MarginaliaAn. 1555. Iuly.his word from all christendome at the first, & cast a darknes vpon them that would not walke in his lyght.MarginaliaWhy God taketh his word from realmes. For it is euident enough to see how lyke their doinges be to CHRISTES and his Apostles, and that seene, either we must iudge CHRISTES doinges very slender, & theirs good, or els that in deede they be the very Antichristes, which should come and turne all thinges out of frame. Thus I haue bene bold to trouble you, which I trust shall not be altogether in vayne. Pray for me, as I do for you.

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By your brother Nicolas Shetterden,
prisoner for the truth in Westgate.  

MarginaliaAn other Letter of N. Sheterden to his brother.GOd, which is the geuer of all goodnes, and that freely for his loue to vs (not onely without our deserts, but contrary to the same) graunt you my brother suche encrease of godly knowledge and loue vnto the vertues thereunto belonging, as may geue you such a tast in heauenly thinges that all treasure of earthly things may sauour to you, as in deede they are, most vaine and vncertaine: so shall ye neuer take them for no better then they be. Yea, whether God take them from vs, and geue thē vnto vs, we shall knowe our selues neither richer nor poorer before God: But if we laye vp in our hartes the treasure of his word, we shal not onely enrich our selues against the time of nede, but also arme our selues against the battell with weapon & harnes, which is inuincible, and cloth our selues against the mariage. MarginaliaTime of Gods visitation to be receaued.For beholde, the Lord hath called vs of long time to the feast, and blowen the trumpet to prepare the battell. Let vs knowe the time of our visitation, lest the Lorde sitting on hys mount bewaile our destruction, which he desireth not, but because he is iust to punish such as continue in sinne, euen as hee is mercifull to forgeue the repentaunt that turne in time: for so is God that cannot deny himself.

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Let vs therefore in this day, while it is called to day, heare hys voyce, and not harden our harts by resistance of his wyll, lest hee sweare in his wrath, that we shal not enter into hys rest. Let vs count that sufficient, That we haue spent the tyme past (as S. Peter sayth) after the wyll of the Gentiles, in eating and drinking, chambering and wantonnes, and in abominable idolatry. &c. And now let vs assay a new life and trade our members in vertue an other whyle, lest peraduenture we might run past any returne in the contrary. But if we may now returne and lay hand of his word in deede and verity, as we haue long tyme done in talke and liberty, then wyll God heape vp vpon vs such MarginaliaCertificate of conscience.certificat of conscience, as shall kindle our consolation in hym, so that all treasure shall be doung, to that excellent knowledge of our Sauiour. Deare brother, my hartes desyre and prayer to God is, that we may together enioy the blisse of eternall enheritaūce by one spirituall regeneration and new birth, as we are ioyned by nature. But alacke, the way and meane therunto hath ben much neglected of me (I will not say of you) for I had rather ye should accuse your selfe: for no doubt the best of vs both hath not sought for wisedome in Gods woord, as some in the world whom we know, haue sought for money: therefore they shall be our Iudges, if wee doe not learne by them: MarginaliaSpirituall prouision.yea the very Emmet,  

as Salomon sayth, doth teach vs to prouide for the time to come: for shee prouideth in Sommer against Winter.

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This is the best token I haue for you nowe, which though it be simple, yet shall it declare partly my hartes desire to you ward, which is euen as myne own soule. Let nothing dismay you, for my cause: but be ye sure I shall haue victory in the truth, which truth is stronger then kinges, wyne, or women. For as Zorobabell sayth: Marginalia3. Esdras. 4.Wyne is vnrighteous, the king is vnrighteous, women are vnrighteous, yea all the childrē of men are vnrighteous, but the truth endureth, MarginaliaThe victorie of truth.& is alwaies strōg & conquereth for euer without end. therfore this is to desire you & all other my frendes þ^t wish me good, to pray þ^t God wyll alwaies kepe me in his truth as he hath begun, which praier if it be of such a mynde as laboureth to depart frō euyll, shall be to me þ^e greatest pleasure vnder heauen. For I desyre nothing in comparison of Gods truth. I thanke him of his mercy, which so hath wrought, for I take it as a sure seale of the endles ioy which shall hereafter follow: which God bryng vs vnto, when hys wyll and pleasure is, Amen. From Canterbury.

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By yours Nicholas
Shetterden.

MarginaliaTo his mother an other letter writen the day before his death.O My good mother, whom I loue with reuerēce in the Lord, and accordyng to my duety, I desire your fauourable blessing, and forgeuenes of all my misdedes towardes you. Oh my good mother, in fewe wordes I wishe you the same salutation, which I hope my selfe to feele, & partly tast of before this come to you to read: And in the resurrection. I verely beleue to haue it more perfectly in body and soule ioyned together for euer: and in that day God graunt you to see my face with ioy: but deare mother then beware of that great Idolatry & blasphemous Masse.MarginaliaTestimony and warning agaynst the Idole of the altar. O let not that bee your God, which mice and wormes cā deuoure.  

Behold I call heauen and earth to record that it is no God, yea the fire that consumeth it, and the moistenes that causeth it to mould, and I take CHRISTES Testamēt to witnes, that it is none of his ordinaunces, but a mere inuention of men, and a snare to catch innocentes bloud: and now that God hath shewed it vnto you, be warned in time: O geue ouer old customes, and become new in the truth. MarginaliaWhatsoeuer the fathers were, gods word must nedes be folowed.What state so euer your fathers be in, leaue that to God: and let vs folow the counsell of his worde. Deare mother, imbrace it with hearty affection, read it with obediēce, let it be your pastime, but yet cast of all carnall affections, and loue of worldly thinges: so shall we mete in ioy at the last day, or els I bid you fare well for euermore: Oh, farewell my frendes and louers all, God graunt me to see your faces in ioy, Amen.

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From Westgate the 11. of Iuly. 1555. Your child
written with his hand, and sealed with his bloud, N.
Sheterden beyng appointed to be slayne.  

MarginaliaAn other letter of Nicolas Sheterden to hys wife.J Wrote vnto you as one that longed more to heare of your health, then of all worldly treasure, willyng you to entreat Esau the elder brother by nature gētly, geuing to him his own, yea, and offer him one of the droues, and say they be Iacobs, & are sent for a present to my Lord Esau: but he wil not take it. &c. Now my beloued ye know the blessyng of our father is, that the elder shall serue the yoūger, & wisedome our mother hath taught vs þ^e same, and I know ye do complaine of your *Marginalia* By thys seruaunt belike he ment her owne body, which she pinched to much with penurie, or fasting, more then neded. seruaunt the flesh, that he is rebellious, disobedient, & vntoward:  

vnruly & crookedly ye thinke he doth his seruice:but yet behold, how shall ye pleade your cause before an indifferent iudge: for if it be true that his seruice be not accordyng to his duety, as it is many tymes found in seruauntes: yet (I say) can you shew your cause to no indifferent   iudge, but he shall obiect agaynst you that he is not kept lyke a seruaunt but he lacketh both meat and drinke, and other necessaries meete and due for a seruaunt: so shall ye take more shame of your owne cōplaint then remedy or vaūtage agaynst your seruaunt, and it shalbe a cloke for him to hide all his rebellion and vntoward seruice, because ye haue misused him.

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And therefore my sentence is, that ye paciently beare with him in small faultes, MarginaliaHow a mans body is to be ordered with discretion.and mend your owne great faultes, as oppression, crueltie and couetousnes, requiryng more then a seruaunt can do, specially beyng tired with labour, famined with hūger, & lamed with stripes. And these thinges amended, if hee doe his seruice negligently (as no doubt somtime he will) yet then ye may boldly correct him with discretion, and sometime if he do not his taske, ye may make him goe to bed superles: but yet beate him not with durable strokes, neither withhold his meat in due time, and pinch him not by the belly continually, but *Marginalia* Corporis curam agite, non ad concupiscentia. let him haue some thyng to ioy in: onely watch him, and keepe him from doyng of harme. Though he be but a straunger in the life that is in God: yet be good to straungers for we were all straungers in darkenes, and captiues in sinne, as well soule and spirit, beyng in Egypt, as now the fleshe is yet vnbaptised with the terrible read Sea of death, and remember that one law abydeth for þ^e straūger, I meane one reward abideth both body and soule in the lād of euerlastyng rest. And therfore intreat him gently, and deale with him iustly now: *Marginalia* The body of man is redemed as well as the soule. for the time wil come that the yoke of bondage shalbe taken from his necke, and he shalbe a felow heir with your yonger brother.

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Circumcise him therefore, but do not misuse him, nor keepe him from his owne, but deale mercifully with the straunger, that hee may say: Oh of what vnderstādyng hart is this people, who hath God? or where is God so