Marginalia1555. October.these, aboue that that mans hart can eyther conceiue or thynke, (for in hym dwelleth the fulnes of the godhead corporally) and also that he is geuen vs of the father, and made of God to be our wisdome, our rightuousnes, our holynes, and our redemption:Marginalia1. Corrin. 1. who (I say) is he that beleueth thys in dede, that would not gladly be wyth his master Christ? Paule for this knowledge coueted to haue bene losed from the body, and to haue bene wyth Christ, for that he counted it much better for himselfe, & had rather to be losed than to lyue.MarginaliaPhilip 1. Therfore these wordes of Christ to the thiefe on the crosse, that asked of him mercy, wre full of comfort and solace: Thys day thou shalt be wyth me in Paradise.MarginaliaLuke. 23. To die in the defence of Christes gospell, it is our bounden duety to Christ, and also to our neyghbor. To Christ, for he dyed for vs, and rose againe that he myght be Lorde ouer all.MarginaliaRom. 9. And seing he dyed for vs, we also (sayth S. Ihon)Marginalia1. Iohn. 3. should ieopard, yea geue our lyfe for our brethren. And this kind of geuyng and losing, is getting and winning in deede: for he that geueth or loseth his life thus, getteth and wynneth it for euermore. MarginaliaApoc. 14.Blessed are they therfore that dye in the Lord, & if they dye in the Lords cause, they are most happy of all. MarginaliaTo couet to be with Christ, & not to feare death.Let vs not then feare death, which cā do vs no harme, otherwise then for a moment to make the fleshe to smart: but that our fayth which is surely fastned and fixed vnto the word of God, telleth vs that we shall be anone after death, in peace, in the handes of God, in ioy, in solace, and that from death we shall go straignt vnto life. For S. Iohn sayth: he that lyueth and beleueth in me, shall neuer dye.MarginaliaIohn. 11. And in an other place: he shall depart frō death vnto lyfe.MarginaliaIohn. 5. And therefore thys death of the christian, is not be called death, but rather a gate or entraunce into euerlastyng lyfe: Therefore Paule calleth it but a dissolution and resolution, & both Peter & Paule, a putting of of thys Tabernacle or dwellyng house.Marginalia2. Peter. 1. 2. Cor. 5. meanyng therby the mortall body, as wherin the soule or spirit doth dwell here in this world for a small time. Yea this death may be called to the christian, an end of all miseryes. For so long as we lyue here, we must passe through many tribulations before we can enter into the kingdome of heauen.MarginaliaAct. 14. And now, after that death hath shot hys bolt, all the christian mans enemyes haue done what they can, & after that they haue no more to do. What could hurt or harme pore Lazarus that lay at the rich mans gate?MarginaliaLuke. 16. His former penury & pouerty? his misery, beggery, and horrible sores & sicknes? For so sone as death had stricken him with his dart, so soone came the angels, and caryed him straight vp into Abrahams bosome. What lost he by death, who from misery and payne, is set by the ministery of Aungels in a place both of ioy and solace.

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Farewell deare brethren, farewell, & let vs comfort our hartes in all troubles, and in death with the word of God: for heauen and earth shall perish, but the word of the Lord endureth for euer.

Farewel Christes dearly beloued spouse here wādring in thys world as in a straunge land, farre from thine owne countrey, and compassed about on euery hand with deadly enemies, whych cease not to assault thee, euer seking thy destruction.

Farewell, farewell O ye the whole and vniuersall congregation of the chosen of God here liuing vpon earth, the true church militāt of Christ, the true mysticall body of Christ, the very houshold & family of God, and the sacred temple of the holy ghost. Farewel.

Farewel, O thou little flocke of þ^e high heauēly pastor Christ,MarginaliaLuke. 12. for to thee it hath pleased the heauēly father to geue an euerlasting and eternall kingdome. Farewell.

Farewell thou spirituall house of God, thou holy and royall priesthode, thou chosen generation, thou holy nation, thou wonne spouse. Farewell. Farewell.

N. R.

MarginaliaThe state of the church of England described & lamented.ALas, what misery is thy church brought vnto (O Lord) at this day? Where of late the worde of the Lord was truely preached, was red & heard in euery towne, in euery church, in euery village, yea almost in euery honest mans house: alas now is it exiled & banished out of the whole realme. Of late who was not takē for a louer of gods word, for a reader, for a redy hearer, and for a learner of the same? and now (alas) who dare beare any open countenaūce towarde it, but such as are content in Christes cause and for his wordes sake to stand to the daunger and losse of all that they haue?

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Of late there was to be found of euery age, of euery degree & kind of people, that gaue theyr diligence to learne (as they could) out of gods word, the articles of the christian fayth, the commaundements of God and the Lordes prayer. The babes and younge children were taught these things of theyr parents, of theyr masters, and wekely of theyr Curates in euery church: and the aged folke which had bene brought vp in blindnes and in ignorance of those things which euery christian is bound to know, when otherwise they could not, yet they lerned the same by often hearing theyr children and seruaunts repeating the same: but now (alas, and alas again) the fals prophets of antechrist which are past al shame, do openly preach in pulpets vnto the people of God, that the cathechisme is to be coūted heresy: wherby their old blindnes is brought home againe: for the aged are afraid of the higher powers, and the youth is abashed and ashamed euen of that which they haue learned, though it be gods word, and dare no more medle.

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Of late in euery congregation throughout all England, was made prayer and petition vnto God to be deliuered from the tyrāny of the bishop of Rome and all his detestable enormities: from al false doctrine and heresye:  

and now alas, Sathan hath persuaded England by his falshed and craft to reuoke her old godly prayer, to recant the same, and prouoke the fearefull wrath and indignation of God vpon her owne pate.

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Of late by strait lawes and ordinances, with the consent of the

nobles & comminalty, and ful agrement and coūsaile of the prelates & clergy, was banished hence the Beast of Babylō, with lawes (I say) & with othes and all meanes that then could be deuysed for so godly a purpose: MarginaliaThe lamentable chaunge of religion in the church.but now (alas) all these lawes are troden vnder fote: the nobles, the commonalty, the prelates and clergy are quite chaunged, MarginaliaIeremy. 4.and all those othes, though they were made in iudgement, iustice and truth, & the matter neuer so good, dothe no more hold then a bond of rushes or of a barley straw, nor publike periury no more feareth them, then a shadow vpon the wall.

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Of late it was agreed in England of all hands, accordyng to Paules doctrine and Christes commaundement (as Paule sayth plaineMarginalia1. Corin. 14) that nothing ought to be done in the church in the publike congregation, but in that tongue which the cōgregation could vnderstand, that all might be edified therby, whether it were commō prayer, administration of the sacraments, or any other thing belōging to the publike ministery of Gods holy and wholsome word: but (alas) al is turned vpsidedowne. Paules doctrine is put apart: Christes commaundement is not regarded: for nothing is heard commonly in the Church, but in a straunge tongue that the people doth nothing vnderstand.

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MarginaliaIgnorance in prayer.Of late all men and women were taught after Christes doctrine, to pray in that tongue which they could vnderstād, that they might pray with hart, that which they should speake with theyr tonge: now (alas) the vnlearned people is brought in that blyndnes againe, to thinke that they pray when they speake with theyr tongue they can not tell what nor whereof: theyr hart is nothing mindefull at all, for that it can vnderstand neuer a whit therof.

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MarginaliaAbuse in the Lordes supper.Of late the Lordes supper was duely ministred and taught to be made common to all that were true christians, with thanks geuing and setting forth of the Lords death and passion, vntil his returning againe to iudge both quicke and dead: but now (alas) the Lords table is quite ouerthrowne, and that which ought to be cōmon to all godly, is made priuate to a few vngodly, without any kinde of thanks geuing, or any setting forth of the Lords death at all that the people is able to vnderstand.  

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MarginaliaThe sacrament turned out of his ryght vse & kind.Of late all that were endued  

with the light and grace of vnderstanding of Goddes holy mysteries, did blesse God which had brought them out of that horrible blindnes and ignoraunce, wherby in times past being seduced by Satans subtelties, they beleued that the sacrament was not the sacrament, but the thing it selfe wherof it is a sacrament: that the creature was the creatour, and that the thing which hath neither life nor sense (alas such was the horrible blindnes) was the Lord him selfe, which made the eye to see, and hath geuen all senses and vnderstanding vnto man: MarginaliaIdolatry in worshipping the creature for the creator.but now (alas) Englād is returned again like a dogge to her owne vomit and spuing, and is in worse case then euer she was: for it had bene better neuer to haue knowne the truth, then to forsake the truth once receiued and knowne: and now, not onely that light is turned into darknes, and gods grace is receiued in vaine, but also lawes of death are made by high court of Parliament, masterfully to mainteine by sworde, fire, and all kind of violence   that haynous Idolatry wherin that adoration is geuen vnto the liueles & dūme creature,   which is onely due vnto the euerliuing God: yea they say they can and do make of bread both man and God, by their trāsubstantiation. O wicked inuention, and Satans owne broode.

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MarginaliaThe cuppe debarred from the ministration of the lords supper.Of late was the Lordes cuppe at his table distributed according to his owne commaundement, by his expresse wordes in hys gospell as well to the laytie as to the clergy, which order Christes church obserued so many hundreth yeres after (as all the auncient ecclesiasticall wryters do testify) without contradiction of any one of them, that can be shewed vnto this day: but now (alas) not only the Lords commaundement is broken, his cuppe is denied to his seruaunts, to whom he commaunded it should be distributed, but also with the same is set vppe a new blasphemous kind of sacrifice to satisfy and pay the price of sinnes both of the dead and of the quicke, to the great and intolerable cōtumely of Christ our Sauyour his death & passion,MarginaliaBlasphemous sacrifice for sinne. which was and is the one onely sufficient & euerlasting auailable sacrifice satisfactory for al þ^e elects of god, frō Adam the first, to the last that shal be borne in the end of the world.  

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Of late that commaundement of God: MarginaliaDeuter. 5Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen Image, nor any similytude or lykenes of any thyng in heauen aboue, or in earth beneath, or in the water vnder tho earth, thou shalt not bow downe to them nor worship them: this commaundement of God (I say) was grauen almost euery where in churches,  

was learned of euery body both yong and old: MarginaliaIdolatry to stockes and stones.wherupon Images that prouoked the simple and ignorant people vnto Idolatry (as the wise man saith) were taken out of the churches, and straitly forbidden that none should any where eyther bowe downe to them, or worship them: but now (alas) Gods holy word is blotted and rased out of churches, and stockes and stones are set vp in the place therof. God commaunded his word so to be ordered, that it might be had in continuall remembrance at all times, and in euery place: and on the other side he forbad Images and Idols so to be either made or set in any place where any should bow or worship them: but now (alas) that which God commaūded, is not passed vpō, and that which he forbiddeth, is masterfully maintained by falshed and craft, and wickedly vpholden.

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Of late al Ministers that were admitted to the publike office and Ministery of Gods holy word, in their admission made a solemne profession before the congregation, that they should teach the people nothing as doctrine necessary to attaine eternal saluation, but that which is gods owne holy word, or may be thereof grounded without any doubt: wherby vanished and melted away of themselues many vaine, yea wicked traditions of man, as waxe before the fire: but now at one brunt  

they are reuiued, and are in full hope all to returne againe, in as great strength as euer they haue bene. And how can any man looke for any other thing, but when you haue receiued the head, you must also receiue the whole body withal, or els how can the head abide? The head, vnder Satan, of all mischief is Antichrist and his broode, and the same is he

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