ALthoughe ther be many of you most dearely beloued brethrē, which haue a soūde mynde, a stedfast fayth, and a deuoute soule, which is not moued at this great mortalitie, but as a strong and stable rocke dothe rather break the troblesom assaultes, the violent and raging wafes of this worlde, it selfe beyng neither broken nor ouercome with temtacions, but only tried: Neuertheles because I perceiue that ther are certayne among y ^e [Page]people, The cau­ses of incō stancy and departing from true religion▪ which eyther thorow the weaknes of mynde, or litelnes of faythe, or swetenes of wordly lyfe, or tēdernesse of kynde, or (which is worse) thorowe thignoraunce of the truthe, stande not stedfastly, nor do put furth the heauē ­ly and the inuincible strenght of their harte, this thing ought neither to be dissembled nor to be kept in silēce, but that we (to the vttermost of our po­wer) should with full force, and wor­des taken of the holy scripture, sup­presse and kepe downe y ^e cowardnes, of the deintie mynde, & that he which is now begonne to be the mā of God and of Christ, myght also be counted worthy of Christ. For he that is a soul diour to God most dearly beloued brethren, and beyng put in the celestiall tentes do now hope for heauenlye re­wardes, ought to knowe him selfe: so that we should in no wise either feare, or staye for the stormes and whirle wyndes of the worlde: forasmuche as the Lorde hathe tolde aforehande that these should come, instructing and teaching with thexhortacion of his for se­ing voice, and preparing & strenght­nyng the people of his churche, to all maner of suffering of thīges to come, [Page]hathe aforehande shewed and taught, that warres, and hongers, Mat. 24. and earth­quakes, & pestilences should spring vp & arise euery where. And that no so­dayne and newe feare of hurtful thinges should violently shake vs, he hath beforehande warned that aduersities and troubles shall growe vp thic­ker and thicker, The las [...] tymes artroblesum. more and more in the last tymes. They do nowe happen loo, that were aforehande tolde: and forasmuche as y ^e thinges do now hap­pen which were tolde aforehande, all thinges that are promised, shal also fo­lowe after, by the promise of the Lord hymselfe, which sayeth: but whan ye shall see these thinges come to passe, Luc. 21. knowe ye that the kingdome of God is at hande. The king­dome of God & e [...] ­ternal life are at hand. The kingdome of God dearely beloued brethrē beginneth to be at hande: the worlde passing away, the reward of lyfe, and ioye of eternal healthe, and the continuall gladnesse and possession of paradise lately loste are euē now come: Euē now do heauē ly thinges succede earthy, great thin­ges: lytell, and euerlasting transitory and fading away. What place is here left for troble and carefulnes? Who amōg these thinges cā be fearful and [Page]sorowful, except he wante both faith & hope? who feare deathe. It is his ꝑt to fear death, which wil not go to Christ: it is his part to refuse to go to Christ, which beleueth not y ^t he shal begin to reigne w ^t Christ. Abac. 2. For it is written that the rightful mā lyueth by faythe. Yf thou be rightfull and lyuest thorow faythe, yf thou be­leuest truly in God, why doest thou not embrace and reioyce of this, that thou shalt be with Christ, & be by the Lordes promise in saffetie, inasmuche as thou art called to Christ, and dely­uered frō the deuell? Luce. 2. To be shorte that iuste man Symeon that was a right­full man in dede, Thorowe faithe goddes com­maunde­mentes are obserued. which thorow a per­fecte faith obserued goddes cōmaundementes, whā he had receyued answer of God, that he should not dye before he had sen Christ: And whan the babe Christ w ^t his mother was come into y ^e Temple, he knewe thorowe the spi­rite, that Christ of whome he was tolde before was nowe borne: whome after that he had sene, he knewe that he should shortly dye. He therfore being gladde of deathe that was now at hand, and fearing nothing his cal­ling hence that was hardby, toke, the childe in his handes, and praisid God and cried out, saing: O Lord now [Page]let thy seruant departe in peace ac­cording to thy worde: For myne eyes haue sene thy sauyng healthe. In which wordes he proueth and testify­eth, that than the seruauntes of God haue peace, when and wheare we maye trust to haue sure rest and that than they haue free and quiet rest, whan we beyng drawen out of the boistous tempestes of this worlde, attayne the hauen of eternall reste and saffetie: whā this deathe beyng remoued, we come to immortalitie. For this is our pea­ce, this is the reste that a man maye truste to, this is the stable, the sure, we haue here a contynuall battaile against vices. and perpetuall saffetye. Furthermore in the worlde what is ther elles, but a dayly fyght against the deuell? Howe hard, daungerous, and continuall, is this fyght against his dartes and ar­rowes? We must fyght against coue­tousnes, against vnclennes, against wrathe, against ambicion, against carnall vices: our wrastlyng with the flic­kering intisementes of the worlde is laborious, continuall, and paynfull. The mynde of man beyng besieged & compassed in on euery syde with the assaultes of the deuel, dothe hardly resiste any temptation. Yf couetousnes be throwen downe, luste ryseth vp. [Page]Yf lust be suppressed, ambicion folo­weth, Yf ambicion be despised, wrathe bothe vexe, pride is puffed vp, dronke­nesse calleth in, enuye breaketh con­corde, zele cutteth of frendship. Thou arte compelled to curse, which goddes lawe forbiddeth: thou art constrayned to sweare, which is vnlawful. So many persecutiōs dothe the mynde day­ly suffer, with so many daungers is the harte dayly vexed, and dothe it de­lyte vs to stande here long among the deuelles swerdes: whan we ought ra­ther to desire and wishe by the meanes of a swift deathe, to make hast to Christ? According as he instructed vs saieng: verely verely I saie vnto you, ye shall wepe and lament, but y ^e world shal reioyce: you shall be sorowful, but your sorowe shal be turned in to ioye. Who maketh not hast to com vnto myrthe? Ioan. 18. Frō hence we go to mirthe & ioye. Who desireth not to be w ^cout sorwe? but whan our heuynes shall be turned in to ioye, the Lord him self declareth, saieng: I wil se you againe, and your harte shall reioice, and your ioye shall no mā take from you. For­asmuche than as the sight of Christ is our ioie, neither can we haue any ioie, but whan we haue seen Christ: What [Page]blindnesse or rather madnes of mynd is this, to loue y ^e troubles and paines and teares of the worlde, and not to make haste to that ioye, that cā neuer be taken from vs? This thing happeneth dearely beloued brethrē, whi [...]e loue this▪ liffe so moche. bycause faythe is wanting, because no mā beleueth the thinges to come, which God (that is true) hath promised, whose worde vnto them that beleue is euer­lasting, and stable. Yf a sage man and worthy prayse dyd promise thee any thyng, thou woldest verely beleue his promyse, neither woldest thou thynke to be deceyued and begyled of him, of whom thou art persuaded, that he wil abyde by his wordes and dedes: but nowe God speaketh vnto thee, & doest thou vnfaythfull man wauer with an vnbeleuyng mynde? God doeth ꝓmise vnto the departing this worlde im­mortalitie and eternal lyfe, and doest thou doubt? This is euen to be vt­terly ignorāt of God, Howe p [...] fitable a thing ye y [...] to depart oute of this world this is thorowe the sinne of vnbeleaue toffende Christ the mastre of beleauing people: This is to be in the church and in the house of faithe, & to be witout faithe: Howe profitable a thing it is to departe out of this worlde, Christ him selfe the [Page]maistre of our saluacion and profit sheweth, which whā his disciples war sorowful bicause he said that he should now departe from them, spake unto them saieng: Ioan. 14. Yf you loued me, ye wold reioyce, bicause I go to the father: Wherby he dothe teache and declare, that we ought rather to reioyce than to be sorowfull, whan they whome we dearely loue departe this worlde. Of the which thing the blessed apostle Paule being mindeful, writeth in his epistle and saieth: Christ is liffe vnto me, Phi. 1. and deathe auātage: He rekened it the chefest gaine to be now no more tyed with the snares of the worlde, to be now no more in daunger of any synnes and vices of the fleshe, to be ridde of vexing trobles, and deliuered from the venemouse iawes of the de­uell, and to go furthe at the calling of Christ vnto the ioye of eternal salua­cion. But som ar troubled, bicause the disease of this sickenes do indifferēt­ly come vpon our men, aswell as vpō the heathen: as though the christean had beleaued to this ende, y ^t he might bothe be fre from y ^e fealing of euelles, & inioye y ^e pleasures of the worlde, & not rather suffering here al maner of [Page]aduersitie be reserued and kept vnto the ioye to come. Some men ar trou­bled bicause this mortalitie & deathe is common to vs also with other. Trobles, sicknesses, & deathe ar cōmon to all men But what thing in this worlde haue not we common with other, so long as yet (according to thordenaunce of our furst birthe) this cōmon fleshe remay­neth? So long as we abide here in the worlde, in the equalite of fleshe we ar ioyned together with mankinde, but in the spirite we ar seperated. Therfor vntil this corruptible maye put on in corruption, 1. Cor. 15. and this mortal maye re­ceaue unmortalitie, & the spirite bring vs vnto God the father, we haue our parte in all maner of incommodities and displeasures of the fleshe common vnto mankinde. Thus whā y ^e groūde is barrē thorowe an vnfruteful blast, hunger spareth no man. Thus whan any city is possessed throwe the inrode of thennemy, captiuite wasteth all mē together: And whan the stonyrocks burst y ^e shipe in peces, y ^e shipwracke is cōmon to al y ^e saiie in y ^e shipe w ^tout ex­ceptiō. And the payne of thies, & y ^e raging agwes, & the disease of al partes of the body ar common to vs with o­thers, so long as we cary about this [Page]common fleshe in the worlde. Yea ra­ther yf the christian man knewe vn­der what condicion and what lawe he beleued, The true christian hathe most troble in this world he should knowe that he must be trobled in this world aboue other, which aboue other must wrestle with thassaultes of the deuel. The scripture teacheth and warneth vs aforehande, sayeng: My sonne whan thou becom­mest goddes seruaūt, stande in right­fulnesse and feare, Eccle. 2. and prepare thy soule to temptacion. And agayne: In­dure in sorowe and in feare, & thorow hūblenes haue thou pacience, for both golde and siluer are tryed by the fyre. Iob after the losse of his goodes, after the death of his children, Iob. 1. being thus greuously afflicted bothe with woun­des, and with vermine, was not ouer­come, but tried: which in the selfe gre­fes and sorowes that he suffered, did declare the pacience of a godly minde, sayeng: Naked came I out of my mo­thers wombe, naked also shal I go vnder thearthe, the Lorde gaue, and the Lorde hathe taken awaye: as it plea­sed the Lorde, euen so hathe it happe­ned, The Lordes name be blessed. And whan his wyfe wolde haue enforced him, that he being thorowe great so­rowe [Page]impacient, should with a com­playning and malicious voice haue spoken somthing against God, he an­swered her and sayd: Thou hast spokē as one of the folishe womē. Iob. 2. For yf we haue receyued prosperitie at the Lor­des hāde, why should we not suffer ad­uersitie? In all these thinges that happened vnto Iob, he synned nothing with his lippes in the presence of the Lorde. Therfore the Lord beareth him witnesse, sayng: hast thou marked my seruaūt Iob, ther is not one lyke him vpon thearthe, a man without faute, a true worshipper of God. Tobi. 1. Tobias also after his noble workes, after the ma­nifolde and glorious commēdacions of his mercie, did suffre the blindnes of eyes, and he fearing and praysing God in aduersitie, grewe vp to prayse by the selfe plage of his body: whome his owne wyfe also assayed to corrupt saing: Where are thy rightfulnesses become? loo what thou suffrest. But he being stedfaste and stable in the feare of God, and armed with a godly faith to suffre all maner of passions, gaue no place in his sorowe, to the tempta­cion of his weake wyfe, but did tho­the greater pacience procure the fur­ther [Page]fauoure of God: whom after­wardes the angel Raphael praised & said: Yt is an henorable thing to de­clare and praise the workes of God: For whan thou and thy daughter in lawe Sara did praie, I offred vp the remembraūce of your praier, in the presence of the glory of God: and whan thou didist simply burye the deade, and bicause thou delayedst not to arise and to leaue thine owne dy­nar, and wenst furthe and didest bu­rye the deade, I am sent to trie thee. And againe he saieth: I am sent to heale the, Tobi. 12. & thy daughter in lawe Sa­ra: For I am Raphael one of the .vij. holy angels, which doo stande and haue our conuersacion before the glo­ry of God. This sufferance the iust mē haue alwaies had, this discipline tha­postles according to y ^e Lordes ordinā ­ce kept: not to murmur in aduersitie, but paciently and māfully to receaue what so euer do happē in this worlde. Wheras the Iuishe people hathe in this pointe alwaies offended, bicause they did often murmur against God, as the Lord God doeth witnesse in the boke of nombres saieng: Num. 20. let thē cease to murmur against me, & thei shal not [Page]dye. Wee maye not most deare bre­thren grudge in aduersites, but quietly and strōgly suffer what so euer shal happen, seing it is written: that a tro­bled spirite is a sacrifice to God, Psal. 50. and that God despiseth not a contrite and an hūble hart. In the Deuteronomy also the holy goost doeth warne vs by Moses, and saieth: Deu. 8. The Lord thy God shall vexe the, and shall throwe hun­ger vpon the, and thine hart shall be knowē, whether thou wilt truly kepe his cōmaundementes or not. And a­gaine he saieth: The Lord your God doeth tempte you, y ^t he maie knowe, whether you loue y ^e Lord your God w ^t al your harte, & w ^t al your sowle. Thus did Abrahā please God: Gene. 22. & y ^t he might so do, he neither feared to forgo his sonne nor refused to kill him. Thou y ^t canst not be content, to forgo thy sōne by the lawe and lotte of mortalitie & deathe, what woldest thou do, if thou war cōmaunded to kill thy sōne? The feare of God & faithe ought to make the redye to al thīges. Be it that thou hast lost thy goodes, be it that partes of thy body ar cōtinually and gre­uously vexed with deadly diseases, be it that thy wiffe, thy children & deare [Page]frendes ar most dolefully and heaue­ly pluct from the by deathe, lette not these thinges be stumbling blockes vnto the, but batailes: neither let thē weaken or ouerthrowe the faithe of a christian, but let them rather declare strenght in the wrastling: Forasmu­che as all suffering of these present euelles ought to be dispised in hope of the good thinges to come. Except ther shall furst be a battayle, ther can be no victory, but whan a man in the ioy­ning of the battaile getteth the victo­ry, than is ther a crowne also geuen to them that ouercom: For in a tem­pest the gouernour of a shipe is knowen, & a sowdear is tried in y ^e battaile. The bragge is but wanton, whā ther is no daunger: The conflicte and fight in aduersite is the triall of the truthe. The tre that is depely roted is not moued with the blustering windes: and a shippe that hathe strong ribbes wel ioyned, is beaten of the wawes and receaued no leake, and whā the corne is thressed on to barne store, the good & weghty corne regardeth not the win­des, but the light chaffe ar blowen quite awaie. Euē thus thapostle Paule after shipwracke, after scorges, after [Page]many & bitter tormentes of the fleshe and the body, he sayeth not that he is greued with these aduersities but a­mended: so that the more greuously he is afficted, the more truly he is tried: Ther is geuen me (sayeth he) the prick of my fleshe, 2. Cor. 11. the messenger of Satan that dothe buffet me, that I should not be exalted: For the which I haue bese­ched the Lord .iii. tymes that it might departe frō me: and he sayd vnto me, my grace is sufficient for thee, for po­wer thorowe weakenes is made per­fite. Whan therfore either sicknes, ey­ther weaknes, or any destructiō dothe violētly assaile vs, thā is our strengt made perfect, than is faithe crowned, yf she indure stedfaste in temptacion: Eccle. 27. according as it is written: The fur­nace trieth the potters vessell, and the temptacion of troble trieth iuste men. Furthermore this difference is be­twene vs and other that knowe not God: They complayne and grudge in their trobles: but as for vs, aduersities do not call vs awaye from the truthe, vertue, and faythe, but do strenghten vs in sorowes. For wher as nowe the bloody flixe dothe scrape the guttes, & taketh quite awaye the strenght of the [Page]body, wheras nowe a fire inwardly cōceaued in woūdes & sores doth rage & burne, wheras now the intralles do shake & pant with continuall vomite, wheras the eyes are set on fire w ^t the violence of blood, wheras some mens fete or other ꝑtes of the body ar cut of that they should not corrupte the rest, wheras thorow damages & hurtes of the body (after the disease once burste out) either the goyng is weakened, or the hearing stopped, or the sight blin­ded, al & euery of those profiteth vnto the instruction & teaching of fayth. To fight against so many violēt assaultes of destructiō & death w ^t a stable mīde, what a noble courage is it? & how worthy auauncemēt is it for a mā to stāde right vp, among the myseries & destructions of mākinde, & not to lye groue­ling on thearth with them that haue no hope in the Lord? We ought rather to reioyce, and embrace the gyft of ty­me, y ^t whiles we stedfastly declare our faythe, and by suffering of paynes go by the narowe waye of Christ vnto Christ, we may (he beīg iudge) receiue the rewarde of lyfe & faythe. Let hym feare to die: but he which being not renewed of the water & the spirite, is de­lyuered [Page]in bōdage to hel fire. Let him feare to dye, who be they that feare dea­the. which is not inrolled in y ^e crosse & passion of Christ: Let him fear to die, which frō this death shall passe to the seconde deathe: let him feare to dye, whome after y ^e departure frō this worlde, an euerlasting flame shal tor­ment w ^t cōtinual punishemēt: let him fear to dye, which by his long carieng here haue only this benefite, that his sorowe & torment is for the while dif­ferred. Many of our brethren dye in this mortalitie, that is to say, many of our brethren are delyuered from this world. As this mortalitie is a pestilēce to the Iewes & gentiles y ^t are Christes enemies, euen so to goddes seruaūtes it is an holsome departure. Where as without difference of mankinde y ^e iust die w ^t thoniuste, ye maye not thinke y ^t both good & euel are destroyed alyke.

The iuste are called hēce to refreshing, thoniuste are caught awaye to punishment: Defence is quickly geuen to thē that beleue: but to thōbeleuers paine. We are moste dearely beloued bre­thren vncircūspecte, and vnthankful to Goddes benefites, neither do we knowe what is geuen vnto vs. The virgins being in safetie, lo depte hēce [Page]in peace with their glory, fearing no­thing the threateninges, deflowrin­ges & brothel houses of Antichrist now cōming. The childrē escape the daun­gers of their slippery age, & do luckely attayne the rewarde of cōtinēcy & in­nocency. The tender matrone feareth now no more tormentes, which tho­rowe a swift deathe is escaped y ^e feare of persecutyon, and the handes and tormentes of the hang man. Tho­rowe thextreme feare of mortalitie & tyme, the luke warme are made hote, the dissolute are hard wrongen, the slothefull ar reised vp, the shrinkers are compelled to returne, the heathē are constrained to beleue, the true faithfull people are called to rest, and a newe & a great arinye ys gathered together with a mightier force to the battayle, to fight when the filde shall beginne without any feare of deathe, which in the tyme of mortalitie came in to the warfare. Furthermore what thing ys this most dearely beloued brethren, how muche apperteining to the purpose, how necessary, y ^t this pe­stilence & morren, which semeth to be horrible & cruel dothe trie the rightfulnes of euery mā, & examineth y ^e myn­des [Page]of mākynde, whether the hole do seruice vnto the sicke? whether neigh­boures & kinsfolke do godly loue together? whether the masters haue any pitie vpon their sicke seruaūtes? whe­ther the phisiciōs forsake the sicke that hūbly requireth their coūcel? whether the [...]ruel wil cease frō tyrāny & wrōge doyng? whether thextorcioners (at y ^e least wyse for feare of deathe) will quenche their insaciable & continuall burning of raging couetousnes? whether y ^e proud wil stoupe & bow downe their neckes? whether the wicked wil­moderate his folehardines? whether the riche (whā their deare frendes are dead) wil yet thā geue to the poore, se­ing themselues shal dye w ^tout heire? Certeinly althoughe this mortalitie shal bring with it none other profite, yet in this point it hathe muche profi­ted christians & goddes seruaūtes, be­cause we beginne now gladly to wishe for martirdom, whiles we learne not to feare death. Vnto vs these are no buriales but execises. They geue a glorious strengtht vnto y ^e mynde, tho­rowe the contempt of deathe they pre­pare to the crowne. But paraduēture some man maye obiecte & saye: This [Page]thā in this present mortalitie maketh me heauy, that where as I was pre­pared to confesse the fayth, & had with my hole harte & full streinght addicte my selfe to suffre passion, I am nowe being preuented with death, depriued of my martirdome. For answere to this, we must first consider, that mar­tirdome standeth not in our power, but in thestimacion of God, neither canst thou saye y ^t thou hast lost ought, which knowest not whether thou did­dest deserue to receyue. Besides this, God which is the searcher of the rey­nes and harte, and y ^e beholder & kno­wer of theyes seeth the, prayseth and alloweth the, and he that perceyueth the to be prepared to vertue, will for vertue rēder rewarde. Had Cain now killed his brother whan he offered sa­crifice to God? and neuer theles God that forseeth thinges old beforehande condēne y ^e murthering of his brother, which he had conceyued in his minde. As ther the wicked thought & mische­nous cōceit was manifest vnto God, y ^t forseeth thinges: euē so among the seruaūts of God, which thinke to cōfesse the truthe, & are ful purposed to suffer martirdome, the mynde bent to good­nesse (God being iudge) is crowned.

For it is one thing to wante a will to martirdome, & on other to wāte mar­tirdome to a ready wil. Loke what maner of one God fyndeth thee when he talleth thee hence, suche a one dothe he also iudge thee, according as him selfe witnesseth saing: & al cōgregaciōs shal knowe, y ^e I am y ^e searcher of y ^e reynes & of the harte. For God seketh not the effusion of your blood, but faith. For neither wer Abrahā, I saat, nor Iacod slayne, and yet thorowe the merites of faith and rightfulnes they were honorable, & obteyned to be chief amōg the Patriarkes. Vnto whose feast all that are foūde faithfull, iuste, & prayse wor­thy are gathered together. We ought to remēber that we should do the wyll of God & not our owne, according as God hath cōmaūded vs daily to pray. How arsewarde & peuishe a mater is it for vs to desire the will of God to be done, Seing we do not immediatly o­bey the cōmaūdemēt of God his will, whē he calleth vs out of this world? A­gainst this we striue & wrestle, & ar w ^t heumes & sorow after y ^e maner of stub burne seruātes brought vnto y ^e lordes presence, departing hence cōpelled by necessitie, & not by willing obediēce: & wil we w ^c heauēly rewardes be honored [Page]of him, to whō we com vnwillingly? For what purpose than do we de­sire & praye for the cōming of the kingdome of heauen, yf we haue our delec­tacion in earthy captiuitie? why do we praye & beseche w ^t often repeted prai­ers, that the day of y ^e kingdome might come quickly, yf our desires be grea­ter & earnester to serue the deuil here, than to reigne w ^t Christ ther? Further that the tokens of goddes prouidence maye more manifestly appere, that the Lorde (which knoweth aforehand thinges to cum) doeth prouide for the true healthe of his, when a certeine companion in office and felowe priest with vs being now wearied with sicknes, and trobled with deathe euen at hand, desired a sauecondute to be geuē him, ther stode by him as he praied and being now at deathes dore, a yōg man in honour and maiesty worship­full, of stature tall, of countenaunce so cleare and bright, that the carnall eye of man could scante abide to behold suche a one standing by him, but only because he y ^e should go out of y ^e worlde might now abide to loke vpō such a one. And he not w ^t oute a certeyne an­gre of minde and voice groned & said: you are afraid to suffer, departe hence [Page]ye will not, what shall I do to you? this ys a voice of one rebuking and warning, who will not consent to the present desire of suche as be carefull for persecucyon, and careles for their calling hence, but referreth the hole matter vnto the tyme to come.

Our brother and felowe in office heard that which he might declare to other. For he y ^e was now redy to die, hearde these wordes to that ende y ^e he might tel them to others, he heard thē not for himself but for vs. For what should he learne being now ready to departe? He lerned somwhat, but that was for vs that here remayned, that whiles we parceaue that the priest y ^e desired saueconducte was rebuked, we might knowe what was expediēt for euery one of vs. How often hath it ben also reueled vnto vs that are the lest & out castes? How often hath God vouchsaued manifestly to cōmaunde vs, that we should diligētly witnesse & opēly preach, y ^e we ought not to mourne for our brethrē, which by y ^e. Lordes calling are deliuered frō the world? forasmuche as I knowe, y ^e they ar not lost but sent before, y ^e they departing hence go before vs, & ought to be wis­shed for as men y ^e are gone furth on a [Page]torney or sailing, and not to be la­mented: neither that we here should put on black gownes, Morning for the deade in blacke gownes. seing they haue receiued ther white garmentes, that we should giue non occasion to the gē tiles that they might worthely & iuste­ly rebuke vs because we mourne for them, as thoughe they wer destroyed and lost, which we saie doo liue with God, and should with the witnesse of our harte and conscience reproue that faithe which we professe w ^t our mouth and doice. We ar trāsgressours of our hope and faithe, the thinges that we speake seme to be coūterfaite, fayned, paited. yt profiteth nothing to professe vertue in wordes, & to destroy y ^e truth in dedes. Thapostle paule also doth rebuke and blame suche as are sorowe­full in the departing of their frendes. [...]. Thes. 4. We will not (saieth he) haue you to be ignozaūt brethrē touching them that are aflepe, that you should not be so­rowefull as suche that haue no hope. For if we beleue that Iesus died & rose againe, euē so God shall also brig with him thē that haue slept in Christ. He saieth, y ^e they are sorowefull in the departīg of theirs that haue no hope. But we which liue in hope, & beleue [Page]in God, & truste in Christ that suffred for vs and rose againe, abiding in Christ, & thorowe him rising againe in him, why do we our selues either refuse to departe hēce, or mourne & soro­we for our frēdes departing hence as thoughe they wer lost? Seing y ^t Christ him selfe the Lord and our God doeth warne vs saieng: I am y ^e resurrectiō, he that beleueth in me althoughe he die, yet he shall liue: Ioan. 11▪ & euery on that li­ueth & beleueth in me shall not die for euer. yf we beleue in Christ let vs geue credite to his wordes & promi­ses, and we shal not die euerlastingly, but we shall come to Christ with a ioy­full safety, with whome we shall liue & reigne alwaies. But wher as in the meane tyme we die, we doo but passe by deathe vnto immortalitie, neither can a man attayne eternal life, except he happē to go out from hēce: it is no end but a passage, & after this tēporal iorney is finished, a going ouer vnto euerlasting lyfe. Who wil not make hast to go to better thinges? Who wil not desire to be chaunged and fashio­ned a newe after thymage of Christ, & to cō spedely vnto y ^e dignite of y ^e heauē ly grace? accordīg as Paule thapostle [Page]preached safeng, our conuersacion is in heauen, from whence we also loke for the Lord Iesus Christ, Phi. 3. which shall transforme our vile bodye, & make it like vnto his gloriouse body. The Lorde Christ also him selfe doeth pro­mise, that we shall be such, whan he praieth the father that we maye be w ^t him, and liue with him in theuerla­sting seates; and reioyce in the celesti­all kingdomes: father (saith he) I wil that where I shall be those whiche thou hast geuen me maye be with me also, Ioan. 17. and maye see the glory which thou hast geuen me before the worlde was made. He that shall com to the seate of Christ, and to the glory of the heauenly kingdomes, ought neither to mourne nor tament, but rather according to the Lordes promise and the beleaue of the truthe, to reioyce in his translation and ior­ney. Thus do we finde that Enoch which pleased God, was translated. For thus in the boke of Genesis Goddes worde testifieth and saieth. And Enoch pleased God, and was not af­terwardes founde, bicause God had translated him. This was the reward of pleasing God, to obteyne to be cari­ed [Page]out from the infectyon of this worlde. This the holy Goost teacheth also by Salomon, that they which please God ar plucked quickly hence & spedily deliuered, Sapi. 4. least that they tarieng long in this worlde, might be defiled with the handelinges of the same: He was caught awaie (saithe he) lest thorowe malice his vnderstāding should chaunge. For his sowle pleased the Lord▪ therfore he made hast to brīg him out from the myddes of wicked­nes: Thus the sowle it self being ad­dicte vnto God, maketh hast in the psalmes also vnto the Lord thorowe spiritual faith, as it is writtē: Psal. 83. O Lord of hostes how louing at thy dwelling places, my sowle desireth and maketh hast vnto the courtes of God. yf is his parte to desire to dwelle long in the worlde, whose delectacion is in the worlde, whome the flattering and de­ceitful worlde doth allure w ^t enticemē tes of earthy pleasures. Furthermore forasmuche as the world hateth the christian, why louest thou him that hateth the, and doest not rather folo­we Christ, which hathe redemed the, and loueth the? Iohn in his epistle crieth, speaketh and exhorteth, that [Page]we shuld not (folowīg carnal desires) loue the world, [...]. Ioan. 2. saieng: loue not the world, neither the thinges that ar in the world. Yf any man shall loue the worlde, the charitie of the father is not in him, bicause all that is in the world, is the lust of the fleshe, the lust of theyes, & the pride of y ^e worlde, which is not of the father, but of the lust of the world, and the worlde shall passe awaye with his lust: but he that shall do the wil of God, shall abide for euer, euen as God abideth for euer. Furthermore let vs most dearely be­loued brethren be ready with a ꝑfecte mynde, a stedfast faithe, & strōg power to obey all the will of God: let vs ba­nishe the feare of deathe, and thinke vpō immortalitie that foloweth. Let vs shewe our selues to be that y ^t we beleaue: So that we neither mourne for the departure of our deare frēdes, and whan the daie shall come of our owne calling hence, we may without delaye and gladly go at the Lordes call. This thing forasmuche as it should be done of Goddes seruaūtes alwaies, muche more at this present it ought to be obserued, Seing the world is now in decayeing, and be­seged [Page]with the blonsterīg tēpestes of deadly euilles: that we which doo see greuous thinges to be already be­gōne, and knowe that more greuous hang ouer our heades, should counte it the greatest gaine if we maye de­parte hence quickly. Yf the walles of thine house were so olde y ^t they shoke, and the roofe ouer the did trēble, the house being now weried, being now tired, & the buildinges falling downe for age, did threatē an ouerthrowe to be at hande, woldest thou not with all spede get thee out? Yf a troblesome & stormye tēpest, and the waues being lift vp with a violent winde, did a­forehande shewe the a shippewracke comming, woldest thou not saile in to some hauen with out delaye? Beholde the worlde shaketh and decaieth, and doeth declare her owne downe falle, not now with the age, but with thēde of thinges: and doest not thou giue thankes to God; and reioyce on thine owne behalfe y ^t thou art quickely takē hence and deliuered from the daun­gers, shippewrackes & plages that are houerīg ouer vs? We ought to cōsidre most derely beloued brethren, and of­ten tymes to thinke, that we haue for­saken [Page]the worlde, & y ^e we liue here but for a tyme as straungers and pilgri­mes. Let vs embrase that daye which may appoīte euery one of vs his dwelling place, which doeth restore vs to paradise and to the kingdome of hea­uen, after that we ar taken hence, and deliuered frō the snares of the world: Who being farre out of his owne coū trey, maketh not haste to returne home? Who making haste to sayle to his frendes and kinsfolke, wolde not earnestly desire a prosperous winde, that he might the rather imbrace his dearely beloued? We reken that para­dise is our countre, we beginne now to haue the patriarches for our parentes, why do we not make hast & rūne, that we maye se our countrey, hat we maye salute our parentes? A great number of our parentes, brethrē and sonnes do ther abide vs, a great com­pany do wishe for vs, which are now sure of their owne immortalitie, and carefull for our safetye. To come to the sight and imbrasing of these, how great ioye shall it be bothe to vs and them? what maner of pleasure is this of the heauenly kingdomes, to be w ^t out y ^e feare of dieing and to lyue with [Page]euerlastyngnes? How excellent and perpetuall happines is this? Ther is the glorious cōpany of the Apostles: Ther are the numbre of the reioysing prophetes. Ther are an infinite com­panye of martyrs, that are crowned for the victory of their fight and suffe­ring. The triumphing virgins are there, which thorow the strenght of cō ­tinency, haue subdued the luste of the fleshe and bodye: Ther are the mercy­full rewarded, which haue done the workes of ryghtfulnesse, by geuyng almes, & fedyng the poore: which ob­seruing the Lordes cōmaūdementes, haue chaunged their earthly patrimo­nies for heauenly treasures. Let vs most dearly beloued brethren w ^t ear­nest desire make haste vnto these, le [...] vs wishe that we maye quickely be w ^t them, that it maye be our fortune spe­dely to come to Christ. Let God se this cogitacion and thought of oures, let the Lorde Christ beholde this purpose of our mynde and faythe, which shall gyue the greater rewardes of his glory to them, whose desyres are more earnest to be with him. Amen.

FOrasmuche as O most deare Fortunatus the heuy burden of trobles and persecutiōs do lye vpon the churche, & nowe in thende of y ^e world the ma­liciouse tyme of Antichrist beginneth to approche, thou hast desired me to prepare & strenghtē the mindes of the brethren with exhortacions of the ho­ly scriptures, wherby Christes souldi­ers myght be encorraged vnto the spiritual & heauenly fight. It behoued me to obey this thy most necessary de­sire, that (to the vttermost of our lytle power, by the helpe of goddes inspiracion) we might bring furth out of goddes worde, as it were certeine armo­res and defences for the brethren that shall fight. For it is but a smale mater for vs, to raise vp goddes people with [Page]the trompe of our voice, excepte we strenghten by the holy scriptures the faithe of suche as beleue, and the de­uoute vertue that is consecrate vnto God. For what thing agreeth better and more with our pastorall cure and charge, then to prepare and furnishe the people committed vnto vs of God, and the armey standing in the heauē ­ly tentes, against y ^e arrowes and dar­tes of the deuell? For he can not be a mete souldear for the battaile, which haue not ben before exercised in the felde. Or who seking a victorious crowne shall in the course or rūnyng place be crowned, except beforehande he do consyder the experience of his strenght and cōnyng? The aduersary & enemy with whom we fight, is auncient & of long experiēce. For six thou­sande yeres are fully complete, sence the deuel began to fight against man. Therfore he hath now learned euē by aūcient exercise, al kindes of tētaciōs, al sottelties & deceytes to cast vs dow­ne. Yf he shal fynde Christes souldear vnprepared, yf he shal fynd him ygnoraūt, negligent, & not diligently wat­ching: he encloseth in the ignoraunt, [Page]he deceaueth the negligent, he begy­seth the folishe. But yf any man kea­ping the Lordes commaūdementes, and stycking manfully vnto Christ, shall stand vp against him: he must nedes be ouercom, bicause Christ whom man confesseth is inuincible. But to make a shorte tale, lest with long wri­ting I should wery y ^e most deare bro­ther being occupied either in hearing or in reading, I haue knit vp the ma­ter in a fewe wordes, that vnto the tit­les that at set abrode (which euery mā ought bothe to knowe and remēber) I might adde the Lordes wordes, & by authorire of y ^e diuine scriptures cō ­firme y ^e which I had set before mens eies: so that I maye not so muche seame to haue sent vnto the this trea­tise of myne owne writig, as to haue geuen occasion to other to write trea­tesis: which thing being vsed of eue­ry one, is profitable for many. For if I should now geue vnto the a garmēt ready made, the garment should be myne, which an other should we are, & paraduenture a thing made for an o­ther, wold not serue for the proportiō and stature of his body. But now I haue sent vnto the the selfe wolle and [Page]purple of the lanibe, by whom we are redempre & made aliue, which whan thou hast rereaued, thou shalt make for thy selfe a coate at thine owne pleasure, wherin thou shalt more reioyce, than in thy accustomed and proper garmētes: and thou shalt deliuer this that we haue sent vnto others, that they maye also according to their owne will make for them selues gar­mentes, that al men (the old nakednes being couered) maye put on the gar­mentes of Christ, being clothed word we the sanctificacion of the heauenly grace. Furthermore in this most ne­cessarye exhortaciō, which maye stire vp men to suffer martyrdome, I haue perceaued this coūcel also most deare brother to be bothe profitable & hol­some, to cut of the lettes and hinde­raunces of our owne wordes, and to take awaye the goinges about the bushe of mans talke: and to allege suche thynges only as God him selfe speaketh, wherby Christ prouoketh his seruautes to martyrdome. For the selfe commaundemeetes of the Lord as armors and weapons ought to be put in to the myndes of them y ^t fight. [Page]Let them be the exhortacions of the warlike trompet, let them be the peale of trompettes that maye prouoke to fyght. Thorowe them let the eares be lifte vp, thorowe them let the mindes be instructed & taught, thorowe them let the strenght boche of the mynde & body be cōfirmed, to suffer all maner of afflictions and tormentes. Wher­fore let vs (which by the sufferaūce of God haue geuen the first baptisme vn to them that beleue) prepare euery mā to another baptisme also, putting them in mynde and teaching, y ^t this baptisme is in grace greater, in po­wer myghtier, in honour more preci­ous: a baptisme wherin Angels bap­tise, and wherin God and his Christ reioyse: a baptisme after the receyte wherof no man synneth any more: a baptisme that maketh perfecte the encrease of our fayth, a baptisme that do immediatly couple vs vnto God, when we departe this worlde.

In the baptisme of water is receyued the remission of synnes, in the bap­tisme of blood the crowne of vertues. This thing ought to be embrased and wyshed for, and to be desyred by the seruent prayers of vs all, that we [Page]which are the seruaūtes of God, may be also his frendes.

Cipriā vnto the people of Thibaris. &c.

THad decreed, and was fully pur­posed most dearely beloued brethren (yf the state of thynges, & cō uenient tyme wolde haue geuen lyberty) to haue come my selfe vnto you (according as you haue oftē de­syred) & (beyng present) to haue ther strenghtned the brotherhed with our exhortacion to the vtter most of our power. The Ima­ge of a true bi­shope. But forasmuche as thorough vr­gent & great busynes we are thus w ^t ­holden & letted, that we haue no lybertye to go farre frō hence, & to be long absent from the people, which thorowe goddes mercy is cōmitted to our go­uernemēt: I haue in the meane tyme sent you these letters in my stede and [Page]rowme. For it is our deutye (seyng y ^e Lorde dothe vouche saue often tymes to pricke vs forewarde & to admonish vs) to extende forth the care of our in­struction & warning vnto your cōsci­ence also. For ye ought to knowe, & for a certeintie to beleue & holde, that the day of troble beginneth to houer ouer ouer heades, & that thende of the world & y ^e tyme of Antichrist draweth neare, that we al may stande ready to the bat taile, 1. Ioan. 2. & that we thinke vpon nothing but only of the glory of eteruall lyfe, & the crowne y ^e shalbe geuē to thē y ^e cō ­fesse the Lorde: Neither let vs thinke, that y ^e thinges cōming are suche as ar alredy passed. A more daūgerus & crueller fight houereth now ouer vs, vn­to y ^e which Christ his souldiers ought to prepare thēselues w ^t an vncorrup­ted faith, & strong vertue: the laye peo­ple dranke the cuppe of Chri­stes bloode in Cipriae­nes tyme [...] Tō sidering y ^e they do therfore daily drinke y ^e cup of the blodde of Christ, y ^e they maye also shede their blodde for Christ his sake. For this is to desire to be foūde wyth Christ, to folowe y ^e which Christ bothe taught and dyd, according to the say­eng of Iohn̄ thapostle: he that sayeth y ^e he abydeth in Christe, ought also to walk after y ^e same maner y ^e he walked [Page]In like maner exhorteth & teacheth y ^e blessed apostle Paule saieng, Rom. 8. we ar the sōnes of God: but it we be sōnes, than are we also heires, y ^e heires I meane of God, and heires annexed w ^t Christ: yf we suffer together w ^t him, that we may be also glorified together w ^t him. Al these thinges ought to be cōsidered of vs at this presēt, that no mā should desire any thing of the worlde, which is now in dyeng: but might folowe Christ, which bothe liueth him selfe e­uerlastingly, & also maketh aliue his seruauntes that abide in the faithe of his name. For y ^e tyme is come most dearely beloued brethren, which our Lord long sins warned vs of, & tolde vs aforehand that it wold com saieng: The howre shall com, Ioan. 16. that whosoeuer shall kill you, will thinke y ^e he doeth God seruice. But these thiges wil they do, bicause they haue not knowen the father neither yet me. These thinges haue & tolde you, that whan y ^e howre of them is come, ye might remember y ^e I tolde you. Let no mā therfore mar­uel, that we are exceadingly trobled w ^t cōtinual ꝑsecutiōs, & oftētymes vexed w ^t paineful trobles, seing that y ^e Lord tolde aforehāde, y ^e these should happen [Page]in y ^e last daies & w ^c y ^e doctrine & exhortation of his worde instructed & prepa­red our fight & warrefare. Peter also his apostle taught, that persecutions do therfore happen, that we maye betried, and that we thorowe deathe and sufferinges myght also be ioyned and knitte to the loue of God, after then­sample of the iuste men that went be­fore vs: For in his epistle he wryteth thus, sayeng: Dearely beloued won­der not at this heate that is happened vnto you: 1. Pet. 4. which is come among you to trie you. Neither fall ye awaye as thoughe a newe thing had chaunced vnto you: but as ofte as ye are parta­kers of Christes passions reioyce in althinges, that when his glorye appea­reth, ye may also be mery and gladde. yf ye be rayled vpon for the name of Christ, happie are ye: For the name of the maiestye and power of God dothe reste in you. Which verely is blasphe­med of them, but is glorifyed of you. Thapostles haue also taught vs suche thinges, as they thēselues did learne of the Lordes preceptes and heauenly commaundementes, the Lorde hymselfe strenghtning vs and sayeng: Luce. 18. Math. 1 [...]. Ther is no mā (sayeth he) that leaueth house, or felde, other father and mo­ther [Page]other betherne, or susters, other wife or children for the kingdome of goddes sake, which shall not receiue seuen tymes as muche in this world, and in the world to cum life euerlas­ting. And againe, blessed shal ye be (saith he) when men shal hate you, and shal excommunicate and bānishe you, Mat. 5. and shall curse your name as wicked for the sonne of mans sake: reioyce and be gladde in that daie, for your rewarde is great in heauen. The Lorde wold haue vs to be mery and ioyeful in persecutions: For in the tyme of persecution the crownes of faithe are distributed and geuen: than are God­des sowldears tried. Than do heauēs open vnto the martyrs. For we haue not after suche maner professed soul­dearfare, that we should thinke vpon peace only, and should refuse and for­sake the fight: Forasmuche as the Lord, the mastre of humilite, patience and sufferaunce hathe himselfe wal­ked in the selfe same souldearfare, y ^e he might first do that thing himselfe, which he taught to be obserued of o­thers, and might himselfe first suffer for vs that, which he exhorted vs to suffer. Set allwaies before your eies [Page]dearely beloued, that he (which alone hathe receiued al iugement of the fa­ther, & whichshal com to iuge all mē) hathe euennow aforehand pronounced the sentence of his Ingement and knowlage to come, Math. 10 shewing aforehād & witnessing, y ^e he will confesse thē be­fore his father, that cōfesse him, & will denye thē y ^e denye him. Yf we might auoide & escape death, No man can escape death. we might iuste­ly feare to die: but seing that of neces­site y ^e mortall must die, let vs embrace thoccasion which God by his promise hathe vouchesaued to offer vs: And let vs so ende our life that we maye receiue the rewarde of immortalite: Neither let vs be afraide to be slaine, seing yt ys manifest that we are then crowned, when we are slaine and kil­led. Neither let any mā most dearely beloued brethren betrobled, Flight for feare of persecutiō whan he shall se our people driuen awaie & scatered thorowe the feare of persecu­tyon and shall not see the brotherhede gathered together, nor heare the bi­shoppes preache and declare the scrip­tures. S. Cipria­ne vseth, this worde brother heads We vnto whom it is not lauful to kill, but must of necessite be killed, can not than be al gathered together. [Page]Whersoeuer any of the brethren shall in those dayes be for a season seperate from the flocke in body and not in spi­rite thorow the necessitie of the tyme, let him not be troubled thorowe the terriblenesse of that fleing: neither let him be afrayd, when he departeth to hyde himselfe in the wilsome wilder­nes: For he is not alone, which hathe Christ to his companion in fleing: He is not alone, which keping the temple of God, is not without God, wherso­euer he shall happen to be. And yf the these and murtherer shal destroye the, as thou arte fleyng into the wilder­nes and mountaynes, yf the wilde best shall assaile the, yf hunger, thurst, or colde shall pinche the, or yf the tem­pest or storme shall drowne the, when thou doest by see hastely flee awaye, Christ abydeth and loketh for his soul dear whersoeuer he fyghteth: And he geueth vnto him (that dyeth for the honour of his name in the tyme of per­secution) that rewarde, A com­fort for suche as are preue­ly pined & murdered in presons which he hath promised to gyue in the resurrection. Neither is the glory of martirdome any whit the lesse, thoughe a man dye not openly amōg many, when Christ his cause was thoccasion of his death. [Page]For he is a sufficient witnesse of his martirdome, that tryeth martirs and crowneth them. Abel. Let vs most dearely beloued brethren folowe the ryghtful Abel, which beganne and consecrated martirdomes, when he was the first that was slayne for ryghtfulnes sake. Let vs folowe Abraham the frende of God, Abraham which delaied not to offer vp his sonne in sacrifice with his owne han­des, when thorowe a deuouce fayth he obeyed God. Let vs folowe the thre children Ananias, Azarias, and Misa­hel, which being nether feared thorow their tender age, nor discorraged tho­row captiuitie (whē Iury & Ierusalē were ouercome & takē) ouercame by the power of faythe the kyng in his owne kingdome. Which beyng com­maunded to worship the ymage that Nabuchodonosor hade made, ouer­came bothe the kynges threatninges and the flamyng fyre, Crieng out and testefieng their faith w ^c these wordes: Dani. 3. We haue no nede O king Nabucho­donosor to make the any aunswer touching this mater. For ther is a God whome we serue able to delyuer vs from the fornace of the burnyng fire, and he shall delyuer vs O king from [Page]thy handes: but if he do not, let it be knowen vnto the, y ^e we will not serue thy goddes, neither wil we worshippe the golden ymage, which thou hast set vp. They beleaued that thorowe faith they might escape, neuertheles they added (but if he do not) that the king might be certefied, that they war also able to die for Goddes sake, whome they worshipped. For this is y ^e power of faithe and vertue, to beleaue and knowe, that God is able to deliuer frō present deathe: & yet neither to feare nor giue place to deathe, that faithe maie be tried the better. Out of theyr mouth brake furth the vndefiled & in uincible strenght of the holy goost, y ^e the wordes which y ^e Lord spake in his gospel, might appeare to be true: whā they shall laie hādes on you (saithe he) be not carefull what ye shall speake. For it shal be geuē you in that howre, what ye shall speake. Math. 10 For it is not you which do speake, but the spirite of the father that speaketh in you. He hathe promised, y ^e yt shal be geuē & offerd vs of God in that houre, what we maye speake: And y ^t it is not we y ^t thā speake, but y ^e spirite of y ^e father: which (foras­muche as he neither departeth, nor is [Page]separated from them y ^e confesse) doeth bothe speake, & ys crowned in vs. In likemaner Daniel whan he was com­pelled to worship y ^e Idol Bel (whome bothe the king & people did than wor­shippe) in y ^e defence of the honour of his God, Dani. 14. be brake out with the full li­berte of faithe, saiēg: I worshippeno thing but only y ^e Lord my God, which hathe made heauē and earthe. The ma [...] ­chabeis. What should I speake of the bitter tormētes of the blessed martyrs in the Macha­beis, & of y ^e manifolde paines of y ^e vn. brethren, & of y ^e mother that did bothe 01 comforte her children in y ^e tormētes, & died also hereself with them? Are not ther doctrines of great vertue & faithe witnessed? And do they not exhorte vs also thorowe their passions vnto y ^e triumphe of martirdome? The pre­phetes Thapos­tels. what we ought to learne at the death of good men. Mat. 2. What shal I speake of the prophetes, whome the spirite hathe incorraged vnto y ^e afore­know [...]age of thinges to come? What shall I saie of thapostles, whome the Lord hathe chosen? Haue not y ^e inste, (whā they are slaine for rightfulnes sake) taught vs also to dye? The birthe of Christ beganne straite waies with the martyrdome of infantes and ba­bes: that so many as war two yeares [Page]olde and vnder, were slayne for his na­me sake. The age that was not yet a­ble for the bataile, was neuertheles mete to receiue the crowne: & that they might appear * to be innocētes, Or, it might ap­peare. which are slayne for Christ, the innocent in­fancye & childhode was killed for his name sake. It is nowe declared that no man is free from the daunger of persecuciō, seyng that suche lytleones haue suffered martirdome. What reasonable cause can any christian man haue, [...] haue no excuse. that wil not (beyng a seruaunt) suffer, seyng the Lorde himselfe hathe first suffered: And that we wyl not suffer for our owne synnes, when he (ha­uyng no synne of his owne) hath suf­fered for vs? The sonne of God hathe suffered, to make vs goddes sonnes: And wyl not the sonne of man suffer. that he maie contynue y ^e sōne of God? Yf we be hated of the worlde, the ha­tered of the world christ suffered first. Yf we suffer reuiling wordes in this worlde, if we be driuen to flee, yf we indure tormentes, the maker & Lorde of the worlde haue tasted of more gre­nouse paines: who also warneth vs saing: Yf the worlde (saith he) hate you, Ioan. 15. remember that yt hated me first. [Page]Yf you war of the world, the worlde wolde loue that which war his owne. Ioan. 15. But bicause ye are not of the worlde, but I haue chosen you out of y ^e world, therfore doeth the world hate you. Remēber the worde which I haue spo­ken vnto you: ther is no seruaūt grea­ter thā his Lorde. Yf they haue persecu­ted me, they shall also persecute you. The Lord and our God hathe perfor­med and done whatsoeuer he taught: and can the disciple and scollar be ex­cused that learneth, & yet doeth not ac­cordingly? Let none of you dearely beloued brethren be so feared with the feare of persecutyon to come, or with the comming of Antichrist that houe­reth ouer our heades, that he should not be founde armed at all pointes w ^t thexortacions of the gospel, and with the heauenly cōmaundemēts & war­ninges. Antichrist is come, but Christ wil also sodēly come vpō him. The en­nemy murdereth and is very cruell, but the Lord doeth by and by folowe to reuenge our afflictions & woūdes. The enemy is āgry & threatneth, but ther is one that can deliuer vs out of his handes. He ought to be feared, whose yre & vēgaūce no mā cā escape, [Page]according as he him selfe warneth & sayeth: Feare ye not them that kill the body, but the sowle they can not kill. Mat. 10. But feare him rather, that is able to destroie bothe sowle and body in to hell. Ioan. 12. And againe he saithe: he that lo­ueth his life, shal lose it, & he that ha­teth his life in this worlde, shal keape yt vnto eternall life. And in the reue­lacion he instructeth and warneth vs saing: Apo. 14. yf any man worshipe the best and his image, and taketh his marke in his forehed and in his hād, he shall also drinke of the wine of the wrathe of God, mingeled in the cuppe of his wrathe: and he shal be punnished with fire and brymstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the lambe: And the smoke of their tor­mētes goeth vp world withoute ende: Neither shall any of them that wor­shippe the best, and his image, haue any rest either daie or night. Vnto a temporal and world [...] and [...]ight, men at bothe [...] and pre­pared, and they counte it great glory & honoure, yf it maie be their chaūce to be crowned in the presence of the people, & in the presēce of themperor. Beholde the highe and noble fight, [Page]which ys beutified with an heauenly crowne, wher as god maye loke vpon vs fighting: and that he casting his eyes vpō thē whome he hathe vouche saued to make his childrē, maye haue a plesaunt beholding and spectacle of of our battaile. Whan we warre and fight with the armor of faithe, God loketh vpon vs, his angels do beholde vs, & Christ doeth approue vs. What worthye glory is it, howe great felici­te and happines, to fight ther whear­as God is the defēdar, and to be crowned ther whearas Christ is iuge? Let vs arme our selues most dearely belo­ued brethren with all our strenght, & let vs be prepared and made redy to y ^e battaile with an vncorrupted mynde, with a perfecte faithe, and with de­uoute vertue. Let the armyes of God marche on and go forewarde vnto y ^e bataille, that is [...]tched against them. Let the perfecte man be armed, that the perfecte lose not his late consrācy. Let the fallen be also armed, that the fallē maye receuie againe that which be had lou. Let honour prouoke the perfecte, let sorowe prouoke the fallen vnto the fight and battaile. The bles­sed Apostle doeth arme and prepare [Page]vs to the fight saieng: we wrastle not against fleshe and blodde, Ephe. 6. but against powres, & against the rulars of this darkenes of this worlde, against spi­ritual wickednes in heauēly thinges. Put you on therfore all the armor of God, y ^t ye may be able to resiste in the most wicked daye, that whan ye haue performed al thinges, ye may stande, hauing your loynes girded with the truthe, The ar­mor and weapons of Christi­ans. & clothed with the brest plate of rightfulnes, and shodde, that ye maye be redy to the gospel of peace: taking vp the shilde of faithe, wherby ye maye quenche all the firy dartes of the deuel, and take the helmet of healthe, and the sworde of the spirite, which is the worde of God. Let vs put on these armowres, let vs fortifie our selues with these spiritual and heauē ­ly defences, that we maye be able in the most wicked daie to resiste, and beate backe the deuels threatninges. Let vs put on the brest plate of right­fulnes, that our brest maye be defen­ded and saued against the dartes of y ^e ennemye. Let vs be shodde thorowe the doctrine of the Gospell, and haue our fete armed, that when we shal be­ginne to treade and thurst downe the [Page]serpent, he maye not be able to byte & ouerthrowe vs. Let vs manfully bear the shylde of faythe, by whose defence, what soeuer the ennemye throweth a­gainst vs may be quenched. Let vs al­so take the helmet of saluacion to co­uer our heades, How eue­ry member and parte of the body must be armed▪ that our eares may be defended, that they maye not heare nor geue hede vnto cruell proclama­tions and lawes. Let our eyes be for­tiyed, that they beholde not the dete­stable and abhominable ymages. Let our forehed be fensed, that the marke of God may be kept safe. Let y ^e mouth be armed, that the myghtye conque­ring tonge may acknowlege and confesse her Lord Christ. Let vs also arme the ryght hande w ^t a spiritual sworde, In Cipriaenes tyme the people receiued the sacra­ment in their right handes. that it maye manfully contemne and despise the vncleane and wicked sacri­fices, that that which hathe receyued the Lordes body, being mindful of the thankes geuing, maye in the same embrace her Lord, which shal after of the same her Lorde receyue the rewarde of an heauenly crowne. O howe excel­lent and great a daye is that, that is comming moste dearely beloued bre­thren, when the Lorde shal beginne to numbre his people, and by his diuine [Page]knowlege to examine the workes of euery one, to sende the gylty into hell, and to condēne our persecutours vn­to a perpetuall burning in the payne­full flame: but vnto vs to rēder the re­warde of faythe and godlynes. What maner of glorye shal that be, and how great gladnes, to be admitted to see goddes honour, y ^e thou maist receaue with Christ the Lord thy God the ioye of euerlasting healthe and lyght? To salute Abraham, Isaac, and Iacob, all the Patriarkes and Prophetes, the A­postles, & Martyrs? To reioyce in the delectaciō of the gyft of immortalitie, with the iuste men and frēdes of God in the kingdome of heauē? To receiue that ther, which neither eye hath seen neyther eare hath herde, [...]. Cor. 2. nor hath en­tered into the harte of man? For tha­postle teacheth that we shall receyue greater rewarde, then either our workes or afflictions here can deserue, sayeng: The afflictiōs of this lyfe are not worthy of the glory, Rom. 8. which shalbe she­wed vpon vs. When the shewyng of this glorye shall come, when the chari­tie of God shal shyne ouer vs, thā shal we be happy & mery, being in honour thorow the goodnes of the Lorde. But alas