Marginalia1555. October.whom God hath appointed of his infinite goodnes, and hath geuen him grace and strength, stoutly to confesse him and his truth before the world. And to haue grace and strength to confesse Christ and the doctrine of the crosse, and to lament and mourne for the abominations of Antichrist, I suppose is to be signed with Tau, wherof Ezechiell the Prophet doth speake. Thus I suppose these prophesies are spiritually to be vnderstanded: and to loke for other corporall markes to be seene in mens forheads or in theyr hands, is nothing els but to loke that there should come some brute Beast out of Babylon, or some Elephant, Leopard, Lyon, or Camell, or some other such monstrous beast with. x. hornes, that should do all the wonderfull things spoken in Ihon: and yet of a Beast speaketh Ihon, but I vnderstand him so to be called, not for that he shalbe any such brute Beast, but for that he is, and shalbe the child of perdition, which for his cruelty and beastly maners is well called a Beast.

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MarginaliaThe literall taking of the Scripture, made the Iewes infidels.The carnal Iewes knew there was a promise made that Helias should come before Christ þ^e Messias the anointed of God, to prepare his wayes: they knew also there was a promise of Messias, that he should come and be a king, & raigne in the house of Dauid for euermore, but they vnderstode all so grosly and so carnally, that they neither knew Helias nor Messias when they came, for they loked for Helias to come downe from heauen in his owne person, and for Messias to come and raigne in worldly pompe, power, riches, and glory, when as the prophesies of both were spiritually to haue bene vnderstanded: of Helias that he should come, not in person but in spirit, that is, one which should be indued with the spirite and giftes of grace of Helias, which was in deede Ihon Baptist, as Christ himselfe did declare to his Apostles. And of Messias raigne, all the Prophets were to be vnderstanded of the raigne of his spirituall kingdome ouer the house of Iacob, and the true Israelites for euermore. And so by that theyr grosse and carnall vnderstanding, they mistake both Helias and the true Messias, and when they came, knew neither of them both. So likewise I feare me (nay it is certaine) the world that wanteth the light of the spirite of God (for þ^e world is not able to receiue him, saith Iohn) neither doth, nor shall know the Beast nor his markes, though he rage cruelly, and liue neuer so beastly,MarginaliaThe Popes marked men. and though his marked men be in number like the sand of the sea. The Lord therfore vouchsafe to open the eyes of the blind with the light of grace, that they may see and perceiue, and vnderstand the words of God after the minde of his spirite, Amen.

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Here remaineth two obiections, which may seeme waighty, & the which may peraduenture moue many not to folow the former counsell.MarginaliaCarnall obiections answered. The former reason is: A man wil say, Oh sir it is no smal matter ye speake of, to depart from a mans owne natiue countrey into a straunge realme. Many men haue so great lettes,  

as how is it possible that they can or may doe so? some haue lands and possessions which they can not cary with them: some haue father, mother, wife, children, and kinsfolke, from whom to depart is as hard a thing (and al one almost) as to suffer death, and to go to a straūge countrey that thou knowest not, neither the maner of the people, nor how thou maist away either with the people or the countrey. Oh what a hard thing is it to liue among a straunge people, whose tongue thou dost not vnderstand. &c.

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I graunt here thou maist heape a number of worldly incommodities, which are surely very like to ensue the departure out of a mans owne natiue countrey, I meane out of the whole realme into a straunge land: but what of al these and a thousand moe of the like sort? I will set vnto them one saying of our Sauiour Christ, which vnto the faithfull childe of God and to the true Christian, is able to counteruaile all these, yea and to way them downe. Christ our Sauiour sayth in Luke: If any come to me and do not hate his father and mother (he meaneth, and wil not in his cause forsake his father and mother) his wife, children, and brethren, yea and his life to, he cannot be my disciple: and whosoeuer doth not beare his crosse and come after me, he cannot be my disciple. And in the same place he declareth by two parables, one of a builder, and the other of a king that is a warrier, that euery man that will not in Christes cause forsake all that euer he hath, he can not be his disciple. Loke the place who will: the matter is so plainely set forth, that no gloses nor cloking of conscience to the man of God, can serue to the cōtrary. Many places there be for the same purpose, for the imbrasing of Christes crosse when Christ & his cause layeth it vpō our backe: but this is so plaine that I nede here to rehearse no more.

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The latter reason and obiection whereof I spake before, is of more force, and includeth a necessity which, after the common saying, hath no law, and therefore it is more hard to shape for it a good answer.MarginaliaThe other worldly obiection answered. This may be obiected of some: Alas sir I graunt all these things doe greue me, and because I vnderstand they doe not agree with gods word, which is the rule of my conscience, I loth eyther to loke on them, or to heare them. But sir (alas) I am an impotent man, an aged man, a sicke man, a lame mā, or I haue so many small infants and a lame wife, which all liueth by my labour, and by my prouision: if I leaue them, they shall sterue, and I am not able to cary them with me, such is my state. Alas sir, what shall I doe? And these causes may chaunce to some men of God, wherby either it shall be for them vtterly impossible to depart the countrey, or els in departing, they shall be inforced to forsake such in extreme necessities, of whom both God and nature hath committed vnto them the care.

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Alas what counsel is here to be geuen? O lamentable state. O sorowfull hart that neither can depart, and without extreme daunger and perill, is not able to tary still. And these are they whom our Sauiour Christ saw before should be, and called them in his Prophesy of the latter time, great bellyed or trauelling women, & women that geue, after they be brought to bed, theyr small babes sucke. The state of such as are not able to flie the infectiō of the pestiferous plague of Antichristes abominations, Christ lamenting and not cursing, saith: VVo be to the great bellyed and trauelling wo-

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men, and vvomen that geue sucke in those dayes. For these alas my hart mourneth the more, the lesse I am able to geue any comfortable counsaile but this: that alwayes, as they loke for euerlasting life, they abide still in the confession of his truth, whatsoeuer shall befall, and for the rest to put theyr trust now wholy in God, which is able to saue them against all apparaunce: MarginaliaA lesson to trust to the Lord, who is alwayes a helpe in extreme time of neede.and commonly in extremities, when all worldly comfort fayleth, and the daūger is at highest, then vnto his he is wont, after his accustomed mercy, to be most ready for to put his helping hand. Daniell God suffered to be cast into the denne of Lyons, and the three children into the hotte burning fornace, and yet he saued them all. Paule was plucked out of the mouth of the Lyon (as he sayth of himself) & in Asia he was brought in such trouble, that he loked for no other thing, but for present death, and yet he that raiseth þ^e dead to life againe, did bryng him out of all his troubles, and taught hym and all other that be in troubles for Christes cause, not to trust to themselues but in almighty God.

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Of gods gracious aide in extreme perils toward them that put theyr trust in him, all scripture is full both olde and newe. MarginaliaExample of gods redy helpe in extreme perils.What dāgers were the Patriarks often brought vnto, as Abraham, Isaac and Iacob, but of all other Ioseph, and how mercifully were they deliuered againe? In what perils was Moises whē he was faine to flie for the sauegard of his life? And when was he sent againe to deliuer the Israelites from the seruile bondage? Not before they were brought into extreme misery. And when did the Lord mightely deliuer his people from Pharao his sword? Not before they were brought in such straytes that they were so compassed on euery side (the maine sea on the one side, & the mayne host on the other) that they could loke for none other (yea what did they els in deede loke for?) but either to haue bene drowned in the sea, or elles to haue fallen on the edge of Pharao his sword. These iudges, which wrought most wōderfull things in the deliuery of the people, were euer geuen when the people was brought to most misery before: as Othoniel, Atoth, Saugar, Gedeon, Iephthe, Samson. And so was Saul indued with strength and boldnes from aboue, agaynst the Ammonites, Philistines, and Amalechites for the defence of þ^e people of God. Dauid likewise felt gods helpe most sensibly euer in his extreme persecutions. What shall I speake of the Prophets of God, whom God suffered so oft to be brought into extreme perils, and so mightely deliuered them againe: as Helias, Ieremy, Daniell, Micheas, and Ionas, and many other, whom it were but to long to rehearse and set out at large? And did the Lord vse his seruants otherwise in the new law after Christes incarnation? Read the actes of the Apostles, and you shall see no. Were not the Apostles cast into prison, and brought out by the mighty hand of God? Did not the Angell deliuer Peter out of the strong prison, & bryng him out by the yron gates of the City, and set him free? And when, I pray you? Euen the same night before Herod appointed to haue brought him in iudgement for to haue slaine him, as he had a little before killed Iames the brother of Ihon. Paule and Silas, when after they had bene sore scourged, and were put into the inner pryson, and there were layd fast in the stockes, I pray you what apparance was there that the Magestrates should be glad to come the next day themselues to them, to desire them to be content and to depart in peace? Who prouided for Paule, that he should be safely cōducted out of all daunger, and brought to Felix the Emperours deputy, when as both the high priests, the Phariseys, and rulers of the Iewes had conspired to require iudgement of death agaynst him, MarginaliaExamples of gods deliuerance.he being fast in pryson, and also more then. xl. men had sworne eche one to other þ^t they would neuer eate nor drinke vntil they had slaine Paule? A thing wonderful, that no reason could haue inuented, or man could haue loked for: God prouided Paule his owne sisters sonne a yong man, that disapointed that conspiracy, & all theyr former coniuration. The maner how the thing came to passe, thou mayst read in the. xxiij. of the Actes.MarginaliaAct. 23. I wil not be tedious vnto thee here with the rehersall therof.

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Now, to descend from the Apostles to the martyrs that folowed next in Christes church, and in them likewise to declare howe gracious our good God euer hath bene to worke wōderfully with them which in his cause haue bene in extreme perils, it were a matter enough to wryte a long boke. I will here name but one man & one womā, that is, Athanasius  

the great clarke & godly man stoutly standing in Christes cause against the Arrians,   & that holy woman Blandina,   standing so constantly in all extreme paines, in the simple cōfession of Christ. If thou wilt haue examples of moe, loke and thou shalt haue both these and a. C. moe in Ecclesiastica historia of Eusebius, and in Tripartita historia.

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But for all these examples both of holy scripture, and of other historyes, I feare me the weake man of God incombred with the frailty and infirmity of the flesh, will haue now and then such thoughts and quawmes (as they cal them) to runne ouer his hart, and to thinke thus: All these things which are rehearsed out of the scripture, I beleue to be true, and of the rest truely I doe thynke well, and can beleue thē also to be true: but all these we must nedes graunt were speciall miracles of God, whych now in our dayes are ceased we see, and to require them at gods hands, were it not to tempt God?

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Welbeloued brother, I graunt such were great wonderfull workes of God, and we haue not seene many of such miracles in our time, either for that our sight is not cleareMarginaliaGod worketh great myracles in our time, although euery man doth not see them. (for truly god worketh with his, his part in all times) or elles because we haue not the like fayth of them for whose cause God wrought such things: or because, after that he had set forth the truth of his doctrine by such miracles then sufficiently, the time of so many miracles to be done was expired withll. Which of these is the most speciall cause of al others, or whether there be any other, God knoweth: I leaue that to God. But know thou this my welbeloued in God, þ^t gods hand is as strong as euer it was, he may doe what his gracious pleasure is, and he is as good and gracious as euer he was. Man chaungeth as the garment doth, but God our heauenly father is

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