Lands and life then farewell Suit farewell Lands farewell Children farewell Friends yea and farewell Life too and in respect of the true honour of the everliving God farewell all At the place of her Execution she exhorted all women to be strong and constant for said she ye were redeemed with as dear a price as men for although ye were made of the rib of the man yet be you all of his flesh so that also in the case and trial of your faith towards God ye ought to be as strong Mr. Ward calleth her Iulitta and records her Speech thus We women received not onely flesh from men but are bone of their bone and therefore ought to be as strong in Christs Cause Mr. Fox out of Basil tells the Story thus That when the Judge passed Sentence against Iulitta she said Farewell riches and welcome poverty farewell life and welcome death All that I have if it were a thousand times more would I rather lose then speak one wicked and blasphemous word against God my Creatour I yield thee most hearty thanks O my God for this grace that I can contemn and despise this frail and transitory world esteeming Christian Profession above all treasures Afterwards when any Question was demanded her Answer was I am the Servant of Jesus Christ. At the Stake she said to the women beholding her Stick not O Sisters to labour and travel after true pieâ—y and godliness Cease to accuse the frailty of feminine Nature What are not we created of the same matter that men are yea after Gods Image and Similitude are we made as lively as they Not flesh onely did God use in the Creation of the woman in sign and token of her infirmity and weakness but bone of bones is she in token that she must be strong in the true and living God all falshoods forsaken constant in faith all infidelity renounced patient in adversity all worldly ease refused Wax weary my dear Sisters of your lives led in darkness and be in love with my Christ my God my Redeemer my Comforter which is the true light of the world Perswade your selves or rather the Spirit of the living God perswade you that there is a world to come wherein the Worshippers of Idols and Devils shall be tormented perpetually and the Servants of the High God be crowned eternally Iusberg Brethren said Iustus Iusberg you see that my end approacheth which howsoever I fear as a man burdened with the body of sin yet am I resolved as a Christian joyfully to endure it being assured that all my sins are fastened to the Cross of Christ. Iuventius Chrysostome in an Oration on Iuventius and Maximus two Martyrs brings in this objection of the Persecutours against them Do not you see others of your rank do thus and them answering thus for this very reason we will manfully stand and offer our selves as a sacrifice for the breach that they have made K. Kennedy Alexander Kennedy who passed not eighteen years of age when he was presented before his bloody Butcherers at first was faint and gladly would have recanted but while the place of repentance was denied him the Spirit of God wrought in him and with a chearful countenance and a joyful voice upon his knees he said O eternal God how wonderful is that love and mercy that thou bearest unto mankind and unto me the most Caitiffe and miserable wretch above all others for even now when I would have denied thee and thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ my onely Saviour and so have cast my self into everlasting dammation Thou by thy own hand hast pulled me from the very bottom of hell and made me to feel that heavenly comfort which takes from me that ungodly fear wherewith before I was oppressed Now I defie death do what you please I praise my God I am ready Kerby Mr. Wingfield telling him the fire is hot the terrour is great the pain extreme life sweet Better it were betime to stick to mercy while there is hope of life then rashly to begin and then to sâ—rink He said Ah Mr. Wingfield be at my burning and you shall say there standeth a Christian Souldier in the fire for I know that fire water sword and all other things are in the hands of God and he will suffer no more to be laid upon us then he will enable us to bear When Sentence was past against him he with most humble reverence holding up his hands and bowing himself devoutly said Praised be Almighty God Kilian To such as asked Kilian a Dutch School-Master if he loved not his Wife and Children He answered Yes if all the world were gold and were mine to dispose of I would give it all to live with them though it were but in Prison yet is my soul and my Lord Christ dearer to me then all things whatsoever Knight When Stephen Knight was at the Stake he prayed O Lord Jesus Christ for whose love I leave willingly this life and desire rather the bitter death of thy Cross with the loss of all earthly things then to abide the blasphemy of thy most holy Name or to obey men in breaking thy holy Commandement Thou seest O Lord that where I might live in worldly wealth to worship a false god and honour thine enemy I chuse rather the torment of the body and the loss of this life and have counted all things but vile dust and dung that I might win thee which death is dearer unto me then thousands of gold and silver Such love O Lord hast thou laid up in my breast that I hunger for thee as the Deer that is wounded desireth the soil Send thy holy Comforter O Lord to aid comfort and strengthen this weak piece of earth which is empty of all strength of it self Thou remembrest O Lord that I am but dust and able to do nothing that is good Therefore O Lord as of thine accustomed goodness and love thou hast bidden me to this banket and accounted me worthy to drink of thine own Cup amongst thine Elect even so give me strength O Lord against this thine Element which as to my sight it is most irksome and terrible so to my mind it may at thy Commandement as an obedient Servant be sweet and pleasant that through the strength of thy holy Spirit I may pass through the rage of this fire into thy bosome according to thy promise and for this mortal receive an immortal and for this corruption put on incorruption Accept this burnt-sacrifice and offering O Lord not for the sacrifice but for thy Dear Sons sake my Saviour for whose Testimony â— offer this free-will-offering with all my heart and with all my soul. O Heavenly Father forgive me my sins as I forgive all the world O sweet Son of God my Saviour spread thy wings over me O blessed and holy Ghost through whose merciful inspiration I am come hither conduct me into everlasting life Lord
Sanctification and Redemption 1 Cor. 1. Who was made sin for us i. e. a Sacrifice for sin that we through him should be made the righteousness of God 2 Cor. 5. Who became accursed for us to redeem us from the curse of the Law Gal. 2. I taught that all men should first acknowledge their sins and condemn them afterward hunger and thirst for that righteousness which is by faith in Christ c. Rom. 3. And forasmuch as this hunger and thirst was wont to be quenched with the fulness of mans righteousness Therefore oftentimes have I spoken of those works exhorting all men not so to cleave to them as they being satisfied therewith should loath or wax weary of Christ. For those things I have been cryed out of attached and now cast into prison His abjuration cost him dear it brought him even to despair his Friends were fain to be with him night and day Bishop Latimer saith That he thought all the Word of God was against him and sounded his condemnation To bring any comfortable Scripture to him was as though a man should run him through with a sword The day before his Execution some Friends finding him eating heartily with much cheerfulness and a quiet mind they said They were glad to see him at that time so heartily to refresh himself O said he I imitate those who having a ruinous house to dwell in yet bestow cost as long as they may to hold it up In Prison he divers times proved the fire by putting his finger near to the candle at the first touch of the candle his flesh resisting and he withdrawing his finger did after chide his flesh in these words Quid uniuâ— mâ—mlri inustionem ferre nâ—n potes quo pacto cras totius corporis conflâ— grationem tolerabis What said he canst thou not bear the burning of one member and how wilt thou endure to morrow the burning of thy whole body I feel and have known it long by Philosophy that fire is hot yet I know some recorded in Gods Word even in the flame felt no heat and I believe that though my body will be wasted by it my soul shall be purged thereby At the same time he most comfortably treated among his Friends of Isa. 43.1 2 3. But now thus saith the Lord that created thee O Jacob and he that formed thee O Israel Fear not for I have redeemed thee I have called thee by thy Name Thou art mine when thou passest through the waters I will be with thee and through the rivers they shall not overflow thee when thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burnt for I am the Lord thy God the Holy one of Israel thy Saviour The comfort whereof never left some of his Friends to their dying day The next morning the Officers fetching him to Execution a certain Friend entreated him to be constant and to take his death patiently Bilney answered I am sailing with the Mariner through a boisterous sea but shortly shall be in the Haven c. Help me with your Prayers Bland Mr. Iohn Bland a Kentish Minister in his Prayer at the stake Lord Jesus for thy love I do willingly leave this life and desire rather the bitter death of thy Cross with the loss of all earthly things then to abide the blasphemy of thy Holy Name or else to obey man in the breaking of thy Command This death is more dear unto me then thousands of gold and silver Such love O Lord hast thou laid up in my breast that I hunger for thee as the Deer wounded desireth the soyl Blehere Levine Blehere said to his Friends offering to rescue him by tumult Hinder not the Magistrates work nor my happiness Father thou foresawest the sacrifice from eternity now accept of it I pray thee Bongeor Agnes Bongeor having prepared her self to go with her Fellow-martyrs to the stake putting on a Smock made for that purpose and sending away her sucking infant to a Nurse through a mistake of her Name in the Writ Bowyer being put for Bongeor was kept back Hereupon she made piteous moan wept bitterly c. Because she went not with them to give her life in defence of her Christ of all things in the world life was least looked for by her In this perplexity a Friend came to her and put her in mind of Abraham's offering up Isâ—ac I know quoth she that Abraham's will before God was accepted for the deed in that he would have done it if the Angel of the Lord had not stay'd him but I am unhappy the Lord thinks not me worthy of this dignity and yet I would have gone with my company with all my heart and because I did it not it is now my chief and greatest grief She was grieved because she had not offered her self though she had given away her child which was more then Abraham was put to Bossu Francis le Bossu a French Martyr to encourage his children to suffer martyrdome with himself he thus spake unto them Children we are not now to learn that it hath alwayes been the portion of Believers to be hated cruelly used and devoured by Unbelievers as sheep of ravening wolves if we suffer with Christ we shall also reign with him Let not these drawn swords terrifie us they will be but as a Bridge whereby we shall pass over out of a miserable life into immortal blessedness We have breathed and lived long enough among the wicked let us now go and live with our God He and his two Sons were killed embracing each other in the Massacre at Lyons in France 1572. Bradford Mr. Iohn Bradford the night before he was carried to Newgate he dreamt that Chains were brought for him to the Counter and that the day following he should be carried to Newgate and that the next day he should be burnt in Smithfield which accordingly came to pass Being askt what he should do and whither he would go if he should have his liberty he said He cared not whether he went out or no but if he did he would marry and abide still in England secretly teaching the people as the time would suffer him When the Keepers Wife told him the sad News as she called it of the nearness of his death being to be burned the next day he put off his Cap and lifting up his eyes to Heaven said I thank God for it I have looked for the same a long time and therefore it cometh not now to me suddenly but as a thing waited for every day and hour the Lord make me worthy thereof Creswâ—ll offering to labour for him and desiring to know what suit he should make for him What you will do said he do it not at my request for I desire nothing at your hands If the Queen will give me life I will thank her if she will banish me I will thank her if she will burn me I will thank her
am called to this Place and Vocation I am throughly perswaded to tarry and to live and die with my sheep When he was imprisoned in the Fleet he writes thus I am so hardly used that I see no remedy saving Gods help but I shall be cast away in Prison before I come to Judgement But I commit my just cause to God whose will be done whether it be by life or death Winchester exhorting him to the unity of the Catholick Church and to acknowledge the Popes Holiness to be Head of the same Church promising him the Queens mercy he answered That forasmuch as the Pope taught Doctrine altogether contrary to the Doctrine of Christ he was not worthy to be accounted a Member of Christs Church much less to be Head thereof wherefore he would in no wise condescend to any such usurped Jurisdiction neither esteemed he the Church whereof they called him Head to be the Catholick Church of Christ for the Church of Christ onely heareth the voice of her Spouse Christ and flieth the strangers Howbeit said he if in any point to me unknown I have offended the Queens Majesty I shall humbly submit my self to her mercy if mercy may be had with safety of conscience and without the displeasure of God Come Brother said he to Mr. Rogers who was sent with him to the Counter in Southwark must we two take this matter first in hand and begin to fire these Fagots Yea Sir said Mr. Rogers by Gods grace Doubt not said Mr. Hooper but God will give strength The Sheriffe telling Mr. Hooper he wondred that he was so hasty and quick with the Lord Chancellor he answered Mr. Sheriffe I was nothing at all impatient although I was earnest in my Masters Cause and it standeth me so in hand for it goeth upon life and death not the life and death of this world onely but also of the world to come In his Letter for the stopping of certain false rumours spread abroad concerning his Recantation by the Bishops and their Servants The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all them that unfeignedly look for the coming of our Saviour Christ. Amen Dear Brethren and Sisters in the Lord and my Fellow-Prisoners for the Cause of Gods Gospel I do much rejoyce and give thanks unto God for your constancy and perseverance in affliction unto whom I wish continuance to the end And as I do rejoyce in your faith and constancy in afflictions that be in Prison even so I do mourn and lament to hear of our dear Brethren that yet have not felt such dangers for Gods Truth as we have and do feel and be daily like to suffer more yea the very extream and vile death of the fire yet such is the report abroad as I am credibly informed that I Iohn Hooper a condemned man for the Cause of Christ should now after sentence of death being in Newgate Prisoner and looking daily for Execution recant and abjuâ—e that which heretofore I have preached and this talk ariseth of this That the Bishop of London and his Chaplains resort unto me Doubtless if our Brethren were as Godly as I could wish them they would think that in case I did refuse to talk with them they might have just occasion to say that I were unlearned and durst not speak with learned men or else proud and disdained to speak with them But I fear not their Arguments neither is death terrible to me I am more confirmed in the truth which I have preached heretofore by their coming Therefore ye that may send to the weak Brethren pray them that they trouble me not with such reports of Recantations as they do for I have hitherto left all things of the world and suffered great pains and imprisonment and I thank God I am as ready to suffer death as a mortal man may be It were better for them to pray for us then to credit or report such rumours that be untrue We have enemies enough of such as know not God truly but yet the false report of weak Brethren is a double cross I wish your eternal salvation in Jesus Christ and also require your continual Prayers that he which hath begun in us may continue it to the end I have taught the truth with my tongue and with pen heretofore and hereafter shortly will confirm the same by Gods grace with my blood Newgate Feb. 2. 1554. Your Brother in Christ J. H. When the Keeper told him he should be sent to Glocester to be burned he rejoyced very much lifting up his eyes and hands to Heaven he praised God that he saw it good to send him among the people over whom he was Pastor there to confirm with his death the truth which he had before taught them not doubting but the Lord would give him strength to perform the same to his glory Sir Anthony Kingston formerly his Friend then a Commissioner to see Execution done upon him coming to him a little before his death bid him consider that life was sweet death was bitter c. It is true said Mr. Hooper I am come hither to end this life and to suffer death here because I will not gainsay the former truth which I have heretofore taught among you True it is that daath is bitter and life is sweet but alas consider that the death to come is more bitter and the life to come is more sweet therefore for the desire and love I have to the one and the terrour and fear of the other I do not so much regard this death nor esteem this life but have settled my self through the strength of Gods holy Spirit patiently to pass through the torments and extremities of the fire now prepared for me rather then to deny the truth of his Word desiring you and others in the mean time to commend me to Gods mercy in your Prayers I thank God said the Knight that ever I knew you for God did appoint you to call me being a lost child and by your good instructions where before I was both an Adulterer and Fornicator God hath brought me to the forsaking and detesting of the same If you had the grace so to do said the Bishop I do highly praise God for it and if you have not I pray God you may have and that you may continually live in his fear The Knight and the Bishop parting with tears the Bishop told the Knight that all the troubles he had sustained in Prison had not caused him to utter so much sorrow A Papist telling him he was sorry to see him in that case Be sorry for thy self man said he and lament thine own wickedness for I am well I thank God and death to me for Christs sake is welcome When he was committed to the Sheriffe of Glâ—cester the Mayor and Aldermen at first saluted him and took him by the hand Mr. Mayor said Mr. Hooper I give most hearty thanks to you and to the rest of
testifie before Gods enemies Gods Truth May 6. 1554. Yours and with you unto death in Christ J. H. In his Letter to his Wife As the Devil hath entred into their hearts that they themselves cannot or will not come to Christ to be instructed by his holy Word so can they not abide any others to become Christians and lead their lives after the Word of God but hate persecute rob imprison and kill them whether male or female though they have never offended Gods or Mans Law yea though they daily pray for them and wish them Gods grace having no respect to nature The Brother persecuteth the Brother the Father the Son and most dear Friends are become most mortal Enemies And no marvel for they have chosen sundry Masters the one the Devil the other God The one agree with the other as God and the Devil agree between themselves As he that was born after the flesh persecuted in times pâ—st him that was born after the Spirit even so it is now Therefore forasmuch as we live in this life amongst so many great perils and dangers the onely remedy is what Christ hath appointed Ye shall possess your selves in patience When troubles come we must be patient and in no case violently nor seditiously to resist our persecutors because God hath such care of us that he will keep in the midst of all troubles the very hairs of our heads c. And seeing he hath such care of the hairs of our heads how much more doth he care for our life it self Their cruelty hath no farther power then God permitteth and that which cometh unto us by the will of our heavenly Father can be no harm loss destruction to us but rather gain wealth and felicity That the spirit of man may feel these consolations the giver of them the heavenly Father must be prayed unto for the merits of Christs Passion for it is not the nature of man that can be contented until it be regenerated and possessed with Gods Spirit to bear patiently the troubles of mind or body When the mind of man sees troubles on every side threatning poverty yea death except the man weigh these brittle and uncertain treasures that be taken from him with the riches of the life to come and this life of the body with the life in Christs blood and so for the love and certainty of the heavenly joyes contemn all things present doubtless he shall never be able to bear the loss of goods and life The Christian mans faith must be alwayes upon the resurrection of Christ when he is in trouble and in that glorious resurrection he shall see continual joy yea victory and triumph over all persecution trouble sin death hell the Devil and all other persecutors the tears and weepings of the faithful dried up their wounds healed their bodies made immortal in joy their souls for ever praising the Lord in conjuction and society everlasting with the blessed company of Gods Elect in perpetual joy If ye le risen with Christ seek the things which are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God the Father When he biddeth us seek the things that are above he requireth that our minds never cease from prayer and study in Gods Word until we see know and understand the vanities of this world the shortness and misery of this life and the treasures of the world to come the immortality thereof the joyes of that life and so never cease seeking until such time as we know certainly and be perswaded what a blessed man he is that seeketh the one and findeth it and careth not for the other though he lose it and in seeking to have right judgement between the life present and the life to come we shall find how little the pains imprisonment slanders lies and death it self is in the world in respect of pains everlasting the Prison infernal and Dungeon of Hell the Sentence of Gods Judgement and everlasting Death When a man hath by seeking the Word of God found out what the things above be then must he set his affections upon them And this Command is more hard then the other for for mans knowledge many times sees the best men know that there is a life to come better then this present c. Yet they set not their affection upon it they do more affect and love indeed a trifle of nothing in this world that pleaseth their affection then the treasure of all treasures in Heaven We must set our affections on things above i. e. when any thing worse then Heaven offereth it self to be ours if we will give our good wills to it and love it in our hearts then ought we to see by the judgement of Gods Word whether we may have it without Gods displeasure if we cannot if the riches of this world may not be gotten nor kept by Gods Law neither our lives continued without the denial of his honour we must set our affections upon the riches and life that is above and not upon things that be upon the earth This second Command requires that as our mind judgeth Heavenly things to be better then Earthly and the life to come better then the present life so we should chuse them before other and prefer them c. These things be easie to be spoken of but not so easie to be used and practised Read Psa. 88. wherein is contained the prayer of a man that being vexed with Adversaries and persecutions saw nothing but death and hell apprehending not onely man but God angry with him yet he by Prayer humbly resorted unto God and put the hope of his salvation in him whom he felt his enemy In this Command possess your lives by your patience God requires every one to be patient he saith not It is sufficient that other holy Patriarchs Prophets Apostles Evangelists and Martyrs continued their lives in patient suffering the troubles of this world but Christ saith it to every one of his people By your patience continue you your life not that man hath patience in himself but that he must have it for himself of God the onely Giver of it if he purpose to be a godly man Besides as our Profession and Religion requireth patience outwardly without resistance and force so requireth it patience of the mind and not to be angry with God although he use us that be his own creatures as him listeth We may not murmure against God but say alwayes his Judgements be right and just and rejoyce that it pleaseth him to use us as he used heretofore such as he most loved in this world Have a singular care to this command be glad and rejoyce c. he sheweth great cause why because your reward is great in Heaven Christ also takes from us all shame and rebuke as though it were not an honour to suffer for him because the wicked world doth curse and abhor such poor troubled Christians He placeth all
every one of the Serpents seed are guilty of all the iniquity which the whole body committeth because they are altogether against Christ Jesus and his eternal Verity every one serving Satan the Prince of this world in their rank age degree and estate The Kings and Princes that by power oppress the people of God and will not suffer that they truly worship God as he hath commanded but will retain them in Egypt are brethren and companions to Pharaoh The Prelates and Priests with their Fathers the old Pharisees have taken away the key of Knowledge and have shut up the Kingdome of Heaven before men so that neither they themselves will enter nor suffer others to enter in As Satan by craft hath corrupted the most holy Ordinances of Gods Precepts of the first Table in the place of the spiritual honouring of God introducing mens dreams inventions and fancies so hath he abusing the weakness of man corrupted the Precepts of the second Table touching the honour that is due to Parents under whom are comprehended Princes and Teachers for now the Devil hath so blinded the senses of many that they cannot or at least will not learn what appertaineth to God and what to Caesar but because the Spirit of God hath said Honour the King therefore whatsoever they command be it right or wrong must be obeyed It is blasphemy to affirm That God hath commanded any creature to be obeyed against himself that for the command of any Prince be he never so potent men shall commit Idolatry embrace a Religion which God hath not approved by his Word or confirm by their silence wicked and blasphemous Laws made against the Honour of his Majesty and men that do so are Traitors to their Princes whom by flattery they confirm in their rebelling against God God cannot lie he cannot deny himself he hath witnessed from the beginning that no Religion pleaseth him except that which he by his own Word hath commanded and established The Verity it self pronounceth this Sentence In vain do ye worship me teaching for Doctrines the Precepts of men and also all plantation which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted out Before the coming of his well-beloved Son in the flesh he secretly punished all such as durst enterprise to alter or change his Ceremonies or Statutes as in Sâ—ul Uzziah Nadab Aâ—ihu is to be read and will be now after that he hath opened his counsel to the world by his onely Son whom he commandeth to be heard and after that by holy Spirit speaking in his Apostles he hath established the Religion in which he would have his true worshippers to abide unto the end will he now I say admit mens inventions in the matter of Religion which he reputed for damnable Idolatry If men or Angels would affirm that he will or may do it his own Verity shall convince them of a lie for this Sentence he pronounceth Not that which seemeth good in thy eyes shalt thou do to the Lâ—rd thy God but that which the Lord thy God hath commanded thee that do thou adde nothing unto it diminish nothing from it which sealing up his New Testament he repeateth in these words That which ye have hoâ—d till I come c. Whilst Mr. Knox was thus occupied in Scotland Letters came to him from the English Church assembled at Geneva which was separated from the superstitious and contentious company that was at Frankford commanding him in Gods Name as he that was their chosen Pastour to repair unto them for their comfort Great desires there were to stay him in Scotland but he would not be perswaded saying Once I must see that little Flock which the wickedness of men hath compelled me to leave adding That if God blessed those small beginnings and if that they continued in godliness whensoever they pleased to command him they should find him obedient Immediately after his leaving Scotland the Bishops summoned him and for non-appearance burnt him in Effigie at the Cross in Edinburg An. 1555. from the which unjust Sentence Mr. Knox made his Appellation and directed it to the Nobility and Commons of Scotland Printed at Geneva An. 1558. In his Appellation To the Nobility and States of Scotland It is not onely the love of this temporal life Right Honourable nor the fear of corporal death that moveth me to expose unto you the injuries done against me and to crave of you redress but it proceedeth partly from the reverence every man oweth to Gods eternal Truth and partly from a love which I bear to your Salvation It hath pleased the Lord of his infinite mercy not onely to illuminate the eyes of my mind c. but to make and appoint me a Witness Minister and Preacher of his Doctrine the sum whereof I communicated to my Brethren in Scotland because I knew my self to be a Steward and must give an account c. I did therefore as Gods Minister whilst with them God is record and witness truly and sincerely according to my gift divide the word of Salvation c. I affirmed so taught by my Master Christ Jesus That whosoever denieth him yea â—r is ashamed of him before this wicked generation him shall Christ deny and of him be ashamed c. And therefore I feared not to affirm that of necessity it is that such as hope for life everlasting avoid all Superstition vain Religion and Idolatry Vain I call whatsoever is done in Gods Service or Honour without the express command of his Word Nevertheless me as an Heretick and this Doctrine as Heretical have your false Bishops and ungodly Clergy condemned pronouncing against me a Sentence of death in testification whereof they have formed a Picture from which false and cruel Sentence c. I make it known to your Honours that I appeal to a lawful and general Council c. most humbly requiring of your Honours to receive me calling unto you as to the Powers of God ordained into your Protection against the rage of Tyrants not to maintain me in any iniquity errour or false opinion but to let me have such equity as God by his Word ancient Laws and determinations of godly Councils grant to men accused or infamed It is lawfull to Gods Prophets and Preachers of Christ to appeal from the sentence and judgement of the visible Church to the knowledge of the Civil Magistrate who by Gods Law is bound to hear their causes and to defend them from Tyranny as appears in Ieremiah's case c. He was condemned by the Priests and Prophets in Ierusalem c. who then onely in earth were known to be the Visible Church from which Sentence he appealed i. e. sought help of the Princes I am in your hands c. q. d. the Princes of Iudah and Rulers of the people to whom it belongs indifferently to judge between party and party to justifie the Just man and to condemn the
they labourel with Gods Word c. Wherefore until such time as our consciences are otherwise taught and instructed by Gods Word we cannot with safeguard of our consciences take it as many suppose at this time And we trust in God that the Queens Highness and her most Honourable Council will not in a matter of Faith use compulsion or violence because Faith is the gift of God and cometh not of man or of mans Laws nor at such time as men require it but at such time as God giveth it Being asked whether he would stand to what he had said I must need stand to it said he till I be perswaded by a further truth It being replied Nay you will not be perswaded but stand to your own Opinion Nay said he I stand not to mine own Opinion God I take to witness but onely to the Scriptures of Gâ—d and I take God to witness that I do nothing of presumption but that that I do is onely my Conscience and if there be a further truth then I see except it appear a truth to me I cannot receive it as a truth And seeing Faith is the gift of God and cometh not of man for it is not you that can give me Faith nor no man else therefore I trust ye will bear the more with me seeing it must be wrought by God and when it shall please God to open a further truth to me I shall receive it with all my heart In his Confession of his Faith The Lord is the Protector of my life The just shall live by Faith and if he withdraw himself my soul shall have no pleasure in him Thus have I declared my Faith briefly which were no Faith if I were in doubt of it This Faith I desire God to increase in me Praise God for his gifts Nicaise Nicaise a Say-maker in Tournay for refusing to live according to the Customes of the Romish Church and to observe the traditions invented by her c. being condemned and having heard the sentence as he rose up he said Now praised be God As he was led to execution seeing a great multitude of people he lifted up his voice and said O ye men of Tournay open your eyes awake ye that sleep and stand up from the dead and Christ shall give ye light As he joyfully ascended up the Scaffold he said Lord they have hated me without a cause As he was fastning to the Stake he said Eternal Father have pity and compassion upon me according as thou hast promised to all that ask the same of thee in thy sons Name Noyes When Iohn Noyes was asked by his Brother in Law if he did fear death when the Bishop gave judgement against him he answered He thanked God he feared death no more at that time then himself or any other did being at liberty Being bound to the Stake he said Fear not them that can kill the body but fear him that can kill both body and soul and cast it into everlasting fire When he saw his Sister weeping and making moan for him he bade her Weep not for him but weep for her sins When a Fagot was set against him he took it and kissed it and said Blessed be the time that ever I was born to come to this He said also Good people bear witness that I do believe to be saved by the merits and passion of Jesus Christ and not by my own deeds When the fire was kindled and burned about him he said Lord have mercy upon me Christ have mercy upon me Son of David have mercy upon me In his Letter to his Wife out of Prison You desired me to send you some tokens to remember me I therefore send you these Scriptures even for a remembrance St. Peter saith Dearly beloved be not troubled with this heat that is now come among you to try you as though some strange thing had hapned unto you but rejoyce in as much as ye are partakers of Christs sufferings that when his glory appeareth ye may be merry and glad If ye be railed on for the Name of Christ happy are ye for the Spirit of glory and the Spirit of God restest on you See that none of you suffer as a Murtherer c. but if any suffer as a Christian let him not be ashamed but glorifie God in this behalf for the time is come that judgement must begin at the House of God If it first begin at us what shall the end of them be that believe not the Gospel of God Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to him in well doing St. Paul saith All that will live godly in Christ Iesus must suffer persecution St. Iohn saith See that ye love not the world nor the things of the world If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him for all that is in the world as the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world which vanisheth away and the lust thereof but he that fulfilleth the will of God abideth for ever St. Paul saith What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness what company hath light with darkness or what part hath the Believer with the Infidel c. Wherefore come out from among them and separate your selves now saith the Lord and touch no unclean thing so will I receive you and I will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my Sons and Daughters saith the Lord Almighty So farewell Wife and Children and leave worldly care and see that ye be diligent to pray Take no thought saith Christ saying what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink or wherewith shall we be clothed after all these things do the Geneiles seek for your heavenly Father knoweth that you have need of all these things but seek ye first the Kingdome of God and the righteousness thereâ—f and all these things shall be ministred to you O. Oâ—colampadius He fell sick in the year 1531. and of his age 49. about the same time that Zuinglius was unhappily slain His grief for his death much increased his sickness He foretold his own death was very desirous to enjoy the heavenly Light Sending for the Ministers of the Gospel to him he spake to them thus O my Brethren you see what is done The Lord is come he is he is now calling me away What shall I say unto you the Servants of the Lord whom the love of God your Master the same study and doctrine have most intimately united now that I am to take my leave of you Salvation hopes of Heaven Truth Light for our feet is procured by Christ for us It becomes us to cast away all sadness all fear of life and death c. My Brethren this onely remains That we who have for some time walked in the wayes of Christ continue constant
for Heaven and much too high for Earth Wouldst thou see poor frail Creatures trampling the World under their feet and with an holy scorn smiling at the threatâ— of Tyrants who are the terrors of the mighty in the Land of the Living Wouldst thou see shackled Prisoners behave themselves like Iudges and Iudges stand like Prisoners before them Wouldsâ— thou see some of the rare exploits of Faith in it highest elevation immediately before it be swallowed up in the beatifical vision To conclude Wouldsâ— thou see the heavenly Ierusalem pourtraied oâ— Earth as the earthly Ierusalem once was upon 〈◊〉 Tile Ezek. 4.1 And wouldst thou hear the melodious voices of ascending Saints in a ravishing consort ready to joyn with the heavenly Chorus 〈◊〉 their ravishing Hallelujahs Then draw near come and see If thou be a man of an heavenly Spirit here is brave and suitable entertainment for thâ— spirit And after thou hast conversed a while wit these excellent Spirits it may be thou wilt judgâ— as I do That dead Saints are sweeter Companion in some respects for thee to converse with theâ— those that are living And when thou shalt see thâ— magnificent acts of their Faith their invincible patience their flaming love to Christ their strange contempt of the World their plainness and simplicity in the profession of the Gospel and their fervent love to each other thou wilt mourn also with me to consider the scandalous and shamefull relapse of Professors from these glorious heights and to think how many degrees these Graces are gone back in the souls of Professors as the Sun upon the Dial of Ahaz The Judicious Collector hath gathered this Posie from the Martyrs Graves bound up in an excellent method and presented it to thee Here thou hast the Cream of the larger Martyrologies scum'd off the very Spirits of them extracted which is more cheap and less tiresome He intends if God permit a Second Part speedily And I assure thee he is a Person singularly qualified for the Work having both Materials and Judgement to dispose his Collections Bless God for such profitable Instruments and improve their Labours Such a Book hath been long desired many have attempted it but every one hath not that Furniture of Books and Parts for it Solomon detecting some of those artifices which the Buyer useth in Trading Prov. 20.14 detects this as one It is naught it is naught saith the Buyer i. e. he disparageth the Commodity to beat down the price but when he is gone he boâ—steth I am mistaken if thou also do not boast of thy penny-worth in this Book when thou art gone and hast well perused it that it may reach the end upon thy heart for which it is designed is the desire of thy Friend to serve thee I. F. The Books Poetical Prologue I Tell their death's who dying made Death yield By Scriptures sword and Faith's unbattered shield Their number 's numberless who ran to die Under their Saviour's Standard valiantly More Saints ten Tyrant Emperours did slay Then for a year Five thousand to each day Since Iesuâ—tes from th' infernal Lake did rise More then Eight hundred thousand lost their lives In Thirty years Bloody Duke d' Alva will'd In Six years Eighteen thousand to be kill'd In Henry's and in Mary's Bloody Reign Eight thousand have inhumanely been slain Twelve thousand and seven hundred more were Stockt Or Whipt or Wrackt or else Exil'd or Mockt I onely promise many a Swan-like Song Read them and beg of God with Heart and Tongue That as the Vine that 's cut and prun'd bears more In one year then it did in three before So may Christs Vine And may the Saints of God As Cammomile grow better being trod And may Christs Suffererâ— in like cases find The Living God as near as true as kind As these have found and learn Sin more â—o fear Then parting with what er'e they count most dear Swan-like SONGS A. Adrian ADrian's wife seeing the Coffin hooped with Iron wherein she was to be buried alive spake thus Have you provided this Pasty-crust to bake my flesh in Agnes Agnes a Roman Martyr contemning all threats of tortures was assaulted as to her chastity To the lascivious Wretch she said Thou shalt willingly bathe thy sword in my blood if thou wilt but thou shalt not defile my body with filthy lust do what thou canst Hereupon his eyes were struck out by a flame of fire like unto a flash of lightning and upon her prayer he was restored to sight again When she saw a sturdy cruel fellow to behold approaching with a naked sword in his hand I am now glad said she and rejoyce more that such an one as thou a stout fierce strong and sturdy Souldier art come then if one more feeble weak and faint-hearted should come This even this is he I now confess that I do love I will make haste to meet him and will no longer protract my longing desire Albane Albane England's Proto-Martyr delivered up himself to the Souldiers instead of Amphibolus who had converted him to Christianity after he had fled to his house for refuge and being bound was carried before the Judge who at that time was sacrificing to his Idols The Judge perceiving the fraud told Albane Forasmuch as thou hadst rather convey away the Rebel and Traytor to our gods then deliver him up to the Souldiers that he might undergo due punishment for blaspheming our gods look what torments he should have suffered if he had been taken the same shalt thou suffer if thou refuse to practise the Rites of our Religion Albane notwithstanding his threats told him plainly to his face that he would not obey his command Then said the Judge of what House and Stock art thou Albane answered It matters not of what Stock I am but if thou desirest to know my Religion be it known unto thee I am a Christian c. Then the Judge demanded his name my Parents said he named me Albane and I honour and worship the true and living God that made all things of nothing The Judge told him If he would save his life he must come and sacrifice to their gods Albane answered The sacrifice that you offer to the Devil profits you nothing but rather purchaseth for you eternal pains and Hell fire The Judge commanded him to be beheaded The Executioner observing his saith and fervent prayers fell down at his feet casting from him the sword desired rather to be executed for or with him then to do execution upon him yet afterwards another gave the fatal blow Alcock Constable Rolf Iohn Alcocks Master having bail'd his Servant said unto him I am sorry for thee for truly the Parson will seek thy destruction Sir said Alcock I am sorry I am a trouble to you as for my self I am not sorry but I do commit my self into Gods hands and I trust he will give me a mouth and wisdome to answer according to right Yet said
Rolph take heed of him he is a blood-sucker c. I fear not said Aâ—cock he shall do no more to me then God will give him leave and happy shall I be if God will call me to die for his Truths sake In his first Letter to Hadley he writes thus O my Brethren of Hadley why are ye so soon turned from them which called you into the Grace of Christ to another Doctrine Though those should come unto you that have been your true Preachers and preach another way of salvation then by Jesus Christs death and passion hold them accursed yea if it were an Angel came from Heaven and would tell you that the sacrifice of Christs body upon the Cross once for all were not sufficient for all the sins of all those that shall be saved accursed be he Why cometh this plague upon us Cometh not this upon thee because thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God Thine own wickedness shall reprove thee and thy turning away shall condemn thee that thou mayest know how evil and hurtful a thing it is that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God Algerius Pomponius Algerius whilst he was a Prisoner at Venice before he was burnt at Rome writ thus in his comfortable Letter to the Christians departed out of Babylon into Mount Sion To mitigate your sorrow which you take for me I cannot but impart unto you some portion of my joyes which I feel to the intent you may rejoyce with me I shall utter that which scarce any will believe I have found a nest of honey an honey-comb in the entrails of a Lion In the deep dark Dungeon I have found a Paradise of pleasure In the place of sorrow and death tranquility of hope and life where others do weep I do rejoyce when others do shake and tremble there I have found plenty of strength and boldness in strait bands and cold irons I have had rest Behold he that was once far from me now is present with me whom once I could scarce feel I now see most apparently whom once I saw afar off now I behold near at hand whom once I hungred for the same now approacheth and reacheth his hand unto me he doth comfort me and heapeth me up with gladness he driveth away all bitterness he ministreth strength and courage c. O how easie and sweet is the Lords yoke Learn ye well-beloved how amiable the Lord is how meek and merciful who visiteth his servants in temptations neither disdaineth he to keep company with us in such vile and stinking Caves Will the blind and incredulous world think you believe this or rather will it not say thus No thou wilt never be able to abide long the burning heat the pinching hardness of that place c. The rebukes and frowning faces of great men how wilt thou suffer Dost not thou consider thy pleasant Countrey the Riches of the World thy Kinsfolk the delicate pleasures and Honours of this life Dost thou forget the solace of thy Sciences and fruit of all thy Labours Wilt thou thus lose all thy labours which thou hast hitherto sustained Finally fearest thou not death which hangeth over thee O what a fool art thou which for one words speaking mayest salve all this and wilt not But now to answer Let this blind world hearken to this again What heat can there be more burning then that fire which is prepared for thee hereafter What things more hard and sharp and crooked then this present life which we lead What thing more odious and hateful then this world here present And let these worldly men here answer me What Countrey can we have more sweet then the Heavenly Countrey above What treasures more rich or precious then everlasting life and who be our Kinsmen but they which hear the Word of God Where be greater riches or dignities more honourable then in Heaven And as touching the Sciences let this foolish world consider Be not they ordained to know God whom unless we do know all our labours our night-watchings our studies and all our enterprises here serve to no purpose all is but labour lost Furthermore let the miserable worldly men answer me What remedy or safe refuge can there be unto him who lacks God who is the life medicine of all men how can he be said to fly from death when he himself is already dead in sin If Christ be the way verity life how can there be any life without Christ The solely heat of the Prison to me is coldness the cold winter to me is a fresh spring in the Lord. He that feareth not to be burned in the fire how will he fear the heat of weather Or what careth he for the pinching frost which burneth for the love of the Lord The place is sharp and tedious to them that be guilty but to the innocent it is mellifluous Here droppeth the delectable dew here floweth the pleasant Nectar here runneth the sweet milk here is plenty of all good things In this world there is no mansion firm to me and therefore I will travel up to the New Ierusalem which is in Heaven and which offereth it self to me without paying any Fine or Income I have travelled hitherto laboured and sweat early and late watching day and night and now my travels begin to come to effect What man can now cavil that these our labours are lost which have followed and found out the Lord and Maker of the World and which have changed death with life If to die in the Lord be not to die but to live most joyfully where is this wretched worldly Rebel which blameth us of folly for giving away our lives unto death O how delectable is this death to me to taste of the Lords Câ—p. I am accused of foolishness for that I do not rid my self out of these troubles when with one word I may But doth not Christ say Fear not them which kill the body but him which killeth both body and soul and whosoever shall confess me before men him will I also câ—nâ—ess before my Father which is in Heâ—vâ—n and he that denieth me before men him will I also deny before my Heavenly Father Seeing the words of the Lord be so plain how or by what authority will this wise Counsellor approve this his counsel which he doth give God forbid that I should relinquish the commandements of God and follow the counsels of men for it is written Blessed is the man that hath not gâ—ne in the way of sinners and hath not stood in the counsel of the ungodly c. Psal. 1.1 God forbid I should deny Christ where I ough to confess him I will not set more by my life then by my soul neither will I exchange the life to come for this world here present This Letter he underwrit thus From the delectable Orchard of Leonine Prison 12 Calend. August An. 1555. Allen. Sir Edmond Tyrrel bidding Rose Allen to give her Father and Mother
when his hour was not yet come departed out of his Countrey into Samaria to avoid the malice of the Scribes and Pharisees and commanded his Apostles that if they were pursued in one place they should fly to another Thus did Paul and the other Apostles Albeit when it came to such a point that they could no longer escape then they evidenced that their flying before came not of fear but of godly wisdome to do more good and that they would not rashly without urgent necessity offer themselves to death which had been a tempting of God After he had recanted and was brought to Saint Mâ—ry's Church in Oxford where Dr. Cole after he had preached bitterly against him shewing why he was to be executed notwithstanding his Recantation prest him to evidence to the people his conversion to Popery Dr. Cranmer entreated the people to pray with him and for him that God would pardon his sins especially his Recantation After he had prayed he told them It is a sad thing to see so many so much dote upon the love of this false World and be so careful of it and so careless of Gods love or the World to come therefore this shall be my first exhortation thaâ— you set not your minds overmuch upon this glozing World but upon God and the World to come and to learn to know what this Lesson meaneth which St. Iohn teacheth That the Love of this World is hatred against God Let rich men consider and weigh three Scriptures Luke 18. It is hâ—rd for a rich man to enter into the kingdome of Heaven 1 John 3. He that hath the suâ—stance of this world and seeth his Brother in necessity and shutteth up his mercy from him how can he say that he loveth God James 5.1 2. Go to now ye rich men weep and hard for the miseries that are coming upon you your riches are corrupted Another exhortation is That next under God you obey your King and Queen willingly and gladly without murmuring or grudging They are Gods Mâ—nisters Whosoever resisteth them resisteth the Ordinance of God And now I come said he to the great thing that so much troubleth my Conscience more then any thing that ever I did or said in my whole life and that is the setting abroad a Writing contrary to the Truth which now here I renounce and refuse as things written with my hand contrary to the Truth which I thought in my heart and written for fear of death and to save my life if it might be And forasmuch as my hand offended writâ—ng contrary to my heart my hand shall first be punished therefore for may I come to the fire it shall be first burned At the Stake when the fire began to burn near him he stretching out his arm put his right hand into the flame which he held so stedfast that all men might see his hand burned before his body was touched His eyes lifted up to Heaven he cried out even as long as he could speak O his unworthy hand His last words were the words of Stephen Lord Iesus receive my spirit Cromwel Thomas Lord Cromweâ— Earl of Essâ—x the morning that he was executed having chearfully eaten his break-fast passing out of the Prison down the Hill in the Tower met the Lord Hungerford going to Execution for other matter and perceiving him to be heavy and doleful he willed him to be of good comfort for if you repent said he of what you have done there is mercy enough for you with the Lord who for Christs sake will forgive you and though the break-fast we are going to be sharp yet trusting in the mercy of the Lord we shall have a joyful dinner In his Prayer on the Scaffold O Lord Jesus who art the onely health of all men living and the everlasting life of them which die in thee Being sure that the thing cannot perish which is committed to thy mercy willingly now I leave this frail and wicked flesh in sure hope that thou wilt in better wise restore it to me again at the last day in the resurrection of the Jâ—st I see and acknowledge there is in my self no hope of salvation but all my confidence hope and trust is in thy most merciful goodness Thou merciful Lord wast born for my sake didst suffer hunger and thirst for my sake didst teach pray and fast for my sake all thy holy actions and works thou wroughtest for my sake thou sufferedst most grievous pains and torments for my sake and finally thou gavest thy most precious body and blood to be shed on the Cross for my sake Now most merciful Saviour let all these things profit me c. Let thy blood cleanse and wash away the spots and foulness of â—â— sins let thy righteousness hide and cover my unâ—righteousness Cyprian He went in the time of Persecution into volunâ—tary Banishment lest as he said he should 〈◊〉 more hurt then good to the Congregation When he heard the sentence pronounced aâ—gainst him he said I thank God for freeing mâ— from the Prison of this Body He said Amen to his own sentence of Martyrdome The Proconsul bidding him consult abouâ— it he answered In so just a Cause there needs no deliberation D. Daigerfield William Daigerfield and Ioan his Wife who then gave suck to her tenth child being imprisoned in several Prisons Bishop Brooks sent for the man and told him that his Wife had recanted and so perswaded him to recant and so sent him to his Wife with a Form of Recantation with him which when his Wife saw her heart clave in sunder and she cried out Alas Husband thus long we have continued one and hath Satan so far pervaâ—led with you as to cause you to break the Vow which you made to God in Baptisme Hereupon he bewailed his promise and beg'd of God that he might not live so long as to call evil good and good evil light darkness or darkness light And accordingly it came to pass Damlip Mr. Adam Damlip when he had been almost two years in the Marshalsey considering how he could not employ his talent there to God's Glory as he desired though he had many Favours in Prison resolved to write to the Bishop of Winchester earnestlâ— to desire that he might come to his Tryal for said he I know the worst I can but lose my present life which I had rather do then here to remain and not to be suffered to use my talent to God's Glory When he understood by the Keeper that his suffering was near he was notwithstanding very merry and did eat his meat as well as ever he did in all his life insomuch that some at the Board said unto him they wondred how he could eat his meat so chearfully knowing he was so near his death Ah Masters said he Do you think that I have been so long God's Prisoner in the Marshalsey and have not yet learned to die Yes yes and I doubt not but God
be all honour and glory for ever and ever So be it A short Prayer which Mr. Gilby made for tâ—â— faithful in those dayes O Lord God and most merciful Father we beseech thee for the honour of thâ— Holy Name to defend us from that Antichrist 〈◊〉 Rome and from all his detestable enormities manners laws garments and ceremonies Destroy thoâ— the counsel of all the Papists and Atheists enemiâ—â— of thy Gospel and of this Realm of England Dâ—â—â—close their mischiefs and subtile practises Câ—â— found their devices Let them be taken in theâ— own wiliness And strengthen all those that maiâ—tain the Cause and Quarrel of thy Gospel with iâ—vincible force and power of the Holy Spirit so thâ— they fail not to proceed and go forward to that trâ—â— Godliness commanded in thy Holy Word with 〈◊〉 simplicity and sincerity to thy Honour and Glorâ— the comfort of thine Elect and the confusion 〈◊〉 thine enemies through Jesus Christ our Lord anâ— Saviour Amen Amen And say from the hearâ—â— Amen Glee When the Friers told Madam La Glee that 〈◊〉 was in a damnable estate It seems so indeed saiâ—â—sne being now in your hands but I have a 〈◊〉 that will never leave me nor forsake me for 〈◊〉 that Thou hast said they renounced the Faith It is true said she I have renounced your faith which I am able to shew is rejected and accurseâ— of God and therefore deserves not so much as 〈◊〉 be called Faith When news was brought her that she was coâ—â—demned to be hang'd she fell down upon heâ— knees and blessed God for that it pleased him 〈◊〉 snew her so much mercy as to deliver her by such kind of death out of the troubles of this wretcheâ— world and to honour her so far as to call her 〈◊〉 die for his Truth and to wear his Livery meaning the Haltar which the Hangman had put about her neck Then sitting down at Table to break her fast with the three other condemned Servants of Christ giving thanks to God she exhorted them to be of good courage and to trust unto the end in his free and onely mercy She then called for a clean linen Wastcoat making her self ready as if she had been going to a Wedding Mr. Wâ—rd tells us that she put on her Bracelets for I go said she unto my Husband Being commanded as she was led to execution to take a Torch into her hand and to acknowledge she had offended God and the King Away away said she with it I have neither offended God nor the King according to your meaning nor in respect of the cause for which I suffer I am I confess a sinful woman but I need no such light for helping me to ask forgiveness of God for my sins past or present Life such things your selves who sit and walk in the darkness of ignorance and errour Then one of her Kinsfolks met her in the way and presented to her view her little children praying her to have compassion on them I must needs tell you said she that I love my children dearly but yet neither for the love I bear to them or any thing else in this world will I renounce the Truth or my God who is and will be a Father unto them to provide better for them then I should have done and therefore to his providence and protection I commend and leave them When she saw the three men about to die silent and not to call on God she exâ—orted then thereto and gave them an example Glover Mr. Robert Glover in his Letter to his Wife haâ— many memorable passages the chief I shall collecâ— I thank you heartily most loving Wife 〈◊〉 your Letters sent to me in my imprisonment read them with tears more then once or twicâ— with tears I say for joy and gladness that Goâ— hath wrought in you so merciful a work 1 〈◊〉 unfeigned repentance 2 An humble and heart reconciliaton 3 A willing submission and obâ—â—dience to the will of God in all things Theâ—â— your Letters and the hearing of your godly prâ—â—ceedings have much relieved and comforteâ— me c. and shall be a goodly Testimony for you at the great Day against many worldly and dainâ—â— Dames which set more by their own pleasure anâ— praise in this world then by Gods Glory little reâ—garding as it appeareth the everlasting health 〈◊〉 their own souls or others So long as God shalâ— lend you continuance in this miserable world above all things give your self continually to Prayer lifting up pure hands without anger wrath oâ— doubting forgiving as Christ forgives And that wâ—â— may be the better willing to forgive it is good ofteâ— to call to remembrance the multitude and greatness of our sins which Christ daily and hourâ—â— pardoneth and forgiveth us And because Godâ— Word teacheth us not onely the true manner â—â— praying but also what we ought to do or not to 〈◊〉 in the whole course of our life what pleaseth 〈◊〉 displeaseth God and that as Christ saith The Woâ—â— of God that he hath spoken shall judge us Let youâ— Prayer be to this end especially that God of hiâ— great mercy would open and reveal more and morâ— daily to your heart the true sense knowledge anâ— understanding of his most holy Word and giâ—â— you grace in your living to express the fruit thereof And forasmuch as Gods Word is as the Holy Ghost calleth it The Word of affliction i. e. it is seldome without hatred persecution peril danger of loss of goods and life c. Call upon God continually for his assistance casting your accounts what is like to cost you endeavouring your self through the help of the Holy Ghost by continuance of prayer to lay your foundation so sure that no storm or tempest shall be able to overthrow it remembering alwayes as Christ saith Lots wife i. e. to beware of looking back to that thing that displeaseth God and nothing more displeaseth God then Idolatry that is false worshiping of God otherwise then his Word commandeth They object they be the Church c. My answer was The Church of God knoweth and acknowledgeth no other head but Jesus Christ the Son of God whom ye have refused and chosen the man of sin the Son oâ— perdition enemy to Christ the Devils Deputy and Lieutenant the Pope Christs Church heareth teacheth and is ruled by his Word as he saith My Sheep hear my voice If you abide in me and my Word aâ—ide in you you be my Disciples Their Church repelleth Gods Word and forceth all men to follow their traditions Christs Church dares not adde nor diminish alter or change his blessed Testament but they be not afraid to take away all that Christ instituted and go a whoring as the Scripture saith with their own inventions c. The Church of Christ is hath been and shall be in all ages under the Cross persecuted molested and afflicted the world ever hating them
for preaching to the people the pure truth of God taking Heaven and Earth to witness the same with him Gratwick Mr. Stephen Gratwick seeing the Bishops that sate upon to laugh said unto them Why do ye laugh Are ye confederate together for my blood and therein triumph You have more cause to look weightily upon the matter for I stand here before you upon life and death But you declare your selves what you are You are lapped in Lambs apparel but you are bent to have my blood Seeing you will have my blood let me say a little more for my self On Sunday last you preached this Truth If any man think himself Religious and bridleth not his tongue the same mans Religion is vain And yet in the mean time you seduced your tongue to slander us poor Prisoners there present in Iron hands burdening us with the names of Arrians Herodians Anabaptists Sacramentarians Pelagians And when we stood up to purge our selves thereof you said You would cut out our tongues and cause us to be pulled out of the Church by violence But there you gave your self a shrewd blow c. Being asked by the Bishop of Winchester if he would recant he said My faith is grounded more stedfastly then to change in a moment It is no process of time can alter me unless my faith were as the waves of the Sea When he was condemned he desired God with a loud voice That he would not lay his blood to their charge if it were his good will Green Mr. Bartlet Green wrote in Mr. Barâ—râ—m Calthrops Book a little before his death thus Two things have very much troubled me whilst I was in the Temple Pride and Gluttony which under the colour of Glory and good Fellowship drew me almost from God Forsomuch as vain-glory is so subtile an adversary that almost it woundeth deadly ere ever a man can perceive himself to be smitten therefore we ought so much the rather by continual prayer to labour for humbleness of mind Gluttony begâ—nneth under a charitable pretence of love and society and hath in it most uncharitableness Let us therefore watch and be sober for our adversary the Devil walketh about like a roaring Lion seekâ—ng whom he may devour Vale mi Bartrame mei memineris ut semper simillimi efficiamur Vale c. Farewell my Bartram and remember me that we may be alwayes like Farewell at Newgate Iâ—n 20. A. 1556. In his Letter to Mr. Philpot. Being accused that I spake against the Real Presence and the Sacrifice of the Mass and that I affirmed that their Church was the Church of Antichrist I confessed it and that I would continue therein though not maintain it by learning my conscience being satisfied in the truth which is sufficient to my salvation I told Mr. Welch Forasmuch as it pleaseth you to use me so familiarly for he behaved himself towards me as though I had been his equal I shall open my mind freely to you I consider my youth lack of wit and learning which would God it were but a little under the opinion that some men have of me But God is not bound to time wit or knowledge but rather chooseth the weak things of the world to confound the mighty neither can men appoint bounds to Gods mercy For I will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy There is no respect of persons with God whether he be old or young rich or poor wise or foolish Fisher or Basket-maker God giveth knowledge of his truth through his free grace to whom he list Now I am brought hither before a great many Bishops and learned men to be made a fool and a laughing-stock but I weigh it not a rush for God knoweth that my whole study is to please him Besides that I care not for mans pleasure or displeasure As he was going to Newgate after he was condemned there met with him two Gentlemen that seeing him burst out into tears to whom Mr. Green said Ah my friends is this your comfort you are come to give me Must I who needed to have comfort ministred to me become now a comforter of you When he was going to and was at the Stake he repeated this Distich Christe Deus sine te spes est mihi nulla salutis Te duce vera sequir te duce falsa nego In English thus O Christ my God sure hope of health Besides thee I have none The truth I love and falshood hate By thee my guide alone These Verses he wrote in a Book of Mr. Hussey's of the Temple Behold thy self by me Such one was I as thou And thou in time shall â—e Even dust as I am now Bartlet Green In his Letter to his Friends of the Temple Very Friends are they which are knit together by the knot of Charity Charity doth not decay but increase in them that die faithfully If thy Friend be out of sight is thy friendship ended If he be carried into Heaven is Charity hindred thereby The Fathers of the Primitive Church gave thanks for their Friends that died in the Faith to prove that Charity died not with Death What saith Saint Paul We are members of his body of his flesh and of his blood we are members one of another Is the hand or Arm Foot or Leg a member when it is dissevered from the body What is it that couples us but love When all things shall fail love faileth never Hope hath his end when we get that we hoped for Faith is finished in Heaven Love endureth for ever Spiritual love I mean for carnal love when that which we love is lost doth perish with the flesh Neither was that ever but fleshly love which by distance of place or severing of bodies is parted asâ—nder If we keep Christs commandment in loving each other as he loved us then should our love be everlasting This friendship Paul felt when it moved him to say That neither length nor â—readth nâ—ither height nor depth should sever him from the love of Christ. Now you may say Why writeth thou this Truly to the end that if our friendship be stable you may accomplish this the last request of your Friend c. Mr. Fleetwood I beseech you remember Wittâ—ance and Cook two singular men among common Prisoners Mr. Fernham Mr. Fell and Mr. Hussey as I hope will dispatch Palmer and Richardson with his companions I pray you Mr. Palmer think on I. Grove an honest poor man Traâ—ford and Rice Apprice his Accomplices My Cousin Thomas Witton a Scrivener in Lombard-strâ—et hath promised to further their delivery at the least he can instruct you which way to work I doubt not but that Mr. Bowyer will labour for Goodwife Cooper for she is worthy to be holpen and Bâ—rard the Frenchman There be also divers others well-disposed men whose deliverance if you will not labour for yet I humbly beseech you to seek their relief For these and all other
poor Prisoners I make this my humble suit and prayer to you all my especial good Friends beseeching you by all the bonds of amity in the bowels of mercy to tender the cases of miserable Captives Help to cloath Christ visit the Afflicted comfort the Sorrowful and relieve the Needy The very God of peace guide your hearts to have mercy on the poor and love faithfully together Amen This present Monday when I look to die and to live for ever Yours for ever Bartlet Green In his Letter to Mrs. Elizabeth Clark I shall not cease with continual Prayer to labour for you desiring Almighty God to increase that which he hath long since begun in you of sober life and earnest zeal towards his Region She that is a true Widow and friendless putteth her trust in God continuing day and night in supplication and prayer but she that liveth in pleasure is dead even yet alive And verily she is a true widow that hath married Christ forsaking the vanities of the world and the lusts of the flesh For as the married woman careth how to love and serve and please her Husband so ought the Widow to give all her soul and heart thoughts and words studies and labours faithfully to love God vertuously to bring up her children and houshold and diligently to provide for the poor and oppressed Not to live in pleasure but to watch unto prayer stedfastly laying up all her trust in God Of Anna it is written That she never went out of the Temple but served God with fasting and prayer night and day to â—ring up her children and houshold godly in the nurture and information of the Lord. There are most manifest examples against Parents for the offences of Children Contrariwise how greatly might Hanna rejoyce over Samuâ—l her Son whom she had brought up in the House of the Lord But above all Widows thrice blessed was the happy Mother of the seven Sons that so had instructed them in the fear of the Lord that by no torments they would sâ—rink from the love of his Truth To be liberal to Strangers to wash the Saints feet and minister to them in their adversity Saint Paul as though they onely had been therefore meet appointed onely Widows to minister to the Saints and to gather for the poor Alas That Christ so hungreth and no man will feed him is so sore opprest with thirst and no man will give him drink destitute of all lodging and not relieved sick and not visitted imprisoned and not seen In times past men could bestow large sums of money on Copes Vestments and Ornaments of the Church why rather follow we not St. Ambrose his example who sold the same for the relief of the poor or Chrysostom's command who willed first to deck and garnish the living Temple of God But alas such is the wickedness of these our last dayes that nothing moves us neither the pure Doctrine the godliness of life nor good examples of the Ancient Fathers If in any thing they erred that will their charitable children embrace publish and maintain with sword faggot and fire but all in vain they strive against the stream for though in despite of the Truth by force of the ears of crafty perswasion they may bring themselves into the haven of Hell yet can they not make all men believe that the banks move while the ship saileth nor ever shall be able to turn the direct course of the stream of Gods Truth In another Letter Better is the day of death saith Solomâ—n then the day of birth Happy are the dead that die in the Lord. Man of woman is born in travel to live in misery man through Christ doth die in joy to live in felicity he is born to die and dieth to live Strait as he cometh into the world with cries he uttereth his miserable estate strait as he departeth with Songs he praiseth God for ever Scarce yet in his cradle three deadly enemies assault him after death no Adversary may annoy him whilst he is here he displeaseth God when he is dead he fulfilleth his will Here he dieth every hour there he liveth continually here is sin there is righteousness here is time there is eternity here is harted there is love here is pain there is pleasure here is misery there is felicity Seek therefore the things that are above c. Grey The Lady Iane Grey Daughter to the Duke of Suffolk whose Mother was Daughter to Mary King Henry the Second's Sister having personated a Queen for ten dayes and upon Queen Mâ—ries Proclamation being imprisoned the Queen sent Mr. Fecknam to her two dayes before her death to commune with her and reduce her from the Doctrine of Christ to Queen Maries Religion The effect which communication here followeth Madam said Fecknam I lament your heavy Case c. You are welcome unto me Sir said the Lady Iane if you come to give me Christian Exhortation And as for my heavy Case I thank God I do so little lament it that rather I account the same for a more manifest Declaration of Gods favour towards me then ever he shewed me at any time before and therefore there is no cause why either you or other which bear me good will should lament or be grieved with this my Case being a thing so profitable for my souls health I am here come said he from the Queen and Council to instruct you in the true Doctrine of the right Faith c. I heartily thank the Queen said she who is not unmindful of her humble Subject and I hope no less that you will do your duty therein both truly and faithfully What is then said he requried of a Christian To believe said she in God the Father Son and holy Ghost three Persons and one God What said he is there nothing else required or looked for in a Christian but to believe in him Yes said she We must love him with all our heart with all our soul and with all our mind and our Neighbour as our self Why then said he faith justifies not and saveth not Yes verily said she Faith as Paul saith onely justifies Why said he St. Paul saith If I have all faith without love it is nothing True said she for how can I love him whom I trust not or how can I trust him whom I love not Faith and love go both together and yet love is comprehended in faith How must we love our Neighbour said he To love our Neighbour said she is to feed the hungry to cloath the naked and give drink to the thirsty and to do to him as we would do to our selves Why then said he it is necessary unto salvation to do good works also and it is not sufficient onely to believe It is meet said she that a Christian in token that he follows his Master Christ to do good works yet may we not say that they profit to our salvation for
and necessities as also charitably to pray for them that persecute them So doth the Word of God command all men to pray charitably for them that hate them and not to revile any Magistrate with words or to mean him evil by force and violence They also may rejoyce that in well doing they were taken to Prison Thus fare you well and pray God to send his true Word into this Realm again amongst us which the ungodly Bishops have now banished In his Letter to those Christians so taken Prisoners The grace favour consolation and â—â—d of the Holy Ghost be with you now and ever So be it Dearly Beloved in the Lord ever since I â—eard of your imprisonment I have been marvellously moved with great affections and passions as well of mirth and gladness as of heaviness and sorrow Of gladness in this that I perceived how ye be bent and given to prayer and invocation of Gods help in these dark and wicked proceedings of men against Gods glory I have been sorry to perceive the malice and wickedness of men to be so 〈◊〉 devillish and tyrannical to persecute the 〈◊〉 of God for serving of God c. These 〈◊〉 doings do declate that the Papists Church is 〈◊〉 bloody and tyrannical then ever was the 〈◊〉 of the Ethnicks and Gentiles Trajan the Emperour commanded That no man should be persecuted for serving of God but the Pope and his Church have cast you into Prison being taken doing the Work of God and one of the excellentest Works that is required of Christians viz. whilest ye were in Prayer O glad may ye be that ever ye were born to be apprehended whilest ye were so vertuously occupied Blessed be they that suffer for righeeousness sake If God had suffered them that took your bodies then to have taken your life also now had you been following the Lamb in pertual joyes away from the company and assembly of wicked men But the Lord would not have you suddenly so to depart but reserveth you gloriously to speak and maintain his Truth to the world Be ye not careful what ye shall say for God will go out and in with you and will be present in your hearts and in your mouths to speak his wisdome though it seems foolishness to the world He that hath begun this good work in you continue in the same unto the end Pray unto him that ye may fear him only that hath power to kill both body and soul and to cast them into hell fire Be of good comfort all the hairs of your head are numbred and there is not one of them can perish except your heavenly Father suffer it to perish Now you be in the field and placed in the fore-front of Christs battel Doubtless it is a singular favour of God and a special love of him towards you to give him this preheminence as a sign that he trusteth you before others of his people Wherefore dear Brethren and Sisters continually fight this Fight of the 〈◊〉 Your Cause is most just and godly ye stan◠〈◊〉 the true Christ who is after the flesh in Heâ—â—â—â— and for his true Religion and Honour 〈…〉 amply fully sufficiently and abundantly contained in the holy Testament sealed with Christs own blood How much be ye bound to God who putâ— you in trust with so holy and just a Cause Remember what lookers on you have to see and behold you in your fight God and all his holy Angels who be ready alwayes to take you up into Heaven if ye be slain in his Fight Also you have standing aâ— your backs all the multitude of the Faithful who shall take courage strength and desire to follow such noble and valiant Christians as you be Be not afraid of your Adversaries for he that is in you is stronger then he that is in them Shrink not although it be pain to you your pains be not now so great as hereafter your joyes shall be Read the comfortable Chapters to the Romanes 8.10 15. Hebrews 11.12 And upon your knees thank God that ever ye were accounted worthy to suffer any thing for his Names sake Read the second Chapter of Luke and there you shall see how the Shepherds that watched their Sheep all night as soon as they heard that Christ was born at Bethlehem by and by went to see him They did not reason nor debate with themselves who should keep the Wolf from the Sheep in the mean time but did as they were commanded and committed their Sheep unto him whose pleasure they obeyed So let us do now we be called commit all other things to him that calleth us He will take heed that all things shall be well He will help the Husband he will comfort the Wife he will guide the Servants he will keep the House he will preserve the Goods yea rather then it should be undone he will wash the Dishes and rock the Cradle Cast therefore all your care upon God for he careth for you Besides this you may perceive by your imprisonment that your Adversaries weapons against you be nothing but flesh and blood and tyranny for if they were able they would maintain their Religion by Gods Word but for lack of that they would violently compel such as they cannot by holy Scripture perswade because the holy Word of God and all Christs doings be contrary unto them I pray you pray for me and I will pray for you Fleet Ian. 14. 1555. In a Letter to certain of his Friends Now is the time of trial to see whether we fear more God or man It was an easie thing to hold with Christ whilst the Prince and world held with him but now the world hateth him it is the true trial who be his Wherefore in the Name and in the Vertue Strength and Power of his holy Spirit prepare your selves in any case to adversity and constancy Let us not run away when it is most time to fight Remember none shall be crowned but such as fight manfully and he that endureth to the end shall be saved Ye must now turn all your cogitations from the peril you see and mark the felicity that followeth the peril either victory in this world of your enemies or else a surrender of this life to inherit the everlasting Kingdome Beware of beholding too much the felicity or misery of this world for the consideration and too earnest love or fear of either of them draweth from God Wherefore think with your selves as touching the felicity of the world it is good but yet none otherwise then it standeth with the favour of God It is to be kept but yet so far forth as by keeping of it we lose not God It is good abiding and tarrying still among our friends here but yet so that we tarry not therewithal in Gods displeasure and hereafter dwell with the Devils in fire everlasting There is nothing under God but may be kept so that God being above all things we have
be not lost Of adversity judge the same Imprisonment is painful but yet liberty upon evil conditions is more painful The Prisons stink but yet not so much as sweet Houses where the fear and true honour of God is lacking I must be alone and solitary It is better to be so and have God with me then to be in company with the wicked Loss of Goods is great but loss of Gods grace and favour is greater I am a poor simple creature and cannot tell how to answer before such a great sort of noble learned and wise men It is better to make answer before the pomp and pride of wicked men then to stand naked in the light of all Heaven and Earth before the just God at the later day I shall die then by the hands of the cruel man He is blessed that loseth his life full of miseries and findeth the life of eternal joyes It is pain and grief to depart from Goods and Friends but yet not so much as to depart from grace and Heaven it self Wherefore there is neither felicity nor adversity of this world that can appear to be great if it be weighed with the joyes or pains in the world to come I can do no more but pray for you do the same for me for Gods sake For my part I thank the heavenly Father I have made mine accounts and appointed my self unto the will of the heavenly Father as he will so I will by his grace I am a precious jewel now and daintily kept never so daintily for neither mine own man nor any of the Servants of the House may come to me but my Keeper alone Ian. 21. 1555. In another Letter The grace mercy and peace of God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ be with you my dear Brethren and with all those that unfeignedly love and embrace his holy Gospel Amen We must give God thanks for the Truth he hath opened c. and pray unto him that we deny it not nor dishonour it with idolatry but that we may have strength and patience rather to die ten times then to deny him once Blessed shall we be if ever God make us worthy of that honour to shed our blood for his Names sake and blessed then shall we think those Parents which brought us into this world that we should be carried from this mortality into immortality If we follow the command of Paul that saith If ye be risen with Christ sâ—ek those things which are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God we shall neither depart from the vain transiâ—ory goods of this world nor from this wretched and mortal life with so great pains as others do There is no better way to be used in this troublesome time for your consolation then many times to have Assemblies together of such men and women as be of your Religion in Christ and there to take and renew among your selves the truth of your Religion to see what ye be by the Word of God and to remember what ye were before ye came to the knowledge thereof to weigh and confer the dreams and false lyes of the Preachers that now preach with the Word of God that retaineth all truth and by such talk and familiar resorting together ye shall the better find out all their lyes that now go about to deceive you and also both know and love the Truth that God hath opened to us It is much requisite that the Members of Christ comfort one another make prayers together confer one with another so shall ye be stronger and Gods Spirit shall not be absent from you but in the midst of you to teach you to comfort you to make you wise in all godly things patient in adversity and strong in persecution Ye see how the Congregation of the wicked by helping one another make their wicked Religion and themselves strong against Gods Truth and his people Ye may perceive bâ—â— the life of our fore-fathers that Christs words In the world ye shall have trouble Hâ— that will live godly in Christ must suffer persecution be true for none of all his before our time escaped trouble then shall ye perceive that it is but a folly for one that professeth Christ truly to look for the love of the world Ye be no better then your fore-fathers Be glad that ye may be counted worthy Souldiers for this War and pray to God when ye come together that he will use and order you and your doings 1 That ye glorifie God 2 That ye edifie the Church and Congregation 3 That ye profit your own souls In all your doings beware ye be not deceived for although this time be not yet so bloody and tyrannous as the time of our fore-fathers that could not bear the Name of Christ without danger of life and goods yet is our time more perillous for soul and body Therefore of us Christ said Think ye when the Son of man cometh he shall find faith upon the earth He speaks not of being christened and in name a Christian but of saving Faith and doubtless the scarcity of Faith is now more and will I fear increase then it was in the time of the greatest Tyrants that ever were In Rev. 6. ye may perceive that at the opening of the fourth Seal came out a pale Horse and he that sate upon him was called Death and Hell followed him This Horse is the time when Hypocrites and Dissemblers entred into the Church under pretence of the true Religion c. that have killed more souls with heresie and superstition then all the Tyrants that ever killed bodies by fire sword or banishment c. and all souls that trust to these Hypocrites live to the Devil in everlasting pain as is declared by Hells following the pale Horse These pale Hypocrites have stirred up Earthquakes i. e. the Princes of the world against Christs Church They have darkned the Sun and made the Moon bloody and have caused the Stars to fall from Heaven i. e. they have darkned with mists and daily darken the Sun of Gods Word imprisoned and chained and butchered Gods true Preachers which fetch only light at the Sun of Gods Word that their light cannot shine unto the world as they would Whereupon it comes to pass that many Christians fall from Gods true Word to hypocrisie most devillish superstition and idolatry In his Letter to Bishop Farrar Doctor Tailor Mr. Bradford and Mr. Philpot Prisoners in the Kings Bench in Southwark I am advertised that we shall be carried shortly to Cambride there to dispute for the Faith and for the Religion of Christ which is most true that we have and do profess I am as I doubt not ye be in Christ ready not onely to go to Camâ—ridge but also to suffer by Gods help death it self in the maintenance thereof I write this to comfort you in the Lord that the time draweth near and is at hand that we shall
kill the body c. Fear not though they seem terrible unto you neither be troubled but sanctifie the Lord God in your hearts Onely let your conversation be as becomes the Gospel c. in nothing fearing your adversaries which is to them a token of damnation and to you of salvation and that of God for unto you it is given not onely to believe in Christ but to suffer for his sake In the Revelation it is written That the fearful shall have their part with the Unbelieving and Abominable in the Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death Wide is the gate and broad is the way which leadeth to destruction and many there be that go in thereat but strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life and few there be that find it Thus I wholly commit you to him and to the Word of his grace which is able to build further beseeching you most heartily to pray for me that I may be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might and stand perfect in all things being alwayes prepared and ready looking for the mercy of our Lord unto eternal rest and I will pray for you as I am most bound So I trust he will graciously hear us for his promise sake in Christ. Your Christian Brother a Prisoner of the Lord John Hullier In another Letter to the Congregation of Christs faithful followers Most dear Christians having now the sweet comfort of Gods saving health and being confirmed with his free Spirit be he onely praised therefore I am constrained in my conscience to admonish you as ye tender the salvation of your souls by all manner of means to separate your selves from the Antichristian Company considering what is said in the Revelation If any man worship the Beast and his Image and receive his mark in the forehead or in his hand the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured into the cup of his wrath c. The Beast is none other but the carnal and fleshly Kingdome of Antichrist What do they else but worship this Beast and his Image who after they had escaped from the filthiness of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ are yet again tangled therein and overcome using dissimulation for fear of their displeasure doing one thing outwardly and thinking inwardly another So having them in reverence under a cloak and colour to whom they ought not so much as to say God speed and adjoyning themselves to the Malignant Congregation which they ought to abhor as a Den of Thieves and Murderers and a Brothel-house of most blasphemous Fornicators But this feignedness and dissimulation Christ and his Gospel will no wayes allow Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation of him also shall the Sâ—n of man be ashamed when he shall come in the glory of his Father c. Cursed be the dissemblers c. Ye were once enlightned and tasted of the heavenly gift And no man that putteth his hand to the Plough and looketh back is apt for the Kingdome of God They went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us no doubt they would have continued with us Wherefore good Christians for Gods dear love deceive not your selves through your own wisdome and through the wisdome of the world which is foolishness before God but certifie and stay your own consciences with the faithful Word of God c. Though Gods mercy is over all his works yet it doth not extend but onely to them that hold fast the confidence and rejoycing of hope unto the end not being weary of well doing but rather every day waxing stronger and stronger in the inward man In the Revelation where it is entreated of the Beast and his Image it is said Here is the sufferance of Saints and here are they that keep the Commandments and Faith of Iesus Christ intimating that God doth use those wicked men as instruments for a time to try the patience and faith of his peculiar people c. Peradventure you will say What shall we do shall we cast our selves head-long to death I say not so but this I say That we are all bound if ever we look to receive salvation at Gods hands in this case to be wholly obedient to his determinate counsel c. and then to cast all our care on him who worketh all in all for the best unto them that love him Now thus be commandeth Come away from her my people that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues Come out from among them and joyn not your selves to their unlawful Assemblies yea do not once shew your selves with the least part of your body to favour their wicked doings Now chuse you which way you will take either the narrow c. or the broad way c. I for my part have now written this short Admonition to you of good will as God is my witness to exhort you to that way which at length you shall prove and find to be best and I do not onely write this but I will with the assistance of Gods grace seal it with my blood Hunter Atwell a Sumner telling William Hunter it was never a merry world since the Bible came abroad in English Say not so for Gods sake said Hunter for it is Gods Book out of which every one that hath grace may learn to know what things both please God and also what displeaseth him Could not we tell said Atwell before this time how God was served No said Hunter nothing so well as we may now if that we might have his blessed Word amongst us still as we have had You must turn or burn said Atwell God give me grace said Hunter that I may believe his Word and confess his Name whatsoever come thereof Whereas you doubt of my belief said Hunter to Wood the Vicar of Southwell I would it were tryed Whether that you or I would stand faster in our Faith Yea thou Heretick said Wood wouldst thou have it so tryed That which you call heresie said Hunter I serve my Lord God withall I would that you and I were fast tyed to a Stake to prove whether that you or I would stand strongest to our Faith It shall not be so tryed said Wood No said Hunter I think so for if I might I think I know who would soonest recant for I durst set my foot against yours eyen to the death Bonner telling him That he was content he should keep his conscience to himself so that he would go to Church and receive c. No said he I will not do so for all the good in the world Then said Bonner I will make you sure enough I warrant you Well said
Hunter you can do no more then God will permit you Well said B. will you recant indeed by no means No said H. never while I live God willing Bonner asking him how old he was he said He was Nineteen years old Well said B. you will be burned ere you be Twenty if you will not recant H. answered God strengthen me in his Truth Bonner even after Sentence was past offering him if he would then recant to make him a Freeman of the City and to give him Forty pound in money to set up with or to make him Steward of his House c. Hunter said unto him My Lord if you cannot perswade my Conscience by Scriptures I cannot find in my heart to turn from God for the love of the world for I count all things worldly but loss and dung in respect of the love of Christ. If thou diest in this mind said B. thou art condemned for ever God judgeth righteously said H. and justifieth them whom man condemneth unjustly When he was brought to Burntwood to be burned his Father and Mother came to him and desired heartily of God that he might continue to the end in that good way which he had begun and his Mother said unto him That she was glad that ever she was so happy to bear such a Child which could find in his heart to lose his life for Christs Names sake Then said he to his Mother For my little pain which I shall suffer which is but short Christ hath promised me a Crown of Joy May you not be glad of that Mother With that his Mother kneeled down on her knees saying I pray God strengthen thee my Son to the end Yea I think thee as well bestowed as any Child that ever I bare His Father said I was afraid of nothing but that my Son should have been killed in the Prison for hunger and cold the Bishop was so hard to him The night before his Execution he had a dream that he was where the Stake was pitcht where he should be burned and that it was at the Towns end where the Butts stood which was so indeed and that he met his Father going to the Stake and that there was a Priest at the Stake which went about to have him recant and that he said to him Away false Prophet and that he exhorted the people to beware of him and such as he was which things came to pass accordingly Whilst he was led to the Stake the Sheriffs Son came to William and embraced him saying William be not afraid of these men who are here present with Bills and Weapons ready prepared to bring you to the place where you shall be burned William answered I thank God I am not afraid for I have cast my account what it will cost me already Then the Sheriffs Son could speak no more to him for weeping When he met his Father according to his dream his Father said unto him God be with thee Son William William answered God be with you good Father and be of good comfort for I hope we shall meet again when we shall be merry At the Stake the Sheriffe told him That there was a Letter from the Queen if he would recant he should live if not he must be burned No said William I will not recant God willing Mr. Brown telling him upon his desire to the people to pray for him as long as he was alive I will pray no more for thee then I will pray for a Dog Mr. Brown said William now you have that you sought for and I pray God it be not laid to your charge in the last day howbeit I forgive you I ask no forgiveness of thee said Mr. Brown Well said William if God forgive you not I shall require my blood at your hands Then said William Hunter Son of God shine upon me Immediately the Sun in the Firmament shined out of a dark cloud so full in his face that he was constrained to look another way When the Priest came according to his dream he said Away thou false Prophet Beware of them good people and come away from their abominations lest that you be partakers of their plagues Then said the Priest look how thou burnest here so shalt thou burn in Hell William answered Thou lyest thou false Prophet away thou false Prophet away When the fire was kindled his Brother said to him William think on the holy Passion of Christ and be not afraid of Death William answered I am not afraid Then lift he up his hands to Heaven and said Lord Lord Lord receive my spirit Higbed Mr. Higbed of Essex being prest by Bonner to recant answered I will not abjure for I have been of this mind these sixteen years and do what ye can ye shall do no more then God will permit you to do and with what measure ye measure unto us look for the same again at Gods hands When his Articles and Answers were read he said Ye go about to trap us with your subtilties and snares and though my Father and Mother and other my Kinsfolk did believe as you say yet they were deceived in so believing and whereas you say Doctor Cranmer and others c. be Hereticks I do wish that I were such an Heretick as they were and be Then Bonner asked him again Whether he would turn from his error and come to the unity of their Church No said he I would ye would recant for I am in the truth and you in error Hus. Mr. Iohn Hus preaching at the honourable and very solemn Funeral of three in Prague who had been put to death in Prison for calling the Pope Antichrist and speaking against Indulgences at whose Funeral was sung on this wise These be the Saints which for the Testament of God gave their bodies c. much commended them for their constancy and blest God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who had hid the way of his Verity so from the prudent of the world and had revealed it to the simple who chose rather to please God then man This occasioned his expulsion out of Prague being before excommunicated by the Pope The Emperour having given safe conduct to Mr. Iohn Hus to come to the general Council at Constance he promised to come professing he was ready alwayes to satisfie all men which shall require him to give a reason of his faith and hope c. and giving notice to all that could object any error or heresie to him to appear and not spare him The Twenty sixth day after he came to Constance two Bishops c. were sent to him to bring him before the Pope and his Cardinals To whom he answered I am not come to defend my Cause particularly before the Pope and his Cardinals but to appear before the whole Council and there answer for my defence openly c. unto all such things as shall be demanded or required of me Notwithstanding forasmuch as
and have neglected my time and have unhappily provoked both my self and others to anger by that Play Wherefore besides other my innumerable faults for this I desire you to invocate the mercy of the Lord that he will pardon me This Letter to this Minister was not to be opened by him before he was sure of Mr. Hus his death In a Treatise De Sacerdotum c. before mentioned he hath these words In writing these things and what else I have written before nothing else hath moved me hereunto but onely the love of our Lord Jesus crucified whose prints and stripes according to the measure of my weakness and vileness I covet to bear in my self beseeching him to give me grace that I never seek to glory in my self or in any thing else but onely in his Cross and in the inestimable ignominy of his Passion I do not therefore doubt but these things will like all such as unfeignedly love the Lord Christ crucified and will not mislike not a little all such as be of Antichrist durst not have so written unless the Lord Jesus Christ crucified by his inward motion had so commanded me Hyperius O what a difference is there said Martin Hyperius betwixt this and eternal fire Who would shun this to leap into that FINIS A CLOUD OF VVITNESSES OR THE Sufferers Mirrour Made up of The SWANLIKE-SONGS and other CHOICE PASSAGES of several MARTYRS and CONFESSORS to the end of the Sixteenth Century in their Treatises Speeches Letters Prayers c. in their Prisons or Exiles at the Bar or Stake c. Collected out of The Ecclesiastical Histories of Eusebius Fox Fuller Clark Petrie Scotland And Mr. Samuel Ward 's Life of Faith in Death c. and Alphabetically disposed By T. M. M.A. The second Part. Deut. 32.7 Remember the dayes of old consider the years of many generations ask thy Father and he will shew thee thy Elders and they will tell thee Psal. 44.22 For thy sake we are killed all the day long we are counted as Sheep to the slaughter Phil. 1.28 In nothing be terrified by your adversaries c. Printed for the Author and are to be sold by Robert Boulter 1665. A brief account of what may be expected in this Collection by a friend to the Author READER IT is a comfort Thetis gives her brave Son in Homer that though he should be short liv'd yet he should continue himself in the admiration of posterity Though these blessed Martyrs and Saints departed sought not glory to themselves yet they all obtained a good report and their memory is blessed whilst the memory of the wicked rots or which is far worse stinks I grant many of them went in a siery Chariot to Heaven yet those Mantles that fell from them may through the concurs of God so spirit othâ—rs that they may do worthily in Ephratâ— though they never arrive to the glory of the â—irst Worthies I dâ—ubt not but many of them might by their staying lâ—nger in their houses of Booths have been very beneficial to the World yet Sampson's violent death was not without profit to the Church of God in pulling down the House of the Philistines And therefore I cannot but commend the Essay and elaborate Collections of this Author in reviving the Memories of these Ancient Christians It was well observed by Sir Francis Bacon That old Wood is best to burn and old Friends best to trust and old Books best to read Hence Scholars set a great price upon an ancient Manuscript Here are old things men of ancient dayes and old Books in a new Edition for thy benefit Here you will not find the fault that Historians are commonly guilty of who like flattering Limners draw too favourably or shadow over a wrinckle and slily forge in some secret grace Here is an honest Pen modestly but yet faithfully giving thee an account of Believers who through much faith patience and tribulation entred into the Kingâ—ome of Heaven Here are worthy Patterns for you to follow glorious Copies for you who are but Beginners in the World to write after They all call upon you so to follow them as they followed Christ. Here is a Cloud of Witnesses which if you have with Iesus in your eye you will be the better prepared to lay aside every weight and to run with patience the race that is set before you Man is led by nothing better then by example and examples of great Ones are most effectual Such are these I know abundantly how this lazy formal Age is ready to look on Scripture-Worthies as men unimitable as Giants to whose stature they despair ever to arrive But hâ—re you may be tolled on in your active and passive obedience as lazy Travellers will hâ—ld out with good Company which beat the Path before them Here is no excuse left of frailty which we are ready to make against obedience for thâ—se presidents in all Ages abudantly testifie that we frail men by the power of the same grace of God may reach to the same perfections We are too apt in these dayes to think our selves good enough if we find any worse then our selves but we should not content our selves to run with the Foot-men but to excell the best I have of late thought it a very high way to growth and perfection to collect some of the choicest frames of the best Christians and alwayes set them before us Blessed be the Lord this is done to thy hand and mayest thou reap the advantage of this labour Here thou mayest read thy defects in these holy mens excesses and amend thy self without any diminution to their glory Here thou mayest receive light from that which dazleth thee and lustre from that which at present ecclipseth thee When thou considerest what a dastardly cowardly Spirit is within thee what an Enemy of the Cross of Christ thou art here is that which will promote thy shame that these under the dawnings of Gospel-glory and grace should be as bold as Lions whilâ—t thou art as timerous as an Hare How do we shrink and tremble whilst these were as Rocks in the midst of the Floods standing unmoveable when the Winds blew and the Seas made a noise I heartily wish that the dew of Heaven may fall upon these holy Reliques that such a Spirit may attend the Reader as did these when called before Kings and Rulers for the Name of Christ. I heartily wish that these experiments of Gods presence with his suffering and witnessing Saints may help thee to trust in God I knâ—w you ought to trust God upon his single Bond without a Pawn or Pledge of his Power and Faithfulness but certainly Faith is wonderfully holpen by former experiences in all Ages and therefore let this Epitome of the Boâ—k of Martyrs as to the Martyrs sayings strengthen thy confidence and make thee râ—ly on God as a constant tried Friend Thâ—se are all great instancâ—s that God is seen in the Mount that he hath good
was laid up for them In the Epistle it self I savour many things in God but I keep my self within bounds lest I perish by vain glory Now I am mostly to fear neither am I to mind those that would puffe me up They that praise me scourage me I do indeed love to suffer but that I am worthy I know not I beseech you not I but the love of Christ Jesus to make use onely of Christian Food and to abstain from Heresie a strange Herb. Temporaries embrace Christ but they are not of the Fathers planting If they were there would appear the Branches of the Cross and their fruit would be incorruptible In his Epistle to the Romans I Christ Jesus his bond-man hope I may salute you if it be his will that I may be judged worthy to reach the goal I have begun well if or O that I may have grace to take my lot without let I fear least your love hurt me I would not that you should please men but God even as you do Do you labour that I may be sacrificed unto God seeing the Altar is prepared that you in love making a Quire may sing to the Father in Christ Jesus that a Bishop of Syria hath been honoured thus to set in the West being called from the East It is good to fall from the World to God that I may rise in him Beg onely this for me that I may be supplyed with inward and outward strength that I may not onely say but will and not onely be called but be found a Christian. If I be found so I shall be called so even then when I shall not appear to be a Believer to the World Nothing visible is perpetual The things that are seen are temporary those which are not seen are eternal Christianity is a work not a work of perswasion but of greatness when it is hated by the World I write to the Churches and require of all that I may voluntarily die for God if that you forbid it not I beseech you bestow not upon me unseasonable love Suffer me to be the food for the wild Beasts by whom I shall enjoy God I am Gods Corn when the wild Beasts have ground me to powder with their teeth I shall be his White-bread Yea rather cunningly entice the wild Beasts to be my Sepulcher and to leave nothing of my body behind them lest when I am dead I be found troublesome to any Then shall I be a true Disciple of Christ indeed when the World shall not see even my body Pray unto God for me that by these instruments I may become a sacrifice unto God From Syria even till I came to Rome I fought with Beasts as well by Sea as by Land night and day being bound among the cruel Leopards I mean my Military Guard who the more benefits they received at my hands became so much the worse unto me but I being exercised and now well acquainted with their injuries am taught every day more and more to bear the Cross yet hereby am I not justified Would to God I might once enjoy the Beasts prepared for me which I wish also to fall upon me with all their violence whom also I will cunningly entice without delay to devour me and not to abstain from me as they have from others whom for fear they have left untouched and if they be unwilling to it I will even compell them to fall upon me Pardon me I know what is for my advantage Mr. Clark renders it I know well how much this will avail me Now do I begin to be a Disciple seeing I neither regard things visible nor invisible so I may gain Christ. Let Fire the Cross Skirmishings with wild Beasts Cuttings Butcherings or Rentings in pieces Breakin gs of my Bones asunder Manglings of my Members Bruisings of my whole Body and the Torments of the Devil all the Torments that man and the Devil can invent fall upon me so that I may enjoy Jesus The Ends and Kingdomes of this World will not help me It is better for me to die for Christ Jesus then to reign over the Ends of the Earth What will it profit a man to gain the whole World and lose his own soul I seek him who died for us and rose again Pardon me my Brethren be not an hindrance to me that I may not live be not unwilling that I should die Seeing I desire to be Gods do not gratifie the World Suffer me to enjoy pure light when I shall be there I shall be a man of God Permit me to emulate the sufferings of Christ my God Whosoever enjoyes him understands what I desire and will bear with me when he knows what constrains me The Prince of this World would hold me and corrupt my soul and will for God Let none of you help him but rather help me that is God Do not name Christ Jesus and love or covet the World Let not envy dwell in you Living but in love with dying I write unto you My love is crucified and there is not in me a fire of love towards any thing of an earthly matter but living water and he that speaks within me saith unto me Come unto the Father I rejoyce not in corruptible nourishment nor in the pleasures of this life I would have the bread of God heavenly bread the bread of Life which is the flesh of Christ the Son of God who in these last times is made of the seed of David and Abraham and for drink I would have his blood who is love incorruptible and life eternal Be mindful in your prayers of the Church in Syria which instead of me hath the Lord for their Pastor Jesus Christ alone will take care for it and your love to him But I am ashamed to be called one of that number Neither am I worthy seeing I am the last of them and an abortive but through the mercy of God I have obtained that I may be some one if I can enjoy God In his Letter to the Philadelphians Ye children of the Light flie the dividing of Truth and wicked Doctrines Follow as sheep your Pastor In your concord there is no place for the Wolves to get in If any one preach Judaism unto you do not hear him It is better to hear Christianity from one that is circumcised then Iudaism from one that is uncircumcised If both do not preach Christ Jesus they are to me Funeral Pillars and Monuments of the dead upon whom Names onely are inscribed Where division and anger is God dwells not In his Letter to the Smyrnaeans Jesus Christ is truly dead and truly risen He hath not suffered onely according to appearance as some Infidels teach If these things be done by Christ onely in opinion I am bound onely in opinion But why should I deliver up my self unto Death to the Fire to the Sword to Beasts but that he that is near the Sword is near unto
God he that is present with the Beasts is present with God I hear all onely in the Name of Christ that I may suffer with him he strengthning me who is made perfect man What doth it profit me if any one praise me and blaspheme my Lord not confessing him to be clothed with flesh Your prayer hath reached to the Church of Antioch which is in Syria whence I salute you all being bound in Gods honourable bonds though unworthy being the last of all there yet made worthy by the will of God not according to my Conscience but of the meer grace of God c. In one of his Epistles he saith Truly I did see him Christ in flesh after his resurrection and do believe that it is he c. He used to say That there is nothing better then the peace of a good Conscience That good and wicked men are like true and counterfeit money the one seems to be good and is not the other both seems and is good That the Lions teeth are but like a Mill which though it bruiseth yet wasteth not the good Wheat onely prepares and sits it to be made pure Bread Let me said he be broken by them so I may be made pure Manchet for Heaven Other graces are but parts of a Christians armour as the shield of Faith c. but Patience is the Panoply or whole armour of the man of God Ioan. The Lady Ioan Queen of Navar who was poysoned at Paris a few dayes before the bloody Massacre on Aug. 24. 1572. in her sickness she said I take all this as sent from the hand of God my most merciful Father nor have I during this extremity feared to die much less murmured against God for inflicting the same upon me knowing that whatsoever he doth he doth the same so as all in the end shall turn to my everlasting good I depend wholly upon Gods providence knowing that all things are wisely disposed of by him As for this life I am in a good measure weaned from the love of it in regard of the afflictions that have followed me from my youth hitherto but especially because I cannot live without daily offending my good God with whom I desire to be with all my heart In regard of mine own particular my life is not dear unto me seeing so long as I live in this frail flesh I am still prone and apt to sin against God onely my care is somewhat for my children which God hath given me because they shall be now deprived of me in their young years yet I doubt not but although it should please God to take me from them that himself will be a Father to them and a Protector over them as he hath been to me in my greatest afflictions and therefore I commit them wholly to his government and Fatherly care She often uttered these words O my God in thy good time deliver me from this body of death and from the miseries of this life that I may no more offend thee and that I may attain to that felicity which thou in thy Word hast promised me To a Minister a little before her death she said I neither expect Salvation Righteousness nor Life from any else then from my onely Saviour Jesus Christ being assured that his onely merit abundantly sufficeth for the full satisfaction of all my sins albeit they are innumerable Ioris Iohn Ioris of Assahen in a Letter of his to his Parents and Friends a little before his Martyrdome writ thus Most dear Father and Mother Sister and Brother I write here unto you comfortable news viz. That in all my life I never saw any day so pleasing to me as this is in which the Lord hath counted me worthy to be one of his Champions and to suffer for his holy Name for which I give him most humble and hearty thanks Rejoyce with me I pray you that God hath now called me to so glorious and welcome Marriage Day O how precious in the sight of the Lord our God is the death of his Martyrs Dear Friends two Priests and some of the Magistrates have sought to terrifie me with many threats thinking to turn me aside from my holy Profession but the Lord of his great mercy hath given me grace to withstand them all I plainly told them I was not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ but would be willing and ready to die in the defence thereof following my Lord and Master Jesus Christ through all afflictions to be made Partaker with him at last of his eternal joyes in his celestial Tabernacle Wherefore if God shall call any of you forth to suffer ought for his Names sake bear the same I beseech you with meekness and patience not declining from the truth for fear or favour to the right hand or to the left But fear him rather who is able to cast soul and body into hell The time which God hath lent us to converse in this world is but short and therefore let us begin to abandon the love of this world with all things therein betimes that so we may be ready to follow the call of God Dear Father and Mother I do take my last farewell of you until we meet together again in the Kingdome of Heaven where we shall partake of that joy that shall last for ever all sorrows tears and griefs being wiped away Be ye not therefore grieved I pray you but be patient for the affliction which is befallen me is most acceptable to me for which also I bless and praise the Lord. Iueson Thomas Iueson being prest to recant said I would not recant for all the goods in London I do appeal to Gods mercy and will be none of your Church nor submit my self to the same And that I have said I will say it again And if there came an Angel from Heaven to teach me any other Doctrine then that which I am in now I would not believe him Iuleddo or Iulitta A Servant to a good Gentlewoman telling Mr. Bradford that her Mistress had been sorer afflicted with her own Father and Mother then ever he was with his imprisonment Mr. Bradford bid her tell her Mistress That he had read that day a godly History written by Basilius Magnus of Iuleddo a vertuous Widow She had great Lands and many children and nigh her dwelt a Cormorant which for her godliness hated her and out of very malice took away her lands so that she was fain to go to Law The Judge demanded of him why he wrongfully with-held these Lands from this Woman He answered he might because she was disobedient to the Kings proceedings for she will in no wise worship his gods nor offer sacrifice unto them Woman said the Judge thereupon if this be true thou art like not onely to lose thy Land but thy Life Whereupon she said And is there no remedy but either to worship your false gods or else to lose my
worldly adversity that might ensue thereof Whilst he was in England he was in so great favour and esteem with King Edward the Sixth that he was offered a Bishoprick but he not onely refused and rejected it but with a grave and severe Speech declared That the proud title of Lordship and that great state was not to be suffered to be in the Church of God as having Quid commune cum Antichristo i. e. somewhat common with Antichrist King Edward being dead the Persecution of Queen Mary made him leave England with many other godly Ministers and first he went to Frankford where for a time he preached the Gospel to the English Congregation there There he wrote his Admonition to England An. 1554. In his Admonition to the true Professours of the Gospel of Christ in England Looking for a suitable Scripture to handle for your consolation in these most dark and dolorous times as I was turning my Book I chanced to see a Note in the Margin written thus in Latin Vid eat Anglia Let England beware the Note written was this Seldome it is that God worketh any notable work to the comfort of his Church but that trouble fear and labour cometh upon such as God hath used for his Servants and Workmen and also tribulation most commonly followeth that Church where Christ Jesus is most truly preached This Note was made upon Matth. 14. which place declareth that after Christ had used the Apostles as Ministers and Servants to feed so many thousand c. he sent them to Sea c. and there they met with a Storm that was like to overthrow their poor Boat and them Remembring that I had handled the same Scripture in your presence I thought nothing more expedient then shortly to call to mind such things as then I trust were touched Why Christ sent away from him the people the Evangelist Iohn declareth saying When Iesus knew that they were come to take him that they might make him King he passed secretly or all alone to the mountain The people sought by Christ a carnal and worldly Liberty regarding nothing his heavenly Doctrine c. viz. that such as would follow him must suffer for his Names sake persecution must be hated of all men must deny themselves must be sent forth as Sheep among Wolves No part of this Doctrine pleased them but their whole mind was upon their bellies for sufficing whereof they devised that they would appoint Christ their worldly King for he had power to multiply bread at his pleasure Which vain opinion perceived by Christ he withdrew himself from their company to avoid all such suspition and to let them understand that no such Honours did agree with his Vocation who came to serve and not to be served Why the Disciples should suffer that great danger Saint Mark plainly shews saying That their hearts were blinded and therefore did neither remember nor consider the miracle of the loaves i. e. Albeit they touched the bread c. and gathered up twelve baskets full c. yet did not they rightly consider the infinite power of Christ Jesus by this wonderful miracle and therefore of necessity it was that in their own bodies they should suffer trouble for their better instruction When I deeply consider how the flock of Christ was fed under King Edward the Sixth and now behold the dispersion c. methinks I see the same causes to have moved God not onely to withdraw his presence frem the multitude but also to have sent his well beloved Servants to the travels of the Seas c. What were the affections of the greatest multitude that followed the Gospel is easily judged by their lives Who lived in that rest as that he had refused himself as that he had been crucified with Christ as that he had certainly looked for trouble to come upon him yea who lived not in delicacy and joy and seeking the world and pleasures thereof caring for the flesh and carnal appetites as though death and sin had clean been devoured and what was this else then to make of Christ an earthly King The Word that we professed daily cried in our ears that our Kingdome our Joy our Rest and Felicity neither was is nor should be upon the Earth c. but in Heaven into which we must enter by many tribulations But alas we sleeped in such security that the sound of the Trumpet could of many never be perfectly understood but alwayes we perswaded our selves of a certain tranquility as though the troubles whereof mention is made within the Scriptures of God appertained not at all to this Age c. and therefore was our heavenly Father compelled to withdraw from us the presence of his Verity to the end we may more earnestly thirst for the same and with more obedience embrace and receive it c. I mean not that such as have left Christ in body and heart shall embrace the Verity but such as by the infirmity of the flesh and weakness of faith dare not openly and boldly confess that which their hearts know to be most true and lament for the imperfection by-past and present from such shall not the amiable presence of Christ for ever be withdrawn but yet again shall the eyes of their sore troubled hearts behold the Light of Christs Gospel wherein they most delight We the Ministers who were Distributers of this Bread the true Word of God lacked not our offences which also moved God to send us to the Sea And because no mans offences are so manifest unto me as mine own I will onely censure my self O that all such Ministers as are put from their Charges would seriously and sadly peruse and lay to heart his humble confession The portion of heavenly Bread which I received from Christ by his benediction multiplyed in breaking c. but alas how little did I consider the dignity of that Office and the power of God that then multiplied the Bread the people received of my hands God I take to record in my Conscience that I delivered the same Bread that I received of Christs hands and that I mixed no poyson with the same i. e. I teached Christs Gospel without any mixture of mens dreams devices or phantasies but alas I did it not with such fervency with such indifferency and diligence as now I know it was my duty Some complained in those dayes that the Preachers were indiscreet persons yea Railers c. but alas this day my Conscience accuseth me that I spake not so plainly as my duty was to have done for I ought to have said to the wicked man expresly by his name Thou shalt die the death I find Ieremiah the Prophet to have done so to Pashur the high Priest and to Zedekiah the King The blind love I did bear to this my wicked Carkass was the chief cause I was not fervent and faithful enough in that behalf for I had no will to provoke
Letter to the Brethren imprisoned What worthy thanks can we render unto the Lord for you my Brethren namely for the great consolation which through you we have received in the Lord who notwithstanding the rage of Satan that goeth about by all manner of subtile means to beguile the world and also busily laboureth to restore and set up his Kingdome again that of late began to decay and to fall to ruine ye remain still unmoveable as men grounded upon a strong rock And now albeit that Satan by his Souldiers and wicked Ministers daily as we hear draweth numbers unto him so that it is said of him That he plucketh even the Stars out of Heaven whiles he driveth into some men the fear of death and loss of all their Goods and offereth unto others the pleasant baits of the world c. to the intent they should fall down and worship not the Lord but the Dragon the old Serpent which is the Devil that great beast and his image and should be enticed to commit fornication with the Strumpet of Babylon c. Yet blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which hath given unto you a manly courage and hath so strengthned you in the inward man by the Power of his Spirit that you can contemn as well all the terrours as also the vain allurements of the world esteeming them as meer trifles and things of nought In the Faith of Christ stand ye fast my Brethren and suffer not your selves to be brought under the yoke of bondage and superstition any more and be of good comfort and remember that our grand Captain hath overcome the world We never had a better or more just cause either to contemn our life or shed our blood we cannot take in hand the defence of a more certain clear and manifest Truth Shall we or can we receive and acknowledge any other Christ instead of him who is alone the everlasting Son of the everlasting Father c. Let such wickedness my Brethren let such horrible wickedness be far from us What can your Adversaries else do unto you by persecuting you and working all cruelty and villainy against you but make your Crowns more glorious yea beautifie and multiply the same c. In another Letter to the Brethren Now even now out of doubt Brethren the pit is opened against us and the locusts begin to swarm and Abaddon now reigneth ye therefore my Brethren which pertain unto Christ and have the Seal of God marked in your foreheads i. e. are sealed with the Earnest of the Spirit to be a peculiar people of God quit your selves like men and be strong for he that is in us is stronger then he which is in the world and ye know all that is born of God overcometh the world and this is our victory that overcometh the world even our Faith Let the world fret let it rage never so much be it never so cruel and bloody yet be sure that no man can take us out of the Fathers hands for he is greater then all c. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect c. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ Shall tribulation c. In his Letter to Mr. West his quondam Chaplain I wish you grace in God and love of the Truth without which truly established in mens hearts by the mighty hand of the Almighty God it is no more possible to stand by the Truth in Christ in time of trouble then it is for the wax to abide the heat of the fire I am perswaded Christs words to be true Whosoever shall confess me before men him will I confess also before my Father which is in Heaven and I believe that no earthly Creature shall be saved whom the Redeemer and Saviour of the world shall before his Father deny If you had wished that neither fear of death nor hope of worldly prosperity should let me to maintain Gods Word and his Truth which is his glory and true honour it would have like me well You desire me for Gods sake to remember my self Indeed it is now time so to do for so far as I can perceive it standeth me upon no less danger then of the loss both of body and soul and I trow then it is time for a man to awake if any thing will awake him He that will not fear him that threatneth to cast both body and soul into everlasting fire whom will he fear With this fear O Lord fasten thou together our frail flesh that we never swerve from thy laws You say you have made much suit for me God grant that you have not in suing for my worldly deliverance impaired and hindred the furtherance of Gods Word and his Truth To write unto these whom you name I cannot see what it will avail me but this I would have you know That I esteem nothing available for me which also will not further the glory of God Sir How nigh the day of my dissolution and departure out of this world is at hand I cannot tell the Lords Will be fulfilled how soon soever it shall come My conscience moves me to require both you and my Friend Dr. Harvey to remember your promises made to me in times past of the pure setting forth and preaching of Gods Word and his Truth These promises although you shall not need to fear to be charged with them of me hereafter before the world yet look for none other but to be charged with them at Gods hand My conscience and the love I bear you biddeth me now say unto you both in Gods Name fear God and love not the world for God is able to cast both soul and body into hell fire What is it else to confess or deny Christ in this world but to maintain the Truth taught in Gods Word or for any worldly respect to shrink from the same He that will wittingly forsake either for fear or gain of the world any one open Truth of Gods Word if he be constrained he will assuredly forsake God and all his Truth rather then he will endanger himself to lose or to leave that he loveth indeed better then he doth God and the Truth of his Word I like very well your plain speaking telling me I must either agree or die Sir I know I must die whether I agree or no. But what folly were it then to make such an agreement by the which I could never escape the death which is common to all and also incur the guilt of death and eternal damnation Lord grant that I may utterly abhor and detest this damnable agreement so long as I live If you do not confess and maintain to your power and knowledge that which is grounded upon Gods Word but will either for fear or gain of the world shrink and play the Apostate indeed you shall die the death In his Letter to Mr. Grindall then in Exile at Frankford afterward Arch Bishop
will have his course When his Brother brought him Gun-powder he said I will take it to be sent of God therefore I will receive it as sent of him To my Lord Williams he said My Lord I must be a Suitor to you for divers poor men and my Sister c. There is nothing in all this world troubleth my conscience I praise God this onely excepted When he saw the fire flaming towards him he said Into thy hands O Lord I commend my Spirit Lord receive my soul Lord have mercy upon me In his Letter to all his true Friends I warn you all that ye be not amazed or astonied at the kind of my departure and dissolution for I assure you I think it the most honour that ever I was called to in all my life and therefore I thank my Lord God heartily for it c. For know ye that I doubt no more but that the causes wherefore I am put to death are Gods causes and the causes of the Truth then I doubt that the Gospel which Iohn wrote is the Gospel of Christ or that Paul's Epistles are the very Word of God And to have an heart willing to abide and stand in Gods Cause and in Christs Quarrel even unto death I assure thee O man it is an inestimable gift of God given onely to the true Elect and dearly beloved Children of God and Inheritors of the Kingdome of Heaven for the holy Apostle and also Martyr in Christs Cause St. Peter 1 Pet. 4. saith If ye suffer rebuke in the Name of Christ i. e. in Christs Cause and for his Truths sake then are ye happy and blessed for the glory of the Spirit of God resteth upon you and if for rebukes suffered in the Name of Christ a man is pronounced blessed and happy how much more blessed and happy is he that hath the grace to suffer death also Wherefore all ye that be my true Lovers and Friends rejoyce and rejoyce with me again and render with me hearty thanks to God our heavenly Father that for his Sons sake my Saviour and Redeemer Christ he hath vouchsafed to call me being so vile and sinfull a wretch in my self unto the high dignity of his true Prophets of his faithfull Apostles and of his holy Elect and chosen Martyrs to die in defence and maintenance of his eternal and everlasting Truth If ye love me indeed you have cause to rejoyce for that it hath pleased God to call me to a greater honour and dignity then ever I did enjoy before either in Rochester or London or should have had in Durham whereunto I was last of all elected yea I count it greater honour before God indeed to die in his Cause then is any earthly or temporal promotion or honour that can be given to a man in this world And who is he that knoweth the Cause to be Gods to be Christs Quarrel and of his Gospel to be the Commonweal of all the Elect and chosen Children of God of all the Inheritors of the Kingdome of Heaven Who is he I say that knoweth this assuredly by Gods own Word and the Testimony of his Conscience as I through the infinite goodness of God not of my self but by his grace acknowledge my self to do and doth in deed and in truth love and fear God love and believe his Master Christ and his blessed Gospel and the Brotherhood the chosen Children of God and also lusteth and longeth for eternal life who is he I say again that would not that cannot find in his heart in this Cause to be content to die Farewell Pembrohe Hall in C. of late mine own Colledge my Cure and my Charge what cafe thou art in now God knoweth I know not well Wo is me for thee mine own dear Colledge if ever thou suffer thy self by any means to be brought from setting forth Gods true Word In thy Orchard I learned without Book all Pauls Epistles yea and I ween all the Canonical Epistles save only the Apocalyps Of which study although in time a great part did depart from me yet the sweet smell thereof I trust I shall carry with me into Heaven The Lord grant that this zeal and love to that part of Gods Word which is a Key to all the Scripture may ever abide in that Colledge so long as the world shall endure O thou now wicked and bloody See of London c. hearken thou whorish Bawd of Babylon thou wicked limb of Antichrist thou bloody Wolf why slayest thou and makest havock of the Prophets of God why murthereft thou so cruelly Christs poor silly Sheep which will not hear thy voice because thou art a stranger and will follow none other but their own Pastor Christ his voice Thinkest thou to escape or that the Lord will not require the blood of his Saints at thy hands Instead of my farewell to thee now I say fie upon thee fie upon thee silthy Drab and all thy false Prophets To you my Lords of the Temporality will I speak c. Know ye that I had before mine eyes onely the fear of God and Christian charity toward you that moved me to write for of you hereafter I look not in this world either for pleasure or displeasure if my talk shall do you never so much pleasure or profit you cannot promote me nor if I displease you can you harm me for I shall be out of your reach I say unto you as St. Paul saith unto the Galatians I wonder my Lords what hath bewitched you that ye so suddenly are fallen from Christ unto Antichrist from Christs Gospel unto mans Traditions from the Lord that bought you unto the Bishop of Rome I warn you of your perill be not deceived except you will be found willingly consenters to your own death Understand my Lords it was neither for the priviledge of the Place or Person thereof that the See and Bishop of Rome were called Apostolick but for the true trade of Christs Religion which was taught and maintained in that See at the first of those godly men and therefore as truly and justly as that See then for that true trade of Religion and consanguinity of Doctrine with the Religion and Doctrine of Christs Apostle was called Apostolick so as truly and as justly for the contrariety of Religion and diversity of Doctrine from Christ and his Apostles that See and the Bishop thereof at this day both ought to be called and are indeed Antichristian The See is the Seat of Satan and the Bishop of the same that maintaineth the Abominations thereof is Antichrist himself indeed As for your displeasure by that time this shall come to your knowledge I trust by Gods grace to be in the hands and protection of the Almighty my heavenly Father the living Lord the greatest of all and then I shall not need I trow to fear what any Lord no nor what King or Prince can do unto me Much cause have you to
the Truth the bitter pangs of death c. To die in Christs Cause is an high honour to the which no man should aspire but to whom God vouchsafeth that priviledge for no man is allowed to presume to take to himself any office of honour but he which is thereunto called of God Iohn saith well speaking of them which have obtained the Victory by the blood of the Lamb and by the Word of his Testimony that they loved not their lives even unto death And our Saviour Christ saith He that shall lose his life for my Cause shall find it This manner of speech pertaineth not to one kind of Christians as the worldly do wickedly dream but to all that truly pertain to Christ for when Christ had called unto him the multitude together with his Disciples he said unto them Mark he said not this unto his Disciples or Apostles only but unto all Whosoever will follow me let him forsake or deny himself c. for whosoever will to save his life forsake me and my Truth shall lose it and whosoever shall lose c. Whosoever shall â—e ashamed of me and my words i. e. to confess me and my Gospel before this adulterous generation of him shall the Son of man be ashamed c. Know thou O man of God that all things are ordained for the furtherance of thee towards thy salvation All things saith Paul work with the good to goodness c. It is not as the wicked think That poverty adversity sickness tribulation yea painfull death of the godly be tokens that God doth not love them but even the clean contrary Now thou O man of God for the Lords sake let us not for the love of this life tarry here too long and be occasion of delay of that glorious consummation of all Christs Sufferers in hope and expectation whereof the former Martyrs have departed in the Lord and the which also the living indued with Gods Spirit ought so earnestly to desire c. crying out Come Lord Iesus come Then shall our weak body be transfigured and made like to Christs glorious body and then shall we see and have the unspeakable joy and fruition of the glorious Majesty of our Lord even as he is Who or what then shall let us to jeopard yea to spend this life which we have here in Christs Cause in our Lord God his Cause O therefore thou man of God that art loaden and so letted like unto a great bellied woman that thou canst not flie the plague yet if thou lust after such things as I have spoken of stand fast whatsoever shall befall thee in thy Masters Cause and take this thy letting to flie for a call from God to fight in thy Master Christs Cause Of this be thou certain they can do nothing unto thee which thy Father is not aware of or hath not foreseen before they can do no more then it shall please him to suffer them to do for the furtherance of his glory edifying of his Church and thine own salvation O be not afraid and remember the end What I have spoken for the comfort of the big-bellied woman I mean to be spoken likewise to the Captive and Prisoner in Gods Cause for such I count to be as it were already summoned and pressed to fight under the Banner of the Cross of Christ and as it were Souldiers allowed and taken up for the Lords Wars to do their Lord and Master good and honourable service and to stick to him even unto death c. To conclude I say unto all that love Christ Jesus our Redeemer and Saviour that love to follow the wayes of the holy Ghost who is our Comforter and Sanctifier that love Christs Spouse and Body c. yea that love life and their souls health Hearken my dear Brethren and Sisters c. to the Word of our Saviour Jesus Christ spoken to his Apostles and meant to all his in St. Matthew's Gospel Fear not them which kill the body for they cannot kill the soul but fear him c. The Lord grant us of his heavenly grace and strength that here we may so confess him in this world amongst this adulterous generation that he may confess us again at the last day before his Father c. In his Reasons why Images should not be placed and erected in Churches First the words of the Command Exod. 20. repeated more plainly Deut. 27. where observe those words Thou shalt not make to thy self mean to any use of Religion and those And setteth it in a secret place imply that no man durst then commit Idolatry openly The reason why God gave this general Prohibition is lest thou being deceived shouldst bow down to them and worship them This general Law is generally to be observed though some be not hurt by them Moses was not deceived or seduced by Iethro's Daughter nor Boaz by Ruth a woman of Moab yet the general Law was to be observed Thou shalt not joyn thy children in marriage with strangers least she seduce thy Son c. If by vertue of the second Commandment Images were not lawfull in the Temple of the Jews then by the second Command they are unlawfull in the Churches of Christians but c. in the Tabernacle and Temple of God no Images were appointed openly to beset nor by practice afterwards used or permitted so long as Religion was purely observed therefore c. For the second Command is moral and not ceremonial c. The Jews by no means would consent to Herod Pilate or Peâ—ronius that Images should be placed in the Temple at Jerusalem but rather offered themselves unto death then to consent unto it Besides that Iosephus commends them for observing the meaning of the Law sure they would not have endangered themselves so far if they had thought Images had been indifferent in the Temple of God Athâ—nasius tells us The invention of Images came of no good but of evil and whatsoever hath an evil beginning can never in any thing be judged good seeing it is wholly naught Tâ—rtullian expounding those words Little Children beware of Images saith That the meaning is as if he had said Little Children keep your selves from the shape it self or form of them Images in the Church either serve to edify or to destroy If they edify then there is one kind of edification which the Scriptures neither teach nor command but alwayes disallow if they destroy they are not to be in the Church The Command of God is Thou shalt not lay a stumbling-block before the blind and cursed is he that maketh the blind wander in his way Images are snares and traps for the feet of the ignorant Images do not stir up the mind to Devotion but distract the mind from Prayer hearing of Gods Word c. Hence in the Council-chamber of the Lacedemonians no picture was suffered least in Consultation of the weighty matters of the