A Friendly Farewell

JOHN FOXE to the gentle Reader.

AMongest many other worthy & sundry Histories, and notable acts which we have in hand, and entēde (by the grace of Christ our Lord) shortly to set abroad, of such as of late days have ben persecuted, murdered, & martyred for the true Gospel of Christ, in Queen Mary's reign. Firste to begin with this litell treatis of Doct. Nicholas Ridley, late Byshoppe of London, this shall be to desire thee (gentle Reader) to accept it, and studiouslye to peruse it in the mean time, while the other Uolumes be addressing, which we ar about, touching the full History, process, and examinations, of all our blessed brethren, lately persecuted for rightuosnes sake. Which Histories whā they shall come to light, (I suppose) thou shalt see as horrible a slaughter of the Saints, joined with as much cruelty of some English hearts, as ever in any one realm before Christ, or after was seen. In the mean time because all thing cannot be done at once, & the Uolumes be long, accept well in worth this little, (but pithy) work of this forsaid Bishoppe, in expectation of greater things, which shall (perchance) more largely satisfy thy desire. Cōcerning the contents of this Book, the Argument doeth easily import. For the worthiness thereof, the name only of the Author is a sufficient commendation, though I bestow no praise thereof. Firste whan thou readist it by the name of a Fare well, thou mayest understand a faithful Declaration, as of one, being in that case, nothing dissembling his conscience in such matters and controversies of religion, wherefor he suffered.

Again, whan thou readist written by Doctor Ridley, Bishoppe of London, by that only name, thou mayest understand, of what excellency and learning, the work is to be thought procedynge from such a man whose profounde learning is vnknowē to few.

Thus doble ways are we bound to the Lord, who not only by the blood and death of his Saints, confirmeth the testimony of his truth, but also besides their death, leaveth such monuments behind them, which no less cōfound the adversary, as confirm the godly.

Briefly, as there is nothing in this Boke that greatly neadeth any man's commendation, being able enough of his own praise: so neither do I so mistrust thy virtuous towardness (good and Christian Reader) in godly study & reading that thou shouldst greatly nead my exhortation thereunto, or any Epistle before the work: save only that I would desire the aide of thy Christiā prayer, whereby the things may the more luckely come forward, which for thy sake at this present we do acheue, to the fortheryng of God his glory, the testimony of true religion, and establishing of thy conscience. Thus desyring the brotherly help of thy prayer I wish thee to fare well with well fare in the Lord. The grace of Christ confyrme us, and stablyshe us in all well doing, to the glory of his name.

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A FRENDLIE farewell.

AS a man minding to take a far journey and to depart from his familiar friends, commonly, and naturally hath a desire to bid his friends farewell before his departure. So likewise now I, looking when that I should be called for to depart hence frō you (O all ye my dear beloved brethren, and sisters in our Savior Christ,) that dwell here in this world, having now a like mind towards you all. And also blessed be God of this such time and leisure, whereof I right heartily thank his heavenly goodness, I bid you all my dear brethren and sisters in Christ, that dwell upon the earth, after such manner as I can. Farewell.

Farewell my dear Brother George Shypside, whom I have ever found faithful, trustye and loving in all state and conditions: And now in y ^e time of my cross, over all other to me most freēdly, and steadfast. And that which liked me best over all other things: in God's cause ever hearty.

Farewell my dear syster Alice, his wife: I am glad to hear of that that thou doest take Christ's cross, which is laid now (blessed be god) both on thy back, and mine in good part: Thanke thou God, that hath given thee a godly, and a loving husband: Se thou honor him, and obey him, according to God's law. Honor thy mother inlawe his mother, and love all that pertaineth unto him: being ready to do them good as it shall lie in thy power. As for thy children I doubt not of thy husband, but that he which hath given him a hert to love, and fear God, and in God, thē that pertain unto him, he shall also make him frendely and benefyciall unto thy children, even as if they had been gotten of his own body.

Farewell my well-beloved brother John Rydley of the Waltown and you my gentle and loving syster Elizabeth, whom besides the natural leauge of amity, your tender love which you were said ever to bear towards me, above the rest of your brethren doeth bind me to love: My mind was to have acknowledged this your loving affectiō, & to have aquitted it w ^t deeds, & not with words alone, your daughter Elizabeth I bid farewell, whō I love for the meek & gentle spirit that God hath givē her, which is a precious thing in the sight of God.

Farewell my beloved Sister of Unthancke, with all your children my Nephews and Nices, since y ^e departure of my Brother Hughe, my mind was to have been unto thē in the stead of their father. But the Lord God must & will be their father, if they will love him & fear him, and live in y ^e trade of his law.

Farewell my well-beloved worshipful Cozein Nicholas Ridley of Willymountswicke & your wife, And I thank you for all your kindness shown both to me: and also to all your own kinsfolk and mine. Good Cozein, as God hath set you in that our stock and kindred not for any respect of your person, but of his abundant grace and goodness to be as it were the Belwether to order and conduct the reast, and hath also endued you with his manifold gifts of grace both heavenly & worldly above others: So I pray you good Cosē, as my trust & hope is in you, continue & increse in maintenance of truth, honesty, righteousness & all true godliness: & to the uttermost of your power to withstand falshed, untruth, unrighteousness and all ungodliness, which is forbid and condemned by the word and laws of God.

Farewell my Cozē Raffe Whitfield, oh your time was very short w ^t me: mi mind was to have don you good, & yet you caught in that little time a loss. But I trust it shall be recompēced as it shall plese almighti god.

Farewell all my whole kindred & countrymen. Farewell in Christ altogether: the Lord which is y ^e searcher of secreates knoweth, that according to my harts desire, mi hope was of late y ^t I should have come among you, and to have brought w ^t me abundance of Christ's blessed Gospel: according to the duty of that office and ministry, where unto among you I was chosen, named and appointed by the mouthe of that our late piereles Prince and king Edward. And so also denounced openly in his court by his preuy counsel.

I warn you all my well-beloved kinsfolks and contreimen that ye be not amazed or astonied at the kind of my departure or dissolutiō. For I ensure you I think it the most honor that ever I was called unto in all my life. And therefore I thank my Lord God heartily for it, that it hath pleased him to call me of his great mercy unto this high honor, to suffer death willingly for his sake, and in his cause, unto the which honor he called the holy Prophets, and his dearly beloved Apostles, and his blessed chosen martyrs. For know ye that I doubt no more, but that the causes wherefore I am put to death are God's causes and of truth, then I doubt that the Gospel which John wrote is the Gospel of Christ, or that Paul's Epistles are the very word of God. And to have a heart willing to abide and stand in God's cause, and in Christ's quarrel even unto death, I ensure the (O man) it is an in estimable and a honorable gift of God given only to the true electes and dearly beloved childrē of God, and inheritoures of the kingdom of heaven. For the holy Apostle, and also martyr in Christ's cause. Saint Peter saith: If ye suffer rebuke in the name of Christ, that is in Christ's cause, and for his truths sake, then ye are happy and blessed, for the glory of the spirit of God resteth upon you. If for rebuke sake suffered in Christ's name, a mā is pronounced by the mouth of y ^e holy Apostle, blessed and happy, how much more happy and blessed is he that hath the grace to suffer death also. Wherefore all you that be my true lovers and friends, rejoice, and rejoice with me again. And render with me hearty thanks to God our heavenly father, that for his Sons sake, my Sauioure & redeamer Christ, he hath vouchsaved to call me, being else without his gracious goodness, in myself but a sinful and a vile wretch: to cal me I say, unto this high dignity of his true Prophets, and of his faithful Apostles: and of his holy elected and chosen Martyrs, that is to die and to spend this Temporal life in the defense and maintenance of his eternal and everlasting truth. Ye know that be my Countrye men, dwellinge upon the Borders, where (alas) the true man suffereth ofttimes much wrong at the thieves hand: if it chance a man to be slain of the thief (as it oft chanceth there) which went out with his neighboure to help him, to rescue his goods again, that the more cruelly he be slain: and the more stedfaste he stooke by his neighboure in fright against the face of the thief, the more favor and friendship shall all his posterity have for the slain man's sake of all them that be true: as longe as the memory of his fact, and his Posteritye doth endure.

Even so ye that be my Kinsfolke and Countrye men, know ye, howe so ever the blind, ignorant and wicked world hereafter shall rail upon my Deathe, which thing they cannot do worse then their fathers did of the death of Christ our savior of his holy Prophets, Apostles, and martyrs. Know ye (I say) that both before God, and all them that be godly, and that truly knoweth, and followeth the laws of God, ye have and shall have by God's grace ever cause to rejoice, and to thanck God highly, and to think good of it: and in god, to rejoice of me your flesh and blood, whom God of his gracious goodness hath voutchsafed to associate unto the blessed company of his holy martyrs in heavē: & I doubt not in the infinite goodness of my Lord God, nor in the faithful fellowship of his elect & chosen people: but at both their hands in my cause, ye shall rather find the more favor & grace. For the Lord saith that he will be both to them and theirs that loveth him, the more loving again in a thousand generacions. The Lord is so full of mercy to them I say: & theirs which do love him in deed. And Christ saithe again that no man can show more love then to give his life for his friend. Now also know ye all my true lovers in God, my kinsefolke and Countrymē, that the cause wherefor I am put to death, is even after the same sort and condition, but touching more nigh God's cause, and in more weighty matters: but in the general kind all one, for both is God's cause, both is in the maintenance of righte, both is for the common wealth, and both for the weal also of the Christian brother: although yet there is in these two no small difference, both concerning the enemies, the goods stolen, and the manner of the fight. For know ye all, as there: when the pore true mā is robbed by y ^e thief of his own goods truly gotten, whereupon he & his household should live, is greatli wronged, and the thief in stealing & robbing with violence the pore man's goods, doth offend God, doth trāsgresse his law, & is injurious both to the pore man and to the common wealth: so I say know ye all that evē here in the cause of my death, the Church of England, I mean the congregation of the true chosē children of God in this realm of England, which I knowledge not only to be my neighbors, but rather the congregation of my true spiritual brethren and sisters in Christ, yea members of one body, wherein by God's grace I am and have ben grafte in Christ. Thys Church of England had of late of the infinite goodness and aboundaunte grace of almighty God, great substance, great riches, of heavenly treasure: great plenty of God's true and sincere word, the true and wholesome administracion of Christ's holy Sacramenes, the hole profession of Christ's religion truly and plainlye set forth in Baptism, the plain declaration and understanding of the same taught in the holy Catechism to have ben learned of all true Christians. This church had also a true and sincere form and manner of the Lord's Supper, wherein according to Christ's own ordinance and holy institution: Christ's commandments were executed & done. For vpō the bread and wine set vpō the Lord's table, thankes wer givē, the commemoration of the Lord's death was had, the bread in the remembrance of Christ's body torn upon the cross, was broken, and the Cup in the remembrance of Christ's blood shed, was distributed, and both cōminicated unto all that were present and would receive them: and thereunto were also exhorted of the minister to do. All was done openly in the mother tongue, so that everything might be both easily hard and plainlye understand of all the people to God's high glory, and the edification of the hole Church. This Church had of late the hole divine Service, all common and public Prayers ordained to be said and hard in the common congregatiō: not only framed and fashioned to the true vain of holy scripture: but also all things so set forth according to the commandment of the Lord and Sainte Paul's doctrine for y ^e people's edificatiō also in their vulgare tongue, it had also holy and wholesome Homilies in commendation of the principal virtues, which are commended in scripture, and likewise other Homilies against the moste pernicious and capital vices that useth (alas) to reign in this Realm of England. This Church had in matters of controversy, articles so penned and framed after the holy Scripture, and grounded upon the true understanding of God's word, that in short time if they had been vniuersallye received they should have been able to have set in Christ's church, much concord and unity in Christ's true Religion, and to have expelled many false errors & heresies, wherewith this church (alas) was almost nigh ouergone. But, alas, of late into this spiritual possession of this heavenly treasoure of these godly riches, are entered in thieves, that have robbed and spoiled all this heavenly treasoure away. I may well complain on them and cry out upon these Theues with the Prophet, saying Deus venerunt gentes in hereditatem tuam. &c. Psal. 79.

O Lord God the gentiles, heathen nations are come into thy heritage, they have defiled thy holy Temple, and made Jerusalem an heap of stones, that is, they have broken and beat down to the ground thy holy City: This Ethenishe generation, these Theues of Samaria, these Sabei and Caldei, these robbers have rushed out of their dens, and hath robbed the Church of England of all the foresaid holy Treasoure of God, they have carried away and overthrown it, and in stead of God's holy word, the true and right administracion of Christ's holy Sacraments, as of baptism, and others, they mixte their ministry with men's foolish fantasies, and many wicked and ungodly traditions withal.

In the stead of the Lord's holy table, they give the people with much solemn disgisinge a thing they call it their mass, but in dead and in truth it is a very maskinge and a mockery of the true Supper of the Lord or rather I may call it a crafty Iuglinge, whereby these false thieves & Jugglers hath bewitched y ^e minds of the simple people y ^t thei have brought thē frō the true worship of god unto pernicious Idolatry, & make them to believe y ^t to be Christ our Lord & savior, which in deed, is neither God nor man, nor hath any life in it self, but in substance is the creature of bread and wine, and in use of the Lord's table is the Sacrament of Christ's body and blood. And for this holy use which the Lord hath ordained them in his Table, to represent unto us his blessed body torn upon the cross for us, & his blood there shed, it pleased him to cal thē his body and blood, which understanding, Christ declareth to be his true meaning, when he saithe: do this in the remembrance of me. And again Saint Paul doth set out the same more plainly, speking of the same Sacrament after the words of the consecration, & saying. As often as ye shall eat of this bread and drink of this Cup: ye shall set forth (he meaneth with the same) the Lord's death until his coming again: And here also these thieves have robbed again the people of the Lord's Cup, contrary to the plain words of Christ, writ̄ in his Gospel. Now for the commē public prayers which were in the vulgare tongue: these thieves have brought again a strange tongue, whereof the people understand not one word: wherein what do they else but rob the people of their divine service, wherein they ought to pray together with the Priest. And to pray in a strange tongue, what is it but as sainte Paul calleth it barbarousnes, childishness, unprofitable folly: yea and plain madness. For the godly articles of unity in Religion, and for the wholesome Homilies, what do these thieves place in the stead of them, but the Popes laws & decrees, lying Legandes: and feigned fables and miracles to delude and abuse the simplicitye of the rude people. Thus this robberye and theft is not only committed (nay sacrilege and wicked spoil of heavenly things) but also in y ^e stead of the same is brought in and placed the abhominable desolacion of the tirant Antiochus, of proud Sennacherib, of the shameless faced king, and of the Babilonical beast. Unto this robbery, this theft and sacrilege because I cannot consent nor God willing, never shall, so long as the breth is in my body, because it is blasphemy against God, high treason unto Christ our heavenly King, Lord, Master, and our only savior and redeamer: it is plain contrary to God's word, & to Christ's Gospel, it is the subversion of all true godliness, and against the everlasting salvation of mine own soul, and all my brethren & sisters whom Christ my savior hath so dearly bought with no less price then with the effusiō and shedding forth of his most precious blood. Therefore all ye my true lovers in God, my Kinsfolk and countrymē, for this cause know ye that I am put to death, which by God's grace I shall willingly take with hearty thankes to God therefore: in certain hope w ^t out any doubting to receive at God's hand again of his free mercy and grace, everlasting life.

Althoughe the cause of the true man slain of the thief, healpinge his neyghboure to recover his goods again, and the cause wherefor I am to be put to death in a generality, is both one, as I said before, yet know ye that there is no small difference. These thieves as against whom I stand, are much worse then the robbers and thieves of the borders.

The goods which they steal are much more precious, & their kind of fright are far diverse. These thieves are worse I say: for they are more cruel, more wicked, more false, deceitful & more crafty. For those will kill but the body. These will not stick to kill both body and soul. Those for the general theft & robbery be called (& are in deed) thieves and robbers. But these for their spiritual kind of robbery are called Sacrilegi, as ye would say, Church robbers. They are more wicked. For those goeth about but to spoil men of worldly things, worldly riches, gold and silver, and worldly substance. These go about in the ways of the devil (there gostly father) to stele from the universal church, and particularly from every man, all heavenly treasure, true Faith, true Charity, and hope of salvation in the blood of our savior Jesus Christ: yea to spoil us of our Savior Christ, of his Gospel, of his heavenly spirit: and of the heavenly heritage of the kingdom of heaven, so dearly purchased unto us with the death of our Master and savior Christ. These be the goods and godly substance whereupon the Christian before God must live. And without the which he cā not live. These goods, these thieves, these church robbers, go about to spoil us of. The which goods as to the man of God they excel, and far passeth all worldly treasure: so to withstand even unto the death such thieves as go about to spoil both us and the hole Church of such goods, is most high and honorable service done unto God.

These Church robbers be also much more false, crafty, and deceitful then the thieves upon the borders. For these have not the craft so to commend their theft, that they dare avouch it. And therefore as acknowledging thē selves to be evil, they steal commenlye upon the night, they dare not appere at judgments and sessions, where justice is executed. And whē they are taken and brought thither: they never hange no man, but they be often times hanged for their faults.

But these Church robbers can so cloke and color their spiritual robbery, that they can make the people to believe falshed to be truth, and truth falshed, good to be evil, and evil good, light to be darkness, and darkness light, Superstition to be true Religion, and Idolatry to be the true worship of God: and that which is in substance the creature of bread and wine, to be none other substance but only the substance of Christ the living Lord both God and man. And this there falshed and craft they can so Iuggle and bewitche the understanding of the simple, that they dare avouch it openly in Courte and in town, and feareth neither hanginge nor heddinge as the poor Theues of the borders do. But stout and strong like Nembrothe, dare condemn to be burned in flaming fire quick & alive, who so ever will go about to bewray their falshed.

The kind of fright against these Church robbers, is also of another sort and kind: then is that which is against the thieves of the borders.

For there the true men go forth against thē with spear and launce, with bow and byll, and all such kind of bodily weapons, as the true men hath.

But here as the enemies be of another nature: so the watchmen of Christ's flock, the warriors that fight in the Lord's war, must be armed, and fight with another kind of weapons and Armor, For here the enemies of God, the soldiers of Antichrist although the battle is set forth against the Church by mortal men, being flesh and blood, and nevertheless members of their father the devil: yet for that their graunde master is the power of darkness, their menbers are spiritual wickedness, wicked spirits, spirits of errors, of heresies, of all deceate, and ungodliness, spirits of idolatry, superstitiō, & Hipocresie, which ar called of S. Paul Principates & powers, Lord's of the world and spiritual subtleties conserninge heavenly things. And therefore our weapons must be fit and meet to fight against such, not carnal nor Lordly weapons as spere or saūce, but spiritual and heavenly: we must fight against such with the armor of God, not intending to kill their bodies, but their errors, their false craft and heresies, their Idolatry, Superstition and Hipocrisye, and to save as much as lieth in us both their bodies and souls. And therefore as S. Paul teacheth us, we fight not against flesh and blood, that is, we fight not with bodelye weapon to kill the man, but with the weapons of God, to put to flight his wicked errors and vice, and to save both body and soul.

Oure weapons therefore are faith hope and Charity, righteousness, truth, patience, prayer unto God: and our sword wherewith me smite our enemies, we beat and batter, & bear down all falshed, is the word of God. With these weapons under the banner of the Cross of Christ we do fright: ever having an eye upon our grand Master, Duke, and capitaine Christ. And then we reckon our selves to triumph and to win the crown of everlasting bliss: when enduringe in this battle without any shrinking or yielding to the enemies after the example of our graunde Capitaine Christ our Master, after the example of his holy Prophets, apostles and martyrs, when (I say) we are slain in our mortal bodies of our enemies, & are most cruelly & without all mercy murdered down like a mainy of sheep. And the more cruel, the more painful the more vile and spiteful is the kind of the death, whereunto we be put y ^e more glorious in God, the more blessed and happy we reckon without all doubts our martyrdom to be.

And thus much dere lovers and friends in God, my countrymen & kinsfolk I have spokē for your comfort: least of mi death (of whose life you looked peradventure sometimes to have had honesty, pleasures, and some commodities) ye might be abashed or think ani evil, but rather to rejoice if ye love me in deed, for y ^t it hath plesed God to cal me to a greter honor & dignity, thē ever I did enjoy before either in Rochester or in the sea of London, or ever should have had in the Sea of Durham, whereunto I was last of all elected and named: yea I compte it greater honor before God in deed to die in his cause (whereof I nothing doubt) then is any earthly or temporal promocion or honor that cā be given to a man in this world. And who is he that knoweth the cause to be God's, to be Christ's quarrel, and of his Gospel, to be the common weal of all the elect and chosen children of God, of all the inheritors of the kingdom of heaven: who is he (I say) y ^t knoweth this assuredly by God's word, and the testimony of his own conscience, as through thinfinite goodness of God, not of myself, but by his grace, acknowledge myself to do, who is I say that knoweth this and both loveth and feareth God, in deed and in truth, loveth & believeth in his master Christ and his blessed Gospel, loveth his brotherhode the chosen children of God, & also lusteth and longeth for everlasting life, who is he (I say again) y ^t would not or cannot find in his heart in this cause to be content to die. God forbid that any such should be that should forsake this grace of God. I trust in my Lord God, the God of mercies, & the father of all comfort, through Jesus Christ our Lord that he which hath put this mind, will, and affection by his spirit in my heart, to stand against the face of the enemy in his cause, and to chose rather the loss of my worldly substance, yea and of my life to, then to deny his known truth, that he will comfort me, aid me, and strength̄ me evermore even unto the end: and to the yielding up of my spirit, and soul: into his holy hands, whereof I most heartily beseech his holy sacred Majesty of his infinite goodness & mercy, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Now that I have taken my leave of my Countrymen and kinsfolk: and the Lord doth lend me life and giveth me laysour, I will bid my other good friends in God of other places, also farewell. And whom first or before other then the university of Cambrige, where as I have dwelte, longer, found more faithful and hearty friends, received more benefits (the benefits of my natural parents only excepted) then ever I did even in my own native country wherein I was borne.

Farewell therefore Cambridge, my loving mother & nurse. If I should not acknowledge thy manifold benefits, yea if I should not for thy benefits at the least love the again truly I were to be cōpted vngrate & unkind: what benefits haddest thou ever, that thou usest to give & bestow upon thy best beloved children that thou thoughtest to good for me? thou diddest bestow on me all thy scole degrees. Of thy common offices the chaplainship of the university, the Office of the proctorship, and of a common reader. And of thy private commodities & emolumēts in colleges, what was it thou madest me not partner of? First scholar, then fellow, & after mi departure frō the, thou called me again to a mastership of a right worshipful college: I thanck the my loving kindness for all this thy kindness. And I pray God y ^t his laws and the sincere Gospel of Christ may ever be truly taught & faithfully learned in thee.

Farewell Pembroke hal, of late mine own College, my Cure and my charge? what case thou art in now GOD knoweth. I know not well. Thou wast ever named sithens I knew the which is now a .xxx. years ago to be studious, well learned, & a great setter forth of Christ's Gospel, and of God's true word: so I found the, and blessed be God so I left the in deed. Woe is me for the mine own dear College: if ever thou suffer thi self by any means to be brought from that trade. In thy Orchard y ^e walls buts and trees if they could speak, would bear me witness, I learned without boke almost all Paul's Epistles, yea and I wene all the Canonical Epistles (save only the Apocalypse) of which study although in time a great part did depart from me: yet the sweet smell thereof I trust I shall carrye with me into heaven. For the profit there of I think I have felt in all my life time ever after. And I wene of late whether they abide there now or no (I cannot tell) there was, that did the like. The Lord graūte that this zeal & love toward that parte of God's word, which is a key & a commentary to all holy scripture may ever abide in that college so long as the world shall endure.

From Cambridge I was called into Kent by the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer y ^t most reverend father and man of God. And of him by and by sent to be Uicar of Herne in East Kent. Wherefore farewell Herne the worshipful and wealthy parish, the first cure whereunto I was called to minister God's word. Thou hast hard of my mouth ofttimes the word of God preached, not after the popiste trade, but after Christ's Gospel. Oh that the fruit had answered to the seed. And yet I must knowledge me to be thy debtoure for the Doctrine of the Lord's Supper, which thē at that time I acknowledge God had not revealed unto me. But I bless God in all y ^e godly virtue and zeal of God's word, which the Lord by preaching of his word did kindle manifestly both in the heart, life and works of that godly woman, there my Lady Phynes. God grant y ^t his word toke like effect there in many other mo.

Farewell thou Cathedral church of Canterburye the Metropolitike sea, where of once I was a member. To speak things pleasant unto thee I dare not, for danger of conscience, and displeasure of my Lord God. And to say what lieth in my heart were now to much and I fear were able to do thee now but a little good.

Nevertheless for the friendship I have found in some there: and for charity sake I wish the to be washed clean of all worldliness and ungodliness, that thou maiste be found of God after thy name in truth, Christ's Church in deed.

Farewell Rochester, sometime my Cathedral sea. In whom to say the truth I did find much gētlenesse and obedience, which I trust thou wilt not say the contrary, but I did use it to God's glory, and thine own profit in God. Oh that thou haddest and might have continued and gone forewarde in the trade of God's law, wherein I did leave thee.

Then thy charge and burden should not have been so terrible and dangerous, as I suppose verily it is like to be (alas) on the latter day.

To Westminster other aduertisemente in God I have not now to say, then I have said before to y ^e Cathedral church of Canterbury. And so God give the of his grace that thou mayest learn in deed and in truth to please him after his own laws. And thus fare you well.

Oh London, London, to whom now may I speak in the, or whome shall I bid farewell: shall I speak to the Prebendaries of Poules, alas all that loved God's word, and were true setters forth thereof are now as I hear say some brēt and slain, some exiled and banished and some holden in hard prisō: and appointed daily to be put to moste cruel death for Christ's Gospel sake. As for the rest of thē I know they could never broke me well, nor I could never delight in them. Shall I speak to the Sea thereof wherein of late I was placed, almost and not fully by the space of iii. years. But what may I say to it, being as I hear say, I am deposed and expulsed by judgment as an unjust usurper of that rome. O judgment, judgment: can this be just judgment to condemn the chief minister of God's word, the pastor and bishop of the Dioces, & never bring him into judgment, that he might have hard what crimes were laid to his charge, nor never suffer him to have any place or time to answer for him self.

Thinckest thou that hereafter whē true justice shall have place, that this justice can ever be allowed either of God or of man? well as for the cause and hole matter of mi deposition, and the spoil of my goods which thou possessest yet, I refer it unto God, which is a just judge. And I beseke God if it be his pleasure, that that which is but my personal wrong be not laid to thi charge on the latter day. But this can I pray for thee. O thou now wicked and bloody sea, why dost thou now set up again many alters of Idolatry, which by y ^e word of God were justly taken away? why haste thou overthrown the Lord's Table? why dost thou daily delude the people, Maskinge in thy Masses in the stead of the Lord's holy Supper, which ought to be common as well (saithe Chrysostom, yea the Lord himself) to the people as to the Priest? why darest y ^u deny to the people of christ contrary to his expressed commandment in the gospel his holy cup? why bablest thou to the people the common prayer in a strange tōge, wherein. S. Paul commandeth in the Lord's name no man should speak before the congregaciō, except it should be by and by declared in their common tongue that all might be edefied. Nai hearken thou whorishe bande of Babilone, thou wicked limb of Antichrist, thou bloody Wolffe, why slaiest thou down and makest hauoke of the Prophets of god? why murtherest thou so cruelly Christ's pore selye sheep? which will not hear thy voice because thou art a stranger, and they will follow none other but their Pastoure Christ his voice?

Thinckest to escape, or that the LORDE will not require the blood of his Saints at thy hands. Thy GOD which is the work of thy hands, and whom thou sayest thou hast power to make. That thy Deafe and dum God will not in deed, nor cannot (although thou art not ashamed to call him thy Maker) make the to escape the reuenginge hand of the high and almighty God. But be thou assured, our living Lord, our savior and redeemer, which setteth on the righthād of his father in glory, he seeth all thy wicked ways and cruelty done to his dear members, and he will not forget his holy ones. And his hands, O thou whorish drabbe, shalt thou never escape. In stead of my farewell, to the now I say. Fie upon the. Fie upon the filthy drabbe and all thy false prophets.

Yet O thou London, I may not leave thee thus, although thy Episcopal sea, now being joined in league with the seat of Satan, thus hath now both handled me & the Saints of God, yet I do not doubt but in that great Citye there be many preuy mourners which daily mourneth for that mischief which never did nor shall consent to that wickedness, but do detest & abhor it as the ways of Satan. But these preuy mourners here I will pass by and bid them farewell with their fellows hereafter, whē the place and occasion shall more conveniently require. Among the worshipful of the City, and specially which were in office of the meralty, ye and in other Citezens also whom to name now it shall not be necessary. In the time of my ministry, which was from the latter part of sir Rowland Hilles year, unto sir George Barns yere, and a great part thereof, I do acknowledge that I found no small humanity and gentleness, as me thought. But to say the truth that I esteem before all other for true Christian kindness that is shown in God's cause, and done for his sake: wherefor O Dobbes, Dobbes, Alderman and Knighte: thou in thy yere diddest win my heart for evermore, for that honorable act, that moste blessed work of God, of the erection and setting up of Christ's holy Hospitalles and truly religious houses, which bithe & through the was begun. For thou like a man of God, when the matter was moved for the relief of Christ's pore selye members to be holpen from extreme misery, hunger and famine, thy heart was moved with Pity. And as Christ high honorable officer in that cause, thou calledst together thy Brethrē and Aldermen of the City, before whom thou brake the matter for the poor, thou pleadest their cause, yea, and not only in thy own Persone, thou diddest set forth Christ's cause, but to further the matter, thou broughtest me into the Counsel Chamber of the City before the Aldermenne alone, which thou haddest assembled there together to hear me speak, what I could say as an advocate by office and duty in the pore men's cause. The Lord wrought with thee, and gave thee the consent of thy brethren.

Whereby the matter was brought to the Commen Counsel, and so to the whole body of the Citye. by whom with an uniform consent, the matter was committed to be drawn, ordered, and devised by a certain noumber of the most wittye Citizeins, and Politike, endued also w ^t godliness, & with ready hearts to set forward such a noble act as could be chosen in all the hole City. And they like true and faithful Ministers, both to their City, and to their Master Christ, so ordered, devised, & brought forth the matter, that thousands of seely pore members of Christ, which else for extreme hunger and misery should have famished and pearished, shall be relieved and holpen up, and shall have cause to bliss the Aldermen, the common counsel and the hole body of the Citye, but specially thee o Dobbes, and those chosen men by whom this honorable work of God was begōne & wrought: and that so long through out all ages, as that godly work shall endure: which I pray almighty God may be ever unto the worlds end.

And thou o sir George Barns, the truth is to be confessed to God's glory, and to the good example of other, thou waste in thy year not only a furtherer and continuer of that, which before the, by thy predecessor Dobbes was well begun: but also diddest labor so to have profited the work, that it should baue been an absolute thing a perfect spectacle of true charity & godliness unto all Christendom.

Thine endeavor was to have set up an house of occupations, both that all kind of poverty, being able to work, should not have lacked whereupon profitablye they might have been occupied to their own relief, and to the profit and commodity of the common wealth of the City, and also to have retired thither, y ^e pore babes brought up in the Hospitals, when they had come to a certain age and strength.

And also all those which in the Hospitalles aforesaid have been cured of their diseases: and to have brought this to pass (not without diligence and labor both, of the and thy brethren) thou obtained at that godly king Edward that Christian and pierles Princes hand, his Princelye place of Bridewell, with what other things to the performaunce of the same, and under what condition it is not unknown: That this thine endeuoure hath not had like success, the fault is not in thee, but in the conditiō and state of the time, which the Lord of his infinite mercy vouchsafe to amend, whē it shall be his gracious will and pleasure.

Farewell now all ye Citezens that be of God, of what state and condition so ever ye be: undoubtedly in London ye have hard God's word truly preached. My hearts desire and daily prayer shall be for you, as for whom (for my time) I know to my Lord God I am cōptable: that ye never swerve, neither for loss of life or worldly goods, frō God's holy word, and yield unto Antichrist, whereupon must needs follow the great displeaser of God, and the loss of your bodies & souls into perpetual damnation for evermore.

Now that I have gone through the places where I have dwelt any space in the time of my pilgrimage here vpō earth. Remembering that for the space of Kinge Edward's reign, which was for the time of mine Office in the Seas of London and Rochester, I was a menber of the higher house of the parliamente. Therefore seeing my God hath given me laysoure, and the remembrance thereof. I will bid my Lord's of the temporality farewell: They shall have no just cause by God's grace to take it that I intend to say in ill part. As for spiritual prelacy, that now is, I have nothing to say to them: except I should repeat again a great parte of that I have said before now, all ready to the Sea of London.

But to you my Lord's of the tēporalty, understand ye this first. That when I wrote this, I looked daily, when I should be called to y ^e change of my life. And thought y ^t that this my writing should not come to your knowledge before the time of the dissolucion of my body and soul should be expired: and therefore know ye that I had before mine eyes only the fear of God, & Christian Charity toward you, which moved me to write: for of you hereafter I look not in this world, other for pleaser or displeaser, if my talk shall do you never so much pleasure or profit, you cā not promote me. Nor if I displese you, ye cannot hurt me, or harm me: For I shall be out of your reach. Now therefore if you fear God, and can be content to hear the talk of him that seeketh nothing at your hands, but to serve God, and to do you good: herkē what I say: I say unto you as. S. Paul saith to the Galatians, I wonder mi Lord's what hath bewitched you, that ye so suddenly are fallen frō Christ unto Antichrist: frō Christ's gospel unto men's traditions: from the Lord that boughte you, unto the Bishop now of Rome. I warn you of your pearill, be not deceived, except you will be found willingly consenters unto your own death. For if ye think thus, we are lay men, this is a matter of Religion, we follow as we are taught and led, if our teachers and governors teach us, and lead us amiss, the fault is in them, they shall bear the blame. My Lord's this is true, I grant you that both the false teacher, and the corrupt gouernoure, both shall be punished for the death of their subject, whom they have falsely taught and corruptlye led: And his blood shall be required at their hands. But yet nevertheless shall that subject die the death himself also, that is: he shall also be dampened for his own sin.

For if the blind lead the blind, Christ saithe not the leader only, but he saithe, both shall fall in the ditche. Shall the Sinagoge and the Senate of the Jews (trow ye) which forsook Christ and consented to his Deathe, therefore be excused, because Annas, Caiaphas, with the Scribes and Pharisees, and their clergy did teach them amiss? yea and also Pilate their gouernoure, and the Emperors Lieuetenaunte by his tirranny did without cause put him to death. Forsothe no my Lord's, no: but notwithstanding that corrupt doctrine or Pilate's washinge of his hands, neither of both shall excuse other, that sinagoge and seigniour, or Pilate. But at the Lord's hand for the effusion of that innocents blood on the latter day, all shall drink of the deadly whip. Ye are wittye and understand what I mean. Therefore I will pass over this, and return to tell you howe you are fallen from Christ to his adversary the Bishyp of Rome.

And least my Lord's I may peradventure think me thus barely to call the Bishop of Rome Christ's adversary, or to speak it in plain terms to cal him Antichrist, that it is don in mine anguish, and that I do but rage, and as a desperate man do not care, what I say, or upon whom I do rail. Therefore that your Lordships may perceive my mind, and understand that I speak the words of truth and of sobriety, as S. Paul said unto Festus. Be it known unto your Lordships all, that as concerning the bishop of Rome, I nether hate the person, nor the place. For I ensure your Lordships, y ^e living Lord beareth me witness before whom I speak, I do think many a good holy man, many martyrs and Saints of God, hath set and taught in that place, Christ's Gospel truly: which therefore justly may be called Apostolici, that is true Disciples of the Apostles. And also that Church and cōgregacion of Christians: Apostolic Church, yea and that certain hundredth years after y ^e same was first erected & built upon Christ, by the true Apostolical Doctrine, taught by the mouths of the Apostles them selves.

If ye will know how long that was, and how many hundredth of years: to be curious in poyntinge the precise number of years, I will not be to bold, but thus I say, so long and so many hundred of years, as that sea did truly teach and preach that gospel, that religion, exercised that power, & ordered everything by those laws and rules, which that sea received of the Apostles (and as Tertulyan saithe) and the apostles of Christ, and Christ of God: so long that Sea might well have been called Peter and Paul's chair and Sea, or rather Christ's Chair, and the Bishop thereof Apostolicus, or a true Disciple of the Apostles, and a minister of Christ. But since that time, that Sea hath degenerated frō that trade of truth and true Religion, which it received of the Apostles at the beginning, and hath preached a nother Gospel, hath set up another Religion, hath exercised another power, and hath taken upon it to order and rule the Church of Christ by other strange laws, Cannons and rules, then ever that Sea received of the Apostles of Christ, which things it doth at this day, and hath continued so doing alas, alas, of to, to long a time. From time I say that the state and condition of this Sea, hath thus been changed. In truth it ought of duty and of righte to have the names changed, both of the Sea, and of the sitter therein.

For understand my Lord's, it was neither for the Priuilege of that place or Persone thereof, that that Sea and Bishop thereof, wer called Apostolic: but for the true trade of Christ's Religion, which was taught and maintened in that Sea at the first, and of those godly men. And therefore as truly and justly as that Sea, then for that true trade of Religion and cōsanguinitie of Doctrine, with the Religion and Doctrine of Christ's Apostles was called Apostolic: So as truly & as justly for y ^e cōtrariety of religion and diversity of doctrine from Christ and his apostles, that Sea and the Bishop thereof at this day, both ought to be called, and are in deed Antichristian. The Sea is the seat of Satan, and the Bishoppe of the same that mainteyneth the Abhominations thereof, is Antichrist him self in deed. And for the same causes this sea at this day is the same which .s. John calleth in his reuelacion, Babylon, or the whore of Babylon, and spiritually Sodoma and Egiptus, the mother of fornications, and of the abominations upon the earth. And with this hore doth spiritually mell and lies with her, and committeth most stinking and abhominable adultrye before God. Al those Kings and Prynces, yea and all nations of thearth, which consenteth and doth use and practice her abominations.

That is of the innumerable multitude of thē to rehearse, some for example sake, her dispensacions, her Pardons, and Pilgremages, her invocation of Saints, her worshipping of Images, her false coūterfaicte religion, in her monkery and frerage, in her traditions, where by God's laws are defiled, as in her Massing, and false ministering of God's word, and the sacraments of Christ amiss, contrary clean to Christ's word and the Apostles doctrine, whereof in perticularitie I have touched something before in my talcke, had with the Sea of Londō, and in other treatises more at large, wherein if it shall please God to bring the same to light, shall appere I trust by gods grace plain lie to the man of God, and to him whose rule in judgment of religiō is God's word. That that religion that rule, and order, that doctrine and faith, which this whore of Babylon, and the beast whereupon she doth sit, maintaineth at this day withal violence of fire and sword, with spoil and banishment (according to Daniel's Prophecy) and finallye with all falshead, deceit, Ipocrisye, and all kind of ungodliness, are as clean contrary to gods word, as darkness is unto light, or light to darkness, white to black, or black to white, or as Belial unto Christ, or Christ unto Antichrist himself. I know my Lord's & for saw when I wrote this, that to so many of you, as should see this my writing, and not being before endued with the spirit of grace and & light of gods word, so many would at these my words Lordlike stāpe & sporn at, spit at it. But sober yourselves with patience and be still, & know ye y ^t in mi writing of this mi mind was none other but in God, (as the living God doth bear me witness) both to do you profit & pleasure. And otherwise as for youre displeasure by that time that this shall come to youre knowledge, I trust bi gods grace to be in y ^e hands & protection of thalmighty mi heavenly father, and the living Lord, which is (as S John saith) y ^e gretest of all. And thed thē I shall not need I trow, what any lord: no nor what any king or prince can do unto me.

My Lord's if in times paste ye have been contented to hear me sometimes in matters of Religion before the Prince in the pulpit, and in the Parliament house, and have not seemed to have despised what I have said: when as else then if ye had perceived just occasion: ye might have suspected in my talk, though it had been reasonable, ether desire of worldly gain, or fear of displeasure. How hath thē your Lordships more cause to hark̄ to my word, and to hear me patiently seeing now ye cannot justly think of me being in this case appointed to die, and looking daily whē I shall be called to come before the eternal judge, otherwise, but that I only study now to serve my Lord god: & to say that thing which I am persuaded assuredly by God's word, shall and doth please him, and profit all them to whom God shall give grace to hear & believe what I do say. And I do say even that I have said heretofore, both of the sea of Rome, and of the bishop thereof, I mean after this their present state at this day. Wherein if ye will not believe the ministers of God, & the true preachers of his word, truly I denounce unto you in Verbum domini, except ye do repent be time, it shall turn to your confusion: and to your smarte on the latter day. Forget not what I say my Lord's for God's sake forget not, but remember it upon your death bed. For I tell you moreover as I know I must be comptable of this my speking thus, to the eternal judge: (who will judge nothing amiss) so shall you be comptable of youre duty in hearing, and you shall be chardged, if ye will hearken to God's word, for not obeying to the truth. Alas my Lord's, how chaunseth this, that this matter is now a new again to be persuaded unto you: who would have thought of late but your Lordships had been persuaded in deed sufficiently, or else that ye could ever have agreed so uniformly with one consent to the abolishment of the vsurpacion of y ^e bishop of Rome. If y ^t matter were then but a matter of policy, wherein the Prince must be obeyed, howe is it now made a matter, wherein as your Clergy saith now (and so saith the Popes laws in deed) standeth the unity of the catholic Church, and a matter of necessity of our salvation? Hath the time being so short since the death of the .ii last kings, Henry the eight, & Edward his son, altered the nature of the matter? If it have not, but was of the same nature and danger then, as it is now, and be now, as it is said by the Popes laws, and the instructions set forth in English to the Curates of the diocese of York, in deed a matter of necessity to salvation. Howe then chaunsed that ye were all (O my Lord's) so light, and so little passed upon the Catholic faith, and the unity thereof (without the which no mā can be saved) as for your Princes pleasures, which were but mortal men to forsake the unity of youre Catholic faith, that is to forsake Christ and his holy Gospel. And furthermore if it were then, and now so necessary to salvation, howe chaunsed it also, that ye all the hole body of the Parliament agreing, with you, did not only abolish and expel the Bishop of Rome, but also did abjure him in your persons, and did decree in your acts great oaths to be takē of both the spiritualty and temporalty: whosoever should enter into aniwaity & chargeable office in the commē wealth. But on thotherside, if that law and decree, which maketh the supremacy of the Sea and Bishop of Rome over the universal church of Christ, a thing of necessiti required unto salvation, be an Antichristian law (as it is in deed.) And such instructions as is given to the diocese of York, be in deed a setting forth of the power of y ^t beast of Babylon, bi the craft and falshed of his false Prophets, as of a truth compared unto God's word, & truly judged by the same, it shall plainly appere y ^t they be: then my Lord's never think other, but the day shall come when ye shall be charged with this your undoing of that, that once ye had well done: & with this your perjury & breach of your oth, which oth was done in judgment, justice and truth agreeable to God's law. The hore of Babylon maywel for a time dally with you, and make you so drunk with the wine of her filthy stews and horedome, as with her dispensacions and promises of pardon, A pena & culpa, that for drōkennes and blindness ye may think yourselves safe. But be ye assured when the living Lord shall try the matter by the fire, and judge it according to his word: when all her abominations shall appear what they be. Thē ye my Lord's (I give your Lordships warning in time, repent if ye be happi, and love your own souls health, repent I say, or else without all dout) ye shall never escape the hands of the living Lord for the gilt of your Prince and the breach of your oth. And as ye have banketed & line with the whore in the fornication of her whorishe dispensacions, Pardons, Idolatry, & such like abhomioacions: so shall ye drink, with her (except ye repent be time) of the cup of the Lord's indignation & everlasting wrath, which is prepared for the beast, his false Prophets, and all their partakers. For he that is Partner with them in their whoredom and abominations, must also be partner with them of their plages. And on the latter day shall be thrown in with them, in the lake burninge with brimstone and unquenchable fire. Thus fare you well my Lord's all. I pray God give you understanding of his blessed will and pleasure, and make you to believe and embrace the truth.

To the Prisoners in Christ's Gospels cause, and to all them which for the same cause are exiled and banished out from their own country, chosynge rather to lose all worldly commodity then their master Christ.

FArewell my dear beloved brethren in Christ, both you my fellow prisoners, and you also that be exiled and banished out of youre Countries, because ye will rather forsake all worldly commoditye then the Gospel of Christ.

Farewell all ye together in Christ farewell: and be mearye. For you know that the trial of your faith, bringeth forth patience, and patience shall make us perfect, whole and sound on every side. And such after trial ye know shall receive y ^e crown af life: let us therefore be paciente unto the coming of the Lord. As the husbandman abideth patiently the former and latter rain. For the encrese of his crop: let us likewise, be patient and pluck up our harts for the coming of the Lord approacheth apase. Let us my dear brethren take example of patience in tribulation of the Prophets, which spake likewise God's word truly in his name. Let Job be to us an example of patience. And the ende which the Lord suffered which is full of mercy and pity, we know my brethren by gods word, y ^t our faith is much more precious then any corruptible gold: and yet y ^t is tried by the fire. Even so therefore our faith is tried likewise in tribulations, that it may be found (when the Lord shall appere) laudable, glorious and Honorable: For if we for Christ's cause do suffer that, that is grateful before God, for thereunto are we called. That is our state and our vocation, wherewith let us be content: Christ we know suffered for us afflictions: leuing us an example that we should follow his fotesteppes. For he committed no sin nor was there any guile found in his mouthe, when he was railed upon, and all to reviled he did not threaten, but committed y ^e punishment thereof to him that judgeth a right.

Let us ever have in fresh remembrance those wonderful comfortable sentences spoken by y ^e mouth of our savior Christ. Blessed are they which suffer persecution for righteousness sake, for theirs is y ^e kingdom of heavē. Blessed are you whē men revile you, persecute you, and speak all evil against you for my sake. Reioyse & be glad, for great is your reward in heavē. For so did they persecute the prophets, which were before you. Therefore bear this always in your mind, y ^t if any incōmodity doth chance unto us for righteousness sake, y ^t happy are we whatsoever the world doth think of us. Christ our master hath told us before hand y ^t the brother shall put y ^e brother to death, & the father the son, & the children should rise against their parents & kill thē. And y ^t Christ's true apostles should be hated of all mē for his names sake But he that shall abide patiētly unto the end he shall be saved. Let us thē endure in all troubles patiently after thexāple of our master Christ, & be contented therw ^t . For he suffered being our master & Lord, how doth it not then become us to suffer? For the disciple is not above his master nor the servant above his Lord. It may suffice the disciple to be as his master, and the servant to be as Lord. If they have called the master of the family, the master of the household Belzebub, howe much more shall they call so, them of his household? Fear them not thē saith our savior, for all preuities shall be made plain. Ther is now nothing secreate, but it shall be shown in light. Of Christ's words, let us neither be ashamed nor afraid to speak it. For so our master commandeth us, saying. That I tell preuely, speak openli abroad: and y ^t I tell you in your ear, preach it up on the house top. And be not afraid of yourself, of them which kill the body, for the soul they can not kill. But fear him which can caste booth Bodye and soul into hell fire. Know ye that the heavenly father, hath ever a gracious eye and respect toward you, & a fatherly providence for you, so y ^t without his knowledge and permission, nothing cā do you harm. Let us therefore cast all care upon him, and he shall provide y ^t which shall be best for us. For if of .ii. small sparrows which both are sold for a mite, one of them lighteth not on the ground without the father.

And all the heeres of our head are numbered, fear not then saith our Master Christ, for you are more worth then many small sparowes. And let us not stick to confess our master Christ for fear of danger whatsoever it shall be: remembering the promise that Christ maketh & saith: everyone that shall confess me before men, him shall I confess before my father which is in heavē But whosoever shall deny me, him shall I likewise deny before my father which is in heaven, Christ came not to give unto us hear a carnal amity, and a worldly peace or to knit his unto y ^e world in ease and peace: but rather to separate & devide them from the world: and to join them unto himself. In whose cause we must if we will be his, forsake father and mother, and stycke unto him, if we forsake him, or shrinck frō him for trouble or deaths sake, which he calleth his cross: he will none of us, we cannot be his, if for his cause we shall lose our temporal lives here, we shall find it again and enjoy it for evermore: but if in his cause we will not be contented to leave nor lose it here: then shall we lose it so, that we shall never find it again. But in everlasting death.

What though our troubles here be painful for the time, and the stinge of death bitter & unpleasant: yet we know they shall not last in cōparisō of eternity, no not the twinkling of an eye. And that they pacientlye takē in Christ's cause shall procure & get us, immeasurable hepes of heavenly glory, unto the which these temporal pains & troubles of death compared: are not to be esteemed, but to be rejoiced upon. Wonder not saith S. Peter, as though it were any strange matter that ye are tried by fire (he meaneth of tribulaciō) which thing saith he, is done to prove you. Nay but in y ^t ye are partners of Christ's afflictions rejoice, y ^t in his glorious reuelacion, ye may rejoice w ^t merry harts. If ye suffer rebukes in Christ's name, happy are for the glory of the spirit of God resteth upon you. Of thē God is reviled and dishonored: but of you he is glorified. Let no mā be ashamed in y ^t he suffereth as a Christian and in Christ's cause. For now is y ^e time y ^t judgment & gods correctiō must begin at y ^e house of God. And if it begin first at us, what shall be the end of those think ye, which believe not y ^t gospel? And if the righteous shall be hardly saved, the wicked and the sinner where shall he appear? wherfor they which are afflicted according to y ^e will of God, let thē lay down & commit their souls to him, by well doing as to a trusty & faithfulmaker: this as I said may not seme straūg to us. For we know y ^t all y ^e hole fraterniti of Christ's cōgregatiō in this world is served w ^t the like: & by the same is made perfect: for y ^e fervent love y ^t the appostles had unto their master christ for y ^e great commodities & increse of all godliness, which they by their faith to ensue of afflictions in Christ's cause, & thirdlye for the heaps of heavenly ioyse which the same do get unto the godly which shall endure in heavē for evermore. For these causes I sai, the apostles of their afflictions did joy, & rejoiced in that they wer had & accounted worthy to suffer contumelies & rebukes for Christ's name: & Paul as he glorified in the grace and favor of God, whereunto he was brought and stood in by faith: so he glorified in his afflictions for the heauenli & spiritual profits, which resteth upon them, yea, he was so much in love with that, y ^t the carnal mā loath the so much, y ^t is with Christ's cross, that he judged him self to know nothing else, but christ crucified, he will glory he saith in nothing else but in Christ's cross, yea & he blesseth all those (as thonli true Israelites and elect people of god) with peace and mercy, which walketh after y ^e rule & after none other.

O Lord what a wonderful spirit was that, that made Paul in setting forth of himself against the vanity of Satan his Pseudo postels, and in his claim there, that he in Christ's cause did excel & pass them all? what wonderful Spirit was that I say, that made him to reckon up all his troubles, his labors, his beatings, his whippings his scourginges, his shipwrackes, his dangers and pearils by water and by lande, his famine, hunger, nakedness, and cold: with many mo and the daily care of all the congregacions of Christ. Among whom every man's pain did pearse his heart, and every man's grief was grievous unto him.

O Lord is this Paul's primacy wherein he thought so much good of it, that he did excel other? Is not this Paul's saying unto Timothy his own scholars and doth it not pertain to whosoever will be Christ's true soldier? bere thou (saith he) the afflictions like a good souldioure of Jesus Christ. This is true if we die with him (he meneth Christ:) we shall live with him. If we suffer with him, we shall reign with him. If we deny him, he shall deny us: if we be faithless he remaineth faithful, he cannot deny himself. This Paul would have known to everybody. For there is none other wai to heavē, but Christ and his way. And all that will live godly in Christ, shall (saith Saint Paul) suffer persecution.

By this way went to heaven the Patriarckes, the Prophets, Christ our master, his Apostles, his Martyrs, and all the Godlye since the beginning. And as it hath been of old, that he which was borne after the flesh, persecuteth him which was borne after the spirit. So it was in Isaackes time, so said Saint Peter, it was in his time also. And whether it be so or no now, let the spiritual man, the man (I mean) that is endued with the spirit of God, let him be judge. Of the cross of the Patriarckes, if ye read the book of Genesis, ye shall perceive.

Of other Saint Paul in few words comprehendeth much matter, speaking in a generality of the wonderful afflictions, death, and torments, which the men of God in God's cause, and for the truth sake, willingly did suffer after much particular rehearsal of many, he saith.

Other were racked: and despised to be redeemed, that thei might obtain a better resurrection. Other again were tried with Mockinges and scourginges, and moreover with bonds and imprisonment, they wer stoned, hewn insunder, teinted, fell and were slain upon the edge of the sword, some wandered to and fro in shepes pilches, in gotes pilches, forsaken, oppressed, afflicted, such godly men as the world was unworthy of, wandering in wilderness, in mountains, in caves, and in dens. And all these were commended for their faith. And yet they abide for us the servants of God, & those their brethren, which are to be slain as they were for the word of God's sake, that none be shut out, but that we may all go together to mete our master Christ in their at his coming, & so to be in bliss with him in body and soul for evermore.

Therefore seeing we have so much occasion to suffer and to take afflictions for Christ's name sake patiently: so many commodities thereby so weighty causes, so many good examples, so great necessity, so sure promises of eternal life, and eternal joys of him that cannot lie. Let us throw away what so ever might let us, all burden of sin, & all kind of carnality. And patiently and constantlye let us run for the best game, in this race that is set before us, ever having our eyes upon Jesus Christ the ringleader, capitain, and profiter of our faith, which for to have the joy set before him, suffered the cross, not passing upon ignomie and shame thereof. & is set now at the righthande of the throne of God Count this y ^t he suffered such strife of sinners against himself, that ye should not give over nor faint in your minds. As yet brethren we have not withstand unto death, fighting against sin. Let us never forget (dear brethrē for Christ's sake) that fatherly exhortation of the wise that speaketh unto us, as unto his children, the godly wisdom of god, saying thus. My son despise not the correction of the Lord, nor fall not frō him, when thou art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord loveth, him doth he correct, & scourgeth every child whom he receiveth, what child is he whom the father doth not chasten? If ye be free from chastisement (whereof all are partners) then are ye bastards and no children. Seeing then when as we have had carnal parents, which Christened us, we reverenced them: shall not we be much more subject, unto our spiritual father? and shall live. And they for a little time taught us after their own mind: but this father teacheth us to our commoditye, to give unto us his holiness. All chastisement for the present time, appeareth not pleasant but painful. But afterward it rendereth the fruit of righteousness on them, which are exercised in it. Wherefore let us be of good chere (good brethren,) and let us pluck up our feeble members that were fallen or began to faint, heart, hand, knees, and all the reaste, and let us walcke up a righte and straighte, that no Lympinge nor Haulting bring us out of the way. Let us loke not upon the things that be present, but with the eyes of our faith, let us steadfastly behold the things that be everlasting in heaven.

And chose rather in respect of y ^e which is to come with the chosen members of Christ to bear Christ's Cross, then for his short life time to enjoy all the riches, honors and pleasers of the broad world.

Why should we Christians fear death? cā death deprive us of Christ which is all our comfort, our joy, & our life? Nay forsooth. But contrary death shall deliver us from this mortal body, which lodeth & beareth down the spirit, that it cannot so well perceive heavenly things in the which so longe as we dwell, we are absent from God.

Wherefore understanding our state in that we be Christians, that if our mortal body, which is our earthly house, were destroyed, we have a building, a house not made with hands, but everlasting in heaven. &c. Therefore we are of good cheare, and know that when we are in the body, we are absent from God. For we walcke by faith, and not by clear sight. But we have fiance, and had rather be from the body and present with God: wherefor we strive whether we be present at home, or absent abroad that we may always please him. And who that hath true faith in our savior Christ, whereby he knoweth somewhat truly what Christ our savior is: that he is the eternal son of God, life, light, the wisdome of the father, all goodness, all truth, all righteousness and whatsoever is good, that heart cā desire, yea infinite plenty of all these above that, that man's heart can either conceive or think. For in him dwelleth the fullness of the Godhead corporally. And also that he is given us of the father: and made of God to be our wisdom, our righteousness, our holiness, and our redemptiō? who I say is he that believeth this in deed, that would not gladly be with his master Christ?

Paul for this knowledge coveted to have been loosed from the body, and to have been with Christ: For that, he compted much better for himself, & had rather to be loosed then to live. Therefore these words of Christ to the thief on the cross, that asked of him mercy, were full of comfort, and solace. This day thou shalt be with me in paradise. To die in the defense of Christ's Gospel, is our bounden duty to Christ, and also to our neighbor. To Christ: for he died for us, & rose again y ^t he should be Lord over all. And seeing he died for us, we also (saith s. John) should ieopard, yea, give our life for our brethren. And this kind of giving and losinge, is gettinge and winninge in deed. For he that giveth or loseth his life thus, getteth and winneth it for evermore.

Blessed are they therefore that dieth in the Lord. And if they die also in the Lord's cause, they are most happy of all. Lette us not fear then death, which can do us no harm, otherwise then for a moment, to make the flesh to smart: but that our faith which is fast fastened and fixed unto the word of god, telleth us that we shall be anon after death in peace, in the hands of god, in joy, in solace, and that frō death we shall go straighte unto life. For John saith, he that liveth and believeth in me shall never die: and in another place: he shall depart from death into life.

And therefore this death of the Christian, is not to be called death, but rather a gate or entrance into everlasting life. Therefore Paul calleth it but a dissolution and resolutiō. And both Peter and Paul a puttinge of this Tabernacle or dwelling house, meaning thereby, the mortal body, as wherein the soul or spirit doth dwell here in this world for a small time. Yea this death may be called to the Christian an ende of all miseries. For so long as we live here, we must pass through many tribulations before we can enter into the kingdom of heanen. And now after that death hath shot his bolt, all the Christian man's enemies have don what they can, and after that they have no more to do. What could hurt, or harm poor Lazarus that lay at the rich man's gate, his former penury and poverty, his miserable beggary and horrible sores & sickness? For so sone as death had strickē him with his dart: so sone came the angels, and carried him up into Abraham's bosom: what lost he by death? who from misery and pain is set forth by the ministry of Angels in a place both of joy and solace. Farewell dear brethren, farewell, and let us comfort our hearts in all troubles and in death with the word of God. For heaven and earth shall pearishe, But the word of God endureth forever.

Farewell Christ's dere beloved spouse, here wandering in this world as in a strange lande far from thine own country, and compassed about on every hand with deadly enemies which ceseth not to assalt the, ever seeking thy destruction.

Farewell, farewell. O ye the hole and universal congregation of the chosen of God, here living upon earth, the true Church militant of Christ, the true mystical body of Christ, the very household & family of God, and the sacred temple of the holy ghost. Farewell.

Farewell, O thou little flock of y ^e high heavenly pastor christe, for to thee it hath pleased the heavenly father to give an everlasting and eternal kingdom. Farewell.

Farewell thou spiritual house of God, thou holy and royal priesthood, thou chosen generation, thou won spouse. Farewell. Farewell.

N. R.