A Lamentacion of the Churche.

ALAS, what mysery is thy churche broughte vnto (O Lord) at this daye? Whereof late y ^e word of the Lord was truely preached, was redde and hearde in euery towne, in euery churche, in euery vyllage, yea almoste in euery honest mans house: alas nowe is it exiled & banished out of the whole Realme. Of late whoo was not glad to be taken for a louer of Goddes worde, for a reader, for a redy hearer, and for a learner of the same: & now (alas) who dare beare any open coūtenance toward it, but such as are content in Christes cause & for his wordes sake to stand to the daunger & losse of all that they haue?

Of late there was to be founde of euery age, of euery degree and kynd of people, that gaue their dilygence to learne as they coulde out of gods woorde, the articles of the christian fayth, the commaundmentes of god [Page] and the lords prayer. The babes and younge chyldren were taughte these things of their parents, of their ma­sters, & wekely of their curates in e­uery churche: & the aged folke why­che had ben brought vp in blindenes and in ignoraunce of those thynges whyche euery christian is bounde to knowe, when otherwyse they coulde not, yet they lerned the same by often hearyng their chyldren and seruants repeating the same: But now, alas, and alas again, the false prophets of Antechrist which are past all shame, do openly preach in pulpets vnto the people of God that the cat [...]chisme is to be counted heresy: whereby theyr olde blindenesse is broughte home a­gayne: for the aged are afrayd of the higher powers, and the youthe is a­bashed & ashamed euen of that which they haue lerned, though it be Gods worde and dare no more meddle.

Of late in euerye congregation throughout all England was made prayer & peticion vnto God to be de­liuered from the tyrannye of the by­shop [Page] of Rome and all his detestable enormities: from all false doctryne and heresie: And now alas, Sathā hath perswaded Englād by his fals­hed and crafte to reuoke her old god­ly prayer, to recant the same, & pro­uoke the fearefull wrath and indyg­nation of god vpon her owne pate.

Of late by straite lawes and ordi­naunces, with the consent of the no­bles and commonaltie, and ful agre­ment and counsaile of the prelates & clergie, was banished hence the beast of Babylon, with lawes, I say, and with othes and al meanes that then coulde be deuysed for so godly a pur­pose: But now alas, all these lawes are troden vnder foote: the nobles, the commonaltie, the prelates & clargie are quite chaunged and all those othes though they were herein made in iudgement, iustice and truth, and the matter neuer so good, dothe no more holde then a bond of rushes, or of a barley strawe, nor publyke per­iurie no more fearethe them then a shadowe vppon the wall.

[Page] Of late it was agreed in England of all handes, accordinge to Paules doctrine and Chrystes commaunde­ment, as Paule saythe playne, that nothinge oughte to be doone in the church in the publike congregation, but in that tongue which the congregation coulde vnderstande, that all might be edified therby, wheather it were common praier, administratiō of the sacramēts, or any other thinge belonging to the publike mynisterie of gods holy and wholsome woorde: but alas all is turned vpsidedowne. Paules doctrine is put aparte: Chri­stes commaundemente is not regar­ded: for nothing is hearde common­ly in the Churche but in a straunge tongue that the people doth nothing vnderstande.

Of late all men and women were taught after Christs doctrine to pray in that tongue which they could vn­derstand, that they might pray with harte, that whiche they shuld speake with their tongue: Nowe, alas, the vnlearned people is brought in that [Page] blyndenesse agayne, to thyncke that they praye, when they speake wyth their tongue, they can not tel what, nor wherof: their harte is nothynge myndefull at all, for that it can vn­derstande neuer a whyt therof.

Of late the lordes supper was due­ly ministred and taughte to be made common to all that were true Chry­stians, with thankes geuing and set­tinge forthe of the Lordes death and passion, vntil his returninge agayne to iudge bothe quicke and deadde: But nowe alas, the Lordes table is quyte ouerthrowen, and that whych ought to be common to all godly, is made priuate to a few vngodly, with out any kinde of thankesgeuinge, or any settinge forth of the lords death at all, that the people is able to vn­derstande.

Of late all that were endued with the light and grace of vnderstanding of goddes holye mysteries, did blesse god which had broughte them out of that horrible blyndenesse and igno­raunce, whereby in tymes paste be­inge [Page] seduced by Satans subteltyes, they beleued that the sacrament was not the sacrament, but the thynge it selfe, whereof it is a sacramente: that the creature was the creatour, and that the thynge whiche hathe neyther lyfe nor sense (alas suche was the horryble blyndenes) was the Lorde hym selfe, whiche made the eye to see, and hath gyuen al senses and vnderstandynge vnto man. But nowe alas, Englande is retur­ned agayn lyke a dogge to her owne vomyt and spuynge, and is in worse case then euer she was: for it had ben better neuer to haue knowen the truthe then to forsake the truth once re­ceyued and knowen. And nowe, not onely that light is turned into dark­nes, and goddes grace is receyued in vayne, but also lawes of deathe are made by hyghe court of parliamente masterfully to maineteine by sworde fyer and al kind of violence that hei­nouse Idolatry wherin that adorati­on is geuē vnto the lyueles and dum creature, whiche is onely dew vnto [Page] the euerlyuynge God: yea they faye they can and do make of bread bothe man and god by theyr transubstantiation. O wicked inuention, and Sa­thans owne broode.

Of late was the Lordes cuppe at his table distributed according to his owne comaundement by his expresse wordes in his gospell as well to the laytie as to the clergie, which order Christes churche obserued soo manye hundreth yeres after (as al the aun­cient ecclesiasticall wryters do testy­fie) without contradictiō of any one of them that can be shewid vnto this day. But nowe, alas, not onely the lordes commaundemente is broken, his cuppe is denied to his seruantes, to whom he commaunded it shuld be distributed, but also with the same is set vppe a new blasphemous kynd of sacrifyce, to satisfye & paie the pryce of synnes, bothe of the deade and of the quicke, to the great and intole­rable contumely of Christ our sauy­our his death & passion, whiche was and is the one onely sufficient and e­uerlastinge [Page] auaylable sacrifice satis­factorie for al the electes of god, from Adam the fyrst, to the laste that shal be borne in the ende of the worlde.

Of late that commaundemente of god, thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen ymage, nor any simily­tude or lykenes of any thyng in hea­uen aboue, or in earth beneath, or in the water vnder the earth, thou shalt not bowe down to them nor worship them: this comaundment of God (I say) was grauen almost euery where in churches, was learned of euery body bothe younge and olde: whervp­pon Images that prouoked the sym­ple and ignorant people vnto idola­try (as the wise man saith) were ta­ken out of the churches, and straytly forbidden that none should any wher eyther bowe downe to them or wor­shippe them: But now alas goddes holy woorde is blotted and rased out of churches, and stockes and stones are set vppe in the place therof. God commaunded his woorde so to be or­dered that it mighte be had in conty­nuall [Page] remembrance at all times and in euery place: and on the otherside he forbad ymages and idoles so to be eyther made or set in any place wher any shoulde bowe or worshyp them: But now alas, that which god com­manded is not passed vpon, and that whiche he forbyddeth is masterfully mainteined by falshed and craft, and wickedly vpholden.

Of late al ministers that were ad­mitted to the publike office and my­nistery of goddes holy word, in their admission made a solempne professy­on before the congregation that they shoulde teach the people nothinge as doctrine necessarie to attaine eternal saluation, but that which is goddes owne holy woorde or may be thereof grounded without any doubt: wher­by vanished and melted away of thē selues many vaine yea wicked tradi­tions of man, as waxe before the fy­er: but nowe at one brunte they are reuiued and are in ful hope all to re­turne againe in as great strength as euer they haue bene. And howe can [Page] any man looke for any other thyng, but whē you haue receiued the head, you muste also receiue the whole bo­dy withal, orelles how can the head abyde? The head vnder Satan of al mischiefe is Antichrist & his broode, and the same is he which is the baby lonical beast. The beast is he wher­vppon the whore sytteth, the whore is that Citie saithe Iohn in playne wordes, Apoc. 17. which hath the empire ouer the kinges of the earth. This whore hath a golden cuppe of abhominati­ons in her hand, wherof she maketh to drinke the kinges of the earthe, & of the wine of this harlot hath al na­tions dronke, yea and kynges of the earth haue lyen by this whoore, and marchauntes of the earthe by vertue of her pleasaunte marchandise haue ben made ryche.

Nowe what citie is there in al the whole world that whē Iohn wrote, ruled ouer the kynges of the earthe? or what Citie can be redde of in any tyme, that of the citie it selfe, chalē ­ged the empire ouer the kings of the [Page] earth, but onely the citie of Rome, & that sence the vsurpation of that see hath growen to her full strenghe? And is it not red that old and aunci­ent writers vnderstande Peters for­mer Epistle to be written at Rome, and it to be called of him in the same Epistle, in plaine termes, Babylō? by the abhominations thereof I vn­derstande all the whole trade of the Romishe relygion vnder the name & title of Christe, which is contrary to the only rule of al true religion, that is goddes worde. What woorde of god hath that dy [...]elishe drab for the mayntenaunce of her manyfolde ab­hominations, and to set to sel souche marchaundise wherewith (alas the madnes of man) the wycked harlott hath bewitched almooste the whole worlde? Dyd not Peter the true A­postell of Christe, of whom this stin­king strumpette beareth her selfe so high (but falsely and without al iust cause) dyd not he I say, geue all the worlde warnynge of her pelfe and trashe, of her false doctours and apo­stles [Page] (for this whoore and beast wyll be called Dominus Apostolicus, who so euer say nay) after this maner in his later epistle? There was among the people in tymes past false prophetes as there shall be also amonge you in time to come false teachers, whiche shall priuily bringe in pestylent sec­tes, euen denyinge the lorde whiche hath bought them and redemed thē, procuring to them selus swift damp nation, and many shall followe their dampnable waies, by whō the waye of trueth shall be rayled vppon, and through couetousnes by counterfaite tales or sermons they shal (saith Pe­ter) make marchandise vpon you. &c. And dothe not Iohn likewise in his reuelation, after he hath reconed vp a greate rablemente of this whoores mystical marchandise, at the laste (as though he wold knit vp al in playne wordes, wythout any myst at al, set­tyng out the whoores marchandyse) recken vp amonge the rest, & conclu­deth sayinge, Et animas hominū, y ^t is to say, & the soules of men too? Wher, [Page] vpon I pray you elles rose this true prouerbe in latin, Omnia Rome venalia, al things for money are set to sale at Rome? Was not that a worthy cō ­mendation of Christes vicar in earth that was written of our holy father, one of the Alexanders a byshoppe of Rome, thus I wene, in latine?

These twoo verses in laten, I haue red thus of one translated into eng­lishe rime.

I graunte these verses to be lyght gere, and the verse is but rude, but alas such conditions were more wic­ked and leude then any wytte coulde expresse. If these had ben but the fal­tes of one or a fewe in number, they [Page] had ben lesse pernicious, and mighte haue ben taken for personal crimes, not to be imputed vnto that see, but now alas the matter is more thē euident to al that hath godly vnderstā ­ding, that these crimes be grounded vpon lawes, be stablished by costom, and set forthe by all kinde of wycked doctrine, falshed, & craft, and there­fore are not now to be estemed for a­ny one mannes or of a fewe mennes personal crimes, but are now by la­wes, costome, and doctrine incorpo­rated into that wicked see, & maketh in dede the body of the beast wherv­pō the abhominable whore doth sit.

But you wolde knowe whiche be those marchandise which I said this whoore setteth forthe to sell, for the which al her false prophetes with al theyr iuggelyngs & crafty gloses can not bryng one [...]ote of goddes worde. Surely surely, they be not onely all these abhominatiōs which are come into the churche of England alredy, wherof I haue spoken somwhat be­fore, but also an innumerable rable­ment [Page] of abhominatious and wicked abuses which now must nedes folow As popishe pardons, pi [...]grymages, Romishe purgatory, Romishe mas­ses, Placebo & dirige, with trentalles & Scala coeli, dispensations & immunities from all godly discipline, lawes and good order, pluralities, vnions, and [...]ot quottes, with a thousande moo. Nowe shall come in the flatterynge fryers, and the false pardoners and play their olde pranckes and knaue­ry as they were wonte to do. Nowe you shall haue (but of the see of rome onely, and that for money) canony­sing of suche saynctes as hath stoode stoute in the popes cause, shrinynge of relicques and from anye kynde of wickednes (if you wyll pay well for it) cleere absolution, a pena et cupla, w ^t thousandes of yeres, yea at euerye poore byshops hande and suffragan ye shall haue halowing of churches, chapelles, altares, superalteres, cha­leces, and of al the whole household stuffe and adornament, which shall be vsed in the churche after the Ro­mishe [Page] guise, for al these things must be estemed of suche hyghe pry [...]e that they may not be done but by a conse­crate byshop only. O Lorde, all these thinges are suche as thy apostles ne­uer knewe. As for coniuringe (they call it ha [...]owing, but it is coniuryng in dede) of water and salt, of chryste­ninge of belles and suche like lyghte thinges, what nede I to speake? for euery priest that can but reade, hath power (they say) not only to do y ^t but also hath suche power ouer Chrystes bodi as to make both god & man once at y ^e least euery daye of a water cake. After the rehersall of the saide abho­minations, and remembraunce of a number of many mo, which (the lord knoweth) yrketh me to thinke vpon, and were to long to describe: when I consider on the other side the eternal worde of god that abydeth for euer, and the vndefiled lawe of the Lorde, which turneth the soule frō all wye­kednesse, and geueth wisedome vnto the innocente Babes, I meane that mylke that is without all gu [...]le, as [Page] Peter doth call it, that good word of god, that worde of truth, which must be grauen within the harte, and thē is able to saue mennes soules, that wholesome sede, not mortall but im­mortal of the eternal and euerliuing God, whereby the manne is borne a newe and made the chylde of God, that seede of God whereby the man of god so being borne can not sinne, as Iohn saythe (he meaneth so longe as that seede doth abide in him) that holy scrypture whych hath not bene deuysed by the wytte of manne, but taught from heauen by the inspyra­tion of the holy ghost, whych is pro­fitable to teach, to reproue, to correct to instruct and geue order in al righ­teousnesse, that the man of god maye be whole & sound, ready to performe euery good woorke: when (I saye) I consyder thys holye and wholesome true woorde that teacheth vs truely our bounden dewty towardes oure lorde god in euery poynte, what hys blessed wil and pleasure is, what his infinyte greate goodnesse and mercy [Page] is, what he hath done for vs, how he hath geuen his owne only dere belo­ued to death for our saluation, & by him hath sent vs the reuelatiō of his blessed wyll & pleasure, what his eternal word willeth vs both to beleue & also to do, and hath for the same purpose inspyred the holy apostles wyth the holy ghost, and sent them abrode into all the worlde, and also made them and other dysciples of Chryste, inspyred by the same spyrit, to write and leaue behynde theym the same thynges that they taught, which as they dyd procede of y ^e spyrit of truth, so by the confessyon of all them that euer were endued wyth the spirite of God, were sufficiente to the obtey­ning of eternal saluation: and lyke­wyse when I consyder that all that man doth professe in his regeneratiō when he is receued into the holy ca­tholyke church of Christ, and is now to be accounted for one of the liuely members of Christes owne body, all that is grounded vpon Goddes holy worde, and standeth in the profession [Page] of that fayth, and obedyence of those cōmaundementes which are all con­tayned and comprysed in Gods holy woorde: and furthermore when I consider whom our sauyoure Chryst pronounceth in his gospel to be bles­sed, and to whō Moyses geueth hys benedictions in the law, what waies the Lawe, the Prophetes, the Psal­mes, and all holy Scryptures bothe newe and olde doth declare to be the wayes of the Lord, what is good for man to obtayne and abyde in Gods fauour, which is that sayth that iu­stifieth before God, and what is that charity that doeth passe and excel al, which be the properties of heauenly wisedome, and whyche is that vnde­filed religion that is allowed of god, whych thynges Chryst himselfe cal­leth the weighti matters of the law, what thing is that which is only a­uaylable in Chryst, and what knowledge is that that Paule esteemed so much that he counted him selfe only to knowe, what shall be the maner of the extream iudgemēt of the later [Page] day, who shal iudge, and by what he shal iudge, and what shall be requy­red at our hands at that fearful day, howe all thynges muste be tryed by the fier, and that that only shal stand for euer whych Christes wordes shal allowe, which shal be the iudge of al fleshe to geue sentence vpon al flesh, and euery liuynge soule, eyther of e­ternall damnation or of euerlastyng saluation, from whyche sentence there shall be no place to appeale, no wytte shall serue to delude, nor no power to wythstande or reuoke: when (I saye) I consyder all these thynges and conferre the same a­gayne and agayne, all those wayes wherin standeth the substance of the Romishe relygion, (wherof I spake before) it may be euydente and easye to perceaue, that these two wayes, these two relygions, the one of christ the other of the Romishe see in these latter dayes, be as farre dystaunte the one from the other as lighte and darkenesse, good and euyll, rygh­teousnes and vnrighteousnes, chryst [Page] & Belial. He that is harde of beliefe, let him note and way well with him selfe the places of holye Scryptures which be appointed in the margent, wherevpon this talke is grounded, and by Gods grace he maye receyue some lyght. And vnto the contem­ner I haue nothynge nowe to saye, but to rehearse the saying of the pro­phet Esaye, whyche Paule spake to the Iewes in the ende of the actes of the apostles. After he had expounded vnto them the truth of Gods worde, and declared vnto them Chryste out of the lawe of Moyses and the Pro­phetes from mornynge to nyghte all the day long, he said vnto them that woulde not beleue, well (sayde he) spake the holi ghost vnto our fathers sayinge, go vnto this people and tel them ye shall heare with your eares and not vnderstande, and seinge you shall beholde, and not se the thynge, for the harte of this people is waxed grosse or, dull, and wyth theyr eares they are harde of hearynge, and they haue shutte together theyr eyes that [Page] they shoulde not see, nor heare wyth theyr eares, nor vnderstande wyth their harts, that they might return, and I shoulde heale theym, sayth the lorde God. Alas England alas that thys heauy plague of god should fall vpon thee, alas my dere beloued coū ­trey, what thing is it now that may do the good? Vndoutedly thy plague is so great that it is vtterly vncura­ble, but by the bottomles mercy and infinite power of almightye Godde. Alas my deare countrey what haste thou done that thus thou hast prouoked the wrathe of God to poure oute hys vengeaunce vpon thee for thyne owne deserts? Canst thou be contēt to heare thy faultes tolde thee? Alas thou haste hearde ofte, and wouldest neuer amende. England, thy faults of all degrees and sortes of men, of the magestrates, of the mynisters, & of the common people, were neuer more plainly tolde, sence thou barest that name, then thou diddeste beare theym of late euen before the mage­strates in kynge Edwardes dayes, [Page] but thou hardest them only and didst amend neuer a whit. For euen of thy greatest magestrats some (the kings hyghnesse then, that innocente, that godly harted, & pereles yong christi­an prince excepted) euermore vnkindly & vngētly against those that went aboute most husely & most holesomly to cure their sore backs, spurned pri­uely, and woulde not spare to speake euyl of them euē vnto the prince him selfe, & yet would they towardes the same preacher outwardelye beare a ioly countenaunce and a fayre face. I haue hearde that Cranmer and an other whom I wyll not name, He mea­neth hym selfe. were both in high displeasure, the one for shewinge his conscience secretly but plainly and fully in the duke of So­mersets cause, and bothe of late, but specially Cranmer for repugning as they might against the late spoile of the church goodes, taken away only by cōmaundement of the hygher po­wers wythoute any lawe or order of iustice, and withoute any requeste of consente of them to whome they dyd [Page] belonge. As for Latymer, Leuer, Bradford, and knoxe, theyre tonges were so sharp, they rypped in so depe in theyr galled backes, to haue pur­ged thē, no dout, of the filthy matter that was festered in theyr hartes, of insaciable couetousnes, of filthy car­nality and voluptuousnesse, of intollerable ambitiō and pride, of vngod­ly lothsomnes to heare pore mennes causes, and to heare gods word, that these men of all other, these mage­strates thē could neuer abide. Other there were very godly men & wel lerned y ^t went about by the wholesome plaisters of gods word, how be it af­ter a more soft maner of handling of the matter, but alas all sped in lyke. For all that could be done of al han­des, their disease dydde not minishe, but dayly didde encrease, whyche no doubt is no smal occasiō in y ^e state, of the heauy plague of god that is pou­red vpō England at this day. As for the cōmon sort of other inferior ma­gestrates, as iudges of the lawe: iu­stices of peace, sergeantes, common [Page] lawyers, it may be truly sayde of thē as of the most parte of the Clergy, of curates, vicars, persons, prebenda­ryes, doctors of the law, archdeacōs, deanes, yea, & I may saye of bishops also I feare me, for the more part (al­thoughe I dout not but god had and hathe euer whome he in euery state knew and knoweth to be his) but for the most part I say, they were neuer perswaded in their hartes but from the tethe forward, and for the kings sake in the truth of gods worde, and yet all these dyd dissemble and bare a copye of a countenaunce as if they had bene [...]ound within.

And thys dyssimulation Sathan knewe wel enough, and therfore de­syred and hath euer gone about that the hygh magestrates by any maner of meanes might be deceued in mat­ters of relygion, for then he beinge of counsell with the dissimulation in the wordly, knewe wel enough that he should bryng to passe and rule all euen after his owne wyll.

Hypocrisy and dissimulation S▪ [Page] Hierome doth cal well a double wic­kednes, for neither it loueth y ^e truth, (whiche is one greate euill) and also falsely it pretendeth to deceyue the simple for an other thing. This hipocrisy and dissimulation with God in matters of religion, no doubte, hath wholy also prouoked y ^e anger of god. And as for the common people, al­though there were many good wher they were wel and diligētly taught, yet god knoweth a great number re­ceaued Gods true woorde and hyghe benefites wyth vnthankful heartes. For it was greate pitie & a lamenta­ble thinge to haue sene in many pla­ces the people so lothsomly & so vnreligiously to come to the holy cōmunion & to receaue it accordingly, and to the cōmon prayers and other diuine seruice, which were according to the true veyne of gods holy worde, in al poyntes so godly and holesomely set forthe, in comparison of that blynde zeale and vndiscrete deuotion which they had afore times to those things whereof they vnderstode neuer one [Page] whyt nor could be edifyed by thē any thing at all. And again as for almes dedes which ar taught in gods word (wherby we are certayne that god is pleased with them, and doth and wil require such at our hands, which are a parte of true religion as S. Iames sayth, and suche as he sayth himselfe he setteth more by then by sacryfice, as to prouyde for the fatherlesse in­fants and orphanes, for the lame, a­ged, and impotent poore nedy folke, and to make publyke prouision that the pouertye that myghte laboure, should haue wherwith to labour vp­pon, and so be kepte from shamefull beggery and stealing) in these works I say, how wayward were many, in comparison (I meane) of that greate prodigalitie, whereby in times paste they spared not to spende vpon flat­teryng fryers, false pardoners, pain­ting and gilding of stockes & stones, to be set vp and honored in churches plainly against gods worde. And yet bicause no place is to be defrauded of their iust commendacion, London I [Page] must confesse that such godly works in sir Dobs knight then lord Maior his yere, began maruelious wel, the Lorde graunt the same maye so like­wise perseuer, continue, yea and en­crease to the comforte & reliefe of the nedy and helplesse, that was so god­li begon. Amen.

All these thynges doe mynyster matter of more mournynge and be­waling the miserable state that now is, for by this it maye be perceayued howe well Englande hath deserued this iust plague of God.

And also it is greatly to be feared, that those good thynges whatsoeuer they were that had their beginnynge in the time when Goddes word was frely preached, nowe with the exyle and banishmēt of the same, they wil departe agayne.

But to returne agayne to the con­sideration of thys myserable state of Christes church in Englande, and to leaue farder and more exquisite sear­ching of the causes therof vnto gods secret and vnserchable iudgements, [Page] lette vs see what is beste nowe to be done for Chrystes lyttle selye flocke. This is one Maxime and princyple in Christes law: he that denieth me before men, him shall Christ deny a­fore his father and al his aungels of heauen. And therfore euery one that loketh to haue by Christ our sauiour euerlasting life, let him prepare him selfe so, that he denye not his master Christ, or els he is but a caste away and a wretch, howesoeuer he be coū ­ted or taken here in the worlde.

Nowe then seinge the doctrine of antechriste is retourned agayne into this realme, and the higher powers (alas) are so deceaued and bewitched y ^t they are perswaded it to be truth, and Christes true doctrin to be error and heresie, and the old lawes of an­techrist are allowed to returne wyth the power of their Father agayne, what can be hereafter loked for by reason to the man of God and trewe christian abiding in this realme, but extreame violence of deathe or els to deny his master. I graunt the harte [Page] of prynces are in Gods handes, and whether soeuer he will he can make them to bowe, and also that christiā princes in old time vsed a more gen­tell kinde of punishment, euen to thē which were heritikes in dede, as de­gradation and depositiō out of theyr rowmes and offices, exile and banishmente out of their dominions & coū ­treyes, and also (as it is red) the true bishops of christes church were som­times intercessours for the heretikes vnto princes that they would not kil them, as is red of S. Augustine. But as yet Antechristes kyngedome was not so erected at that time, nor is now accustomed to order theym that wyll not fal downe and worship the beast and hys image, but (euen as all the worlde knoweth) after the same ma­ner that both Iohn and Daniel hath prophesied before, that is by violence of death, and Daniell declareth far­der the kynde of death accustomably should be by sworde, fier, and impry­sonment. Therefore if thou O man of God, doe purpose to abide in thys [Page] realme, prepare and arme thy self to die, for, bothe by antechristes accusto­mable lawes, and these prophecies, ther is no apparance or likelyhode of any other thinge, excepte thou wylte deny thy master Christ, which is the losse at the laste both of body & soule vnto euerlastinge death. Therefore my good brother or syster in Chryste whatsoeuer thou be, to thee that cāst and mayest so do, that counsel that I thinke is the best sauegarde for thee, both for thy bodi, and most suerty for thy soules helth, is that which I shal shew thee herafter. But first I warn thee to vnderstande me to speake to him or her which be not in captiuity or called already for to confesse christ, but is at liberty abrode. My counsell I say therfore is this, to flie from the plague and to get thee hense. I con­sider not only the subtelties of sathā, and howe he is able to deceiue by his false perswasions, if it were possible, euen the chosen of God, and also the greate frailty whiche is often tymes more in a man then he doth know in [Page] himselfe, which in the time of temp­tation then wyll vtter it selfe: I doe not only consider these thyngs I say, but that our master christ whose life was and is a perfect rule of the chri­stian mannes life, that he himselfe a­uoyded oftentimes the fury and madnes of the Iewes by departing from the countrye or place.

Paule like wise when he was sought in Damasco, and the gates of the ci­tie were layde in wayte for hym, he was conueyed by night, let down in a basket oute at a windowe ouer the wall, and Helias the prophet fledde the persecution of wycked Iesabell. And Christ our Sauiour saith in the Gospell, when they persecute you in one citie flie vnto another: and so did many good greate learned and ver­teouse men of god, which were great & stoute chāpions neuerthelesse, and stoute confessors and mainteyners of Christ and his truth in due time and place. Of such was the greate clarke Athanasius. But this is so playne to be lawfull by gods word & examples of [Page] holy men, that I nede not to stand in it. Hauing this for my groūd, I saye to thee O man of god this semeth to me to be the most sure waye for thy sauegard, to depart and flie far from the plague, & that swiftly also: for truly before god, I thinck that the abho­mination that Daniel prophecied of so long before, is now set vp in y ^e ho­ly place. For al antechrists doctrine, lawes, rytes & religion, contrary to Christe and to the true seruynge and worshypping of god, I vnderstande to be that abhomination: therefore now is the time in Englād for those words of Christ: Tūc, inquit, qui [...]n [...]udaea runt fugiant ad montes. Then, saith he, marke this christes (then) for truly I am perswaded and I trust by the spi­rit of god, that this then, is cōmaun­ded: Then, saith Chryst, they that be in Iewry let them flie into the moū ­taynes, & he that is on the house top let him not come down to take away any thynge out of his house, and he that is abrode in the fielde, let hym not returne to take his clothes. Wo [Page] be to the great bellied women and to them that geue sucke, but pray saith Christ, that your flight be not in winter nor on the sabboth daye. These wordes of Christ are mistical, & there fore haue nede of interpretatiō. I vn­derstand all those to be in Iewryspi­ritually, which truly cōfesse one true liuinge god, and the whole trueth of hys worde after the doctryne of the gospel of Christ. Such are they whō here chryst biddeth in the time of the reygne of Antechrystes abhominati­ons to flie vnto the moūtains, which signifieth places of safegarde, and all such thinges whych are able to defēd frō the plague. That he biddeth him that is on the house top not to come downe, nor him that is in the fyelde not to returne to take with him hys clothes, he meaneth that they should spede them to get thē awaye betime, least in their tarying & trifling about worldly prouision, thei be trapped in the snare, or euer they be aware and caughte by the backe, and for gayne of small worldly thinges endaunger [Page] and cast them selues in to greate pe­rilles of more weighty matter. And where he sayth wo to the greate bel­lyed women, and to theim that geue sucke: women great with childe, and nigh to their lying downe, and to be brought to bedde are not able to tra­uel, nor also those women which are brought to bedde, & now geueth their babes sucke: by these therefore christ spiritually vnderstādeth al such to be in extreme danger (which this word wo signifieth) all suche I saye, as are soo letted by any maner of meanes, that they no wayes be able to fly frō the plague. That which christ saith, praye that your flight be not in win­ter nor on the sabboth day: In wyn­ter the common course of the yeare teacheth vs that the wayes be foule, and therefore it is a harde thing then to take a far iourney for manye incō ­modities and daungers of the wayes in that time of the yeare: and on the sabboth daye it was not lawefull to iorney but a little way. Now Christ therefore meaninge that we shoulde [Page] haue nede both to spede our iourney quicklye, whiche can not be doone in winter for the incommodities of the wayes, and also to go far, which can not be done on the Sabboth daye: he biddeth vs therefore praye that oure flight be not in winter nor on the sabboth daye, that is, to praye that we may flie in time, and also far enough frō the daunger of the plague. Now the causes why we shoulde flie, folo­weth in y ^e same place of s. Mathewes gospel, Math. 24. which I now passe ouer: thou maiest reade them there.

And in the 18. chapter of the Reue­lation, the aungell is sayde to haue cryed myghtely wyth a loude voyce, flye my people out of Babylon leaste you be infected with her faultes and so be made partners of her plagues: for her offences and synnes are gro­wen so great that they swell and are come vnto the heauen: certainly the time doth approch and the lordes day is at hande. Heare, I besech you, also holye Paule, that blessed apostle: he plainly forbiddeth vs ducere iugum cum [Page] incredulis that is, to ioyne or couple our selues wyth the vnfaithfull, for what felowship can ther be (saith he) of righteousnes wyth vnrighteouse­nes, 2. Cor. 6. what company hath light with darknes, or what agremēt hath christ with Beliall, or what parte can the faithful haue with the vnfaithful, or how doth the tēple of god agre with images or idols, for you are the tēple of the liuing god: as god hath said, I will walke and dwell in them. I wil be their god, and they shalbe my peo­ple, wherfore depart from amongest them and gette you from them, saith the lorde, & touch no vncleane thinge and I wyl receaue you and be to you in the stede of your father & you shall be vnto me as my sonnes and daughters, sayth the almighty Lorde.

This counsel to depart the realme, I doe not maruell if it do seme to dy­uers (euen of theim I meane y ^e beare fauoure to godwarde) dyuersly. Ma­ny (I trust) that he lerned shal thinke the counsel good. Other there be per aduenture that will thynke it rather [Page] a thing to be more tollerable and y ^t it may be in dede by gods worde lawe­fully done, rather then to be coūsay­led to be done, for they wil (peraduē ­ture) saye, we shoulde counsell a man alwayes to doe that which is beste of all, and of most parfectiō, but boldly in Christes cause to spend a mannes life, is beste of all, and of most perfe­ction, and to flie it may seme to smell of cowardnes. In many things, that which is best for one at some times, is not best for all at all times, and it is not most perfection nor meete for a child to couet to runne before he can go. I wyll not make here a discourse in thys matter what myghte here be obiected, and what might be aunswe­red againe: I leaue that to the witty and eloquent men of the worlde.

This is my minde whych I would thou shouldest knowe, o man of god, as I would wishe and I doe praye to almighty God it may be, that euery true christian eyther brother or syster (after they be called and broughte in to the wrestlynge place, to stryue in [Page] Christes cause for the best game, that is to confesse the truth of the gospell and of the Christian fayth in hope of euerlasting lyfe) shoulde not shrynke nor relente one ynche, or gyue backe what soeuer shall befall, but stande to their tackle, and styrke by it euen vnto death, as they will Christ shall sticke by them at the latter daye. So likewise I dare not wishe nor coūsel any, either brother or sister of their own swinge to start vp into y ^e stage, or to cast themselues eyther before or farder in danger then tyme and nede shall requyre: for vndoubtedly when God seeth his time, and his pleasure is that his glory shalbe set forth, and his church edefyed by thy deathe and confession, meanes shal be founde by hys fatherly vniuersall prouydence, that thou wythoute thine owne pre­sumptuouse prouocatiō, shalt be law fully called to do thy feate & to playe thy parte. The miserable ende that one Quintus came vnto, may be a war­ninge and a fearefull example for all men to beware of presumption and [Page] rashnes in suche thinges (as Eusebius writeth in Ecclesiastica historia) for euer­more. Lib. 4. Cap. 15.

But a thirde sorte of men there be which also wil be counted fauourers of gods word & are, I feare, in nūber farre mo and worse to be perswaded to that which is the godly meane. I meane of such as w [...]ll peraduenture saye or thynke that my former coun­sel which was, to [...] the infect [...]on of the antechristian doctrine by depar­ture oute of the realme, is more then nedeth, and other waies and meanes may be found both to abide and also to be cleare out of danger of the fore­saide plague. If that could be founde in dede truly agreable to gods word I woulde be as glad to heare it (god is my witnesse) as who is the other.

Yes peraduenture wyll some saye, thus it may be. Thou maist kepe thy selfe, thy fayth, and thy religiō close to thy self, and inwardly and priuat­ly worship god in spirit & in truthe, and outwardlye see thou be no open medler, nor talker, nor transgressour [Page] of common order: so mayeste thou be suffred in the common wealth, & yet vse thy relygion witho [...]te offence of thy conscience. In other countre [...]es somwhere this peraduenture myght be vsed, but in Eng [...]ande what sh [...]ll be, god wot, but it was neuer yet, so far as euer I haue knowen or heard. And also howe can it be, but eyther thou must transgresse the cōmon or­der and the Romy [...]he lawes and cu­stomes whych haue ben vsed in [...]ngland in the times pa [...]t of popery, and nowe (it is certayne) they returne a­gayne: I say, thou muste eyther be a breaker of these rites, lawes, and costomes, and so bewray thy selfe, or els if thou be in dede a man of God, thou shalt offende thy conscience, for in obseruinge of them thou shalte be compelled to breake gods law which is the rule of cōscyence to the man of god. For how canst thou resort eue­ry holye day to the church and beare a face to worship the creature for the creatour (as thou must do) and peraduenture cōfesse it to with thy mouth [Page] and to sprynckle thy selfe with theyr coniured water? Thou must be cōtributor also to y ^e charges of al their po­pery, as of bokes for antechristes ser­uice, of lyghtes of the roode lofte, of the sepulchre, for setting vp and painting of images (nay in dede of idols) and thou muste beare a face to wor­shyp theym also, or els thou muste be had by the back. Thou must serue the turne to geue the holy loues, as they call it, whiche is nothynge els but a very mockery of the lords holy table. Thou must be a cōtributor to y ^e charges of al y ^e disgised apparel y ^t the po­pish sacrificing priest, like vnto Aarō, must play his part in. Yea when the pardoner commeth about, or the flat­teringe frier to begge for the mayn­tenaunce of supersticion, except thou doe as thy neighboures doe, loke not longe for to liue in rest. If any of thy housholde dye, if thou wilte not paye money for ringinge and singing, for requiem masses, dirige, & commendations, and suche like trumpery of the ante­christian religion, thinkest thou that [Page] thou shalt be reckned for a catholyke man or for Amicus Caesaris? A hundred thynges mo may be reckned, & many of more weyght and of more euident superstitiō and Idolatrie, then some of these which I haue now rehersed, whiche god knoweth be ill enough: but these are enough to declare and to set before thine eies the thing that I intende, that is if thou abyde and wylt dwell in Englande, thou must eyther do these and manye other mo contrarye to gods worde, whiche for­biddeth not onely the thynge whyche is euyll, but also sayth, Ab omni specie mali abstinete vos, absteine frō al things that hathe any apparance of euyll: or els if thou wilte not doe theim, howe thou canst lyue in Englande in reste and safe from the stake, trulye I can not tel. But peraduenture (as a man is redy to finde and inuente some co­loure to clooke his conscyence, to doe that thynge that hys harte desyreth) thou wilte say, thoughe at any tyme I shall be forced to doe anye of these thyngs and such lyke, yet wil I haue [Page] no confidence in them, but outward­ly with my body: I wil kepe my hart vnto god, & wil not doe that of mine owne mynde willingly neyther, but to auoyde an other inconuenyence: I trust therfore God wyl holde me ex­cu [...]ed, for he shal haue my hart, what can I doe more? O mi friend beware for gods sake, and know that the subte [...]ties of Satan are depe. He that is not able by gods worde to perceiue them, is heau [...]ly laden, prai therfore with Dauid: Lord let me not haue a minde to inuente excuses for to cloke my synne. Exam [...]ne my deare frend, these thy wily waies wyth the word of god, and if the [...] do agre, thou mai­est vse them, if not, knowe, thoughe they may seme neuer so fine & good­lye, yet in deede they be of Sathans [...]roode [...] Goddes worde it is certaine, that forbyddeth to worshyp the crea­ture for the creatour, for that is hey­nous idola [...]ry, and agaynst the fyrste cōmaundement of god, and it is also against the second cōmaundement of the firste table, to bowe downe, or to [Page] do worshyp vnto any images of god or of any other thing, and gods word requireth not onely the beliefe of the harte, but also▪ the confession of the mouth: and to beare parte of the charges to the mayntenaunce of thynges vngodly [...], what is that but in thy so doinge a con [...]ent to the thinge done? Now consenters and the doers gods worde accounte [...]h to be giltye bothe. And it is not lawefull by S. Paules doctrine whych was inspired hym by the spirite of god, to do il that therof the thyng which is good may come. Thy ha [...]t, thou saiest, god shal haue, and yet wilte thou suffer thy body to do the thing that god doeth abhorre. Beware O mā, take hede what thou saiest. Man may be deceaued, but no man may deceaue God, for he is cal­led and is trewely [...] that is to saye, the searcher of the harte. Now to geue god thy hart is to geue him thy whole harte, to loue him, to dread him, and to trust in hym aboue al other things. He that hath my cō ­maūdement sayth Christ, and obser­ueth [Page] and kepeth them, it is he that loueth me, and to dreade god aboue all other, is rather willingly to incurre the danger and peryll of all fearefull thinges, then wyttinglye to doe that thynge which is contrary to his bles­sed wyll and commaundemente: and to truste in him aboue all thinges, is assuredly to truste to hys promyse of his reward, and of hys tuition and of his goodnesse and mercy, and to pre­fer that aboue al thinges in y ^e world, seme they neuer so strong, so wyse, or so good. Now howe canste thou saye truly, that God hathe thy harte after this maner of sorte (which is to haue thy harte in dede) when thy dedes do declare far an other thinge? Thy bo­dy, o man, is gods, and al the partes thereof euen as thy soule is: he made them both and Christ with his bloud hath redemed them both, and is lorde of both, for he hath boughte thē both deare, & darest thou suffer any parte of eyther of them to do seruice to Sa­tan? Surely in so doinge, thou com­mittest sacriledge and doest rob God, [Page] thou de [...]ilest the liuely temple of the liuing god if thou suffer thy body to do sathan seruice. Do you not know saith S. Paule, that your body is a liuely temple of god? and may a man then take and vse anye parte thereof but in the seruice of God? No surely it is not lawful so to doe so y ^t man of god, neither with hand, tongue, nor fote, nor any part of the whole body.

Doth not Paule commaund to the Romaines, which pertaineth to eue­ry Chrystian soule: As you haue in times past (saith he) geuen your members to doe seruice vnto vncleanesse and wickednes, from one wickednes to another, so nowe geue your mem­bers to do seruice vnto righteousnes that you may be sāctified. And I prai thee good brother, what doest thou thinke is, to beare the marcke of the beaste in the forhead and in the hand that s. Iohn speaketh of? I know we ought warely to speake of gods mis­teries which he shewed by the spirit of prophecying to his seruant Iohn, yet to reade theym wyth reuerence, [Page] and to praye for the vnderstandynge of the same so much as god knoweth is necessary for our time to knowe, I thinke it necessary and good. Wher­fore what I suppose is to beare the beastes marke, I wyll tell thee, and commit the iudgement of mine interpretation, as in all other thinges, to the spirituall man. I suppose he bea­reth the beast of Babilons marke in his forhead, which is not ashamed of the beastes waies, but wyll professe them openly to set forthe hys master the beaste Abaddon, Apo. 9. And likewyse be beareth his marke in his hands that wil and doeth practise the workes of the beaste with his power and hand. And likewyse I will not lette to tell thee, what I thincke to be sygned in the forhead for the seruants of God, whereof Iohn also speaketh, recke­ning vp many thousandes so to haue bene sygned of euery tribe. I suppose he is signed in the forhead for the seruant of god, whom god hath appoin­ted of his infinite goodnes, and hath geuen him gra [...]e and strength▪ stout­ly [Page] to confesse him and his trueth be­fore the worlde. And to haue grace & strength to confesse christ and the doctrine of the crosse, and to lament and mourne for the abhominatiōs of an­techryste, I suppose is to be sygned wyth Tau whereof Ezechiell the pro­phet doeth speake. Thus I suppose these prophecies are spiritually to be vnderstanded, and to looke for other corporall markes to be sene in mens forheads or in their handes, is no­thing els but to loke that ther should come some brute beaste out of Babi­lon, or some Elephante, Leoparde, Lion, or Camell or some other suche mōstrous beast with ten hornes, that shoulde do all the wonderful things spoken in Iohn: & yet of a beast spea­keth Iohn, but I vnderstande him so to be called not for that he shalbe ani such brute beaste, but for that he is & shalbe the childe of perdicion, whych for his cruelty and beastly maners is well called a beaste.

The carnal Iewes knewe ther was a promise made that Helias shoulde [Page] come before christ Messias the anointed of god, to prepare his waies: thei knewe also there was a promyse of Messias, that he shoulde come and be a kinge & raigne in the house of Da­uid for euermore, but thei vnderstode all so grosely & so carnally, that they neyther knewe Helias nor Messias whē they came, for they loked for Helias to come downe from heauen in his own persō, & for Messias to come & raygne in worldly pompe, power, riches & glorye, when as the prophe­cies of both were spiritually to haue bene vnderstanded: of Helias that he should come not in person but in spi­rit, that is, one which should be indued with the spirit and giftes of grace of Helias, which was in deede Iohn Baptist, as christ himself dyd declare to his apostles: & of Messias raygne, all the prophets were to be vnderstā ded of y ^e raigne of his spiritual king­dome ouer the house of Iacob, & the true Israelites for euermore. And so by that theyr grosse and carnall vn­derstandinge they mystake both He­lias [Page] and the true Messias, and when they came, knewe neyther of theym both. So likewise I feare me (nay it is certain) y ^e world that wanteth the light of the spirit of god, (for y ^e world is not able to receaue hym, sayeth Iohn) neyther doth, nor shall knowe the beast nor his markes, though he rage cruelly & liue neuer so beastly, & thoughe his marked men be in num­ber like the sand of the sea. The lord therfore vouchsafe to open the eies of the blinde wyth the lyghte of grace, that thei may see & perceaue, and vn­derstand the wordes of god after the minde of his spirite. Amen.

Here remayneth two obiections which maye seeme [...]yghty, and the which may peraduēture moue many not to folow the former coūsell. The former reason is? a man wyll saye, Oh sir it is no smal mat [...]er ye speake of, to depart from a mans owne na­tiue coūtrey into a straunge realme. Manye men haue so greate let [...]es, as howe is it possible y ^t they can or may do so? Some haue lands and possessi­ons [Page] whych they can not carry wyth thē, some haue father, mother, wyfe, children, and kinsefolke, from whom to depart is as hard a thyng (and all one almost) as to suffer death, and to goe to a straunge countrey that thou knoweste not, neyther the maner of the people nor how thou maist away either with y ^e people or w ^t the cūtrey. Oh what a harde thinge it is to liue among a straunge people whose ton­gue thou doest not vnderstande &c.

I graunt here thou mayest heape a number of worldly incommodityes whych are surely verye [...] en [...]ue the departure out of a man [...]es owne natiue countrey, I meane [...] of the whole realme into a straunge lande: but what of all these and a thousand mo of the like sort? I wil set vnto thē one sayinge of our Sauioure Christe which vnto the faithful childe of god and to the true Christyan, is able to counteruaile al these, yea and to way thē downe. Christ our sauiour saithe in Luke: if any come to me and doe not hate his father & mother (he meaneth [Page] and wil not in his cause forsake his father and mother) his wife, chil­dren, and brethren, yea and hys lyfe to, he cannot be my disciple: and who soeuer doeth not beare hys crosse and come after me he cannot be my discy­ple. And in y ^e same place he declareth by two parables, one of a buylder, & the other of a king that is a warrier, that euery man that wyl not in chri­stes cause forsake all y ^t euer he hath, he can not be hys dysciple. Loke the place who wil, the matter is so plainly sette forthe, that no gloses nor clo­king of conscience to the man of god, can serue to the contrary. Many pla­c [...]s there be for the same purpose, for the imbracing of christes crosse, whē Christ and hys cause layeth it vppon our backe, but thys is so playne that I nede here to rehearse no more.

The latter reason & obiection wher­of I spake before, is of more force, and includeth a necessitie which after the common sayinge hathe no lawe, and therfore it is more harde to shape for it a good aunswere.

[Page] This may be obiected of some. Alas sir I graūt all these thinges do greue me, and because I vnderstande they do not agre with gods worde whych is the rule of my consciēce, I loth ei­ther to loke on them or to heare thē. But sir, alas, I am an impotēt man, an aged man, a sycke manne, a lame man, or I haue so many smal infants and a lame wife, which all lyueth by my labour and by my prouision, if I leaue them, they shall sterue, & I am not able to cary them with me, suche is my state. Alas sir what shall I do? And these causes may chaūce to some men of god, whereby either it shalbe for them vtterly impossible to depart the coūtrey, or els in departing, they shal be inforced to forsake such in ex­treame necessities of whom both god and nature hath commytted vnto thē the care. Alas what counsell is here to be geuen? O lamentable state, O sorowefull harte that neither can de­parte, and without extreame danger and peryll is not able to tarye styll. And these are they whom our sauior [Page] Christ sawe before should be, and cal­led them in his prophecy of the latter time, great bellied or trauelinge wo­men, and women that geueth after they be broughte to bed, their small babes sucke. The state of such as are not able to fly the infection of the pe­stiferous plague of antechrists abho­minations, Chryst lamentinge & not cursing, sayth: wo be vnto the greate bellyed and trauelynge women, and women y ^t geueth suck in those daies. For these alas my hart mourneth the more, the lesse I am able to geue any comfortable counsayle but this, that alwaies, as they loke for euerlasting life, they abide stil in the cōfession of his truth whatsoeuer shal befall, and for the rest to putte their trust nowe wholy in God, whych is able to saue them against all apparau [...]ce: & com­monly in extremities, whē al world­ly comforte sayleth and the danger is at highest, then vnto his he is wonte after his accustomed mercy to be most ready for to put his helpynge hande. Daniell God suffered to be caste into [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] the denne of lions, and the thre chyl­dren into the hotte burning fornace, and yet he saued thē all▪ Paule was plucked out of the mouth of the lion, as be saieth of himself, and in Asta he was brought in such trouble y ^t he lo­ked for no other thing but for present death, & yet he that rayseth the deade to lyfe: againe did brynge him out of all his troubles, and taught him and all other that he in troubles for chri­stes cause not to trust to thēselus but in almighty God. Of gods gracious aid in extreme perils toward them y ^e put their trust in him, all scripture is ful both olde & newe. What daūgers were the patriarks often brought vnto, as Abrahā, Isaac and Iacob, but of all other Ioseph, & how mercifully were thei deliuered againe: In what perylles was Moyses: when he was faine to flie for y ^e safegard of his life? & whē was he sent againe: to delyuer the Israelytes from the ser [...]yle bon­dage? not before they were broughte into extreame misery. And when dyd the lord mightely deliuer his people [Page] from Pharao his sworde? not before they were brought in such straytes y ^t they were so compassed en euery side (the mayne sea on the one syde, & the mayne hoste on y ^e other) y ^t they could looke for none other; yea what didde they▪ els in dede loke for then, but ey­ther to haue bene drowned in y ^e sea, or els to haue fallē on y ^e edge of Pharao his sword. These iudges, which wrought most wonderful thynges in the deliuery of the people, were euer geuen when the people was brought to most miserye before: as Othoniel, Aioth, Sangar, Gedeon, [...]ephthe, Samson, And so was Saul indued with strength and boldnes from aboue, against the Am­monites, Philistines, & Amalechites for the defence of the people of God. Dauid likewyse felt gods helpe most sensibly euer in his extreme persecu­tions. What shall I speake of the prophetes of god whom god suffered so oft to be brought into extreme pe­rils and so mightely deliuered theim againe? As Helias, Hieremy, Daniel, Miche­as, and Ionas, and manye other whom [Page] it were but to longe to rehearse, and set out at large. And did the lorde vse his seruantes otherwise in the newe law after christes incarnation? Read the actes of the apostles and you shal see no. Were not thapostels cast into prison and brought out by the migh­ty hande of god? Did not the aungell deliuer Peter out of y ^e stronge prison & brynge hym oute by the yron gates of the citie and set him free? And whē I praye you? euen the same night be­fore Herod apointed to haue brought him in iudgement for to haue slayne hym, as he had a lyttle before kylled Iames the brother of Iohn. Paule and Silas, when after they had bene sore scourged and were put into the inner prison and there were layd fast in the stockes, I praye you what ap­parāce was ther that the magestrats should be glad to come the next daye themselues to thē, to desyer theym to be contente and to departe in peace? who prouyded for Paule, y ^t he should be safely conducted oute of all danger and brought to Felix y ^e Emperours [Page] deputy? whē as both the high priests the Pharisyes and rulers of y ^e Iewes had conspired to requier iudgemente of death against him, he being fast in prison, and also more thē fourty men hadde sworne eche one to other that they would neuer eate nor drinke vntill they had slaine Paule. A thynge wōderful, that no reason could haue inuented, or man could haue looked for, god prouided Paule his owne si­sters sonne a younge man, that disa­ponited that conspiracy and all their former coniuratiō. The maner how the thiuge cam to passe, thou maiest reade in the .23. of the actes. I will not be tedyous vnto thee here wyth the rehersall therof.

Nowe to descende from the apostles to the martyrs that folowed next in christes church, & in them likewise to declare howe gracious our good god euer hath bene to work wonderfully w ^e them, which in his cause haue ben in extreme perilles, it were a matter enough to write a longe boke. I wil here name but one man and one wo­man [Page] that is Athanasius the great clerke & godly man stoutly standing in chri­stes cause against the Arrians, & that holy woman Blandina, standing so constantly in all extreme paynes, in the simple cōfession of christ. If thou wilt haue examples of mo, loke and thou shalt haue both these & a hundred mo in Ecclesiastica historia of Eusebius, & in Tripartita historia.

But for all these examples both of holy scripture and of other histories, I feare mee the weake man of God incombred with the frailty and infir­mity of the fleshe, wil haue now and then suche thoughtes and guawmes (as they cal thē) to run ouer his hart, and to thynke thus: all theis thinges which are rehersed oute of the scryp­ture, I beleue to be true, & of the rest truly I do thinke wel, and can beleue them also to be true, but all these we must nedes graūt were special mira­cles of god, whych now in our dayes are ceased we se, & to require them at gods handes, were it not to tēpt god?

Welbeloued brother, I graūt such [Page] were great wonderful works of god, and we haue not sene many of suche miracles in our time, eyther for that our sight is not cleare (for truly God worketh w ^t his, his part in all times) orels bicause we haue not y ^e like faith of thē for whose cause God wrought such thinges: or bicause after that he had set forth the truth of his doctrine by suche miracles then sufficientlye, the tyme of so manye myracles to be done was expired withall. Which of theis is the moste speciall cause of all others, or whether there be anye o­there, God knoweth: I leaue that to God. But knowe thou this my wel-beloued in God, that Gods hande is as strong as euer it was, he maye do what his gracyous plesure is, and he is as good and gracious as euer he was. Man chaūgeth as the garment doth, but god our heauenly father is euen the same now that he was, and shalbe for euermore.

The world without doubt (this I do beleue, & therfore I saye) draweth towardes an end, and in al ages god [Page] hath had his owne maner, after hys secrete and vnsearchable wisdome to vse his elect, somtimes to deliuer thē and to kepe them safe, and somtimes to suffer theym to drinke of Christes cup, that is to fele the smarte, and to fele of the whyp.

And though the fleshe smarteth at the one, and feeleth ease in the other: is glad of the one, and sore vexed in y ^e other: yet the lord is al one, towards them in both, and loueth theym no­lesse when he sufferethe theym to be beaten, yea and to be put to bodelye death, then when he woorketh won­deres for their maruelous deliuery.

Nay rather he doth more for them when in anguish of the torments he standeth by them & strenghneth them iu their faith, to suffer in the confes­sion of the truethe and his faithe, the bitter panges of death, then when he openeth the prison doore and letteth them go lose: for here he doth but respit thē to an other time, and leaueth them in daunger to fall in like peryl agayne: and there be maketh theym [Page] Perfect, to be without daūger, payne, or peril after that for euer more. But this his loue towardes theym, howe soeuer the world doth iudge of it, is all one, both when he deliuereth and when he suffereth theym to be put to death. He loued as wel Peter & Paul when, after thei had (according to his blessed wil, pleasure and prouidence) finished their courses, and done their seruices appointed them by him here in preaching of his Gospell, the one was beheaded, and thother was ban­ged or crucified of the cruell tyraunte Nero, as the Ecclesiasticall historye saythe: as when he sent the Aungell to bring Peter out of prison, and for Paules deliuery, he made all y ^e dores of the prison to flie wide open, and y ^e foundation of the same like an earthquake to tremble and shake.

Thinkest thou O thou man of god, that Christ our Sauiour had lesse af­fection to the fyrste martyr Stephen, bicause he suffered his enemies euen at the firste conflicte to stone him to death? No suerlye, nor Iames Iohns [Page] brother, whiche was one of the three that Paul calleth Primates or Prin­cipals amongst y ^e Apostles of Christe. He loued him neuer a whit y ^e worse then he did the other, although he suf­fered Herod the tyrants sword to cut of his head, Nay doth not Daniel say speaking of the cruelty of Antechrist his time: Daniel. 11. Et docti in populo docebunt plu­timos, & [...]uent in gladio, & in flamma, & in cap­tiuitate, & in rapina dierum &c. Et de cruditis ruent [...] cōflentur & e [...]gātur & dealbentu [...], &c. That is, and the lerned (he meaneth truly learned in gods law) shal teach many, and shal fal vpon the sworde, and in the flame (that is, shal be bur­ned in the flaming [...]yer) and in capti­uitye (that is, shalbe in prison, and be wo [...]d and robbed of their goods for alonge season). And after a lyttel in the same place of Daniel it foloweth: and of the lerned ther be, whiche shal fal or be ouerthrowen y ^e they maye be knowen, tried, chosen, & made white: he meaneth, be furnyshed and scou­ [...]d a new, picked and chosen; & made freshe and lustre. Yf that then was [Page] foresene for to be done to the godlye lerned, and for so gracious causes, let euery one to whome any such thinge by the wyll of God doeth chaunce, be mery in God, and reioyce, for it is to Gods glory and to hys owne euerla­stinge wealth. Wherefore well is he y ^t euer he was borne; for whome thus graciouslye God hath prouided, ha­uinge grace of God and strenghe of the holy ghoste to stande stedfastly in the height of the storme. Happy is he that euer he was borne, whom God his heauenly father hath vouchsafed to appointe to glorify him, & to edifie his church by y ^e effusion of his bloud. To die in Christes cause is an hyghe honour, to the which no man certain­lye shall or can espire, but to whome god vouthsafeth that dignitie: for no man is alowed to presume for to take vnto himselfe any offyce of honoure, but he whiche is there vnto called of god. Therfore Iohn sayth wel, spea­king of them whiche haue obteyned the victory by the bloud of the lambe and by the worde of hys testimonye, Apoc. 12. [Page] that they loued not their lyues, euen vnto death. And our sauiour Chryste sayeth, he that shall lose hys lyfe for my cause shall finde it. And this ma­ner of speache pertayneth not to one kind of christians, as the worldly do wyckedly dreame, but to all that doe truly pertain vnto Christ. For when christ had called vnto him the multi­tude together wyth hys dysciples, he saide vnto them (marke y ^t he said not this to y ^e disciples and apostles only, but he said it to al) whosoeuer wil so low me let him forsake or deny hīself & take vp his crosse and folow me: for whosoeuer wil saue his life shal lose it (he meaneth whosoeuer wil to saue his lyfe, bothe forsake or leaue him & his trueth) and whosoeuer shall lose his life for my cause and the gospels sake, shal saue it: for what shal it profit a man if he shal winne the whole worlde and lese his owne soule? hys owne life? or what shall a man geue to recompence that losse of his owne life and of his owne soule? Whoso­euer shall be ashamed of me and my [Page] words (that is to confesse me and my gospell) before this adulterous & sin­ful generation, of him shal the son of man be ashamed when he cōmeth in the glory of his father, with the holy aungels. Know thou O man of god, that all thinges are ordeyned for thy behofe and to the furtherāce of thee, towardes thy saluation. All thinges (saith Paule) worketh with the good to goodnes, euen the enemies of god. and such kind of punishments wher­by they go about to destroye theym, shall be forced by Goddes power, might, and fatherly prouidence, for to do them seruyce.

It is not as the wycked thinketh, that pouertie, aduersity, sycknes, tri­bulation, yea paynefull death of the godly, be tokens that God doeth not loue theym: but euen cleane the con­trary, as al the whole course of scrip­ture doth euedently declare: for then he wold neuer haue suffred his most deare beloued y ^e Patriarches to haue had such troubles, his prophetes, his Apostles, his Martyrs and chiefe chā pions [Page] and maintainers of his trueth and gospel [...], so cruelly of the wycked to haue bene murdered and [...]in. Of the whiche (some were racked as the apostle sayth) and would not he deli­uered, that they might re [...]e [...]l [...] bet­ter resurrection. Some were lived by mockings and scourgings, yea more ouer by bondes and imprison mente: they were [...]oned, they were he wen and cut in [...]ūder, they were tempted, they were slain with the sword, they wandered vppe and downe in sheepe skins and Gotes skinnes, being for­saken, afflicted and tormented, suche men as the worlde was not worthye to haue, wandringe in wildernesses, in mountaines, in dennes and caues of earth. All these were approued by the testimony of fayth, and receiued not the promise, bicause god did pro­uide better for vs, that wyth [...]u [...]e vs they shuld not be consūmated. They tary now for vs vndoubtedly lōging for the day. But they are commaun­ded to haue patience yet, sayeth the lord, a littel while, vntil the number [Page] of their fellowe seruauntes be fulfil­led, and or, theyr brethren whych are yet to be slaine, as they were.

Now thou O man of God, for our Lords sake, let vs not for the loue of this life, tary them to longe, and be occasion of delay of that glorious cō ­summation, in hope and expectation wherof thei departed in the lord, and the which also y ^e liuing end [...]ed with Gods spirit, ought so earnestly to de­sire and to grone for with al the creatures of God. Let vs all with Iohn the seruant of God, cry in our harts vnto our sauiour Christ: Veni domme Iesu, come Lorde Iesu come. For then when christ which is our life, shalbe made manifest and apeare with him in glory, thē shal the children of god appeare what thei be, euen like vnto Christ: for this our weake body shall be transfygurated and made lyke vnto Christes glorious body, & that by the power wherby he is able to sub­due vnto himself all thinges. Then, that which is now corruptible, shall be made incorruptible: that is nowe [Page] vyle, shal thē be made glorious, that is nowe weake, shal rise then migh­ty and strong, that is grosse and car­nal, shalbe made fine and spirituall, for thē we shal see & haue y ^e vnspeak­able ioy and fruition of the glorious maiesty of our lorde euen as he is.

Who or what then shall let vs to ieopard, to leopard? yea to spend this life which we haue here in Christes cause? in our lorde God his cause? O thou therefore man of god, thou that arte loden and so letted lyke vnto a great bellied woman▪ that thou canst not fly the plague, yet if thou lust af­ter such things as I haue spoken of, stand fast what soeuer shall befall in thy maysters cause: and take thys thy letting to fly, for a calling of god to feighte in thy maister Christe hys cause. Of this be thou certaine, they can do nothing vnto thee, which thy father is not aware of, or hathe not foresene before: they can do no more then it shal please him to suffer them to do for the furtheraunce of his glo­ry, edifyinge of his church and thyne [Page] owne saluation. Lette them then doe what they shal, seing to thee O man of God, all thinges shall be forced to serue, and to worcke with thee vnto the best before God. O be not afraide and remember the ende.

All thys whiche I haue spoken for the comfort of the lamentable case of the man whō christ calleth the great bellied woman: I meane to be spokē likewise to the captiue and prisoner in Gods cause: for suche I count to be as it were already summoned and prested to fight vnder the banner of the crosse of Chryste, and as it were souldiours allowed and taken vp for the Lords warres, to do to their lord and maister good and honorable ser­uice, and to stycke to him as men of trustie seruice in his cause euen vnto death, and to thinke their life lost in his cause, is to winne it in eternall glory for euermore.

Therefore now to conclude and to make an ende of this treatise, I saye vnto all that loue God our heauenly father, that loue Christe Iesus oure [Page] redemer and Sauioure: that loue to folowethe wayes of the holy ghoste, which is our comforter and sanct [...] ­er of all: vnto all that loue Christes spouse and body, the true catholicke churche of Christe, yea that loue life & ther owne soules health: I say vn­to all theis, harken my deare brethrē and sisters, all you that be of God, of all sortes, ages, dignities, or degre: harken to the worde of our sauioure Iesus Christe spoken to his Apostels and ment to all his in Saincte Ma­thewes Gospell: Math. 10. Feare not theym whiche kyll the bodye, for they can not kil the soule: but feare him more whiche maie destroye and caste both bodye and soule into [...]ell fyer. Are not twoo small-sparrowes [...]old for a mite and one of them shal not fal or light vpon the ground without your father? All the hears of your head be numbred. Feare them not, you are much more worth then are the littel sparrowes. Euery one then that confesseth me before mē, him shal I lik­wise confesse before my father, which [Page] is in heauen. But whosoeuer shal de­nye me before men, I shall denye him likewyse before my father whyche is in heauen.

The lord graunt vs therfore of his heauenly grace & strength, that here we may so confesse him in this world amongest this adulterous and sinfull generation, that he maye confesse vs again at the latter day, before his fa­ther which is in heauen, to his glory and our euerlasting comforte, ioy and saluation.

To our heauēly father, to our sa­uiour & redemer Iesus Christ, and to the holy ghost, be al glory and honor now and for euer Amen. (⸫)