Marginalia1555. April.ioyce greatly in the Lord, who styrreth vp the hartes of others to be carefull for me in thys my great necessity. I thanke God, as yet I do want nothing, and intend to be as litle chargeable vnto others (sauing my mother) as I can. If I do want, I will be bold with you & others, to send for your reliefe and helpe in myne necessity: desiring you in the meane whyle to pray for me, and all others in the bondes of Christ: that God would performe the thing which he hath begon in vs, that we may wyth boldnes confesse Iesus Christ, and fyght the good fyght of fayth.

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Yours G. Marsh.

MarginaliaAn other letter of G. Marsh to hys frend.GRace with you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and Iesus the Lord.

After harty commendations and thankes to you, not onely for your large token, but much more for your louyng letters, full of consolation to me as touching my person to you vnknowen: these shall bee to certifie you, that I reioyse greatly in the Lorde when I doe perceiue how my sweete Sauiour Christ doth styrre vp þ^e mindes, not onely of my familiar frēdes in tymes past, but also of sondry and diuers heretofore vnto me not knowne & vnaquainted, to beare part with me in this my painfull and costly imprisonmēt, sendyng me thynges not onely necessary for this present lyfe, but also comfortable letters, incouragyng and exhortyng me to continue groūded and stablished in the fayth, and not to be moued away from the hope of the Gospell, wherof accordyng to my small talent I haue ben a minister: and dayly I call and cry vnto the Lord in whom is all my trust, and without whom I can do nothyng, that he which hath begon a good worke in me, would vouchsafe to go forth with it vntill the day of Iesus Christ, beyng surely certified in my cōscience of this, that he wil so do, for as much as he hath geuē me, that not onely I should beleue on hym, but also suffer for his sake. The Lord strēgthen me with his holy spirite, that I may be one of the number of those blessed, which enduryng to the end, shalbe saued. And whereas you say þ^t my suffring of persecutiō with Christ, is a thyng to you much comfortable, I make aunswere that in all myne aduersitie and necessitie, nothyng on your behalfe is greater consolation vnto me thē to heare of the fayth and loue of others, and how they haue good remembraūce of vs alwayes, euen as the Apostle reporteth by the Thessalonians, saying: Now are we alyue if ye stand stedfast in the Lord.  

For my trust in the Lord is, that this my busines shall happen vnto the furtheraunce of the Gospell, and that you wilbe none of those forgetfull and hipocritish hearers, whereof some beyng but MarginaliaWayside hearers of the word.waysyde hearers, the deuill commeth and taketh away the word out of their hartes, lest they should beleue and be saued (but let prayer be made without ceassyng by the congregation vnto God for them) and (no doubt) God will to your consolation, gloriously deliuer by one meanes or other his oppressed. Onely tary ye the Lordes leysure: be strong, let your hart be of good comfort, and waite ye still for the Lord. He tarieth not, that will come, looke for hym therfore and faynt not, and he will neuer fayle you.

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Yours G. Marsh.

MarginaliaA letter of Iames Bradshaw to George Marsh.GRace and peace from God ther father, and the Lord Iesu Christ be wyth you alway, Amen.

We had a letter from you, which is a great comfort vnto vs, to see you take the crosse so thankfully. Trouble and affliction doth proue, trye, instruct, confyrme, and strengthen the fayth, prouoke and styrre vp prayer, driue and force vs to MarginaliaWhat good affliction worketh in the godly.amendemēt of life, to the feare of God, to mekenes, to patience, to cōstancy, to gentlenes, to sobernes, temperancie, and to all maner of vertues, and are the occasion of exceding much good, as well transitory as eternall, in this world as in the world to come. Ther is neyther good nor bad, godly nor vngodly, but he hath one crosse or other. And although some there be that can shift for a whyle, and make prouision for them selues for a tyme, by craft or subtilty and dissimulation, or by some fashion in fellowship (as they call it) yet they bring thē selues at length into the hyghest daunger, confusion and

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shame, both in this world, & in the world to come. And seing that al the troubles & aduersity in this word, are a thousand times more light & easie, yea nothing in comparison of the eternall fyre, which is prepared and already kynled for the vnfaythfull and wycked enemies of God: all faithful and godly persons ought to beare and suffer their transitory affliction and aduersitye the more patiently, wyllingly and thankefully: considering and remembring al the dearly beloued frends of God, which were wonderfully vexed and plaged of their enemies, MarginaliaExamples of holy men suffring afflictiō.Abraham of the Caldies, Lot of the Sodomites, Isaac of Ismael, Iacob of Esau, Moses of hys people, Dauid of Saul and of hys own sōnes.  

As for Iob, he had not a drop of bloud in his body.   Iohn Baptist the holiest that euer was borne of a woman, was without any lawe, right or reason, beheaded in prison, as though God had knowen nothyng at all of hym.  

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We haue many thousand fellow Martyrs and companions of our mysery and aduersitye, in respect of whose imprisonment, racking, chaynes, fyre, wylde beastes, and other meanes, wherewith they were tormented, all that wee suffer is but a blaste of winde. Therefore nowe who soeuer is ashamed of the crosse of Christ, and agreued therwith, the same is ashamed to haue Christ for his fellow and companion, and therefore shall the Lord Iesus Christ be ashamed of him againe at the latter day.

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Thus I leaue for this time, beseeching you to let me haue your aduise, because I doe not outwardly speake that with my tounge, that I doe thncke with my hart. Pray for me, as I for you. I besech the holy Ghost haue you in his keeping alway, Amen.

By your frend Iames Bradshaw.

MarginaliaA prayer of G. Marsh, Martyr.OH lord Iesus Christ, which art the only Phisicion of woūded consciences, we myserable sinners trusting in thy gracious goodnes, do briefly open to thee the euill tree of our hart, with all the rootes, boughes, leaues, and fruites, and with all the crookes, knottes and knoures,  

all which thou knowest: for thou throughly perceauest as well the inward lustes, doubtinges, & denying thy prouidence, as these grosse outward sinnes which we commit inward and deadly. Wherfore we beseche thee, according to the little measure of our infirmitie, although we bee farre vnable and vnapt to pray, that thou wouldest mercyfully circvmcise our stony hartes, and for these old hartes, create new within vs, and replenish vs with a new spirite, & water vs and moysten vs with the ioyce of heauenly grace & welles of spirituall waters, wherby the inward venome & noysome   ioyce of the flesh may be dryed vp, and custome of the olde man chaunged, and our hart alwayes bringing forth thornes and briers to be burned with fier, from hence forth may beare spirituall fruites in righteousnes and holynes vnto lyfe euerlasting, Amen.

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Beloued, among other exercises, I doe dayly on my knees vse this confession of synnes, wylling and exhorting you to do the same, and daily to acknowledge vnfainedly to God your vnbeliefe, vnthankfulnes, and disobedience against him. This shall ye doe if ye will diligently consider, and looke your selues fyrst in the pure glasse of Gods commaundementes, and there see our outward filthynes and vncleannes, and so learne to vanquishe the same, that is to witte, to fall in hartie displeasure against synne, and thereby bee prouoked to long after Christ. For we truely are sinners: but hee is iuste, and the Iustifier of all them that beleue on him. Marginalia1. Cor. 10. Math. 20.We are poore, but hee is rych in mercy toward all them that call vpon him. If wee hunger and thirst for righteousnes, let vs resort vnto his table, for he is a most liberall feast maker. He wyll set before vs hys own holy body, which was geuē for vs to be our meate, and his precious bloud which was shed for vs and for many for the remission of synnes, to be our drinke. He byddeth, wylleth, and calleth for Geastes, which hunger and thirst. MarginaliaMath. 12.Come (sayth hee) all ye that labour and are laden, and I wyll refresh you, coole and ease you, and you shall finde rest vnto your soules.

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