The first consolacion is. That Cryst himselfe hathe also suffred.

FIrst of all, we that be in trouble and heuynes for the trw [...]h, must sette the example of Cryst before our eyes (I mean not our bodely eyes fastened vpon any image forboden of God) but before the eyes of our faithe, seynge his passyon paynted and engra­uen in his holy worde Paul thus exhor­tinge vs sayinge, In pacience let vs run­ne in this bataill before vs hauinge re­specte vnto the goyd of our faythe and fiuissher of our bataill euen Iesu Chryst, [Page] which beholdinge the ioye set forth before him suffred the crosse (all shame despysed and set a parte) and is sittē downe on the right hande of the seat royall of god. Cō ­sider and loke well vpon him, for it was he that sustayned and suffred so to be a­geyn sayd, that you shulde not faynte and be feble mynded. Here we see Chryst the sone of god, euen the powr of god to suf­fer for vs, how he wold for our sakis be humbled and deiected vnder all men euen vnto the death of the crosse to exalt vs in­to the most highe dignitie and to lifte vs vp into the glorye celestiall. And therfore did god exalt him into so highe glorye. If Chryst therfore our lorde hathe sufferd for vs, so many, so great obprobries, cala­myties ignominyes reuylinges shames iniuries sorowes and euen the moste bit­ter and ignominiouse death, what delicate softlings be we if ayen, for his sake, we refuse thorowe lyke affliccions to go to him bi the same waye? For verely we be called vnto the same pathe, peter thus af­firminge. Chryst to be [...]courged and af­flicted for vs, leauinge vs an example to folowe his steapes, euen to suffer afflicci­ons also in this worlde. The worlde ha­ted Chryst, and no doute but it will neuer loue his members, but with the same bit­ter hatered persecute vs which be Chry­stes [Page] floke. The worlde loueth his owne. And because we be not the worldis, but Ioā. xv. chosen out of it, therfore dothe the worlde hate vs. Let vs not forgete these wordes of owr sauiour Chryst. The seruant is not beter then his master. If they haue persecuted me they shal persecute you al­so. Wherfore and if there be no persecu­cion at any tyme in Englond, so is there nether Chryste nor any of his members.

This therfore is vnto vs all, the most greateste counfort. That if we suffer with Chryst for his names glorye: sewer and certayn be we that god loueth vs ād hath chosen vs to be his sonnes ād ayers of the ij. Tim. ij. celestiall kingedom, and that he hathe put vs a parte from this sinfull dampnable worlde, that we shuld not be dāpned with the wyked, but glorifyed with Christe. Thus did Paul sende his sone Timothe i. Tessa. iij. to the Thessalonions to counfort and cō ­firme them in faith, exhortinge thē to con­stancye in their affliccions and persecuci­ons which theyr owne countrymen and kynsfolke brought vpon them: thus wry­tinge to them. Your selues knowe it, that we be ordined vnto this vse. For whē we were with yon, we tolde you before in our sermons that we and you shuld suffer trouble and persecucion. Also when Paul and Baruabas came to listram Iconiun [Page] and to Antioch to confirme the brethern, they exhorted them to perseuere in faith and not to be plukt from Chryst with no threates no feare, nor persecucion telling them that thorowe many tribulaciōs we must entre into the kingedom of God. But se onely that none of you suffer and be troubled as a murtherer, or a these, or i. Petr. iiij. as a malefactour and a b [...]ye bodye to curiose in other mens maters. For if any suffer and be punysshed as a crystiane, Pro. xi. Ier. xlix Ezec. ix. Lu. xxiij let him not be asshamed, but glorifye god in so suffering. For the tyme is come that the iudgement or plage muste beginne at the house of god. Which sithe it begin­neth at vs, what shall become of thē that beleue not the gospell of God? And if the iuste be saued by siche difficultye, whe­re shall the vngodly appere? Wherfore they that be persecuted and troubled at the will of god, let them lay vp, and com­mitte their soules vnto their faithful ma­ker in wel doinge. Let vs set before our myndes all the constant faithfull mar­tyrs which haue confessed god and for Crystes sake forsaken the glorye of the worlde honours riches pompe, yea and their owne lyues to. If these men tho­row Christe haue ouercomen the worl­de & might haue suffered so miche, wher­fore shall not we truste, god with his gra­ce [Page] to strengthen vs and to be present to confirme vs and to delyuer vs from all theis calamyties and to imparte vnto vs his glorye? He neuer yet forsoke any that faithfully trusted in him and suf­fred for his gloriouse names sake.

But yet if our mindes be but weake aud we so false hert [...]d as to thinke, that Chryste for that he is very god myght well suffer and haue the victory, and al­so geue his holy martyrs lyke grace, and as for vs because we be men and synners fayntly faithed, we cannot ther­fore but feare and [...]lye from this perse­cucion and mar [...]yrdom beinge not able to abyde it. When this tentacion come ouer vs, then let vs ru [...]e to the scriptu­res whiche shall counfort vs meruellon­se strongly ministringe to owr soulis si­ [...]he helpe, and addinge to vs siche inuin­ [...]ble strengthe and alacryte of mynde with so great constancye, that we shall suffer all thinges gladly and bere awaye the most gloriouse victorye into our feli­cite moste ioyouse thorowe Chryste.

Here folowth the seconde conso­lation. That Chryste him self ij is present with his helpe for his faith­full.

THis also hold fast in mynde. That Chryste is geuen vs not onely for an example vs to suffere with him but also an helper a defender and preser­uer in all our affliccions and troubles, ād will not at any tyme forsake vs, nor leaue vs a lone in our bataill and perell. But who so toucheth vs, he toucheth the apple of his eye, and he that dothe vs iniurye dothe iniury to Chryst, as he said to Paul. Saul, Saul, why persecutest me▪ He per­secuted Act. ix. the crystians whom Christe este­meth and calleth as him selfe, and repu­teth the same persecucion done to his own persone which is done to vs.

Let euery faithfull here consider with him self, howe great a faithfull helper we haue of Chryste whyles for his sake we suffer persecucion. For if we belene in Chryst and suffer for his sake, we are ve­rely crystiās and the sonnes of god. And if god be our father, Chryst our lorde, our head ād our brother, no doute, god behol­deth vs tenderinge vs as diligently as any father may loue his owne derely be­loued sonne, as the Psalme witnesseth. Owr helpe to be of the lorde whiche hath made heuen and erthe. He shall not once suffere our feet to slyde. He sleapeth not that kepeth vs. The eyes of the lorde are set vpon the rightwyse and his ears en­clyned [Page] to their prayers. When we crye he heareth vs and deliuereth vs from al our Psalm. xxiij. troubles. He is present with vs troubled in herte, and saueth the humble in spyrit. Many trybulacions come ouer the iuste, but the lorde delyuereth vs from thē all. He kepeth all our bones, so that not one of them be brokē. In the. xl. Psal the Pro­phete complayneth to god of his trouble but anon he saith▪ The Lorde is tender ād taketh the cure ouer me. Agene, Behold the eyes of the lorde are bent vpon them Psalm. xxxiij. that feare him & truste vnto his mercye, it is he that delyuereth owr soulis from dethe & fedeth vs in tyme of famyn. We therfore depende vpon the Lorde for he is owr helper & defender. In him our hertes reioyse and in his holy name is our tru­ste, also Dauid counforteth himself in this worde. The Lorde is my lyght and my sa­uinge helthe, whom shal I feare? The lor­de is the defender of my lyfe, of whō then Psalm. xxvi. shall I be afrayd? If neuer so great an hoste so strongly apoynted be bent agenst me, yet shall not my hert be afraid, If ba­taill ryse agey [...]st me, then am I moste se­wereste. For the aungel of the lorde com­passeth thē rownd about that feare him, to delyuer them. Blessed is the man that trusteth in him. And if I walke (faith he) in the middis of the shade we of death, yet [Page] feare I non euill: For thou (Lorde) art with me: The sonnes of Korath syng also Psalm. xxij. thus. God is owr refuge and strengthe vnable to be expressed. Wherfore we fea­re not although the hole erthe be turned Psalm. xlv. vp se downe and the mountayns be de­uolued into the middes of the sea. These be doutlesse the most ferme promises of the myghty helpe & presence of god with vs in our affliccions. Which can not de­ceyue vs. All the faithfull had and haue experiēce of this helpe neuer to haue fay­led them. And seinge god is thus present with vs, wherfore shulde we be a fraid of dethe? or be troubled in myde as mē with out hope or counforte? If god be on our syde, who can be ageynst vs? Which spa­red not his owne sonne but deliuered him Ro, viij. vp to deathe for vs all. And howe then may it be other wyse but that with him he muste geue vs all thinges? Who shall laye any cryme to our charge seinge we be the oute chosen of god? It is god that iustifieth vs, what is he that may condēp­ [...]e vs? It is Cryst that dyed for vs, yea it is he that is rysen agen for vs and sitteth at the right hande of god makinge inter­cession for vs. What consolacion may we haue more plentuouse more present ād ef­fectuouser then this? Where he said. God is on our syde, god fyghteth for vs. How [Page] almighty is god one alone for vs al suffi­ciēt: What is the worlde in his hādis? All naciōs are nothing in his hādis, saith Isa­ye. Isay. xl. If the worlde can do nothing ageynst his might not her in taking away nor mi­ [...]sshing his glorye, nor to put him frō his celestiall trone, so can it not hurt any one of his childern without his godly will. Let vs therfore (oh dere brethern) beholde ho­we great a consolacion this is. That god is on our syde to fyght for vs, to tender, defende and to preserue vs. He hathe ge­uen vs his owne sone Chryst. Can he thē denye vs thingis of lesse valewe sithe he hath geuē vs so riche a treasure? Who cō ­sideringe these inestimable benefit is can be careful, heuye, false herted & hopelesse? If many worldis were ageynst vs, & all the wiked spirites of helleet lose to deuou [...]e vs, yet is there no perell towerd vs, if Chryst be on our parte. Thorowe Cryst haue we peace. For this his derely belo­ued sones sake god our father loueth vs. For the preciouse blodis sake of his own innocēt sone, we obtayn remissiō of al our synnes, & also victory agenst deathe & satā. For where as synne hath no dominiō the­re bere deathe no rule, there hath Satan lost his powr. What thē shuld we feare? shulde we feare this temporall deathe. No. For that is nowe to vs but a sleape & [Page] reste. For Christe hathe so ouercome [...]t, Isa. xxv. Act. vij. Ioan. xi Ose. xiij Ro. viij. that vnto vs whiche be his faithful, death is become an ingresse vnto saluacion and lyfe eternall. For Christe hath abolesshed and destroyed the body of syn to then [...]ēt we shuld be led into lyfe. Wherfore let vs with constant faith cleaue vnto our lorde Chryst, besechinge our father in heuē for Chrystes sake to augment our faithe. Which thinge if we do it, so be we salfe without all feare and perell, sewer enou­ghe ageynst all stormye tempestes. If our Conso­lacion a­geynst our syn­nes. i. Cori. i. synnes feare and trouble vs, let vs sette vp ageynst them the inuincible innocēcye and infinite rightwysenes of our Lorde Iesus Chryst, geuen vs of his father to be our rightwysenes. Which once done, our sinnes a non vanisshe awaye as dothe waxe ageynst the fyer. For Chryst vere­ly Psal. iiij is by an holy othe cōstituted of the fa­ther to be an euerlastinge kinge & preiste, whiche for our synnes offred vp him selfe the very sacrifice of our reconciliacion ād Hebre. i. expiacion by the shedinge of his preciouse blode and sitteth on the right hande, of the diuine highe maiestye, there makinge intercession for vs, he beinge our lorde al­myghtye, all thinges subiecte vnto him, Conso­lacion a geynst dethe. bothe aungels and powres celestial at his bek. i. Pet. iij. If death feareth vs. Let vs remember Chryst to be our lyfe. It is he [Page] that once dyed for our synnes, and is ry­sen Rom. x. ayen neuer more to dye. It is he that hathe swallowd vp death and hath casten Isa. xxv it vnder his fote for euer. If aftir this ly­fe there were no nother, then might we worthely sorowe and feare, then were we the moste miserable of all creatures. But i. cor. xv for asmiche as our lyfe heginneth aftir this is here ended, let vs be layd downe in bodye to sleap in the ferme hope of our resurreccion, and be neuer afraide to dye. Christ our head is rysen, we being his bo­dye and mēbers muste folowe our head. Which said. I am the resurreccion which is lyfe. Who so beleue in me, he shall lyue yea although he were dead. And all that beleue in me shall neuer dye. We verely knowe and beleue the resurreccion of our bodyes and to haue lyfe eternal promised in Chryst and for christes sake. And ther­fore our faith cannot be frustrated. For he that beleueth in criste hath lyfe eternall. These be crystes owne wordes whiche is Ioan. iij the verite and may not lye. What nowe can death to vs in his moste furye? Uere­ly nothinge els then for a litle tyme sepa­rat our bodies from our soulis, & so sende owr soulis out of this miserable synfull lyfe combred with all calamites vnto that moste blessed felicite. Our bodyes cannot be so vtterly destroyd but they shalbe on­ce [Page] restored gloriously vnto our soulis. Ne­ther i. cor. xv may they slaye our soulis: for thei be immortall. Thei can not take our bodyes Mat. x. nor soulis out of the hādis of god. Whiche if we be kept in the hādis of god as in the bosome of our most louing father, & if we abyde in Cryst & Chryste in vs; sewerly we shall lyue for euer. Chryst thus affir­minge. Ioan. x. My shepe he are my voice, I kno­we them, thei folow me, and I geue them euerlastynge lyfe. Nether shall they be lost: nor noman shall pluk them out of my handis.

Wherfore let the wiked haithen & vn­beleuers be afraid, tormēted, and be with out hope at the syght of dethe which kno­we not god in Chryst, whiche when they knowe not Chryst to be their very right­wysenes, their lyfe & their onely sauiour nor beleue not in him, thei must nedis abi­de & perisshe in their sinnes, in deathe and in eternall dampnacion. But we ought not to feare nor to be heauye and tormen­ted in mynde, as do thei which haue no hope, for we se a beter lyfe aftir this aby­dinge vs. Whiche the ignorant vnbele­uers in Chryste know not. And albeit he­re for a tyme we passe forthe laid agaynst many perells, molested and whetted with diuerse and many greuouse afflicciōs, yet at last, all the laboriouse myseries of this [Page] lyfe passed ouer, the glorye of the sonnes of god shall be shewed and declared vpon vs, euen as we here vpon erthe haue ben in hope salfe and blessed. Nowe we we­pe and be heuye, but the daye of our glad­nes is not farre of in the whiche our Lor­de God shall wype awaye the teares from the chekis of vs that beleue in him, and shall happely change our heuynes into an infinite perpetuall ioye: then to singe this triumphe. Death is swallo­wed vp into victorye. Oh deth where is thy stinge? Oh hell where is thy victo­rye? Oh syn where is now thy myght? Thākes be to our God and father which hath geuen vs the victory, by our Lorde Iesus Chryste. i. Corin. xv.

If the feare of dampnacion and per­petuall Conso­laciō a­geynst the fere of dāp­nacion. death shulde vexe vs, then let vs remember our selues to haue ben bap­tyzed into Chryst, ingraffed into his de­ath, owr synnes buryed in his woundes, and rysen with him into glorye and ly­fe. And so is there no condempnacion, Ro. viij. as saynt Paul sayth, vnto them whiche are thus by faith ingraffed into Iesu cry­ste, which walke not after the flesshe but aftir the spyrite. In this our swete and plentuouse vynestok, yf we as lyuely faithfull braunches abyd by constant fai­the, our sinnes are neuer more imputed [Page] vnto vs. By this faithe we be made the sonnes of god and the ayers of eternall lyfe, euen the felowe ayers with Christe. If we haue Chryst in vs, (by faith we fe­le him presēt in our hertes) so feare we no condempnacion. For Chryst is our lyfe and our sauinge helthe eternall, dwellin­ge in vs, ageynst whom nether hell nor death nor synne can preuaile. Let vs the­fore abyde by constant faith in our saui­our Chryst walkinge in him roted ād fra­med vpon him, perseueringe in faithe cō ­stantly cleauinge to him, committing our selues hole vnto his goodnes & mercye, and let vs with hert mouth and lyfe te­stifye and declare our faith obedience and thankfulnes vnto him for his inestimable ryches of his gospell now geuen vs.

What can I more saye? We haue our celestiall father, our father (I say) of an infinite clemencie goodnes and mercye, which can no lesse forget vs then any er­thely father his owne derely beloued so­ne or any mother hir owne tendre frutes of hir owne bodye soukinge at hir brests. And were it in case that the mother per­chaunce might forgete hir yonge lytle in­fant, yet shall our mercifull father neuer forgete vs, Isay. xlix.

We haue a redemer and a delyuerer, euen the moste myghtiest Lorde Christe [Page] Iesu to whom is geuen all powr in heuen and erthe. Whiche raigneth our all, he loueth vs, he hath taken vs to be his bre­thern, we are his members, he hathe de­serued for vs all goodnes and all felicite. He hath geuen vs the glorye whiche his Ioan. xviij. father gaue him that we shulde be all one in Chryst and in the father, as the father and sonne be one, out of the whiche vnite all the treasures of the diuine goodnes, of rightwysenes, lyfe, consolacion and helthe be geuen vnto vs. Thorowe owr faith in Christe and for Chrystis sake we are one that is to saye, of one consent mynde and felowship with the father and the sonne and the holy goste, so that as the sone can­not be diuidid from the father, nor the ho­ly gost from them bothe, nomore may we beinge the faithfull in Chryste, be separa­ted from Cryste. For Christe wolde that where so euer him selfe were, there shuld we be with him, whiche thinge aftir our Ioan. xvij. departure is as certaynly trwe as is him self the verite which so said it, prayd for it and obtayned it for vs of his father.

Furthermore. If our faith be yet to weake to apprehende fermely these in­finite so riche benefits, thē let vs flye vn­to the promises of god, which as they be right many, so are they the most trwest & certayne, whiche ought to be depely prin­ted [Page] into our hertis neuer to be forgoten▪ Owr hertis verely are [...]o narow and to skant to receyue the greatnes & the mul­titude of these riche tresures ād goodnes. For these benefits be immense and infini­te. And therfore let vs thus thinke, that right great and mighty is he which pro­miseth these riches to vs, ād that he is the very god him self, euen owr god. Whiche in, and for his owne onely begoten derely beloued sonne, hathe he promised vs this lyfe euerlastinge. For all the promises of god are made in, and for Chrystes sake to be ferme and fast and inuiolable Certayn ij. cor. i. it is that god sent vs his sonne in that full apoynted tyme as the prophetes had pro­phecied it, [...]o fulfyll these his cleare and gloriouse mighty riche promyses. This is trwthe. For we haue them confirmed ād sealled wi [...]he his owne spirite of trowthe with his gospel preched and with his ow­ne blode shed in his passion, and autorysed with his owne gloriouse resurrecciō which is owr head and raigneth aboue all both in heuen and in erthe and in hell. And ho­we then maye we his members, for who­se sake all these things he hath done and suffered, [...]arye in synne and in deathe?

There may nothinge more certaynly The ver tewe of the x [...]. stablisshe and confirme our myndis, our selues to ryse agen immortal bothe in bo­dy [Page] and soule, then the resurreccion of ery­ste. surrec­cion. We can haue no fermer nor stronger argument of our resurreccion, then the re­surreccion of our Lorde Chryst whiche is the most certayn and sewerest. The very sonne of god is made man, and toke our nature vnto him selfe, which willingly & not constrayned suffred death for vs vpō the crosse. But yet he arose ageyne, & wol­de aftir his resurreccion be sene, handled his woundes sene and felt, herde spekinge and teachinge his disciples eatinge and drinkinge with them, of the whiche his re surreccion, his disciples were so certayne that aftirward, withe their owne deathes thei cōfirmed it. And if Chryst be rysen from death, so be we certayn that our syn­nes be cle [...]sed ād deathe deuicted. Wher­fore in the Lorde we ought to reioyse for euer ād to geue him high thanks immor­tall for these inestimable immense bene­fits. Let Satan with his wyked whelpes freat, fume and gry [...]ne with all his idle emnio [...]s impes whom eternall dampna­cion abideth. But let vs abyde in the faith of the gospell, and so abyde we the lyuely members of Chryste. And then where so euer is Chryste, there are we also. De­ath cannot pluk vs from Chryste. For we are the members of his bodye out of his owne flesshe and bones, Ephe. v.

[Page]But & if our ferefull infirme conscien­ces doutinge of these so certayn promise [...] An ob­ieccion. for that we be all sinners, caste awaye all hope, thinkinge our selues therfore to ha­ue lost all these benefits promised vs, say­inge with owr selues. We heare god [...]o haue promised vs all these riche benefits, but because we so syn dayly ād fall from him doinge no good thing perfitly we are vnworthei to haue thē. With siche though tis verely satan tempteth and troubleth many a good man. But this do I answe­re. That if our rightwysenes and salua­cion Than­swer. shuld stande vpon our owne good workes and worthynes, then sewerly had we lost in euery minute all these riche be­nefits of god, then might we be vncertay ne of all these promyses, and of any re­mission of our synnes and lyfe eternall, if lyfe and remission were promised vs vpō siche a cōdicion, that is, if we fulfill gods preceptis and so by owr good dedis merit our saluaciō, so were we without all hope of saluaciō. For we are euery hower syn­ners and all our beste works are imper­fect, yea thei be (as Isaye saith) corrupt & sinfull, if they shulde be expended & tryed in the rigour of gods lawe and exammed at his straight iugement. If the hope of our saluacion shulde stande vpon the me­rits & worthines of owr workis, we must [Page] nedis despeyre neuer to haue peace in our consciences, when there is no man so holy and perfit of lyuinge whiche may verely glorye him self at altymes so to haue had fulfilled the lawe as it ought to be fulfil­led. But prayse be vnto god our moste mercifull father whiche hath so intyrely loued vs for Christes sake, that he hath taken our saluacion out of owr owne fe­ble handis ād hathe set it vpon a sewerer and more certayne foundacion, that is to weit euen vpon his mere grace and mer­cye promysed in Christe, our faithe rea­chinge it vnto Chrystes blode wasshinge away al our sinnes. If we beleue this promise so be we iustified, absolued & saued. Nothinge els requireth he of vs concer­ninge our remission and saluacion, then thus to beleue in Chryste euen him selfe by his death to haue obtayned vs remis­sion an lyfe eternall. Wherfore when si­che temptacions assawte vs, then let vs crye for faithe to beleue these promyses in Cryste. And suffer not our selues to be thruste from them. Of the whiche thus Ro. iiij. saith Paul. For owr faith, is the heretage geuen vs, that frely of grace and fauour, ferme fast and sewer shulde the promise stande vnto all the sead, not to it that is of the lawe onely, but vnto them that are of the faith of Abraham.

[Page]This is our consolaciō, this is our ho­pe onely. Who so reacheth this promyse with his faith he shal neuer despeper. For certain it is, the some of our helthe to stād vpon fayth in Iesu Chryste vpon this growndsole is the dore of our saluacion turned and returned. Let vs therfore ap­prehende with our faith this diuine pro­mise whiche we nother may nor can deser ue, and we haue all these celestiall benefi­tis, euen remission of our sinnes, the holy goste and eternall lyfe. All these hath god promised vs in Christe and for Chrystis sake. In this promise consisteth all our cō ­solacion, our hope, our rightwysenes, re­conciliacion and helthe. Beleue god to be trwe of his promise, and caste not awaye the gospell of his sone preched vnto the, but receyue it thankfully with all thy her­te, enbrace it with bothe thyne armes, ād dout it not, this gospell to be as well thy­ne, as Pauls and Steuens, & as migh­tely to saue the, as it saued them. Dou­te not of the grace mercye powr & trowth of God, and thou art iustifyed and as salfe as is Abraham and all the sayntis in heuen. To do good workes comman­ded of god studye and endeuour thy sel­fe ernestly with all diligence, so that thou doiste nothinge els but well. Studye to excell almen in innocencye of lyuinge, in [Page] al [...]ose dedis doing, be merciful, counfor­table, piteouse and helping all men, yea and euen thyne enemyes. But vse these deadis continually as thy dewtye & serui­ce dewe vnto god as testimonyes of thy faithe and obedience vnto his lawes. Euermore aknowledginge them to be farre inferiour vnpurer weaker and vn­perfitter, then that thou maist of them reioyse and glorye before god or by thē to deserue any rightwysenes. Think thy self an vnprofitable seruant, yea when thou haste done all, which is but thy dewtye and no deseruinge. And beware lest thou thinkest thy workis to be meritis of right wysenes and helthe before God. For this opinion and persuasion is an vngod­ly blasphemie ageynst Chryste. For in the cause of our saluaciō we may not tru­ste in any parte to our owne workis but onely by faithe cleaue to the promises of God in Chryst. The workis & merits of Christe onely geue vs frely our saluacion & not ours, nor yet the workes of any cre­ature els. Let vs therfore with faithset fast holde vpon the promyses of god in the gospell, nether be we diuelled from them by any engyne of tentacion or persecuci­on. Let vs consyder the verite of God to be inuiolable promisinge and geuin­ge vnto vs his faithfull in Chryste lyfe [Page] eternall for Chrystis sake. It is he onely that hath deserued it for vs. It is his one­ly benefit, vnto him onely must we [...] ­der the thankis. Unto him onely must we cleaue by faith. And so shall we with stand all temtacions, wrestle out of, and ouercome all difficulties. If the promyse, as concerninge vs, shulde not be out of fauour frely made, so could it not be fer­me and certayn because our workis and obedience to the lawe of god be so vnpu­re, miserable, filthei and so imperfit and naught if they shulde be compared & layd ageynst the severe iugement and extre­mite of the lawe of god,

Thus therfore dothe the holy goste counfort vs vtwardly in the holy scryp­tures and inwardly with this lyuely te­stimonye of the spirit, as Paul affirmeth Ro. viij. sayinge. Ye haue not receyued the spirit of bondage ageyne vnto feare: But ye haue receyued the spirit of adopcion by whom we crye father father. The same spirit witnesseth vnto ours that we be the sonnes of god. If we be his sonnes, so be we the ayers of god, and euen the felowe ayers with Chryste if we suffer with him to be also glorifyed with him. Which con firmeth vs also in Cryst, for it is god that ij. Cor. i. hath anoynted vs and sealled vs vp & ge­uen vs the pledge of his spirit in ou [...] her­tis, [Page] Agene saith Paul. Aftir ye had bele­ued the gospell of your saluacion ye were vp sealed with the holy promised spirit, Ephe. i. which is the pledge of our heretage into the redempcion of our purchased possessi­on, into the prayse of his glorye. Also the spirit helpeth our weaknesses. For trew­ly, Ro. viij. the thinge that we shuld prayfore and how to aske it, we knowe not. But the spi rit him selfe maketh intercession for vs with sythes vnable to be expressed.

Nether is it any lesse counfort, whiche our god and father hath ordined for vs in his great felowship emonge the faithfull congregaciōs of whom mencion is made emonge the articles of our faithe. We be­leuinge thē to be the holy catholyke chir­che. Whiche all, be our members, we all togither beinge one bodye, as techeth vs Paul right counfortably, i. Cor. xij. One mēber to be carefull for a nother, of whi­che, if one of vs suffer, all the rest haue compassion, and if one of vs be hole and well, all the other membres reioyse with the fame. So that we beinge thus k [...]it to gither with the bondis of loue, haue all thing is hothe mierth and sorowe, heuines and ioye, comon. And if one of vs suffer for Chrystis sake in Englōd, all the trwe brethern and sisters in the same londe, in France, in Germany orels where, suffer [Page] the same. And where one of vs being p [...] sent cannot counfort another, yet beinge neuer so farrof, we praye incessauntly one for other vnto god our father to be coun­forted with his holy spirit, & that it wolde please his goodnes for Chrystes sake to lyft vp, to restore and confirme our per­secuted brethern and syste [...], and to make thē constāt in all Crysten paciēce, strong­ly in faithe to endure in our affliccion to perseuer & [...]o bere awaye a gloriouse vic­torye. And if the prayer of one faithfull mā may do so miche with god as the scri­pture teacheth, of howe mighty efficacye Iacob. v muste then be the comō prayers of all the hole holy congregacions ioyned togither in faith and loue? Uerely we are not a lo­ue in our affliccions, we wrestle and fight not aloue in these labours, nether suffer we a lone persecucions. But euen Chry­ste suffereth with vs. For who so thus per secuteth and molesteth vs he iniuriethe & persecuteth Christ and all the hole chir­ches of Chryst. For we be al one bodye, hauinge one head euen Chryst, & one ho­ly spirit withe all his spirituall giftis co­mon to vs all. And whiles we thus praye together, we doutles be herde of god. For we haue the moste grave and plentuouse, yea many, ād that the moste present pro­mises of god, full of all consolacion, that [Page] he will heare our mutuall prayers, ād be present with his helpe in all our distresses nede and trouble. If we shuld here a lone wrestle and buckle with Satane, we were all to weake and shulde despayer ouerco­men in our affliccions, whiche is our own pusilla [...]i [...]ite and naturall feare. But sith we be sewer to haue Chryste with all the hole chirche of Chryst on ower sydes to fyght for vs with their mutuall and con­tinuall prayers, yea and all the aungels of heuen defending and fightinge for vs, howe can we shrinke, fall & perissh in this batail: Sithe Chryst is present, we muste nedis haue the victory. And where soeuer is Chryste, there be all his faithfull, yea & all his aungels, wherfore we beinge his chosen muste nedis be withe them. The aungels of the Lorde pitche their tentes rownde aboute vs. The aungels delyuer vs that feare the Lorde, Psalm. xxxiiij.

The thirde consolacion. Owr cause is goddis cause, and it is the moste iuste cau­se.

FUrthermore this thinge ought to confirme and counfort vs most es­pecially: for that we haue so iust, so good and so godly a cause, for it is not our cause wherfore we suffer, but is is goddis cause euen his own holy gospel, bi Chry­ste and the holy gost sent vs from heuen. [Page] For as for vs, we neuer thought to do any man iniurye nor hurte, we take no mans goodis from him. But we study to mo­nishe and to profit all men vnto their sal­uacion. We desyer onely and receyue the infinite and inestimable riches of the gos­pell with ioye at gods hande. In which worde not els then the mere grace, right­wisenes, peace delyuerance from all euils helpe and helthe are promised and geuen vs in Chryst and for his sake to as many as beleue in him. And this same so riche & inestimable glorye of the grace of god in Chryste, we wolde it purely and frely to be shewed, tought, preched and writen to all men vnto the glorye and sanctifyinge of the name of god, for the right wysema­kinge and saluaciō of many men. For the Rom. i. gospell is the powr of god vnto saluacion to all them that beleue. For this studye, for this owr dewtye in spekinge & wry­tinge and good willis to profite and to sa ue all men, and to bringe thē to the know­lege of god in Chryste, do the world ren­der to vs the same thankes whiche were once rendred to Chryste and his apost­les, and paynteth vs with the same sedi­riouse and obprobrious names. For whi­lis we wysshe preache and wryte to them eternall peace, thei accuse vs of the moste ha [...]ouse cryme of sedicion. When we te­che [Page] them the moste certayn verite out of gods owne mouth, they cal vs heretiques notinge and slaunderinge vs with al thē moste infamie and ignominye they can imagine, then they rage and rase, runinge vpon vs lyke wylde beastes and wode dogges, enforcinge to throdowne to sub­uerte and extinguisshe bothe Chryste and all chrysten faithfull with the gospell to. And yet make the bisshops of Englond men to recant that there is any persecuci­on in the realme, but all is iuste execuciō. As though it were nowe the same para­dise alredye whiche first was created, vpō the whiche erthe, there dwelt [...]o [...]o but Adam and Eue in the state of innocencye before any serpentyne sead tempted thē. And as thoughe Englond were the same paradyse and londe of the perpetuall ly­ninge immortall bodyes now rysen ayen wherof Peter saythe. Rightwysenes to i [...]. Petr. iij. dwell vpon it, euen the same newe erthe kouered with a newe heuē and newe ele­ments purged with fyer mencioned of I say and Iohan in the Apocalypse.

There is mencion in Luke and Matt. of a standing water called a Mear, which Luk. viij was a comon passage oute of Galile into the londe of the Gadarens, which Chry­stis disciples and all men passed oft ouer without any perell. But whē thei chaun­ced [Page] [...]to, are the bisshops of Englond [...]e [...] [...]ow­pled and c [...]fede [...]ed with the bisshop o [...] Romes bisshops ād his whe [...]is in [...]ew [...] Iudi. xv the sonde, as once were Sampsons foxes tayles tyed togither withe fyer brandis Psal. ij. ageynst the Lorde & his audinted to bur­ne vp the Philynstens good vyneyardis, euen the pore sely persecuted chirche of Chryste. But let vs not be abasshed no [...] yet afrayd it is the truth that we set for­the. It is the eternall and immutable will and counsell of god, that Chryste shulde make sinners iuste & salfe out of his mere grace, and that this shuld be reueled and preached before all the worlde. This ma­ter wolde he to consiste in and vpon faith that who so beleue in Chryst shulde haue forgeuenes of his synnes and lyfeeternal not for his owne, but for Christes merits. This glorie of our fathers diuine mercye ought to be preched and setforthe before all men, that thorowe Christe they might come vnto the father, which hath sette Christ at his right hande and made him Lorde of the aungels, of men, and of all creatures celestiall and terrestriall, and to be iuge ouer the lyuinge and dead and to raigne in the glory of the father with all the faithfull and chosen in Chryst. This is the constant & immutable will of god. This is his eternall sentence, God will [Page] therfore defende & fight for his own cau­se, nother may any man resiste him. Christ will raigne and put all his enimies vnder his feet. And who shall let it: He is of an infinite almighty powr, and will sone de­fende his cause euē ageynst all the power of the spirituall antichristis, and let them take all the seculare swerdes and the de­uill to, to helpe them. If this our cause might be ether weakened or ouercomen so were God and Chryste febled & ouer­comen. But Chryste is allmighty vnable to be ouerthrone & abideth for euer, wher fore this his cause and owrs and his gos­pell and all that beleue it shall stand for euer inuincible. For who so beleue in him Isa. viij. shall neuer be confounded. Mightier is Christe and his worde then all the worlde and Satan to, with all his preistly prela­tes, and shall bringe them all into an he­uey dampnable destruccion whyles they enforce to subuerte vs & Crystes gospell.

For Chryste is verely the stomblinge stone, at whom whoso stomblethe, he hur­teth him selfe greuously. But this stonne it selfe is not hurte, nor once moued, but standeth ferme and fast ageynst all his aduersaries assawtes vnhurte. And who Matth. xxi. so falleth at him is all to broken, ād vpon whom this stonne falleth he is all to pres­sed and grownden into powlder. Singe [Page] and reade we the. ix. x. xi. and▪ xij. and siche lyke Psalmes, and there let vs seke & fyn de consolacion. Nether let vs cesse at any tyme to heare and reade the scriptures, & the swete promises let vs engraue into our brestes and cleane to them constātly. For they be the moste certayne and asse­wered consolacions to vs in this heuey exyle and harde persecucion. Faithfull is our Lorde God and trewe in all his wor­dis. Psal. c. xv. But as in Englonde the realme of ryghtwisenes lo, there is no siche stonne to stomble therat, so be there non that stō ­ble at Chryst, but they leape quyte ouer him. He falleth there vpon nomā, our no­man vpon him. There is no persecucion but all iuste execucion lo. And therfore is there no siche cōsolacion nor Psalmes nor scripture to lyft them vp agene. But in a full heuey state be they that be fallen and dedely hurte, and yet beleue they thē sel­ues to stād vpright hole ād sow [...]de. Full wo, and ferefull may our aduersaries be which haue so vniuste, so euill, & the most vngodly cause defendinge the most open errours and manifeste idollatrye, and so false a popisshe religion. And euen there owne consciences telle them selues, their cause to be so vniuste and so manifestly wyked their doctryne & faith so false that they be bothe asshamed and affrayd there [Page] of and dirste neuer teche nor preche it op [...] ly onlesse thei were sewer of the seculare swerde to defende it and them selues to. For thei be afraid to iustifye their owne bokes with their owne tytles ād names. But our doctryne and the confession of our faith be not afraid to stād forth in the face of emprowrs, kinges and princes of the worlde, yea and is offred to be loked vpon and iudged of all the hole worlde, our doctryne fereth not the light, al beit prince ceasers and all the worlde stande with naked swerdes agenst it to slaye the professours therof, so farre of be they to defende it. Owr doctryne and faithe de­syereth to be t [...]yed and examined at the trwe twiche stone of the holy scriptures. But the doctryne and faithe of owr anti­christen aduersaryes, refuse & are a fraid of the scriptures, and flye vnto longe cu­stomes, popishe fathers, canō lawes, coun sels of popes and so persecution of vs, & to deuelisshe doctours, and when all these will not serue, then flye they to the secla­re policye of the realme and vnto their princes swerde and actis af parlements therby to be holpen and defended. But all the prophetis of god constantly affir­me it, and ernestly threatenthe theis their weake reedis and roten staues to be now shortely all to broken.

[Page]When the emprowr and the godly ler­ned withe the nobles of Germany did sit laste at Auspurgh consultinge and en­quiring of the religion and faithe: Meu did ernestly desper our aduersaries to ge­ue vs forthe the accompte, rekeninge and confession of their faithe and religion in wrytinge: but thei coulde not gette it thei dirste not wryte it, thei were asahamed or afraid to let their faith come into lyght, orels thei coulde not wryte it. A goodly godly faithe I warant you, that so mise­rably feared, and was asshamed to be se­ne in wrytinge of so many noble and ler­ned men. But they be to wyse, to suffer si­che a grosse carnall shameles religion ād so weake and incoustant a faithsesse faynt faith to come into wrytinge. And therfo­re thei there desyered instantly to dispute with vs with fagots fyer and swerde, ād euen a certayn blody cardinall, offred him selfe to wryte vs an answer with our ow­ne blode. Oh blodye beastes abhorred ād detested of god casten vp into a reprobate mynde worthy to be perpetually dāpned. This was all their importune labour and blody dryfte at that cownsell, and hathe ben euer sence, to devolue peaceable assem bles for the reformacion of the chrystē re­ligion vnto bloudye batai [...]es. And nowe this daye haue thei thorow Satan & Paul [Page] the thirde, Pope of Rome with his blody bisshops brought their blody purpose to passe in that thei cōfedered withe the Tur ke, had leifer the Turke to inuade & ouer­rune al Chrystendom then the gospell of Chryst shulde haue any fre course in any one of their dicions and dioceses. This is lo, their deuilisshe dryft, when thei cannot defende their false religion and faithe by no worde of god. It wolde haue abhorred any chrysten man to haue sene the synfull and viciouse conuersacion of these papisti ke prelates with their patrones in that towne at that counsell, howe openly thei kept their whores howe lordely thei lo­ked howe dronken thei went euery night to bed, how beastly thei banketted, vomi­ted ād spewed out their swete sinfull sur­fettes. And yet wolde the belly bawdy be astis there stoutely and gloriously dispute of fastinge of chastite, of temperancye āl. of sobriete, to fulfill the schriptures sayin­ge. In the laste dayes, there shall come ij. Tim. iij. vpon you perellouse tymes for there shal be men all for their owne lustes louinge thēselues, couetuouse, pu [...]t vp with pry­de, mischeuouse bitterly cursinge, false of their promise, vniustly vexinge good mē, lecherouse, glotenouse dronkerdes, arro­gant, the louers of their owne lustes ra­ther then of god. Hauinge a shew of god­ly [Page] religion, but the verye trwe religion it self thei haue vtterlye ab [...]yed ād renown­ced it. And these men auoyde estiewe be­ware of, and thruste thē out of thy syght.

The. iiij. consolacion. Owr aduersaries vnderstande not this great ād godly cau­se. Nether shall, nor may thei at any ty­me defende it with any ferme argumēts.

ANd nowyet for our more counfort, let vs cōsyder how weake are owr aduersaries euē thei that be yet cal­led the most prudēt and wold be sene the highe lerned, misshapē or bisshapen bissho pis. What thing haue thei (I praye you) to fraye vs? haue they any wysedō? But craftynes, subtyle serpētyne fraudes ap­parent sophistical reasons without scrip­ture, malice and mischeif thei haue to mi­che [...]bu [...] as for any godly vnderstandinge, good lerninge, and trwe wysedome they haue [...]on at all. They wryte preache and speke so childysshe, so fonde, so inconstant impertinent and repugnant things in so [...]aigh [...]y a cause: and wreste the scriptu­res so violently to stablisshe their errours and recyte them so folisshely▪ that the ve­ry b [...]es in the grammer stoles, and the ploughe men, shomakers & wyues spin­ninge at their rockis ieste one them and Isay. xxix. laughe them worthely to skorne, so that the prophecye of Isaye is nowe well verifyed [Page] vpon them, wysedom shall pe­risshe in the wyse and the vnderstandinge of the prudent shall be put out, their wy­sedom and koninge shal be reiected of god and come all to naught. So that it is as­ked of them into their owne shame and confusion of Paul. Where is nowe your i. Cor. i. wyse man? where be nowe your writers for your pope and his religion? Where are your disputers for your faithe? haue not god made thē all folis? Thei consult miche and oft togither, thei imagyne en­force ād tempte to proue many and diuer­se wais, thei conspire, thei coniure ād clu­ster vpon heapes, they wryte, they sende, thei runne to eche other. Thei haue their secrete conuenticles, open conuo [...]a [...]ious, conciliables and counsels, thei furnesshe & vpholde their popisshe preistes, scholes ād vniuersities. Thei hyerd Rochester, syr Thomas More & promoted Eccius, Em­ser, Cocleus, Piggius, Latomus with ly­ke drafe ād dregges to wryte ageynst vs their lyinge & fonde bokis full of threatis mockis tauntis & reuylings. But of their blodye counsells to destroye the parties of Germanye whiche haue receyued the go­spell. I will not nowe speke therof. But what (I praye ye) haue they goten by all these cruell meanes? The gospell standeth and shall stande neuerthelesse, [Page] and will be spred into all the worlde ac­cordinge to gods ordinance which no en­forcements no counsels of men, nor powr may let it, nor tarye it, although these pa­pists wolde breake their beastly bellis therfore.

At Auspurgh and at Batisbone, their drift was to haue vtterly extinguysshed the gospell, and what successe had their wyked enforcements? Uerely in bothe the same cities & in all the countrye abou­te, their owne fylthey fasshons and cruell conuersacion so promoued it, and stablis­shed it that they shal neuer be able to quē ­che it. For euery man sawe howe fonde & weake were their reasons and foundaci­ons, thei espyed their cruell false and sub­tyle dryftis to depresse gods wordis. All men sawe their abhominable shameles lyues, thei perceyued howe gretely thei we­re afrayd to let their faithe and doctryne come into light. Many wyse and noble men there were whiche merueled greate­ly to se these men so fyercely and so furi­ously to take on with the gospellers reui­linge and spittinge out their venome at them as at the moste pestelent heretiques and so callinge them, prechinge and affir­minge so boldely the popes cause and his doctryne to be the trwe iuste and godly religion. And when thei shulde bothe co­me [Page] to the tryoll treatinge and disputinge of the causes, then were thei asshamed to bring forth their popisshe doctryne or to wryte their religion openly, whiche they so gloriously and so stoughtly had bosted before to be the very trwe catholike faithe and doctryne of god ād of their holy mo­ther the chirche vnable to be resisted or once spotted. Euen here begane many good men and euen the laye peple to dou­te & mistrust their doctrine so highly cra­ked of, and bosted before, euen here per­ceyued the people there doctryne and re­ligion to be starke naught, vncertayne ād false, for that whē a rekening therof was asked them, thei feringe the lyght, sought blody shiftes and leet their owne religion lye still lurkinge in derke dennes. Then sayd the nobles and comon people, who shall beleue theire doctryne, sithe the de­fenders therof dare not let it be sene in wrytinge, but seke howe to defende it wi­the violence and murther? Sewrly (said thei) this their cause can not be iuste and good as they boste ād crake it. Trwly the verite flieth not from the light but dare be sene tryed and iuged of all men. And euen thus said many whiche came out of al cooltes, as out of Spayne, Italye, Por­tugale and out of the nether Germanye and oute of the other partes of Europe [Page] to these counsels, whiche before were thought to stande of the papystes syde. Whiche when thei had sene ād herd owr doctryne and red it, euery where mighte­ly confirmed with the testimonies of the holy scriptures clerely and iustely alled­ged, and also approued withe the hole consent of the olde holy doctours of the chirche immediately after the Apostles, seinge the chrysten men constātly offerin­ge vp this owr faithe religion and doctri­ne before all the worlde, and that their ad uersaries coulde not by no scriptures tru­ly taken, conuince and ouerthroe owr doctryne, but were bothe asshamed, con­fownded and afrayd: they repented them selues that euer they had other mayn­tayned it, or beleued it so longe. Then all these nacions returned home, apply­ed them selues to readinge and hearin­ge the scriptures and sought out lerned and faithfull preachers, so that sence that tyme, they haue in many countryes ca­ste awaye the Pope with his Autichry­sten relygion and by Gods grace are they called vnto the very gospell. And nowe is it openly knowne with what, and howe blody counsels, with whom they conspyred, whom they encensed to murther the holy innocent chyrches of Cryste and violently with swerde and [Page] fyer to oppresse the gospell of Chryst, so that all the worlde seeth all their ho­pe and shote ancore of their helthe not to stande in the arme of god, but their hole confidence to consist in the multitu­de of papistes in worldly powr and po­licye in a flesshely arme, and in lordis ād princes whom they so perswaded withe all maner kyndes of flaterye, obsequye, carnall pleasurs and reasons and withe the moste shamefull lyes encensinge them that their owne patrones and pylars, if they were not bewitched & blinde, might perceyue them openly to go about to sta­blisshe and defende the very tyranni of Antichryste. If their doctryne were god­ly and right wherfore shulde they hyde it? what nede they ageynst vs swerde and fyer? But all the worlde seeth it to be false and vngodly for that thei seke siche crafty tyranny and violent engyus to de­fende it. For the verite defendeth hir sel­fe with hi [...] owne weapen euen with the swerde of the worde of God. Nowe ye se what soft solgiers and cruell knyghtes they be, and vnto what bataill (them sel­ues layd downe to sleape) thei stere vp other men to fight for them, but praysed be god our almighty Lorde one alone for vs sufficient, out of whom procedeth our victorye, Prouerb. xxi.

[Page]But here peraduēture will some saye. Howe shulde we but feare their violent powr and greuouse threates, seinge they be so many, so myghtye, so riche ād so hi­ghe exalted aboue vs so fewe so pore we­ake ād feble? I answere. That in the apo­stles tyme very small was the nowmber of the crystians compared vnto the hai­then & infidels all the worlde then being full of gentyles yet not conuerted to the faith. Skant one e [...]ōge a thousande then dirst professe Chryst euen emonge the pe­ple of god whiche were the Iewes. And sone aftir that the faith begane to take ro­re emonge the gentyles, what els did the tyrannouse emprowrs of Rome but play the bochers in slayinge the Christiās. Ne­thelesse yet with no kinde of tormēts (we­re thei neuer so cruell sharpe ād terrible) nether with their insaciable blod thirstin­ge, coulde the persecutours put away and quenche the chrysten faith. But the cruel­lier thei persecuted the faith in Chryst, the wyder it spred, the deper it roted, and the higher it grewe and encreased, ād the mo­re and mightier was the nowmber of the crystianes. This was verely a meruelou­se thinge. But it was god whiche assisted defended ād animated his chirche, the lor­de faught for them mightely, Deuter. xx.

The gentyles had slayne so many and [Page] that so cruelly for the gospell that they beinge wery of tormentinge might mar­tir Li. viij. &. ix. no moo, as witnesseth Iosephu [...]. For the mo the tyrants killed, the mightelier the christianes encreased vnder their han­dis, euen as the kinge Pharao of Egipt the greuouslier that he oppressed ād slew the Israelitis the more were thei multi­plied, in so mich that he was afrayd of thē at laste. The worlde euer contendeth to pluke the crystians frō the trwe worship vnto idolatrye ād to papistrye now with fayer promises and then with greuouse threates and bitter terrible deathes. But the chosen of god shall euer stande con­stantly and the sewerer in Chryst vnable to be ouercomen, whose crysten constan­cye so angreth the vngodly that their fier­re furye rageth into wodenes madnes ād murther. Whose fyerce madnes when it rageth moste tyrannously, yet can it not slaye the sowle but onely our mortall bo­dies, wherfore the very crystians do lau­ghe at their threates and torments. For we be perswaded certainly in our faithe, Chryste to haue ouercomen dethe for vs, so that death is no death to vs but a ioy­full ende of synne and a glad passage to perpetuall lyfe. We are sewer that our bodyes shall ryse ageyne gloriouse and immortall, vnto the whiche gloriouse im­mortalyte [Page] we daily aspire ād clyme, kno­winge that this corporall dethe is not els then a nightis sleape to vs that beleue in Chryste, and so at laste to be with Christe in ioye bothe body and sowle. This faith and hope of any other lyfe aftir this haue not our cruell haithen persewers, albeit thei speke it with their lippes, and therfo­re thei feare flye and abhorre dethe so mi­che. But we haue the worde of our Lor­de and god, that he hathe for vs taken a­waye broken and ouercomen the powr and stinge of death. This our victoriouse Lorde and destrier of dethe, to animate to confirme and to counfort vs in all our pe­rels and calamities saith vnto vs. I tell Luk. xij. you my frendes, be not afraid of thē that slaye your bodies, ād then can the [...] do no­more to you. But I shall shewe you whō ye shall feare, feare him whiche aftir he hath slayne your bodyes, he hath power to caste bothe bodye and soule into hell fyer. There is not so lytle a byrde that di [...]the without our fathers will, he hath tolde all the heares of our headis of whi­che not one shall be brent without our fathers will. And are not we of a ry­cher pryce then sparows and heares? But I shall t [...]ll you saith Chryste. Who­so confesse me before men I shall aknow­ledge him before my father & all the aun­gels [Page] in heuen. Reioyse ye therfore. For I haue ouercomen the worlde, and your he­uines Io. xvij. shall be turned into gladnes which no man shall take from you. Chrystis vic­tory is owrs. If we beleue in Cryste, our i. Ioan. v. faith is the victory that ouercometh the worlde.

Our persewers thinke to hurte vs mi­che in killing our bodies, and we thinke & knowe it, therby to haue great lucre as saith Paul: Chryste is to me lyfe, and de­ath Phili. i. is to me lucre. And albeit our flesshe be infirme and weake, yet a godly mynde in his inwarde man desyereth with Paul to be dissolued out of this miserable sin­full worlde and to be with Chryste. For Christe hath so promised me to be where so euer him silf is, and hath obtayned it me bi his prayer of his father. What now can all the antichristē vngodly do ageyn­ste vs? verely nothing at all vnto our hur­te, thei can not take faithe and Chryste from our hertis, they may with violence kut out our tongues, but from our hertis may they not take our faithe our profes­sion and praise of crystis glorye. And yet what so euer they do, it is by the suffe­rance of god for our saluacion and into their owne dampnacion. They may take awaye our corporall & transitory goodis, [Page] whiche we set not miche vp, seinge for thē god geueth vs goodis eternall and cele­stiall. They kyll our bodyes, but thei sen­de our soules into the handis of our heuē ­ly father, and make our dethe preciouse in the syght of god. Whē their deathes shall be moste horrible and terrible to departe from so many pleasures into perpetuall tormentinges. Wherfore Paul exhorting vs vnto constancye biddeth vs to helpe eche other with prayers that we might with a manly faith fight in the gospels quarell, beinge not afraid of our aduersa­ries. Unto whom that at is to them the Phili. i. cause of their owne perdicion, the same is vnto vs the cause of our saluacion, yea ād that of god. When our aduersaries and persewers thinke to slaye vs, thei slaye them selues bodye ād soule withe the de­ath of euerlastinge dampnacion. Is not this then a miserable & an execrable powr at whiche our persewers enioye and re­ioyse so detestably into their owne euer­lastinge destruccion & dampnacion? This is sewer that all the faithfull departed cō ­stantly professinge Chryst, lyue with him nowe in ioye. But where be now the eni­mies of Chryst and the persewers of the crystiās? Where is decius whiche so cru­elly persecuted the exystians? Where is Dioclesiane whiche proclamed all holy [Page] bokis to be brent, & all that professed Chri ste to be cruelly slayne? where be now Ua lerius, Maximinianus, Maximius, Luci­nius, Iulianus? where is Aurelius cesar with al the other tiraunts? And if we shul de descende into our dayes, we might as­ke where be nowe the popes, cardinals, bisshops withe their coniured papistike complices ageynst the gospell and Bible to be brought in trāslated into Englisshe? where are they that brent so many newe testaments at Pauls crosse and so many lerned men & trwe crystianes which pre­ched and professed constantly gods holy worde? where is Thomas wolsaye cardi­uall bisshop of Yorke, where is Iohan sto­kesley bisshop of London? where is west of Ely, fox of Herforde, doctour London all the abbots, priours, fryers, commissa­ [...]ies. Syr Thomas More, ād Iohan Fis­sher bisshop of Rochester, withe all the cloysters and abbeys, monkes and prei­stes which haue these. xvi. yeres persequu­ted the gospell? Are they not all whiche beleued not the gospell condempned with Satan and his aungels vnto euerlastinge dampnacion? nowe lyinge in moste gre­uouse tormentinges? what hurt then did their transitorye persecucion and crosse to the martires of god? Ageyne what nowe profiteth them their transitory pleasure [Page] in kyllinge and burninge the pore inno­cent lombes of Chryst? Are thei not now tormented in hell in perpetuall fyer for burning gods worde and the professours therof?

Thei labored by temporall death to pluke pore men from god and his gospell facinge and fering them in their courtes and ingement seates vnder their canopeis but shortely cometh the great terrible daye in which thei muste all stande before the iugement seat of Cryste in great fea­re and tremblinge, dead for anxt and he­uines, there to receyue their generall and laste sentence of eteruall dampnaciō both in bodyes and soulis. Then shall it be ve­rifyed Sapi. iij iiij. v. of vs bothe whiche is wryten.

The souls of the iuste are in the han­dis of god and the tormēts of death shall not touche them Thei apered to the eyes of the folisshe vngodly to haue dyed, and their death to haue had ben an heuey payne, but they went quyetly into relte. And albeit before men they suffered tor­ments yet was their hope full of immor­taly [...]e. Their [...]exacion was to them a swete crosse, for they had ample bene­fits. For God tempted them and fownd them worthei for him selfe. Then shall the rightwyse stand in great constancye before their oppressers & reuylets. Whō [Page] when they beholde, they shall be smyten with soden great feare and be astonned at their soden saluaciō. Then they touched with penance, and wailinge for anguishe of mynde, shal thus saye with thē selues. Is not this he whom we once laughed to skorne, iested vpon him cōtumeliously: fo­les that we were then our selfs & had wēt his lyfe to haue ben madnes and to haue dyed an heretique. And see he is nowm­bred emonge the sonnes of god haninge his reward emonge the rightwyse? We we our selues then erred frō the way of trwthe, the lyhht of the trwe forme of iu­stificacion did not shyne vpon vs, nether did the sonne of the trwe vnderstandinge of the scriptures spring vnto vs. We we­ried our selues in the way of wykednes walkinge as it were in an hard wilder [...]es but the way of the Lorde we knew it not. What did our pryde and highe lokis pro fit vs? what gote we by our bragginge & bosted forthe ryches? As a shade we and a runner on poste all these thing is be passed awaye neuer to come agene. In our owne mischeif be we consumed. These are the wordes of the dampned in hell. Whiche haue persecuted vs nowe lyuinge perpe­tually with Chryste. Thus do the god for our sakes arme him selfe to punisshe our persewers to be auenged of his enimies.

[Page]These thinges shall sewerly come vpō them. Wherfore let them rage and bewo­de as dogges into their own destruccion. Thei thinke here to raigne and rule, to sa­ue and to slaye, to change and transpose what they liste for euer, and to excercyse their tyrannye and their lustes: but oh wretched mortall men ye be gretely de­ceyued, full nighe in the twinklinge of an eye is your soden fall and heuey dethe at hande, when ye leste thinke there vpon, albeit you readinge this moniciō will lau­ghe swetely therat, kindlinge and encrea singe your cruell mischeif agenst vs. But he that sitteth in heuen laugheth you to skorne. Oh miserable feble madde men oh folisshe, oh blinde beastes, oh mische­nouse tyrannouse fyercenes of miserable creatures ageyust their owne almightye maker, whose powr is almighty ād euer­lastinge vnable to be resisted. It is he that throith downe your prowd lokis.

All the powr and enforcements of the Danie, iiij. worlde ageynst vs and Chryste are but vayne and frultrate, for our capitall eny­mye Satan is ouercomen God hathe ge­uen vs his owne most stronge weapens ageynst all his enginnes openinge vnto vs his holy scriptures where in we fynde redye all maner of strengthe redy wayes and howe to resiste and to ouercome him, [Page] euē the sewer verite to cōfute all his lyes and the sharpe swerde and sewer bukler of faithe constantly to put of his falshed and to wype it cleane awaye. Let vs not therfore nowe (crysten brethern, be to se­wer idle and sloughisshe in owr giftis re­ceyued, but praye incessantly god to en­crease in vs faithe in Cryste. Let vs abyde in the faithe of his gospell cleuinge vnto it ernestly. And so be we with out perell in all salfgard and sewertye. Faith glueth vs and Chryste togither neuer to be di­uelled. And if we haue Cryste, so can the­re no thinge hurte vs nether synne nor deathe, nor hell, nor yet Satan, nor all his ministers in the worlde.

The fifte consolacion is. The rewar­de and ende of the faithfull in Chryste is lyfe euerlastinge.

FYftly let vs be conforted and con­firmed in our hertis whiles yet we lyue in our persecucion. For that there abydeth vs the moste inestimable & most ioyfull felicite promised vs of god, if we constantly contine we and perseuer vnder this our crosse vnto the ende, for a transitory light payne we be sewer of an euerlastinge ferme ioye. What paynes, what trauels and perels do the marchant man take bothe by sea and Londe to ga­ther [Page] and get him but transitorye and sone lost goodes? And shall we ether with fea­re be deiected, or for a lytle paynes taking be repelled, from that inestimable ioy ād felicite which as no man can take it from vs, so shall we enioye them euerlastinge. Owr tresure for whiche we trauell and are sewer to obtayur it, no mortall eye ha ue sene it, no care may heare it, nor hert may comprehende it, whiche treasure god hathe prepared for vs that loue him. And as for the affliccions and persecucions of this tyme saith Paul, thei be not to be cō ­pared Ro. viij. as worthei the glorye which shall be openly geuen vs here aftir. For the transitory lyghtnes or easynes of our gre uouse afflliccions aboue measure, brin­geth forth vnto vs the euerlasting waigh­ty glorye, whylis we beholde not things sene but thing is not yet sene. For the thin­ges ij. cor. iiij sene, are transitorye, but the things not sene are eternall. Nowe if the worlde take so greate paynes and labours put­tinge it selfe into so great perels, sufferin­ge ād trauellinge from place to place for transitorye shadews euen ryches shorte­ly to be loste and lefte, in whose gettinge men be oftentymes caste behynde, and their hope frustrated, and if they be goten thei be but for a litle tyme kept & posses­sed and that with grete care inquietnes▪ [Page] trouble, and feare, and at laste, loste and forsaken with miche more heuynes soro­we and affliccion of mynde, what chrystē faithfull will not constantly with the mo­ste paynes perels and afflliccions ād euen with many sharpe deathes sufferinge, con tend and aspire withe the moste assewe­red hope vnto his eternall ioyes and fe­licite promised and reposed for him in he­uen, euen to be made the sonne and ayere of god there to lyne for euer and euer? Sewerly all the affliccions, heuynesses and persecucions here, are very light and litle to vs, if we well ponder owr feli­cite and blessed ioyouse state shortely to come. The Lorde mought illumyn the eyes of owr vnderstandynge that we might lerne what is the hope of our vo­cacion, and what be the ryches of the glorye of the heretage of the faithfull. So be it.

Nowe (moste dere brethern) do I warne and warne you yet ageyne to be­ware and estiewe the leauyn of hipocri­tis, that is their false erro [...] use damp­nable doctryues. And let vs not curse ād caste our aduersaries into hell pitte, but let vs rather pytie their miserable blind­nes, remembringe in what a dampnable state they stande tormented in mynde bownd [Page] [...]For I remember the woundis of my sa­uiour, whiche is wounded for myne infir­mities. What sinne is so vnto death, whi­che by Crystis deathe may not be forge­uen? When I therfore remember so effec tuouse and so mighty a medicyne, there can no sinfull sykenes make me afraide. And therfore he erred & sinned greuously whiche said. Greater is my iniquitie then godis mercye maye forgeue it. But that man, as he was non of crystis members, so did not crystis meritis and his satisfac cion pertaine vnto him. But I shall with confidence in faith call them my merits, my rightwysenes, my reconciliacion and my satisfaccion with my faith fermely to setholde vpon them euen as thei were my nowne good. But yet do I chalenge and receyue them oute of the bowells & brest of my Lorde, euen those things whiche I haue not of my selfe. For his holy bodie dropeth oute, yea it floweth forth mercye and forgeuenes, nether wāteth there any holes wherbye thei may flowforth aboun dantly and iucessantly. For with the eyes of mi faithe in continuall rememberance I see his hādis and feet digged thorowe, and a speare pearsinge his syde. Thorow these swete holes, I souke me hou [...]y out of the rocke ād oyle out of the harde ston­ne. Here I taste and fele (oh my father) [Page] howe swete is my Lorde Chryste Iesus. To whō with my father & the holy goste be glorye prayse and thankis for euer ād euer.