made of that sort that shal be receiued from the other which shal be refused faithfully in this time of great afflictions to heare our master Christes voice the only true shepheard of our soules whych sayeth Who so euer shall endure to the ende shall be safe For euen nowe is that great trouble in hande as heere in England we may wel see that our Sauiour Christ spake off so long before which shoulde followe the true and sincere preachinge of his Gospell Therefore in thys time wee must needes eyther shewe that wee be hys faithfull Souldiours and continue in hys battaile vnto the ende putting on the armoure of God the buckler of faith the brest plate of loue the helmet of hope and saluation and the sworde of his holy woorde whiche wee haue heard plentifully wyth all instaunce of supplication and prayer or els if we do not woorke and labour with these we are Apostataes and false souldiours shrinking moste vnthankefully from our gracious and soueraigne Lorde and Captaine Christe and leaning to Beliall For as hee sayeth plainely Who so euer beareth not my crosse and foloweth me he can not be my disciple And no man can serue two maisters for either he must hate the one and loue the other or els he shall leane to the one and despise the other The which thing the faithfull Prophete Helias signified when hee came to the people and sayde Why halte yee betweene two opinions If the Lorde be God followe hym or if Baal be hee then folowe him Nowe let vs not thinke but that the same was recorded in wryting for oure instruction whome the endes of the worlde are come vppon as the Apostle Saint Paule sayeth What so euer thyngs are wrytten aforehande they are wrytten for our learning If Christe be that onely good and true shepheard that gaue his life for vs then lette vs that beare his marke and haue our consciences sprinkled with his bloude followe altogether for our saluation hys heauenly voyce and calling according to oure profession and first promise But if we shall not so do certainly say what we can although we beare the name of Christe yet we be none of hys sheepe in deede For he sayeth very manifestly My sheepe heare my voyce and followe me a straunger they will not followe but will flee from him for they knowe not the voyce of a straunger Therefore lette euery man take good heede in these perillous dayes whereof we haue had so much warning aforehande that he be not beguiled by the goodly outward shewe and appearance as Eue was of our olde subtile enemie whose crafte and wylinesse is so manifolde and diuers and so full of close windings that if he can not bring hym directly and the plaine straight way to consent to his suggestions then he will allure him and winde him in by some other false wayes as it were by a traine that hee shall not perceiue it to deceiue him wythall and to steale from him that goodly victorie of the incorruptible and eternall crowne of glorye which no man els can haue but he that fighteth lawfully as at thys present day if hee can not induce him thorowly as other doe to fauor his deuelish religion and of good wil and free heart to helpe to vpholde the same yet he will enueagle him to resorte to hys wicked and whorish schoolehouse and at the least
not awaye all thy true preachers forth of this realme O Lord but leaue vs a seede least England be made like vnto Sodome and Gomorre when thy true Lothes be gone But what goe I aboute to mingle your myrthe wyth my mourning and your iust ioy with my deserued sorow If I loued you in deede as I haue pretended I shoulde surely reioyce with you most hartily praise god on your behalfe from the very bottome of my hart I should prayse God day and night for your excellēt election in through his great mercy and should geue him most humble thākes for your vocation by his Gospell your true knowledge in the same I should earnestly prayse him for your sweete iustification wherof you are most certayne by Gods grace and spirite should instantly pray vnto him for your glorification which shall shortly ensue I should reioyce and be glad to see you so dignifyed by the crowne of Martyrdome and to be appoynted to that honour to testify hys truth and to seale it with your bloud I should highly extoll the Lord who hath geuen you a glorious victory euer al your enemies visible and inuisible and hath geuen you grace and strength to finish the Tower that you haue begunne to build Finally if I loued you I should most hartily reioice and be glad to see you deliuered from this body of sinne and vile prison of the fleshe and brought into that heauenly tabernacle where you shal be safely kept and neuer offend him more This and much more should I do if I had a good hart towardes God or you his deare childe But alas I am an hypocrite do seeke nothing but mine owne commodity I would haue gods euerlasting prouidēce geue place to my peeuish will purpose although it were to the hinderance of his glory and your sweet commodity God forgeue me my horrible ingratitude sinnes offēces agaynst him and good brother do you forgeue me my great negligence and vnthankfulnes towards you and henceforth I promise you I will put my will to Gods wil pray that the same may be fulfilled in you so long as you be on this earth and when you are taken hence I will most hartely prayse the Lord for you so lōg as I haue my being in this world Ah my deare hart nowe I muste take my leaue of you and as I thinke my Vltimum vale in this lyfe but in the life to come I am righte well assured we shall merilye meete together that shortly I trust And in taking of my leue of you my deare hart in the Lord I shall desire you faythfully to remēber all the sweet messages that the Lord our good God most deare louing father hath sent you by me his most vnworthy seruaunt which as they are moste true so shall they be most truly accōplished vpon you eternally and for the more assurance and certificate thereof to your godly cōscience he hath cōmaunded me to repeat the same vnto you agayne in his owne name and word Therfore now geue eare and faithfull credence Harken O ye heauens and thou earth geue eare and beare me witnes at the great day that I do here faythfully and truly the lordes message vnto his dear seruant his singularly beloued and elect childe Iohn Bradford Iohn Bradford thou man so specially beloued of God I pronoūce testify vnto thee in the word name of the Lord Iehoua that all thy sinnes whatsoeuer they be be they neuer so many so grieuous or so great be fully freely pardoned released forgeuen thee by the mercy of God in Iesus Christ thyne onely Lord sweet sauiour in whom thou doest vndoubtedly beleue Christ hath cleansed thee with his bloud and clothed thee with his righteousnes and hath made thee in the sight of God his father without spotte or wrinckle so that when the fire doth his appoynted office thou shalt be receyued as a sweete burnt sacrifice into heauen where thou shalt ioyfully remayn in Gods presence for euer as the true inheritor of his euerlasting kingdome vnto that whiche that wast vndoubtedly predestinate ordeined by the Lords vnfallible purpose and decree before the foundation of the worlde was layde And that this is most true that I haue sayd I call the whole Trinity the almighty and eternall maiesty of God the father the sonne and the holy ghost to my record at this present whom I humbly beseech to confirme and stablish in thee the true and liuelye feeling of the same Amen Selah Now with a mery hart and a ioyfull spirit something mixed with lawful teares I take my farewel of you mine owne deare brother in the Lorde who sende vs shortly a merye meeting in his kingdome that we maye both sing prayses together vnto him with hys holy Aungelles and blessed spirites for euer euer Farewel thou blessed of the Lord farewell in Christ depart vnto thy rest in the Lorde and pray for me for Gods sake As I had made an ende of this simple Letter I hearde some comfort both of good Maister Philpots seruant and yours but alas I doe scarcely beleue them Well I wyll hope in God pray all night that God will send me some comfort to morrowe and if the Lorde geue you sparing to morow let me heare foure words of comfort from you for Gods sake The blessing of God be with you now and for euer Amen Yours for euer in the Lord Iesus Iohn Careles liuing in hope agaynst hope In reading this letter of Iohn Careles to M. Bradford aboue prefixed wherein he maketh so much mētion of a certayne letter of his sent to him and of the great exceeding consolation he receiued of the same thou wilt wishe peraduenture good louing Reader in thy mynd to haue some sight also of the sayd Letter of M. Bradford Wherein to satisfy thy desire or rather to preuent thy petition I haue hereunto annexed the same to the entent thou mayest not onely vnderstand the contentes therof but also receiue fruit therof to thy cōsolation likewise The purport of the letter here foloweth ¶ Mayster Bradford to Careles ALmighty God our deare father through and for the merits of his dearely beloued sonne Iesus Christ be mercifull vnto vs pardon vs our offences vnder the winges of his mercy he protect vs from all euill from henceforth and for euer Amen Deare brother Careles I hartely pray you to pray to GOD for me for the pardon of my manifold sinnes and most grieuous offences whiche neede none other demonstration vnto you then this namely that I haue behaued my selfe so negligently in aunswering your godly triple letters whiche are three witnesses agaynst me God lay not them nor none other thing to my charge to condemnation though to correction not my will but his wil be done Concerning your request of absolution my dearest brother what shall I saye but euen as trueth is that the
first chapter If an Aungell come from heauen and preach any other doctrine then may be proued by Gods word hold him accursed so doe I I tell you playnely Priest Here is a Testament in my hand if I hurle him in the fire and burne him haue I burned gods word or not I will buy a new for xvj pence Wood. I saye you haue burned Gods worde and I beleue he that will burne a testament willingly would burn God him selfe if he were here if he could for he and hys word are all one Then they made a great laughing at it Wood. Laugh on quoth I Your laughing will be turned to weeping and all such ioy will be turned to mourning if you repent it not with speed Chich. Then the bishop begon to helpe to cloake the Priestes folly saying why if my Counting house were full of bookes and if my house should be on fire by chauÌ„ce and so be burned were Gods word burned Wood. No my Lord because they were burned against your will but yet if you shoulde burne them willingly or think it well not being sory for it you burn Gods word as well as he For he that is not sory for a shrewd turne doth allow it to be good Chich. Folow your vocation you haue a little learning We haue an aultar whereof you may not eate What meaneâ—h S. Paule thereby Wood. There is no manne so foolishe to eate stones I trowe Chichest What Mockers and Scorners be you to saye no manne will be so foolishe to eate stones it is a playne mocke Wood. Why my Lorde you sayde I had no learnyng nor knowledge nor vnderstanding Wherefore it becommeth you to make things more plaine to me not to aske me such darcke questions and yet blame me too me thinke it is too much Chic I dare say you know what it meaneth wel enough The most foole in my house will vnderstand my meaning better then you do Wood. There stoode some of his menne not farre of talking together beside a window He called one of them by his name Chich. Come hither I say to thee thou shalt not eate of this table What do I meane therby The man Forsoothe my Lorde you woulde not haue mee eate of this table laying his hand thereuppon With this answere he made all them in the house to fall on laughing and I could not holde it in but burste out with laughter and sayd Wood. Hee hath expounded the matter almoste as well as I. Chich. He meaneth well enough if you woulde vnderstand him Aunswere me agayne to make it more playne I saye to thee thou shalt not eate of this Table What meane I thereby The man Forsoothe you woulde not haue mee eate thys Table Wood These wordes made them al laugh Wherwith the bishop was almost angry because the answere proued no better and sayd Chich He meaneth that I would not haue him eate anye of the meat that is set vpon this Table How sayest thou doest thou not meane so The man Yes forsooth my Lorde that was my meanyng in deede Wood. Yea my Lorde nowe you haue tolde him what you meane he can say so too and so could I haue done as litle witte as I haue if you had sayd Paule meant that no man might eat of that which was offered vpon the aultar but the priestes Chich. Yea I perceiue you vnderstande the meaning of Paule well enough but that you list to cauell with me Wood. Why my Lord doe you thinke I vnderstand such darcke places of the scripture without learning you sayd euen now I had no knowledge nor learning wherefore I aunswered you as you iudged of me Chich. Well let this matter passe and let vs turne to the principall agayne Howe say you by the Sacrament of the Aultar Wood. You meane the sacrament of the body and bloud of Iesus Christ. Chic I meane the sacrament of the aultar and so I say Wood. You meane Christ to be the aultar do you not Chich. I mean the sacrament of the aultare in the church What is it so straunge to you Wood. It is straunge to me in deede if you meane the aultar of stone Chich. It is that aultar that I meane Wood. I vnderstand not the aultar so Chich. No I thinke so in deede and that is the cause that you be deceiued I pray you how doe you vnderstand the aultar then Wood. If you will geue me leaue till I haue done I will shew you how I vnderstand the aultar and where it is Chich. Yes you shall haue leaue to say your minde as much as you will Wood. It is written Mat. 18. That wheresoeuer two or three be gathered together in Christes name there is he in the midst among them and whatsoeuer they aske the father vpon earth it shal be graunted them in heauen agreeing to the 5. of Math. saying When thou commest to offer thy gift at the aultar and there remeÌ„brest that thy brother hath ought agaynst thee leaue there thy offering and go first and be reconciled to thy brother and then offer thy gift The priests would haue interrupted me but the bishop bad them let me alone Chich. You shall heare a prety conclusion anone Wood. I pray you let me make an end and then find fault with me if you can Now to the matter In these two places of scripture I proue that Christ is the true aultar wher on euery christian man woman ought to come and offer their giftes First wheresoeuer the people are gathered together in Christes name there is he in the midst where he is there is the aultar so that we may be bold to come offer our gift if we be in loue and charity if we be not we must leaue there our offering and go first and be reconciled to our brother agree with him quickely and so forth and then come and offer thy gift Some will say how shal I agree with my aduersary when he is not nigh by a huÌ„dred miles may I not pray till I haue spoken with him To al such I answere if thou presume to pray among the faithful wyshing any euil to any maÌ„ womaÌ„ or child thou askest vengeaunce vpon thy selfe For no such asketh any thing els of the Lord in his prayer Wherefore agree with thy aduersary that is make thy life agreable to Gods word Saye in thy harte without dissimulation that thou askest God and all the world forgeuenes from the bottom of thy hart entending neuer to offeÌ„d theÌ„ any more TheÌ„ all such may be bold to come offer their gifte their prayer on the aultar where the people of god be gathered together Thus haue I shewed you my mind both of the aultar of the offering as I vnderstand it Chich. Doe you vnderstand the offering and the aultar so I neuer heard any man vnderstand it so no not Luther the great hereticke that was condeÌ„ned by a
that Iudas receiued bread which is no heresy vnlesse you tell what more then bread Wood. Is it heresy to say that Iudas receiued more then bread I sayd he receaued more then bare bread for he receiued the Sacrament that was prepared to shewe foorth the Lordes death and because he presumed to eat without sayth he eat the deuill withall as the wordes of Christ declare after he eate the soppe the Deuill entred into hym as you cannot deny Winc. Hold him a booke I will haue you aunswere dyrectly whether Iudas did eate the body of Christ or no. Wood. I will answere no more for I am not of your Dioces wherfore I will haue nothing to do with you Winc. No you be in my Dioces and you be of my Dioces because you haue offended in my Dioces Wood. I am not of your Dioces although I am in your Dioces and I was brought into your Dioces against my will and I haue not offended in your Dioces if I haue tell me wherein Winchester Here is your owne hand writing the whiche is heresie These be the wordes I cannot find say you that it is the body of christ to any before it be receiued in faith How say you is not this your owne hand writing Wood. Yea I do not deny but it is mine owne hand wryting but when or where was it written or where wer the woâ—des spoken Before the Commissioners and here is one of them Maister Roper the words were spoken before you Were they not Roper Yes in deed that they were Woodman I am sure you will not deny them for you haue written the wordes euen as you spake them Wood. No sir in deed I will not deny but that I spake theÌ„ and I am glad that you haue seene it For you may see by that whether I lye or not Roper In deede the wordes be written word by word as we spake them Winchest Well here you affirme that it is your owne deede How say you now Will you be sorie for it and become an honest man Wood. My Lord I trust no man can say but that I am an honest manne and as for that I maruell that you wil lay it to my charge knowing that my Lorde of London dyscharged me of all matters that were layde agaynst me when I was released of him Winc. You were released and it might fortune it was not layd to your charge then therfore we lay it to your charge now because you be suspected to be an hereticke and wee may call you before vs and examine you vpon your faith vpon suspicion Wood. In deede S. Peter willeth me to render account of my hope that I haue in God and I am contented so to do if it please my Bishop to heare me Chichester Yes I pray you let vs heare it Wood. I do beleue in God the father almighty maker of heaueÌ„ of earth and of al things visible inuisible and in one Lord Iesus christ my sauiour very God and man I beleue in God the holy Ghost the comforter of al Gods elect people and that he is equall with the father and the sonne I beleue the true Catholicke church and all the sacraments that belongeth thereto Thus I haue rendered accompt of my hope that I haue of my saluation Winch. And how beleue you in the blessed sacrament of the aulter And with that word they all put of their cappes to that abhominable Idoll Wood. I pray you be contented for I will not aunswere to any mo questions for I perceaue you go about to shed my bloud Winch. No hold him a booke If he refuse to sweare he is an Anabaptist and shall be excommunicated Wood. I will not sweare for you excommunicate me if you will For you be not meete to take an oth for you laid heresies to my charge in yonder pulpite the whiche you are not able to proue wherfore you bee not meete to take an othe of any man And as for me I am not of your Dyoces nor will haue any thing to doe with you Winchester I will haue to do with thee and I saye thou art a strong hereticke Wood. Yea all trueth is heresie with you but I am content to shew you my minde how I beleue on the sacrameÌ„t of the body and bloud of Iesus Christe without flattering For that you looke for I am sure But I will meddle no â—urther But what I holde my selfe of it I will not meddle of any other mans beliefe on it N Harp Why I am sure al mens fayth ought to be alike Wood Yea I graunt you so that all true Christians faith ought to be alike But I will aunswere for my selfe N. Harp Well let vs heare what you say to it Wood. I do beleue that when I come to receaue the Sacrament of the body and bloud of Iesus Christ if it be truly ministred according to Christes institutioÌ„ I comming in fayth as I truste in God I will whensoeuer I come to receiue it I beleuing that Christ was borne for me that he suffered death for the remission of my sinnes and that I shal be saued by his death and bloud shedding and so receaue the Sacramente of bread and wine in that remembraunce that then I doe receiue whole Christ God and man mistically by fayth This is my beliefe on the sacrament Then they spake all at once saying mistically by faythe The fat prieste What a foole art thou mistically by faythe thou canst not tell what mistically is Wood If I be a foole so take me But God hathe chosen such fooles of this world to confound such wife things as you are The fat priest I pray thee what is mistically Wood. I take mistically to be the fayth that is in vs that the world seeth not but God onely Winch. He cannot tell what he sayth Aunswere to the Sacrament of the aulter whether it be not the body of Christ before it bee receaued and whether it be not the bodye of Christ to whom soeuer receaueth it Tell me or els I will excommunicate thee Wood. I haue sayd as much as I will say excommunicate me if you will I am none of your Dioces The Bishop of Chichester is mine Ordinary Let him do it if you will needs haue my bloud that it may be required at his haÌ„ds Chichest I am not consecrated yet I tolde you when you were with me Wood. No in deede your kine bringe foorth nothing but Cow calues as it chaunceth now Meaning thereby that he had not his Bulles from Rome Then they were al in a great rage with me and called me al to nought and sayd I was out of my wâ—t because I spake feruently to euery mans question all the whiche I cannot remember but I sayd So Festus sayd to Paule when he spake the words of sobernes and truth out of the spirite of God as I do But as ye haue iudged me
in prison WIfe you desired me that I would sende you some tokens that you might remember me As I did read in the newe Testament I thought it good to write vnto you certayne places of the Scripture for a remembraunce S. Peter sayth Derely beloued be not troubled with this heat that is nowe come among you to try you as though some strange thyng had happened vnto you but reioyce in so much as ye are partakers of Christes suffryngs that wheÌ„ hys glory appeareth ye may be mery glad If ye be rayled on for the name of Christ happy are ye for the spirit of glory and the spirit of God resteth vpon you It is better if the will of God be so that ye suffer for well doyng then for euill doyng See that none of you suffer as a murtherer or as a thiefe or an euill doer or as a busie body in other mens matters but if any man suffer as a Christian man let hym not be ashamed but let him glorifie God in this behalfe for the tyme is come that iudgement must begin at the house of God If it first begin at vs what shal the end of them be that beleue not the gospel of God Wherfore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit their soules to hym in well doyng S Paule saieth All that will lyue godly in Christ Iesu must suffer persecution S. Iohn saieth See that ye loue not the worlde neither the thyngs that are in the world If any man loue the worlde the loue of the father is not in him For all that is in the world as the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of lyfe is not of the father but is of the world which vanisheth away and the lust therof but he that fulfilleth the will of God abideth for euer S. Paule saith If ye bee risen againe with Christ seeke those things which are aboue where Christ sitteth on the right hande of God Set your affection on things that are aboue and not on things which are on the earth Our Sauiour Christ sayeth Whosoeuer shall offend one of these little ones that beleeue in me it were better for hym that a milstone were hanged about his necke and that he were cast into the sea The Prophet Dauid sayth Great are the troubles of the righteous but the Lord deliuereth them out of all Feare the Lord ye his saintes for they that feare hym lacke nothyng When the righteous crye the Lorde heareth them and deliuereth them out of all theyr troubles But misfortune shall slaye the vngodlye and they that hate the righteous shall perish Heare oh my people I assure thee O Israel if thou wilt harken vnto me there shall no strange God be in thee neyther shalt thou worship any other God Oh that my people would obey me for if Israell would walke in my wayes I should soone put downe their enemies and turne my hande agaynst their aduersaries Our Sauior Christ sayth The Disciple is not aboue hys maister nor yet the seruant aboue his Lord. It is enough for the Disciple to be as his maister is and that the seruant be as his Lord is If they haue called the maister of the house Belzebub howe much more shall they call them of his houshold so feare not theÌ„ therefore S. Paule sayth Set your selues therefore at large and beare not a strangers yoke with the vnbeleuers for what fellowship hath righteousnesse with vnrighteousnesse what company hath light with darkenes either what part hath the beleeuer with the Infidell c. Wherfore come out from among them separate your selues now saith the Lord and touch none vnclean thing so will I receiue you and I will be a father vnto you ye shall be my sonnes and daughters sayth the Lord almighty For neither eye hath seen nor the eare hath heard neither can it enter into the hart of man what good thynges the Lord hath prepared for them that loue hym Ye are not bought neither with siluer nor gold but with the precious bloud of Christ. There is none other name geuen to men wherein wee must be saued So fare ye well wife and children and leaue worldly care and see that ye be diligent to pray Take no thought sayth Christ saying what shall we eate or what shall we drinke or wherewith shall we be clothed for after all these thynges seeke the Gentiles for your heauenly father knoweth that ye haue need of all these thyngs but seeke ye first the kingdom of heauen and the righteousnesse thereof And all these things shall be ministred vnto you ¶ The Martyrdome and sufferyng of Cicelie Ormes burnt at Norwich for the testimonie and witnesse of Christes Gospell ABout the 23. day of the sayd moneth of September next after the other aboue mentioned suffered at Norwich Cicelie Ormes wyfe of Edmund Ormes Worstedweauer dwelling in S. Laurence parish in Norwich she beying of the age of xxxij yeares or more was taken at the death of Simon Miller and Elizabeth Cooper aboue meÌ„cioned in a place called Lolardes pit without Bishoppes gate at the sayd Norwich for that shee sayde shee would pledge them of the same cup that they dranke on For so saying one Maister Corbet of Sprowson by Norwich tooke her and sent her to the Chauncellor When shee came before him he asked her what she sayd to the Sacrament of Christes body And she sayd she did beleue that it was the Sacramente of the bodye of Christ. Yea saide the Chauncellor but what is that that the priest holdeth ouer his head Shee aunswered him and sayd it is bread and if you make it any better it is worse At which words the Chauncellor sent her to the bishops Prison to the keeper called Fellow with many threatning hoâ—e words as a man being in a great chaâ—e The xxiij day of Iuly shee was called before the ChauÌ„cellor againe who sat in iudgemeÌ„t with Master Bridges and others The Chauncellor offred her if she would goe to the Church and keepe her tongue shee should be at lybertie and beleue as shee would But she tolde him shee would not consent to his wicked desire therein doe wyth her what he would for if she should she sayde GOD woulde surelye plague her Then the Chauncellour tolde her he had shewed more fauour to her then euer he did to any and that he was loth to condeme her considering that shee was an ignoraunt vnlearned and foolysh woman But she not weying his words tolde him if he did he should not be so desirous of her sinfull flesh as she would by Gods grace be content to geue it in so good a quarell Then rose he and red the bloudy sentence of condemnation against her and so deliuered her to the secular power of the shiriffes of the Citie M. Thomas Sutherton and M. Leonard Sutherton brethren who immediately caried her to
prouision had not preuented her with death In the number of them which suffred the same month when Queene Mary died were three that were burned at Bury whose names were these Phillip Humfrey Iohn Dauid Henry Dauid his brother Concernyng the burnyng of these three here is to bee noted that sir Clement Higham about a fortnight before the Queen died did sue out a writ for the burning of these three aforesayd godly and blessed Martyrs notwithstandyng that the Queene was then known to be past remedie of her sicknesse The trouble and Martyrdome of a godly poore woman which suffred at Exeter ALthough in such an innumerable company of godlye Martyrs which in sundry quarters of this Realme were put to torments of fire in Q. Maries time it be hard so exactly to recite euery perticular person that suffred but that some escape vs eyther vnknowen or omitted yet I can not passe ouer a certaine poore woman and a sely creature burned vnder the sayd queenes reigne in the City of Exeter whose name I haue not yet learned who dwelling sometime about Cornewall hauing a husbande and childrē there much addicted to the superstitious sect of popery was many times rebuked of thē driuē to go to the church to their Idols and ceremonies to shrift to follow the Crosse in Procession to geue thankes to God for restoryng Antichrist agayne into this Realme c. Which when her spirit could not abide to do she made her prayer vnto God calling for helpe and mercy and so at length lying in her bed about midnight she thought there came to her a certaine motion and feeling of singuler comfort Wherupon in short space she beganne to grow in contempt of her husband and children and so taking nothing from them but euen as she went departed from them seeking her lyuing by labor spinning as well as she could here there for a time In which time notwithstanding she neuer ceased to vtter her minde as well as she durst howbeit she at that time was brought home to her husband agayn Wher at last she was accused by her neighbours and so brought vp to Exeter to be presented to the Bishop and his Clergy The name of the Bishop which had her in examination was Doctour Troubleuile His Chauncellour as I gather was Blackstone The chiefest matter whereupon she was charged and condemned was for the Sacrament which they call of the Aultar and for speaking against Idols as by the declaration of those which were present I vnderstand which report the talk betwene her and the bishop on this wise Bishop Thou foolish woman quoth the Byshop I heare say that thou hast spoken certayne words of the most blessed Sacrament of the Aultar the body of Christ. Fye for shame Thou art an vnlearned person and a woman wilt thou meddle with such highe matters whiche all the Doctours of the worlde can not define Wilt thou talke of so high misteryes Keepe thy worke medle with that thou hast to do It is no womans matters at cardes and towe to be spoken of And if it be as I am infourmed thou art worthy to be burned Woman My Lord sayde she I trust your Lordship will heare me speake Bish. Yea mary quoth he therfore I send for thee Woman I am a poore woman do liue by my hands getting a peny truely of that I get I geue part to the poore Bish. That is well done Art thou not a mans wife And here the Bishop entred into talke of her husband To whom she answered againe declaring that she had a husband and children and had them not So long as she was at liberty she refused not neyther husband nor children But now standing here as I doe sayd she in the cause of Christ his trueth where I must either forsake Christ or my husband I am contēted to sticke onely to Christ my heauenly spouse and renounce the other And here she making mention of the words of Christ He that leaueth not father or mother sister or brother husband c. the Byshop inferred that Christ spake that of the holy martyrs which dyed because they would not doe sacrifice to the false Gods Woman Sikerly syr and I will rather dye then I will do any worship to that foule Idoll whiche with your Masse you make a God Bish. Yea you callet will you say that the sacrament of the aultar is a foule Idoll Wom. Yea truly quoth she there was neuer such an Idoll as your sacramēt is made of your priestes cōmaūded to be worshipped of al mē with many fōd phantasies where Christ did commaund it to be eaten drunken in remembraunce of his most blessed passion our redemption Bish. See this pratling woman Doest thou not heare that Christ did say ouer the bread This is my body ouer the cup This is my bloud Wom. Yes forsooth he sayd so but he meant that it is hys body and bloud not carnally but sacramentally Bish. Loe she hath heard pratling among these new preachers or heard some peeuish book Alas poore womā thou art deceiued Wom. No my Lorde that I haue learned was of Godly preachers of godly books which I haue heard read And if you will geue me leaue I will declare a reason why I will not worship the sacrament Bish. Mary say on I am sure it will be goodly geare Woman Truely such geare as I will loose this poore life of mine for Bish. Then you will be a martyr good wife Woman In deed if the denying to worshippe that bready God be my martyrdome I will suffer it with all my hart Bish. Say thy minde Wom. You must beare with me a poore woman quoth she Bish. So I will quoth he Woman I will demaunde of you whether you can denye your creed which doth say that Christ perpetually doth sit at the right hand of his father both body soule vntill he come againe or whether he be there in heauē our aduocate do make prayer for vs vnto God his father If it be so he is not here in the earth in a piece of bread If he be not here if he do not dwel in temples made with hands but in heauen what shall we seeke him here if he did offer his body once for all why make you a new offering if with once offring he made al perfect why do you with a false offring make al vnperfect if he be to be worshipped in spirite and truth why doe you worship a piece of bread if he be eaten drunkē in faith truth if his flesh be not profitable to be among vs why do you say you make his body and fleshe and say it is profitable for body soule Alas I am a poore woman but rather then I would do as you doe I would liue no longer I haue sayd syr Bish. I promise you you are a iolly protestant I pray you in what schooles haue you
the very same Christ that was borne of the virgine Mary that was hanged on the Crosse and that suffered for our sinnes and at these words they al put of their cappes and bowed theyr bodyes White My Lord what is a Sacrament Brookes It is the thing it selfe the which it representeth White My Lord that can not be for he that representeth a Prince can not be the Prince himselfe Brookes How many sacraments findest thou in the scriptures called by the name of Sacramentes White I finde 2. Sacraments in the Scriptures but not called by the names of the sacramentes But I thinke S. Augustine gaue them the first name of Sacramentes Brookes Then thou findest not that word sacrameÌ„t in the Scriptures White No my Lord. Brokes Did not Christ say This is my body and are not his words true White I am sure the wordes are true but you play by me as the deuill did by Christ for he sayd If thou be Mat. 4. For it is c. Psal. 91. But the words that folowed after he clean left out which are these Thou shalt walke vpon the Lion and Aspe c. These woordes the Deuill lefte out because they were spoken agaynst hymselfe and euen so doe you recite the Scriptures Brokes Declare thy fayth vpon the Sacrament White Christ and his Sacramentes are like because of the natures for in Christ are 2. natures a diuine and a humane nature so likewise in the Sacrament of Cristes body and bloud there be two natures the which I deuide into 2. partes that is externall and internal The external part is the element of bread and wine according to the saying of S. Austine The internal part is the inuisible grace which by the same is represented So is there an externall receiuing of the same Sacrament an internall The externall is with the hande the eye the mouth and the eare The internall is the holy ghost in the hart which worketh in me fayth Wherby I apprehend all the merits of Christ applying the same wholly vnto my saluation If this bee truth beleue it and if it be not reproue it Doct. Hoskins This is Oecolampadius doctrine Hooper taught it to the people Brokes Doest thou not beleue that after the wordes of coÌ„secration there is the naturall presence of Christes body White My Lord I will aunswere you if you wyll aunswere me to one question Is not this article of our beliefe true He sitteth at the right hand of God the father almighty if he be come from thence to iudgement say so Brokes No. But if thou wilt beleue the Scriptures I will proue to thee that Christe was both in heauen and in earth at one time White As he is God he is in all places but as for hys manhood he is but in one place Brokes S. Paule sayth 1. Cor. 15. Last of all he was seene of me c. Here S. Paule sayth he sawe Christ and S. Paule was not in heauen White S. Pauls chief purpose was by this place to proue the resurrection But how do you proue that Christ when he appered to S. Paule was not still in heauen like as he was sene of Stephen sitting at the right hand of God S. Augustine sayth the head that was in heauen dyd crye for the body and members which were on the earth said Saul Saul why persecutest thou me And was not Paule taken vp into the thyrd heauen where hee might see Christ as he witnesseth Cor. 15. For there he doth but onely saye that he saw Christ but concerning the place hee speaketh nothing Wherfore this place of scripture proueth not that Christ was both in heauen and earth at one tyme. Brokes I told you before he woulde not beleeue Here be three opinions the Lutherans the Oecolampadians and we the Catholickes If you the Oecolampadians haue the truth then the Lutherians we the catholickes be out of the way If the Lutherians haue the truth then you the Oecolampadians and we the Catholickes be out of the way But if we the catholicks haue the truth as we haue in deede then the Lutherians and you the Oecolampadians are out of the way as ye are in deede for the Lutherians do call you heretickes White My Lorde ye haue troubled me greatly wyth the Scriptures Brokes Did I not tell you it was not possible to remoue him from his errour Away with him to the Lollardes Tower and dispatch him as soone as ye can This was the effect of my first examination More examinations I had after this which I haue no tyme now to write out Amongest many other examinatioÌ„s of the foresaid Richard White at diuers and sondry times susteined it happened one time that Doctour Blackston Chancellour of Exeter saâ—e vpon him with diuers other who alledging certayne Doctors as Chrysostom Cyprian Tertullian agaynst the sayd Richard and being reproued by hym for his false patching of the Doctors fell in such a quaking shaking his conscience belike remorsing him that he was fayne â—lowping downe to laye both his handes vpon his knees to stay his body from trembling Then the sayd Iohn Hunt and Richard White after many examinatioÌ„s and long captiuity at length were called for and brought before Doctour Geffrey the Byshops Chancellor there to be condemned and so they were The high Sheriffe at that present was one named Syr Anthony Hungerford who being theÌ„ at the Sessions was there charged with these two condeÌ„ned persoÌ„s with other malefactours there condemned likewise the same time to see the execution of death ministred vnto them In the meane tyme M. Clifforde of Boscon in Wiltshyre sonne in law to the sayd Syr Anthony Hungerford the Shiriffe commeth to his father exhorting him counselling him earnestly in no case to medle with the death of these two innocent persons and if the Chauncellour and Priestes would needes be instant vpon him yet he should first require the writ to be sent downe De comburendo for his discharge Syr Anthony Hungerford hearing this and vnderstanding Iustice Browne to be in the town the same time went to him to aske his aduise couÌ„sel in the matter who told him that without the writ sent downe from the superiour powers he could not be discharged and if the writte were sent then he must by the law do his charge The Sheriffe vnderstanding by Iustice Browne how farre he might go by the lawe and hauing at that time no writ for his warrant let them alone and the next daye after taking his horse departed The Chauncellor all this while maruelling what the Sheriffe ment and yet disdayning to go vnto him but looking rather the other should haue come first to him at last hearing that he was ridden taketh his horse and rideth after him who at length ouertaking the said Sheriffe declareth vnto him how he had committed certaine condemned prisoners to his hand whose duty had bene to haue sene
that is agreable to Gods worde and no heresie in it that I red and when it drewe toward seruice time there came men to the church and some of then comming to me whoÌ„ I knewe not asking me what good booke I had I sayd it was a new booke that I haue not yet read it ouer then they prayed me that I would read so that they might heare some part with me and so I did not calling pointing nor assembling any company to me And for the seruice being in latine that for the strangenes of the tongue besides muche superstition ioyned with it was not vnderstood of the most part of them that saide or soung it much lesse of them that stood by and did heare it where as by the word of God all thinge in the Churche or congregation shuld be done to the edifying of the people and seeing I could haue no such thing by theyr seruice I did endeuour to edifie my selfe and other that were desirous of reading of godly bookes And because the Churche is so abused contrary to the worde of God being beset round about with a sorte of abhominable Idols before whome no man ought to kneele nor doe no maner of reuerence because the scriptures doth curse both the Idoll and the Idoll maker and all that doth any worship or reuerence vnto them or before them for that cause I vsed no reuerence there Well sayd my Lorde I woulde thou couldest aunswere to the rest as well as thou hast done to this but I feare me thou canst not for it is tolde me that thou hast spoken agaynst the blessed sacrament and I said and it please your Lordship that did I neuer in al my life nor neuer wil doe by the grace of God With that my chief accuser sir Leonard Becksmith knight sayd to me diddest thou not say to me yesterday that thou diddest not beleue the sacrament of the aulter after the wordes of consecration by the priest to be the very body of Christ flesh bloud bones as it was borne of the virgine Mary It is true in deede that I sayd so for neyther do I beleue it to remayne Christes body nor neuer will by the grace of God beleue it so to be for I beleue that christ with that body that was conceaued and borne of the virgine Mary did ascend vp into heauen and there according to our beliefe he sitteth on the right hand of God the father and from thence that body shal come at the day of iudgement to iudge the quick and the dead and yet in the meane while I beleue that the sacrament duely ministred according to Christes institution that the faithfull receauers of this sacrament lifting vp the eyes of theyr minde into heauen where Christes body is that they do receaue in that sacrament into theyr soule or inward man the very body of our sauiour Iesus Christ yea and I beleeue further that Christ concerning his diuine power or the power of his godhead is whersoeuer two or three be gathered together in his name that he is in the middest euen amongest them and that hee is so with his faythfull flocke euen to the worldes end then they layed theyr heades together and had priuie talke after that two of them said to me that it was rancke heresie that I did beleue it to remayne bare bread after the Priest had consecrated it and not to beleue it to be the very body of Christ I was worthy to be burned then sayde I earnestly vnto theÌ„ thinke you not though I be a vile abiecte in your sight and he that is most busie among you to seek my bloud but that my bloud shall be required at hys or theyr handes Then had they priuy talke together againe after the which my Lord sayd vnto me thou hearest that they here lay heresie to thy charge and I am a manne of warre haue no skill in such high misteries wherefore thine accusers say that thou must suffer here as an hereticke that all the rest of the garrisene may beware by thee that they fal not into the like heresie and so cast away themselues Then sayd I I appeale from this Counsayle to the Counsayle of England then sayd my Lord I am very glad that thou hast appealed to the Counsayle of England for there are learned menne and Diuines that can skil of such matters thether shalt thou be sent or it be long Then was I caryed to sir Iohn Abriges house and hauing pen and incke I was bidden to write mine articles which were in effecte those poyntes of Religion that you haue heard before in my examination then on the morow being Thursday and the fiftene of Aprill I was brought to the prison in the towne called the Marshalsea where I was very gently vsed for a good gentleman one Maister Waghan was the keeper there at that time but surely when I was apprehended I had not so much as one peny to helpe my selfe with for we had bene longe vnpayd furthermore I thought in that towne of warre that there was very few or none that fauoured the word of God for I looked for no helpe there but to be hated and despised of all menne there for I knewe not past two or three there that hadde any loue to the Gospell till I was in prison and then there came very many souldiours vnto me that I neuer knew before and gaue me mony so that I hadde as good as a three pound geuen me in a smale tyme that I was in prison The fourthtene day of May toward night I was sent into Englande one Mayster Messenger and one other man brought me to London euen the same day being sonday at night and 15. daye of May there was a great talke ouer all the Cittye of one Doctor Smith that recanted that daye they brought me to the Marshalsea and there left me I hearing no more of them that brought me thether but Mayster Huntington as a faythfull minister of Iesus Christe that gaue me warning before of all this trouble came from Bullyn to London causing my Articles to be seene so that by his paynefull dilligence to the Counsayle for me after that I had bene there little more then one â—oneth I was dyscharged forth of prison and bed get me home to Bullin to my liuing agayne But surely if I hadde not appealed to the Counsayle of Englande I hadde bene burned in Bullyn for it was tolde me of them that knew muche in that matter that it was already determined shortly to haue bene accomplyshed if I had not appealed for the whiche deliueraunce I geue prayse to the euerliuing God ¶ This was layed in Queene Maryes Closet vpon her deske agaynst her commyng vnto her prayers O Louesome Rose most redolent Of vading flowers most fresh In England pleasant is the sente For now art thou peerelesse This Rose which beareth such a smell Doth represent our Queene O listen that I may you tell Her colours fresh and
electis Salutem Esdr. 4. ¶ Hoc Seculum fecit altissimus propter multos futurum autem propter paucos ¶ The almighty Lorde hath made this worlde for many but the world or life or come but for a few MOst certayne it is dearely beloued that Christes elect be but few in comparisō of that great number which go in the broad way to euerlasting perdition whiche lyfe after the flesh louing this present euill world deny God in word and deed whose eies are blinded and their harts hardened Most certaine it is also that our Sauior Iesus Christ hath and knoweth his owne whose names are written in the booke of life redemed with the most precious bloud of our sauiour Iesus Christ. So that the eternall Father knoweth them which be his The almighty and eternall God graunt that we may haue the testimony of our conscience and the spirit of god to beare record with our spirites that we be his elect children walking in the spirite not fulfilling the lustes of the flesh but as Christes members hauing Christ Iesu fixed before our eyes he being to vs the true way the infallible verity the eternall life Christ hath geuē vs example let vs folow him as deare children for Gods delight is to beholde his Saintes which be in the earth Let vs put on the whole armour of God and walke in the light in these euill dayes in the whiche Sathan in his Aungels seeketh whom he may deuour The almighty Lorde deliuer vs from the mouthes of those vnshamefast dogs They truely seeke ours and not vs vnto the Lord. Esdras sayth and writeth truely the world is made for them and they for the world Dearly bought let vs remember Christ which sayth I haue chosen you out of the world you shal be hated of al worldly men Did euer the couetous Idolaters Oppressors or Whoremongers loue vs Nay they loue Masse Mongers which say peace peace when there is no peace Nay either then flatter the eares or els they say no thing as dum dogges not able to barke of whom be you ware of for though they come in sheepes clothing they be rauening Wolues whose damnation sleepeth not from whose captiuitye the holy will of God saue and preserue you Amen Dearely beloued we hauing the record of our conscience that we be very members in Christes body separate from that malignant Antichristes Church Let vs reioyce in conscience and in the Lord hauing heauenly hope in al his promises which be eternall and most sure to vs in Christ our Sauiour who looseth none of all them whom the eternall Father hath geuen him but at his appearing to be our mercifull Iudge shall rayse vs vppe at that last day for the trumpe of God shall blow and be heard of all Adams posterity sounding Venite ad iuditium Come vnto iudgement come and be iudged Let vs therfore be prepared hauing the wedding garment yea the whole armour of God the mariage garment cleare Lampes that is pure hartes and burning heauenly light in the same Let vs prepare our selues richly to restore to our Lord and Mayster our talentes with the increase of heauenly liuing and occupying then without all doubt we shall heare that most blessed wish of our alone Sauiour Iesus Christ who shall then say reioyce good seruauntes I will make you Stewardes ouer many thinges Enter into the euerlasting rest and kingdome whiche hath bene prepared for you from the beginning This is the Kingdome of Iesus Christ whiche at this present is in Babilon and banished to the desert the troublesome waters of Sathan in the Antichrist and his shauelings spiewed out of Christs mouth The Lord be our ayde auenger and deliuerer when his holy will is Amen Dearely bought with the most precious bloud of our Sauior Iesus Christ that we be not deceiued by the Antichrist let vs ponder wey marke and study the heauenly doctrine of our Sauiour Christ in his last Supper the text is Bene dixit dixit bene gratias egit he spake heauenly and well he gaue thankes he tooke bread brake it gaue it to his Disciples saying take eate this Sacramentall bread and me the breade of life whiche came downe from heauen which geueth life to the worlde take true fayth heauenly hope kindled with christen charitie thankes geuing for my death let these heauēly vertues enter in your soules then enter I. This is my body This is the true eating of my body which is geuen to the death of the crosse for the ransome and sinnes of Gods elect Likewise after supper he tooke the cup hee spake well gaue thankes and gaue it them saying drinke ye all of this drinke I say by this infallible veritie and euerlasting word ioyned and anexed with this cup my bloud which is shed from before the beginning of the world for many in remission of sins he or shee that thus dwelleth in me and I in him eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud Sainct Augustine sayth why preparest thou thy tooth and belly beleeue and thou hast eaten Sainct Barnarde saith when fayth hope christian loue and thankes geuing for Christes death enter in a Christian Christ entereth and agayn S. Augustine sayth vpon these wordes of Christ you shal alwayes haue the poore with you but me shall ye not haue alwayes with you The Church had him but a few dayes touching his humanitie nowe they haue him by fayth with these eyes they do not see him O Iesus Christ thou sonne of the liuing God whiche art in the bosome of thy father God with God the very Image of God the father eternall geue vs victory ouer this Antichrist in thy most precious bloud Be faythfull to the ende and oure sauiour shall crown vs in glory let vs sanctify the name of God in thought word and deede I say vnto the Papist and will not flatter our God is in heauen whome they will not see And is no such little prety mattere as their God the Pope faineth him to be Pray for all the preachers of the veritie that God may geue vs grace and constancie They sing and say they haue him in a string tye not the dog so for feare of hanging To all the faythfull whose names in generall in the booke of lyfe by Christ are written all The godly thought and patient minde doth liberty in prison finde Who so to patience can attayne shall finde in prison is no payne Thrall trouble bownd or free as pleaseth God so shall all be Wherefore I neuer will forsake what pleaseth God lay on my backe Iohn Meluine preacher and priprisoner in Newgate ¶ A note concerning the trouble of Iulius Palmer lately come to my handes To his assured friend and brother in Chryst Mayster Perry preacher at Beuerstone geue these MAyster Perry after my harty commendations in the Lord Iesus Christ vnto you and your wife c. wheras you haue written vnto me
Then Whittell in the middest of the ceremonies whē he saw them so busy in disgrading him after theyr father the Popes Pontifical fashion sayd vnto them Paule and Titus had not so much ado with theyr priestes and bishops And farther speaking to the bishop he sayd vnto him My Lord your Religion standeth most with the church of Rome and not with the catholicke church of Christ. The Bishop after this according to his accustomed formall procedinges assayed him yet agayne with words rather then with substantiall arguments to conforme him to his Religion Who then denying so to doe sayd As for your religion I cannot be perswaded that it is accordyng to Gods worde The Bishop then asked what fault he found in the administration of the Sacrament of the Aultar Whittell aunswered and sayde it is not vsed according to Christes institution in that it is priuately and not openlye done And also for that it is ministred but in one kinde to the lay people which is agaynst Christes ordinaunce Farther Christ commaunded it not to be eleuated nor adored For the adoration and eleuation cannot be approued by Scripture Well quoth Boner my Lords here and other learned men haue shewed great learning for thy cōuersion wherfore if thou wilt yet returne to the fayth and religion of the catholicke Church I will receiue thee thereunto and not cōmit thee to the secular power c. To make short Whittell strengthened with the grace of the Lord stood strong vnmoueable in that he had affirmed Wherfore the sentēce being readde the next day folowing he was committed to the secular power and so in few dayes after brought to the fire with the other sixe aforenamed sealing vp the testimony of his doctrine with his bloud which he willingly and chearefully gaue for witnes of the truth ¶ Letters of Thomas Whittell ¶ A letter of Thomas Whittell to Iohn Careles prisoner in the kinges bench THe peace of God in Christ bee with you continuallye dearely beloued bother in Christ with the assistaunce of Gods grace and holy spirit to the working and perfourming of those thinges which may comfort and edefye hys Churche as ye dayly doe to the glory of his name and the encrease of your ioye and solace of Soule in this lyfe and also your reward in heauen with Christ our Captain whose faythfull Souldiours ye are in the life to come Amen I haue greatly reioyced my deare hart with thankes to God for you since I haue hearde of your fayth and loue which you bare towardes God and his Sayntes wyth a most godly ardent zeale to the verity of Christs doctrine and religion which I haue heard by the report of manye but specially by the declaring of that valiaunt captayne in Christes church that stout Champion in Gods cause that Spectacle to the worlde I meane our good brother Philpot who now lyeth vnder the Aultar and sweetly enioyeth the promised reward And specially I and my cōdemned fellowes gene thankes to God for your louyng and comfortable Letter in the deepenesse of our trouble after the flesh sent vnto vs to the consolation of vs al but most specially to me most sinnefull miser on mine own behalfe but happye I hope through Gods louing kindnesse in Christ shewed vnto me who suffered me to faynt fayle through humaine infirmity by the working of the Archenemy in his sworne Souldiours the Bishops and Priestes In whom so liuely appereth the very visage shape of Sathan that a man if it were not preiudice to Gods word might well affirme them to be Deuils incarnate as I by experience do speake Wherefore who so shall for cōscience matters come in theyr handes had need of the wylynesse of the Serpent to saue his head though it be wyth the wounding of his body and to take diligent heede how he consenteth to theyr wicked writings or setteth his hād to theyr conueyances Sore did they assault me and craftely tempt me to their wicked wayes or at least to a denegation of my fayth and true opinions though it were but by colour and dissimulation And alas something they did preuaile Not that I did any thing at all like theyr opinions and false papisticall religion or els doubted of the truth wherein I stand but onely the infirmity of the fleshe beguiled me desiring liberty by an vnlawfull meanes GOD lay it not to my charge at that daye and so I hartely desire you to praye Howbeit vncertayne I am whether more profite came therby profite to me in that God suffered Sathan to buffet me by his foresayd minister of mischiefe shewinge me myne infirmity that I should not boast nor reioyce in my selfe but onely in the Lord who whē he had led me to hell in my conscience through the respect of his feareful iudgementes agaynst me for my fearefulnes mistrust and crafty cloking in such spirituall and weighty matters in the which mine agonye and distresse I founde this olde verse true Non patitur ludum fama fides oculus yet he brought me from thence agayne to the magnifiyng of his name suspecting of flesh and bloude and consolation of mine owne soule or els that I might feele disprofite in offending the congregation of God which peraduenture wil rather adiudge my fall to come of doubtfulnesse in my doctrine and religion then of humaine imbecility Well of the importune burden of a troubled conscience for denying or dissembling the knowne verity I by experiēce could say very much more which perhaps I will declare by writing to the warding of other if God graunte time For now am I and my felowes ready to go hence euen for Christs cause Gods name be praysed who hath hitherto called vs. Pray I pray you that we maye ende our course with ioy at your appoynted time you shall come after But as the Lorde hath kept you so will he preserue your life still to the intent you should labour as you do to appease and conuince these vngodlye contentions and controuersies which now do too much raygn brawling about termes to no edificatiō God is dishonored the church disquieted occasiō to speake euill of the gospel ministred to our aduersaries But such is the subtlety of sathan that whom he cannot winne with grosse Idolatry in open religion thē he seeketh to corrupt and deceiue in opinions in a priuate profession But here I will abruptly leaue lest with my rude simple veyne I should be tedious to you desiring you my louing brother if it shall not seeme grieuous vnto you to write vnto me my fellowes yet once agayne if you haue leysure and we tune to the same Prouide me M. Philpots 9. examinations for a friend of mine and I shall pay you therefore by the leaue of almighty God our heauenly Father who correcteth all hys deare children in this world that they should not be damned with the world and tryeth the fayth of his Saynctes through many
tribulations that being founde constant to the end he may crowne his owne giftes in them in heauen highly reward thē Whether I trust to goe before looking for you to followe my faythfull frend that we maye sing perpetuall praise to our louing Lord God for victory ouer Sathan and sinne won for vs by Iesus Christ God and man our onely and sufficient Sauiour and Aduocate Amen Farewell and pray in fayth Yours Thomas Whittell Minister and nowe condemned to dye for the Gospels sake 1556. Ianuary 21. ¶ All my felowes salute you Salute all our faythful brethren with you ¶ To my deare frend and brother Iohn Went and other his prison felowes in Lollardes Tower HE that preserued Ioseph prisoner in Egypt fed Daniel in the Lions denne and deliuered Paul Peter and the Apostles out of prison vouchsafe of his goodnes to keep feed and deliuer you my good brother Went with the other our felow souldiors your prison felowes as may be most to his glory to your consolatiō and the edification of his Church I cannot but praise God most earnestly when I heare of your constancy in the fayth and ioye in the crosse of Christ which you now beare and suffer together with many other good members of Christ which is a token that by Christ you are counted worthy the kingdome of God as Paule sayth And though the world counteth the yoake and crosse of Christ as a most pernicious and hurtfull thing yet we which haue tasted how frendly the Lord is cannot but reioice in this persecution as touching our selues in as much as the cause for the which we suffer is the Lordes cause and not ours at whose hand if we endure to the end we shall receiue through his liberall promise in Christ not onely a greate reward in heauen but also the kingdome of heauen it selfe also in the meane season be sure to bee defended and cared for so that we shall lacke no necessarye thinges neither a heare of our heades shall perishe without his knowledge Oh what is he that would mistrust or not gladly serue so louing a father O how vnhappy are they that forsake him and put theyr trust in man But how blessed are they that for his loue and for his holy woordes sake in these troublesome dayes doe committe theyr soules and bodyes into his handes with wel doing counting it greater happines and riches to suffer rebuke with Christ and his Church thē to enioy the pleasures of this life for a litle short seasō This crosse that we nowe beare hath bene common to all the faythfull from Abell hitherto and shal be to the end because the Deuill hauyng great wrath agaynst God and his Christ can not abide that hee should for his manifolde mercies bee lauded and magnified and Christ to be taken and beleued vpon for our onely and sufficient redemer Sauiour and aduocate and therefore because we will not deny Christ nor dissemble with out fayth but openly protest and professe the same before the world he seeketh by all meanes to styrre vp his wicked members to persecute and kill the bodies of the true Christians as S. Iohn sayth the Deuill shall cast some of you into prison And Dauid sayth I beleued and therfore haue I spoken but I was sore troubled This notwithstanding goe forward deare brethren as ye haue begon to fight the Lords battel considering Christe the Captayne of your warre who will both fight for you geue you victorye and also highlye rewarde your paynes Consider to your comfort the notable and chiefe shepheardes and souldiours of Christe whiche are gone before vs in these dayes I meane those learned and godly Bishops Doctours other ministers of Gods word whose fayth and examples we that be inferiours ought to folowe as S. Paule sayth Remember them that haue declared vnto you the worde of God the ende of whose conuersation see that ye look vpon and folow theyr faith The grace blessing of God with the ministery of his holy Angels be with you for euer Amen All my prison felowes greete you From the Colehouse this 4. of December By your poore brother Thomas Whittell an vnworthy Minister of Christ nowe his prisoner for the Gospels sake Amen ¶ To all the true professors and louers of Gods holy Gospell within the City of London THe same faith for the whiche Abraham was counted righteous and Mary blessed the Lorde GOD encrease and make stable in your hartes my deare and faithfull brethren sisters of London for euer and euer Amen Dearely beloued be not troubled in this heat which is now come amongest you to try you as though some straunge thing had happened vnto you but reioyce in as much as ye are partakers of Christes passions that when his glory appeareth ye may be mery and glad c. Out of these wordes of S. Peter I gather most specially these 4. notes First the persecution happeneth to Christes Church for their triall that is for the probation and proofe of their fayth Which fayth like as it is knowne with God in the depth of our hartes so will he haue it made manifest to the whole worlde through persecution that so it may euidently appeare that hee hath such a Churche and people vpon earth which so trusteth in hym and feareth his holy name that no kinde of persecution paynes nor death shal be able to seperate them from the loue of hym And thus was Abraham tried and Iob tempted that their fayth whiche before laye hid almost in their hartes might bee made knowne to the whole world to be so stedfast and stronge that the deuill naturall loue nor no other enemie coulde bee able to bereaue them thereof Whereby also GOD was to be magnefied who both tryeth his people by many tribulations and also standeth by them in the middest of their troubles to deliuer them by lyfe or death as he seeth best like as he assisted Loth and deliuered hym out of his enemies handes Ioseph out of the handes of his Brethren and out of Prison Paule from his enemies in Damasco and the Apostles out of the Stockes and Prison These with many mo he deliuered to lyfe And also he deliuered Abell Eleazar Steuen and Iohn Baptist with other manye by deathe and hathe also by the tryall of their fayth made them good presidentes and examples to vs and all that come after to suffer affliction in the like cause as Saynt Iames sayeth Take my brethren sayth he the prophets for an ensample of suffering aduersity and of long pacience which spake vnto you in the name of the Lord beholde we count them happy which endure Y◠haue heard of the pacience of Iob and haue knowne what end the Lord made with him for the Lord is very pitifull and mercifull Also the Lorde tryeth vs to let vs see our owne hartes and thoughtes that no Hypocrisy or Ambitiō deceiue vs that the strong
he styrred vp his seruauntes the Bishops and Pharises to kill his body wherby notwithstanding the Deuill loste his title and interest whiche hee had to mans soule and man by his precious passion and death was raunsomed from the Deuil death and Hell to immortality life euerlasting and so when Sathan thought to haue wonne all in killing of Christ he lost all and so shall he doe in vs if wee abide constaunt◠and strong in the fayth of our Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christe vnto the ende God graunte it for his mercyes sake in Christ. Blessed are all they that put theyr trust in him Amen Wherefore my hartely beloued brethren and sisters be of good comfort through Iesus Christ for he that is in vs is stronger then he that is in the world Therfore draw ye neare to God and he will drawe neare to you Resist the Deuill and he will as Iames sayth flee frō you Beware of the leuen of the Phariseis Touch not pitch least ye be defiled therewith Eate no Swines flesh for it is agaynst the law I meane defile not your selues neither inwardly nor outwardly with this false and wicked religion of Antichrist for it is nothing els but pitche and Swines fleshe Beware of the beastes marke least ye drinke of the cup of Gods wrath If God haue geuen you knowledge faith dissemble not therewith Denye not the knowne veritye before men least Christ deny you before his Father Come away from Babilon as Iohn biddeth you and touche no vncleane thinge but separate your selues from the company of the vngodly as Paule commaundeth you Whatsoeuer ye haue done amisse heretofore now repent amend for with the Lorde there is mercy and plenteous redemption The thirde thing and note which I gather out of the forsayd wordes of Peter is this that he sayth Reioyce because ye are pertakers of Christes Passion Our sufferinges my welbeloued are Christes sufferinges and that iniury that is done to vs for his sake he reckoneth it to be done to himselfe as he sayd to Paule Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Therefore we ought to reioyce in our sufferinges as Paule writeth whiche we suffer with Christ and one with another as Peter sayeth and so to fulfill that whiche is behinde of the Passions of Christ in our flesh whiche Christ hath by his Passion fully redeemed and saued vs in his owne person how be it hys electe must suffer with hym and for him vnto the worldes ende that he may be glorified in them and they thereby corrected and cleansed from sinne in this worlde and bee made more meete Temples for the holy Ghoste and also obteyne a greate rewarde in heauen for theyr suffering for righteousnesse sake according to his promise And therfore I saye my Brethren reioyce in the Lorde alwayes and agayne I say reioyce Let vs reioyce in the Crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ whereby the world is crucified to vs and we to it And why shoulde wee so greatly reioyce in the Crosse of Christ which we now suffer Because sayth Peter when his glory appeareth we may be mery and glad And this is the fourth note that I gather out of his wordes aboue written Wherein is set out the reward of suffering not to be had in this worlde but at his comming to iudgement when we shal be raysed agayne and then shal they that haue sowne in teares reape in ioy as Christ sayth Blessed are they that weepe here for they shall laughe Blessed are ye when men hate you and thrust you out of theyr companye raylinge on you and abhorring your name as an euill thing for the sonne of mans sake reioyce ye in that day and be gladde for your reward is greate in Heauen Wherefore my dearely beloued through the hope of this heauenly ioy and rewarde which he that can not lye hath promised whiche ioye is so greate that no eare hath heard no eye hath sene nor the hart can thinke where we shall dwell for euer in the heauenly City the celestiall Ierusalem in the presence of God the Father Iesus Christ our Mediatour as Paul sayth and in the company of innumerable Angels and with the spirites and soules of all faythfull and iust men reioyce and be glad and seing ye be called to so great glory see that ye make your election and vocation sure by good workes and specially by sufferinge aduersitye for the Gospelles sake for it is geuen vs of GOD sayth Paule not onely to beleue in Christ but also to suffer for his sake Continue in prayer and praye for me that I may ende my course with ioy Haue Brotherly loue amongest your selues whiche is a token that ye be Christes Disciples Edify and comfort one an other in the word of the Lord and the God of peace and loue be with you alwayes Amen For your liberality and kindnesse shewed vppon the Prisoners and afflicted people of GOD in thys time of persecution the Lorde wyll reward you when he commeth to reward euery man according to theyr deedes and will not leaue a cuppe of colde water bestowed vpon his faythfull people vnrewarded God make you riche in all grace that ye alwayes hauyng sufficient maye be riche vnto all manner of good woorkes The Grace of our Lord Iesus Christ the loue of GOD and the felowship of the holy ghost be with you alwayes Amen Your brother now in bondes for the Gospell Thomas Whittell * To my louing and faythfull brother Iohn Careles Prisoner in the kinges bench THe same fayth for the which Abraham was accounted iust Mary blessed whereby also all iust men liue the Lord GOD our louing father encrease and stablish in you and me to the obteining of eternal life in our alone and sweet Sauior Iesus Christ. Amen I can not worthely and sufficiently prayse GOD my hartely beloued brother for the consolation and ioy that I receiued by reason of your louing letters repenting me much that I being so long so neare you did not enterprise to styrre vppe familiarity and communication betweene vs by writing to mutuall consolation in Christe For what is there vpon earth wherein to reioyce where all thinges are transitory and vayne yea manne himselfe respecting this life but as Dauid sayeth the Saynctes that dwell vpon the earth and such as excell in vertue But here now I consider that if the felowshippe loue and ioye of faythfull men and children of God being as wee nowe be in double bondage the body within clay walles and the soule within these frail earthly bodies be so greate and comfortable how vnspeakeable will these ioyes be when we shall be deliuered from all corruption into the glorious liberty of the sonnes of God Where we shal be present together continuallye in our glorified bodies beholding the face of our father presently whō now we see but in the glasse of fayth with his deare sonne
Christ our redemer brother and the blessed company of Aungels and all faithfull saued soules Of the incomparable good thinges and heauenlye treasures layd vp for vs in heauen by Christ Iesu. For the obteining wherof we ought to set light by all temporall griefes and transitorye afflictions so much the more in that our good God is faythfull will not suffer vs to be tempted aboue our strength that namely in the end of our life when the tree where it falleth lieth styll as the preacher sayth when euery one causa sua dormit causa sua resurget for els before the ende he suffereth his sometime to fall but not finally to peryshe as Peter sinked vpon the Sea but yet was not drowned and sinned grieuouslye vpon the land thorow infirmity denying his Mayster but yet found mercy for the righteous falleth oftentimes And Christes holye Apostles are taught to â—ay remitte nobis debita nostra Yea though the righteous fall sayth Dauid he shall not be cast away for the Lord vpholdeth him with his hand Oh the bottomlesse mercy of God towardes vs miserable sinners He vouchsafe to plant in my heart true repentaunce and fayth to the obteining of remission of all my sinnes in the mercies of God and merites of Christ his sonne and therto I pray you say Amen Oh my hartely beloued it grieueth me to see the spoyle hauocke that Saule maketh with the congregation of Christe but what remedy This is Gods will and ordinaunce that his people shall here both be punished in the fleshe and tryed in theyr fayth as it is written Many are the troubles of the righteous but the Lord deliuereth them out of all for by a strayt path and narrowe doore must we enter Whether Into the ioyfull kyngdome of heauen therefore blessed are you and other that suffer persecution for Christes sake for the professing of the same Pray for me my felowes good brother that we may fight a good fight that we may keepe the fayth and ende our course with ioyfull gladnesse for now the time of our deliueraunce is at hand The Lord guide defend and keep vs and you and al his people in our iourney that we may safely through a shorte death passe to that long lasting life Farewell my deare and louing brother and felowe souldiour in Christ farewell I say in him who receiue our soules in peace when they shall depart from these tabernacles and he graunte vs a ioyfull resurrection and a mery meeting at the last day continuall dwelling together in his eternall heauenlye kingdome through Iesus Christ our Lord Amen Yours with my poore prayer other pleasure can I do you none Thomas Whittell Minister * To my deare brethren M. Filles and Cutbert MY deare and welbeloued brethren in Christ Mayster Filles and Cutbert I wish you all welfare of soule body Welfare to the soule is repentance of sinne faythfull affiaunce in Christ Iesus a godly life Welfare to the body is the health of the same with all necessary thinges for this bodely life The soule of man is immortall and therefore ought to be well kept least immortality to ioy should turne to immortality of sorow As for the body be it neuer so well kept and much made of yet shortly by nature will it perish and decay But those that are engraffed incorporated into Christe by true fayth feeling the motion of Gods holy spirite as a pledge of theyr election and inheritaunce exciting and styrring them not onely to seek heauenly thinges but also to hate vice and embrace vertue will not onely doe these thinges but also if need requyre will gladly take vp theyr Crosse and folow their capteine their king theyr Sauior Iesus Christ as his poore afflicted church of England now doth agaynst that false and Antichristian doctrine and religion now vsed specially that blasphemous Masse wherin Christs supper and holy ordinaunce is altogether peruerted abused contrarye to his institutioÌ„ to Paules procedinges so that that which they haue in theyr Masse is neither Sacrament of Christ nor yet sacrifice for sinne as the Priestes falsely pretend It is a sacrament that is as S. Augustine saith a visible sign of inuisible grace when it is ministred to the communicants according to Christes example and as it was of late yeres in this realm And as for sacrifice there is none to be made now for sinne for Christ with one sacrifice hath perfited for euer those that are sanctified Beware of false Religion and mens vayne traditioÌ„s and serue God with reuerence and godlye feare according to the doctrine of his Gospell whereto cleaue ye that yee may be blessed though of wicked men ye bee hated and accursed Rather drink of the cup of Christ with his church then of the cuppe of that rosecoloured whore of Babilon which is full of abhominations Rather striue ye to go to heauen by the path which is strait to flesh and bloud with the litle flock then to goe in the wide waye folowing the enticementes of the world and the flesh which leadeth to damnation Like as Christ suffered in the flesh sayeth S. Peter so arme ye your selues with the same minde for Christ suffred for vs leauing vs example to folow his footsteps Blessed are they that suffer for his sake great is their reward in heauen He that ouercommeth sayth S. Iohn shall eat of the tree of life he shall haue a crowne of life not be hurt of the second death he shall be clothed with white araye not be put out of the booke of life Yea I will confesse his name sayth Christ before my father and before his Aungels he shal be a piller in the house of God and sitte with me on my seat And thus I bidde you farewell myne owne Brethren and deare felowes in Christ. Whose grace and peace be alway with you Amen This world I do forsake To Christ I me betake And for his Gospell sake Paciently death I take My body to the dust Now to returne it must My soule I know full well With my God it shal dwel Thomas Whittell ¶ An other Letter of M. Thomas Whittell written to a certayne Godly woman OH my deare and louing sister in Christe be not dismayde in this storme of persecution for Paule calleth the Gospell the word of the Crosse because it is neuer truely taught but the crosse and cruell persecution immediately and necessarily doeth folow the same and therfore it is a manifest token of Gods truth and hath bene here and is still abroade and that is a cause of the rage and crueltye of Sathan agaynste Christe and his members which must bee corrected for theyr sinnes in this worlde theyr fayth must be tried that after triall and pacient suffering the faythfull may receiue the crowne of glorye Feare not therefore my welbeloued but proceede in the knowledge and feare of God