MarginaliaAn. 1555. December.Thus hast thou (gentle reader) the life and doinges of this learned and worthy souldiour of the Lord, Iohn Philpot, with all his examinations that came to our hands, first penned & written with hys owne hād, MarginaliaThe writings and examinations of M. Ioh. Philpot by the meruailous prouidence of almighty God preserued.being maruelously reserued from the sight and handes of his enemies: who by all maner meanes sought not onely to stoppe him from all wryting, but also to spoile and depriue him of that which he had written. For the which cause he was many times stripped and searched in the prisō of his keper: but yet so happely these hys wrytings were conueyed and hid in places about him, or els hys kepers eyes so blinded, that notwithstanding all this malicious purpose of the Bishops, they are yet remayning and haue come to light.

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MarginaliaA godly prayer to be sayd at the time of Martyrdome.MErcifull God and father, to whom our Sauiour CHRIST approched in his feare and neede by reason of death,and found comfort: Gracious God and most bounteous CHRIST, on whom Steuen called in his extreme nede, and receiued strength: Most benigne holy spirit, which in the middest of all crosses and death, diddest comfort the Apostle S. Paule, with more consolations in Christ, then he felt sorrowes and terrours, haue mercy vpon me miserable, vile, and wretched sinner, which now draw nere the gates of death, deserued both in soule and body eternally, by reason of manifold, horrible, old, and new transgreßions, which to thine eyes (O Lord) are open and knowne. Oh be mercifull vnto me, for the bitter death and bloudsheding of thine owne only sonne IESVS CHRIST. And though thy iustice doe require (in respect of my sinnes) that now thou shouldest not heare me, measuring me with the same measure I haue measured thy maiesty, contemning thy daily calles: yet let thy mercy which is aboue al thy workes, and wherwith the earth is filled, let thy mercy (I say) preuaile towards me, through, and for the mediatiō of CHRIST our Sauiour. For whose sake in that it hath pleased thee to bring me forth now as one of his witnesses, and a record bearer of thy veritye and truth taught by him, to giue my life therfore (to which dignity I do acknowledge deare God, that there was neuer any so vnworthy & so vnmete, no not the theefe that hanged with him on the crosse): I most humbly therfore pray thee that thou wouldest, accordingly aide, helpe, and aßist me with thy strength and heauenly grace, that with CHRIST thy sonne I may finde cōfort, with Steuen I may see thy presence and gracious power, and Paule and all others which for thy names sake haue suffred afflictiō & death, I may find so presēt with me thy gracious cōsolations, that I may by my death glorify thy holy name, propagate & ratifie thy veritie, cōfort the harts of the heauy, confirme thy church in thy veritie, conuert some that are to be conuerted, and so depart forth of this miserable world, where I do nothing but daily heape sinne vpō sinne, and so enter into the fruitiō of thy blessed mercy: wherof now geue and encrease in me a liuely trust, sense, and feling, wherthrough the terrors of death, the torments of fire, the panges of sinne, the dartes of Sathan, and the dolours of hell may neuer depresse me, but may be driuen away through the working of that most gracious spirite: which now plenteously endue me withall, that thorow the same spirite I may offer (as now I desire to do in CHRIST and by him) my self wholy soule and body, to be a liuely sacrifice, holy and acceptable in thy sight. Deare father, whose I am, and alwayes haue bene, euen from my mothers wombe, yea euen before the world was made, to whom I commend my selfe, soule and body, family, and frendes, countrey, and all the whole Church, yea euen my very enemies, according to thy good pleasure, beseching thee entirely to geue once more to this realme of England,MarginaliaHe prayeth for restoring of the Gospell and peace in England. the bleßing of thy word againe, with godly peace, to the teaching and setting forth of the same. Oh deare father, now geue me grace to come vnto thee. Purge and so purifye me by this fire in CHRISTES death and paßion through thy spirite, that I may be a burnt offering of swete smell in thy sight, which liuest and raignest with the sonne and the holy ghost, now and euermore world without end, Amen. I. B.

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MarginaliaA letter of M. Philpot to the congregation.It is a lamentable thing to beholde at this present in England, the faithles departing both of men and women from the true knowledge and vse of CHRISTES syncere religion, which so plentifully they haue bene taught and do know, theyr owne consciences bearing witnes to the veritie thereof. If that earth be cursed of God, MarginaliaHeb. 6.which eftsones  

receiuing moisture and pleasant dewes frō heauen, doth not bring forth fruite accordingly: how much more greuous iudgement shall such persons receyue, which hauing receiued from the father of heauen the perfite knowledge of his word by the mynistery thereof, do not shew forth gods worship after the same? MarginaliaMat. 29.If the Lord will require in the day of iudgement a godly vsury of all maner of talents which he sendeth vnto men and womē: how much more will he require þ^e same of his pure religion reueled vnto vs (which is of all other talentes the chiefest and most pertaining to our excercise in this life) if we hide þ^e same in a napkin and set it not forth to the vsury of gods glory, and edifying of his Church by true confession? God hath kindled the bright light of his gospell, which in times past was suppressed and hyd vnder the vile ashes of mans traditions, and hath caused the brightnes therof the shine in our harts, to the end that the same might shine before men to the honour of his name.MarginaliaMath. 5. It is not only geuen vs to beleue, but also to cōfess and declare what we beleue in our outward cōuersation. For as S. Paul wryteth to the Romaines: MarginaliaRom. 10.The beliefe of the hart iustifieth, and to acknowledge with the mouth, maketh a man safe. It is all one before God, not to beleue at all, and not to shew forth the liuely workes of our belief. For CHRIST sayth: MarginaliaMath. 11.Eyther make the tree good & his fruits good, or els make the tree euil and the fruits euil, because a good tree bryngeth forth good fruits: MarginaliaLuke. 12.so that the person which knoweth hys masters wil and doth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes. And not all they which say lord lord, MarginaliaMath. 7.shall enter into the kingdome of God, but he that doth the will of the father. And MarginaliaLuke. 9.whosoeuer in the time of triall is ashamed of me (sayth Christ) and of my words, of him the sonne of man will be ashamed before his father. After that we haue built our selues into the true church of God, it hath pleased him by geuing vs ouer into the hāds of the wicked Sinagoges, to proue our building, and to haue it knowne as well to the world as to our selues, that we haue bene wise builders into the true church of God vpon the rocke,MarginaliaMath. 7. and not on the sande, and therefore now the tempest is risen, and the stormes doe mightely blow against vs, that we might notwithstanding stand vpright and be firme in the Lord, to his honour and glory, and to our eternall felicitie. There is no new thing happened vnto vs, for with such tempests and dangerous weathers the church of God hath continually bene exercised. Now once againe as the Prophet Aggeus telleth vs: MarginaliaAggeus. 2.The lord shaketh the earth, that those might abide for euer, which be not ouerthrowne.

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Therfore my dearely beloued, be stable & immoueable in the word of God, & in the faithfull obseruation therof, & let no mā deceiue you with vayne wordes: saying, that you may kepe your faith to your selues, and dissēble with Antichrist, and so liue at rest and quietnes in the world, as most men doe, yelding to necessitie. Marginalia
Wisdome of the flesh not to be harkened vnto.
Rom 8. 1. Cor. 6.This is the wisedome of the flesh, but the wisedome of the flesh is death and enmitie to God, as our Sauiour for ensample aptly did declare in Peter,MarginaliaMath. 16. who exhorted CHRIST not to goe to Ierusalem to celebrate the passeouer & there to be slaine, but counselled him to loke better to himselfe.

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Likewise the world would not haue vs to forsake it, neither to associate our selues to the true Church which is the body of CHRIST, whereof we are liuely members, and to vse the sacraments after gods word, wyth the dāger of our liues. MarginaliaHeb. 11. Psal. 116.But we must learne to answer þ^e world, as CHRIST did Peter, and say: go beind me Sathan, thou sauourest not the things of God. Shall I not drinke of the cuppe which the father geueth me? For it is better to be afflicted and to be slaine in the church of God, then to be counted þ^e sonne of the king in the Sinagoge of false religion. MarginaliaDeath for righteousnes bringeth felicity.Death for righteousnes is not to be abhorred, but rather to be desired, which assuredly bringeth with it the crowne of euerlasting glory. These bloudy executioners doe not persecute CHRISTES Martyrs, but crowne them with euerla-

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