Selected quad for the lemma: father_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
father_n	holy_a	manner_n	son_n	14,262	5	5.8799	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

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

vs. 159 Christ our phisitiō 385 Christ hath reconciled vs. 391 Christ a sauiour for al ages 394 Christ saueth vs frely 406 To Christ al thinges ●e subiect 234 Christes woundes Christes wordes healeth our woundes 414 Christes alter was the crosse 422 Christ ouercame Sathā for vs. 337 Christ the head corner stone 353 Christe fulfilled the lawe for vs. 367 Christ put away y e cause of hatred 369 Christ hath put out the handwriting idem Christ hath payde oure debt 570 Christe the Lorde of all faithfull 232 Christ the anointed 233 Christ our Lord. 234 Christes humanite 236 Christ a sacrifice for sinnes 242 Christes death hath conquered Sathan 249 Christes going down to hell idem Christes resurrectiō 250 Christes assention 251 Christ a sufficient mediatour 253 Christ the mighty Samson 254 Christ geueth giftes vnto men 256 Christ ascended to prepare a place for vs. 257 Christe taken vp in a cloude 258 Christ comming to iudgement 259 Christ wrought all thinges in his humanitie for vs. 260 Christes bloud washeth cleane our sinnes 88 Christ the true Samaritaine 103 Christ a louing Phisition 105 Christ submitted his will 121 Christ forgeueth both the faulte and payne 284 Christes churche lynked together 269 Christ gaue him selfe for his churche 282 Christ disciple who 23 Christiā why he feareth not death 287 Christiās ought to helpe scholers 144 Churche or Congregation 268 Communion 172 Complaint of the wycked 58 Comfort to them that calleth vpon God 29 Crosse of tribulatiō 17 Conscience quiet how 101 Comfortable calling of synners 388 Conscience at rest 128 Confession of synnes vnto God 375 Correctiō in this world 54 D Daniel preserued by prryer 111 Dauid reioysed not in him selfe 50 Dauid mourned and fasted for his sonne 162 Death gate to euerlasting lyfe 304 Death a chaungyng to a better lyfe 308 Death a passage 158 Death of the righteous 67 Debters forgeuen 143 Debtes 12.14 Departed ar not lost 157 Desire of prayer 426 Doctrine of Papistes after this lyfe 194 Doubting faith obteyneth no promise 439 Dutie of good seruaūts 225 E Eldest sonne 138.139 Esay sawne in sonder 327 Ezechias ●●ued .xv. yere more 110 Exhortation to the sick 46.449 Executours charge 169 Examples of olde wemen 219 F Fallen on slepe 157 Fatherles childrē what they ought to do 215 216 207 Faith 416 334 Faith and prayer sure armours 344 Faith in the sure promyses of God 377 Faith maketh vs the sonnes of God 380 Faith the rote of all vertues idem Fayth rycher then all treasures 380 Faith y t is vnshakē 443 Faithfull shal haue possession in the kingdome ▪ 179. Faithfull rewarded and vnfaithfull 180. Faithful belefe neuer dieth 89. Flesh lusteth againste the spirite 15. Fyry Serpent 335. G God loueth where he chastiseth 14. God woundeth and maketh whole 21. God maketh a way out in temptacion 21.27 God a louing father 27 God helpeth in al nedes 82.30 God trieth his how 30 God wrought wonderfully for Ioseph 31. God gaue quietnes vnto Dauid after his stormes 32. God restoreth vs after his tempta●ion 33. God neuer forsaketh his 38. God present to our sicknes 46 God suffereth the wyc ked to florish 58. God not present where the crosse is absent 61 God taketh not his mercy from his 70 God whē he repenteth 71 God poureth out his blessing when we sease to synne 72 God turneth his wrath 76 God why he punisheth 74 God hath no pleasure in the death of a syn 94 God commaundeth to call to him in our trouble 108 God hath respect to the poore 109 God heareth harty prayers idem God suffereth vs not to be tempted aboue oure strength idem God present in trouble 11● God neuer forsaketh thē that trust in him 114 Goodes of the syck how to be disposed before death 123.133 God tēdreth our soules health 117 god forgeueth frely 126 G●d heareth the prayer of the humble 129 Go● a father a husband vnto the faithful wydowe 202.138 God forgeueth both the faut and paine 176 God the father 227 God doeth what his plesure is 228 God maker of heauen earth idem God the sonne 231 God the holy ghost 261 God the holy ghost quicneth al thinges idem God the holy ghost maketh vs newe vessels idem God the holy ghost tea●heth all y e faithful 261 God the father God the sonne God the Holye Ghost 263 Gods wrath terrible to conscience 330 Gods worde driueth away Sathan 342 Gods word heleth 344 God casteth downe and setteth vp 351 God bringeth oute of trouble 358 God apointeth no tyme of helpe 393 God a father of mercies 401 God delighteth in compassion 285 Gold and Siluer 323 H Harte stony 375 Harte circumcised 95 Harken vnto God 409 Hearīg gods word 423 Heathen haue no hope 161 Heathē wyshed eternal ioye idem Holy men tempted 95. Houshold of God 97 I Iames slayne with the sworde idem Iohn baptist beheaded 318 Iob a faithfull souldiour 37 Iob in him selfe same but synne 52 Ieremy stoned ▪ 317 Ioy commeth after heauynes 73 28 Ioye when our brethrē departe in the faithe ▪ 152 161 154 Ioies vnspekeable 200 Ioie in heauen when a synner repenteth 104 Iudas repented but had no faith 378 Iewes murmuring 75 Iewes repented idem Iewes beleue the immortalitie of c. 307 K Kingdome of God mete for who 24 Knowing one an other after this lyfe 326 L Labour and not loitour 396 Labour to winne Crist 411 Lawe maketh no man perfect 126 law an heuy burthē 363 Lazarus gods frēd 20 Lordes comminge vnknowen ▪ 4 Lyfe frayle and transytory 2 Lyfe vncertayne 3 Liue wel die wel 42 Lyfe ended our Ioy begynne 196 Ly●e foloweth death 7 M Man hath but a shorte tyme 1 Man hartye howe 5 Man blest whome God punisheth 21 Man not pure in the sight of God 48 Man an whole lompe of synne 49 Manasses an Idolater 77 Manrsses bounde with chaynes 79 Manasses repēteth 80 Manasses prayer 25 Manasses his sinnes in numerable 399 Martirs by diuers waies put to death 319 Maria magdalene a greuous synner 387 Mariage forbidē ought not to be 203 Maidens that be goely ought to be preferred before ryches 2●3 Maids ought to bewar● of naughty packs 217 Mens willes ought to geue place 118 Men kdowen by theyr workes 190 men ar tried faithful 26 Mercye vnto the poore deliuereth from synne 213 Ministers 150 Monthmyndes 178 mothers ought to bring vp theyr children in y e feare of God 205 mothers a care for their chyldren 139 Mourning gowns 151 N The Name of Iesus howe all knees bowe therto 1●1 O One oblation of Christe hath made vs pericte 177 P Papistes ennemies to y e crosse of Christ. 176 Papistes alledge scriptures 429 Papistes a kingdome of lyes 430 Papistes woulde haue vs doubte in our saluation 34 Papysticall scholinge 440 Peter repented and beleued 378 Predestination ▪ 415 People holpē here 148 People desyrous to haue knowledge 149 Plages ceaseth 81 Pleasure not the waye to heauen 23 Pleasures of

saith as many as I loue I rebuke and chasten The wise man also saith My sonne despise not the chastening of the Lorde neither fainte when thou arte rebuked of him For whom the Lorde loueth hym he chasteneth and yet delyteth in him as a father in his owne sōne What sonne is he saith S. Paul whom the father chastneth not If ye be not vnder correction wherof all are partakers than are ye bastardes and not sonnes Epa. Ther is no father that so hādleth his sonne as I am handled Oh what a chaunge is this yea and that within two daies For from gladnes to sadnes from pleasure to sorow from healthe to sicknes from quietnes to trouble from strength to feblenes yea in a maner from life to death am I sodenly fallen O miserable wretch that I am Phile No maner chastising for the presente time semeth to be ioyous but greuous as the Apostle sayth neuertheles afterward it bringeth the quiet frute of rightuousnes vnto them whiche are exercised therby Blessed is the mā saith saincte Iames that suffreth temptation for when he is tried he shal receyue the crowne of life whiche the Lorde hathe promised to them that loue hym Epa. Me thoughte I was in case good ynoughe before I was oppressed with this sicknes For thē I liued pleasauntlye but now I lye here weping and mourning and full of sorow and care Phile. Thys is the iudgement of the flesh whiche ●uer lusteth against the spirit Against suche careles fleshli liuers ●eare what our Sauiour Christ saith Wo be vnto you that are rich for you haue your consolacyon Wo be vnto you that are full for ye shal hōger Wo be vnto you that now laugh for ye shall wayle and wepe Heare what he saythe on the contrary part Blessed are they that mourne for they shal receiue comfort And also in a nother place he saithe Uerely Uerely I say vnto you ye shal wepe and lamēt but contrariwise the worlde shall reioyce Ye shall sorow but your sorow shalbe turned to ioye The blessed Apostle saith also If we be dead with Christe we shall also liue with him If we suffer with him we shal also reigne with him Christo. Brother Epaphroditus the way to enter into glory is the Cros. For by that way did oure elder brother Chryste enter into the kingdome of his father And the blessed Apostle saythe By many tribulacions muste we enter into the kingdome of God Epaphro What meane you by the crosse Chri. Temporall affliction as penury honger euil report vndeserued persecution enprisonment los of Goodes sicknes and whatsoeuer mortifieth the olde man Epaphro I can not easly be parswaded that these things are sent of God to suche as he loueth but rather to suche as he hateth Christoph. Not so neighbor Epaphroditus For the righteous and godly tast more of the cros in this worlde then the wicked and vngodly Abel Iacob Ioseph Moses Dauid Helias Zachari Ieremie Miche Iob Toby Ihon Baptist Stephē Paule Iames Peter with many other whiche wer the●chosen people and frends of God wer not fre from the cros in so muche that many of them were moste cruelly put to deathe where as the wicked worldlings liued all in pleasure and had all thinges according to their hartes lust Eusebius This is also proued true by the saying of oure sauiour Christ ye shall wepe and lament saith he but contrariwise y e world shall reioyce And the Apostle saieth all that will lyue Godly in Christe Iesu shall suffer persecution Hither pertaineth the saying of S. Peter The time is come that iudgement must begin at the house of God If it first begin at vs what shal the ende of them be whiche beleue not the Gospell of God And if the rightous scarsely be saued where shall the vngodly and the sinner appere Wherfore let them that are troubled according to the will of God commit their soules to him with well doing as vnto a faithfull creatour Phi. This thing cā by no meanes better be perceiued then by considering the history whiche blessed Luke telleth in his Gospell of the vnmerciful riche man and of pore Lazarus The riche gloton was Gods enemy and an aduersary to all good mē vnkind churlish and vnmerciful and yet how plesantly and wealthely liued he all his life time We do not rede that he tasted any thing at all of the cros but that he was riche welthy galantly apparelled fared daintely euery day and liued in all kind of pleasures according to his hartes lust and yet thende of him was euerlastyng damnation that thys saying of our sauior Christ might be founde true Wo be vnto you that are riche for you haue youre consolation Wo be vnto you that are ful for ye shal hōger Wo be vnto you that now laugh for ye shal waile and wepe Contrariwise Lazarus being Gods frende and dearly beloued of God was pla●ged with pouerty honger thirst colde nakednes sores sicknes diuers mortal diseases which neuer departed from him so long as he liued and notwithstandinge bothe paciently and thanckfullye did he beare this his Crosse euen vnto the deathe being perswaded that prosperitie aduersitie life and deathe pouerty wealth are of God and therfore immediatly after his departure oute of thys world he was receiued into euerlasting glorye This history brother Epaphroditus declareth euidentely that sicknes or trouble sent of God vnto the godly is not a token of Gods wrath and heauy displeasure but rather a sure argumente and manifest signe of his good will loue and fauour towarde vs. Blessed is he saithe the Psalmograph whome thou O Lord nourterest Again he saith it is highly for my wealth that thou O Lord hast corrected me that I may learne thine ordinances Hereto agreeth the saying of S. Paul When we are iudged of the Lord we are chastened that we shuld not be damned with the worlde In the history of Iob it is also written blessed is the man whom God punisheth therefore refuse not thou the chastening of the almighty For though he maketh a woūd he geueth a plaster though he smite his hand maketh hole again God is faithfull saith the Apostle whiche wil not suffer you to bee tempted aboue youre strength but shall in the mids of the temptacion make away that ●e may be able to beare it For he ●s the father of mercies and God of all consolacion whiche comforteth vs in all our trouble whiche knoweth also howe to deliuer the godly out of temtation All these textes borowed out of the holy scriptures with many other do euidently declare that the crosse is laid vpon the godly at Gods appoyntment and that not for their hurt and destruction but for their health and saluation For though our outward man perish yet thinward man is renued day by day For our trouble whiche is short light prepareth

of the world to come whiche neuer shall haue end wher weping and gnashynge of teethe shall be as ye see it chaunced to the afore saide ritche glotton vnto whome God said sonne remember that thou in thy life time receiuedst thy pleasure and contrariwyse Lazarus receiued pain But nowe is he cōforted and thou art punished so doth our sauiour Christ threaten the vngodli saying Wo be to you that are full for ye shall hunger Wo be vnto you that now laugh for ye shall wayle and wepe The holie Apostle also saieth What sonne is he whom the father chasteneth not If ye be not vnder correction wherof all are partakers then are ye bastardes not sonnes A terrible end therfore abideth them which in this world licenciously and without punishment do sinne For all such be bastardes and no sonnes therfore haue they no part of the heauenly enheritaunce Epa. Yet the world iudgeth otherwyse For they thinke suche only to be beloued of God as walowe in all kinde of worldly pleasures as the filthy sow in the mire so longe as they liue neuer tast of any aduersitie Phile. But the holie scripture iudgeth otherwise For those voluptuous Epicures whiche in this world say Come let vs enioy the ●leasures that are and let vs sone ●se the creature like as in youth Let vs fill our selues with good wine and oyntment and let there no flower of the tyme goe by vs. Let vs crowne our selues with roses afore they be withered Let ●here be no fair medowe but our ●ust go thorowe it Let euery one of you be partaker of our volup●uousnes Let vs leue some token of our pleasure in euery place for ●hat is our porcion els get we no●hing c. Shall in time to come ●ry out on this maner saye We ●aue erred from the way of truth the light of righteousnesse hath not shined vnto vs and the sunne of vnderstanding rose not vp vpō vs. We haue weried our selues in the way of wickednes destruction Tedious wayes haue we gone but as for the way of y e lord we haue not knowne it What good hath our pryde done to vs Or what profit hath the pompe of riches brought vs All these thīgs are passed awaye like a shaddow c. Suche wordes shall they that haue sinned speake in hel For the hope of thungodly is lyke a drye thistil flower that is blown away with the wynde c. Therfore we may well conclude that suche as enioy continuall prosperitie liue at their heartes ease obey their sensuall appetites are free from all aduersitie and as the Psalmo●graphe saieth come in no misfortune lyke other folke neither ar● plagued lyke other men shall not reigne with God in glory nether haue they any portion in the lande of the liuing For though they prosper for a litle while in this world be puffed vp with pryde swell for fatnes do what they list rule as they will haue plenty of ritches in possessiom haue the world at commaundement c. Yet are they set in slippery places and shal be cast downe and destroyed Yea sodenly shall they consume perishe and come to a fearful end I haue sene saith that Princelike Prophet thungodly in great power florishing like a greue bay tree And he vanished away and lo he was gone I sought him but he coulde no wher be found c. For the wicked shall perishe together and the end of the vngodly is euerlasting damnation Christo. If it please you I will tell you a history that I heard once Epa. I pray you tell on good brother Christopher Chri. Saint Ambrose that godly couragious Bishop traueiling at a certain time toward Rome chaunced by the way to goe vnto a great richemans house to lodge after other talke he demaunded of the man of the house howe the world went with him in what case he stode The ryche man answered sir my state hath alway bene fortunate and glorious I neuer tasted any kynd of aduersitie I neuer had sicknes or losse of goods All thinges hitherto haue chaunced vnto me according to my hartes desire Whan S. Ambrose heard this he said vnto thē that accompanied him Rise and let vs go hence with al expeditiō for the Lorde is not in this place And when they wer departed frō the richemans house euē straight waies thearth sodenly opened swalowed vp the man with all that euer he had so that nothing at all remained Phile. A notable history declaring that God is not there present where the crosse is absent and that thinges can not long continue in safe state where God fauoureth not Theo. Here was that thing fulfilled that is spoken by the Psalmograph The vngodly shall sone be cut downe like the grasse and be withered euen as the grene herbe c. Yea a litle while and the vngodly shall be clene gone Thou shalt loke after his place and he shalbe away Thungodly shall perishe and the enemies of the Lord shal consume as the fat of lambes yea euen as ●he smoke shall they consume away Againe in an other place Thou O Lord dost set the vngod●y in slippery places and castest them downe and destroiest them O how sodenly do they consume perish and come to a feareful end yea euen lyke as a dreame when one awaketh so shalt thou make their Image to vanishe out of the citie Phile. Where continual successe of thinges is wher al things at all tymes serue and content the fleshly appetites of voluptuous worldlinges where no affliction nor trouble is there is not God there is not his grace fauoure and blessing He that is free from the crosse hath no enheritaunce in the kyngdome of heauen Yea it is a moste certaine signe of euerlasting damnation where a life is led without affliction For whom the Lorde loueth he chasteneth they are bastardes and no sonnes that sometime fele not the Crosse. Who euer went vnto heauen by ioy and pleasure By many tribu●lations saieth the Apostle must we enter into y e kingdom of God Hereunto pertaineth the saying of the vertuous woman Iudith Our father Abraham being temted and tried thorowe many tribulations was founde a louer ●rend of God So was Isaac so was Iacob so was Moses and al ●hey that pleased God being tried ●horowe many troubles were founde stedfast in fayth Blessed ●s the man that suffereth temp●ation saith saint Iames for whē●e is once tried he shall receiue y e ●rown of life which the lord hath ●romised to them that loue hym Euse. I red once of a certaine her●it which was wōt euery yere to ●e sicke wherin he greatly delited felt much quietnes of conscience ●eing perswaded y t his sicknesse ●as the louing visitation of God ●nd an vnfained token of Gods singular good will toward hym It chaunced that by the space of an whole yeare he was fre from al maner of

ryghteoussly with all men embraceth vertue despiseth vice c. Follow not the manners of certaine olde dotinge wydowes which for bodely luste in their old croked age couple thē●selues to yonkers whiche myght right wel haue bene their childrē and vnto whome they might also haue geuē suck But to what end such mariages come for the moste part dayly experience teacheth The one marieth for bodely pleasure the other for couetousnesse Such mariages ar not blessed of God Chuse thee therfore suche an husband as loueth thee and not thy goods only as is equall to the in condition state and age as also will tender my children and be a father vnto them and see them brought vp in y e feare of God in y e knowledge of his blessed word Pray vnto God and he shal geue the good successe in all thy trauayles loke diligently to the ver●uous education and brynging vp of my chyldren Graffe in theyr partes so much fruit of Gods spi●it as is possible and wede out of ●heir myndes all kyndes of vice wickednes that their brestes may ●e made the Temples of the holy ●host Loke wel vnto thi seruāts Geue them their couenauntes ●uffer them not to be idle So go●erne thy houshold y t there may ●e founde in it no vice but vertue no wickednes but godlines no sinne but honestie and christen be hauour And be thou thy selfe an example of godly lyfe to thy chyldren seruaunts so maist thou be sure to haue obedient childrē and faithful seruants Yea so shalt y ● be wel reported of thy neighbours be loued both of god al good mē NOwe my chyldren come ye hither vnto me God blesse you and sende you manye yea and those ioyfull and quiet daies vpon the earth Ye see in what case I am sore sycke and very weake abiding the good plesure of God The ende of this my life is come and I am glad of it and most hartely thanke the lord my God Let it not dismaye you my moste deare children that I shall nowe be taken away from you For albeit that I being your naturall Father shall no more serue you nor prouide for you as hitherto I haue done yet doubt ye not but if ye goe forthe as ye haue begonne to feare God and to serue hym he wil not leaue you comfortlesse but in my steade he will be a father vnto you receiue you into his tuition and prouide better for you than euer I was able to doe Therfore if ye wil haue God a mercifull and gentle father vnto you feare him loue him honoure him serue him praye vnto him call on his blessed name be thanckfull vnto him for his benefites and in all thinges seeke to please his godly Maiestie Geue your mindes to the reading of the holy scriptures and what so euer ye rede therein practise it in your ●ife and cōuersation Be not only fauourers but folowers also of y e worde not only louers but also ●iuers of the gospel not only professers but also practisers of gods holy law so shal God blesse you al good men loue you Auoid idlenes to much childish pastimes Let no time of your life passe away without fruit Escheue all euill company and haue nothynge to doe with them that be vngodly Desire alway the felowship of them that be good and vertuous Haue all your whole confidence and trust in the Lorde your God Take nothing in hande before ye haue craued his helpe by feruent prayer And after the thing done geue God moste harty thanckes knowledging him to bee the geuer of all good thinges The Saboth day and suche other feastiful dayes spend them holily and godly Geue your selues to prayer to hearing of Sermons and reding the word of god Se that ye defile not the name of y e Lord your God with vaine and vnlawfull othes Reuerence your elders Honour your mother be obedient vnto her pray for her do for her whatsoeuer lieth in your power that God may blesse you and geue you long and ioyfull lyfe vpon the earth Be no euill speakers Be courteous and gentle vnto all men Let no lightnes appere in you nether in gesture nor countenaunce Be true and faithfull Cast away all pride and embrace humilitie Auoid superfluous eating drinking Use temperance in al your doinges Be not moued vnto anger but be pacient and ready to forgeue Be merciful to the poore Helpe all men to the vttermost of your power Study to do good vnto all and to hurt none Loue all mē yea euen your very enemies Be not ouercome of euill but ouercom euyl with goodnes If ye obserue these few lessons ye shall continue in the fauor of God and God as a moste mercifull father shall blesse you and cause you to prosper on the face of the earth BUt now heare thou my sonne the wordes of thy father and imprint them well in thy memory Of all the sonnes that God hath geuen me since I was married to this thy Mother thou alone art left a liue And I thanke God for thee For in thee lieth the hope of my posteritie Loke therfore y t thou seruest God al the dais of thy life y t thou maiest be the father of many children through the blessing of God If thou dost resēble me as in countenaunce and lineamentes of body so lykewise in manners and conditions of life conuersation it shall not repente me to haue begotten such a sonne nether shall it forthynke thee to haue had such a father Take hede therfore that thou doest not degenerate and growe out of kynde Honour thy mother all the dayes of her life Pray for her and do for her whatsoeuer lieth in thy power Remēber y t God hath appoynted thee to be the staffe of her olde age nether forget thou what and how great paines she hath suffred for thee Beware of riotous cōpany haue alwais the fear of God before thine eies Kepe companye with such as haue vnderstāding and leane vnto their wisdom and counsell Be sober mynded and eschewe the lustes of youthe but followe ryghteousnes faith loue and peace with them that cal on the Lord with a pure faith When thou shalt come to the possession of suche worldly substaunce as I haue apoynted for thee through y e goodnes and liberalitie of God loke that thou dost vse and not abuse thy goodes Spend in measure and as present necessitie shal require Beware of superfluous expenses Auoide banketting and delicious fare For whosoeuer loueth delicately to fare shall come to pouertie Thinck that wel spēt that is honestly spent in thy owne house Extraordinarie bankettinges loke that thou flee remēbring that that whiche is gotten through long tyme is consumed in a very little space Geue almes of thy goodes and turn neuer thy face from the pore so shall it come to passe that the face of the Lorde shall not be tourned away frō the.

Be mercifull after thy power If thou hast mutch geue plēteously if thou hast litle doe thy diligence gladly to geue of that litle For so gatherest thou thy selfe a good reward in the day of necessitie For merci deliuereth from all sinne from death and suffreth not the soule to come in darknes A great comfort is mercy before y e hie God vnto all them that shew it In the time of thy youth take hede thou defilest not thy selfe with whoredom but bring an honest chaste body vnto the blessed state of honorable wedlocke And when the ripenes of thy age doth require y e to marry take hede whome thou chosest to be thy yokefellow Follow not the corrupt manners of y e wicked worldlings which in chosing their wiues haue their principall respect vnto the worthines of the stocke vnto the welthines of the frendes vnto riches beauty and suche other worldly vanities Consider thou rather y e godlines than the worthines of the maides parentes the honest and vertuous bringing vp of her her chaste and sober behauoure her Christen and godly manners her modestie grauitie sobrietie and womanlines her faith obediēce humilitie silence quietnes honestie howsewiuelines and such other fruites of Gods spirite Let her be no Papist nor Anabaptist nor Epicure but one of the houshold of faith and such one as feareth the Lorde God vnfaynedly With suche one couple thy selfe in the feare of God and knowe her to be the gift of God as Salomō saieth house and richesse may a man haue by the heritage of his elders but a discrete wyfe is the gift of the Lorde Therfor when thou art once ioyned with her in y e holy order of Matrimonie seeke after no strange fleshe beware of whoredome entangle thy selfe with no other womans loue but be glad with y e wife of thy youth Let her brestes alway satisfie thee hold thee euer content with her loue And if God send thee childrē thanke him for them and study to bring them vp in the feare nourtour doctrine of the Lorde that they may learn to know God euē from the very cradels Order thy houshold godly and honestly Cherish thy seruauntes geue them their couenauntes remembring y t thou also hast a maister Lorde in heauen Loue thy neighbours dwell quietly among them Lend vnto thē gladly whatsoeuer they nede if thou hast it Oppresse not thy tenaunts Raise not thy rents Take no incomes nor synes Be content with the olde and accustomed paimentes Bringe vp no newe customes Maintaine the lawfull liberties of y e town wherin thou dwellest Be no vnprofitable mēber of the common wealth Diffame no man but speake well of al men Hurt no man but to the vttermost of thy power be beneficiall to all men Let neuer pride haue rule in thy mind nor in thy word for in pride begā al destruction Who so euer worketh anye thyng for thee immediatly geue him his hire and loke that thy hired seruauntes wages remaine not by the ouernight Loke that thou do neuer vnto an other man the thing that thou wouldest not another man should do vnto thee Eat thy bread with the hongry poore and couer the naked with thy clothes Aske euer counsell at the wyse Be alwaye thanckefull vnto God and beseche hym that he will order thy wayes and that whatsoeuer thou deuisest or takest in hande it may remayne in hym My sonne do these thynges and God shal blesse thee and prosper all thy doinges WHat shall I say vnto you my little Daughters I pray God blesse you ▪ and make you ioyfull mothers of many Children Serue God Obey your mother Be diligent to please her Geue eare to her wholesome admonitions and folowe them Do nothing without her counsell and aduisement Whan your age shal require to be maried followe the counsel of your mother and other of your faithful frēds which wish you to doe well in choising your husbandes Take hede ye be not corrupted with the giftes of noughty packes nor deceiued w t the flattring tongues of wicked vnthrifty persones For many in these our daies seeke not the woman but the womans substance Couple your selues with suche as feare God loue his worde and be of honest report And when ye be once maried reuerence your husbands know thē to be your heads gouernours appointed of God obey them submitte your selues vnto them Suffer not your loue to depart frō your husbands neither know any mā besides them but kepe the bed vndefiled y t your Matrimony may be honorable pure in the sight of God of his holy cōgregatiō And if God blesseth you with children loke y t you bring them vp in the glory of God in his fear and doctrin Engraffe in their yong brests euen frō their tender age vertue godlines and good māners loke wel vnto your houshold and be an example vnto your maides of godlines and honestie Be no gadders abroad nor haunters of Tauernes but kepe your houses continually except some earnest and lawfull busines prouoke you to go forth Be no bablers nor vain talkers but for the most part vse silence For silēce is an ornamēt and precious Iewell vnto a godly womā Aparell your selues in comely aray with shame fastnes and discrete behauioure not with broyded hear ether gold or pearles or costly garmēts but as it becommeth women y t profes godlines thorow good workes Let the hid man whiche is in the heart be without all corruption so that y e spirit be at rest and quiet which spirit before God is a thing much set by For after this maner in the olde tyme did the holye wemen whiche trusted in God tier them selues and were obedient to their husbandes euen as Sara obeyed Abrahā and called him Lord whose daughters ye are so long as ye do wel If you obserue these fewe lessons which I your sicke father haue now geuen vnto you doubt ye not but ye shall right well prosper and liue a ioyfull quiet life on earth Yea God shalbe your father and defendor Wel stande a side a little whyle Gods blessing be with you Come hither ye my seruauntes SIrs ye see in me what shal be the end of all fleshe euen a departure from this world For we are but strangers pilgrimes on the earth as our fathers were before vs. We haue no continuing citie here but we seke one to come The ordinaunce of God is that all men shall once die There lyueth no man that shall not die A man in his time is but grasse and flourisheth as a floure of the field Our life is euen a vapour that apeareth for a little time and then ●anisheth away On this condi●ion came we into the world that we shuld leaue it again We haue ●een sure of death euer sence we were conceiued in our Mothers wombe These thinges do

ye now ●e practised in me y e time of my departure out of y e world is at hand I thought it good therfore to send ●lso for you to take my leaue of ●ou til we mete again in y e king●om of God I thanke you for the ●ood seruice y t ye haue done me I ●aue not forgotten your seruisea●le hearts and good wils toward ●e If the good pleasure of God ●ad bene that I shuld lōger haue ●ontinued with you I wold haue ●onsidred your seruice better But ● haue geuen to euery one of you ●uche portion of mony as shal de●are some part of my thanckefull ● wel willing heart toward you This nowe remaineth to be craued at your hands As ye haue hetherto faithfully truly honestly serued me in my life time euen so after my departure so long as ye●tary here shewe the like faithfulnes truth honestie toward your mistres Consider that as lōg as I liued I was a stay vnto her vnto her thinges But nowe her chief hope next vnto God consisteth in you Therfore I pray yo● loke well vnto the thinges which appertaine vnto her Se that nothing go to wast Prouide that through your diligēce her things may rather encrease then decrease Ye knowe rightwell the dutie of a good seruaunt notwithstanding euen at this my departure from you I wil put you in remem●braunce of it that whē I am gon● ye may yet remēber my admonitions the more spedely aunswe● vnto your vocatiō The duty of a good seruāt is to serue his maister and mistres willingly with a fre courage euen for conscience sake not with the eie but with y e heart to obey them to honor thē gently to aunswere them not to picke or steale away their goods but to be faithfull vnto them in all thingee Se therfore y t ye on this manner behaue your selues towarde your mistres auoid al stubbernes churlishnes cursed speakinges telling of tales lying picking wast idlenes negligence and sluggishnes Eschue all euill and riotous company Fly dronkennes and whordome Abstaine from vaine othes and folishe pastimes So behaue your selues in all your life conuersation that the name of God his doctrine be not euil spoken of Yea let the lyghte of your godlye behauioure so shine before men that ye may do worship to the glorious gospell of our sauior Christ in al thinges And in thus seruing your mistres with a glad ready faithfull will thincke your selues to serue the Lorde your God and to do that thing whiche is pleasaunt in his godly sight and that he also will se your paines recompensed as the holy Apostle saith ye seruauntes be obedient vnto thē that are your bodely maisters in al thinges not with eie seruice as men pleasers but in singlenes of hart fearing God ▪ And whatsoeuer ye do do it hartely as though you did it to the Lorde and not vnto men knowyng that of the Lorde ye shall receiue the inheritaunce for ye serue y e Lord Christ. But he that sinneth shall receiue accordynge vnto his synne For there is no respect of persons with God If ye serue your mistres truly and faithfully hereafter when ye shall your selues be housholders God shall likewyse send you true and faithful seruauntes But if ye serue her falsly and vngodly then shal ye of your seruauntes be likewise serued hereafter For with what measure that ye mete withall shall other mete to you again saith our Sauioure Christ. Liue therefore according to your vocation in the feare of God ye shall prosper right well God shal blesse you neuer leaue you succourles as the holy man Toby sayth Be not afrayd truthe it is we leade here a pore life but great good shal we haue if we fear God and depart from all sinne and doe wel Wel the blessing of God be w t you I am very faint Ph. No maruell For ye haue talked a greate while Epa. I trust my talke hath not bene euil Phil. Forsoth it hath bene both good and godly I pray God geue bothe them and all vs grace to followe these your moste wholesome and christen admonitions But sir will it please you to take your leaue of your wyfe chyldren and seruauntes geue your self to reast for a litle whyle Peraduentur it shal do you much good Epaphro Slepe I can not And I am lothe to let them goe from me For the sight of them is comfortable vnto me and as me thincketh easeth my payne Chri. God cōfort you ease your payn Epa. Before they depart from me I wysh greatly euen in their presence to confesse my faithe y t both you and they may be witnesses before God the worlde that I die a Christen man Phile. Although we nothing doubt therof yet we greatly desyre to heare the confession of your faith that we may be able to testifie hereafter that you departed in y t faith of Christ. Epa. Heare then I Unfainedly beleue w t my hart and frely cōfesse with my mouth that there is one only true lyuing immortall and euerlasting God God the father God y e sonne and God the holy gost .iii. distinct persons in the godhead and notwithstāding one very God in substāce of like maiestie glory might power iudgement and will As touching the first parson in the deitie I vnfainedly beleue w t my heart and frely confesse with my mouth y t he is the God which alone is the father not only of our Lorde and sauiour Christ Iesu whom of him self frō euerlasting he begot his natural sonne therfore likewyse true and immortall God but also of all y e faithfull not by nature but by adoption whom he hath chosen to be his children in Christ Iesu before the foundations of the worlde were laide to loue fauour cherish comfort norish gouern defend and blesse thē both corporally and spiritually This God the father I beleue confesse to be almighty and hable to do whatsoeuer his godly wil pleasure is ▪ With him all thinges are possible There is nothing to hard for him to doe neither is any thynge vnpossible in his syght This God the father almighty I beleue and confesse that he is the creator and maker of heauen and earth and of all thynges contained in thē Of nothing by his wōderful and almighty power made he the heauens with the blessed aungels and heauenly spirites that are in them Thone he chose to be his glorious seate the other he made to be his Ministers to do his blessed will and holy commaundement This God the father almighty made also the earth of nothinge with her encrease gaue breath to the people that are in it and spirit to thē that dwel therein The heauens the earth and the sea w t all that euer is cōteined in them are the creatures of this God the father almyghtye created vnto this ende

but that both his conceptiō●nd natiuitie should be so pure ●ithout blemish that by the pure●es therof the filthines corrup●ion of our conception and nati●itie might be put awaye For of ●e vncleane who can be clensed ●ll we be vncleane in Adam both ●●ncerning our conception and ●rth for after y t God had made man like vnto his own similitud● and Image he placed hym in paradise and gaue him lybertie t● eat of all the fruites in the garden of pleasure except y e tree of knowledge of good and euill But ma● disobeyed the Lorde his God and transgressed his holy commaund●ment Thorow the whiche disobedience and transgression of God● holy cōmaundement sinne curse and death came ouer al mankind so that nowe in Adam so many a● are borne after the commō cours● of nature are begotten cōceiued and borne in sinne They are th● children of wrath defiled wit● all vnclennes both bodely gho●ly Now whan there was no he● nor comfort for man whereby ● might be redemed out of Satan power and deliuered from his i●●tollerable miseries wherewith ● was to muche wretchedly wra●●ped and brought into slauery for now man w tal his thoughts imaginations deuices words dedes enterprises c. is become thorowe the sin of Adam wicked vnpure ●ilthy and synfull then God that mercifull father had pity vpō mākind and promised them a sede euen Iesus Christ his only begotten sōne which shuld tread down the head of the serpent ouercome ●he deuill with al his power re●tore vs to life againe And lykewise as god is righteous in al his wayes holy in all his workes ●rue faithfull in all his wordes ●uen so hath he kept al his promi●es truely For whē the time was 〈◊〉 he sent his only begotten 〈◊〉 dearely beloued sonne into the ●ombe of the virgin Mary wher of whome thorowe the working ●f the holy ghost he became fleshe ●●at is to saye true and naturall man as the scripture witnesseth saying The word became fleshe dwelt among vs and we saw his glory as the glory of the only begotten sonne of the father full o● grace and veritie He brought no● his body with him from heauen as certain heretikes affirme bu● as he receiued all his deuine nature and substance of God the fa●ther alone euen so likewyse did h● take all his humaine nature and substance of the pure virgin Mary alone through the wonderful operation of the spirite of God a● S. Paule saithe he was borne o● the sede of Dauid after the fleshe Againe he sayth he that sanctif●●eth and they whiche are sanctif●●ed are all of one For which ca●●ses he is not ashamed to call the● brethrē saying I wil declare th● name to my brethren and in th● mids of the congregation wyll praise thee And againe I wil put my trust in hym And again Behold here am I and the children which God hath geuen me Forasmuch therfore as the childrē were partakers of flesh and bloud he also him selfe lykewyse toke part with them for to put downe thorow death him y e had lordship ouer death that is to say the deuyll and that he myght deliuer them which through fear of death were all their life time in daunger of bondage For he in no condition taketh on him the aungels but the sede of Abraham taketh he on hym wherefore in all thinges it became him to be made lyke vnto his brethren that he myght be mercifull and a faithfull hie Priest in thinges concerning God for to pourge the peoples sinnes c. This only begotten sonne of God by takyng fleshe of the Uirgin Mary became lyke vnto vs in all things sinne alone except I beleue that by his pure conception and vndefiled natiuitie my conception and my byrth whiche cōming from Adam was altogether vnpure and defiled is clensed and that no parte of that sinfull birth is imputed vnto me but y e thorowe faith in this moste blessed sede of the Uirgine I am born a new begotten of God so that he is my father I am his sonne and therfore enheritor also of his heauenly kingdome Furthermore I vnfainedly beleue with my hart and frely confesse with my mouth y t this seede of the woman Iesus Christ at the commaundement and wyll of his heauenly father whiche from euerlasting by his godly prouidēce ordained his only begotten sonne to be a sacrifice for the sinnes of his people that through his only oblation they myght for euer and euer bee saued suffred many greuous paynes on his bodye vnder the Heathen ruler Pontius Pilat and that he was crucified died and was buried All those bitter paines and greuous torments he suffred not for him selfe but for vs for our iniquities sinnes and wickednesses that he might recōcile vs vnto God the father His paines satisfied for the paines due vnto vs for our faultes as y e prophet saieth he only hath taken on him oure infirmities and borne our paines He was wounded for our offences and smitten for our wickednesses For the chastisement of oure peace was layde vpon him and with his strypes are we healed As for vs we haue goone all astray lyke shepe euery one hath turned his own way But y e Lord hath heaped together vpon hym the iniquitie of vs all He was cut of from the ground of the liuinge whiche punishment did come vpō hym for the transgression of my people saieth God which in dede had deserued that punishement He was crucified and nailed to the crosse that by the suffraunce of his fleshe he might put away the cause of hatred euen the lawe of commaundementes contained in the lawe written and so wyn vs againe vnto the fauoure of God For it pleased the father y t in him shuld all fulnes dwell and by him to reconcile all thynge vnto hym selfe to set at peace by hym thorowe the bloud of his crosse bothe thinges in heauen and thinges in earth His blessed body crucified and nayled to the crosse buffeted beaten and scourged was a swete smellyng sacrifice a right deare offring vnto God the father sufficient inough and hable to the vttermoste to put away all the synnes of the faythfull and all the paynes due for the same It satisfied at the full the iustice of God and apeased his wrath sturred vp through sinne agaynst the posteritie of Adam and made God of an angry Lord righteous iudge a most merciful father and gentle sauiour Nether nede the faithfull go for saluation vnto massemongers vnto iusticiares vnto monkish hipocrites nor yet vnto sainctes The sacrifice of Christes body which he him self that euerlasting priest offred on the altare of the crosse to God the father is a plenteous full perfect and sufficient satisfaction for the sinnes of the whole worlde if they repent beleue amend We

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

the kingdome of God then it is in this world We beinge in this corruptible bodye know one another whan we see not God but with the eies of our faith shall we not know one another after that we haue put of this sinfull body and se God fac● to face in the sight of whom is the knowledge of al things We shall be lyke the glorious Aungels of heauē whiche know one another can it than come to passe that one of vs may not knowe an other Shal we be equal with y e angels in other thinges inferiour vnto them in knowing one an other We shal know and se Christ as he is whiche is the wysdome image and brightnes of the heauenly father and shall the knowledge of one another be hyd from vs We are members all of one body and shall we not knowe one another we know our head which is christ shall we not knowe our selues we shalbe citezins of one heauenly city wher continuall light shall be and shall we be ouerwhelmed with suche darkenes that we shal not see and know one another They that in this worlde be synging men continuing together in a place but for a season know one an other and shall we which for euer shall continue together synging praysing and magnifying y e Lord our God not know one another They that are in houshold serue one Lorde or maister know one another in this world shall not we know one another which in the kingdome of heauen shall continually serue the Lorde oure God together with one spirit and with one mind There is a certen knowledge one of an other here in the earth euen among the vnreasonable and brute beastes and ●hall our senses be so darkened in the life to come that we being immortall incorruptible and lyke ●nto the angels of God yea seing God face to face shall not knowe ●ne another We shall know God as he is shal we not knowe one another Adam before he synned beyng in the state of innocencie knew Eua so sone as god brought her vnto hym and called her by her name and shall not we being in heauen where we shalbe in a● muche more blessed and perfecte state then euer Adam was in P●●radise knowe one another Shal our knowledge be inferiour to Adams knowledge in Paradise● Whē Christ was transfigured i● mount Thabor his disciples Pe●ter Iames Iohn did not only know Christ but also Moses and Helias whiche talked there with Christ whome notwithstanding they had neuer seene nor known in y e flesh Wherof we may learne● that when we come to behold th● glorious maiestie of y e great God we shall not only know our sau●our Christ and such as with wh●● we wer acquainted in this world but also all the electe and chosen people of God whiche haue bene from the beginning of the world as the holy Apostle saith Ye are come to the mount Sion and to the citie of the liuing God the celestiall Hierusalem and to an innumerable sight of aungels and vnto the congregation of the first borne sonnes which are writtē in heauen and to God the iudge of all and to the spirites of iust and perfect men and to Iesus the mediatour of the new testament c. When we are once come vnto that heauenly Hierusalem we shal w tout al doubt both se and know Adam Noe Abrahā Isaac Iacob Ioseph Moses Samuel Dauid Iosias Ihon Baptist Mary the Mother of Christe Peter Iohn Iames Paule and all the moste blessed cōpany of the Patriarkes prophets apostles martirs with al other the faithful As we are al members of one body wherof Iesus Christ is the head so shall we knowe one another reioyse together be glad one with another Moreouer the history whiche we read of the rich vnmercifull man and of Lazarus declareth euidētly y t in the lyfe to come we shall know one an other In that we se that the riche glotton beyng in hel did knowe bothe Abraham and Lazarus being in ioye and that Abraham also knew that vnmercifull riche man although the one was in glory the other in pain If that they whiche are in hell doth both se and know them that are in heauē and they whiche are in heauen know thē also that are in hell the one place beyng so far distant from thother muche more do they knowe one another that be Citezins in one City fellowe heirs of one kingdome members of one body and fellowe seruants in one houshold seruing one lorde God If there be mutual knowledge after this life betwene good euil much more shall y e sainctes and the holy ones of God knowe one another in the kyngdome of our heauenly father Our sauiour Christ said to his disciples when the sonne of man shall sitte in the seat of his maiestie you also shall sit vpon the .xii. seates iudging the .xii. tribes of Israell If after the generall resurrection ▪ and at the iudgemente one shoulde not know another how shal thē the apostles iudge thē vnto whom thei preached They can not iudge nor be witnesses of the condemnation of them whome they knowe not Hereof also it manifestlye appeareth that after this life one of vs shal know another After y e Christ was risen again had a glorified body thapostles knew him yea that so perfectly y t none of thē neded to saye vnto hym what art y ● For they knew well y t he was the Lord. Hereof also may it truely be gathered y t the faithfull shall as perfectly knowe one an other in y e life to come as the apostles knew Christ after his resurrectiō ▪ or as Peter Ihō Iames knew Moses Helias in the moūt Thabo● whē Christ was trāsfigured Many other thinges might be alledged out of the holy scripture to declare y t we shall know one another after this life but these for this present may seme to any indifferent person aboundantly to suffice If I shuld reherse to you all the sayings both of thancient late writers concerning this matter I shuld spēd a great part of this day to much t●ouble you notw tstanding I will reherse one saying of s. Gregory in his Dialoges bid al the other farwel There is a certain thing saith he in gods elect chosen people which is to be marueled at for they being in heauē do not only know thē whom they knew in this world but thei know also the good people whō thei neuer sawe euen as perfectlye as though they had afore both sene known thē For whē thei in y t euer lasting enheritance shall se thancient fathers they shal not be vnknowne to thē in sight whō they always knew in work For when al there w t one clearnes do behold God what is it that they shoulde not ther know where they know him that knowe all thinges Epa.

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

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

as the wyse man saythe In all thy workes remember the latter ende and thou shalt neuer sinne I desire muche to visit my neighboure Epaphroditus occording to his hartye request and to comfort him in these his paines to instruct him how he ought both paciently thankfully beare this crosse of sicknes which God hath laid on him but I wishe greatly to haue the company of mine olde familiars and approued frends Eusebius Theophile and Christopher I sente my sonne Theodore and Rachell my Doughter for them I muche maruell of their long tariaunce But beholde where they come Neighbors and frendes welcom Euse We reioyce to se you in helth thanking you most hartely for the louing kindnes which heretofore many times you haue shewed vnto vs. But wherfore I pray you haue you sent for vs. Phile. Haue ye not heard howe our neighbour Epaphroditus is greuously vexed with sicknes Theophi●punc Is ou● neighbor Epaphroditus sicke Phi. He is sick and that very sore Christo ▪ Sory am I to heare this Philemon We are in the Lordes hande as the claye in the potters to doo with vs what so euer his good pleasure is Therfore let vs not beare heueli this work of God in our neighbor least we seme to striue against his godly will seeing we vse dayly to pray Thy wil be don in earthe as it is in heauē hauing also an example of our sauior Christ whiche praid vnto his heauenly father on this manner Not as I will but as thou wilt o father Euse. How long hath oure neighboure Epaphroditus bene sick Phi. Not yet two daies The. I mucch maruel of this his soden sicknes Philemon It is no maruell at all seing sicknes foloweth health and deathe life as the shadow accompanieth the body Ye know neighbors how charitable a deede it is to visite the sicke and to comforte the diseased It is one of those works whiche being don in the faithe of Christe shall be rewarded at the last day in the face of the whole worlde with then heritance of the heauenly kingdom as ye may see in the gospel of blessed Mathew I was sicke and ye visited me saithe oure Sauioure Christe The wise man also saith Let not them that wepe be withoute comforte but mourne with suche as mourne Let it not greue thee to viset the sicke for that shall make the to be beloued Christop This saying differeth not muche from the saying of S. Paule Reioyce with them that reioyce and wepe with them that wepe Be of like affection one to another Phile Let vs therfore go and visit our sicke neighboure Epaphroditus and comforte him with the heauenly consolacion of the holy scriptures that he may beare this his sicknes bothe the more paciētly and thankfully For to this end did I send for you that we should go together vnto him and to confort him Theo. We were to much vnkinde and vnworthy the name of a Christian yea of a man yf we shuld disdayne to accompany you goyng aboute so godly a matter Phile. Well then let vs go For as the preacher saith It is better to go into an house of mourning thē into an house of banketinge for there all menne be admonished of their latter end and the liuing cōsidereth what afterward shall becom of them I pray the Lord our God that we may find him at our comming in his whole mind and perfect memory Eusebi I beseche the Lorde our God also that his paines be not so outragious that when we come he haue no minde to heare what shalbe saide vnto him so shall our labour be loste Christop Gods will be don in all thinges Phile. We will do oure duty let God wurke his pleasure Now are we at the house I wyll be so bold neighboures as to leade you the way Theoph. I pray you go sir we will folow you Epa. the sicke man Oh cursed be the day wherin I was borne vnhappy be the day wherin my mother brought me forthe Cursed be the man that broughte my father the tydinges to make him glad saying Thou hast gotten a sonne Let it happen vnto that man as to the Cities which the Lord turned vp side downe Let him heare crying in the morning and at none daye lamentable howling Why sluest thou not me as soone as I came oute of my mothers wombe O that my mother had ben my graue her selfe that the birth might not haue come out but remained styll in her Wherfore came I forth out of my mothers wombe to haue experience of laboure and sorow Ah how sicke am I my strengthe is gone my sight faileth me my tounge flottereth in my mouthe my handes tremble and shake for paine I can not hold vp my head for weakenes If I attempte either to stand or to goo my legges fall downe vnder me No parte of my body doth her right office my memory is paste My sences fayle me What so euer I tast is vnplesant vnto me What other thynge am I thē a dead corps brething For my skin vpon me is tourned to blacke and my bones are dried vp with heate Yea miserably am I tormented and altogether wery of my lyfe What can be plesant vnto me but present deathe Ah wo worth the time that euer I was borne O y t som hill might fall downe and ouerwhelme me that I might shortly be rid out of this pain Philemon O Lord God good neighbores these be wordes proceding rather from a desperat harte then from a pacient minde But why do I cease to go in The father of mercies and God of all consolacion be presente with vs. Theo. Amē Phile. Peace be vnto this house and to so many as loue the Lord Iesus vnfainedly Epa. O mother alas that euer thou did dest beare me Alas why died I not in the birthe Why did I not perish assone as I came out of my mothers wombe Philem. Neighboure Epaphroditus God geue you a pacient hart a quyet contented minde According to youre request I am com vnto you with certaine of my neighbours being very desirous to see you and notwithstandinge not a little sory to beholde you in this case not that you are visited of God with sicknes but that you so impacientlye take thys louing visitatiō of god whiche chaunceth vnto you not for your hurt and destruction but for your commodity and saluatyon Epaphro Welcome welcome neighbors all Oh how sicke am I Oh that the end of my life wer at hande It greueth my soule to liue All ioy is gone with me This sicknes hathe vtterly marred me Phi. Say not so neighbor Epaphroditus yea rather think that this youre sicknes is the louing visitacion of God and bringeth although to the body wekenes and trouble yet to the soule valeaunce and consolation Epa. Gods louing visitation Philem. Yea neighbor Gods louing visitation For so ar we taught by the worde of God God himself

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

sicknesse Whiche thing whan he considered he was inwardly sory and wept beyond all measure greuously complaining that God had forgotten him and denied him his grace Phile. This history also sheweth howe necessary and wholsome sicknes is to a Christen man and that corporall affliction is a certaine perswasion to a faythfull cōscience of Gods singulare good wyll and fatherly fauour towarde vs as he hym self testifieth saying as many as I loue I chastē and rebuke Th● wyse man also sayeth My sonn● despise not the chastening of th● Lord nether faint whan thou ar● rebuked of him For whome th● Lord loueth him he chastneth 〈◊〉 yet deliteth in him as a father i● ther in his owne sonne Epaphro So followeth it that they whom God visiteth with sicknes in this worlde and laieth the crosse vpon their shoulders are more dear vnto him than those whiche all their life tyme liue in all wealth ioy pleasure Phile. Yea verely so thei beare their crosse willingly paciently and thankfully For by the crosse are christen men knowē as noble mens seruauntes by theyr Lordes cognisances He that beareth not the crosse is not Christes For suche as will be his disciples he cōmaundeth them not to seeke how to flee y e crosse that they may liue al in pleasure but he biddeth them take the Crosse vpon their shoulders and folow him If any man will folow me saith our sauiour Christ let him forsake him ●elf and take vp his crosse and fo●ow me The head bare the crosse the members also must do y e same or els pertaine they not vnto the head For there is none other way to enter into glory but the same way that our head Christ entred by which is the crosse Whosoeuer beareth not his crosse and cometh after me saith the Lorde Christ he can not be my disciple The seruant is not greater then his Lord nor the disciple aboue his master Chri. That such as bear the crosse and be tried with diuers tribulations are more dear vnto god thā they which liue all in pleasure the history of the ritch and vnmerciful glotton and of poore and pacient Lazarus proueth euidētly For as ye hard before the welthie epicure whiche liued galantlie and pleasauntly all the daies of his life euen vnto his dying daye so son● as he was dead was caried of th● Deuell and his Aungels into th● flames of hell fire where he was miserablie tormented contrarywyse pore and sick Lazarus whō the wicked worlde estemed moste vile moste abhominable yea and vtterly despised and cast away of God whome also fortune neuer fauoured but aduersitie cōtinuallie assailed immediatly after his departure was moste tenderly ioyfully borne of the blessed Aungels of God into the bosome of Abraham wher he hath such ioyes as eie hath not sene nor eare hath heard nether is any mans hart able to thinke them Euse. Here is that fulfilled found true whiche the Psalmograph speaketh both of the death of the faithfull and of the vnfaythfull Concernyng the faythfull he sayeth preci●us in the sight of the Lorde is ●he death of his sainctes Of the ●nfaithfull he also sayeth The death of sinners is worst of all As y e ioyes of Gods people begin not till after their death so lykewise the sorowes and paines of y e wicked doe chiefly begin at their death and so for euer and euer cōtinue Epaph. Happy is that man therfore whiche hath and endeth his sorowe in this worlde that after this life he may haue the perfect and true ioy whiche knoweth no end Phi. He is thrise happy as they vse to say and greatly blessed of God Therfore s Austen praied on this manner and said O Lord burn me here cut me here in this world that thou maiest spare me for euer after Only geue me pacience pleasing vnto thee and necessary vnto me Christo. Like vn●to this are the wordes of a certain auncient father whiche saieth I know that diseases chaunce vnto men for their sinnes And it is be●ter here paciently to beare afflictions and paines then after death to suffer euerlasting punishmēts Theo. S. Gregory saith that God sparith some in this world to torment them afterward and som he tormenteth here which he wil afterward spare This is a christen mans comforte y t by present tribulation he shall escape euerlasting damnation For according to the common prouerbe God punisheth not one thing twyse Epa. Of these your wordes I conceiue a good hope that although God punisheth me iustly for my sinnes yet he wil not take away his mercy from me Phil. No be you sure For these are his wordes by the Psalmograph If they forsake my ●aw and walke not in my iudgements If they breke my statutes ●nd kepe not my cōmanndemēts I will visite their offences with the rod their sinnes with scourges Neuertheles my louing kindnes will I not vtterly take from him nor suffer my truth to fayle My couenaunt wil I not breake nor alter the thinge that is gone out of my lips Here God our mercifull father promiseth y t though he punisheth vs for our sinne and wickednes that by this meanes he may call vs vnto repentance amendement of life yet wil not he take away from vs his mercy and louing kindnes but when so euer we turne vnto hym repent vs of our former life call on his blessed name beleue and hope to haue remissiō of sinnes for Christes sake and labor to frame our life according to the rule of his holy testa●mēt he will surely receiue vs ioy●fully pardon all our iniquities and as derely loue vs as though we had neuer offended his deuin● maiestie God saith also by y e Prophet Ieremy when I take in hād to rote out to destroy or to wast away any people or kingdome if y e people against whō I haue thus deuised conuert frō their wickednes I repēt of the plague that I deuised to bring vpon them The prophet Esay also saith If thungodly forsaketh his way and the vnrighteous man his owne Imaginations and turne againe vnto the Lorde he will surely be mercifull vnto him For he is very ready to forgeue He will not alway be chyding sayth the Psalmograph neither kepeth he his anger for euer Yea lyke as a father pitieth his owne children euen so is the Lorde mercifull vnto them that feare hym For he knoweth whereof we bee made he remembreth that we are but duste My thoughtes saith God are to geue you peace and not trouble Though the lord punisheth vs for our sinnes yet doth he not punishe vs to cast vs away and to condemne vs but to call vs vnto repentance to mortifie our fleshly lustes afterward to make vs the more circumspect in obseruing the rules of our profession y t is the christen profession as that princelike Prophet saith It is greatly for my wealth that thou hast punished me brought me low

euen that I may learne thy righteous ordinances Uexatiō or trouble saith the Prophet geueth vnderstanding And whāsoeuer we repent cease to sinne the Lord straightwais remoueth and taketh away the crosse that he hath laid vpon our backes and poureth his blessing againe plentiously vpon vs. For though he maketh a woūd he geueth a plaster though he smite he maketh whole again The Lord killeth maketh a liue bringeth down to the graue and fetcheth vp again The lord maketh poore maketh ●ich bringeth lowe and lifteth vp again After a storm O lord saith holy Toby thou makest the weather faire calme after wepyng and heauines thou geuest great ●oy Thy name O God of Israel ●e praised for euer Euseb. If God ●oueth a man and entendeth to make him partaker of euerlasting glory he wil not cease to punishe him vntill he knowledgeth his ●ault repenteth become a newe ●an Phi Ye say truth For vnto ●his end doth God correcte suche ●s he loueth and entendeth to ●aue The Lord saith by the Pro●het that he will punishe his peo●le which sinne against him and ●un on whoring after straunge Gods vntill they cōfesse their falt and say I wil turne again to my first husband for at that time was I better at ease then now Chri. This is a great comfort for a christen man in his affliction to hear that God punisheth hym in this world to this end y t he may cease to sinne that he may repent turn againe vnto the Lord his God so for euer be saued Epaph. But I pray you rehearse vnto me out o● the holy scripture for the quiet●nes of my conscience some histories which may declare vnto me that God punishing synners fo● their disobediēce doth afterwar● whan they repent and turne for●geue them and receiue thē agai● into his fauour Philemon In th● fourth boke of Moses called N●●mery we reade that the pepole 〈◊〉 Israel murmured and grudged ●●gainst God and against Mose● saying vnto Moses wherfore hast thou brought vs out of Egipt for to die in the wildernesse For here is neither bread nor water our soule lotheth this lyght bread Now se ye the sinne of the Israelites They murmur thei grudge they are vnfaithfull vnpacient disobedient against God and against his lawful magistrat now heare again the reward of sinne Wherfore the Lord sent firy Serpentes among the people whiche ●tong them muche people of Israel died Here haue ye the punishment of the sin Now hear also y e ●emedy against this punishment ●nd the salue against this plage Therefore the people came vnto Moses sayd we haue sinned for ●e haue spoken against the Lord ● against thee Make intercession ●o the Lord that he take away the ●●rpentes from vs. Here the people of Israll repenteth confesseth their sinne turneth againe vnto the Lorde and besecheth Moses to pray for them vnto the Lorde Repentance cōfession of the sinne conuersion vnto the Lorde and faithfull prayer are the meanes wherby Gods wrath is turned away from vs his plagues cease For when Moses had made intercessiō for the people the Lord said vnto him Make a brasen serpēt and set it vp for a signe that as many as are bitten may loke vpō it and liue And Moses made a seruent of brasse and set it vp for a signe And when the Serpents had bitten any man he beheld th● serpent of brasse and was healed ▪ Here se you the mercy of God e●uen in the middes of the crosse to●ward penitent sinners The Is●raelites sinne God plagueth th● people repenteth God turneth a●way his plague and healeth thē Epa. A cōfortable history Be ther no mo such in the holy scriptures Phi. Uery many Ep. Rehearse thē I pray you For I delight to hear such comfortable histories Phile. I am very glad Manasses king of Iuda was an abhominable Idolatoure He went to and built ●he hill altares whiche good king Ezechias his father had broken ●owne And he reared vp altares ●or Baal and made groues and worshipped all the hostes of heauen and serued them and he built ●ltares in the house of the Lorde wheras the Lord yet had said In Hierusalem shall my name be for euer And he builded aultares for ●l the host of heauen in the courts ●f the house of the Lorde And he ●urnt his children in the fire in ●he vally of the sonne of Hinon ●e was a sorcerer he regarded y e crying of birdes vsed enchauntments ▪ and mainteined workers with spirites seers of fortunes wrought much euill in the sight of the Lord to anger him withall And as he him self was an Idolatar forsoke the Lord God of his fathers so likewise made he Iuda and the enhabiters of Ierusalem to erre and to do worse then the Heathen c. Nowe haue ye heard how greuously king Manasses sinned against y e Lord his God Chri. His sinnes were grea● worthy of much punishmēt Eu● Yea of euerlasting damnation i● he were handled according to his desertes Epa. I pray you what b●●came of him Phi. Albeit y e sinnes of this Manasses were great ye● behold the louing kindnes of Go● toward him his people Befor● he sent any punishement amon●● them he raised vp his Prophets which exhorted both him and his subiectes to turne from their euil to repent and to walke in the ordinaunces and lawes of God but both he and his people would not heare the gentle admonitions of God by his Prophetes nether regard them Epa. O stony hartes But how than Ph. Whan y e Lord ●aw y t by no meanes they woulde ●urne from their abhominations ● went forth stil to effēd he brou●ht vpō them the captaines of the ●ost of the king of the Assirians ●hiche toke Manasses in hold ●ound him with chaines and ca●●ed him to Babilon Theo. O the ●●ghteous iudgemēts of God Epa. ●ere we heare y t Manasses was ●unished for his sinnes yea and ●●at worthely but did God caste 〈◊〉 away for euer Phi. Ye shall ●ear Whā Manasses was in tri●●lation he besought the lord his God and humbled him self exceadingly before the God of his Fathers and made intercession to him and God was entreated of hym and heard his prayer and brought him againe to Hierusalē into his kingdom And than Manasses knew y t the lord was God After this he became a new man and toke away straunge Gods Images out of the house of God and all thalters that he had buil● in the mount of the house of God and Ierusalem and cast them ou● of the citie And he prepared tha●●tare of the Lord sacrificed ther● on peace offringes and thanck of●fringes charged Iuda to seru● the Lord God of Israell Chri. 〈◊〉 happy change Epaph● Yea O th● great mercies of God Phile. I● this history many notable thin●ges are to be learned First if a●● such as God entendeth to saue 〈◊〉 offend and breake his holy

sayeth ●od so loued the worlde that he ●aue his only begottē sonne that ●hosoeuer beleueth on him shuld ●ot perishe but haue euerlastinge ●●fe For God sent not his sonne in 〈◊〉 the world to cōdemne y e world ●ut that the worlde through hym ●ight be saued Epap Godly and ●omfortable sentences God geue 〈◊〉 grace neuer to forget them ●hristo Amen Epa. You brother ●hilemon haue rehearsed two notable and comfortable histories out of the old testament which declare that God punishing sinners for their disobedience doeth notwithstāding afterward whē they repent and turne forgeue thē and receiue them againe into his fauoure Rehearse vnto me also I pray you one or two histories out of the new testament concerning that matter Phi. I wil do it very gladly Ye remember the history of the prodigal sonne writtē in the Gospel of blessed Luke Ep. What is that I pray you Phil. Blessed Luke telleth that a certaine man had two sonnes and the yonger of them said vnto his father father geue me the porcion of the goods that to me belongeth And he deuided vnto them his substaunce Hitherto haue ye heard of the fathers liberalitie toward his sōne It foloweth and not long after ●hen the yōger son had gathered 〈◊〉 y t he had together he tooke his ●●urney into a far coūtrey ▪ there ●e wasted his goods with riotous ●●uing Here se we the wickednes ●f the son Now behold y e plage of God And whē he had spēt al ther ●rose a great dearth in al y t lande ●nd he began to lack and went ●ame to a citezen of the same coun●ry he sent him to his farme to ●epe swine And he wold haue fil●●d his belly with the cods that 〈◊〉 swine did eat no man gaue ●nto him Thus see ye into howe ●reat misery he is fallen for the ●ifusing of his goods Beholde ●ow again his repentant sorow●●ll hart Thē he came to him self 〈◊〉 said how many hired seruantes 〈◊〉 my fathers haue bread inough ●●d I perishe with honger I ●ill arise and go to my Father ●nd will say vnto him Father I haue sinned against heauen before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy sonne make me as one of thy hired seruants And he arose and cam to his father Now marke also the pitiful compassion and tender mercy of the father toward his sonne But whē he was yet a great way of his father saw him and had compassion ran and fell on his neck kissed him ▪ And the sonne sayde vnto hym● father I haue sinned against heuen thy in sight am no more worthy to be called thy son Bu● the father said to his seruauntes bring forth the best garment an● put it on hym and put a ring o● his hand and shoes on his feete And bring hither that fat calf ● kill it and let vs eate be mery for this my sonne was dead i● aliue againe he was lost and i● found And thei begō to be mer● ●n this history do ye se y e exceding ●reat mercy of God toward peni●●nt sinners moste liuely painted 〈◊〉 set forth So sone as this wast●●l sonne repented him of his rio●ous liuing had a mynde to re●urne home vnto his father and 〈◊〉 humble him self before him and 〈◊〉 desire mercie and forgeuenesse ●f his sinnes oh how gladly and ●ow ioyful did his father louing●● embrace him swetely kisse him ●●●endly salute him hartely enter●ain him so derely receiue him ●●to his fauour as though he had ●euer offended Epa. O the great ●nd infinite mercies of God Phi. ●ere see ye that to be true whiche ●od him self saith by the prophet ●hou disobedient Israel tourn a●ain saith the Lorde I will not ●t my wrath fall vpon you For I ●n merciful saith the Lorde I ●il not alway bear displeasure against thee c. O ye disobedient children turn again saying lo we are thine for thou art the lorde our God and so shal I heale your back turnings By an other Prophet he also saieth as truly as I liue saith the Lord God I haue no pleasure in the death of the wicked but much rather y t the wicked turn from his way and liue Turn you turn you from your vngodli●waies O ye af the house of Israe● oh wherfore will ye die The wickednes of y e wicked shal not hurt hym whensoeuer he conuerteth from his vngodlines Again by y e aforsaid Prophet he saith repen● and turn you from al your iniquities your iniquities shall work● you no displeasure Cast away fr● you all your wickednesses wher● in ye haue offended and make yo● a new hart and a new spirit An● wherfore will ye die O ye hous● ●f Israel For I wil not y t any mā●huld die sayth the Lord. Return ●herfore liue Ep. Are these wor●es spokē as wel to vs as to y e peo●le of Israel Phi. Yee to vs. Of a ●ruth saith blessed Peter I per●eiue y t ther is no respect of persōs 〈◊〉 God but in al people he y t fea●eth him worketh righteousnes ●s accepted w t him Is he y e God of ●he Iewes only Is he not also y e God of the gētils yea euen of the ●entiles also saith blessed Paule For it is God only which iustifi●th the circumcision y t is of faith ●ncircumcision thorowe faith ●or he is not a Iewe whiche is a ●ew outward nether is it circū●●siō which is outward in y e flesh ●ut he is a Iew which is hid w t ●● and the circūcision of the heart 〈◊〉 true circumcision which consi●eth in the spirite and not in the ●●ter whose prayse is not of mē but of God There is no differēce betwene the Iew and the gentill For one is Lorde of all whiche is riche vnto all that call vpon him For who so euer doth call on the name of the Lorde shall be safe Therefore what so euer thinges were written aforetime they wer● written for our learning that we thorow pacience and the comfor● of y e scriptures might haue hope The. Ye gentils saith s. Paul we● in times past without Christ be●ing aliauntes from the Common●●wealth of Israel and straunger● frō the testaments of the promes hauing no hope and being with●out God in this world But now by the meanes of Christ Iesu 〈◊〉 which somtime were a far of 〈◊〉 made nie by the bloud of Christ● For he is our peace whiche hat● made of both one and hath brok● downe the wall that was a sta● betwene vs and hath also put away through his fleshe the cause of hatred euen the lawe of commaundementes conteined in the law written for to make of twain one newe man in him selfe so making peace to reconcile both vnto God in one body through the crosse and slue hatred therby and came and preached peace to you which were a

to call the righteous but syn●●rs vnto repentance If ye ther●●e fele your selfe sick and greued ●ith the burdē of sinne come vnto the Phisition Christ shew him your woundes and he will vndoubtedly heal them as ye heard afore of the wounded man Despaire not though your sinnes bee neuer so great and innumerable For the sonne of man came to seke vp and to saue that was lost Christ is that lambe of God whiche taketh away the sinne of the world This is a true saying and worthy of all men to be receiued that Christ Iesus came into this worlde to saue sinners Whosoeuer beleueth on him shall not bee ashamed Because he hath pu● his trust in me sayth God by th● Psalmograph I will deliuer ye● I will defende hym because h● hath knowne my name Epaphro● Than I trust whether the Lord my God punisheth me for the tr●●all of my faith or for my sinnes that by this meanes he may ca●me vnto repentaunce it is no token of his wrath and heauy displeasure toward me Phile. No be ●e well assured For whome the Lorde loueth him he chastneth yet delighteth in him as a father ●n his owne sonne What sonne ●s he whome the father chastneth not If ye be not vnder correctiō saith S. Paul wherof all are ●artakers then are ye bastardes and not sonnes And God himself ●aith As many as I loue I re●uke and chasten So that this ●our sicknesse is the louing visi●ation of God sent vnto you not ●or your destruction but for your ●aluation Epaphro I may then ●e bolde to call vpon the Lord my God in this my sicknesse Phile. Why not God hath commaun●ed you so to do and hath also pro●ised to heare you Epaphroditus Where is that commaundement and promise of God Ph. It is written in a certaine Psalme by that Princelike Prophet Dauid Epa. Let me heare it Phil. Call on me saith God in the time of thy trouble and I wil deliuer thee thou shalt honoure me Here God doth not only commaund vs to call o● him in the tyme of our trouble but he also promiseth graciously to heare vs and to graunt vs ou● request And for this his benefit● he requireth nothinge of vs bu● thankes geuing Chri. Ful grati●ous is the Lord a strong hold i● the time of trouble he knowet● them that put their trust in hym ▪ The Lord is nie vnto them tha● are of a troubled hart will sau● suche as be of an humble spirit●● The Lorde healeth those that a●● broken in hart and geueth m●●decine to heale theyr sickenesse The Lord remembred vs saith Psalmograph when we were in trouble for his mercy endureth for euer Unto whom shal I haue ●espect or whome shall I fauour ●aith God by the prophet Uerely ●uen him that is miserable poore ●ow brought troubled in spirite ●●andeth in awe of my woordes ●hi Truth it is that the Lorde is ●ood and gratious vnto thē that ●ut their trust in hym and to the ●ule that seaketh after hym ●herfore brother Epaphroditus ●re not in this your sicknes dili●ently and without ceasing to flee ●nto God with harty and fayth●●ll prayers nothing doubtinge 〈◊〉 that he will fauourably heare 〈◊〉 and graunt you whatsoeuer 〈◊〉 aske according to his will as s. ●ohn saith this is the trust that ●e haue in him that if we aske ●y thyng according to his wyll 〈◊〉 heareth vs. And if we know y t he heare vs whatsoeuer we aske we knowe that we haue the petitions that we desire of him For the Lorde is nie vnto all that call on hym yea that call on hym in truth After this manner did all good men women behaue them selues whansoeuer they were assailed with any kynde of trouble or aduersitie King Ezechias whā he was greuously sicke and had receiued a commaundemēt from God that he should set his hous● in an order for he should die an● not liue tourned his face to th● wall and prayed vnto the Lord the Lorde hearde hym made hi● whole and saued hym aliue xv●● yeares after The thre chyldre● Sidrach Misach Abednag● when they were cast into the fy●rie fornace because they would not worship the golden Image 〈◊〉 the commandement of kyng N●●buchodonosor praied vnto y e Lord and he both graciously heard thē and deliuered them Daniell being in the den of Lions praid vnto God and was preserued Susanne forsaken of all men and at the poynt to be stoned vnto death thorow the vniust and false accusations of twoo wicked Iudges praid vnto the Lord her God and she was both heard and safely deliuered Our sauioure Christ in the time of his trouble and passiō prayed so feruently vnto his heauenly father that his sweat was lyke droppes of bloud trickeling downe to the grounde Blessed Stephen when the stones came batteryng about his body prayed earnestly When Peter was in prysone there was Prayers made of the Congregation for hym Manie other suche lyke examples haue wee in the holye Bible whiche declare vnto vs y t all good men and women in their aduersitie haue alway fled vnto God by feruent prayer for remedy neither haue they bene deceiued of their purpose For God is faithfull which wil not suffer vs to be tempted aboue our strengthe but shall in the mids of the temptation make away that we may be able to beare it For the Lorde hym selfe saith forasmuche as he hath put his trust in me I wyll delyuer hym I wyll be good to hym because he hath knowē my name He hath cried vnto me and I 〈◊〉 graciously heare him I am wit● him in trouble I wil deliuer hi● and bring him to honour Wit● long life will I satisfie hym an● shewe him my saluation When I was in trouble sayeth Dauid I called vpō y e Lord he heard 〈◊〉 Again he saith I wil cal vpon 〈◊〉 Lord whiche is worthy to be praised so shall I be safe from mine enemies The sorowes of death cōpassed and the ouerflowinges of vngodlines made me afrayd The pains of hell came about me the snares of death ouertoke me But in my trouble I called vpon the Lord and made my complaint vnto my God and he full gratiously hard my voyce from his holy temple and my complaint came before him so that it entred euen into his eares And as the Psalmograph in all his trouble cried vnto the Lord and was holpē ▪ so did all his faithful ancestors as these his words do declare and they al so were hard Our fathers hoped in thee they trusted in thee thou diddest deliuer them They called vpon thee and were helped they put their trust in thee and were not confounded And vnto this day haue all y t faithful in their aduersitie cried vnto y e Lord haue receiued help For ther is one lord of all rich

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

only haue aliue of all my sonnes haue the house Let this suffice for my wiues portion whō I doubt not God will take into his protection and so prouide for her in the tyme of her short pilgrimage that she shall want no good thing Only I craue this at her hand that she be diligent in training vp my children in the feare and doctrine of the Lorde so shall God be vnto her an husband and to her childrē a father Moreouer as concerning my children albeit I am fully perswaded that God according to his promise will be a father vnto them if they liue in his fear he wil not se thē lack yet both y e law of God of nature requireth y t I should also haue some care for them Therfore vnto my sonne I bequeath the house the land which I haue geuē my wife for tearme of her life frelye to be his owne after his Mothers departure And if God so appoynting he chaunceth to departe before his mother I will that the house the land goe to the vse of my .ii. daughters Haue you written these thinges Phile. Yea syr But what nowe for your daughters Ep. If thei be godly brought vp I doubt not but if they liue God will aboundauntly prouide for them Notwithstāding I geue vnto eche of them .ii. C. pounds of good lawfull mony to be paid in the day of their mariage And if my sonne fortune to die I geue vnto them also my house and my land Euse. Sir we be all mortall both old and yong God knoweth how sone we shal depart hēce For as the common prouerbe is Assone to the market for to be soulde Cometh the yong shepe as the oulde What if al your childrē die before they come to mariage Epaphro My wil is that in such case all I haue geuen them shall go to the vse of the pore I will that they be mine heirs I pray you neighbour Philemon write so Phi. I haue done so Epaphro I thinke it conuenient to geue to my seruauntes somwhat that it be not said they haue serued an vnthankfull maister Chri. Sir that is very mete For the wyse man saith wheras thy seruaunt worketh truely entreat him not euill nor the hirelyng that is faithfull vnto thee Loue a discrete seruaunt as thine owne soule defraude him not of his libertie nether leue him apore man Epaphr I geue to euery one of my seruauntes .vi. pound .xiii. ●hillinges .iiii. pence to be paid in the daye of my buriall Write it Phile. It is done Epa. God blesse ●hem and encrease them for they haue serued me both honestly and faythfullie The Lorde our God ●eale w t them as they haue dealt with me Theo. They haue done but their dutie Phile. But neighbour Epaphroditus wherof shall these sommes of mony be raysed Epaph. God hath blessed me aboūdantly Ye shal haue it in my coūting house with a more summe Christ. But now syr concerning your debts what order will you appoynt for them Epa. The Lorde my God be thanked I owe no mā any thing but loue good wyll My chief study hath euer bene to kepe my self out of debt And if at any tyme I ought any thing to labour vnto the vtter moste of my power to dispatche my self of that debt withall expedition I neue● counted other mens goodes min● own That I truly got with min● own labour y t did I alway coun● mine owne my debtes being onc● paid I owe nothyng many ow● me but forasmuch as they be por● men can not pay that they ow● me except it should be vnto theyr great hindrance yea I think vnto their vtter vndoing I freely forgeue all my debters what so euer they owe me vnto the vttermoste farthing euen as I would God y e father should forgeue me all my debts for Christes sake Wryght this that I haue forgeuen all my debts so that none hereafter shall demaūd any det of any mā in my behalf Phi. I haue done your appoyntmēt EU. Neighbor Epaphro ●itus seing y e god hath richly blessed you w t the goods of this world ●t wer very expedient to remēber ●he pore scholers of y e vniuersities of Cābridge Oxford For if they ●e not mainteined all learning ●ertue wil decay and a very bar●ary shall brast in among vs at ●he last bring this our realme into ●estructiō And verely the loue of many now a daies toward good letters is very colde in so muche y t we se daily many good wits compelled for lack of exhibition to forsake the vniuersitie and to becom seruing men whiche kinde of lyfe is most abhominable and vnwor●thy a good nature Epa. I haue not in times past bene altogether vnmindfull of the vniuersities What benefits the students hau● heretofore receiued at my hands I wil not here rehearse God an● they know it And the knowledg● therof I would wish rather to b● learned of other then to be hear● of me Surely I thincke him 〈◊〉 good christian nor frend vnto hi● countrey whiche if he be able r●●fuseth to help forward the studie of good wittes I pray you neigh●bor Philemon set in .ii. C. pound● of mony one C. to be geuen vn●● the vniuersitie of Cambridge th● other vnto Oxford Phile. This Godly and charitable dede Epa. Haue ye done Ph. Yea forsoth sir. Epa. Let me se what now remaineth Chri. Sir will it please you to remember the poore Epa. I neuer forgot them since the Lorde my God gaue me any portion of worldly goodes I always considred to what vse thei were geuen me verely that I shuld distribute part of them to the necessitie of y e pore sainctes And I thanke the Lord my God so haue I don yea and that with a good wyll and free hart For God loueth a chere●ull geuer I haue not bene of the minde y e some are whiche so long as they liue gredely gather together and bestowe nothing at all vpon the poore But when they se nothing but present death then ●ash they out and liberally geue ●nto the pore scilicet because they ●an kepe it no longer I truste I haue laid vp for my selfe all ready treasures in heauen where neyther rust nor moth doth corrupte and where theues doe not breake through or steal For I haue euer thought it better to send my workes before me while I liue in this world than to haue them sent after me I know not by whō whā I am gone These purgatori rakers shall nether rake nor scrape for me with their masses and Diriges when I am departed For I trust no suche workes Neither do I any thyng regard y e prayers of suche as haue y e belly for theyr God But as touching the pore I geue vnto them .iiii. C. poundes whiche I wil haue bestowed no● vpon idle lubbers sturdy quea●nes but vpon the halt the lame the blind the sick

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

euen that they shuld set forth magnifie prayse and commend the maiestie power might and glory of this moste myghty glorious god And whatsoeuer he made he made it thorow his only begotten sonne by whō al things were made and without whome was made nothing y t was made For when he made the heauens this his only begotten sonne was present whan he hāged y e cloudes aboue when he fastned the springes of the depe when he shut the sea within certaine boundes that the water should not go ouer the marckes that he commaunded When he laide the foundations of the earth he was with hym ordring all thynges deliting daily and reioysing alway before hym For the sonne of God caused the iyght that fayleth not to aryse in the heauen and couered all the earth as a cloud And that prince like Prophet sayeth By the word of the Lord which word is Christ the natural sonne of God are the heauens made and all the hostes of them by y e breath of his mouth This God the father almightye maker of heauen and earth I beleue am fully perswaded that he for Christes sake by fayth is my moste mercifull father that I am borne againe of him not by mortall but immortall seede thorowe the worde of God which liueth and abideth for euer and so am become his sonne and that he therfore loueth and fauoreth me gouerneth and defendeth me ●eadeth and nourysheth me and finally hath made me his heire and fellow heir of eternall glory with his only begotten and moste derely beloued sonne Christ Iesu our Lorde and sauiour Now haue ye heard my fayth concerning God the father Phil. It is a faith both true and christen and from the beginning receiued of all godly parsons Will it please you likewyse to reherse your faith concerning Iesus Christ y e sonne of God yea God and man Epaph. This it is I vnfainedly beleue with my heart and frely confesse wyth my mouth y e Iesus Christ the seconde persone in the godhead is the only begotten sonne of God yea and true immortall and euerlasting God begotten of God the father before any beginning of lyke maiestie myght power glory with God the father of the same nature essence being and substance I beleue that this Iesus Christe whiche is the very brightnesse of his fathers glory and the very image of his substance first begotten before all creatures is oure Lord euen the Lord of all y e faithfull And I beleue that as he is called Iesus that is to saye a sauiour so likewyse he is both able and will saue me frō al my sinnes A God that is righteous suche one as saueth there is none but he There is saluation in none other Neither is there any other name vnder heauen geuen vnto men wherein we may be saued but only the name of Iesus Of hym therfore alone as of an almighty sauiour doe I loke for my saluation For vain is the sauing health that is loked for of any other And as he is called Christ y e is to saye annoynted because he is the Kyng and Priest of all the people of God and is annoynted with the true oyntment euē with the fulnes of the holy ghoste for God geueth not the spirite by me●ure vnto him but he hathe annoynted him with the oyl of gladnes aboue his fellowes euē so do I beleue that out of hym euen as out of a liuely spring and flowing fountaine this oyle of gladnes I meane the holy ghoste come forth vpon all the members of Christ and they also in him tho●om him are made Christes that ●s to say the annointed of the lord For of his fulnes haue all we receiued euen grace for grace And whosoeuer beleueth on hym as sayeth the scripture flouds of lyuing water shall flowe out of his belly As I am of this Christ called a christian so do I beleue that this Christ hath annoynted me w t his holy spirite and therwith also sealed me vp vnto euerlasting life ▪ For they that are led with the spirit of God are the sonnes of God For the same spirit certifieth our spirite that we are the sonnes of God If we be sonnes then ar we also heires the heires I meane o● God fellow heires with Christ of eternall glory Furthermore I beleue tha● Iesus Christe the onlye begotten sonne of God is called our Lord not only because he is Lorde of al● thinges in asmuche as he is Go● and hath all thinges in subiection vnto hym by the ryght of his di●uine nature but also because h● is the Lord ruler gouernour of all the elect and chosen people of God myghtely deliuereth them from the power violence and tiranny of Satan sinne and death by this meanes making them his owne and peculier people continually defendeth and preserueth them against all euils and perils wherunto they should dayly fall thorow the deceitfull suttelties of Satan the vaine perswasions of the world the poysonfull entisements of the flesh if by the mighty power of him they wer not preserued For althogh there be many lords yet haue we but one lord euē Iesus Christ by whō ar althings we by him And this Iesꝰ Christ y e only begottē son of god I faithfully beleue to be my lord my protector my mighty shield bukler defender and y t he hath deliuered me frō the tirany of Satā from y e law of sin and death and brough● me in thorowe faithe vnto this grace wherin I stād and reioys● in hope of the glory of God Moreouer I vnfainedly beleue with my heart frely confesse w t my mouth that this Iesus Christ the only begotten sonne of God is also very true and naturall man of the same flesh bloud with vs and like vnto vs in all poyntes sinne alone except And he became man not after the maner of other men but by the wonderful operation and aboue natural working of Gods naturall spirite For he was conceiued of the holy ghost borne of the Uirgin Mary That which was conceiued in her was not of man but it came of the holy ghost For y e holy ghost came vpō that godly maid and the power of the hiest ouershadowed her so conceiued she and brought forth Christ her true natural sonne a pure and vndefiled Uirgin before the birth in the birth after the birth It was necessary that Iesus Christ shuld be so both conceiued and borne that by this his pure and cleane birth he myght washe and put away the corruption and filthinesse of our nature which was distained in the fall ●inne of Adam For it was not cō●enient that he which was come ●o purge the world from all sinne ●huld in any point be spotted with ●iune

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

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

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

whot burning yron cromes some racked some drowned some cruelly murthered in prysons c. Who is hable to declare the moste bitter paines greuous torments which they gladly suffred on their bodies for the glory of God and the fruition of his Maiestie If ye consider these thinges wel you shall easly finde y t the paines which you now suffer are nothing to be compared vnto the most bitter and intollerable tormentes whiche the men of God suffred And not withstanding if you abide these light paines ioyfully paciently thankefully you shall moste certainly enioy and possesse that heauenly kyngdome whiche they haue already obtained Faynte not therfore good neyghbor Epaphroditus but abide the good pleasure of God his blessed workyng so shall he without fail bring all thing to suche passe as shalbe most vnto his glory and vnto your comfort Epa. Death taketh me away from my gorgious and pleasaunt houses and from al the tēporal things that I haue Phi. In this world we all are but straungers Pilgrims we haue here no dwelling City but loke for an other that is to come The houses that you leue behinde you here be they neuer so gorgious pleasaunt are but earthy made of clay and wether beaten stones shall in proces of time decay returne vnto dust become thinges of nought But after your departure frō this vale of wretchednes you shall haue a building of God an habitatiō not made with handes but euerlasting in heauen You shall dwell in a city that is of pure gold like vnto clear glas and the foundations of the wals of this city are garnished withall manner of precious stones the gates are of fine pearle Yea the streates of this heauenly city are pure gold It hath no nede of the sunne nether of the Mone to lighten it for y e brightnes of God doth lightē and the lambe is the light of it And as touching your other tēporall things frō the whiche as you saye death taketh you away you haue no cause to be sory for y t. For as concerning your galant aparel whiche if they be not worne wil sone be motheaten if they be worn they wil shortly fal to rags in y e steade of them you being once placed in the heauenly city shalbe clothed of God with white garments which shal neuer wax old but alwaies abide glorious incorruptible You shall also haue a golden crown vpon your head you shall sit with Christ vpon his seat And in the stead of your deinty fare which how vile it is after the digestion you knowe ye shall eat in the kingdom of God Manna y t is hid yea ye shall eat of the tre of life which is in the mids of the Paradise of God And this meat shal abide for euer most pleasaunt and vncorruptible As touching your gold siluer suche other worldly treasures wherwith God blessed you in this worlde for a season neuer remember thē any more but bid them farewell For what other thyng are they seme they neuer so precious pleasaunt goodly then red white earth hereafter shall returne vnto vile dust In the stead of them God in his kingdō shal geue you such treasures as neuer man with mortall eies saw y e like You also shal haue such ioyes plesurs as nether eie hath sene the like nor ear hard the like nether is any man able to cōceiue them in his heart so great are the treasures so infinite are the pleasures which God hath prepared for thē that loue him Who wil not be glad to change lead for siluer copper for gold corruptible earthly things for immortall heauenly treasures Here se you that you lose nothing by death but get very muche so y t you may now saye with the holy Apostle Christ is to me life and death is to me auauntage Epa. Death taketh me away from my deare frēdes in whose company I greatly delight Phi. In worldly frēdship ther is no certaintie nor assurāce He which this day is a frend is tomorow an enemy This is proued true among men almost by dayly experiēce Ther are diuers kinds of frendes as the wyse man teacheth Some be frendes but for a time such will not abide in y t daye of trouble Some be frendes for the table sake and when a man falleth into pouertie they continue not Some be frendes only in countenaunce and in heart hate most extremely Some be earnest and harty frendes whiche will abide by man whē fortune is moste froward But of these there are very few And they which now such be may sodenly thorowe some occasion be made a mans vtter enemy Therfore saith Dauid put not your confidence in Princes nor in the children of men in whom ther is no health Also the Prophet Cursed be he that trusteth in mā and maketh flesh his strength Ye ●e in the Gospel that they whiche ●o dearly loued Christ that they would haue made hym a kynge shortly after for no occasion fell away from him followed him no more Again those people whiche very ioyfully receiued Christ whē he came ryding into Hierusalem cut down bowes strowed them in the wayes yea and spread theyr garmentes in the waies and cried with a loud voyce sayinge Good lucke vnto the sonne of Dauid Blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lorde within few● dais after cried with a stout voic● and said To the crosse with him to the crosse with him If y e lettes● him go thou art not Cesars frend if he were not a noughty pack w● would neuer haue deliuered hym vnto thee Behold the frendship o● this worlde Nether let any man promise him self better thinges o● his now most dear frend Men a● vain liers fliting and vnstable But when you come into the kingdom of God you shall haue suche frendes as shall for euer continue faithfull louing and cōstant God the father God the sonne God the holy ghost shalbe your frends which do neuer chāge but always abide one All the glorious angels blessed spirits of heauen shall be your frendes also Who will not gladly change vncertaine frendes for such as are moste certain most faithfull Haue you now lost any thyng by departing from worldly vnto heauenly frendes Ep. But I shal neuer more se thē nor haue y e cōpany of thē y t we may reioyce be glad againe together Phi. If your frendes liue in the feare of God depart in the christē faith they may be sure to come thither wher you shalbe euē vnto y e glorious kingdō of God wher you shal both see them know them talcke with them and be much more mery with thē than euer you were in this world Chr. Many doubt of that ph Why so Shall y e knowledge of Gods electe and chosen people be lesse in

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

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

Though an host of men were laid against me yet shall not my heart be afraide And though ther rose vp war against me yet wil I put my trust in him If ether Abrahā Isaac Iacob or any other saintes of the olde testamēt had doubted of the promises whiche God made vnto them so had they neuer found fauour at y e maiestie of god nor obteined those thinges which God had promised them For without faith it is impossible to please God He y t doubteth of the promises of God shall obtain no good thing at the hand of God To what end ar we so often in the holy scripture exhorted to beleue God and his promises if it were lawfull for vs to doub● of them If to beleue and to doub● be one thing why is euerlasting saluation promised to the one and eternall dampnation to thother Whosoeuer therfore wilbe saued let him cast away al vnbelief and doubtfulnes and with tothe and ●ayle as they vse to say clene to y e promises of God nothing doubting but according as God hath promised so shall it chaunce vnto him If we doo repent and beleue his worde God hath promised vs for christes sake to fauour vs to forgeue vs all our sinnes and to bring vs vnto euerlasting life let vs not therfore doubt of this his promise but with strong and vnshaken faith beleue it and looke for boldly that is promised so we may be sure to haue the grace and ●auour of God to haue remission and forgeuenesse of oure synnes ●nd finally to haue euerlasting ●ife Let vs therfore approch with ●oldnes and not with doubting ●nd wauering vnto the throne of Gods Maiestie as thapostle warneth that we may obtaine mercy and finde grace to helpe in y e tyme of nede Chri. If a man after the Papistes shuld doubt of the grace and fauour of God toward him with what conscience could he be bold to say the Lordes praier to desire the forgeuenes of his trespasses Or how could he say with a true faith I beleue the forgeuenes of sinnes and euerlasting life To beleue is it to doubt of the promises of God or rather to be thorowly perswaded of the promises of God that as God hath promysed so shal it vndoubtedly chaunce vnto vs. Euse. When a man beleueth the gospel he is certaine of y e remission of his sinnes he is certen of the fauour and good will o● God and he is certaine also of euerlasting life And he that lettet● go this faith and falleth to doub●ting he shall neuer enioy thaforesaid benefites but be cast into euerlasting dampnatiō The. This considred the holy Apostle rightwel when he without any doubting being throughly perswaded and assured of Gods good will toward him set forth in his holye promises saide on this maner I know am sure that he in whom I haue put my trust is hable to kepe that which I haue committed to his keping against that dai Againe I haue fought a good fight I haue fulfilled my course I haue kept the fayth From hēceforthe there is layde vp for me a ●rowne of righteousnes which y e Lord that is a righteous iudge ●hall geue at that daye not to me only but vnto all them also y e loue ●is comming Phile. When that Dauid saide these wordes I be●eue verely to see the pleasures of the Lord in the land of the liuing ▪ doubted he of the enheritaunce of the heauenly kingdom or was he rather thorowlye perswaded by stronge faithe in the promises of god y e he shuld without all doubt raigne with God in glory If the godly Apostle S. Paule had not bene sure of the fauor of God and of a better life after this would● he haue wyshed to bee deliuered from this worlde and to be with Christ With what coūtenaunc● durst the blessed martir S. Stephen haue commended his spirit● vnto Christe if he had not ben● perswaded of gods fauor towar● him and of the ioyful enheritanc● of the euerlasting kingdom An● so likewise of al the other saincts The spirit of God certifieth our spirit saith the Apostle that w● are the sonnes of God If we be sonnes then are we also heyres I meane of God fellowe heyres with Christ. Hereto agreeth the saying of S. Iohn Dearely beloued nowe are we the sonnes of God and yet it doth not appeare what we shalbe But we knowe that when it shall appeare we shall be like him For we shall see him as he is Againe We knowe that we are translated and caried from death vnto life Here you se that the holy scriptures teache vs to be certaine of our saluation throughe fayth in Christes bloud and not to be doutfull of it as the Papistes trifle Away therfore without al doutfulnes and lay hand by strong faith on the promises of God lokynge w t assured hope for all those heauenlye and blessed thynges that God hath promysed vs in his holy worde So maye we be sure to receiue according to our fayth Epa. Without wauering or doubting I faithfully beleue and am assuredly perswaded that God y e father is a mercifull father vnto me that he hath forgeuen me all my sinnes receiued me into his fauor and made me heir of his euerlasting glory And all this hath he done vnto me not for my merites deserts which are vtterly none but for Christes sake in whom I beleue whome also I confesse to be my alone sauiour redeamer Ph. Neighbor Epaphroditus you thus beleuing cannot pearishe Therfore be on good comfort quiet your conscience and sattle your minde For it is written He that beleueth on y e sonne of God hath euerlasting life Epa. Brother Philemon I thanke you and my other neighbours here for the great cōfort whiche I haue receiued by this your godly communication I fele my selfe nowe in muche better case then I was when you came first vnto me I fele muche quietnes and ease in my conscience The Lord hath driuen away mine enemies and geuen me rest in my mynde If I had not had your company God knoweth to what poynt my ghostly enemy the deuil would haue brought me But I praise God for you For by your godly and christē talke God hath wrought in me a good and glad wil to die I haue in my hart bidden the world and all worldly thinges adue My mind is all together fixed on the lord my God and on the ioyes whiche he hath prepared in his glorious kingdom for all them that loue him I fele such inward ioy in my heart and such a feruent desire to see y e Lord my God face to face y t the paines which I now suffer on my body although they be very greuous in dede seme litle or nothyng to disquiet me For I am fully perswaded that the afflictiōs of this life are not worthy of the glory which shall bee shewed vppon vs Againe that though the

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

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.

Christe saithe Blessed are they that mourn for they shal be comforted In the holy scriptures God doth very often call vs vnto repentaunce but he appoynteth not ether this or y e time day hour but he willeth vs to repent and promiseth that whensoeuer we returne vnto him we shall bee safe and escape from death vnto life Our sauiour Christ also biddeth al that are diseased come vnto him and promiseth that he wil ease thē but he assigneth no time but at all houres he promyseth grace mercy fauour help and cō●ort Christ is a sauior for al ages refuseth no cōuersion although neuer so late If we come in childhode in yougth in middle age or in olde age whensoeuer we come we shall be receiued Only let vs come It is better late then neuer God is a like merciful in al ages Christ is a sauiour able inough to saue at all tymes He ceaseth not to be called Iesus that is to say a sauiour niether ceaseth he at any time to saue as y e Apostle saith Iesus Christ yesterday to daye and the same continueth for euer If Christ were appoynted of God the father a sauioure for certaine times not for all times so shuld he be no perfect sauiour If he could not as effectually saue at the hour of death as at the hour of the birth he were vnworthy y e name of a sauiour But he abideth a sauiour for all ages and for all kind of people so that they vnfainedly repent beleue and turn Set before your eyes the parable whiche we read in the gospel of them that were hired to worke in the vineyard Some came early in y e morning some about the third hour some about the .vi. and .ix. houre and some about the .xi. hour And when night once came that they shuld receiue their wages all had like reward Whē they that came first saw that they that came laste wrought but one houre were equal vnto thē whiche had borne y e burthen and heat of the day receiued like reward one of thē murmured grudged at y e matter but it was answered Frend I do the no wrong Take that is thine and go thy way I will geue vnto this last euen as vnto thee Is it not lawful for me to doo as me listeth with mine owne goodes Thus se you that they whiche came at the latter end of y e day wrought in the vinyard but an hour were not refused but receiued the lyke reward with thē that came first Only let vs be labourers and no loiterers only let vs come into the Lordes vineyarde and not runne away backward and at whatsoeuer hour we come we shalbe welcome receiue our reward with the first Againe the history of the thief that hanged on the right-hand of Christ whiche thief was full of wicked dedes neuer turned vnto God vntil the very hour of his death declareth manifestly that there is no conuersion in this life to late if it bee accompanied with true repentaunce and vnfained faith The thiefe hangyng on the crosse at the poynt of death only said vnto Christ Lord remēber me when thou commest into thy kingdom And Christ wel accepting his conuersion saide vnto him Truly I saye vnto thee this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Who will now dispaire of the good wil and fauourable mercy of God seing that this thief cōuerting at the very last houre of his death was not of Christ reiected but receiued made a fellowe citizin with Christ of ioyfull Paradise Epa. But I haue many times greuously offended the Lord my God and broken his holy cōmaundementes Phile. This is no let vnto your saluation so that your conuersion be vnfained The righteous man sinneth .vii. times in the day Who liueth sinneth not All go astray There is none good but God alone All our righteousnesses ar as a cloth polluted with mēstrue If God shuld deale with the moste holy and most per●ect accordinge to their desertes they should find nothing in them selues but worthy dampnation ▪ Dauid with other very many of the old Testament oftentimes sinned and offended God with theyr wicked actes yet forasmuche as they repented and vnfainedly turned vnto God they were receiued into fauour and saued The Disciples of Christ Peter and his felowes were sinners also and many tymes did that whiche is not righteous in the sight of God yet they be wayling their miseries truly returning vnto God were admitted into the nūber of gods elect God is that Lord which forgeueth not only one talent but the whole debt of .x. M. talentes if we come truly vnto hym knowledge our beggary yea our nothing If God would y t we should forgeue one an other so oft as we offend doubtles God wil also forgeue vs whansoeuer we offend if we vnfainedly turn vnto him be our sinnes neuer so many and greuous Mary Magdalē sinned ful oft yet was she forgeuen as it is written of her Many sinnes are forgeuen her because she hath loued much The Publican was w t out doubt a very greuous sinner and had many times broken the cōmaundemēts of god yet so sone as he humbled him self before the throne of gods maiestie apealed vnto his mercy he was receiued ●nto fauor pronoūced of christes ●wn mouth more righteous then ●he Pharisy for all his glistring workes outward holines of life ●ing Manasses in his praier con●essed vnto God that he had syn●ed aboue the nomber of y e sandes ●f the sea and that his iniquities ●ere innumerable yet after he returned vnto the Lord they were all forgeuen and he receiued into fauour If there be not dayly remission of daily synnes at the hād of God for Christes sake why are we commaunded daily to pray for the forgeuenes of our sinnes If the fauour of God be promised at all houres to suche as vnfainedly turne vnto their Lorde God and seke him in singlenes of heart thē followeth it that sin we neuer so oft and neuer so greuously yet if harty repentaunce come there is hope of remissiō of sinnes through the bloud of Christ. If Christ bee an euerlasting Bishop than is he able at all tymes to saue euen at the full those whiche come vnto God through hym If Christ go forth to be called Iesus that is to saye a sauiour then ceaseth he not to saue sinners If Christ be our intercessour mediatour and aduocate vnto God the father euen vnto the worldes ende then may we be sure thorow him to haue remission and forgeuenes of all oure sinnes euē vnto thend of y e world yea that at all times sinne we neuer so oft greuously if we repent beleue and amend Therfore though you haue many times greuously offended y e Lord your God and broken his holy commaundementes yet despair