MarginaliaAn. 1555. December.who answered the magistrates as we oughte to do in this case, not obeying theyr wicked preceptes, saying: MarginaliaActes. 4.Iudge you vvhether it bee more righteous that vvee shoulde obey men rather then God. Also, MarginaliaDaniel. 6.Daniel chose rather to bee caste into the denne of Lions to be deuoured, then to obey the kings wicked commaundements. MarginaliaMath. 15.If the blinde lead the blinde, both fall into the ditch. There is no excuse for the transgression of gods word, whether a man doe it voluntarily or at commaundement, although great damnation is to them, by whom the offence commeth. Some other there be that for an extreme refuge in their euill doings, doe run to gods predestination and election, saying: that if I be elected of God to saluation, I shalbe saued, whatsoeuer I do. MarginaliaAgainst such as sinne wilfully vpō hope of election.But such be great tempters of God & abominable blasphemers of gods holy election, and cast them selues downe from the pinacle of the temple in presumption, that God may preserue them by his angels through predestination. Such verily may recken themselues to be none of gods elect children, that will do euil that good may ensue: MarginaliaRom. 3.whose damnation is iust, as S. Paule sayth. Gods predestination and electiō ought to be with a simple eye considered, to make vs more warely to walke in good and godly conuersation according to Gods word, and not to set cocke in the hoope, & put all on gods backe to do wickedly at large: for the elect children of God must walke in righteousnes & holines after that they be once called to true knowledge: For so sayth S. Paul to the Ephesians: MarginaliaEphe. 1.that God hath chosen vs before the foundations of the world were layd, that we should be holy and blameles in his sight. Therefore S. Peter Marginalia2. Peter. 1.willeth vs through good works to make our vocation and election certaine to our selues, which we know not but by the good working of gods spirit in vs, according to the rule of the gospell: and he that conformeth not himself to the same in godly conuersation, may iustly tremble and doubt that he is none of the elect children of God, but of the viperous generation, and a child of darkenes. For the children of light will walke in the workes of light and not of darkenes:MarginaliaProuerb. 24. though they fall, they do not lie still.

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Let all vaine excusations be set a part, and whiles ye haue light, as CHRIST commaūdeth, MarginaliaIohn. 12.beleue the light and abide in the same, lest eternal darknes ouertake you vnwares. MarginaliaIohn. 3.The light is come into the world, but (alas) men loue darknes more then the light. God geue vs his pure eiesalue to heale our blindnes in this behalf. O that men and women would be healed, and not seeke to be wilfully blinded. MarginaliaHeb. 6. 10.The Lord open theyr eyes, that they may see how daungerous a thing it is to decline from the knowledge of truth, contrary to their conscience. But what said I conscience? MarginaliaLarge conscience.many affirme their conscience will beare them well enough to do all that they do, and to goe to the Idolatrous Church to seruice: whose conscience is very large to satisfy man more than God. And although their conscience can beare them so to doe, yet I am sure that a good conscience will not permit them so to do: which can not be good vnlesse it be directed after the knowledge of Gods word: and therfore in Latin this feling of mind is called Conscientia, which soundeth  

by interpretation, as much as with knowledge.

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And therfore if our conscience be led of her selfe, and not after true knowledge, yet we are not so to be excused, as S. Paule beareth witnes, saying: Marginalia1. Cor. 4.although my conscience accuseth me not, yet in this I am not iustified. Marginalia1. Tim. 1.And he ioyneth a good cōscience with these 3. Sisters, charity, a pure hart, and vnfained fayth. Marginalia
Charitie.
Pure hart.
Faith vnfained.MarginaliaGood conscience.Charitie kepeth gods commaūdements, a pure hart loueth and feareth God aboue all, and vnfained fayth is neuer ashamed of the profession of the gospell, what soeuer damage she shall suffer in body thereby. The Lord which hath reuealed his holy wil vnto vs by his word, graunt vs neuer to be ashamed of it, and geue vs grace so earnestly to cleaue to his holy word and true Church, that for no manner of worldly respecte we become partakers of the workes of hypocrisie, which God doth abhorre: so that we may be found faithfull in the Lordes Testament to the end both in hart, word, and dede, to the glory of God and ouer euerlasting saluation, Amen.

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Iohn Philpot prisoner in the kings
Benche for the testimony of the
truth. 1555.

MarginaliaAn other letter of M. Philpot to Iohn Careles.MY dearely beloued brother Careles, I haue receiued your louing letters full of loue and compassion, in

so much that they made my hard hart to wepe, to see you so carefull for one that hath bene so vnprofitable a member as I haue bene & am in CHRISTES church. God make me worthy of that I am called vnto, & I pray you cease not to pray for me, but cease to weepe for hym who hath not deserued such gentle teares: and praise God with me, for that I now approch to the company of them, whose want you may worthely lament: God geue your pitifull hart his inward consolation. In dede my deare Careles, I am in this world in hell, and in the shadow of death: but he that hath brought me for my desertes downe vnto hell, shall shortly lift me vp to heauen, where I shal loke continually for your comming and others my faithfull brethren in the kings Bench. And though I tell you that I am in hell in the iudgement of this world, yet assuredly I feele in the same, MarginaliaExperiēce of the lords comfort in trouble.the consolation of heauen, I praise God: and this lothsome & horrible prison is as pleasant to me, as the walke in the garden of the kings Bench.

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You know brother Careles, that the way to heauen out of this life, is very narrow, and we must striue to enter in at a narrow gate. If God do mitigate the ouglenes of mine imprisoment, what wil he do in the rage of þ^e fire whereunto I am appointed? MarginaliaExample of Christes comfort to be taken by M. Philpot.And this hath happened vnto me that I might be hereafter an ensample of comfort, if the like happen vnto you or to any other of my deare brethren with you in these cruell dayes, in the which the deuil so rageth at the faithful flocke of CHRIST, but in vaine (I trust) against any of vs, who be persuaded that neither life neither death is able to separate vs from the loue of CHRISTES gospell, which is gods high treasure committed to our brittle vessels to glorify vs by the same. God of his mercy make vs faithfull stewardes to the end, & geue vs grace to feare nothing whatsoeuer in his good pleasure we shall suffer for the same.

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That I haue not written vnto you erst,  

the cause is our strait   keping and the want of light by night, for the day serueth vs but a while in our darke closet. This is the first letter that I haue written since I came to prison,   besides the report of mine examinations, and I am faine to scrible it out in hast.

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Commend me to all our faythfull brethren, and byd them with a good courage looke for theyr redemption, & frame thē selues to be harty souldiours in CHRIST. They haue taken his prest money  

a great while, and now let them shew them selues ready to serue him faithfully, and not to flie out of the Lords campe into the world, as many do. Let them remēber that in the ApocalypsMarginaliaApoc. 21. the fearful be excluded the kingdome. Let vs be of good cheare for our Lord ouercame the world, that we should doe the like. Blessed is the seruaunt whom when the Lord commeth, he findeth watching. O let vs watch and pray earnestly one for an other, that we be not led into temptatiō. Be ioyfull vnder the crosse, and praise the Lord continually, for this is the whole burnt sacrifice which the Lord chiefly delighteth in. Commend me to my father Hunt, and desire him to loue & continue in the vnity of CHRISTES true church, which he hath begon, and then shall he make me more & more to ioy vnder my cross wyth him. Tell my brother Clements that he hath cōforted me much by his louing token in signification of an vnfained vnitie with vs:   let him encrease my ioy vnto the ende perfectly. The Lord of peace be with you all. Salute all my louing frendes, M. Mering, M. Crooch. with the rest, and specially M. Marshal and his wife, with great thankes for his kindnes shewed vnto me. Fare wel my deare Careles. I haue dalyed with the Deuill a while, but now I am ouer the shooes:   God send me wel out.

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Out of the Colehouse by your
brother Iohn Philpot.

Marginalia
An other letter of M. Philpot to the same party.
To this letter Careles maketh very godly answere, which you shall see after in hys story.THe God of all comfort, and the father of our Lord JESVS CHRIST, sēd vnto thee my deare brother Careles, the inward consolation of his holy spirite, in all the malicious assaultes and troublous temptations of our common aduersary the Deuill, Amen.

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That God geueth you so contrite a hart for your sinnes, I can not but reioyce to behold the liuely marke of the children of God, whose propertie is to thinke more lowly and vily of them selues, then of any other, and ofen times do set theyr sinnes before them, that they might the more be stirred to bring forth the fruits of repentāce, and learne to mourne in this world, that in an other they

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