MarginaliaAn. 1555. October.ioyse and be glad, for great is your reward in heauen: for so did they persecute the Prophets which were before you. Therefore let vs alway beare this in our minds, that if any incōmodity  

doe chaunce vnto vs for righteousnes sake, happy are we whatsoeuer þ^e world doth thinke of vs. Christ our maister hath told vs before hād, MarginaliaLuke. 21.that the brother should put the brother to death, & the father the sonne, and the children should rise against theyr parents and kill them, and that Christes true Apostles should be hated of all men for hys names sake: but he þ^t shal abide paciētly vnto the end, shalbe saued.

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Let vs then endure in all troubles paciently after the example of our maister Christ, and be contented therwith, for he suffred being our maister and Lord: how doth it not then become vs to suffer? MarginaliaLuke. 6. Math. 10.For the disciple is not aboue his master, nor the seruaunt aboue his Lord. It may suffice the disciple to be as his master, and the seruaunt to be as his Lord. If they haue called the father of the family, the master of the houshold Belzebub, how much more shall they call so them of his houshold? Feare them not then (sayth our Sauiour) for all priuities shalbe made plaine: there is now nothing secrete, but it shall be shewed in light. Of Christes wordes let vs neither be ashamed nor afraid to speake them, for so Christ our master commaundeth vs, saying: MarginaliaMath. 10.that I tell you priuily, speake openly abroade, and that I tell you in your eare, preach it vpon the house top. And feare not them which kill the body, for the soule they can not kill: but feare hym which can cast both body and soule into hell fire.

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Know ye that the heauenly Father hath euer a gratious eye and respect towarde you, and a fatherly prouidence for you, so that without his knowledge and permissyon, nothing cā do you harme. Let vs therfore cast al our care vpon him, and he shall prouide that which shalbe best for vs. For if of two smal sparrowes which both are sold for a mite, one of them lighteth not on the ground without your father, and all the heares of our head are numbred, feare not then (sayth our Master Christ) MarginaliaMath. 10.for ye are more worth then many small sparrowes. And let vs not sticke to confesse our master Christ for feare of daunger whatsoeuer it shal be, MarginaliaTo cōfesse Christ, and not to feare daunger.remembring the promise that Christ maketh, saying: whosoeuer shall confesse me before men, him shall I confesse before my father which is in heauen: but whosoeuer shall deny me, him shall I likewise deny before my father which is in heauen. Christ came not to geue vnto vs here a carnall amity, and a worldly peace, or to knit his vnto the world in ease and peace: but rather to separate and diuide them from the world, & to ioyne them vnto himself: in whose cause we must if we will be his, forsake father and mother, and sticke vnto him. If we forsake him or shrinke from him for trouble or deathes sake, which he calleth his crosse: he wil none of vs, we cannot be his. If for his cause we shall lose our temporall liues here, we shall finde them agayne and enioy them for euermore: but if in his cause we will not be contented to leaue nor lose them here: then shall we lose them so, that we shall neuer find them again, but in euerlasting death. What though our troubles here be painful for the time, Marginalia2. Corin 4.and the sting of death bitter and vnpleasaunt: yet we know that they shal not last in comparison of eternitye, no not the twinckling of an eye, and that they paciently taken in Christes cause, shall procure and get vs vnmeasurable heapes of heauenly glory, vnto the which these tēporal paines of death and troubles compared, are not to be estemed, but to be reioysed vpon. Wonder not, (sayth S. Peter) Marginalia2. Peter. 3as though it were any straunge matter that ye are tryed by the fire (he meaneth of tribulation) which thing (sayth he) is done to proue you: nay rather in that ye are partners of Christes afflictions, reioyce, that in his gloryous reuelation, ye may reioyce with mery harts. If ye suffer rebukes in Christes name, happy are ye, for the glory & spirit of God resteth vpon you. Of them god is reuiled and dishonored, but of you he is glorified.

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Let no man be ashamed of that he suffreth as a Christian, and in Christes cause: for now is the time that iudgement and correction must begin at the house of God, and if it begin first at vs, what shall be the end of those, thinke ye, which beleue not the gospel? And if þ^e righteous shall be hardly saued, the wicked and the sinner where shall he appeare? Wherfore they which are afflicted according to the will of God, let them lay downe and commit their soules to hym by well doing, as to a trusty and faithfull maker. This (as I sayd) may not seme straunge to vs, for we know that al the whole fraternity of Christes cōgregation in this world, is serued with the like, and by the same is made perfect. MarginaliaThe causes why the Apostles so reioysed in theyr afflictions.For the feruent loue that the Apostles had vnto their master Christ, and for the great commodityes  

and increase of al godlines which they felt by their fayth to ensue of afflictions in Christes cause, and thirdly for the heapes of heauenly ioyes which the same doe get vnto the godly, which shall indure in heauen for euermore: for these causes (I say) the Apostles of theyr afflictions did ioy, and reioyced in that they were had and accompted worthy to suffer contumelies and rebukes for Christes name. And Paule, Marginalia1. Corin. 2.as he gloryed in the grace and fauour of God, whereunto he was brought and stode in by faith: so he reioyced in his afflictions for the heauēly and spirituall profits which he numbreth to rise vpon them: yea, he was so farre in loue with that that the carnall man lotheth so much, that is, with Christes crosse, that he iudged himself to know nothing els but Christ crucified: he wyll glory (he sayth) in nothing elles but in Christes crosse, yea and he blesseth all those, as the only true Israelites and elect people of God wyth peace and mercy, which walketh after that rule & after none other.

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O Lord, what a wonderful spirit was that that made Paule, Marginalia2. Corin. 11.in setting forth of himself against þ^e vanity of Satās Pseudopostels, and in his claime there, that he in Christes cause did excel and passe them all, what wonderfull spirit was that (I say) that made hym to recken vp all his troubles, his laboures, his beatings, his whippings and scourgings, his shipwracks, his daungers and perils by water and by land, his famine, hunger, nakednes, and colde, wyth

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many moe, and the daily care of all the congregations of Christ, among whom euery mans paine did pearce his hart, & euery mans grief was greuous vnto him? O Lord, is this Paules Primacy, wherof he thought so much good that he did excell other? Is not this Paules saying vnto Timothy his owne scholer? Marginalia2. Tim. 2. The glory of Paule wherin it consysted.and doth it not pertayne to whosoeuer will be Christes true souldiours beare thou (sayth he) affliction like a good souldiour of IESV CHRIST.Marginalia2. Tim. 2. Thys is true: if we dye wyth hym (he meaneth Christ) we shall lyue wyth hym: if we suffer wyth hym, we shall raygne wyth hym: if we deny hym, he shall deny vs: if vve be faythles, he remayneth faythfull, he cannot deny hym selfe. This Paule would haue knowen to euery body: for there is none other way to heauen but Christ and his way: and all that wil liue godly in CHRIST, shall (sayth S. Paule) suffer persecution. Marginalia2. Timo. 3.By this way went to heauen the Patriarkes, þ^e Prophets, Christ our Master, his Apostles, his martyrs, & all the godly since the beginning. And as it hath bene of old, that MarginaliaGal. 4he which was born after þ^e flesh, persecuted him which was borne after þ^e spirit, for so it was in Isaacks time: so sayd S. Paul, it was in his time also. MarginaliaThe way to heauen is by afflictions.And whether it be so or no now, let the spirituall man, the self same man I meane that is indued with the spirit of almighty God, let him be iudge. Of the crosse of the Patriarkes, as ye may read in their storyes if ye read the booke of Genesis, ye shall perceiue, Of other S. Paule in few words MarginaliaHeb. 11.comprehendeth much matter, speaking in a generalitie of the wonderfull afflictiōs, death, and tormentes which the men of God in gods cause and for the truth sake willingly and gladly did suffer. After much perticular rehersal of many, he sayth: other were racked, and despised, & would not be deliuered, that they might obtayne a better resurrection. Other againe were tried with mockings and scourgings, and moreouer with bondes and imprisonment: they were stoned, hewen asunder, tempted, fell and were slaine vpon the edge of the sworde, some wandred to and fro in sheepes pilches, in goates pilches, forsaken, oppressed, afflicted, such godly men as the world was vnworthy of, wandring in wildernes, in mountaines, in caues, and in dennes, and all these were commended for theyr faith. And yet they abide for vs the seruaunts of God, and for those theyr brethren which are to be slayne as they were for the word of gods sake, that none be shut out, but that we may all goe together to meete our Master Christ in þ^e ayre at his comming, and so to be in blisse with him in body and in soule for euermore.

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Therfore, seing we haue so much occasion to suffer and to take afflictions for Christes names sake paciently, so many commodities thereby, so waighty causes, so many good examples, so great necessity, so sure promises of eternall life and heauenly ioyes, of him þ^t cannot lie: Marginalia
Heb. 12.
Reasons to moue vs to patience vnder the crosse.Let vs throw away whatsoeuer might let  

vs, al burden of sinne, & all kinde of carnality, & patiently and constantly let vs run for the best game in this race þ^t is set before vs, euer hauing our eyes vpon Iesus Christ the ringleader, capitain, & perfiter of our faith, which for the ioy that was set before him, endured the crosse, not passyng vpon the ignominy and shame therof, and is set now at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider this, that he suffred such strife of sinners against himself, that ye shuld not geue ouer, nor faint in your minds, As yet brethren we haue not wythstand vnto death, fighting against sinne. Let vs neuer forget deare brethren for Christes sake, that fatherly exhortation of the wyse that speaketh vnto vs as vnto his children the godly wisdome of God, saying thus: MarginaliaProuerb. 3. Heb. 12My sonne, despise not the correction of the Lorde, nor fall not from him when thou art rebuked of him, for whom the Lord loueth, him doth he correct, and scourgeth euery child whom he receiueth. VVhat childe is he whom the father doth not chasten? If ye be free from chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and no children. Seing then, when as we haue had carnall parents which chastened vs, we reuerenced them, shall not we much more be subiect vnto our spirituall father that we might lyue? And they for a little tyme taught vs after theyr owne mind: but thys father teacheth vs to our commodity, to geue vnto vs his holynes. All chastisement for the present tyme, appeareth not pleasant but painfull: but afterward it rendreth the fruit of rightuousnes on them, which are exercised in it. Wherefore let vs be of good chere (good brethren) and let vs plucke vp our feble members that were fallen or began to faynt, hart, hands, knees, and all the rest, & let vs walke vpright and straight, that no limping nor haulting bring vs out of the way. Let vs loke, not vpon the things that be present, but with the eyes of our fayth let vs stedfastly behold þ^e things that be euerlasting in heauen, and so choose rather in respect of that which is to come, with the chosen members of Christ to beare Christes crosse, then for this short lifetyme, to enioy al the riches, honors, and pleasures of the broad world. Why should we Christians feare death? Can death depriue vs of Christ, which is all our comfort, our ioy, and our life: Nay forsoth. But contrary, death shall deliuer vs frō this mortall body,Marginalia2. Corin. 5. which lodeth and beareth downe the spirite that it can not so well perceyue heauenly things: in the which so long as we dwell, we are absent from God.

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Wherefore, vnderstandyng our state in that we be christians, that if our mortall body, Marginalia2. Corin. 5.which is our earthly house, were destroyed, we haue a building, a house not made wyth hands, but euerlasting in heauen &c: therefore we are of good cheare, and know that when we are in the body, we are absent from God, for we walke by fayth, and not by cleare sight. Neuertheles we are bolde, and had rather be absent from the body and presence with God. Wherfore, we striue, whether we be present at home, or absent abroad, that we may alwayes please hym. And who that hath true fayth in our Sauiour Christ, whereby he knoweth somewhat truely what Christ our Sauiour is, that he is the eternall sonne of God, lyfe, light, the wisdome of the father, all goodnes, all righteousnes and whatsoeuer is good that hart can desire, yea infinite plenty of all

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