oft ben brought and driuen from place to place His confusion hath ben wrought by them of little grace But yet how Truth preuayled hath and worne the garland gréene This day doth teach that rule and path which thought not to be séene ¶ Thus God the Truth pÌ„serued hath and set him in thé seate For to appoint the perfect path which is both right and feate Walke therfore in Truth ye godly let yll men walke their way To God and Truth do ye now hy and take your ioyfull day Stand fast to Truth sticke to your hold feare not the cruell kyng He shall not hurt you be you bold in any maner thyng For God is yours and you are Gods in God dwell you now styll Although ye haue these greuous rods it is not for none yll For whom the Lorde doth loue be sure him doth he chastice why Because he wyll haue vs full pure his name to magnifie For tribulation is our parte yf Christ we wyll confesse Confesse him styll feare not the smart you shall haue lyfe enelesse Farewel brethren be of good chere in Truth haue you your stay For God is Truth your father dere which wyll kéepe you alway Feare not the crosse nor yet the payne that you a whyle doe suffer You shall haue heauen for your gayne which lyfe doth last for euer ¶ FINIS ¶ THE. 67. PSALME Dauid here in this Psalme doth teach the faithfull for to pray The Lorde to shew his countinaunce that they go not a stray And that his mightie power be knowne which is of noble fame That all the nations on the earth may prayse his holy name GOD be mercifull vnto vs thus doth king Dauid write In y e thrée score seueÌ„th psalme he doth the same resite And blesse thou vs saith he O Lorde for that we stand in néede The light of thy countinaunce show thy mercy geue with spéede That thy right way here on the earth vnto vs may be knowne And thy most high and sauyng helth vnto all natons showne Let the people prayse thée O God let all the people syng O let the nations on the earth acknowledge thée their kyng For thou the righteous wylt defend and gouerne euery where And make the wicked on a row of thée to stand in feare Let the people prayse thée G God now let them all thee prayse In this our most troublesome time and in these heauy dayes Then shal the earth her encrease bring and thou our God shalt geue Thy only good and great blessyng that we with thée may liue God shall vs blesse for euermore and vs defend from sin And all the endes of the whole world shall stand in awe of him Glorie be to the Father high and to the Son therfore And to the Holy ghost which spirit kepe vs for euermore ¶ FINIS ¶ THE. 100. PSALME Dauid in this Psalme doth exhort to prayse the Lorde alwayes For that he did vs make and port and guydes vs all our dayes OBe ye ioyfull in the Lorde serue ye him all ye landes With gladnes cum w t a song commit you to his handes The Lorde our God he did vs make of this we may be sure Not we our selues we are his folke and shepe of his pasture Now let vs go in to his gates with thanks to geue him prayse In to his court euen for to speake good of his name alwayes For why the Lorde is gracious his mercy is full sure His Truth doth euerlastyngly for euermore endure ¶ FINIS Christ speaketh to the people WHosoeuer is of the truth heareth my voyce My shepe do heare it and I do know them and they do folow me and I geue them euerlastyng life He that hath my precepts kepeth them he it is that loueth me If any man loueth me he wyl kepe my worde my father wyl loue him and we shal come to him and dwel with him Walke whyle ye haue lyght least darkenes ouer whelme you he that walketh in darkenes knoweth not whether he goeth Whyle ye haue light beleue in the light that ye may be chyldreÌ„ of light He that is of God heareth Gods word yf any man kepe my worde he shall neuer see death ¶ God to the Prophet or Preacher STand in the courte of the Lordes house and speake vnto al the cities of Juda which come to worship in the Lords house al the wordes that I haue coÌ„mauÌ„ded thee to speake kepe not a word backe Yf so be thei wil harken turne euery man from his euyl way that I may repent mee of the plague which I haue determyned to bryng vpon them because of the wickednesse of their workes and y u shalt say vnto them thus faith the Lord. c ¶ Moses or Preacher to the people YF thou shalt obey diligently the voyce of the Lorde thy God and obserue do all his commaundements which I commaund thee this day then the Lord thy God wil set thee on high aboue al the nations of the earth and al these blessynges shal come on thee and ouertake thee yf thou shalt obey the voyce of the Lord thy God Blessed shalt thou be in the citie and blessed in the feelde c. But yf thou wylt not obey the voyce of the Lorde thy God to kepe to do al his commaundementes and his ordinauÌ„ces which I commaund thee this day then al these curses shall come vpon thee and ouertake thee Cursed shalt thou be in the towne and in the feeld c. From the which curses the Lorde deliuer vs and grauÌ„t vs to be diligent hearers of his holy worde and faithfull folowers of the same for his deare sonnes sake Jesus Christ to whom with the Holy ghost three persons and one God be al honor glory for euer Amen ¶ FINIS ê™ John Pits 2. Tim. 1 Timothe is indued with an vnfeined faith Paule Ti mothe is of one spirite Paule is prsoner in Rome 2. Lim. 2 The faithful wyl sticke to one when the wicked wil forsake him Gala. 4. Math. 5 God reueleth to the faithfull the wickednes of the time before it come 2. Tim. 3 This is the state of our â—â—uâ—e we are therfore in a perillous time Exodê° 7 Rom. 15. 2 Tim. 3. The Lorde only doeth deliuer from trouble Aspecal comforc 2 Tim. 3. A watch word to the godly of all states geueÌ„ by S. Paule to Timothe A question Aunswer The godlynes of the papacy is not persecuted 2. Tim. 3. The faithful hated Math. 5 Math. 24 Christ was hated John 16 Wherfore the faithful is hated of the world Luke 12 The faithful shall be rewarded with a kyngdome Math. 5 Apoc. 2 They shalbe â—round with the crowne of euerlastyng lyfe God â—â— faithful Psal 12 Psal 69 Psal 16 Psal 30 Psal 66 John 14 3. Esdr â— Gene. â— Prou. 31. Psal 117 John 14 â— Joh. 4 Gene. 7. Gene. 9. Exod. 14. Judi 4. and. 9. 4. Re. 9. 4. Ke. 10 4. Ke. 25 Actes 12 Psalm 2 Exodê° 1 Math. 2 Mar. 6. Eath 14 Psal 67. John 18. John 10. John 14 John 12. John 8 Jere. 26. Deut. 28
must suffer persecutions Well saith our Sauiour Christ happy are ye when men reuile you persecute you for my names sake for you shal not lose your rewarde For this I tel you you shall be hated of all men for my names sake therfore yf the world hate you know ye that it hated me before you but for as much as ye are not of the world but y t I haue chosen you out of y e world therfore doth y e world hate you But be of good chere I haue ouercome the worlde and therfore feare not little flocke for it is your fathers wil to geue you a kingdom And feare not them that can kyl the body but feare him that can cast both body and soule into hel fyre be faithfull therfore vnto the death and I wyl geue thee y e crowne of lyfe Therfore my beloued sith that we haue such swete promises of God y e father in his son Christ Jesus let vs cleaue vnto him he wyll performe them he neuer fayled none that put their trust in him as y e prophet Dauid saith I haue called vpon y e Lorde and he hath heard me I haue trusted in the Lord and he hath holpen me he therfore often times crieth as in the. 12. psalme Help me O God in the 69. psalm Saue me O God in the. 16. psalme Preserue me O God in the. 30. psalme I haue called vpoÌ„ the Lord in my trouble and he hath heard me and deliuered me Therfore doe you now with the prophete Dauid in the. 66. psalme burste foorth and saye Thou O God haste and doest proue vs. Thou also hast and wylte trye vs euen as Siluer is tried Thou broughtest vs in to the snare and laidst trouble vpon our loynes Thou suffredst men to ryde ouer our heades we went go through fyre water but we know that y u wylt bryng vs in to a comfortable place Thus said Christ to his disciples that where I am there shal ye be also Therfore we besech thee most merciful father to ayd vs w t thy grace and assist vs w t thy holy spirite that we mai perfectly learn to know thee to be our creatour Jesus thy son to be our only sauiour and y â— Holy ghost to be our only sanctifier To these three as to one eternal God be all honour and glory now and for euermore Amen ¶ Your brother in Christ Ihon Pits ¶ To the afflicted Church in Scotland Fraunce Spayne or any other land BE of good chere my brethren all doe not now faint nor quayle But to the Lord doe ye now call lest that in truth ye fayle For Sathans yre passe not a pin though that he rule and rage His power it is to smal and thin the truth for to asswage ¶ Though Kyngs be strong and wyne likewise womeÌ„ thought to be Yet Truth in any maner wyse more stronger shall ye sée Kynges haue fayled and also wyne and women haue not stood Truth hath remaind from time to time as proofe we haue full good Truth was good kept styl his place when Woman had a fall Truth was styl Truth had his grace when Woman was in thrall What Truth hath said ê‘formd it was as in all states we sée Let Woman speake whats cum to pas let her tel tale for mée As touching wyne what shal I say his force I thinke not great Although the hart he mery make yet is he best with meat The empty body doeth not grée with wyne though it be good Salomon to the sory saith he geue wyne to chere their mood ¶ Geue good wyne Salomon doth say then is there that doth fayle In Truth there is no maner way that can make it to quayle For Truth shal stand both firme fast and kéepth his tast full swete When wyne and women shal be past and kynges layd vnder fete ¶ With Truth is no comparison no match with him may be For God and Truth they be both one vncompared to be Who dwelth iÌ„ truth doth dwel in God and God in him lykewyse So dwel in Truth then haue God to make thée perfect wyse For who against the truth doth kicke against God kicketh to Then is he lyke to fall on pricke which wyll make him crie wo. When Truth did speake in Noes daies wyllyng them to repent Lest that they perisht in their waiÌ„es they wold not but felt dent ¶ Truth to the Zodomites preached by Lot this is certayne Their licensiousnes he counsayled that they should not maintayne The Zodomits wold not Truth heare but kept their whole desyre Therfore they paid for that ful deare for burnt they were with fyre ¶ What got kyng Pharao for hê paine when truth he did pursue He and his host were dround certayne as Exodus doth shewe Sisara and Abimelech to of women were both slayne The booke of Judges declareth so which is both true and playne ¶ Hieroboam because he wrought against the well knowne Truth Baasa to death his stocke hath brought and thereon had no ruth What became of quéene Jezabell the Truthes great enemie Dogs did eat her in Jezraell Truth sayd it should so be ¶ Ahabs house by Iehu was slayne for that he did conspyre Gods prophets for to put to payne and geue them death for hyre So read we of Zedechias which troubled Jeremie That both his eyes destroyed was and he felt miserie ¶ What is sayd of Herode the kyng that sought the Truth to kyll Who was ful of most deadly styng to wurke his cruell wyll His kyngly power could not pÌ„uayle nor helpe him in his néede WheÌ„ stinking wormes did him assaylâ— which on his corps did féede How strong kynges be when God doth stryke the scripture doth wel sho In other bookes we haue the lyke we néed not far to go Yf that the kyng wyl néeds reioyce let him reioyce in this That he hath God to heare his voyce to kéepe him from all mis. Therfore let kyngs now serue y e Lorde and not put Truth to flight But in the same for to accorde lest that they léese their might Let them that doe the Truth embrace embrace and kéepe it styll For kynges shal not the Truth deface though that it be their wyll What kings haue doen w t Satans ayd it is not now vnshowne What women haue thereto assayd it is not much vnknowne What wine iÌ„ baÌ„kets hath forth sought many the tale can tell How by y t way Truth hath ben bought as time can show full well ¶ What Jewes ther be y e Truth to by I néed not much to say And Judasses that traiterously séeke Truth him to betray Euen here at hand hard by the dore of both those sorts there bée Which persecute Truth euermore that he can not go frée ¶ Truth to exile hath
¶ A poore mannes beneuolence to the afflicted Church Actes 3. a * Golde and siluer haue I none such as I haue geue I vnto you ¶ Imprinted at London in little Britaine by Alexander Lacy. The. 29. of January 1566. ¶ Grace mercy and peace from God the Father and from our Lorde Jesus Christ be with all that are afflicted for the testimonie of Jesus Christ Amen WElbeloued in our sauiour Jesus Christ vnderstandyng of your great trouble and the greuons persecutiōs of our brethrē in Christ in Spaine and els where I could not but some what accordyng to my dutie and to the talēt which God hath geuē me write although it were but smal trustyng that it should be to the coumforte of those that for the truth be in anie place afflicted vsyng none other order nor collecting no other Scripture as a perticuler thyng to treat of but whollye to refer you accordyng to your godly vnderstandyng to the. 2. epistle of S. Paule to Timothe where he noteth fyrst vnto him with what he is indued that is with an vnfeigned faith in the self same faith which dwelt before in his grādmother Lois and in his mother Eunica And here S. Paule comforteth not only Timothe that his grandmother and mother was such but also cōforteth them if they were then alyue that they had such a sonne Here is also to be noted what coumfort parents and children may haue ech of other yf they be Godly but I leaue that to be cōsidered But to the matter sith that he knoweth where with he is indued he willeth him to be stedfast for God saith he hath not geuē vs the spirite of feare but of power and of loue and of a sound mynde Be not ashamed of the testimonie of our Lord neither of me his prysoner but be partaker of the affictions of y e gospell accordyng to the power of GOD. That worthy thyng which was cōmitted vnto thee kepe through the Holy ghost * They of Asia be turned from me of which sort are Phigelus and Hermogenes Thus Paule by a certaine maner dismaieth Timothe yet not w tstandynge he encorageth him againe and willeth him not only to be stedfast because he is endued w t the spirite and power of God but also to be pacient though all should depart from him and he put in prison yet though Phtgelus and and Hermogenes be gone from the preaching of the Gospel yet Onesiphorus wyll visite thee in prison wyl not be ashamed of thy chaynes Wherby Paule doth geue to vnderstande though the greatter nūber forsake thee yet y e faithful in Christ wyl not leaue thee And therfore saith Paule looke what thou hast heard of me by many witnesses y ◠put forth As who should say y u hast be ne a diligēt learner and thou hast nothing but y t which is approued by many witnesses go foreward ī it make no stay detract no time lookyng this way or y t way be not as a reed shakē with y e wynd but lyke a bould soldiour of Jesus Christ suffer aflictions Therfore I besech you you that haue learned in Gods scoole and haue your doctrine approoued by many witnesses stand stedfast in it be pacient Though your freendes kinred or cuntry men departe from it be you feruent continue you styll let your light so shyne before men that they may glorify your father which is in heauē Therfore saith Paule I suffer al thynges for the elects sake it is that they might also obtaine the saluation which is in Christ Jesus w t eternall glory For yf saith he with Christ we suffer we shal also raigne with him Yf we deny him he also wyl deny vs. Therfore saith he studie to shew thy self approued vnto GOD a workeman that needeth not to be ashamed For know that in the last daies shal come perillous times for men shall be louers of themselues couetous boasters proude cursed speakers disobedient to parents vnthankefull vnholye withoute naturall affections truce breakers false accusers intemperate fyerce despysers of them which are good traytours heady high mynded louers of pleasure more then the louers of God hauyng a show of godlines but haue denied y e power thereof Courne away therfore from such As Jannes and Jambres w tstood Moyses so do these also resist the truth men of corrupte myndes reprobate concernyng the faith but they shal preuayle no longer For their madnes shalbe euidēt vnto all men as theirs was To trauel in explicating of the matter I need not for y e words be so playne that it may passe without and therfore I leaue it to your good considerations puttyng you in remembraunce of that which is written by S. Paule to the Romaines That whatsoeuer is writtē is written for our learnyng for our coumfort But thou Timothe thou hast knowen my doctrine not in part but in whole Fully thou hast knowen it my maner of liuyng to my doctrine is not vnknowne vnto thee My mynd purpose and wyll thou knewest my faith thou vnderstodest my long suffryng loue and pacience is not hyd from thee and also my persecutiōs and afflictions which came vn to me at Antioch at Iconium and at Listra thou art not ignorant of which persecutions I suffred but from them al the Lorde deliuered me Therfore Timothe yf thou continue in this doctrine which thou haste begun kepe the manner of lyuyng to thy doctrine as y u hast had example of me beyng faith full beynge readye to beare all greefes showyng all loue and vsyng pacience then be sure y t the Lorde in persecutions wyl deliuer thee For this I tel thee of a truth that al that wil liue godly in Christ Jesus shal suffer persecutions And here S. Paule geueth Timothe a watch word and not to him alone but to al pastors and teachers Not to pastors teachers only but to al people in generall of what callyng soeuer they be of whether they be high or lowe rych or poore oulde or young Kyng or subiect yf he wyl liue godly in Christ Jesus saith S. Paule he then must suffer persecutions But here perchaūce you wyl aske me how it may be that Kynges should be persecuted for the testimonie of Jesus Christ and who it is that dare persecute them for the same But whether Kynges haue ben persecuted or no. I referre it to them to tell which are skylfull in y e Chronicles and who they were that did persecute them Paule doth not say here yf ye liue godly in y e godlynesse of the Augustines that you shall be persecuted or in y e godlynes of the Fraūciscanes that you shal haue any trouble take holde of you or yf you liue godly in the godlines of y e Benedicts or Dominickes and such like that any hurte shall come vnto you But yf you lyue godly in Christ Jesus saith Paule you