WElbeloued in our sauiour Jesus Christ, vnderstand­yng of your great trouble and the greuons persecutiōs of our brethrē in Christ in Spaine and els where, I could not but some what accordyng to my du­tie, and to the talēt which God hath geuē me, write (although it were but smal) trustyng that it should be to the coumforte of those, that for the truth be in a­nie place afflicted: vsyng none other order, nor collecting no o­ther Scripture (as a perticuler thyng to treat of) but whollye to refer you, accordyng to your godly vnderstandyng, to the. 2. 2. Tim. 1 epistle of S. Paule to Timothe [Page] where he noteth fyrst vnto him with what he is indued, that is with an vnfeigned faith, in Timothe is indued with an vnfeined faith. the self same faith which dwelt before in his grādmother Lois, and in his mother Eunica. And here S. Paule comforteth not only Timothe, that his grand­mother and mother was such: but also cōforteth them (if they were then alyue) that they had such a sonne. Here is also to be noted, what coumfort parents and children may haue ech of o­ther (yf they be Godly) but I leaue that to be cōsidered. But to the matter, sith that he kno­weth Paule & Ti mothe, is of one spirite, where with he is indued, he willeth him to be stedfast, for God (saith he) hath not geuē vs the spirite of feare: but of po­wer, and of loue, and of a sound mynde. Be not ashamed of the [Page] testimonie of our Lord, neither of me his prysoner: but be par­taker Paule is prsoner in Rome. of the affictions of y ^e gos­pell, accordyng to the power of GOD. That worthy thyng which was cōmitted vnto thee kepe, through the Holy ghost.

*They of Asia be turned from me, of which sort are Phigelus and Hermogenes. Thus Paule by a certaine maner dismaieth Timothe: yet not w ^tstandynge he encorageth him againe, and willeth him not only to be sted­fast because he is endued w ^t the spirite and power of God: but also to be pacient, though all should depart from him, and he put in prison: yet though Pht­gelus 2. Lim. 2 and and Hermogenes, be The faithful wyl sticke to one, when the wicked wil forsake him. gone from the preaching of the Gospel: yet Onesiphorus wyll visite thee in prison, & wyl not [Page] be ashamed of thy chaynes.

Wherby Paule doth geue to vnderstande, though the greatter nūber forsake thee: yet y ^e faith­ful in Christ wyl not leaue thee And therfore saith Paule, looke what thou hast heard of me by many witnesses, y ^• put forth. As who should say: y ^u hast be ne a diligēt learner, and thou hast nothing, but y ^t which is appro­ued by many witnesses, go fore­ward ī it, make no stay, detract no time, lookyng this way or y ^t way, be not as a reed shakē with y ^e wynd: but lyke a bould soldi­our of Jesus Christ, suffer aflic­tions. Therfore I besech you, you that haue learned in Gods scoole, and haue your doctrine approoued by many witnesses, stand stedfast in it: be pacient. Though your freendes, kinred, [Page] or cuntry men departe from it, Gala. 4. be you feruent, continue you styll, let your light so shyne be­fore Math. 5 men, that they may glorify your father which is in heauē. Therfore saith Paule, I suffer al thynges, & for the elects sake it is, that they might also ob­taine the saluation which is in Christ Jesus, w ^t eternall glory. For yf (saith he) with Christ we suffer, we shal also raigne with him. Yf we deny him, he also wyl deny vs. Therfore saith he, studie to shew thy self approued vnto GOD, a workeman that needeth not to be ashamed. For God reueleth to the faithfull, the wickednes of the time before it come. know that in the last daies shal come perillous times, for men shall be louers of themselues, couetous, boasters, proude, cursed speakers, disobedient to pa­rents, vnthankefull, vnholye, [Page] withoute naturall affections, 2. Tim. 3 truce breakers, false accusers, This is the state of our [...]u [...]e, we are therfore in a perillous time. intemperate, fyerce, despysers of them which are good, tray­tours, heady, high mynded, lo­uers of pleasure more then the louers of God, hauyng a show of godlines, but haue denied y ^e power thereof. Courne away therfore from such. As Jannes and Jambres w ^tstood Moyses, Exodꝰ. 7 so do these also resist the truth, men of corrupte myndes, repro­bate concernyng the faith: but they shal preuayle no longer. For their madnes shalbe euidēt vnto all men, as theirs was. To trauel in explicating of the matter I need not, for y ^e words be so playne, that it may passe without: and therfore I leaue it to your good considerations, puttyng you in remembraunce [Page] of that which is written by S. Paule to the Romaines. That Rom. 15. whatsoeuer is writtē, is writ­ten for our learnyng, & for our coumfort. But thou Timothe, 2 Tim. 3. thou hast knowen my doctrine, not in part, but in whole. Ful­ly thou hast knowen it, my ma­ner of liuyng to my doctrine is not vnknowne vnto thee. My mynd, purpose, and wyll, thou knewest: my faith thou vnder­stodest, my long suffryng, loue, and pacience, is not hyd from thee: and also my persecutiōs, and afflictions, which came vn to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Listra, thou art not ig­norant of, which persecutions I suffred: but from them al the Lorde deliuered me. Therfore The Lorde only doeth deliuer from trouble Timothe, yf thou continue in this doctrine which thou haste [Page] begun: kepe the manner of ly­uyng to thy doctrine, as y ^u hast had example of me, beyng faith full, beynge readye to beare all greefes, showyng all loue, and vsyng pacience: then be sure y ^t the Lorde in persecutions, wyl Aspecal comforc. deliuer thee. For this I tel thee of a truth, that al that wil liue godly in Christ Jesus, shal suff­er 2 Tim. 3. persecutions. And here S. Paule geueth Timothe a wat­ch A watch word to the godly of all states, geuē by S. Paule to Timothe. word, and not to him alone, but to al pastors and teachers. Not to pastors & teachers only, but to al people in generall, of what callyng soeuer they be of, whether they be high or lowe, rych or poore, oulde or young, Kyng or subiect, yf he wyl liue godly in Christ Jesus (saith S. Paule) he then must suffer per­secutions. But here perchaūce [Page] you wyl aske me how it may be A question. that Kynges should be persecu­ted for the testimonie of Jesus Christ, and who it is that dare persecute them for the same? But whether Kynges haue ben Aunswer. persecuted or no. I referre it to them to tell, which are skylfull in y ^e Chronicles, and who they were that did persecute them. Paule doth not say here, yf ye liue godly in y ^e godlynesse of the Augustines, that you shall be The godlynes of the papacy, is not persecuted. persecuted: or in y ^e godlynes of the Fraūciscanes, that you shal haue any trouble take holde of you: or yf you liue godly in the godlines of y ^e Benedicts, or Do­minickes and such like, that a­ny hurte shall come vnto you. But yf you lyue godly in Christ Jesus (saith Paule) you must 2. Tim. 3. suffer persecutions. Well saith [Page] our Sauiour Christ, happy are ye when men reuile you & perse­cute The faithful hated. you for my names sake, for Math. 5 you shal not lose your rewarde. For this I tel you, you shall be Math. 24 hated of all men for my names sake, therfore yf the world hate you: know ye, that it hated me Christ was hated. John. 16 before you, but for as much as ye are not of the world, but y ^t I haue chosen you out of y ^e world Wherfore the faithful is hated of the world. therfore doth y ^e world hate you. But be of good chere, I haue o­uercome Luke. 12 the worlde: and ther­fore feare not little flocke, for it The faithful shall be rewarded with a kyngdome is your fathers wil to geue you a kingdom. And feare not them that can kyl the body, but feare Math. 5 him that can cast both body and soule into hel fyre, be faithfull Apoc. 2 They shalbe [...]round with the crowne of euerlastyng lyfe. therfore vnto the death, and I wyl geue thee y ^e crowne of lyfe. Therfore (my beloued) sith that [Page] we haue such swete promises of God y ^e father, in his son Christ Jesus: let vs cleaue vnto him, he wyll performe them, he ne­uer God [...] faithful fayled none that put their trust in him, as y ^e prophet Da­uid saith, I haue called vpon y ^e Lorde and he hath heard me, I haue trusted in the Lord and he hath holpen me, he therfore of­ten times crieth, as in the. 12. Psal. 12 psalme. Help me O God, in the 69. psalm. Saue me O God, in Psal. 69 the. 16. psalme. Preserue me O Psal. 16 Psal. 30 God, in the. 30. psalme. I haue called vpō the Lord in my trou­ble, and he hath heard me, and deliuered me. Therfore doe you now with the prophete Dauid in the. 66. psalme, burste foorth Psal. 66 and saye: Thou (O God) haste and doest proue vs. Thou also, hast and wylte trye vs, euen as [Page] Siluer is tried. Thou brought­est vs in to the snare, and laidst trouble vpon our loynes. Thou suffredst men to ryde ouer our heades, we went & go through fyre & water, but we know that y ^u wylt bryng vs in to a comfor­table place. Thus said Christ to his disciples, that where I am, John. 14 there shal ye be also. Therfore we besech thee most merciful father, to ayd vs w ^t thy grace, and assist vs w ^t thy holy spirite, that we mai perfectly learn to know thee to be our creatour, & Jesus thy son to be our only sauiour, and y ^• Holy ghost to be our only sanctifier. To these three, as to one eternal God, be all honour and glory, now and for euer­more. Amen.

WHosoeuer is of the truth, heareth my voyce. John. 18. John. 10. My shepe do heare it, and I do know them, and they do folow me, and I geue them euerlast­yng life. He that hath my precepts & kepeth them, John. 14 he it is that loueth me. If any man loueth me, he wyl kepe my worde, my father wyl loue him, and we shal come to him, and dwel with him. Walke John. 12. whyle ye haue lyght, least darkenes ouer whelme [Page] you, he that walketh in darkenes, knoweth not whether he goeth. Whyle ye haue light, beleue in the light: that ye may be chyldrē of light. He that is of God, heareth Gods word: yf any man kepe John. 8 my worde, he shall neuer see death.

¶ God to the Prophet, or Preacher. STand in the courte of the Lordes house, and speake vnto al the cities of Juda which come Jere. 26. to worship in the Lords house, al the wordes that I haue cōmaūded thee to speake, kepe not a word backe. Yf so be thei wil harken, & turne euery man from his euyl way, that I may repent mee of the plague which I haue determyned to bryng vpon them because of the wickednesse of their workes, and y ^u shalt say vnto them: thus faith the Lord. &c

¶ Moses, or Preacher, to the people. YF thou shalt obey diligently the voyce of the Lorde thy God, and obserue & do all his com­maundements Deut. 28 which I commaund thee this day, then the Lord thy God wil set thee on high aboue al the nations of the earth, and al these blessynges shal come on thee, and ouertake thee: yf thou shalt obey the voyce of the Lord thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the citie, and blessed in the feelde. &c.

But yf thou wylt not obey the voyce of the Lorde thy God to kepe & to do al his commaundementes and his ordinaūces which I commaund thee this day, then al these curses shall come vpon thee, and ouertake thee. Cursed shalt thou be in the towne and in the feeld. &c. From the which curses, the Lorde deliuer vs, and graūt vs to be diligent hearers of his holy worde, and faithfull folowers of the same: for his deare sonnes sake Jesus Christ, to whom with the Holy ghost, three persons and one God, be al honor & glory for euer. Amen.