Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	blood_n	body_n	soul_n	10,399	5	5.2639	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07163	The sycke mans salue VVherin the faithfull christians may learne both how to behaue them selues paciently and thankefully, in the tyme of sickenes, and also vertuously to dispose their temporall goodes, and finally to prepare them selues gladly and godly to die. Made and newly recognised by Maister Tho. Becon. 1561.	Becon, Thomas, 1512-1567.	1561 (1561)	STC 1757; ESTC S114654	179,042	552

thy blessed pleasure Lord encrese my faith Lorde helpe my vnbelief Lord remēber not mine olde sinnes but haue mercy vpon me and that sone for I am come to great misery Healpe me O God my Sauiour for the glory of thy name O deliuer me be merciful vnto my sinnes for thy names sake Euse. God hath euer be me●●full vnto you so will cōtinue vnto thend doubt you not Ep. That is my only comfort And Lord I most humbly pray thee cōfirme y t whiche thou hast begon to worke in me and kepe me blamelesse against the comming of thy deare sonne But where is my louing neighbour Philemon I wold be glad to haue his counsell in a certaine matter Where is he Phile. Neighbour here at hand What is your pleasure Epa. I perceiue right well y t my sicknesse doth not discrease but encrease so y t I can not long continue in that state wherin I am now And I thinke ●erely y t the lord my God hath sēt this sicknes vnto me as a messenger to afore warne me of my departure from this world y t whan he come he may not finde me vnprepared or vnready And I most hartely thanke him for it Therfore neighbor Philemon neighbors al I think it best euen out of hand to dispose my temporall possessions and to set an order in such worldly goodes as God hath lent me that after my departure there be no dissension nor strife for thē among suche as I most wishe to be linked together with perpetual amitie and continuall frendship It shall also I trust be a great quietnes vnto my mynd Phile. If you haue not already brother Epoporoditus disposed and set an order in your temporal things I wishe it to be done with all expedition For suche thinges ought to be considred when we be most perfect in health forasmuche as our life is vncertaine we know not howe sone death commeth Epa. I thought not that the tyme of my life had bene so short ther●fore I deferred the matter But I se now that no man is certain of his life vntill to morowe therfore ought we all to watche to prouide that we be not found vnready whē the Lord commeth The. Whan that godly king Ezechias was sicke God sent the Prophet Esaias vnto him and willed him to saye vnto hym on this wyse Thus saieth the Lord God Set thi house in an order for thou shalt die and not liue Here learne we y e good will of God whiche is that they whome the Lord hath endu●ed with the goodes of the worlde ●hould before their departure set a godly order and quiet stay in their ●emporal possessions Epaph. You ●ay truth neighbour Theophile ●herfore I pray you bring hether ●en inck paper withal expedi●ion and let my will be written ●or I thank the Lord my God I 〈◊〉 aswell contented to leaue the goodes of y e world as euer I was to enioy them And in this behalf I haue to thank the lord my God that since I came to the vse of reason and had any worldly possessions at all I haue alwayes made them to serue me and I neuer serued them but at all times coulde be contented to depart from them whansoeuer the glory of god and the commoditie of my neighbour did require Christ. Than did you vse your goodes aright And you were not ritch in the world but in the Lorde of the nōbre of those of whom it is written blessed are the poore in spirit for vnto thē belongeth the kingdome of heauen The Psalmograph saith If ritches do abound set not thy heart vpon them And the holy Apostl● commaundeth that they which vse the world should be as thoug● they vsed it not For the fashio● of this world goeth away Saint Iohn also saieth Se that ye loue not the world nether the thinges that are in the worlde for all that is in the worlde as the lust of the fleshe and the luste of the eies and the pryde of life is not of the father but of the worlde And the worlde passeth away and the lust therof but he that fulfilleth the will of God abideth for euer Epa. God graunt al men to follow this doctrine O Lord how sick am I Where is the pen Incke and paper Euse. Here syr Epaph Wright neighbor Philemon I pray you Phile. What is your pleasure that I should wright Epaphrodi On this manner IEpaphroditus the vnprofitable seruaunt of God weke in body notw tstanding strong in mynde do willingly and with a fre hart render and geue againe into the handes of the Lorde my God my spirit which he of his fatherly goodnesse gaue vnto me whan he fashioned this my body in my Mothers wombe by this meanes making me a liuing creature nothing doubting but that this my Lord God for his mercies sake set forth in y e precious bloud of his derely beloued sonne Christ Iesu our alone sauiour and redemer will receiue my soul into his glory and place it in the company of the heauenly aungels and blessed sainctes And as concerning my body euen with a good will fre hart I geue it ouer commending it vnto the earth wherof it came nothing doubting but that according to y e article of our faith at the great day of the generall resurrection whan we shall all appeare before the iudgemēt seat of Christ I shal receiue it again by the mighty power of God wherwith he is able to subdue al thīgs vnto him selfe not a corruptible mortail weake and vile body as it is nowe but an vncorruptible immortall strong perfect and in all poyntes like vnto the glorious body of my Lorde and Sauioure Christ Iesu. Haue ye writtē this neighbour Philemon Phi. Yea forsothe Sir But what is your mind now cōcerning your world ●y possessions Epaph. First as touching my wyfe with whome I ●oupled my self in the fear of God and refusing all other women I ●inked my selfe vnto her liuing w t her in the blessed state of honoura●le wedlocke by whome also tho●owe the blessing of God I haue ●ad certen children wherof part ●re gone before me vnto the lord and part yet remain a liue albeit I dout not but y e god after my departure according vnto his promis will be vnto her an husband yea a father a patrone defēder will not suffer her to lack if she go ●orth to liue in his feare to serue hym and diligently to call on his holy name yet forasmuch as God hath blessed me with worldly substance and she is mine own flesh and whosoeuer prouideth not for his hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidell I bequeth geue vnto her for tearme of her life this house wherein I nowe dwell with y e appurtenances and all the housholde stuffe contayned therein And after her departure I wil that my eldest sonne whom now I

of man ● the thinges whiche God hath prepared for them that loue hym My heart is nowe so enflamed with y e desire of those heauenly and blessed treasures which you haue named to me out of the infallible true word of God y t I most entirely wysh to be losoned frō this life to enioy these ioyfull pleasures Oh who wold not be glad to chāge lead for siluer copper for golde transitory mortall and corruptible thinges for certain immortall vncorruptible thinges earth for heauen sinne for godlines darkenes for light fear for securitie trauel for quietnes sicknes for helth death for life the cōpany of men for y e cōpany of the most hie God his heauenly Aungels and blessed spirites the vile pleasures of this worlde for the inestimable ioyes of the glorious kingdom of God Oh like as the heart desireth the waterbrokes so longeth my soule after the O God My soule is a thurst for God yea euen for the liuing God Oh when shal I come to appere before y e presence of my God O God thou art my god early wil I seke thee My soule thursteth for thee my flesh also longeth after thee in a barren and dry lād where no water is Thus haue I loked for thee in thy holy place y t I might beholde thy power and glory For thy louing kindnes is better then life it selfe my lippes shal praise thee As long as I ●●ue wil I magnifie thee on this manner and lift vp my handes in thy name Euse. We reioyse good brother Epaphroditus and geue god most harty thankes that he hath by his holy Spirite wroughte so good and glad will in you to die and to leue this wretched worlde Epa. I moste hartely wyshe to bee losed from this life and to be with Christ. It greueth my soule lōger to liue in this mortall body And now O Lord dele with me according to thy will and commaunde my spirit to be receiued in peace For more expedient were it for me to die then to liue Chri. Sir how do you fele your selfe Epa. In my body weaker and weaker but I trust in my soule stronger stronger I pray you lay me vp hier in my bed For I begin to waxe very faint and my wynde decreaseth waxeth shorter I thanke you it is wel Neighbours I am troblesome vnto you but I trust I shal not be so long The. It is vnto vs great ioy and comfort to be with you being so godly mynded For in you as in a cleare mirrour we beholde our selues and see what shall become of vs hereafter Of you as of a liuely scholemaister do we learne howe we shall behaue our selues when God layeth the crosse on vs. And we most humblī besech God to geue vs the like pacience and thankfulnes Epa. The spirite is willing but the fleshe is weake For in asmuch as I fele in my self present tokens of death am not certain how long y e ▪ Lorde will suffer me to liue or to enioy y e vse of speche I thinke it conuenient to pray again vnto the lorde my God and to commend my sinful soul into his merciful handes Phi. Godly forsoth Ep● Lord vouchsafe I most humbly beseche the to hear me sinfull creature Chri. The Lorde is nye vnto all them that call on hym yea that call on him in truthe Epa. O Lorde Iesu Christ whiche art the only health of all men liuing and the euerlasting life of them which die in thy faith I wretched sinner geue and submit my self wholy to thy moste blessed wil. And I being sure that the thing can not perishe whiche is committed vnto thy mercye most humbly besech thee o Lord to geue me grace that I maye nowe willingly leaue this frayle and wicked flesh in hope of the resurrection whiche in better wyse shall restore it to me again I beseche thee O most mercifull Iesu Christe y t thou wilt by thy grace make stronge my soule against all temtations that thou wilt couer and defende me with the buckler of thy mercy against al thassaults of the deuill I see knowledge that there is in my selfe no helpe of lyfe and saluation but all my confidence hope and trust is in thy moste mercifull goodnes I haue no merites nor good workes whiche I may alledge before thee Of sinnes and euill workes alas I se a great heape but thorow thy mercy I trust to be in the nomber of them to whome thou wilt not impute their sinnes but take and accept me for righteous and iuste and to bee the enheritoure of euerlasting glory ▪ Tho● O moste mercifull Lorde wast borne for my sake Thou diddes● suffer both hunger and thirste for my sake Thou diddest preach and teach thou diddest pray faste fo● my sake Thou diddest all good workes and deedes for my sake Thou suffredst most greuous pai●nes and tormentes for my sake And finally thou gauest thy most precious body to die and thy most blessed bloud to be shed on y e crosse for my sake Now most mercifull sauiour let all these thinges profit me whiche thou frely hast geuen me whiche hast geuen thy selfe for me Let thy bloud clēse and wash away the spottes and foulnes of my sinnes Let thy righteousnes hide couer my vnrighteousnes Let the merits of thy passion and bloud bee the satisfaction for my sinnes Geue me Lorde thy grace that my faith and perswasion in thy bloud wauer not in me but euer be firme and constant that the hope of thy mercy and life euerlasting neuer decay in me that charitie waxe not colde in me finally that the weakenes of my fleshe be not ouercome with the feare of death Graunt me also O moste merciful sauiour that whē death hath shut vp the eies of my body yet that the eies of my soule may stil behold and loke vpō thee and that when death hath takē away the vse of my tongue speche yet that my heart may cry say vnto thee O Lorde into thy handes I geue and commit my soule Lord Iesu take my spirit The. Amen Eu. Sir how is it with you now Epa. Euen as with a ship whiche is tost with the waues of the sea I trust shortly to come vnto the heauen and then shall I be quiet and without all daunger I pray you pray for me Phi. Most gladly Let vs knele down neighbors and beseche the Lord our God for his tender mercies to preserue this our sicke brother from the assaultes of Sathan to kepe him constant and stedfast in his faithe vnto his liues ende that he maye geue vp a good a faithfull soule into the mercifull handes of God Geue me hither the flower of godly Prayers that I in the name of vs al may rede that prayer which is to be said for them that lie at y e point of death The. Here is it Philemon O Moste louing Sauiour gentle redemer whiche

camest into this world to call sinners vnto repentaunce and to seeke vp y t was lost thou seest in what case this oure brother lieth here visited with thy mercifull hand al weake feble sicke and redy to yealde vp his soule into thy holy hāds O loke vpō him moste gentle sauior with thy mercifull eie pitie him and be fauorable vnto him He is thy workemanship despise not therfore the worke of thine own hands Thou suffredst thy blessed body and thy precious bloud to be shed for his sinnes and to bringe hym vnto the glorye of thy heauenlye father let it not therefore come to passe that thou shouldest suffer so great paines for him in vaine He was baptised in thy name and gaue him self wholy to be thy seruaunt forsakynge the deuill the world and the flesh confesse him therefore before thy heauenly father and his blessed Aungels to be thy seruaunt His sinnes we confesse are great for who is hable to saye my heart is clene I am fre from sin but thy mercies O Lord are much greater And thou camest not to cal th● righteous but sinners vnto repētaunce To them that are diseased and ouerladen with the burden of sin doest thou promise ease Thou art that God which willest not y e death of a sinner but rather that he shuld turne and liue Thou art the sauiour whiche wishest all mē to bee saued and to come to the knowledge of thy truthe Withdraw not therfore thy mercy from him because of his sinnes but rather lay vpō him thy sauīg health that thou maiest shewe thy selfe toward him to be a sauior What greater praise cā there be to a phisition then to heale the sicke Neither can there be a greater glory to thee being a sauior then to saue sinners saue him therfore O Lord for thy names sake Again let the law be no corsiue to his conscience but rather geue him grace euēin this extreme agony and conflicte of death to be fully perswaded y t thou by thy death hast takē away all his sinnes fulfilled the lawe for hym and by this meanes deliuered him from the cursse of the law and paid his raunsome that he thus beinge fully perswaded may haue a quiet heart a fre conscience and a glad will to forsake this wretched world to go vnto his lord God Moreouer thou hast conquered hym that had rule of death euen sathan suffer him not therfore to exercise his tirāny vpō this our sicke brother nor to disquiet his conscience with the terrours of sinne and paines of hell Let not Sathan nor his infernall army tempte him further then he is hable to beare but euermore geue him grace euen vnto his last breath valeantly to fight against the deuil with strong faith in thy precious bloud that he may fight a good fight and finish his course with ioy vnto y e glory of thy name and the healthe of his soule O Lord so worke in him by thy holy spirite that he with all his hearte maye contempne and despise all worldly things and set his mind wholly vpon heauenly thynges hopyng for them with a stronge and vndoubted faithe Againe let it not greue him O swete sauiour to be losoned frō this vile wretched ●arca●e which is now so full of sorow trouble anguishe fickenes and paine but rather let hym haue a bent and ready wyll thorowe thy goodnes to put it of yea and that with this faith that he at the last day shall receiue it again in a much better state then it is now or euer was frō the daye of his birthe euen a body vncorruptible immortall like to thy glorious body Let his hole heart and mynde be set only vpon thee Let the remembraunce of y e ioyes of heauē be so feruēt in his brest that he may bothe patientlye and thanckfully take his death and euer wish to be with the in glory And when the tyme cōmeth that he shall geue ouer to nature depart from this miserable worlde vouchafe we most hūbly beseeche the o Lord Iesu to take his soule into thy handes and to place it amonge the glorious company of thy holy angels blessed saintes and to kepe it vnto that most ioyful day of the generall resurrectiō that both his body soule thorow thyne almighty power being knit agayn together at y t day he maye for euer euer enioy thy glorious kingdom sing perpetuall praises to thy blessed name Chri. Amen Epa. O God be merciful vnto me and blesse me shewe me the lighte of thy countenaunce and deale fauourably with me Lighten mine eies that I slepe not in death least myne ennemy say I haue preuailed against him For if I be cast downe they that trouble me will reioyse at it But my trust is in thy mercy my heart is ioyfull in thy saluation Phile. Sir how do you Epa. My bodely sight is gone Phi. The Lord gaue it you and the Lorde hath taken it away againe As it hath pleased the Lord so is it come to passe blessed be the name of the Lorde Now that God hath taken away the sight of your corporal eies behold the Lord your God with the eies of your faith and doubte you not but that shortly you shall see the glorious maiestie of god with the eies of your soule euen as he is face to face whiche shalbe vnto you suche ioy and so great cōfort that no tounge is able to expresse nor no heart able to thinke it Epa. I beleue and am assuredlye perswaded that I shall see the plesures of the Lorde in the lande of the liuing Phile. Cōtinue in this faith vnto the end and you shall surely be saued Ep. As God hath taken away my syght so do al my other senses decaye Phi. Though by the appointment of God you lose your bodely speache yet shall your soule in the heauenly kyngdom sing prayse and magnify the Lord your God worldes without end And all be it the bodely hearing be taken away from you yet shall your soule in the kingdom of God hear such swete pleasaunt delectable thinges as neuer mortall man heard nor may hear the like Againe although your going and the vse of your whole body be taken away from you and your body returne vnto the earth from whence it came yet doubte you not but your soule being once deliuered out of the prison of your body shal serue the lord your god perfectly and ioyfully follow the Lambe Christ. whither so euer he goeth Epa. O Lorde deliuer my soul out of the prison of the body that I maye come vnto thee and glorify thy holy name Cōmaund my spirit to be receaued in peace for more expedient were it for me to die thē to liue Phi. Be on good comfort sir God in this your troble and bitter agony of death is present with you and when he seeth conuenient tyme

he will deliuer you out of all your paynes take you vnto him and place you in his glorious kingdom Epa. O Lorde deliuer my soule from the sweard my dearling frō the power of the dogge Saue me from y e Lions mouth Bow downe thine eare to me make haste to deliuer me Be thou my Protectoure O God and house of defence that y e maiest saue me Be thou my strōg rocke and my castell Be thou my guide and leade me for thy names sake Drawe me oute of the net thot they haue layde preuely for me for thou art my strengthe Into thy handes I commend my spirite for thou hast redemed me O Lord thou God of truthe Phile. Fear not brother Epaphroditus God is your louing father and moste gentle sauiour He hath hearde your humble requestes and graunted your peticions He hathe and wyll defend you from all euill euen vnto the end He will not suffer you to be deuoured of that hellish Lion and cruel dog y e deuill He hath sent his holy Angels hether vnto you euen into this your chambre They are here presente for youre great cōfort They haue pitched their tents round about you that they may kepe you harmles and safe from the deuouring tethe of Sathan Thei wait vpon you diligently for your defence and wil neuer depart frō you till they receiue your soule and cary it vp louingly as a most precious relique into the kingdome of heauen and moste ioyfully present it vnto the glorious throne of gods maiestie Fixe y e eies of your faith on Christ and Christes merits on Christes passion and death on Christes blessed body breakyng and his moste precious bloud sheddinge on his triumph and victory ouer sathan his hellish army beleue Christe to be your alone sauioure and all his works to be your good works and so shall ye not perish but haue euerlasting lyfe Epaphro Hast the O Lord to deliuer me for it is hie time In thee O Lord Christ my most mercifull sauiour and only redemer in thee in the alone is al my trust let me neuer be confounded O Iesu. Mercy Iesu mercy ▪ O Christ. Mercy Christ mercy O God the Father O God the sōne O God the holy Ghost O moste blessed Trinitie thre persons and one God haue mercy on me Receiue my soule into thy handes Place it for thy mercies sake in thy heauēly kingdom among thy holy angels and blessed sainctes O my good God O father O my most merciful father Mercy mercy Phile. God the father whiche made you blesse you God y e sonne which redemed you preserue you God the holy ghost which sanctifieth you confirme and strengthē you The blessing ▪ defence and sauing health of the allmighty god the father the sonne and the holy ghost preserue you from al euyl and bringe you vnto euerlastinge lyfe Chr. Amen Eu. Me thinck he hath geuē vp the ghost The. No he is yet a liue God comfort him Lord shewe him the light of thy louing countenaunce Epa. When shall I come to appere before the presence of my God Phi. God be thancked he yet speaketh yea he godly speaketh Brother Epaphroditus take a good hert vnto you shrincke not Fight a good fight Be not discouraged nether with the terroures of sathan nor with y e pains of death God is on youre syde God is your graūd captain You fighte vnder the banner of that most mighty and victorious Emperour Iesus Christ. Only continue as you haue begon and the daye is yours Sathā with al his army like miserable cowardes shalbe put to flight and vanquished You shall haue a ioyful victory ouer thē The paine of the battell is short and lyght but the glory of your triūphe shal abide for euer euer Heare what your graunde captaine saithe he that continueth vnto the end shall be saued To him y t ouercommeth I will geue to eate of the tree of life which is in the middes of the Paradise of God Be faithful vnto the death and I shall geue the the crowne of life Him that ouercommeth will I make a pillar in the temple of my God and he shal go no more out Yea to him that ouercommeth will I graunte to sit with me in my seate Here see you what precious and mooste noble rewardes are set forth vnto you if you go forth valeauntly to fight against your ennemies which seke your destruction Only beleue only fixe y e eies of your faith on Christ crucified Only engraue in your heart depely a sure and vndoubted confidence in the mercifull promises of God the father whiche he hath made vnto you in the precious bloud of his dearly beloued sonne and our alone sauioure Iesus Christe and you shall moste certainly haue the victory and obtain the reward of ioyfull immortalitie Here what your graund captain Christ saith God hath so dearly loued y e world that he gaue his onelye begotten sonne that euery one that beleueth on hym should not pearyshe but haue euerlasting life For god sent not his sonne into the worlde to condempne the world but that the world shuld be saued by hym He y t beleueth on him is not damned Iohn Baptist saithe He that beleueth on y e sonne of God hath euerlasting life My shepe saith Christ heare my voyce I know them and they followe me and I geue them euerlasting life nether shall they perishe for euer nor yet shall any man plucke them out of my hand My father which gaue them to me is greater then all no man can pluck them out of my fathers hande I and my father am one Againe I am the resurrection and life He that beleueth in me though he were dead yet shall he liue And euery one that liueth and beleueth in me shall neuer die I am the way y e truthe and the life Follow Christ you cā not erre nor go out of the way for he is the waye Beleue Christ and you can not be deceiued for he is the truthe Abide and remaine in Christ and you can not die the death euerlasting for he is the life Wherefore O most dere brother cleane with strong faithe to these most swete and comfortable promyses of Christe youre Sauiour Beleue to obtayne whatsoeuer is promysed So may you be sure to be Gods sonne and heyre of his euerlasting kingdome neuer to perishe but to haue eternall lyfe Epa. I beleue to haue remission of all my synnes thorowe faithe in Christes bloud Lorde Iesu take my spirite O heauenly father I cōmend my spirit into thy hādes Ph. This faith deare brother maketh you the Sonne of God and heyre of his glorious kingdome yea it maketh you Christes brother and fellow heyr with him of euerlasting glory It purchaseth for you fauor at the hand of God and forgeuenes of al your sinnes It bringeth vnto you peace and quietnes of conscience It maketh a perfect reconciliation

Those Psalmes hymnes prayses thankes-geuinges that be appointed to be ●ong or said at the burial of y e faith●ul let them be done in the name ●f God w tal cherefulnes of mind ●s for your deuout ringinge I ●raue no more but one ●el to be e●her tolled or rong for to gather ●he people together to heare the word of God and the thankes g●●uing The ringing of the Belles can do my soule no good And a● for your holy sensing priestes pattering candels lighting torches brennyng away with them a● thinges superfluous and vnprofi●table Now as concerning Communions saying or singing the● serue not for the burials of them that are departed but for the exe●●cises of them that be alyue tha● by that meanes they should call t● remembraūce the death of Christ and the fruites therof as the Apostle sayth So oft as ye shal eat o● this bread and drinck of the Cupye shal remēber the Lords death till he come These sumpteous ● costly burials are not to be commended nether do they profit either body or soule but onely se●●forth a folish vain and boasting pompe Phile. The buriall of th● ●aithfull ought to be done honest●● but not sumptuously Neither ●●ught the dead bodies of the chri●●ians to be vilely handled but ●onestly buried for the hope of the ●●orious resurrection So did A●●aham bury his wife Sara Io●●ph his father Iacob and diuers ●●her as the holy scripture men●●neth The bodies of the dead ●●ith S. Austen are not to be de●●sed and to be cast awaye and ●●ecially the bodies of the righte●●s and of the faithful whom as ●●strumentes and vessels vnto all ●●od workes the holy ghost hath ●●ed But as concerning sumptu●●s burials thaforesaid authour 〈◊〉 they rather comfort the ly●●g thē help the dead As sump●●us exequies profit nothing y e ●●ul ritche men so in like maner 〈◊〉 or no exequies at all hynder ●●hing the sepulture of the poore sainctes That galant company o● the ritchemans seruauntes o● whome we reade in the Gospel o● Luke buried their master gorgeously in the sight of mē notwith●stāding his soul was caried down into hel fire wher it lieth in mos● miserable tormentes What profited hym the gorgious galan● pompous and costly sepulture o● his body seing his soule lieth w t out redemption in those moste in●tollerable flames of that lake whiche burneth with f●re brim●stone We read not that Lazaru● was so sumptuouslye buried n● that he was buried at all notw t ●standing the angels of God ca●● caried hym not into a tombe● marble but into the bosome of Abraham And the golden mouth● Doctour saieth in a certaine H●●mily When thou hearest that t●● Lord did ryse againe naked ce●●● I pray thee and leaue of the fond vain charges that thou bestow●est vpon funerals and burying of dead bodies What meaneth this superfluous vnprofitable cost seyng that it hindreth thē greatly that doe it auaileth nothyng at all the dead but rather hurteth them c. Epa. Simply not sump●uously honestly not honorably ●et me be buried I require no more You haue wrytten all these thinges according to my desyre ●eighbor Philemon Phi. Altoge●her Ep. Then am I at a poynt w t ●he worldly possessions I truste ●n a good forewardnesse towarde God Chr. The custome in times ●ast was y t ther should be month ●●ndes yere minds kept for the ●ead Ep. To what end Ch. That ●●e dead might be remēbred and ●●ayed for Epa. Wherfore shoulde ●●ey be praid for Chr. That their sinnes say they might be forgeuē them Epa. Whiche they saye so Chri. The Papistes Epa. I haue nothing to do with papistes nor with their doctrine God blesse me from them For they are enemies of the crosse of Christe deprauers of the holy scriptures and corruptours of Christen soules I beleue that a man euen in this worlde hath perfect and full remission of al his sinnes or els he shall neuer haue it God in this worlde doth ether forgeue all the faultes th● paine due for the same or els h● forgeueth none at all I feare nothing at all the Popes boylyng● fornace I mean purgatory Chr●●stes bloud is a sufficient purgatory for my sinnes The bloud ● Christ Gods son hath clensed v● from al sinne The bloud of Chri●● hath purged our conscience from dead worckes to serue the liuin● God We be sanctified and made holy by the offring of the body of Iesus Christ done once for all With the one only oblation of his blessed body and precious bloud hath Christ made perfect for euer and euer them that are sancified I requyre none other purgatory to pourge clense my snnes but the bloud of Christ. For Christ hath offred him selfe aswete smelling sacrifice vnto God the father ●or my sinnes yea and that so perfecte absolute consummate and ●n all poyntes so omnisufficient ●hat there can be found no imper●ection in it Christ hath borne away all my synnes on his bodye By the stripes of Christes body ●m I healed Christ died for my ●●nnes and rose againe for my iu●●ification Christ is made of God ●nto me wysdome righteousnes ●●anctification and redemption that as it is written he that reioyseth shuld reioyse in the Lord Christ is inough for me Let the Papistes seke their saluation at whose hāds they list Phile. Wher as the Papistes heretofore haue taught for the maintenaunce of their idle bellies that mēs sinnes after their death be forgeuen thē through the sacrifice of that most wicked and abhominable Popish Masse by pilgrimages going by trētals by Diriges by y e good dedes of other c. It is a plain● errour agaīst the word of God For remission of sinnes the fauo● of God euerlasting life is eithe● gotten or lost in this worlde H● whiche through his owne repen●tance faith in Christes bloud● obtaineth not forgeuenes of hi● sinnes in this worlde shall neue● haue it by y e meanes of other 〈◊〉 after this life It is written he beleueth on the sōne of God hath euerlasting life But he that beleueth not in him shall not see lyfe but the wrath of God abideth on him So many as die are eyther faithfull or vnfaithfull If they be faithful so haue they in possession straightways euerlasting life If they be vnfaithfull then doth the wrath of God abide vpon them they receiue y e reward of infidelitie which is euerlasting dānatiō And albeit this appereth manifestly of the words aboue rehersed yet the history of the vnmercifull ●ich man of y e pore Lazare pain●eth it out very liuely In y e ye se y t ●he faithful man which was La●arus so sone as he died was re●eiued into the bosom of Abrahā Contrariwyse the vnfaithful mā which was the vnmerciful glotō ●as caried down streightwais in 〈◊〉 hel fire The like thing is manifestly set forth in

my breast Therfore wyll I haue neither month mindes nor yere mindes kept for me nor no idle Papistes and superstitious Massemongers sing or say for me For I doubt not but that the Lorde my God hath prepared me a vessel vnto honoure and hath written my name in the boke of life and hath also made me his sonne and heire of eternall glory this is inough for me Chr. The righteous saith the wyseman shall liue for euermore their reward also is with y e Lord and their remembrance w t the hiest Therfore shal they receiue a glorious kingdom a beautifull crowne of the Lordes hand Epa. Neighbours now am I at a poynt with the goods of y e world yea and with the world it selfe so that I may saye with the holy Apostle The world is crucified vnto me and I vnto the world The. He is an happy man and greatly blessed which forsaketh geueth ouer the worlde before the world forsaketh him For such obey this commaundement of S. Iohn Loue not the worlde nor those thinges that are in the worlde albeit I doubt not neighbour Epaphroditus but that you shal right well recouer your health and liue yet many yeares among vs. Epa. No neyghbour Theophile The ende of my life is at hand And I moste hartely thank the Lord my God for it For I wishe to be losoned out of this life and to be with Christ. Like as the hart desireth the water brokes so longeth my soule after thee O God My soule is a thurst for God yea euen for y e liuing God When shal I come to appere before the presence of God ▪ O howe amiable are thy dwellinges thou Lorde of hostes My soul hath a desire and longyng to enter into the courtes of the Lord my hart and my fleshe reioyce in y e liuing god I had rather be a dore keper in the house of my God thē to dwell in the tentes of the vngodly O blessed are they y t dwell in thy house O Lord for they wil be alway praysing thee O lord deliuer my soul out of the prison of my body that I may come geue thanckes vnto thy blessed name Deale with me O lord according to thy will and commaūd my spirit to be receiued in peace For it is more expedient for me to die thē to liue Phile. I greatly reioyce in the Lord my God good neighbor Epaphroditꝰ to se you in so good a mind and to hear so godly wordes procede out of your mouthe These thinges are euident testimonies of your good conscience toward God Feare you not the Lord hath sealed you with his hol● spirit made you through his mercy a vessell vnto honor Epa. Now that an order is taken concerning my worldly possessiōs I wish to haue my wyfe my chyldren with my seruaunts brought hither vnto me that I may take my leaue of them and commende them vnto y e lord my God I pray you neighbour Eusebius cal them hither Euse. It shall be done Epa. Oh howe sicke am I My wekenes encreaseth more and more Lorde be mercifull vnto me and geue me grace paciently thank fully to beare this Crosse and in the middes of this my sicknesse alwaies to say Thy wil O heauenly father be done not mine Phi. Be strong in the Lorde good neighbour and faint not and you shall see the wondrous workes of God For God will either shortly restore vnto you your health or els make an end of this your pain by taking you frō this wretched world and place you in his glorious kingdom Epa. God graunt But is my neighbour Eusebius come againe Chri. Yea sir. Epa. Where is he Euse. Here sir am I. Epa. Where is my wife my chyldren and my seruauntes Phile. They are all here present Epaphr COme hither wife You see in what case I lie here sicke weake and the prisoner of God loking euery hour for my departure out of this worlde And this visitation of God is vnto me welcome and I thanke the Lord w tal my heart for it I doubt not but that whan I am once gone out of this wretched lyfe I shal be in a far better case then euer I was in this worlde Therfore I pray thee good wife be not heauy neither take thought for me but rather pray that y e good wyll of God may be done in me And be aswell contented that I should nowe at the calling of God go from thee as euer thou wast to haue me in thy company I haue run my rase I haue passed those yeres which the Lord appoynted that I should lyue in this world And now is the time of my departure come And I geue ouer this my life willingly and with a free hart Therefore take no thought for me And doubt thou not swete wife but if y e goest forthe to liue in the feare of God and to please him God in the time of thy wyddowhod will be an husband vnto thee He wilbe thy patron and defender He wilbe thy mighty shield strong buckler He will prouide and afore see that thou and thine shall want no good thing For he hath promised in his holy worde that he wil take charge of the widowes and defend their cause He hath also geuen a strait commaūdement to the magistrates head rulers to loke vnto wydowes to deliuer them from oppression And his holy Apostle saith that y e pure and vndefiled Religion before God y e father is to visit help comfort widowes Therfore I doubt not but the Lord our God will aboundantly prouide for thee and thine Notwithstāding wife forasmuch as from the first time o● our mariage vnto this presēt day thou hast alway bene vnto me a true faithfull honest diligent seruiceable wife I haue made the mine Executresse and geuen vnto thee in my wyll suche a portion as shal aboundaūtly satisfie thee both vnto the bringing vp of thy children and also vnto the maintenance of hospitalitie God hath sent me inough therfore I leaue vnto thee thine inough I praye God send you alwayes his feare before your face so shall you neuer uant To forbid the mariage after my departure according vnto the propertie of some husbādes I wyll not For the holy Scrip●ure saieth the wyfe is bound vn●o the mariage as long as her husband lyueth If her husband die ●he it at libertie to marie wyth whome she will only in the Lord. If thou therfore after my depar●ure O wife hast a minde to marye agayne marry in the name of the lord our God For I know as the wyse man saith that no man can liue chast except God geueth the gift Only haue this care that he with whome thou doest determine to couple thy self in the blessed state of honorable wedlock be such a man as feareth God ▪ loueth his worde is well reported of his neighbours dealeth

nede no such daily sacrifices as the Papistes hearetofore for lucres sake haue deuised As Christe Iesus is an euerlasting Bishoppe so abideth his sacrifice whiche he once for all offred on the Crosse of ful vertue power might and strength euen vnto the ende of the world Iesus Christ yesterday and to daye and the same continueth for euer For asmuche therfore as Christ endureth for euer and hath an euerlasting Priesthode he is able also euer to saue them to the vttermost and vnto the full that come vnto God by hym seyng he euer liueth to make intercession for vs. For he is not entred into the holy places that ar made with handes which are similitudes of true thinges but is entred into very heauen for to appeare nowe in the sighte of God for vs not to offer hym selfe often as the hie priest entreth in to the holy place euery year with straunge bloud for then must he haue often suffred sence the world began But nowe in the ende of the world hath he appeared once to put sinne to flyght by the offering vp of him self And as it is apoynted vnto all men y t they shall once die and then commeth the iudgemēt euē so Christ was once offred to take away the sinnes of manye and vnto them that loke for him shall he appeare again w t out sinne vnto saluation We are sanctified and made holye by the offeringe of Iesus Christes bodye done once for all With one only oblation hath Christ Iesus made perfecte for euermore them that are sanctified Adue therfore to all newe counterfaict and straunge sacrifices deuised for lucres sake by the crafty conueyance of man through the subtile suggestion of slie Satan let the faithfull people of God embrace that sacrifice that offringe of Christes blessed body which he him self offred vnto God the father on the altare of the crosse once for al for the sinnes of the worlde Let them cleue and sticke vnto that Let them repose their whole affiaunce and put all trust in that swete smelling sacrifice and saye with the holy Apostle God forbid that I should reioyse in any thing but in y e crosse passion and death of our Lord Iesu Christe So may they be sure neuer to perishe but to haue euerlasting life Againe This Iesus Christ the sonne of God and the sonne also of the glorious virgin after that he had suffred many bitter paines and greuous tormentes hauing vpon the crosse died the death of the body was buried I beleue that Christ by his death hath conquered vanquished subdued and ouercome him that had Lordship ouer death that is to saye the deuill that he myght deliuer them which thorow fear of death were all their lyfe tyme subdued vnto bondage Yea by his death Sathans power is so broken and the violēce of death so weakened that we may be bold to saye Death is swalowed vp into victory Death where is thy sting Hell where is thy victory The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is y e law But thankes be vnto God whiche hathe geuen vs wictorye through our Lord Iesus Christ. Christe after the death of his body went downe in his soule to hell as clearely appeareth by the ●criptures not that he shuld there ●uffer mo paines whiche had all ready on the crosse suffred to the vttermoste and done whatsoeuer was nedefull for our redemption but to breake the pride of Sathan and to destroy the fury of the hellishe powers againste the chosen people of God that al the faithful thereby might be deliuered from death and hell and triumphantly say with the Prophet O death I wyll be thy death O hell I wil be thy destruction And lykewyse as Christe died for our synnes so I vnfaynedlye beleue with my hearte and frely confesse with my mouthe that he rose agayn the third day through the power of his father for oure iustification according to the scriptures And by this his resurrection and lyfe he hath not only shewed hym selfe a glorious and triumphante conquerour ouer Sathan death and hell but he hath also brought lyfe and immortalltie vnto light and assured vs of the resurrectiō of our bodies that as he is rysen from the dead so likewyse shall we with our bodies ryse agayne out of the earth at the last daye And therfore is he called the fyrst frutes of them that ar fallen aslepe Moreouer I vnfaynedlye beleue with my heart and frely confesse with my mouth that as Iesus Christ the sonne of God the sonne of the Uirgin Mary shewed him selfe oftentimes after his resurrection vnto his disciples so likewise he ascended vnto heauen in their presence perfect God and perfect man sitteth at the right-hand of God y e father almighty aboue all rule power might dominion aboue all y t may be named not only in this worlde but also in y e worlde to come For God the father hathe put all thynges vnder his feete and hathe made him aboue all thinges the head of the congregation whiche is his body and the fulnes of hym that filleth all in all Al power is geuē vnto him bothe in heauen and in earth He is a lord aboue al lords and a king aboue all kinges Yea he is an almighty God with his father of y e same Maiestie might power and glory and not withstāding inasmuche as he is man he is also our intercessour mediator and aduocate For he is not gone vp into heauen to be an idle gaser nor to neglect his churche but to pray for the faythfull to make intercessiō for them vnto God the father to be our mediatour aduocate and to appease the wrath of God the father if at any tyme through sinne it waxeth whote against vs and to wynne vs again vnto his fauoure and to kepe vs in the same vnto thende We nede not seke helpe of other neither yet call on the sainctes departed that they may pray for vs and pleade our cause before God The man Christ Iesus alone whiche gaue him self a raunsom for all men is our sufficient mediatoure aduocate and intercessour as the holye scripture teacheth in diuers places Whosoeuer therefore refuseth to pray vnto this man Christ Iesus to be his mediatoure and aduocate vnto God the father and ●leeth vnto other w tout all doubt he is an ennemy vnto Christ and to the vttermoste of his power he ●aboureth to make Christ as they ●se to saye Iacke out of office For since the time of his ascention ●is chief and principall office is to ●e our intercessoure mediatoure ●nd aduocate He ascended also into heauen to leade captiuitie captiue and to geue giftes vnto men Satan that old enemy of mankind had taken vs captiue made vs his bond slaues through sine caried vs away with his craft subtiltie from the Lord

our God and brought vs in to his kingdō of darcknes whiche is the dreadful kyngdom of sinne death and hell Thus were we in great misery and should for euer haue bene damned if we had not bene holpen by some other meanes then we withall oure wittes could deuise Therfore euen of very pity tender compassion came one which is much stronger the● Satan euen Christ that mighty Lion of the tribe of Iuda a ryght conquerour a strong Sampson a valeant subduer of death sinne hell a puissaunt vanquisher of Satan c. He as a king of glory mightely brast into Satās kyngdome brake open the gates of hel toke the Prince of darknes boūd hym toke him prisoner made him his bound slaue destroied his Empire ledde away his prysonners bringing them againe into moste ioyfull and blessed libertie so that al they which beleue in this most mighty Emperour and valeaunt conquerour Christ Iesus are deliuered from the tyranny of Satan and from the power of sinne death and hell There is no damnation nowe vnto them whiche are engrafted in Christ Iesu. Satan sinne death and hell withall the infernall army cannot hurt y e elect and chosen people of God Who shall lay any thynge to the charge of Gods chosen It is God ●hat iustifieth ▪ who is he that can ●ondemne It is Christ whiche died yea rather whiche is rysen againe whiche is also on the righthād of God and maketh intercession for vs. Who shal then seperat vs from the loue of God c. And as Christ by his most glorious and triumphant Ascension hath led captiuite captiue so likewyse hath he geuen giftes vnto men euen that holy ghost that spirite of truthe that comfortoure whiche worketh in the heartes of the faithfull newe mocions and spiritual affectes faith hope loue feare humilitie modestie mekenes pacience long suffring ioye peace quietnes of conscience tem●peraunce goodnes mercy c. It mortifieth the old man and quieneth the newe man whiche is renued vnto the knowledge and Image of him y t made him ▪ whiche after God is shapen in righteousnes and true holines Againe Christ ascending vp in●to heauen by y e power of his godhead hath prepared in the kingdō of his father euerlasting and ioyfull dwelling places for so manye as beleue in hym as he him selfe witnesseth saying I goe to prepare a place for you and I wyll come agayn vnto you take you vnto my self that where I am ye also maybe He hathe also ascertained vs of our ascension and going vp into heauen not onlye in soul but also in body He corporally is rysen agayne and gone before into the glorious kingdom of his father to declare that we also after the generall resurrection shall both body and soule be caried into heauē The members must nedes be lyke the head Christ our head is risen againe therfore shall we his members ryse agayne Christ our head is ascended and gone vp into heauen both body and soule therfore shal we his members ascend and go vp into heauen bothe body and soule also Christ our hed was taken vp into Heauen in a cloud bothe body and soule therefore shall we his members also be taken vp in a cloude to meete the lord and so shal we both body and soule dwel with the Lord Christe our head for euer and euer as the holy Apostle testifieth saying If we beleue that Iesus died rose againe euen so them whiche slepe by Iesus God will brynge again with hym For this say we vnto you in the worde of the Lord that we whiche shall liue and shall remaine in the comming of the lord shall not come yer they whiche slepe For the Lorde him selfe shal descend from Heauē with a shout and the voyce of the Archaungell and trompe of God And the dead in Christe shall aryse fyrste then we which shal liue euē we which shall remaine shalbe caughte vp with them in the cloudes to mete the Lorde in the ayre And so shall we euer be with the Lorde Finally I vnfainedly beleue with my hearte and frely confesse with my mouth that as the Lord Christ is ascended into heauen so shall he come agayne from heauen with power and muche glory nobly accompanied with thousands of blessed ▪ Aungels and heauenly sainctes for to iudge the quicke and the dead the faithfull and vnfaithfull and to geue ▪ euery man his rewarde according to that he hathe donne whether it be good or badde And when he thus gloriously shall come vnto the iudgemente all that are in the graues shall heare his voyce and shall come forthe they that haue done good vnto the resurrection ●f life and they that haue done euil vnto the resurrection of damnation The faithfull shal go into eternall life the vnfaithfull into euerlasting damnation Euery man shall be reward according to his dedes that is to say prayse honor immortalitie to them which continue in good doyng and seke immortalitie But vnto thē that are rebels and that doe not obeye the truthe but followe vnrighteousnes shall come indignation wrath tribulation and anguishe vpon the soule of euery man that doth euell Now haue ye heard of my faith cōcerning Iesus Christ God and man And I beleue al things that I haue spoken to be vndoubtedly true And I am fully perswaded that Iesus Christ my lord and sauiour wrought all the thinges y t euer he did in his humanitie for me and for my saluation To saue me to reconcile me vnto God the father to make me enheritour of euerlasting glory he came downe from heauen was incarnate by the holy ghoste and borne of the virgin Mary Yea he ●uffred was crucified died went down to hel rose agayn the third day from the dead ascended vnto heauen and shall come again vnto iudgement for me for my sake for my glory saluatiō Thus haue ye heard my fayth concerning God the father and God the sonne whiche also is man receuing his humain nature of the glorious virgin Mary Eus. Whosoeuer this beleueth and confesseth of God the father and of his sonne Christ the same can neuer perishe For as our sauioure Christ saide vnto God the father in his praier This is euerlasting life euen to know thee y e alone tru God and whom thou hast sente Iesus Christ. Chr. The wise man also saieth To know the O god as perfect righteousnes God sayth by the Prophet yea to know thy rightousnes and power is the roote of immortalitie Theo. By the knowledge of him whiche is my righteous seruaunt he shal iustify the multitude Phi. God graunte vs the true knowledge of his sonne Christe so may we be sure to be iustified saued gloryfyed Epa. Amen But now heare also my faythe concerning the third parson in the deity which is the holy gost Chr. We

God euen vnto the Lord my god Deliuer my soule O Lord out of prison that I may come vnto the and glorify thy holy name For albeit this my weak feble sicke and mortall body shall geue ouer to nature and die yet I vnfamedly beleue with my hart and frely confes with my mouth that at the last day it shall rise agayn as the bodies of all other both mē and women that haue died shall likewise do There shalbe a generall resurrectiō of the flesh Al that are dead shall rise agayne some to euerlasting life and some to euerlasting paine and damnation as our sauiour Christ saith The hour shall come in the which all y t are in the graues shall heare the voice of the sonne of God and shal come forthe they that haue done good vnto the resurrection of life and they that haue done euill vnto the resurrection of damnation Yea they that shall lyue and remaine vntill the comming of oure Lord sauiour Christ Iesu shall all be chaunged yea and that in a moment in the twinckling of an eie by the last trompe For the trompe shall blowe and the dead shall rise vncorruptible and we shalbe chaunged for this corruptible body must put on vncorruptibilitie and this mortall bodye must put on immortalitie Therfore I fear nothing at all the putting of of this body for although it slepeth in the earth for a time according to the ordinance of god be turned into dust yet shall it awake and ryse againe out of the earth so that I shall receiue it in a far better state then euer I had in it this world euen like vnto the glorious body of our Lord and sauiour Christ Iesu. Wherfor I say with the holy man Iob I beleue that my redemer liueth and that I shall rise out of the earth in the ●atter day and that I shall be clo●hed again with this skin and se God my sauiour in my flesh Yea I my selfe shall beholde him not with other eies but with these ●ame eies This hope is stedfastly ●et in my heart To ende I vnfainedly beleue with my heart frely cōfesse with my mouth that after my body soul be vnited and knit together I with all the faithful that haue liued from the beginning vnto the very end of y e world shall through the benefit of Christ Iesu enioy euerlastyng lyfe So many as haue truely beleued on Christe Iesu shall enioy continuall and blessed peace glister as the shining of heauē ●e as the stars world without end yea they shall be clad with white garments and haue golden crownes vpon their heades They shal glorify God and doo seruice day and nighte before the glorious throne of his maiesty They shall se God face to face and for euer and euer enioy the presence of Gods moste excellent Maiesty and the compa●ny of all the heauenly Angels and blessed sainctes Of the ioyes of euerlasting life whiche God hathe in store for all faithfull beleuers can no man eyther write speake or thincke at ●he full as it is written the eye hathe not sene and the eare hathe not heard nether haue entred into the hearte of man the thinges whiche God hath prepared for thē that loue him And this euerlasting life is the gift of god thorow Iesus Christ our Lord to whom be all honoure and glory for euer and euer Theo. Amen Epa. Thus haue I declared before you my faith concerning God and his holy misteries grounded I trust on the true and vndeceyueable worde of God And I faithfully beleue that God my heauenly Father will be mercifull vnto me and forgeue me all my sinnes for Christes sake and receyue me into his heauenly kingdome and geue me euerlasting life whiche I now most entirely desire wish and longe for counting my selfe then most happy whiche through death I shall take my passage toward that most glorious and heauenly kingdom For I know and am fully perswaded that if my earthy mansion of this dwellinge were once destroied I shuld haue a building of God an habitation not made with handes but euerlasting in heauen Chri. God geue vs all that heauenly mansion Euse. Amen Epa. Well come thou hither myne owne deare wife let me kisse thee and bid thee farwel God kepe thee defend the. Come ye hither also my most swete children that I may kisse you also before I die God blesse you sende you prosperous daies on thearth God geue you his spirite that ye may liue in his faith feare and loue and serue him in holines righteousnes al the daies of your life Ye my seruaunts draw nere geue me your hands Far ye wel God make you his seruauntes send you obedient harts vnto his holy and blessed lawe Wepe not for me but praye for me that the wil of God may be done in me that I may bothe paciently and thankefully abide the good pleasure of God I trust we shal haue a ioyfull meting againe together in the kingdome of our heauenlye father where we shall reigne one with an other in ioye and glorye worldes without ende and se the glorious maiestie of God face to face vnto our exceding consolation and comfort Wel depart in the name of God The grace of oure Lord Iesu Christ the loue of god and the felowship of the holy gost be with you all Phile. Amen Nowe good brother Epaphrodi●us how do you Epaph. The spirit is willing and ready but the flesh is weake Chr. I pray you sir be on good confort Epa. The Lord is my confort He ful gratiously dealeth with me Eu. Do you lack any●thing sir Epa. Nothing but strenth frō aboue that I may paciently abide and suffer the good plesure of God Thy wil be don o heauen●ly father in erth as it is in heauē Let me lie somwhat hier with my head It is well a litle thing god knoweth disquieteth this my sick weake body I trust that within fewe houres it shalbe paste al● sicknes and misery and shal bothe● quietly swetely slepe in the harte● of the earth vntill the great daye of the generall resurrection In y e meane season shall my soule be in glory with Christ and ioyfully be●hold the glorious maiesty of God I will cease talking for a little whyle with you and fall to cōmunication with my lord God in my hart I pray you pray for me that I may continue faithfull vnto the end For it is written Be faithfull vnto the death I will geue thee the crown of life Phi. Neighbors ●●om aside a little while and let vs fall to prayer Chri. Most gladly Phi. Lord heare our praiers Euse. And let our cry com vnto thee Ph. Saue this thy seruaunt O Lord thou father of mercies God of all consolatiō Chr. And so worke in him by thy

This is a cōfortable hering Phi. No les true then cōfortable Epa. I trust then within fewe houres to se al the faithfull whiche before me haue departed in the Lord my children also and all my other acquaintaunce Phi. You shall both se them know them reioyse and be meary with them Eu. I maruell y t any man shuld doubt of thys doctrine beynge so clearlye set forthe both by the authority of the holye scriptures and by the testimonyes of the godly wryters seynge that the very heathen which knew not God a right beynge parswaded 〈◊〉 the immortality of the soule neuer doubted of it but were thorowlye resolued that such as lyued in this world iustly and vprightly and deserued wel of the common wealth whan so euer they departed from this life should go vnto the blessed company of the immortal Gods there not only se know the gods but also all those noble good and vertuous parsons that euer liued in this world as wel suche as they neuer knew as also those whome in this world they dyd moste perfectly know And they beyng thus perswaded desyred deathe at the leaste when the tyme of theyr departure came they toke their deathe the more ioyfully and paciently I wil rehearse vnto you y e wor●es of ●ne or two of them I haue 〈…〉 desire said Cato the elder ●o se your fathers whom I honou●●d and loued But I wish not on●y to talke wyth them whome I haue knowen in thys worlde but with such also as of whom I haue ●eard and red yea and I my selfe ●aue wrytten If I were once go●ng thitherward I woulde neuer ●aue mynde to retourne hyther a●ain Againe he saith O that no●le and pleasant day when it shall ●e my chaunce to come vnto that ●eauenly company and blessed fe●owship and depart frō this troublous stincking world For the● shall I go not only vnto those mē● of whom I spake vnto you befor● but also vnto my Cato whiche was as worthy a man as euer liued and as noble And it is written of Socrates y t when he wen● vnto his death amōg many other thīgs he said y t it is a most blessed goodly thing for thē to come together which haue liued iustly faithfully o saith he what a grea● pleasure thinke you it to be frēdl● to talk w t Orpheus Musaeus Home●rus Hesiodus such like verely I wold die ful oft if it were possibl● to get those things y t I speake of Thus se we y t many among y t very Heathē which wer perswade● of thinmortality of y e soul beleue● y t they whiche in this world liue● godly iustly vprightly honestly should al go vnto a ioyful place o● rest ther hauing y e blessed comp●●ny of y e immortal gods they shul● know one another talk reioyce one w t an other The. As touching y e Ethnickes which in this world led a iust vpright life in the sight of mē I pronoūce nothing but leue thē vnto gods iudgmēt but as concerning the faithful christians which beleue in God feare loue God are perswaded of their saluatiō in Christes blud frame their life vnto the vttermost of their power according to the cōmaundements of God as they shall al obtain one glorious kingdome be Citezins of one Citie so likewyse shal they se know one an other talke reioyse be mery one with another This is my belief Ph. I agre w t you in opiniō concerning this matter Therfore good neighbor Epaphrodit be of good ●here take a good hart vnto you faynt not nether feare you death For y e time is at hand that you leauing this wretched worlde and the inhabitantes therof shall come vnto that most glorious and heauēly kingdom where you shall haue the sight and knowledge not only of God and of his holy angels but also of al Gods elect and chosen people Al your dear frendes which are gone afore you shal glo●riously come and mete you ioyfully receiue you gladly present you vnto the maiestie of God and so shall you altogether remain in al glory and ioy for euer and euer Epa. Amen God graūt Chr. Sir how do you Epa. As God wyll Chri. I truste you do remember what my neighbour Philemon hath sayd vnto you Epa. Yea right wel I thanke God Chr. Then sir I praye you be of good comforte Epa. I am well content to forsake the worlde and all that is in the world and to go vnto the lord my God Eu. I trust y t there is none other thinge that troubleth you Epa. Yes not outwardly but inwardly Eu. Inward trouble is y e greatest griefe in the worlde Declare I pray you what it is we will doe the best we can to quiet your mind Epaph. Let me alone a little and pray for me Euse. Well content Neighbours let vs commend this our sicke brother vnto God with our prayers For he desireth it Phi. God commaundeth vs by his holy Apostle saying If any be diseased amonge you let him call for the elders of the congregatiō let thē pray ouer him annoint him w t oyle in the name of the Lord. And y e praier of faith shall saue the sicke and the Lorde shall rayse him vp and if he haue committed sinnes they shalbe forgeuen him Knowledge your fautes one to another and praye one for an other that ye may be healed The prayer of a righteous mā auaileth muche if it be feruent Let vs therfore knele downe and praye O Lorde heare our praier Eu. And let our cry come vnto the● Phi. O almighty and euerlasting God which lightnest al men that come into this world we besethe thee lightē the heart of this sicke weake and diseased persone with the beames of thy deuine grace mercy y t al his thoughtes wordes workes may so be directed that he may be acceptable to thy godly maiestie in true faith and perfect loue thorow thi only sonne Iesus Christ our Lord sauiour Chr. A●men Phi. O eternall and merciful God loke down from heauē and visit this thy weake seruaunt as thou diddest visit Toby Sara Peters wiues mother the Captaines seruaunt Blesse hym as thou didst blesse Abraham Isaac and Iacob Behold him O Lord with the eies of thy mercy Replenish his hart with all ioye kepe from him al sinful thoughtes and wicked imaginations And sende downe thy angell of peace that he may kepe and defend him in euerlasting peace through Iesus christ thy deare sonne our Lorde sauiour Eu. Amen Phi. O Lord Iesu Christ thalone sauiour of y e world and the true phisitiō both of body and soule we most humbly besech thee mercifully to behold this our sicke brother which is a mēber of y e mistical body wherof thou art y e head and a braunche of the which y ● art the true vine Be thou vnto hym that moste

cleane sayde Christe for th● word whiche I spake vnto you Hereto parteineth the sayinge o● the wyseman Nether hearbe no emplasture hath healed them O lord but thy worde which healet● all thinges Like vnto this is 〈◊〉 sentence in a certaine Psalme h● sent his word and deliuered the● from destructiō Epa. God deliue● me from destruction phi Enar● your self w t faith praier and wit● the word of God doubt ye not For these kyndes of armoures o● weapons sathan can by no mea●nes abide Ep. The Lord preseru● and defend me Neighboures I wil pray once againe vnto y e Lord my God while I haue time Chr. It is a godly exercise Epa. I per●ceiue Sathan to be still busy and to seke my dānation Phi. Striu●●fully you shall haue the crowne of glory ▪ Epa. How long wilt thou forget me O Lord for euer How long wilt thou hide thy face from me O how long shal I seke councell in my soule and be so vexed in my heart How long shall mine enemy triumph ouer me Consider here me O Lord my God lighten mine eies that I sleepe not in death least myne ennemy saye I haue preuailed against him If I be cast downe they that trouble me will reioyse at it But my trust is in thy mercy my hart is ioyful in thy saluation I againe for this thy louynge kyndnesse wyll prayse thy holy name Euse. So be it Ep. Unto the wil I cry O Lord my strēgth thinck no scorn of me ●east if thou make thee as though thou heardest not I become like them that go downe into the pit Here the voyce of my humble pe●icions when I cry vnto the whē I cry vnto the whē I hold vp my handes toward the mercy seat of thy holy temple O hyde not thou thy face from me nor cast thy seruaunt awaye in thy displeasure The sorowes of death haue compassed me round about and the ouerflowings of vngodlines made me afraid The pains of hel came about me y t snares of death haue ouertaken me Be not thou farre from me ▪ O Lord thou art my succour hast thee to helpe me Delyuer my soul from the swearde my dearling frō the power of y e dog Saue me from the Lions mouth So shal I declare thy name vnto my brethren and in the middest of the cōgregation wil I praise thee● Euse. I doubte not brother Epaphroditus but y t God hath heard these your moste humble prayers lamentable supplications and will when he seeth conuenient● time send you remedy and geue you a ioyfull and mery hearte so that you shall leape vpō Sathan and saye The Lord is my light my saluation whom then shall I feare The Lorde is the strength of my lyfe of whome then shall I be afrayde Though an hoaste of men were layde against me yet shall not my heart be afrayd And though there rose vp war against me yet wyll I put my truste in hym Again death is swalowed vp into victory Death where is thy stynge Hell where is thy victory The sting of death is synne and the strengthe of synne is the lawe But thankes be vnto God which hath geuen vs the victory through our Lord Iesus Christ Epa. O whan will the Lord haue mercy on me and deliuer me from the greuous assaultes of mine ennemyes O Lorde why hast thou forgottē me Why go I thus heauely whyle the enemy oppresseth me Up Lord why sleapest thou Awake and be not absent frō me for euer Wherfore hidest thou thy face and forgettest my miserie trouble My soule is brought low euen vnto the dust my belly cleaueth vnto the grounde Arise and help me O Lorde and deliuer me for thy mercies sake Chri. Fainte not nether despaire you of Gods mercy but take a good heart vnto you abide the Lordes pleasure Be of like mynd with him which praid on this manner vnto God saying Unto thee lift I vp myne eies thou that dwellest in the heauens Beholde as the eies of seruaunts loke vnto y e hande of their maisters and as the eies of a maiden vnto the hand of her mistres euen so our eies wayte vpon the Lord our god vntil he haue mercy vpon vs. It is good to be quiet saith the Prophet and pacientlye to abide the sauing healthe of the Lord ▪ For y e Lord wyl not forsake for euer but though he punyshe you now and suffre satan to trouble you a little while for the triall of your faith yet according to the multitude of his mercies will he receiue you to grace again not cast you out of his heart for euer He is a father of mercies and God of all consolation He wyll not be alwayes chiding neither wyll he for euer be angry with vs. For like as a father pitieth his owne children euen so is the Lord mercifull vnto thē y t feare him For he knoweth whereof we be made he remembreth that we are but duste Epa. Lorde be thou mercifull vnto me Hide not thy selfe in a cloude but shew me thy louing and gentle countenaunce that I may be saued Send me present helpe frō aboue or els I perysh For I wrastle not against bloud and fleshe but against rule against power against worldly rulers euen gouernours of the darcknes of this worlde against spirituall craftines in heauenly thynges This greuous conflict O Lord is with such an ennemy as feared not to assail thee whom thou thy self callest the Prince of this world and the holy Apostle tearmeth hym the God of this worlde Arise therfore O Lorde and take my part Be thou O God my defender my house of defence and my Castell Deliuer me out of y e snare whiche myne ennemy hath layde for me that I being set at libertie maye syng prayses to thy blessed name and magnifie thee my Lord God for euer and euer Theo. Amen Phi. Neighbour take a good hart vnto you and you shall shortly see the wonderfull working of God For behold he that kepeth Israell doth nether slomber nor slepe The Lord him self is your keper the Lord is your defence the lord shall preserue you from all euill yea the Lord shal kepe your soule For as he casteth down so lifteth he vp againe As he killeth so he quickeneth As he nowe for a little tyme suffreth Sathan to disquiet you for the exercise probation and triall of your faythe so likewyse will he deliuer you oute of this agonie geue you againe a ioyfull mery and quiet conscience For the nature and property of God is to woūd before he healeth to throwe downe before he lifteth vp to kyll before he quickneth to condemne before he saueth Therfore feare not For the lord dealeth none otherwise with you than he doeth with his other saincts This your trouble he wil turn to ease and this your

not but turne again vnto the Lord your God he will turn vnto you ▪ deliuer you saue you For he is the father of mercies God of all consolation He is riche inough for all thē that call vpon hym If you doo thus though your sinnes be as read as scarlet yet shall they be as whyte as snowe And though they were lyke purple yet shall they bee as whyte as woll Heare what God saith by the Prophet Commonly whan a man putteth away his wife and she goeth from him and marieth with an other then the question is should he resorte any more vnto her after that Is not this field then defiled vncleane But as for thee thou hast plaide y e harlot with many louers yet turn again to me saith y e Lord. c. and I will not let my wrath fall vpon you I am mercifull sayeth the Lord and I will not alway beare displeasure against thee O tourn again and I will be maried with you Whō wold not these words encourage to come againe vnto the Lord his God and throughly to be perswaded of gods louing fauour toward him and of the forgeuenes of his sinnes be they neuer so many and greuous if he repent beleue amend Epa. These thinges comfort well my weake conscience But one thinge dothe ●reatly discourage me Phi. What ●s that Epa. I haue no merites nor plenty of good workes wherwith I may make God fauorable ●o me but I am a barren fig tree ●oyd of all good fruit Phile. The wāt of merits ought not to pluck you from comming vnto god For God saueth not vs for the righteous works which we haue done but for his mercies sake If oure saluatiō came of works merits then were grace no more grace If euerlasting life were gotten by deseruinges than were it not the gift of God through Iesus Christ our Lord. But the Apostle saieth By grace are ye saued thorowe faith and that not of our selues It is the gifte of God and commeth not of workes least any mā should boast him self If rightousnesse come of the lawe then Christ is dead in vaine Christ came not to call the righteous but sinne● to repentance And we are taug● in the Gospell that ioye shall be 〈◊〉 heauen ouer one sinner that rep●●teth more then ouer ninety an● nine iust persones which nede 〈◊〉 repentaunce What had the wou●●ded man deserued that he shoul● be healed What had y e strayshep● merited that the shephard shoul● so louingly fetch her home again● What good works brought Mar● Magdalen when Christ receiue● her vnto grace forgaue her he● sinnes And so likewyse of diuers other If God shoulde saue vs because of our merites good workes so should we chuse god by our works and merites and not God vs by his fauor grace and mercy But Christ saith ye haue not chosen me but I haue chosen you And S. Iohn wondring at this great mercy of God brasteth out ●●to these wordes ▪ and saith Be●olde what loue the father hathe ●hewed on vs y t we shuld be called ●he sonnes of God Againe herein ●s loue not that we loued God ●ut that he loued vs and sent his ●onne to be the agrement for our ●●nnes And S Paul saith God y e ●ather hath chosen vs in Christ ●efore the foundatiōs of the world ●ere laid God therfore did chuse ●s by his grace and not we hym ●y our workes and merits I wil ●aue mercy sayd God to Moses ●n whome it pleaseth me to haue mercy and I wil haue compassiō ●n whō it is my pleasure to haue compassion It lieth not therfore ●n a mans will or running but in ●he mercy of God And the Psal●ograph saith speaking of God 〈◊〉 of him self he hath saued me be●ause it was his pleasure to haue ●e Againe he saith Thou shalt saue them for nothynge what 〈◊〉 to say saith S. Austen thou sh●● saue them for nothing but y e th●● findest nothing in them wherf●● they shuld be saued and yet sau●● thou them Frely doest thou ge●● frely dost thou saue And s. Iero●● alledging y e same sentence agai●● the Pelagians saith that y e rig●●teous are not saued by their ow●● merites but by the tender merc●● of God If we shall consider ou●● merites saith Chrisostom we a●● not only worthy no reward b●● we are also worthy punishemen● Let all mens merits which per●●shed by Adam be still and kepe s●●lence saith Saint Austen and l●● the grace of God reigne which raigneth through our Lorde I●●sus Christe The redemption 〈◊〉 Christes bloud should waxe vi●● and become of no price sayth S● Ambrose if y e iustification which commeth by grace were due vnto merites going afore Dauid sath in a certayne Psalme prayse ▪ the Lord. O my soule and all that is within me praise his holy name Prayse the Lord O my soule and forget not his benefites Whiche forgeueth all thy sinnes and healeth al thine iniquities Which saueth thy life from destruction and crowneth the with mercy and lo●ing kindnes All good men from the beginning haue attributed geuen the whole glory of their iustification and saluation not to their own merits and good wor●es but to the free grace and vndeserued mercy of God that God maye bee all in all and that he whiche reioyseth should reioyse in ●he Lorde For the contentation and quietnes of your conscience ●n this behalf remember y t Christ ●ame not to cal y e iusticiaries but sinners vnto repentaunce Remē●ber that the sonne of man came t● seke and to saue that that wa● lost Remember that Christ is 〈◊〉 Phisition and that the who● hath no nede of a Phisition bu● suche as are sick Remember tha● Christ calleth vnto him al such a● are diseased loden with the bu●●den of sinne He requireth no m●●rites only come remember tha● Christ is called a sauiour to y e end that he should saue them which otherwise should perish Heare al●so what God saith by y e Prophe● Come to the waters al ye that b● thirsty and ye that haue no mony Come bie y t ye may haue to ea●● Come bie wine and milk withou● any mony or mony worth Wher●●fore doo ye lay out your mony fo● the thyng that fedeth not spen● your labour about the thing tha● satisfieth you not But harke● harken rather vnto me ye shall eat of the best and your soul shall haue her pleasure in plenteousnesses Encline your eares and come vnto me take hede I say your soul shall liue Our sauiour Christ also saieth If any man thirst let him come vnto me and drinke Againe in an other place I wyll geue to him that is a thirst of the well of the water of lyfe He that ouercommeth shall enherite all thinges

and I will be his God he shalbe my sonne Itē Let him that is a thirst com And let whosoeuer wyll take of the water of lyfe fre Here is the fauor of God remission of sinnes the gift of the holy ghost quietnes of conscience and euerlasting life promised frely without merits or deserts to so many as wil come vnto Christ w t a repentāt hart faithfull minde For Christe was sent of God the father to preach good tidings vnto the pore that he might bind vp the woūded hartes that he might preache deliueraunce to the captiue and open the pryson to them that are bound declare the acceptable yeare of the Lord and comfort al them that are in heauines He came into this worlde to saue sinners Therefore let it not dismay you though you find in your self plenty of sinnes good workes very few Cast rather y e eies of your mind w t strōg faith on Christ on his righteousnes on his merites passiō death on his blessed body breking his precious blud shedding Beleue him to be ordained of God the father to be youre wisdom righteousnes your sāctification redemption that as it is written he y t reioyseth shuld reioyse in the Lorde Count all your merites good works righteousnesses vile and of no price for the excellēcy of y e knowledge of Christ Iesu our Lord. Labour to winne Christ and to be found in him not hauing your owne righteousnes which commeth of the law but y t that which is through y e faith of Christ euen y e rightousnes whiche commeth of God through faith y t you may knowe him and the vertue of his resurrection and fellowship of his passions He y t through true faith hath gotten Christ put him on his back withall his righteousnes and holines he is not altogether without merites neither walketh he naked in y e sight of God Unto this exhorteth S. Paule when he saieth Put ye on the Lord Iesus Christe that is to saye Clothe your selfe throughe saith with al the merits and workes of Christ. Take his righteousnesse holinesse perfection praying fasting watching law fulfilling miracles working preching passion death resurrection assention and al that euer he hath to be yours Beleue him to be geuē you of God withal that euer he hath Christ is yours all therfore that euer Christ merited in his flesh is yours also as the Apostle saieth God spared not his owne sonne but gaue him for vs al how can it be than that with him he shoulde not geue vs all thinges also If you on this manner put on Christ his merites and good works thorowe true faith you shall not appeare before God an vnfrutefull figge tree neither shall the cursse of God fall vpon you Hear what S. Austen saith All my hope is in the death of my Lord. His death is my merit my refuge my helth life and resurrection The tender mercy of the Lorde is my merit I am not without merits so long as that Lorde of mercies fayleth not And if the mercies of the Lord be plenteous then am I also plēteous in merites The mightier that he is to saue the better is my state and condition and the more fre am I from all daunger Here se you that this godly man Saint Austen knoweth none other merites that may doo him good but the merites of Christes death and passion He counteth Christes merites his merites and saieth that he is not without merites so long as that Lorde of mercies fayleth not In an other place he also sayeth all my hope and assuraunce of my whole trust is in the precious bloud of Christ whiche was shed for vs and for our saluation In that is all my comfort and reposing the whole affiance of my saluation In that I desyre to come vnto thee O heauenly father not hauing mine own righteousnes but that righteousnes which commeth by thy sonne Iesus Christe our Lorde Item Brethren that we may be healed from sinne let vs beholde Christe crucified For as they that did beholde the brasen Serpent in the wyldernsse did not die through the stinging of the serpentes so lykewyse they y t do loke vpon the death of Christ with faithe are healed from the bitinges of sinnes Here to agreeth the saying of saint Barnarde what is of so mighty force great strength to heale the woundes of the conscience as the diligent remēbraunce of Christes woundes Again when I am troubled and put in feare of my sinnes than do I hide me in the bloudy woundes of Iesus Christ. Loke y t you therfore likewise flie vnto the merites of Christes death and passion and so shall neither sinne death hell desperation lawe or anye other thing hurt you Ep. I beleue that whatsoeuer Christ did in his humanitie he did it for me for my saluation And in thee O Lorde God is my whole trust let me neuer be confounded But neighbor Philemon Phile. What is youre mind sir. Epa. What if I be not of the nomber of those whome God hath predestinat to be saued Phi. Feare you not God withoute all doubt hath sealed you by his holy spirite vnto euerlasting life Your name is written in the boke of life You are a citizin of the new glorious and heauenly Hierusalem Yow shall remaine with God in glory after your departure for euer euer Epa. It sore repenteth me y t I haue at any time offended the lord my God Phi. This repentance is an euident testimonye of your saluation and that god hath predestinat and tofore appoynted you vnto euerlasting lyfe For it is written repent you of your former life for the kingdome of God is at hand Again If the vngodly shall repent him of al his sinnes y t he hath done c. Doubtles he shal liue and not die As for al his sins that he did before they shall not once be thought vpon Epa. I haue an earnest fayth in the bloud of Christ that God the father will forgeue me al my sinnes for Christes sake Phi. You thus beleuing can not perish but this your faith is an vndoubted assuraunce vnto your conscience that you are predestinate to be saued For it is written God hath so derely loued the worlde that he gaue his only begotten sonne that all that beleue on hym shoulde not pearishe but ●aue euerlasting lyfe For God ●ent not his sonne into the worlde ●o condempne the world but that ●he world should be saued by him He that beleueth on him is not ●ondempned He that beleueth on ●he sonne hath euerlasting lyfe Uerely verely I say vnto you he ●hat heareth my worde and bele●eth on him that sent me hath e●erlasting lyfe and shall not come ●nto dampnation but is scaped ●rom death vnto life This is the ●athers will that sent me that of ●l which he hath geuen me I shal ●ose

nothing but raise them vp againe at the last day And this is y e wil of him that sent me that euery one whiche seeth the sonne and beleueth on him haue euerlasting life And I will rayse him vp at y e last day I am the resurrection life he y t beleueth in me though he be dead yet shall he lyue euery one that liueth and beleueth i● me shal neuer die To him christ● geue all the Prophetes witnes saith S. Peter that through his name whosoeuer beleueth in him shall receiue remission of sinnes If thou knowledge w t thy mouth that Iesus is the Lorde and beleue in thine heart that God raysed hym vp from death thou shal● be saued For to beleue with th● hert iustifieth and to knowledge with the mouthe maketh a man safe For the scripture saith Whosoeuer beleueth on him shall not be confounded Thus se you that faith dooth assure your conscience of y e fauor of God of euerlasting life Doubt you not therfore but that you are counted in the number of Gods elect and chosen people and shall enherit the glorious kingdom of God Epa. I was baptised in the name of God y e father ●nd of god the sonne of god the ●oly ghost Phi. This is also a sure ●●kē of the fauour of God toward ●ou and that you are predestinate ●nto euerlasting life seyng that according to your profession you do beleue and vnto the vttermost of your power frame your life For it is wrytten he that beleueth is baptised shalbe saued And s. Peter said vnto the Iewes Repent you of your sinnes be baptised euery one of you in y e name of Iesus Christ for the remission of sinnes and ye shall receiue the gift of the holy ghost ▪ And Saint Paule saieth All ye that are baptized haue put on Christ. And you know there is no dampnation to them that are in Christ Iesu. For as when you wer baptised ye forsoke the deuill the world and the flesh withal their workes pōpes and vanitie and gaue your selfe only vnto the seruice of God taking him for your Lord maister euen so hath God likewise taken you to be his seruaunt loueth and fauoureth you and wil defend you against al your ennemies and neuer forsake you vntyll he hathe brought you vnto euerlasting life By baptisme is he your lord God therefore wyll not he suffer you to pearishe By baptisme is he your father and you are born of him so become his sonne therfore can he none otherwyse then loue tender and fauour you and geue you the enheritaunce of his heauenly kingdome By baptisme are you made the brother of Christ heyre of God and fellow heire w t Christ of euerlasting glory thē may you be certen to be of that nōber that shall enherit eternall life By baptisme is the holy ghost geuen you then are you the sonne of God and ●an not pearysh For it is written They that are led with the spirite ●f God are the sonnes of God Baptisme is a continuall signe of ●he fauour of God towarde vs of ●he fre remission of sinnes of our ●econciliatiō vnto God for Chri●tes sake and that we be by adop●ion the sonnes of God heires of ●uerlasting glory Epa. In tymes ●ast I haue also many tymes re●eiued the misteries of the Lordes ●ody and bloud in the temples of ●he Christians with the congre●ation of God wherin I confesse I haue founde great comfort and ●erye muche quietnesse vnto my ●eake and synnefull conscience Phi. The often comming with a ●eruent de syre vnto the Lords ta●le by true faythe to fede vpon the ●isteries of the Lordes body and ●loud is a manifest argument y t God hath chosen you to be his hath written your name in y e bok● of life and predestinate you vnt● euerlasting glory For in so doin● you haue not only called vnto re●membraunce the moste healthfu● death of our Lord and Sauiour Iesu Christ and so bene thanke●ful for it but you haue also shew●ed your selfe a lyuely member 〈◊〉 that holy body whereof Christ i● the head You haue professed opē●ly in the face of the Christen con●gregation that God the father i● your father y t Christ is your Lor● and sauiour that by the one onl● oblation of his blessed body on th● altare of the Crosse all your syn●nes are put away and forgeue● and you made the enheritour 〈◊〉 euerlasting glory Whē you thu● came vnto the Lordes Table a● the fruites benefites and merit● of Christes passiō were geuen yo● namely the fauour of God remi●●sion of sinnes the holy ghost quietnes of conscience new affectes victory ouer Sathan death and hell and finally euerlasting lyfe so that nowe ye are incorporated in Christ become a true liuely member of that misticall bodye wherof he is the head yea you ar fleshe of his fleshe and bone of his bones as the Apostle saith Is not the cup of blessing whiche we bles partaking of the bloud of Christ Is not the bread whiche we breake partaking of y e body of Christ c. Epa. As I haue had many times an earnest and feruent minde to come reuerentlye vnto the Lordes table and to be partaker of the holy misteries of Chri●tes body and bloud with the congregation so likewise haue I at all times bene glad to repare vn●o those places wher the word of God hath bene preached and the doctrine y t hath there bene taugh● I marked diligētly kept it in me●mory and to the vttermost of m● power I laboured to frame m● life according vnto the same tha● I might bee no forgetfull heare● but a diligent doer of those wor●kes whiche I learned of the hol● scriptures to bee acceptable vnt● the Lord my Lord that I migh● serue him in holines and righte●ousnes all the dayes of my lyfe Phi. As there is not a more euidē● testimony and a surer argument● that that man is in the state of e●uerlasting dampnation which● hath no mynd to hear the word o● God nor to traine his lyfe according vnto the doctrine therof s● likewise is there not a more cer●taine signe that any man is pre●destinate to be saued then whē h● hath a mynd to heare the word o● God as our sauiour Christ testi●fieth saying He that is of god heareth gods words ye therfore hear thē not because ye are not of God Here se you how Christ putteth a difference betwene them that are of God and them that are of the deuill They that are the children of y e deuil haue no minde to heare the worde of God But they that are the sonnes of God haue a feruent delite and singulare great pleasure to hear gods word yea as the Prophet saieth to exercise them selues in it daye and night In an other place our Sauioure Christ saith also My shepe heare

of the opinion of the Papistes whiche say that y e souls of the faithfull go not strait vnto heauen but vnto purgatory there to be boyled in the fyry fornace of the B. of Rome til they haue made satisfaction for theyr sinnes either by them selues in suffringe saye they the most bitter paines of purgatory or els by their frendes in this worlde thorowe Masses Pardons Pilgrimages c. Ep. I beleue that there is none other purgatory for my soule helth but only the precious bloud of my Lorde and Sauiour Christ Iesu. And I beleue y t Christ through his innocency of life and the most greuous paines that he suffred on the crosse hath aboundauntly satisfied for all my synnes hath vnto the vttermost paid al the det that I ought vnto god the father so that nowe through faith in the bloud of Christ I walke with a clear conscience before God forasmuche as there is no dampnacion to them that are in Christ Iesu and that they also are blessed whose sinnes are remitted whose iniquities are couered and vnto whose charge God laieth no wickednes Chr. Ye agre not w t such in opinion as affirme y t the soules of both the faithfull and vnfaithfull slepe vntill the day of iudgement and then shall awake out of slepe so that then the faithfull shall go vnto euerlasting glory the vnfaithfull vnto eternall dāpnation Epa. I beleue that the soul slepeth no more then this my bed sted waketh and talketh with vs. I am fully perswaded y t so sone as the souls of the faithfull are departed from the bodies wherein they were as in a prison enclosed they are straightwaies placed in the glorious kingdome of God And contrariwyse the soules of y e vnfaithfull goe straight vnto the deuil euen vnto hel fire vnto that lake that burneth with fier and brimstone where weping gnashing of teeth is where the worme that gnaweth their consciēce neuer dieth and the moste greuous fier wherwith they are without ceasing intollerably tormented is neuer quenched Is it not thus neighbor Philemon Phi. Yes verely sir. For so ar we taught in the holy scriptures as the history of the ritche glotton and of pore Lazarus with diuers other doo manifestly declare Epa. I faithfully beleue that immediatly after my departure out of this worlde I shall haue a place in the kingdom of God and se the glorious maiestie of god face to face And I pray you good neighbor Philemon rehearse vnto me some comfortable places out of the holy scripture cōcerning y e ioyfull and blessed state of the faithfull soules after this life that I may be confirmed in my faith and be the more willing to depart Phi. I wil do it gladly Balaam said I pray god that my soul may die the death of the righteous and that my last end may be like vnto theirs The Psalmograph saith O howe amiable are thy dwellings thou lord of hosts My soul hath a desire and lōging to enter into the courts of y e lord my heart my fleshe reioyce in the liuing God Blessed are they that dwel in thy house they will be alwaies praysing thee One day in thy courtes is better then a thousand I had rather be a dorekeper in the house of my God then to dwel in the tents of the vngodly The Prophet Esay saith The redemed of the lord shall turn again and come with ioye vnto Sion ther to endure for euer that mirth gladnes might be with thē that sorow wo might flie from them My people saith God shall dwel in pleasant peace in safe holdes and shal haue continual rest with out disturbaunce They shall nether hunger nor thurst heat nor Sunne shall not hurte them For he that fauoureth them shall lead them and geue them drinke of the spring wels They shal eat drink be mery and reioyse for very quietnes of heart Yea their gladnes and their ioy shall continue for euer and euer Daniell saith The wise suche as haue taught other shall glister as the shining of heauen and those that haue instructe the multitude vnto godlines shal be as the starres world without end Esdras saith Be redy to the reward of the kingdome for the euerlasting light shall shine vpon you for euermore Fle the shadow of this worlde receiue the ioyfulnes of your glory O receiue the gift that is geuen you be glad geuyng thankes vnto hym that hath called you to the heauenlye kingdom The author of the boke of wisdom saith The soules of the righteous are in the hand of God the pain of death shall not touch them In the sight of the vnwise they appeare to die and their end is taken for very destruction the way of the righteous is iudged to be vtter destruction but they are in reast And though they suffer pain before men yet is their hope full of immortalitie They are punished but in few thinges neuertheles in many thinges shall they be wel rewarded For god proueth them and findeth them mete for him self yea as the gold in the fornace doth he try them and receiueth them as a brent offring and whē the time commeth they shall be loked vpon The rightous shall shine as the sparckes that runne through the rede bush They shall iudge the nations and haue dominion ouer the people their Lord shall raigne for euer Again The faithfull are counted among the children of God and their portion is among the sainctes The righteous shall liue for euermore their reward also is w t the lord their remembraunce with the hiest Therfore shall they receiue a glorious kingdome and a beautifull crowne of the Lordes hand The holy father Toby prayed on this maner to God O Lord dele with me according to thy wyll and cōmaund my spirit to be receiued in peace For more expedient were it for me to die thē to liue The preacher sayeth The daye of death is better then the day of byrth For precious and right deare in the sight of the Lorde is the death of his sainctes Our sauiour Christ saith The righteous shall shyne as the sunne in the kingdome of theyr father They shall haue the enheritaunce of euerlasting lyfe Thei shal haue a kingdom which was prepared for them from the beginning of the world Thei shal be as the aungels of God They shall be in the bosome of Abrahā Thei shal haue such ioy as no mā shalbe able to plucke it from thē They shall eate and drinke in the kingdom of God the father They shalbe where Christ is and see his glory The holy Apostle S. Paul saith The eie hath not seene and the eare hath not heard neyther haue entred into the heart of mā the thinges which God hath prepared for them that loue him He● saith also that if our earthy mansion of this

present world and when soeuer it shalbe thy good pleasure to call vs hence we may with strong faith in thee in thy sonne Christ Iesu our Lorde commende bothe our bodies soules into thy merciful hādes and thorow thy gooddes be placed in thy glorious kingdome among thy faithfull chosen people and so for euer and euer prayse and magnifie thee our heauenly father to whome with thy derely beloued sonne Iesu Christ our Lord and sauiour and the holy gost that most swete cōfortour be all glory and honoure worldes without end Th. Amen Ph. Rise let vs go and cōforte our frendes that they doo not to muche sorowe for the departure of this our most deare brother which now resteth in ioyfull peace That done neighbour Christopher repare you vnto some godly learned man and desire hym to prepare a Sermon for the buriall of this our brother against to morowe about y e ninth houre Chr. It shalbe done Phile. Neighboure Theophile neighbor Eusebius go ye your waye prouide all thinges necessary for the comely furniture of the burial that nothing be wanting when the tyme commeth Euse. We will do it gladly Phi. The very god of peace sanctify vs thorow out so wholy preserue vs both spirit and soule and bodye that we may be blamed in nothynge at the comming of our Lord Iesus Christe The. Amen Phi. Our Lord Iesus Christ him self God our father which hath loued vs hath geuen vs euerlasting consolation good hope thorow grace comfort our heartes and stablish vs in all good saying and doing Eus. Amē Phi. Peace be vnto the brethren loue with faith from God the father and from the Lorde Iesus Christ. Grace be w t al them which loue our Lorde Iesus Christ vnfainedly Chri. Amen Ph. Blessing and glory and wisdome and thankes and honour and power and might be vnto our God for euermore Theo. Amē Amen Gyue the glorie to God alone Although death doth daily draw nere Yet his sting past vertue shinth clene Imprinted at London by Iohn Day dwelling ouer Aldersgate beneath Saint Martins Cum gratia priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis per Septennium ¶ These books are to be solde at his shop vnder the Gate Colos. iii. Math. xxiiii ▪ Mark xiii Apoca. xvi Apoca. xxii i. Thes. v ▪ Iacob iiii Iob. ix Iob. xiiii Esay xl Gene. v. Luke xii ▪ Psal. xxxix i. Tim. vi Psal. xxxix i. Pet. ii Heb. xiii Iere. viii Esay lvi Philip. ii Eccle. vii Deut. xxxi● Apoca. xxi i. Cor. ix ii Tim. ii Iob. vii Apoca. xiiii Psal. cxvi Mat. xvi The contentes of this boke Iob. 14. Iames. iiii Luke xii Mat. 24. Mark 13. Apoc. 16. Dout. 32. Eccl. 7. Iere. xviii Math. vi Math. xxvi Mat. 25. Eccle. 7. Rom. 12 Eccl. 7 Iere. xx Gene. xix Iob. xxx Iere 15. Iob. 3. Iob. 10. Apoca. iii. Pro. iii. Heb. xii Hebr. xii Iam. i. Gala. v. Luke 6. Mat. 5. Iohn 16. 2. Titu 2. Luke 24. Act. xiiii What the Crosse is Ihon. xvi i Ti mo iii i. Pete iiii Luke xvi Luke vi Eccle. xi Psal. xciiii Psal. cxix i. Cor. xi Io● v. i. Cor. x. ii Cor. i. ii Peter ii i. Cor. iiii Esay ●ii i ▪ Peter ii heb ii math x Lu. xiiii Apoca. vii Iacob iiii ii Cor. vi Eccle. ii Eccle. iii. Eccle. xxvii ●ob xii ●e●t xiii i. Pet. i. i. Cor. x. Psal. xxx Psalm lxvi Psalm lxxi Psal. cxxvi Tobi. iii. Psal. xxxiiii Gen. xxx xix i. Reg. xvi Act. xiiii iii. Reg. ii Iob. i. ii Iob. ii Iob. i. Iob. ii Psal. xxxvii Esay xxx Iames. iii ▪ Psal. xxxiiii Iob. xiii Iames. v. Tob. i. ii Cor. ix Tob. ii i. Reg. ii Deut. xxxii Tob. xiii Sap. xvi Tob. xi Tob. xiiii Tob. xii Rom. xv Rom● xiiii A praier Psalm vi Psal. lxxxv●●● Psal. xci Mat. xxiii i. Pet. v. Prou. xx Iaco. iii i. Iohn i. Rom. iii Luk. xvii Psal. cxvi Psalm li. Ier. xvii Esay lxiii Psal. xiiii Luke xviii Math. vi Iob. xiii Iob. xxx Iob. xxv Psalm ii Psalm xxv Psalm cxxx Psal. cxiiii Iob. ix Tob. iii. Ose. xiiii Psal. cxlv Psalm cxxx Apoc. xxi i. Cor. xi Psal. xxxvii Luk. xvi Mat. x●●● Luke xvi Luke vi Hebr. xii Sap. ii Sap. vi Psal. 37. An historie Psalm xxxvii Hebr. vii Act. xiiii Iudit vi●● Iames. i. An history Apoc. iii. Prouerb iii. Math. xvi Luke xiiii Luke xvi Esay lxiiii i. Cor. ii Psal. cxv Psal. xxxiiii Psal. lxxxi● Iere. xviii Esay lv Psalm ciii Ier. xxix Why God punisheth vs Psal. cxix Esay xxviii Iob. v. i. Reg. iii ▪ Tob. iii. Ose. ii Num. xxi ii Pet. xxx●●● Psal. lxxviii Ose. vii Esay lv Luke i. Psal. cxix Esa. xxviii Ier. xxxi The true vse of reading the holy scriptures The prayer of Manasses Esay lxiii i. Iohn i. Hebr. x. Psal. xxxiii Sap. xi Esay xxviii Rom. x. Iohn xi Iohn iii. Luk. xv Iere. iii. Esech 33 Esech 18 Act. x. Rom. iii. Rom. ii Roma x. Iohn ii Rom. xv Ephe. ii Iohn v. Esa. lxv Luke xxiii Rom. x. Luk. x.xv. Esay liii i. Pet. ii Luke xv Mat. xix Math. ix xi Luk. x. Luke xx Iohn i. i. Tim. ii Esay xxviii Roma x. Psalm xci Prouerb iii. Hebr. xii Apoc. iii. Psalm i. Math. i. Psal. 33. Psal. 147. Psal. cxxxvii Esay lxxvi zach i. i. Iohn v. Psal. cxlv iii. Reg. xx Dan. iii. Dan. vi Dan. xiii Luke xxiii Act. vii Act. xii i. Cor. x. Psalm xci Psalm cxx Psal. xxiii Rom. x. Ioel. ii Act. ii Esay xxviii Psa. xxxiiii Esay l●● ▪ Psal. lxviii ▪ Psal. iii. Eccl ii Eccl. xxxvi● Psalm i. Iames. v. iiii Reg. xx Rom. xiiii Math. xxvi Mark xiiii Luk. xxii Math. xxvi Math. vi Mat. xxvi● Phil. i. Phil. ii Luk. xviii ● Pet. v. A praier Rom. xiiii Luk. x. Ephe. ii Psal. 3● Rom. ● Rom. 8. Rom. xiiii A praier Psal. xxv Eccle. xxxv Psal. xxxiiii● Luk. xviii Math. viii Psalm ci A praier Math. xxvi Luk. xvii Mark ix Psal. lxxix A praier Psal. lxviii Mar. xxiiii Mark xiii Apoc. xvi iiii Reg. xx The true vse of ritches Math. v. Psa. lxii i. Cor. vii i. Iohn ii The sicke-mans will Soule Body Phil. ii Wife i. Tim. v. Sonne Daughters Seruantes Eccle. vii Debters Scholers of Cambridge and Oxford Poore p●●ple ii Cor. ● Math. vi Purgatorie rakers Phil. iii. Hie waies Sermons Esa. lvi Math. ix Luke i. Rom. x. Ministers Mourning gownes i. Thes. iiii Apoc. xiiii Psal. cxvi Sap. iii. Sap. v. Luke xvi Esay xxv Apo. vii xxi Esay lxiiii i. Cor. ii Ser. de mortalitate Iohn xiiii Phil. i. ●po vi i. Tes. ●●● Iohn ●● Phi. ii Apoc. xiiii Rom. viii Apoc. xiiii Psal. cxviii Sap. iii. ii Reg. xii The maner of the Thracians Luk. xxiii Apo. xiiii Psal. xxiii Phil. iii. Eccle. xi Burials Singing Ringing Communion ●● Cor. xi Note Gen. xxiii and .l. Lib. 1. de C●uitate dei Cap. xiii Luke xvi Apo.

Hereto agreeth the saying of the Apostle all seke their owne auauntage and not that whiche shuld set forth the glory of Iesus Christ. And as in couetousnes so lykewyse in all other abhominable sinnes do we moste wickedlye walke And all thinges come to passe because we remember not the shortnesse of this lyfe and forget our latter end This considered the wiseman right well when he saith Whatsoeuer thou takest in hand remember thy end and thou shalt neuer do amisse Moses also saith O that men would ones be wyse and vnderstande and make prouision for their latter end There is not a strōger bit to brydle our carnall affectes nor a better scholemaister to keepe vs in an order then the remembraunce of our latter end then to remember that we shall not alway here remaine y t we ar but straungers and pylgrims in this world that we shall leaue behynde vs whatsoeuer worldly substaūce we haue here ether painfully gotten or carefully kept that we shal die the death that we shal appeare before the iudgement seat of Christ and receaue accordinge to the workes whiche we haue doone in this lyfe either euerlasting glory or perpetuall payne But these thinges seeke we not to remember but rather to forget and therfore fall we into all kynde of vngodlynes and dissolution of lyfe And when the tyme cōmeth that God visiteth vs with sickenes or otherwyse plageth vs for our euill behauour then doo we not prepare our selues vnto the crosse as we ought submitting our selues to the good pleasure of God and beyng contented paciently and thanckfully to receaue what so euer is layde vpon vs at the appoyntment of God but we rather murmur and grudge against God and with vnwillyng hartes suffer that louing visitation of God almoste wishinge that there were no God to plage and punishe vs but that we myght here liue continually and go forth to sinne frely without punishement And when death approcheth no remedy can be found against y e violence therof then doo the vngodly wicked liuers beholding the miserable face of their conscience which presenteth vnto them nothing but sin y e wrath of God hel fyre euerlasting damnation begin to despaire strayght yeld them selues to the pleasure of Sathan to bee for euer and euer tormēted in that lake that burneth with fire brimston thē selues their soules and consciences consenting and assentinge thereunto For what other end can be loked for of a wicked vngodly lyfe Is it to be thought that he whiche thorow sinne hath serued the deuill all the tyme of his lyfe can at his latter end loke for the enheritaunce of euerlasting glory wherewith God rewardeth thē y e painfully labour to serue him in holynes and righteousnes al the dayes of their lyfe S. Paul saith So run that ye may obtayn that is to say so trayne your lyfe in all Godlynes and vertue to the vttermost of your power whyle ye lyue in this worlde y t after ye haue finished your course here ye may enioy y e glorious reward of eternal life A corruptible crowne is not obtained without great pains taking shall we loke for an euerlasting crown by leding an vngodly and wanton lyfe No man is crowned sayth the apostle except he fighteth lawfully In this world therfore wherein our life is nothing but a knighthod or warfar must we lawfully valeantly mightely fight striue against our ennemies y e deuill the world the flesh and by feruent and diligent prayer vnto God so triumphe ouer thē thorow the help of our graund captain Christ y t we may haue a glorious spoill of our ennemies garnishe our selues with al kind of victorious roial robes I meane all good workes godly vertues Wher such a life is led there must a good end be and euerlasting life may with a fre conscience and assured hope be loked for And to bring this to passe Who laboureth not to the vttermoste of his power namely if he be of God loketh for a better and more blessed lyfe after this How we shuld fight against our aduersaries and leade a good life in this world I haue declared aboundantly heretofore in many of my bokes In this treatise whiche I haue nowe in hand entitled The Sickemans Salue my mynd is to shew vnto the faithfull christians how they ought to make prouision for their latter end that they may depart in the faythe of Christ and be of the nūber of those of whome it is written Blessed are the dead whiche die in the Lord. Again Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his sainctes For what shuld it profit a man to wyn all the worlde if at the last he loseth his soule Therefore in this my worke I haue declared first of all how the faithfull christians ought to behaue them selues paciently and thankefully in the tyme of syckenesse Secondly howe they should vertuously dispose their temporall goodes Thirdly after what manner they ought to prepare them selues gladly Godly to die Finally I haue enterlased many cōfortable exhortations vnto the sycke and diuers godly necessary prayers some to be sayd of them that are sicke some of other for suche as are diseased This treatise after that I had finished it calling to remembraunce howe greatly I am bound to your right worshipfull Maistership considering also your most harty zeale and feruent affection toward the true and Christen religion all superstition and papistry layd asyde I thought it my bounden dutie to sende vnto you as a testimonie of my good wyll and thankefull hart toward you moste entirely desiryng you to accept and take in good part this my lyttle gift although much more base then it may seme in any part worthy to recompence the least poynt of your vnfayned frendship dyuers wayes heretofore declared vnto me God preserue your right worshypfull Maistershyp with the moste vertuous Gentlewoman your wyfe and all your godly chyldren in continuall health and prosperous felicitie Amen A PLENTIFVL table conteyning all the principal matters of this worke for the spedier finding of the same A ADā cause why we all perished 300 Amos y e Prophet killed 317 Admonishions profiteth 226 Against the fear of death remedies 313 Against the stinges of death 316 B Bankettinge chyldren ought to beware 212 Baptisme 418 Belefe what it is 444 Belefe in hart 418 Body committed vnto the earth 136 Bodies shal rise immortall 137 Bodies of the faithfull ought not to be vylye handled 173 Brasen Serpent 76 Burialles 173 C Call continually on the Lorde 45 Cayin repented but lacked faith 378 Chaunge lead for syl uer 323 Cherefull geuer 40 Children fearing God he will not leaue them comfortles 270 Children ought to beware of il cōpany 208 Childrē must beware of swearing 209 Children must loue and help their mothers 211 Christ author of our saluation 154 Christ prayed for an habitation for

an exceading and an eternall waight of glory vnto vs while we loke not on y e things which are sene but on the things whiche are not sene For y e things whiche are seene are temporall but thinges whiche are not seene are eternall Theo. Our elder br●●ther Christ which neuer commi● sinne in whom no guile nor de●ceat was found entred not into glory but by the crosse as thapostle saith We se that Iesus for the suffring of his death was crowned with glory and honor Therfore may not we loke to possesse the enheritance of the heauenly kingdom by liuing all in pleasure health ioy and worldly felicitie but rather by suffring the crosse y t is laid vpon vs at gods appoyntment both paciently and thankefullie For the disciple is not aboue the master nor the seruant aboue his Lord. It is inough for the disciple y t he be as his master is and that the seruaunt be as his Lord. Whosoeuer beareth not his crosse and commeth after me saith our sauiour Christe he can not be my disciple Chri. In the reuelacion of blessed Iohn we rede that they whiche were araied with longe white garmentes and are continually in the presence of the seat of God and serue him day night in his temple came out of greate tribulation Philem. It is truthe For suche are moste mete for the kingdom of God nether can the voluptuous worldlinges be partakers of the heauenly enheritāce whiche in this worlde taste of no crosse but liue in all pleasure after the desires of the fleshe It is not possible that a man may liue here pleasauntly with the worlde and afterward reigne gloriously with Christe for the frendshippe of the world is enmitie with God Whosoeuer wil be a frend of the world is made the enemy of God For what felowship hath righteousnes with vnrighteousnes Or what cōpany hath light w t darcknes Or what cōcord hath Christ with Beliall Either what part hath he y t beleueth with an infidel worldly ioy eternall felicity can not agre together Therfore whosoeuer is fre frō the crosse in this world he hath no part in the kingdom of Christ of God So that you neighbor Epaphroditus haue a great occasion to thancke the Lorde our God that it hath pleased him to remēber you with this his louinge visitation and through this sickenesse to declare his good fatherly wyll towarde you For by laying this crosse vpon you he proueth you whether you be constant in your faith and profession or not and whether you will pacientlie and thanckefullie b●are this his worcking in you whiche is vnto your euerlasting saluation or not And after this maner doth God handle all suche as he receiueth vnto glory as the wyseman saith What soeuer hapneth vnto thee receiue it suffer in heauiues and be pacient in thy trouble For like as gold siluer are tried in the fire euen so are acceptable men in the fornace of aduersitie Again he saith the ouen proueth the potters vessel so doth temptation of trouble trie righteous men Liste wyse said Raphael the Archaungell vnto Toby Because thou wast accepted and beloued of God it was necessary y t temptacion shuld try thee And as Moses saide vnto the children of Israel the lord your God proueth you to wete whether ye loue the Lord your God withall your hart and with al your soule S. Peter also saith ye are nowe for a season in heauines thorow manifold temtacions that y e triall of your fath being muche more precious than gold that perisheth yet is tried by fire might be founde vnto the prayse glory and honoure at the appearing of Iesus Christ. Epah This comforteth well my weake mind to here of you out of y e word of God neighbor Philemon that this sicknesse which I now suffer is the louing visitation of God and a token of Gods good wyll toward me again that the faithfull and frends of God are in this world subiect to the Crosse more than the vnfaithfull and enemies of God Phile. I am hartely glad to hear you so say And doubt you not but that this your gentle God and louyng father wyll turne this your sorowe vnto your great comfort For he is a faithful God whiche will not suffer you to bee tempted aboue your strength but shall in the mids of the temtation make a way that ye may be hable to beare it as the Psalmographe sayth His wrath endureth but the twinkling of an eie and in his pleasure is life Heauines may endure for a night but ioy commeth in the morning Thou O Lord hast tourned my heauines in to ioy thou hast put of my sackcloth and girded me with gladnes Againe he saieth Thou O God hast proued vs thou also hast tried vs like as siluer is tried Thou broughtest vs into the snare and laidst trouble vpō our loynes thou suffredst mē to ride ouer our heads We went thorowe fire and water and thou broughtest vs out into a welthy place Item O what great troubles aduersities hast thou shewed me and yet didst thou turne refresh me yea and broghtest me from the depe of the earth Thou hast brought me to great honour and comforted me on euery syde Therfore will I praise thee thy faithfulnes O God Also in another place he saith they that sowe in teares shal repe in ioy He that now goeth on his way weping bereth foorth good sede shal doutles come againe with ioy bryng his sheues with him Thauncient father Toby in his prayer vnto God saith after a storme O Lord thou makest the weather faire still after weping and heauinesse thou geuest great ioy Thy name O God of Israel be praised for euer Epa. Amen Amen good Lord I trust thou wilt doe so with me Phile. Doubt ye not neighboure but if ye call on the name of the Lord ye shall finde great comfort For as that princelike Prophet sayth The righteous cry and the Lord heareth them and deliuereth them out of al their troubles The Lord is nie vnto thē that are of a contrite heart and will saue suche as be of an humble spirite Great are the troubles of y ● righteous but the lord deliuereth thē out of al he kepeth all their bones so that not one of them is broken Euseb. These are cōfortable sentēces neighbor Epaphrodotus Epa. Confortable in dede Phi. And no les true then cōfortable as diuers histories of the holie scriptures do euidently declare Epa. I pray you reherse some of them for my comfort Phi. I will do it gladly As I may let passe the auncient Patriarkes What a crosse laid God vpō Iosephes shoulders in Egipt yea and that for no fault that he had committed but only to proue and try his faith loue obedience pacience thankfulnes perseuerance He suffred Ioseph being a godlie and chast yong man

to be falsly accused of his whorish mystres and to be cruelly throwne of his master into prison where he continued certen yeares in captiuitie and thraldom But behold y e mercifull dealing of God with his faithfull seruāts Afterward whā God by prouing him had foūd him faithful cōstant pacient he deliuered Ioseph out of prison restored him vnto his libertie won him into y e kings fauor in so much y t the king toke of his ring from his hand put it vpō Ioseps hand araied him in cloth of rains put a golden chain about his necke and set him vpon the best charet y t he had saue one And they cried before him bow the kne And king Pharao made hym ruler ouer all the land of Egipt Ep. O y e great mercies of God Phi Before God quietly satled king Dauid in his kingdom of whom he reporteth in this maner I haue found Dauid y e son of Iesse a man after mine owne ●art which shal fulfil al my wyll how hunted he him by king Saul euen as the ferret hunteth the cony yea after the death of Saule what trouble disquietnes had he thorow the wicked conspiracie of his children against him being so louing gentle and naturall a father Notwithstāding afterward God brought him vnto great honour glory ritches quietnes and al kind of wealth wherin he cōtinued vnto his death whiche was both glorious and full of yeares Epap A blessed end Phi ▪ To whō is the history of pacient Iob vnknowne His Crosse was so greuous that I knowe not whether the like trouble hath chaunsed to any mortall man since his tyme or afore Al his substance in one moment almost was lost all his cattel were driuē away .vii. M. shepe iii M. Camels .v. C. yoke of Oxen and v. C. she asses All these were taken away sodenly His house fel downe his childrē that wer within were slaine Of all that euer he had nothing remained vntouched that might comfort him any thing at all but only his wife and she semeth to be left of the deuill only to this purpose euen to mock and scorne her husband and to moue him to blaspheme the name of God Whiche thing without al doubt greued the holy mās minde more then all his calamities and wretchednesses Furthermore his frendes whiche came out of farre countries to comfort hym seyng his sorowe and paine to be moste ●ehement being also wōderfully astonied with the horrible greatnesse of the plage by the space of ●ii daies spake not one comforta●le worde vnto hym For they ●hought although not truly that God had cast this most greuous paines vpon Iob worthely euen for his sinful life wicked conuersation And did they not at the last fall to mocking and taunting of that good mā and tolde hym that those plages happened vnto hym for his sinnes by the righteous iudgement of God for they thought it a matter of hie iniquitie and vnworthy Gods righteousnes y t so great calamities and miseries shuld causeles chaunce vnto any holy and innocent man Moreouer after the losse of al his goodes after the driuing away of his cattell the casting down of his house the cruell death of his children seruaunts which al the most pacient man very quietly suffered what intollerable pains suffere● he on his body Did not Satha● thorow Gods suffrance smite Io● with maruelous sore biles fro● the sole of his fote vnto y e crown● of his head so that he sate vpon the grounde in the ashes and scraped of the filth of his sores with a potsherd Oh who is hable to expresse what paines he suffred And notwithstanding being on euery side moste miserably plaged his mind continued still constant and perfect in abiding the good pleasure of the Lord his God being thorowly perswaded that all those plagues and punishmentes were not tokens of Gods anger but rather of his singuler good wyll and fatherlye fauoure toward hym For as he moste paciently suffered the losse of all his goodes and the death of his children so with lyke constancie and lusty courage did he bear the most greuous woundes and bitter sorowes of his body speakinge no blasphemous impacient or vnreuerent worde against God in all his trouble but mekely paciently and thankefully brast oute into these and suche like wordes Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I tourne thither againe The Lord gaue the Lord hath taken away Euen as it hath pleased the Lorde so is it come to passe blessed be y e name of the Lord If we haue receiued prosperitie at the hand of the lord why should we not abide aduersitie also Epa. Oh God graunt me the like pacience Christo. Doubt ye not of y e goodnes of God neighbor Be strong and stedfast in the Lord your God abide pacientlie his good pleasure he shall work al things for the best as the Psalmograph saieth O tary thou the Lordes leisure be strong and he shall comfort thine heart therfore put thou thy trust in the Lorde In silence and hope shall youre strength be saieth the Prophet O how good is the lord vnto thē that put their trust in him and to the soule that seketh after hym The good man with stilnes and pacience tarieth for the sauinge health of the Lorde The righteous haue cried and the Lord hath graciously heard them and deliuered them out of all their troubles Phi. But nowe neighbour marke the end of the history Epa. Saye on in the name of God Phile. After that God by dyuers kindes of punishmentes had thorowly tried this holy perfect and pacient man Iob and had found him in all pointes a constant and ●aleaunt souldiour not hable to ●e ouercome with any kynde of ●lague that Sathan could lay on ●im the Lorde greatly cōmended ●is cōstant faith and faithfull con●ancie and gaue vnto him twyse twyse so muche as he had afore For he had nowe .xiiii. M. shepe vi M. camels a M. yoke of Oxē and a M. asses He had .vii. sōnes also and .iii. doughters And after this he liued an C. .xl. yeres in muche ioy and quietnes so that he sawe his childrens children into the .iiii. generation and died being old and of a perfect age Epa. Oh blessed be God For he is euer good to his seruauntes and neuer forsaketh thē that put their trust in him Euse. Of this holie man Iob saynt Iames also maketh mencion saying Ye haue heard of the pacience of Iob and haue knowne what end the Lord made For the Lorde is very pitifull and mercifull Phile. Will it please you neighbor to hear the history of thauncient father Toby ▪ whiche is also very comfortable ▪ Epa. Yea very gladly For it doth me much good and easeth wel my pain to hear your godly talke Phi. This Toby was a faithfull man and euen from his very childhod feared God and

led a vertuous life He forsoke not y e way of truth nether defiled he him selfe with any kynd of Idolatry He worshipped the Lord God of Israel faithfully offring of all his first frutes and tithes Whatsoeuer he might get he departed it daily with his felow prisoners brethrē He was ful of good works he gaue largly vnto the pore he fed the hōgry he gaue drink to y e thirsty he clothed the naked he lodged the harborles he visited the sick he redemed the captiues prisoners he buried the dead Ther was no work of mercy that he had left vndone He was rich plenteous in all good works And whatsoeuer he did he did it with a ioyfull ready hart For God saith S. Paule loueth a cherefull geuer Epa. A blessed man and a faithfull seruaunt of God Phi. And yet mark what followeth It hapned vpon a day y t he had buried the dead and was weary came home and layd hym down by the wall and slept And whyle he was a slepe there fell downe vpon his eies warm dong out of the swalowes nest so that he became blind Epaphr A pitiful chaūce Phile. This tentacion did God suffer to happen vnto hym y t they whiche came after myght haue an example of his pacience like as of holy Iob. Epaphro But how did Toby take this tētacion Phile. Uery Godly quietly paciently and thankefully For in so muche as he euer feared God frō his yougth vp and kept his commaundementes he grudged not against God that the plague of blindnes chaunsed vnto him but remained stedfast in the feare of God and thanked God al y t daies of his life Epaphr But what was the end of the matter Continued he blind vnto his dying day Did not God deale mercifully with Toby as we heard afore of Iob Phile. Yes verely for God scourgeth and healeth God ledeth vnto hel and bringeth out again God killeth and maketh aliue God after a storme maketh the weather faire calm God after weping heauinesse geueth great ioye When God had throughlye tried Toby and found him constant in his faith he restored vnto him his sight againe For the which Toby moste humbly thanked hym and said O Lord God of Israell I geue the prayse and thanks for thou hast chastened me and made me whole again Christo. O praised be the Lord our God which is maruelous in his Sainctes and holy in all his workes Epa. Liued Toby long after his sight was restored vnto him Phi. Toby saith the scripture after he had gotten his sight againe liued .xlii. yeres in great ioy and wealth and saw his childrens children And when he was C. and .ii. yeares olde he departed in peace and was honorably buried Epaphro A blessed end Phi. Of a good life cometh a good end Thus haue you heard out of the holy scriptures brother Epaphroditus that the Crosse that is to saye corporall affliction is not a token of Gods anger but of his fauour and that he layeth temporall punishement more customably vpon his frendes than vpon his ennemies yea and that not to destroy them but to proue and try them euen as the fire trieth the gold For as thaungel Raphaell sayd vnto Toby Because thou wast accepted and beloued of God it was necessary that temtacion should try thee You haue heard also the louing kindnesse of God toward his faithfull constant seruauntes how after a iust triall made he restoreth them vnto a more blessed state than they were in a fore Therfore take a good heart vnto you faint not Be strong in the Lord. Be faithful vnto the end Be paciēt in this your sicknes Be thākeful for this louing visitation of God Abide the good pleasure of God Suffer him quietly to do with you what soeuer his good wil is If you wil thus do dout ye not but that god wil be merciful vnto you bring that thing to passe which is most for your comfort and profit For whatsoeuer is written is written for our learning that through pacience and the comfort of the scriptures we may haue hope Epaph. The Lordes will be done in me He knoweth what is moste mete for me a wretched synner let him therfore worke his good pleasure in me come lyfe come death For if we liue we liue to bee at the Lordes will and if we die we die at the Lordes will Whether we liue therfore or die we are the Lordes Only O heauenly father I beseche thee for Christes sake to geue me a pacient and thankefull hart that I neuer grudge against thy blessed will but be obedient vnto it in all thinges that whan the pains of my sicknes be most bitter I may lift vp my hart vnto thee cal on thy blessed name and say O Lorde rebuke me not in thy indignation nether chasten me in thy displeasure Haue mercy on me O Lorde for I am weake O lord heale me for my bones are vexed My soule also is sore troubled but Lord how lōg wilt thou punish me Turne thee O Lord deliuer my soule oh saue me for thy mercies sake O my God saue thy seruant that putteth his trust in thee Be mercifull vnto me O Lord for I wil cal daily vpō the. Comfort the soul of thy seruaunt ●or vnto thee O Lord do I lifte ●p my soule For thou Lorde art good gracious of great mercy ●nto all them that cal vpon thee Theo. Neighbour Epaphroditus his is vnto vs a singuler pleasur ●nd great comfort to hear so god●y wordes proceade out of youre ●outh Be diligent continually 〈◊〉 call on the Lorde and he in all our afflictions troubles shall 〈◊〉 vndoubtedly your strōg tower our mighty shield and inuincible fortres He will not leaue you nor forsake you but assist you and be present with you in your sicknesse according to this his promesse Because he hath trusted in me I wil deliuer him I will defend him because he hath known my name He shall cal vpon me I will gratiously hear him yea I am with him in trouble I wil deliuer him and glorifie him With long life wil I satisfie him shew him my saluation Ep. I must nedes cōfesse most gētle neighbors that I haue receiued muche consolation and great cōfort of youre company and specially that 〈◊〉 haue thus enarmed yea and fortressed my brest with the cōforta●ble sentenses and histories of th● holy scriptures against the bitte● stormes of aduersitie and I hart●ly thank you for your pains Not●withstanding this must I nede● say vnto you that I finde not my self in my conscience to be of suche godlines and vertue that I dare compare my selfe with Ioseph Dauid Iob and Toby whome ye recited vnto me but muche inferior bothe vnto them and vnto their godlines of life so that although they being righteous of the very loue which God bare toward them wer assailed with aduersitie to this ende y

ynough for all that call on him so that whosoeuer calleth on the name of y e Lord he shall be safe For none shalbe confounded y t putteth his trust in hym This poore mā cried saith Dauid the Lord hard him saued him from al his troubles For the aungell of the Lord pitcheth his tent round about them that fear him deliuereth them O tast therfore se how gētle gratious louing the Lorde is blessed is the man y t trusteth in hym Euse. Brother Epaphroditus all these sentences and histories which our neighbor Phi●lemon hath here recited vnto you out of the holy scriptures ought to encourage you to pray vnto the Lord God in this your sicknes w t a strong and vnshaken faith and to be fully perswaded that God will both gratiously heare you also worke that in you which shal turn moste vnto his glory and vnto the saluation of your soul For behold the Lordes hand is not so shortned that it can not helpe nether is his eare so stopped that it may not hear Our God is such a God as saueth With the lord our God there is health he laith his blessing vpon his people Whome did God euer despise that called faithfully vpon hym For God is gratious merciful he forgeueth sinnes in the tyme of trouble is a defender for al them that seke after him The. The wise man saith sonne in thy sickenesse despise not thy self but pray to the Lord he shall heale thee Here is a cōmaundement geuen to pray vnto God in the tyme of our sicknes also a promise added that he wil hear heale and help vs as he saieth by the Psalmograph Call on me in the day of thy trouble and I will deliuer thee and thou shalt honor me Chri. S. Iames in his Epistle also saieth If any be diseased among you let hym call for the elders of the congregation and let them praye ouer him and anoynt him with oyle in the name of the Lord and the prayer of faith shall saue the sick and the Lorde shall raise him vp and if he haue committed sinnes they shall be forgeuen him Phile. That God being faithfully called vpon wyll helpe in the time of sicknesse we haue many examples in the holy scriptures whiche may worthely comfort vs stir vp our faith toward God lokyng for helpe at his most mercifull hand But for this present let this one example of kyng Ezechias suffice whome being apoynted to die after he had called ●n the name of the Lord the lord our God graciously heard his request restored him to his health gaue him .xv. yeares mo to liue in this world after that his sicknes Notwithstanding brother Epaphroditus all be it we doubt not but that you praying vnto God in this your sicknes God wil mercifully heare you and worke that in you whiche shall be moste vnto his glory and the health of your soule yet forasmuch as you know not what is most expediēt for you be content in all your prayers to submit your will do the good will of God whiche without all doubt tendereth the health of your soule more than any mortall frend tendereth the healthe of your body In al temporal worldly things that you craue of God in your praiers prefer the wil of God vnto your owne will and be content to receiue at the hand of God as shall be his godly pleasure to appoynte For whether we lyue or die we are the Lordes An example hereof haue you of our sauiour Christe whiche a little before his passion being greatly dismaid w t the terrours and feares of death praied vnto his heauenly father that these bitter paynes and tormentes whiche were at hand for him to suffer myght be remoued from hym so that he myght not suffer them but be fre from them Notwithstanding knowing that the will of his heauenly father is euer best and moste perfecte and that all willes of men oughte t● geue place vnto his godly will h● wyshed rather the will of God t● be done then the wyll of hym be●yng man and so submitted hy●● selfe to Gods holy wil being con●tented to suffer in his body wha●soeuer should be his godly pleasure to appoynt The wordes of Christes praier in this behalf are these O my father if it be possible let this cup depart from me notwithstanding not as I wyll but as thou wilt Again O my father if this cup can not goe from me but that I must drincke it thy wil be done That we ought in al our praiers for temporall things to submit our wil to the good wil and pleasure of God and no more to desire of him then may stande with his blessed wyll Christ our Lord and sauiour teacheth vs in that common prayer whiche we call the Pater noster where we praye on this manner Thy wyll be done in earth as it is in heauen This manner of praying practised the Leper which came vnto Christ to bee healed of hys Leprosy Lorde saith he if thou wilt thou art hable to make me whole Here this faithfull Leper confessed Christ thorow y e almighty power of his Godhead to be able for to clense him and to make him whole not withstanding he submitted his will to the will of Christ that if the Lorde Christe thought it not mete to make hym whole but y t it was better for his saluation to continue a leper still he refused not to suffer that plague of leprosy vpon his body euen vnto the very death Thus affected neighbor Epaphroditus must we all be whansoeuer we aske anye tēporall or worldly thing of God And this trade folow you in this your sicknes whē you pray vnto God Desire God to remoue this your disease frō you and to blesse you agayne with the benefite of health that you may liue long se good daies on earth yet in these your prayers be content to submit your will to his godly wyll yea though death should follow knowing that if death doe ensue of this your sicknesse it shalbe no losse but auauntage vnto you as saint Paul saieth Christe is to me life and death is to me auantage On this manner did Christ our elder brother submit his will vnto the wil of his heauenly father as you afore heard and so hūbled himself that he became obedient vnto death euen y e death of y e cros Note now what foloweth wherfore God hath also exalted him on hie and geuen him a name which is aboue al names that is y e name of Iesus euery kne should bowe bothe of thinges in heauen and thinges in the earth and thinges vnder the earth that all tonges should confesse that Iesus Christ is the Lord vnto the praise of God the father He that humbleth him self shall be set hie For the Lord is a frend to them that be humble

submit their willes to his godlye wyll and pleasure Epa. O Lorde thy will be done and not mine I confesse O heauenly father that my manifold wickednesses and vnnumerable sinnes haue not only deserued this sickenesse which is thy most gentle fatherly and louing correction but also very hell and the bitter paines thereof if thou shouldest handle me according to my desertes I haue sinned I haue synned O lord God against thy holy lawes and I haue broken thy blessed commaundementes moste greuously offending thy glorious maiestie Whatsoeuer I suffer I worthely suffer ah wretch that I am My sinne I confesse and with an humble heart and broken spirit I fle vnto the throne of thy fauorable mercy most humbly besechinge thee for Iesus Christes sake to forgeue me all my synnes which I haue cōmitted against thy deuine maiestie frō the houre of my birth vnto this presēt time and to receiue me into the holy felowship of those thy blessed and chosen people whome before the beginning of y e worlde thou diddest appoint heires of thi heauēly kingdom in Christ Iesu our lord that they might for euer and euer raigne with thee in glory Ah lord geue me grace to bear this crosse both paciently thankfully Suffer me not once to murmur grudge or spurne against thy holye wil but with a pacient thankefull heart to waite on thy blessed pleasure being alway content to beare whatsoeuer burdē thou laiest on my shoulders with this perswasiō and assured faith that whatsoeuer I suffer is vnto the glory of thy name and vnto the health of my soule O Lord thy will be done and not mine Amen Amen Neighbours I am very sicke and my paine encreaseth more more Phi. The Lords wil be done in you neighbour Epaphroditus Feare not no although present death were at hand For whether you liue or die ye are the Lordes God hath sealed you vp in Christes bloud vnto euerlasting lyfe Your name doubt ye not is written in the booke of life Ye are of y e nombre of those whome God before the foundations of the world were layd hath chosen in Christe to be his sonnes and heires ye are the dearly beloued sonne of God Ye are enheritours of Gods glorious kingdom God for your earnest faithes sake in the bloude of Christ hath forgeuen you al your sinnes that euer ye committed against him from the daye of your birthe vnto this houre He hath cast away all your iniquities ●ehind his backe so that he wyl neuer remember them any more Ye are counted among thē whose vnrighteousnesses are forgeuen and whose sinnes are couered vnto whome the Lorde imputeth no sinne God loueth you God careth for you God is on your syde who then can endomage or hurte you Who can lay any thyng vnto your charge It is God that iustifieth you who then can condemne you ye nede not fear ether sathan or sinne or any other thinge that should trouble your conscience For there is no damnation to thē that are in Christ Iesu whiche walke not after the fleshe but after the spirite For the lawe of the spirite of life thorow Iesus Christ hath made you fre frō the lawe of sinne and death For what y e lawe could not do inasmuch as it was weke because of the flesh that performed God and sent his sonne in the similitude of sinfull fleshe by sinne damned synne in the fleshe that the ryghtedusnes of the lawe myght be fulfilled in vs whiche walke not after the flesh but after the spirite Epa. I thāke you neighbor Philemon for your gostly and comfortable instructions For I am wel comforted with these your wordes and I faithfully beleue that God the father for his promise sake made vnto all faithfull penitēt sinners in Christes bloud hath so frely and wholy forgeuen me all my sinnes that he will neuer remember them more nor lay them vnto my charge but so loue me and tender my saluation as though I had neuer offended his fatherly goodnesse And in this faith I submit my self my body and soule all that I haue vnto his godly wil to do with me in al things whatsoeuer his good plesure shallbe For liue we die we we ar the Lords And lord I most humbly besech thee call to remēbrance thy tender mercies thy louing kindnesses whiche haue bene euer of olde Oh remember not the sinnes and offences of my youth but accordyng vnto thy mercy thinke y ● vpon me O lord for thy goodnes Turne the vnto me haue mercy vpon me for I am desolate in misery The sorowes of my hart ar enlarged O bring thou me out of my troubles Loke vpon mine aduersitie and misery and forgeue me al my sinne O kepe my soule and deliliuer me let me not be confounded for I haue put my truste in the. Phi. I much reioyce to see in you these workes of faithfull repentance This humbling of your self before y e maiestie of God this lamenting of your sinnes this faithfull and hartie calling on the Lordes name for remission of sins in Christes bloud for the tranquilitie peace quietnes and reast of conscience for the fauour grace of God for gods wil to be done in you is without doubt a sure seale vnto your conscience that God loueth fauoureth and tendereth you yea and that muche more thē any natural father maketh of his sonne Who so serueth God saith the wise man after his pleasure shalbe accepted and his praier rea●cheth vnto the cloudes The praier of him that humbleth him self goeth thorowe the cloudes till she come nie She wil not be comforted nor go her way vntill the hyghest God haue respect vnto her The Lord is nie vnto them y t are of a contrite heart saith the Psalmograph will saue suche as be of an humble spirite The sinfull Publican thus hūbling him self obtained the fauor of God remission of sinnes went home more righteous than the proud Pharisey So likewise the Centurion cōfessing his vnworthines for the receiuing of Christ into his house obtained health for his sicke seruāt Likewise the Leper with diuers other humbling them selues before Christe obtained their hartes desire For God saith Dauid hath respect vnto the prayer of the humble suche as be destitute despiseth not their desire but heareth ●heir mournings y t he may deliuer ●hem and saue them Euseb. Now neighbour how do you I pray you bee strong in God reioyce in his sauing health Epa. O neighboure Eusebius my body is weake my heare is faint my wits are feble my memory almost faileth me no part of me is fre from sicknes and paine But Lord I beseche thee strengthē thou me endue me w t power from aboue that as y e spirit is ready so likewyse the flesh which is euer weake vnready may be obediēt to thy godly wyl frely consent to the working of

and suche other as be comfortles And in this nō●ber also of the pore I comprehend prisoners pore maides yong mē which haue not wherewith to set vp their occupation my neadie neighbours These .iiii. C. pounds are in four seuerall bagges lying in my countyng house by them selues with this wryghting vpon euery one of them Mony for the poore This mony I wil haue distributed with all haste if it be possible euen before I departe Haue you wrytten in this monye for the pore Phile. I haue done it Epa. The hie wayes may not bee forgotten whiche in many places are very foul ieopardous Unto the repayring of them I geue xl poundes Write it For I thincke this also to be a dede of charitie a commendable worck befor God to repair hie wayes that the people may safely and without danger trauaill by the way Chr. The ●et is very godly w tout all doubt Ep. Neighbour Philemon I pray you put in that xl pound for the hie wayes Phi. It is done already Epa. That which I shuld chiefly haue remembred I had almost forgotten Euse. What is that Epi. Sermons Phile. What is your minde in that behalfe Epa. This. At the tyme of my buriall when the people be gathered together I wold gladly haue some learned man to make a Sermon wherin the people may be admonished of their mortalitie and be taught howe they ought to dispose them selues in this life that whan the tyme come they may yelde vp a good soule into the handes of the liuing God For his paines I appoynt x.s. to be geuen him Also I geue for the preaching of foure score sermons at other times whē it shalbe thought most conuenient xx poundes And as I with these Sermōs to be preached by godly discrete learned men so I wishe them to be preached in suche places as the people haue most nede of doctrine and teaching For the Lorde knoweth the people perish for want of godly knowledge The greatest parte of our beneficed men God helpe vs are blinde guides and dom dogges not once able to barke The people are desirous to knowe God and omong the great multitude of so many beneficed men none almoste ether is able or els endeuoreth him selfe to bring them vnto Christ. It is in these our daies found true that is written in the gospel The haruest truely is plenteous but the labourers are fewe It behoueth therefore euery Christen heart to pray the Lord of the haruest that he will send labourers not loyterers into his harnest and to procure so much as lieth in his power that the worde of God may be vniuersally preached that the people may repent turn vnto y e Lord our God and serue hym in holynes and righteousnes al the days of their life whiche can not bee brought to passe where the word of God is not preached How shal they beleue on him of whom they haue not hard How shal thei hear without a preacher To declare therfore my good will toward the word of God the saluatiō of the Christians I geue .xx. poundes for the preaching of .lxxx. sermōs I pray you note it in my wil Phi. It shall be done Epa. To beare all these charges ye shall haue y e mony in my coūting house Chr. Sir concerning the costes of your burial what order wil it please you to make in that behalf Epa. Let y e ministers with the other officers of the church haue their duties according to the custome Eu. Howe many mourning gownes sir wil ye geue Epa. Of what mourning gownes speake you Eu The manner is as ye know y t whan a man of honest reputation departeth is brought to be buried ther shuld follow him certaine in fine blacke gownes certain pore men women in courser cloth Epaph. Unequally hādled that the pore shuld haue the worst the rich or wealthy the best And cal ye these mourners Eu. So are they called Epa. For whō shuld they mourn Euse. For you Ep. Why for me Because good thinges haue chaunced vnto me Because I haue passed ouer y e daungerous sea and am come vnto the hauen of quietnes Or because I am deliuered from al euil and set in a blessed and ioyfull state I thinke that at the burials of the faithfull there shuld rather be ioy gladnes then mourning and sadnes rather pleasant songes of thankesgeuing then lamentable and dolefull diriges Let the infideles mourn for their dead the Christians ought to reioyse whan any of the faithfull be called from this vale of misery vnto the glorious kyngdome of God Phi. In dede that most worthy Apostle S. Paule would not haue vs mourn for them that are fallen aslepe as the Heathen doe which know not God And s. Ihō saith in his reuelation I heard a voyce from heauen saying vnto me wrighte Blessed are the dad which die in the Lord. For from henceforth the spirit saith y e they are at rest frō their labours pains and trauailes c. The Psalmograph also saith O full precious in the sight of the Lord is y e death of his sainctes Hereto belongeth the saying of the wyse man The soules of the righteous are in the hand of God the paine of death shall not touche them ▪ in the sight of the vnwyse they appeare to die but they are in peace Againe in another place The righteous shall liue foreuer more their reward is also with the Lorde and their remembraunce with the highest Therfore shall they receiue a glorious kingdome and a beutifull crown of the Lordes hand For w t his righthād shall he couer them and with his own holy arme shall he defend thē Chri. Blessed Luke declareth in his Gospell y e so sone as Lazarus was dead which in his life time was diuersly afflicted and miserable punished with many sores and diseases he was receiued into the bosome of Abrahā where he enioyed all pleasure felicitie and comfort Such as die in y e Lord are not to be mourned but God is rather to be thancked for their Christen departure For they are now in reast They ar w t him in whom alone al glory ioy comfort and felicitie is God hath wiped away al teares from their eies so that they are past al sorow al mourning all paine why than should other mourn for them y e ar in so ioyful state The eie hath not sene nor y e eare hath hard neither hath it entred into y e hart of man what ioyes god hath prepared for them that loue him Theo. Saint Cipriane in his sermon of mortalitie hath these words how much it profiteth to go out of the world Christ him selfe the author of our saluatiō prophet sheweth which whan his disciples were sad because he said that he shuld depar● from them spake vnto them say●●ing If ye had loued me ye wold haue reioysed

because I goe vnto the Father teaching and shewing by these his wordes that whan our frendes whome we derely loue depart out of the worlde we ought rather to reioyse than to be sad Thereof the blessed Apostle Paule being myndfull saieth in his Epistle Christ is to me lyfe and death is to me a vauntage He thinketh it great auauntage to be rid out of the snares of this lyfe when he shalbe no more subiect to any offence or synne of the flesh but be exempted from the afflictions that do trouble vs and deliuered frō y t in venimed chawes of the deuil by going vnto the ioy of eternal saluation through the calling of Christ. Also in the same sermon he saith I my selfe being the most simple of all other haue through the goodnes of God diuers times aswell by Reuelation as otherwyse receiued instructiō manifestly to affirme and preach that our brethren whiche be deliuered from the worlde by the calling of God ought not to be mourned for seing they be not lost but sent before to make the waye for vs that do come after We should not therfore couet them againe which be dead nor mourne for thē any otherwyse then we vse to do for such as haue taken their iourny into a straunge lande And for them we ought not to wear black sence they in heauen be clothed in white Herein we should not geue occasion vnto the gentils y t they might iustly reproue vs when we mourn for them as dead and lost whom we do affirme to be liuing with God c. And a litle after he saith The Apostle Paule doth reproue blame such as do mourne at the departure of the persones y ● they loue I would not brethren quod he that you should be ignoraunt concerning them which be fallē on slepe that you sorowe not as other do whiche haue no hope If we beleue that Iesus died and rose againe euen so then also thē whiche slepe by Iesus wyll God bryng again with him He declareth that suche as be sorowfull at their frendes departure haue no hope Why should we that liue by hope that beleue in God truste that Christ suffred for vs is risen again that remain in Christe and be rysen by hym and in hym ●e so vnwylling to departe out of this worlde or els mourn lamēt suche as be departed as though they were lost sence Christ our ●ord our God doth admonish vs ●aying I am the resurrection and ●he life he that beleueth on me yea though he were dead yet shal he liue and whosoeuer liueth and beleueth in me shall neuer die If we beleue in Christ and trust his wordes and his promises we shal neuer die but shal com with glad suerty vnto Christ with whome we shal euer liue raigne And y t in the meane season we do die we do but therby passe to immortalitie For except we departe from hence the lyfe euerlasting can not come Death is no departure but a passage to y e entent y t this worldlye iourney once ouer runne we may come vnto eternitie Wh● will not make haste to a better estate Who will not desyre to bee chaunged and transfourmed into the likenes of Christ and to come out of hand to the dignitie of the heauēly grace which thing Paul the Apostle doth declare Our cōuersacion saith he is in heauen from whence we loke for a Sauiour euen the Lord Iesus Christ whiche shall transforme our vile body that he may make it like vnto his glorious body And Christe the Lorde doth promise that we shalbe such when that we may be with him liue with him in his eternall seat and reioyce with hym in his heauenly kingdom he praieth vnto the father for vs on this manner father I will that they whiche thou haste geuen me be w t me wher I am that they may see my glory whiche thou hast geuen me for y e didst loue me before y e making of the worlde Therfore we ●ught nether to mourne nor to la●ent for cōming vnto the seate of Christ to y e glory of y e heauēly king ●ō but ought rather according to ●he promise of God according to ●he faith of the veritie to reioyce 〈◊〉 our departure and transformation Hitherto haue I rehearsed the words of S. Cipriane which do manifestly declare that they whiche die in the Lorde are in a blessed state and therfore not to be mourned nor lamented I fear least I haue bene tedius vnto you in rehersing so much of s Cipriās mynde concerning this matter Epaphro You haue rather neighbour Theophile cōforted me then molested me yea you haue ryght well confirmed my faith mightely encouraged me to goe vnto this battel and willingly to geue ouer this my life forasmuch as I am thorowly perswaded that after my departure from this vale of mysery I shal come vnto a glorious kingdome and shal se God face to face And one thing I noted in the wordes of S. Ciprian whiche you haue reheased tha● is this y t we ought not to wear● black clothes mourning gowns for them whiche are deliuered frō the world and are gone to God seing thei be clothed in whight and wear ioyfull apparell and are in heauen with God reigning in glory and eternall felicitie Euse. In dede it is a poynt of fondnesse to mourn for thē that are in ioye and to bee sory for them that are mery The Apostle saith Reioyce with them that reioyce mourne with them that mourne Seynge that the faythfull which are deliuered out of this worlde are in ●oy it is more semely y t we should ●oy in God with them thā mourn ●nd be sory for them as though ●hey were in worse case now then ●hey were afore Let the Heathen ●ourne whiche haue no hope for ●he departure of their frends the ●rue christians which ar perswa●ed that such as die in the Lord are in muche better case then they euer were in this worlde we ought rather to reioyce to singe psalmes praises thākesgeuings vnto God for the christē and godly departure of their brethren and for their blessed estate wherein God hath placed them For the holy scripture pronounceth them blessed and happy which die in y e Lord. And y e Psalmograph saith precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saintes The wise man also sayth that y e soules of the righteous are in peace Chr. They therfore which are in so blessed estate ar not to be mourned nor lamented but God is rather to be thancked for them Th. The holy scripture declareth that king Dauid praied vnto the Lord for the child whiche he ha● by Bethsabe Urias wife when i● was sicke and that he fasted an● lay all the night vpon the earth in so much that the Elders of his house arose and went vnto him to take hym vp frō the earth but he

the two theues whiche died with Christ. The one repented beleued and called for mercy vnto Christ God and man saying Lord remember me whan thou commest into thy kyngdom and Christ aunswered him This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Here se we that this theife both repented beleued for howe shall they cal on him sayth sainct Paule on whome they haue not beleued And therfore was receiued into glory The other whiche continued in his vnbelief and so died without repentaunce and faith obtained the reward of vnbelief that is to say the wrath of God and eternall damnation They therfore that die are either faithfull or vnfaithfull If they be faythfull so haue they out of hād the reward of fayth whiche is euerlasting glory if they be vn●faithfull than receiue they their reward of vnfaithfulnes and misbelief whiche is eternall damnation If the Papistes can fynde the third kind of men whiche are nether faithfull nor vnfaithfull then wyll we consent vnto theyr Purgatorie for such haue nether place in heauen nor in hell But suche sort of people the holie scripture knoweth not Therfore knoweth it not suche a place of purging after this life as the Papistes haue heretofore deuised Eus. The blessed Apostle S. Paule sayth God shall geue to euery one according to his owne dedes Againe to the Corinthians he also sayth Euery one shall receiue his ●owne labour In an other place he also sayeth We must all appear before the iudgemēt seat of Christ that euery man may receiue the workes of his body accordyng to that he hath done whether it bee good or bad Item Whatsoeuer a man soweth that shall he also reape For he that soweth in his flesh shal of the flesh reape corruption But he that soweth in the spirite shall of the spirite reape life euerlasting Let vs not bee weary of well doing For when the tyme is come we shall reape without wearines While we haue therefore tyme let vs doe good vnto all men and specially vnto them whiche are of the houshold of faith Hereto agreeth the saying of our sauiour Christ. The son of man shal come in the glory of his father with his aungels and then shall he rewarde euery man according to his dedes Againe I wyll geue euery one of you according to his dedes Out of these scriptures we learne ▪ that we sha● not be rewarded according to other mens dedes but accordinge vnto our owne deedes If we haue wrought nothing at all in oure lyfe what shall other mens dedes than do vs good after our death And I doubt whether any man Christ alone excepted haue good dedes sufficient for him self Chri. If we consider well the history of the tenne virgins it shall easly be perceiued that no mā haue scasely oyle inough for him selfe Yea wer not the great mercies of God set forth to all faithful penitēt sinners in y e precious blud of Christ we with al our oyl should perish For euerlasting life is the gifte of God through Iesus Christe oure Lord. If thou O Lord shouldest narowly loke vpō our iniquities saith the Psalmograph O Lord who were hable to abide it But ther is mercy with the in store c. The. The holy scripture moueth vs to doe good whyle we are alyue and not to truste other mens workes to be done for vs when we be dead The wyseman saith doe good vnto thy frende before thou die and according to thy abilitie reache out thyne hand and geue vnto the poore Be not disapoynted of the good daye and let not the portion of the good day ouerpasse the. Shalt thou not leue thy trauails labours vnto other men In the deuiding of thy heritage geue and take and sanctify thy soule Worke thou ryghteousnes before thy death for after thy death there is no meat to fynd Again Abide thou not in the errour of the vngodly but geue God thākes before death As for the dead thanckfulnes perisheth from him as nothing Geue thou thanckes in thy lyfe yea whyle thou art liuing and whole shalt thou geue thankes and prayse God and reioyce in his mercy O howe great ●s the louing kindnes of the lord and his mercifull goodnes vnto ●uch as turne vnto hym Salomō●n his prouerbes saith withdrawe ●o good thing frō them that haue ●ede so long as thy hande is able ●o doe it Say not vnto thy neighbour go thy way come againe ●o morowe wil I geue thee wher ●s thou hast nowe to geue hym Hereto agreeth the saying of the ●reacher whatsoeuer thou art a●le to do do it out of hande for in ●he graue that thou goest vnto here is neither worke counsell knowledge nor wisdom The prophet also sayth Seke the Lorde ●●hyle he may be founde and call ●pon him while he is nie Let the ●ngodly forsake his owne waies ●nd the vnrighteous his owne imaginations and turne againe vnto the Lord so shal God be merciful vnto him Our sauior Christ saith in the Gospell I must worke the worckes of him that sent me while it is daye The night commeth when no man can worke Walke while we haue light least y e darknes come on you c. While ye haue light walke in the light that ye may be y e children of light I say vnto you make you frendes of the vnrighteous Mammō that when ye shal haue nede they may receiue you into euerlasting habitations That seruaunt which receiued one talent of his Lord and gained nothing therew t but went his way and hid it in the ground was cast into vtter darknes wher● wepinge and gnashinge of teeth shalbe The .v. folishe virgins because they had no Oyle in theyr lampes were not suffred to enter into the mariage Moreouer the most worthy Apostle S. Paule saith While we haue tyme let vs do good vnto all men and special●y vnto them which are of y e houshold of faith These and diuers other textes of the holye scripture moue vs to doe good our selues while we be aliue in this worlde and not to trust the workes of other to be done for vs whē we be dead For by our own works and not by other mēs shall we be iudged Euery mā shall bear his own burdē Euery man shal receiue the works of his own body according to y t he hath done whether it bee good or bad euery mā shal receiue his reward according to his own dedes Beholde I come quickely saith our sauiour Christ and my reward is with me y t I may geue to euerye one accordinge as his worke shalbe And saint Iohn pronouncing them blessed which die in y e Lord saith on this maner Their workes folowe thē He saith not other mens workes shal folow thē whē they be dead but their owne workes do follow and presently accōpany them ▪ as the shadow doth y e body euen vnto y

heare you gladly Epa. I vnfainedly beleue with my harte and frely confesse with my mouthe that the holy ghost is one and equal God in glory maiestie power and might with the father and the sonne proceading from the father and the son after an vnknowne and vnexpresseable maner This spirite of God and God him selfe is he by whom God the father through his sonne Christe and in Christ worketh and quickneth all thinges All the benefites and graces which God the father bestoweth vppon vs for Christes sake this holy ghost bringeth thē vnto vs and maketh vs new vessels to receyue them which otherwise euen of nature are so fleshly minded that we perceiue nothing at all of those thinges which pertayne vnto the spirite of God neyther are we able to thinke a good thoughte of our selues For this godly spirite worketh in vs newe motions and new affectes and geueth vs grace both to will and to doo good He is a teacher of al the faithfull and leadeth them into al truth He is a confortour of weake and sorowfull mindes He kepeth the true christians vnmoneable in one faith and openeth their senses to vnderstand y e misteries of God aright He doth clothe them with his giftes and geueth to euery one a seueral gift euen as he wyll He is the ruler of the Christen congregation He is the anoyntment wherwith all the faithful are anoynted and thereof are called the annoynted of the Lord. He is geuen vnto the faithfull to be the earnest of their enheritaunce for the recouering of the purchased possession vnto y e praise of his glory He with his godlie breath quickeneth maketh aliue and conserueth all thinges He of carnall maketh vs spirituall of worldly godly of wicked blessed of the bond slaues of Sathan the dearly beloued sonnes of God of sinnefull sinckes his owne moste pleasaunt and holy temple of cruell meke of proud humble of malicious charitable of contentious quiet of couetous liberal of hard harted meke spirited of froward gentle of stubburne obedient of dissolute temperat and sober of false true of folish wyse of idle godly occupied of vnchast pure and cleane of the haters of God the frendes of God of the louers of pleasures the louers of godlines to ende he maketh vs of earthy heauenlye Whatsoeuer goodnes we haue he is the alone author worker and geuer of the same Therfore I beleue and confesse that this holy spirite is one and equal God with God the father and God the sonne proceading from them bothe with lyke maiesty glorie might and power I beleue that this holy gost is my comforter and that he prayeth for me renueth me dwelleth in me and hathe sealed me vp vnto euerlastyng glorye Now haue ye hard my faith and my beilefe in the father and in the sonne and in the holy ghost which .iii. I beleue and confesse to be one God whose seat the heauen is and whose fotestole is the earth He is an euerlastyng and almighty God whiche alone is to be honoured serued in spirit and truthe For he alone can helpe vs forasmuche as he is almighty will helpe vs because he his mercifull true and faithful yea and that not for our rightousnes but for his names sake To this one true liuing euerlastyng immortal inuisible alone wise God king of kinges and Lorde of Lordes be all honoure and glory worlds without end Thi. Amen Epa. Thou art worthy O Lord to receyue glory and honour and power for thou haste created all things and for thy wils sake they are and were created Blessing glory and wisdome and thankes and honor and might be vnto our God for euermore Chr. So be it Epa. Simply and plainely haue I here before you all rehearsed my faithe and belief in God and in the thre parsons of the Godhead as I haue here tofore learned it of gods moste holy worde I confesse that many thinges mo mighte be spoken of the wonderfull misteries of this most blessed and holy Trinitie but they farre exceade my vnderstanding and therefore I dare not meddle with them For it is written he that is a searcher of the Maiestie of God shall be oppressed of the glorye thereof Againe Seke not oute the thinges that are aboue thy capacitie and serche not the ground of suche thinges as ar to mighty for thee but loke what God hath cōmaunded thee think vpon that alway and be not curious in many of his workes For it is not neadeful for thee to se w t thine eies the thinges that are secreat The. The holy Apostle also counselleth vs to be modest sober and that we be not curious to searche after the knowledge of things which passe our capacitie Eu. The holy psalmograph semeth to haue followed this coūcel wel whiche saieth on this manner of him selfe Lord I am not hie minded I haue no proud lokes I doe not exercise my self in great matters which are to hie for me But I refrain my soule kepe it lowe like as a child that is weaned frō his mother yea my soule is euen as a wened childe O Israel trust in the Lorde from this time forth for euermore Phil. Neighbour Epaphroditus there remain yet behind mo articles of the Christen faith Haue you forgotten them Epap No good brother Philemō God forbid I should forget them For in them next vnto God lieth now my chief consolation comfort Should I being in this case forget the holye congregation of God whiche is the company and felowship of the sainctes chosen people of God of whome Christ y e Lord is the head ruler and gouernour Should I in this my sickenes forget the hie and singulare benefites of God whiche of his own fre mercy and mere goodnes he liberally geueth to al faithfull penitent sinners namely remission of sinnes the Resurrection of the body and lyfe euerlasting God forbid God forbid For the remembraunce of these thynges comforteth me greatlye I wyll therfore although my winde beginneth to waxe shorte and it is painefull vnto me muche for to speake declare my faithe concerning these Articles Eusebi God strengthen you Chri. Amen Epa. As I vnfainedly beleue with my heart and freely confesse with my mouth that there is but one God in whome alone I put al my confidence truste and hope of saluation and at whose hand only I loke for all good thinges pertayning either vnto the bodye or vnto the soule so lykewyse I bothe beleue and confesse that there is but one holy vniuersal churche or congregation of the faithefull all be it they be despersed and scattered abrode thorow out the world in diuers and sondry places which are gathered knit together through the operation of the holy ghost in the vnitie of the spirite and ioyned together in one faith as members of one bodye whereof Iesus Christe is the

heade This holy Churche or congregation lynked together in the felowship of the holy Ghoste is a spirituall house builded of liuing stones a chosen generation a royall Priesthod to offer vp spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christe an holy nation a people whiche are won that they should shewe forth the vertues of hym whyche called them oute of darkenesse into his maruelous lighte this Churche is the congregatiō of the liuing god the pillar and ground of truthe This holy company are Citizens with the Saincts and of the housholde of God and are builte vpon ●he foundation of the Apostles ●nd Prophets Iesus Chryst him selfe being the hed corner stone Thys Churche is the spouse of Christ and knoweth none other husband head but Christ alone This blessed company are these shepe whiche gladly heare y e voyce of their shepehard Christ but they flie from the voyces of straūgers And as they are one body and one spirite so confesse they on● Lord one faithe one Baptisme● one God and father of all There is among them no dissen●tion but thei maintain one truth preache one doctrine speake on● thing are of one minde and of on● meaning This holy Catholik● churche or vniuersall congregatiō is that holy city that newe Hieru●salem whiche came downe fro● God out of heauen prepared as ● bride garnished for her husband And because no man shall doub● of what Churche I speake I con●fesse that to be the holy Catholik● and Apostolike Churche which● is the company and felowship of the sainctes that is to saye of the faithfull whiche are sanctified made holy by the spirite of God and by the bloud of Christ our sauiour whiche haue the pure word of God truely and sincerely preached and the Sacramentes duely and faithfully ministred amōg them whiche excommunicate all disobedient notable sinners and receiue into their felowship suche as vnfainedly repente and tourne from their wickednes which study in all things to please the Lord God and to liue in all godlinesse and honestie This church and cōpany Christ loued so dearly that he gaue him self for it to sanctifie it and clensed it in the fountaine of water thorow y e word to make it vnto him selfe a glorious congregation without spot or wrincle or any suche thinge but that it shoulde be holy without blame Whosoeuer is in this church and congregation he may be sure to besaued But whosoeuer is not in it he is without all dout damned For like as in y e time of Nohe no man escaped with his life but was drowned in the floud excepte he entred into the Arcke of Nohe Euen so whosoeuer is not founde in this felowship or Catholicke Churche agreing with it in one faith doctrine hope loue and sacramentes he shall pearish and be lost For without the Churche of Christe there is no saluation no forgeuenes of sinnes no fauoure of God no quyetnes of conscience no true Gospell or glad tidinges of eternall healthe Therfore in this holy Churche blessed felowship of the sainctes and faithfull I vnfainedly beleue with my harte and frely confesse with my mouthe that there is remission and forgeuenes of sinnes and that withoute it no sinne is forgeuen nether is there any hope of saluation For as it is vnpossible that a member can liue which is not in the body so it is vnpossible that any man may lyue in hys soule and be released out of death by remission of synne whyche is not a mēber of the body of Christ. For Christe hathe reconciled vs al vnto God his father in one body And therfore must all they stande at variance with God that ar no mēbers of this body of the which Christe is the head to the whiche also he geueth saluation This therfore is a great conforte to the faithfull congregation that allthough thorowe infirmitie of nature or otherwise they doo fall of●end God break the Lords commaundements yet in this cōpany there is remission and forgeuenes of sinnes so sone as euer they repent be sory for their synne and beleue to haue remissiō of all their sins for Christes precious bloudes sake Synne we neuer so oft and neuer so greuously yet being mēbers of this holy company we ar straight waies forgeuen and deliuered a paena culpa frō the pain and the fault so sone as we turne vnto the Lord our God And these our sinnes be not forgeuē of men but of God alone neither forgeueth he part and reserueth part but he forgeueth all or els none at all Again he forgeueth not the fault and reserueth the paine but with the faulte he also forgeueth the pain due for the fault that he may be an whole and perfect sauiour as s. Iohn saith If we say we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues and the truthe is not in vs. But if we cōfesse our sinnes God is faithfull and righteous to forgeue vs our sinnes and to make vs cleane from all iniquitie And God himself saith by the Prophet I wil forgeue their misdedes and wil neuer remember their sinnes any more Againe I am he yea I am he alone which put away thy iniquities yea and that for myne own sake and I wil remēber thy sinnes no more And king Ezechias in his praier vnto God said it is thou O Lord that cast all my sinnes behind thy back The Prophet Miche also saith Where is there such a God as thou art that pardonest wickednes and forgeuest the offences of the remnaunt of thine heritage He kepeth not his wrath for euer And why his delite is to haue compassion He shal turne agayne and be merciful to vs. He shall put down our wickednes and caste all oure sinnes into the bottom of the sea I faithfully beleue that I am a member of Christes church and I am also fully perswaded that al my sinnes be forgeuen me of God the Father not for my merites whiche are none but for Iesus Christes sake for Christes merits passion death and bludshedding For grace and truthe came by Iesus Christe sayth the holy Euangelist And I beleue that God fo● his sonnes sake hathe so frely and wholy forgeuen me all my sinnes that he wil neuer remembre them more neuer impute thē vnto me nor lay them to my charge but so receyue me into his fauoure as though I had neuer offended him and make me his sonne and heyer of euerlasting glory For euerlasting life is the gift of god through Iesus Christe oure Lorde sayeth the Apostle Thys is the stay and quientes of my conscience at thys presente This maketh me not to feare deathe but ioyfully to loke for it and louingly to embrace it when soeuer it commeth For I wish to be losoned from this mortall body and to be with Chryste My soule hath a feruent desire to

my dayes are more swift then a runner yea they passe away as the shippes that be good vnder sayle and as the Egle that flieth to the praye Seing it is Gods will pleasure and ordinaunce that wee should dye why do we which dayly pray on this manner Thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen shew our selues vnwilling to haue y t thyng chaūce vnto vs for the which we haue so often times praied It is naturall to die why then labour we to degenerate and growe out of kind Our aūcestours the most holy and moste perfect haue died why disdaine we then to followe their steps It is highly for our profit to die why are we than ennemies to our selues We can not cease to sinne except we die why do we than not hast to fle from so great an euil We shal neuer come vnto the true life where felicitie bothe ioyfull and eternall is except we die why than make we so litle spede to hast thither wher so many good thinges shalbe geuen vs We shal neuer haue y e fruition of Gods maiestie the blessed company of the heauenly spirits except we die why thē do we not pray daily vnto y t lord our god to deliuer vs from this stincking sinck of euils I mene this world that we may come and enioye his most glorious presence The very Heathen which knew not God a right but only dreamed of the immortalitie of the soule loked for a better lyfe after this they knew not why they should feare death but wyshed death and died bothe valeantly and ioyfully and shall we being christians which know God and his holy word and vnto whom so much comfort hope and euerlasting life is promised refuse gladly and willingly to die What a saying of an Ethnicke is this O immortall God howe is that pleasant and ioyfull iourney to be wished for which being once done and past there remaineth no sorow no care no pensiuenes Again O that goodly and pleasant day whan it shall be my chaunce ●o leaue this filthy troublesome world and come to their company that inhabit the heauens I● God wold suffer me that I being of this age might become an infant and sucking child againe I woulde vtterly refuse it neyther would I by any meanes call the rase that I haue run back again that I might again be yong For what pleasure commoditie hath this life yea rather what displeasure incommoditie pain trauel trouble hath it not But let it be graunted that it hathe pleasure certes yet hath it ether satietie or mesure And nature in this world hath geuen vs a place to tary in for a while but not to dwell to continue in it The Heathen wryters in their monumēts cal death a changing for a better life a quiet slepe a remouing from mortalitie vnto immortalitie from trouble vnto quietnes from y e shadow of a life vnto a very vncounterfet life from sorow vnto ioy from euill vnto good an hauē of rest a solace of the mind an end of all euill and wickednesse and a beginning of all true ioy felicitie pleasure Of these things may we easly learne what opinion the very Heathen conceiued of death and shal we that professe Christ know God beleue his word and cal our selues dead vnto y e world recoūt death an euill thing and be lothe to go vnto it whē God calleth vs as though there were no resurrection of the body no immortalitie of the soule no life after this no felowship with god and with the heauenly spirites The Iewes also beyng perswaded of the resurrection of the body and of thimmortalitie of the soule die ioyfully with a lusty courage whiche notwithstanding for their vnbelief in Christ are damned and shal we whiche are christians tremble and shake at y e name of death as though after our death we should be in worse case then we be nowe whan to say the truthe the faithfull christians do than chiefly begin to liue when thei depart from this world All good men haue euer desired to depart frō this vile and wretched life and to go vnto that ioyful and blessed state of immortalitie Dauid that Prince-like Prophet crieth out and saith Wo is me and sory am I for it y t I must yet longer abide in this world Again Like as the hart desireth the water brokes so lōgeth my soule after thee O God My soul is a thurst for God yea euen for the liuing God when shall I come to appeare before the presence of God Also in an other place he saith O howe amiable are thy dwellinges thou Lord of hostes My soule hath a desire longing to enter into the courtes of y e Lord my heart my fleshe reioyse in the liuing God Blessed are they that dwel in thy house they shalbe alway praising thee One day in thy courtes is better then a thousand I had rather be a dorekeper in y e house of my God then to dwell in the tentes of vngodlines In another Psalme he praieth on this mā●er Deliuer my soule out of pry●on that it may come and prayse ●hy name The holy man Tobias made his praier vnto God said O Lord deale with me according ●o thy will and commaunde my ●pirit to be receiued in peace For more expedient were it for me to ●ie then to liue How desirous the ●oly Apostle S. Paul was to go ●rom this vale of misery vnto the ●eauenly kingdom these his wor●es declare manifestly Christe is to me life and death is to me aduauntage Againe I desire to bee losed and to be with Christ. What shall I speake of that auncient godly father Simeon whiche so sone as he had sene Christ knowing him to be the sauioure of the world was very desirous to die brast out into these wordes said ▪ Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace according to thy promes For mine eyes haue sene thy saluation whiche thou haste prepared before the face of al people A light to lighten the gentils and the glory of thy people Israel Of the like affection with these tofore rehearsed were without doubt all godly parsons from the beginning then being moste ioyfull whan they sawe the time of their departure from this wretched world to be come so likewise brother Epaphroditus ought both you and we to reioyse and be glad whan death approcheth and commeth vpō vs. For then beginneth our felicitie welth quietnes safetie ioy pleasure comfort glory as the voyce from heauen sayde Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. For from henceforth the spirite saieth that they shall be at reast from their labours paines trauailes Precious and ryghte dear in the sight of the Lord is the death of his sainctes saith y e Psalmograph The soules of the righteous saieth the wiseman are in the hand

louing Samaritane Poure wyne and oyle into his woundes binde them vp la●e him vpon thy beast neuer leaue him vntill thou hast brought hym into that Inne whiche is the glo●rious kingdome of thy heauenly father Remoue from him all vnfaithfulnes and mistrust graue in his hart true earnest faith in the in thy moste precious bloud Suffer him not to dispaire nor to doubt of thy godly grace Let y e remēbrance of thy most mercifull promises setforth in thy holy gospel neuer be out of his hart Suffer not Satā to preuaile against him Let not his conscience be cōbred with the terrours either of sinne or death Be thou his strong castell and mighty fortresse Assist him now in this his greuous affliction let not his soule be a pray vnto his ennemies neither geue thou him ouer into the cruel handes of hys terrible aduersaries ▪ but shewe vpon him presently thy bountifull goodnes that he thorowe thy helpe hauinge the ouerhand of Sathan may finishe his course with ioy and so after his departure from this troublous world come vnto the blessed hauen of quietnes where thou with the father and the holy gost liuest and raignest one true and euerlasting God worldes without end The. Amen Epa. O Lord rebuke me not in thine indignation nether chasten me in thy heauy displeasure Haue mercy on me O Lorde for I am weake heale me O Lord for all my bones are sore troubled yea my soule is greuously vexed but Lord how longe O how long wilt y ● defer thy helpe Turne the O Lord deliuer my soule oh saue me for thy mercies sake Phi. O neighbour how is it with you Epa. Nowe that I had thorow your godly exhortations well digested my departure from this world was well content to go hence whēsoeuer the Lord my god calleth me now am I so troubled in my conscience that I begin almoste to dispayre of Gods mercy toward me yea and wish y t there were no God nor no life after this Phi. Gentle brother faint not in your faith neither dispaire you of the great mercies of God but cal on the lord your God with strong faith and he full gratiously will send present remedy for you frō his holy temple Epa. O my cōscience is greuously vexed troubled disquieted while I behold the fearce wrath of God againste sinne and consider how wicked a life I haue led how oft I haue broken Gods holy commaundemēts Phi. Fear not dear brother for though you be neuer so sinfull God is mercifull Though youre synnes be great yet are the mercies of God muche greater God saueth not vs because we are righteous and withoute synne but for his mercie and promyse sake when he seeth vs repente beleue and seeke for remedy at his hande for Christes precious bloud sake Epaphrod Sathan nowe in this my sicknesse doeth so moleste and trouble me that me thinke I fele a very hel within my brest Phile. The manner of Satan which is the common aduersary of all men is whē any mā is greuously sicke like to die straightways to com vpon him at the beginning very fearcely to shew him selfe terrible vnto him to cast before his eies suche a mist that except he taketh hede he shall see nothing but the fearce wrath terrible iudgement of God against sinners again synne desperatiō death and ●el and whatsoeuer maketh vnto vtter confusion of the sickmans consciēce Epa. So is it now with me Phi. Feare not It is his olde propertie If you had led as holy as perfect a lyfe as euer did man in this world yet would he deale on this manner w t you He knoweth right well y t the tyme of your departure is at hande that God will shortly call you from this sorowful mortal lyfe vnto a blessed and immortal lyfe therfore laboureth he vnto the vttermoste o● his power to plucke you from so ioyfull a state and to make you his pray But be you not afrayde For whome of Gods elect hath he let pas vnassailed vntempted or vnproued He feared not to assay the sonne of God after he had put on our nature and thincke you to escape fre His nature disposition and desire is to destroy maruel● you therefore if he goe aboute to seke your destruction His proper●tie is to disquiet wonder you therfore if he trouble you He is a lier what truthe therfore can come out of his mouth If he saye vnto you that God is angry with you and wil destroy you know him to be a lier and whatsoeuer he sayth against your saluation beleue it not but knowe it to be a lye He is a murtherer what lyfe then can come from hym He is an accuser of the brethren how than can he speake anye good or comfortable thyng vnto you He is your vtter enemy how thē is it possible that he may be your frende and seeke your quietnesse Feare hym not therfore He is but a cowarde and a very slaue They be but brags whatsoeuer he threatneth He may well hisse at you but he can not styng you He may loke vpon you with a terrible fearful countenāce but he cā do you no harme He may go about to tēpt you but to ouercome you it lieth not in his power Hear what s. Iames saith Resiste the deuill and he shall fli● from you Drawe nie vnto God he shal draw nie to you Epa. Yea but how shal I resist y e deuel Phi ▪ Not as the supersticious papistes were wont to do with casting o● holy water about your chamber● w t laying holy bread in your window with pinning a Crosse mad● of halowed Palmes at your beds head nor with ringing of the hallowed bel or such other beggarly superstitious Popishe deuelish ceremonies Epa. How then Phil● With faith with prayer and with the word of God Epa. Howe with faith Phile. Cast the eies of your● mind with strong faith on the sed● of the woman which hath trode● downe the serpents head and destroyed his power as he saieth by the Prophet O hel I wyll be thy destruction which by death hath put him to flight that had Lordeshippe ouer death euen the Deuill that he might deliuer them whiche throughe feare of death were all their lyfe tyme subdued vnto bondage whiche also as the Apostle saith hath spoyled rule power hath made a shew of thē openly and hath triumphed ouer them in his own persone So shal you be sure to escape his greuous assaultes For the sonne of God apeared for this purpose euen to destroy the workes of the Deuill Christ was figured by that brasen serpent which God commaūded Moses to set vp in the wildernes adding this promise vnto it that whosoeuer beyng stricken of the firy Serpentes did loke on that he shoulde be healed After this maner is it betwene

Christe and vs. If that firy serpent the deuill hath striken and wounded vs let vs loke vpon Christ with stronge faith and we shal surely for Gods promise sake be made whole as Christe him selfe testifieth saying As Moyses lyfted vp the serpent in the wildernes so must the son of man be lyfted vp that all that beleue on hym should not peryshe but haue euerlasting life For god sent not his sonne into the worlde to condemne the worlde but that the world shold be saued through him If Sathan therfore hath either wounded you already or els goeth about so to do feare not repare vnto Christ loke on him with the eies of your faithe so shall you be fre from his venomus chause For as you are nowe tempted so were al godly men but they ouercame y e tēpter through strōg faith in Christ. Therfore saith s. Peter Be ye sober and watche for your aduersary the deuill goeth about like a roring Lion seing whome he may deuoure whome resist ye strong in faith Saint Iohn also saith this is the victory which ouercommeth the worlde euen our faith Not only all godly faithfull men were tempted but also our sauiour Christ. And this is a great comfort for vs. For in that it fortuned him selfe to be tempted he is hable to succour them also that are tempted Christ being tempted ouercame his temptations to get vs the victory ouer the tempter His triumphe is our victory and his victory is our triumphe Whatsoeuer he did got in his humanitie he did and got it not for him self but for vs. And God is faithfull saith the apostle whiche will not suffer you to be tempted aboue your strength but wil in the mids of the temptation make away that ye may be able t● beare it Beleue therfore in Christ you are without al danger Epa. I beleue O Lord help thou min● vnbeliefe O Lorde encrease my faith Phi. Fear you not but God both will doth hear your prayers for y e Lorde is nie vnto all thē that cal on him in truth Epa. You made mention also of praier saying that y t is also a mean to resist● Sathan Phi. I reioyse greatly I geue God moste harty thankes y t in this your sicknes your memory cōtinueth stil stedfast perfect Epa. I praise God for it Phi. That prayer is a necessary remedy for the auoyding of Sathans temptations the holy scriptures teache manifestly in diuers places Our sauior Christ saith watch pray that ye fal not into temptation Againe This kind of deuils is not cast out but by prayer fasting To represse y t temtatiōs of Satā all godly men euen frō the beginning fled vnto faithfull praier as a mighty sure defence againste sathan and al his crafty assaultes And God hath commaunded vs to pray whensoeuer we are troubled and doeth also promise vs y t he wyll both heare and helpe vs. Call on me sayeth he in the tyme of thy trouble and I wyl delyuer thee and thou shalt honoure me The Lorde is nie vnto them that are of a troubled heart he wyll help thē that be broken in spirite Ep. Now good neighbors pray for me Ph. Uery gladly Let vs knele down together and pray Chr. Lo here are we Phi. O heauenly and moste mercifull father we moste humbly besech thee for thy sonnes sake Iesus Christ our Lord haue pitie vpon this thy creature and succoure him in these horrible assaultes and temptations of the de●uill Deliuer his soule in these extreame necessities from all the internall army Sende him downe strength from aboue that he may be able to resiste his ennemy and to stande stedfaste in the tyme of this his temptation Be thou his strong rocke castell shield tower and defense that he in this greate trouble being preserued from the tyranny of his ennemies ▪ through thy godly grace assistence helpe may continue in the true and christen faith vnto his liues end and afterward be receiued into thy heuenly kingdome through Iesus Christ our Lord. Euse. Amen Epa. Now will I pore wratched sinner offer my prayers also vnto the Lord my God in Iesus Christes name trusting and beleuing vndoubtedly that he gratiously wyl heare me and defend me against mine enemies Phi. These are the words of Christ What things so euer ye desyre whan ye praye beleue that ye receiue them and ye shall haue them Epaph. Out of the depth do I cry vnto thee O Lord O Lord hear my praier Saue me O God for the waters of trouble are come in euen vnto my soule I stick fast in the depe myre where no groūd is I am come into depe waters so that the ●loudes run ouer me Take me out of the myre that I sinck not Oh let me be deliuered from them that hate me out of the depe waters Let not the water floud drown me nether let the depe swalowe me vp let not the pit shut her mouthe vpon me Heare me O Lord for thy louing kindnes is cōfortable turne me vnto thee according vnto the multitude of thy mercies hyde not thy face from thy seruaunt fo● I am in trouble O hast thee and hear me Draw nie vnto my soul and saue it oh deliuer me because of mine ennemies For y t knowest my reprofe my shame and my dishonoure Mine aduersaries are ful in thy sight So shal I beyng deliuered from these great miseries through thy gratious benefit prayse and magnifie the name of thee my Lord God for euer and euer Chr. So be it Epa. Neighbor Philemon Phi. Here sir. Epa. As I remember you told me that besides faythe and prayer the word of God also is a goodly help and a strong fortresse against the cruell assanites of the Deuill Phile. It is truthe For so are we taught in the holy scripture Our sauioure Christ when the time of his Passion began to drawnie knowing that his Disciples shoulde for his ●ake be greuously tempted bothe of the deuill the world the flesh commaunded thē to bie a sworde This was no materiall but spirituall sword as S. Paul declareth vnto y e Ephesiās saying aboue all thinges take to you the shield of faith wherwith ye may quenche all the firy dartes of the wycked And take the helmet of saluation and the sword of the spirit which ●s the word of God And praye alwayes with all manner of prayer supplication in the spirit With ●he worde of God Christ droue away Sathan and resisted all his wicked temptacions For it is the power of God to saue so many as beleue In the word of God plēteous present remedies are founde against Satan and al his subtile suggestions Therfore said y e psalmograph I haue hyd thy spea●hes O Lord in my heart that I might not sin against thee Now are ye

sorowe wyl he turne to ioy as he sayth in the Gospell verely verely I saye vnto you ye shal wepe lament but contrariwise the worlde shall reioyse Ye shall sorowe but your sorow shall be turned into ioye A woman when she traueleth hath sorow because her houre is come but assone as she is deliuered of y e childe she remembreth no more y e anguishe for ioy that a mā is born into the world And ye now therefore haue sorow but I wil see you againe and your heartes shal reioyse and your ioye shall no man take away from you In this your heauy cōflict God semeth to haue withdrawn the glorious beames of his fatherly grace frō you but he will straightways lighten his godly countenaūce vpon you and worke suche ioyes in your heart through his holy spirit as heretofore you felt neuer the lyke And this your ioy shall neuer be taken from you Therefore whatsoeuer sathan that old canckred ennemy of mankinde goeth about to perswade you beleue hym not but resiste him with strong faith euer remembring that he is both a lier and a murtherer You are a member of that congregation whiche is built vpon the rocke Christe againste whome the gates of hell shall not preuayle You are a lyuing stone of the blessed building and spiritual house wherof Christ is the head corner stone though y e windes blow the shours of raine descend and the cruell tempestes ●eate on the house yet it falleth not for it is grounded not vpon y e and but vpon the rocke Sathan ●n this temtation hath desired to sifte you as it were wheate but Christ hath praied for you y t your faith failed not You are one of the shepe whiche God the father hath geuen to his sonne Christe therfore can you not peryshe neyther shall any creature plucke you out of his hande but he shall geue you euerlasting life Epa. Now per●ceiue I most gētle neighbor Philemon that to be true whiche I haue many tymes heard the godly preachers rehearse in their most comfortable Sermons Phile. What is that I pray you Epaph. That one faythfull Preacher which is able with the swete promises of the holy scriptures to cōfort the weake and desperate conscience is better then ten thousande mumbling Massemongers whiche promise with their Massinge mountaines of golde but perfourme molhilles of glasse I haue also many times heard it saide that though the companye of a learned man be good and profitable at all times yet chiefly in the tyme of syckenesse and whan the weake creature is ready to depart from this wicked worlde for asmuche as than Sathan is most busy and without ceasing laboureth to disquiet the conscience of ●he sickman that by this meanes he may driue him to desperation and finally to damnation Phile. What meane you by that Epa. I thanke God moste hartelye that suche a learned man as you are haue nowe vouchedsafe to visite me in this my sickenesse Phil. No learned man but a louer of learninge and suche one as hathe a good will well to doe and enuieth no man that can doe better Epa. In the tyme of this your godlye communication had with me the Lord my God be thancked for it I felt the heauines trouble and disquietnes of my conscience by little and little to goe away and certaine swete mocions of true inward ioye to arise in my heart ▪ so y t nowe Sathan with his wicked temtations semeth to haue taken his flight and the holy ghost● with his most godly and comfortable inspirations to haue entred into my breast Wheras before m● thought I was in hell nowe m● thinck I am in heauen so great● quietnes rest ioy and confort do I finde in my conscience Sainc● Paule wysheth not in vain to th● Philippiās this tranquilitie and quietnes of conscience saying th● peace of God which passeth al vnderstanding kepe your hearts and mindes in Christ Iesu. Again t● the Collossians The peace of god mought rule in your heartes t● the whiche peace ye are called in one body For no man knoweth what a precious Iewell and heauenly treasure this peace of con●cience is but suche as fele it Ne●her can any man feele it a ryght except he hath felt afore the grief ●ain and disquietnesse of conscience I may now right wel say w t ●he Psalmograph O howe great and plentifull is thy goodnesse which thou hast laide vp for them ●hat feare thee and that thou hast ●repared for them that put theyr ●rust in thee O what great trou●les and aduersities haste thou ●hewed me And yet thou diddest ●urne refresh me yea brough●est me from the depe of the earth ●gaine Thou hast broughte me ●o great honour and cōforted me ●n euery syde Therfore wyll I ●raise thee and thy faithfulnes O God Phi. Here see you that fulfilled in your selfe whiche you ha●● full oft red in the holy Scriptur● The Lorde killeth and make● aliue bryngeth downe to hell an● fetcheth vp againe Great are t●● troubles of the righteous but t●● Lord deliuereth them out of the● all Chr. The holy man Toby 〈◊〉 his praier vnto God saieth Wh●●soeuer loueth thee serueth thee ● right is sure of this that if his li● be tempted and proued it stāde●● in the trying if he endure in pa●●cience he shal haue a reward an● be highly crowned and if he be i● trouble that God no doubt sha● delyuer hym and if his lyfe be i● chastning that he shall haue le●● to come vnto thy mercy For tho● hast no pleasure in our damnat●●on And why After a storme tho● makest the weather fair and stil● after weping and heauines tho● geuest great ioy Thi name O go● of Israell be praysed for euer Ep. Amē Chr. The Psalmograph also saith They that sowe in tears shall reape in ioye He that nowe goeth on his way weping and bereth forth good seede shall doubtles come againe with ioy bring his sheues with him Epa. If the Lord him selfe had not bene of my side when Satan rose vp against me he had swalowed me vp quik But praysed be the Lorde whiche hath not geuen me ouer for a pray vnto his teeth My soule is escaped euen as a byrde oute of the snare of the fouler the snare is broken and I am deliuered My helpe standeth in the name of the Lorde whiche hath made heauen and earth But neighboure Philemon it is good in the tyme of calme to prouide for tempest We are taughte of Iob that a mans ●ife in this worlde is a warfare or knighthode and that we therfore ought to watche praye tha● we fail not into temptation The scripture declareth that after Sa●than had tempted Christ was confounded by the worde of God● the deuil departed from Christ for a season Wherof we may learne ▪ that he returned afterward vnto Christ and tempted him I feare

as vnto an other it goeth with the righteous as with vngodly with the good cleane as with the vncleane with him that offreth as with hym that offreth not like as it goeth with th● vertuous so goeth it also with th● sinner As it hapneth vnto the pe●iured so hapneth it also vnto hym that is afraide to be forsworne Among all thynges that come to passe vnder the Sunne this is a misery that it hapneth vnto all alike Of these wordes it euidently appeareth that Salomon speaketh of the knowledge which a naturall man hath by the outwarde gifts of god wherof because they be indifferently geuen aswell to y e good as to the bad he is not able to iudge whō God loueth whō he hateth Now wher as the Papists wrest this text vnto y e knowledge or iudgement of the conscience which commeth of the spirite of God and of his holy word and would that Christen men in theyr cōscience shuld dout whether God loue thē or not whether they be in the fauour of God or not whether their sinnes be forgeuen thē or not whether they shalbe saued or notthei teache a deuelishe errour and leade y e receiuers of their doctrin the right way to hell fire For he y t douteth of the mercifull good wil fauorable grace of God toward him beleueth not that God for christes sake is louing vnto him forgeueth him al his syns verely he is no true christian but dying in this his doubtfulnes and vnbelief he shall surely be dampned acording to this saying he that doth not beleue on the sonne shall not se life but the wrath of God a bideth on hym This erroneous doctrine of the Papistes maketh God false of his promyse quencheth fayth blotteth out hope destroieth loue disquieteth the conscience filleth y e hart with whole seas of vnreastfull and wycked imaginations and so driueth the doubtful parson vnto desperation and finally vnto dampnation O murtherers O soule s●ears If no man can be certaine in his conscience whether he be in the fauour of god or no whether god for christes sake wil forgeue him his sins or not and geue him euerlasting lyfe to what poynt serue all the promises of Gods tender mercies made to all faithfull penitent sinners in Christes bloud vnto what end doth faith serue If faith certifieth not our conscience of Gods good wyl toward vs and so bringeth peace and quietnes vnto it what is then the office of fayth If a man whose credit is approued promiseth vs any thinge we surely loke for it nothing doubte of the performance therof shall we doubt of the accomplishment of the promises of God whiche is faithful in all his wordes whiche can not lie which is not only true but also the self truth Let al men be liers and let God abide true God hath promised that at whatsoeuer hour we tourne vnto him he will forgeue vs al our sinnes neuer remember them more but so frely fauour vs and so tenderly loue vs as though we had neuer offended him This is the promise of him which can nether deceiue nor be deceiued and shal we doubt of the performance therof Shall we doubt whether y e Lord oure God wyll be as good as his word whether our sinnes be forgeuen and we receiued againe into fauor or not God hath promised that in Christ all nations of y e earth shalbe blessed And shal we which loke for our whole saluation in the bloud of Christe doubt whether we shall bee blessed in Christ y t is to say fauoured of god the father for Christs sake or not Christ our Lord sauiour calleth all that labour and be loden vnto him and promiseth y t he will ease remedy comfort and helpe them And shal we doubt of this his promise What other thynge is it to doubt of the promises of god ▪ then to doubt whether God be true or no iust faithfull or no y e same in his dede that he is in his word or no O the to much vnfaithfulnes of the wicked Papistes The scripture saith he that beleueth on the sōne of god hath euerlasting life The faithful christians beleue on Christ the sonne of God embrase him with strong faith as their alone sauiour redemer atonement maker intercessour mediatour aduocate and shal they doubt of y e ●nheritaunce of euerlasting lyfe Ether they that do beleue so cōtinue vnto thēd haue euerlasting life at their departure out of this life or els God is not true of his promise But God is faithful in al his wordes therfore doo the faithful christians receiue according to gods promises their faith If all thinges be possible to him y ● beleueth if al things chance to a faithfull man according to his faith w t what whorish shameles forheds dare the proud and vngodly Papistes teache vs to doubt of the grace and fauoure of God of the ●emission of sinnes and of the enheritaunce of euerlasting lyfe Where doutfulnes is there is no ●rue faith but rather misbeliefe ● to such a doubting faith yea ra●her no faith nothinge is promised but the fearce wrath and vengeaunce of God and euerlasting● dampnation Se to what poyn● the wicked Papistes bryng they● whelpes with their deuelysh doc●trin Saint Iames saith If any man lack wisdom let him aske i● of him that geueth it euē God But let him aske in faith and wa●uer not For he that doubteth i● like a waue of y e sea which is to ● of the wyndes and caried wit● violence Nether let y e man think● that he shall receiue any thyng o● the Lorde A wauering minde● man is vnstable in all his wayes Are not they that professe Christ much boūd to the papistes whic● teach their scholers to doubt of th● mercy of God not to be through●ly perswaded in their conscience● that God loueth them pardonet● them for Christes sake maket● them enheritours of euerlasting glory Is this anye other thynge then to say despair die be dampned O deuils incarnat God lighten the eies of the simple that thei may once see the iugling castes of these wily wicked Papistes and come vnto the vnfained truthe of gods word whiche is able to saue their soules whiche also is the mighty power of God to saue euery one that beleueth The. Amen Phi. Al the godly euē from the beginning haue beleued the promises of God and nothing doubted of them whether they concerned temporall or spirituall things and according to their fayth so recey●ed they Yea when God seamed most to be angry with them vt●erly to cast them from his fauor ●uen then did they nothing doubt ●f his mercifull goodnesse but w t ●rong faith cleaueth to the promi●es of God as a certain mā saith Though he kil me yet will I put my truste in hym The Psalmograph also saith

outwarde man perish yet thinward man is renued day by day and that this our tribulation whiche is short light prepareth an exceding and an euerlasting waight of glorye vnto vs while we loke not on the thinges whiche are sene but on y e thinges whiche are not seene For the thinges whiche are seene are temporall but things whiche are not sene are eternall Chr. God kepe you in this mind euen vnto thend Eu. Amē Epa. Confirme make that perfect o lord which y ● hast begon to worke in me vnto the glory of thy blessed name and vnto the saluation of my soule The. Amē Epa. Neighbors I pray you tourne me that I may lye on my right side Chr. The Lord our God graunt that ye may syt in his kingdome on the right hande of his glory Ep. Yea that shortly Euse. So be it Phile. Sir howe do you nowe Epaphro Well God be thanked but I trust to doo better euen anone Phile. Lacke you any thing sir Epa. My paine approcheth nearer vnto my heart wherby I perceiue the end of my life not to be far of I beseche you pray for me that I may continue faithfull constaunt and stedfast in the faith of the Lorde my God euen vnto the very end of my life Phi. We wil do it gladly Neighbors let vs knele down and pray Lord we moste humbly besech thee heare our prayer Chri. And let our crye come vnto thee Ph. O lord Iesu Christ thou only sonne of the heauenly father our alone redemer and omnisufficiciēt sauiour we moste humbly beseche thee deliuer this sicke and weake parson now being in great pains and at the point to departe out of this worlde from all vgsome and terrible assaultes and temptations of the deuill synne and hell Deliuer him O Lord as thou deliueredst Noe frō the raging waues of the sea Lot from the destruction of Sodome Abraham from the feare of the Chaldees The children of Israell from the tiranny of Pharao Dauid from the hand of Goliah The thre men from the violence of the firy fornace in Babilon Daniel from the mouth of the Lions Ionas from the belly of the whalefishe Peter from the prison of Herod euen so O gratious Lord God deliuer the soul of this person both nowe and whensoeuer he shall departe hence from all pearill daunger Opē vnto him at y e hour of death the dore of Paradise the gates of heauen the entry of euerlasting life O Lord Iesu Christe forgeue him all his synnes and lead him with ioye into the kingdom of thy heauenly father euē vnto the bosom of Abrahā and appoynt him vnto euerlasting rest that he may reioyse with thee and with all the elect childrē of God in euerlasting life Eu. Amen Epa. Neighboures I thanke you Nowe will I also pray vnto the Lord my god while I may speake and I trust he wil for Christes sake gratiously heare me Th. Doubt you not neighbor God hath so promised Epa. Lorde harken vnto my prayer and geue ear to my most humble requestes O moste mercifull God O father of all mercies the father of oure Lorde and sauiour Iesus Christ be mercifull to me a sinner Haue pitie on me and quickely healpe me poore wretche for the moste bitter passion and moste precious death of Iesus Christ thy only begotten sonne and oure alone redemer and Sauioure Enter not into iudgemēt with thy seruaunt O Lord. Handle me not according to my desertes and merites neither rewarde me after mine iniquities but for thine infinite and vnmeasurable bountie and exceading gret merci receiue me and take me into thy fauour I miserable weake creature am in thy hand I am thy bonde seruaunt and thy depter O most gentle God o most fauorable father forsake me not cast me not away pore wretch that I am For I am thine withal that euer I cā make No man is able to strengthē me no man is able to deliuer me no man is able to help me but thou alone Thou art the true helper in aduersite Thou art y e most sure present comfort in all necessitie Thou alone art our helper oure bulwarke our fortres our most mighty strongly defenced tour Thou o god art our refuge Thou art our strengthe Thou art our helper in all our tribulations In the O Lord do I trust let me not be cōfoūded Let me neuer be put to shame let me not be deceiued of my hope but preserue me for thy rightousnes sake Bow doun thine ear vnto me make haste to deliuer me Be my defēder O god my strōg hold y t thou maist saue me For y u art my strength and my refuge Yea thou art my God and my destinies are in thy handes Lighten thy countenaunce vpon thy seruaunt and saue me for thy mercies sake O Lord. And foras●much O swete father as it is thy godly pleasure to call me now frō this miserable life and wretched worlde I most entirely besech the● so to defend me in this agony o● death that neither sathan nor his ministers preuaill against me but that I continue faithful and constant vnto thend in the confessiō of thy holy name loking for full remission of all my sinnes in the precious bloud of thy welbeloued sonne and my only sauiour Iesus Christ and that I departing in this faith and perfect trust maye be placed among thy blessed saintes and heauenly spirites and so for euer and euer remaine with y e in glory Graunt this O moste mercifull father for thy dear sons sake Iesus Christ our alone mediatour and aduocate Chr. Amē Epa. Me thinke good neighbours I begin to waxe very coulde and numme in my limmes Euse. Syr discomfort not your selfe Be content with the good workynge of God This cold is a present tokē that the death of your body is not far of Epa. My fleshe is consumed and wasted away Eu. That is y e end of all fleshe Earth thou art saith God and vnto earth shalt y u retourne Epa. My feling is gone and my tasting decaieth All my senses grow out of course Eu. To that end wer they geuen you that you shuld lose them againe With the body al bodely thinges decay Phi. Brother Epaphroditus let y e care of the body of bodely thīgs passe You doo beleue the resurrection of the body Epa. I beleue that my redemer liueth and that I shall ryse out of the earth in the latter day and that I shalbe clo●hed again with this skin and see God my sauiour in my flesh Yea I my sef shall beholde him not w t other eyes but with these same eies This hope is stedfastly set in my hart Ph. Beleue this earnestly and it shal not greue you to depart frō your body For wher as it is now mortal incorruptible sick weake vile lothsome it shal at y e generall resurrection be immortal vncorruptible

and an euerlastinge agremente betwene God and you It deliuereth you from death and bringeth you vnto eternall glory It maketh you a Citezin of the newe heauenlye Hierusalē where if you continue stedfast in this faith you shall remaine for euer and euer in a most blessed and ioyfull state hauinge the fruition of Gods glorious maiestie in perfecte glorie worldes without end vnto your exceading ioy and vnspeakeable comfort Euse. Sir Behold the life of this our brother beginneth to drawe vnto an end Phi. Yea rather he now begīneth to chaūge a mortal life for an immortal life The life that is led in this world is rather a shadow of a life then a very life indede Now brother be strong in the faithe of Christe Remember Christ crucified Remēber Christe to be your alone sauiour Remember God y e father to bee your merciful father Forget not y t all your sinnes are washed away in Christes precious blud that by y e vertue of his death passion you are made heire of euerlasting saluation Brother if you can speake aunswere If you can not speake shew some outward signe token that it may be a testimonye vnto vs of your faith godly departur Chr. Lo he holdeth vp his hand Eu. God be thāked Phi. He semeth yet to heare Perswade your selfe moste dere brother y t God euen now calleth you out of this vale of wretchednes vnto the ioyful enheritance of his euerlasting kingdom wher you shall not liue miserably w t sinfull men as you haue done in this world but you shall gloriously reigne with that moste mighty God with his holy aungels and blessed saincts Now begins your ioy your solace your cōfort Now begīneth your true life which shalbe euerlasting Now is the end of al your sorowes come now beginneth your vnfained ioy and true felicitie Now shal ye se y e glorious maiestie of God face to face Now shall you behold perfectly know al y e godly y t haue ben from the beginning of the world and be mery and reioyse with thē Now shall you se your sauior and elder brother Christ as he is Now shall you bee clothed w t the white garments of immortalitie Nowe shal you haue a crown of gold set vpon your head Now shall ye eat of the tree of life whiche is in the mids of the Paradise of God and drinke of the fountains of liuing water Now shall you be a pillare in the temple of your God and sit with him on his seat And these your ioyes shall be euerlasting neuer haue end Unto these ioyes shal you straight waies go for euermore enioy them Th. Our brother is euē now departed frō this world vnto the Lord our God as you spake these words vnto these ioyes shal you straightways go for euermore enioy them he gaue vp the ghost and now reasteth in the Lord. Phi. The Lord our God be praysed Our brother hath made a godly end He hath geuen vp a good spirit into the hands of the liuing God He is I doubt not of the nomber of them of whose death it is written Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his sainctes Blessed are they that die in the Lorde His life before men was vnrebukeable and blameles He liued iustly and vprightly with his neyghbours He was frendly to al godly men and ennemy to no man He was both a sincere fauourer and a diligent folower of Gods most holy word He abhorred all sectes Papistes Anabaptistes Libertins c. Not withstanding alway praying for their amēdment that they knowledging theyr errors might with vs confesse one God one truthe in the vnity of the spirit He was a deare frende to suche as were studious of good letters to widdowes to fatherles children to pore yonge maides mariages to yong mē that had not wherwith to set vp theyr occupations to the prisonners to those poore people which wer not hable to get theyr liuing to pore housholders to the reparing of hie wayes such like What a will he made ye knowe His end also ye know Chr. A christen and godly end made he God geue vs al grace to make the like Phile. Of a good life commeth a good death if the departure of the godly may be called a death not rather a passage vnto a better life Wel his body now slepeth in the Lorde and his soule raigneth in glory with God Euse. God graūt him vs al a ioyfull resurrection The. Amen Phi. Neighbours before we departe let vs all kneele down geue God the father thākes for y e godly departure of this our christen brother Chri. It is conuenient so to do Phi. Geue me hither the Flower of Godly prayers I will rehearse the thankes geuing vnto God for y e departure of the faithfull out of this worlde Eu. Lo here is the boke Phil. The name of the Lord our God be glorified Chr. Both nowe and euer Amen Phi. O how can we moste louing father rendre vnto the sufficient thanckes for thyne inestimable goodnes toward thy faithful seruants whome thou calling out of this wretched worlde vouchestsafe to place in thy heauenlye kingdom among the glorious cōpany of thy holy angels and blessed saincts O full precious is the death of thy faithfull in thy sight Blessed are y e dead that die in thee O Lord For they are at rest from their painfull trauails labours The soules of the righteous ar in thy hand O God and the pain of death shal not touche thē In the sight of the vnwise they appeare to die but they are in peace They shine as the sparckes that runne thorow y e redde bush They glister as the shining of heauē They are as y e starres worlde without end They are as the aungels of God They are clad w t white garmēts haue goldē crownes vpon their heds They do seruice day night before the glorious throne of thy deuine maiesty They neither hōger nor thirst anye more neyther doth the sun or any heat fal vpon them for the lambe which is in y e mids of y e throne gouerneth thē and ledeth them vnto the liuinge foūtains of waters They folowe the lābe whithersoeuer he goeth They haue such ioyes as eie hath not sene nor eare hath heard nether is there any heart hable to thincke them Infinite and vnspeakeable are the treasures O Lord whiche thou haste laide vp for them that depart in thy faith For these thy fatherly benefites toward the souls of the faithfull and for that it hathe pleased the to call this our Christen brother from this vale of misery vnto thy heauenly kingdome we geue vnto the moste harty thankes humbly beseching thee that thou wilt take like care for vs so gouerne vs with thy holy spirite bothe in sickenes and in healthe that we may liue a good and godly life in this