MarginaliaAn. 1555. September.myne owne vnworthines, through the greatnes of the benefite to be counted among the number of them that should suffer for CHRIST, or his Gospels sake.MarginaliaM. Glouer assaulted by the enemie in prison concerning vnworthines.Against him I replied with the word of God in this sort: What were all those whom God had chosen frō the begynnyng, to be his witnesses and cary his name before the world? were they not men, as Paul and Barnabas sayd, Similiter obnoxij peccato,  

MarginaliaAct. 24. aswell subiect to wickednes, sinne, imperfections, as other men be? Euen such were Noe, Abrahā, Dauid and all the rest. Quis prior dedit illi,   as Paul sayth?MarginaliaRom. 11. Who gaue first vnto him? And also speakyng to euery man: MarginaliaRoma. 4.What hast thou that thou receiuedst not? Likewise Iohn: MarginaliaIohn. 2.All haue receiued of his fulnes: they were no bringers of any goodnes to god, but altogether receiuers.MarginaliaGods election bound to no worthines or person. They chose not God first, but he chose them. They loued not God first, but he loued them first. Yea he both loued and chose them whē they were his enemies, full of sinne and corruption, & voyde of al goodnes. MarginaliaRoma. 10.Est Dominus omnium, diues in omnes & super omnes inuocātes eum.   He is & wil bee still þ^e same god, as rich in mercy, as mighty, as hable, as ready, as willing to forgiue sinnes w^tout respect of persō, to þ^e worldes end, of all thē that call vpō him. Prope est Dominus omnibus inuocantibus eū:   MarginaliaPsal. 145.God is neare, he is at hand, he is with all, with all (I say) & refuseth none, excepteth none that faithfully in true repentane call vpon him, in what houre, what place, or what time soeuer it be. MarginaliaIt is no arrogancie to presume vpon Gods promise.It is no arrogancy nor presumption in any man, to burthen God (as it were) with his promise, and of duty to clayme and chalenge his ayde, helpe, and assistance in all our perils, daungers, and distresse, callyng vpon him, not in the confidence of our owne godlynes, but in the trust of his promises made in CHRIST, in whom and by whom, and for whose sake, who soeuer boldly approcheth to the mercy seate of þ^e father, is sure to receiue what soeuer is expedient or necessary either for body or soule, in more ample wyse and large maner, then he can well wishe, or dare desire. His word cā not lye: MarginaliaPsal. 50.Call vpon me in the day of trouble and I will heare thee, and thou shalt prayse me.

[Back to Top]

I aunswered the enemy also on this maner: MarginaliaRob. Glouer replieth agaynst the tentation of the enemy in that he is a sinner.I am a sinner and therfore not worthy to bee a witnes of hys truth. What then? Must I deny his word because I am not worthy to professe it? What bring I to passe in so doyng, but adde sinne to sinne? What is greater sinne then to deny the truth of CHRISTES Gospell? as CHRIST him selfe beareth witnesse: He that is ashamed of me or of my wordes, of him I will be also ashamed before my father and all his Aungels. I might also by like reason forbeare to do any of Gods cōmaundementes. When I am prouoked to pray, the enemy may say vnto me I am not worthy to pray, therefore I shall not pray: and so in like maner, of all þ^e cōmaundements: I shall not forbeare swearing, stealyng, murthering, because I am not worthy to do any cōmaūdemēt of God. These be the delusions of the deuill, & Sathans suggestions, which must be ouercome by cōtinuance of prayer, & with the word of God applied according to þ^e measure of euery mans gift, against al assaultes of þ^e Deuil.

[Back to Top]

At the Byshops first cōmyng to Lichfield after mine imprisonment, MarginaliaM. Glouer brought againe before the Bishop.I was called into a bychamber  

next to my prison, to my Lord. Before whom whē I came and saw none but his officers, chaplaines, & seruauntes, except it were an old priest, I was partly amazed & lifted vp my hart to God for his mercyfull helpe & assistance.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaReasoning betwene Master Glouer, and the Bishop.My Lord asked me how I liked my imprisonment. I gaue him no aunswere touching that question. He proceded to persuade me to bee a member of his Church, which had cōtinued so many yeares. As for our church (as he called it) was not knowen, he sayd, but lately in kyng Edwardes tyme.

[Back to Top]

I professe my selfe to bee a member of that Church (sayd I) that is builded vpon the foūdation of the Apostles and Prophetes, IESVS CHRIST beyng the head corner stone: and so alledged the place of S. Paul

to þ^e Eph. MarginaliaThe true Church is alwayes builded vp on the doctrine of the Apostles: which though it appeare not alwaies alike in outward sight, the fault is in the tyme, not in the Church. Tymes do alter, and with the times the outward face of the Church may alter, somtymes appearing more, somtimes lesses, sometymes very litle, sometymes nothyng at all, accordyng as the persecution is. Neuertheles, the truth of the Church abydeth alwayes one. Neyther doth it go by nūber of mē, but by soundnes of truth. Many agreing in one may make an vnitie but the veritie of the word maketh the Church, whether it be in few or in many.And this church hath bene from the begynnyng (sayd I) though it beare no glorious shewe before the world, beyng euer, for the most part, vnder the Crosse & affliction, contemned, despised, and persecuted. My lord on the other side, contended that they were the Church.

[Back to Top]

Glo. So cryed all the Clergy agaynst the Prophetes at Ierusalem, saying: Templum Domini, templum Domini,  

The Churche, the Church. &c.

Bysh. And alwayes when I was about to speake any thing, my Lord cryed, hold thy peace, hold thy peace: I commaund thee by the vertue of obediēce, to hold thy peace, callyng me a proud arrogaunt hereticke.

Glo. I willed my Lord to burthē me with some specialties, and then to cōuince me with some Scriptures and good learnyng.

Then my Lord began to moue certaine questions. I refused to aunswere him in corners, requiryng that I might make my aunswere openly. He sayd I should aunswere him there. I stode with him vpon that point vntill he sayd I should to prison agayne, and there haue neither meate nor drinke till I had aunswered hym. Then I lifted vp my hart to God, that I might stand and agree with the doctrine of his most holy word.

[Back to Top]

Bysh. The first question was this: MarginaliaThe first question.how many Sacramentes CHRIST instituted to bee vsed in the Church?

Glo. The Sacrament of Baptisme, said I, and the Sacrament that he instituted at his last Supper.

Bysh. No more sayd he?

Glo. To all those that declare a true and vnfayned repentaunce, a sure hope, trust, and confidence in the death of CHRIST, to such ministers (I graunt) that they haue authoritie to pronoūce by þ^e power of Gods word, the remission of sinnes.MarginaliaPower of Gods word in the ministery to remitte sins.

Here interrupting me he would needes beare me in hand that I called this a Sacramēt. I would not greatly contend with him in that point, because that matter was of no great wayght or importaunce: although he in so doyng, did me wrong, for I called it not a Sacrament.

MarginaliaSecond question.He asked me further whether I allowed their confession.

I sayd no.

MarginaliaThird question.Bysh. Then hee would know my mynde what I thought of the presence of CHRISTES body in the Sacrament.

Glo. I aūswered that their Masse was neither Sacrifice nor Sacrament, because (said I) you haue taken away the true institution, which when you restore agayne, I will tell you my iudgement concernyng CHRISTES body in the Sacrament.

And thus much did this worthy Martyr of God leaue behind him by his owne hand in writyng concernyng the maner of his vsing and entreating in prison, and also of his conflictes had with the Bishop & his Chauncelour. Moe examinations he had (no doubt) with the Bishop in the publicke Consistory, when he was brought forth to be condemned, which also he would haue left vnto vs, if either lēgth of life, or laysure of time, or hast of execution had permitted him to finish that he intended:  

but by reasō of þ^e writte of his burning being come down frō Lōdon, lacke of time neither did serue him so to do,   neither yet could I get the recordes of his last examinations, whersoeuer they are become.   Onely this which I could learne by relation of one Austen Bernher   a Minister & a familiar frend of his, concernyng þ^e

[Back to Top]