Marginalia1555. Iuly.MarginaliaImages more profitable bokes for priests then for lay men.And looke how truely þ^e promise of the Serpent was kept with Eue, so is the perswasion of our Priests found true to vs. For as Adam & Eue did become lyke God in knowing good and euyll, so are we in remembring God by his Image. For Adams eyes were so opē, that he lost both innocency and righteousnes, and was become most miserable of all creatures: and euen so wee remember CHRIST so well by Images, that we forget hys commaundements, and count his Testament confirmed in his bloud for starke madnes or heresy: so miserably haue we remembred him, that of all people we are most blind: and this doth follow vpon our presumption, when we remember God by breaking of his lawe: and therefore surely except we repent shortly, MarginaliaSheterden prophesieth of Gods plagues.God wyll remember vs in hys wrath, and reward vs with his plages: as sure as there is a God it wyll come to passe.

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MarginaliaLearning agaynst or without Gods word, is vaine and to no purpose.But I know the craftines of them herein (I thanke God) which will say: Where went he to schoole? Is he wiser then our great Doctors that studied all their lyfe?  

And loe, they say that it is good hay, although we smell it musty our selues, yet we must beleue it is sweete, and then pay them wel for their so saying, and all is safe. But I myght say agayne: What Syr, bee ye wyser then CHRIST, and God his Father, or the holy ghost? What wyser then the Prophetes, and the Apostles, and all the holy Martyrs? I pray you Syr, where had you your high learning? Is it higher then God (being in heauen) is able to reach, or haue ye set it lower in hell then euer CHRIST durst to venter? For it is some straunge learning belike, that CHRIST nor hys Apostles could neuer attaine to the knowledge of it. But vayne men are neuer without some shift: For peraduenture they wyll not be ashamed to say, that CHRIST comming on hys fathers message, did forget halfe his errand by the way. For I dare say, the greater halfe of their ceremonies were neuer commaunded by CHRIST: yea I doubt it would be hard to finde one in the church perfectly as he left: MarginaliaAntichrist hath turned the church cleane vpsidowne.so Romishly hath Antichrist turned the church vpsydowne for lukers sake.

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Beloued mother, as I often tymes haue sayd vnto you, euen so now I besech you from my very hart roote in CHRIST, to consider, your own soules health is offered you, do not cast it of: wee haue not long tyme here. Why should we deceaue our selues, either for ease of our flesh, or for þ^e winning of this worldes treasure? I know that some will say to you, why should we condemne our fathers that lyued thus? MarginaliaThe fathers that heard no better, are not to be condemned but rather will condemne vs, that heare and receaue it not.God forbid that we should condemne any that did according to their knowledge. But let vs take heede that they condemne not vs: for if they had heard the word as we haue, & had beene warned as we haue, it is to be thought that they would more thākfully haue receiued it then wee doe: yea they were more faithfull in that they knew, then many now are. Therefore they shall bee our condemnation, if we doe not embrace this grace offered vs. And surely looke how many of thē God will accept & saue, those shal we neuer see, nor haue any part among them: for our disobediēce is more great then their ignorance. Wherefore if we wyll meete our fathers in blysse and ioy, let vs not refuse hys mercy offered more largely to vs, then to them, euen according to CHRISTES promise, which said, after such great ignoraunce, as to seeke him from countrey to coūtrey, and finde him not: yet shall the gospell (saith he) be preached in all the world, and then shall the end come.

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MarginaliaGods visitation not to be refused.And now let vs know the time of our visitation, and not turne backe againe, seing we are once deliuered: for surely God wil not beare it at our hands to turne backe ward. Oh remember Lots wife. God must needes punish out of hand our shamefull backsliding, either wyth induration  

and hardnes of hart, so that they shall persecute his church and true seruantes, or els reward it with open vengeaunce and plages. And therefore good mother, accept this my simple letter as a fruite of my loue & obedience to you. Would God we myght so be knit in fayth and trust in Gods word and promises here in this lyfe, as we might together enioy the blisse and consolation of eternall lyfe: which I desyre and seeke aboue all worldly treasure, as ye partly know. MarginaliaExperiēce how Gods Martyrs seke not the world.If I would seke the good will of men contrary to my conscience, I could make some my friendes, which now peraduenture are ielous ouer me amisse. But I thanke God, let them way the matter betwene God and their consciences, and they haue no iust cause so to do: neuertheles I would they would yet refrayne and put their matter and myne into the euen balance of Gods most holy woord, there to bee

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wayed by the minde of the holy Ghost, expressed vnto vs by the holy Patriarches, and Prophets, and by IESVS CHRIST our onely Sauiour and mediator, and by his Apostles: and then I doubt not, but our matter shal be ended with peace, & ioyfulnes of hart, which God graūt vs for his mercies sake, Amen.

Your own child Nicolas Shetterden priso-
ner for the truth in Westgate. 1555.

I Wish you health in CHRIST, true knowledge of his word, & a faithful obediēt hart vnto þ^e same. It is shewed me my brother, that ye willed me by a letter made to a friend of yours, to perswade with me, that I should be ruled by mine Vncle,MarginaliaMy vncle hath bene with me and made great promises and greate threates also. which sayth he will bestowe hys goods very largely vpon me, if I woulde not stande to high in mine owne conceit.  

But my good brother, I trust ye do not iudge so euyll of me, that I should haue a faith to sell for money. For though hee or you were able to geue me the treasure of the whole coūtrey, yet I thāke my Lord God, I do iudge it but an heape of dong, in respect of that treasure hid within: yet do I esteme a buckle of your shoo, if it come with good will. And for to be counselled and ruled by him or you, or any other my friendes, I do not, neither haue refused it, if they require no more of me then my power, and that which belōgeth to mortall men. But if they require of me any thyng which pertaineth to God onely, there is neither hye nor low, friend nor foe, I trust in God, shall get it of me, no nor yet the Aungels in heauen.

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For though I be not learned (as the vaine men of the world call learning)  

yet I thanke my Lord God, I haue learned out of Gods booke, to know God from hys creatures, and to know CHRIST from his sacramēts, and to put a difference betwene the merits of CHRISTES passion and his supper, and a difference betwene the water of Baptisme, and the holy ghost, and not to mixe and mingle all thinges confusely together, so that if one aske me a question or a reason of my faith, I must say thus, I beleue as holy church beleueth: if he aske me what is the order of that fayth, I should be so ignorant that I could not discerne God from his creatures, nor CHRIST from his sacramentes. If I should so monstrously vtter my fayth, that I were not able to iudge betwene CHRISTES birth and his buriall, nor which were first, of his mortification, and his glorification, who would beleue that my fayth were sound?

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For some affirme that CHRIST did not geue to his Apostles a mortall and a passible body, but an immortall and a glorified body,MarginaliaSo should he haue ij. bodies at once, one glorified, and an other mortall. so that hee should haue a glorified body before his death, and so his glorificatiō was before his resurrectiō: and that he was risen before he was crucified, and crucified before his Baptisme, and then they may as well say, MarginaliaNo order nor reason in the Popes doctrine.hee was baptised before his birth, and borne before he was conceiued, and conceiued before hee was promised, and that were euen ryght Antichrist to turne all thinges backeward, and then say: Oh ye must beleue, for God is almighty, hee can doe all thinges. &c. Truth it is, that God is almighty in deede, MarginaliaWe are bound to beleue what God hath expresly willed, not what he is able to doe.& yet I may not beleue thinges contrary to his word, that CHRISTES body was glorified before he dyed: for Gods omnipotēcy doth not stand in thinges contrary to his will, but in performing his wyll at his pleasure in tyme. Neyther doth hee require of vs to iudge or beleue of his almighty power, that he hath made the ende of the world to come, before the beginning, nor yet the fruit to come before the blossome, and yet is he neuertheles almighty.

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But if peraduenture ye shall thinke with your selfe: Why, they are learned: it were marueil but they shoulde know what is the truth, as well as other which neuer kept no such study. &c. To that I aunswere, that if they had studied gods word the author of truth, as they haue done Logicke,MarginaliaHe speaketh not here against the true vse of Logike. and Duns,  

with the Legend of lyes,   they should haue bene as expert in the truth, as they be nowe in bald reasons. But thus hath God fulfylled his promise, that such would be deluded with lies, which would not beleue nor walke in his truth. And againe, this is a good cause to make vs thinke surely, that this was the cause that God gaue them ouer at the first to errour, after the Apostles time by litle and little, as they grewe in sinne. For seing we had his truth now among vs a few yeares, because we did not obey vnto it, we see what a sodaine chaunge God hath brought vpon vs for our sinnes sake. And why should not we thincke that thys and such like disobedience was the cause that God tooke

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