MarginaliaAn. 1556. Ianuary.amongs you to try you, as though some straunge thing had happened vnto you, but reioyce in as much as ye are pertakers of Christes passions, that when his glory appeareth, ye may be mery and glad. &c. Out of these words of S. Peter I gather most specially these. 4. notes. Marginalia4. Notes.First that the persecution happeneth to Christes church for theyr triall, that is, for the probatiō and proofe of their faith. Which fayth, like as it is knowne with God in the depth of our hartes, so will he haue it made manifest to the whole world thorow persecution, that so it may euidently appeare that he hath such a church and people vpon earth, which so trusteth in him and feareth hys holy name, MarginaliaRom. 8.that no kind of persecution, paynes, nor death shall be able to separate them from the loue of him. And thus was MarginaliaGene. 22.Abraham tried, and MarginaliaIob. 1.Iob tempted, that theyr faith which before lay hid almoste in theyr harts, might be made known to the whole world to be so stedfast and strong, that the deuill, naturall loue, nor no other enemy could be able to bereue them thereof. MarginaliaRom. 9.Whereby also God was to be magnified, who both tryeth his people by many tribulations, & also standeth by them in the middest of their troubles to deliuer them by life or death, as he seeth best: like as he assisted Loth, and deliuered him out of his enemies hands, Ioseph out of the hands of his brethren and out of prison, Marginalia2. Cor. 11.Paule from his enemies in Damasco, and MarginaliaAct. 16.the Apostles out of the stockes and prison. These with many mo he deliuered to life: and also he deliuered MarginaliaGenesis. 4. 2. Macha. 6. Act. 7. Math. 17.Abell, Eleazar, Steuen, and Iohn Baptist, with other many by death, and hath also by the triall of theyr faith made them good presidents and examples to vs & all that come after, to suffer affliction in the like cause, as Sainct Iames sayth: MarginaliaIames. 5. 4.Take, my brethren (sayth he) the Prophets for an ensample of suffering aduersity and of long patience, which spake vnto you in the name of the Lord: behold we count them happy which endure. Ye haue heard of the patience of Iob, and haue knowne what end the Lord made with him, for the Lord is very pitifull and mercifull. Also the Lord tryeth vs, to let vs see our owne hartes and thoughts, that no hypocrisye nor ambition deceiue vs, and that the strong in Christ may pray that he fall not but endure to the end, & that those that fall through fearfull infirmity, might spedely repent and rise againe with Peter, and also that the weake ones might bewaile theyr weakenes, and dry with Dauid: MarginaliaPsal. 6.haue mercy vpon me O Lord, for I am weake: O Lord heale me for all my bones are vexed.

Of this opening of the hart by persecution, spake holy Simeon to Mary Christes mother when he sayd: MarginaliaLuke. 2.the sword, that is, the crosse of persecution shall pearse thy soule, that the thoughts of many harts may be opened. For like as a king that should go to battell, is cōpelled to loke in his cofers what treasure he hath, and also what number and puisance of men and weapons he hath, so that if he see himselfe vnready and vnarmed to bicker with his enemy, he surceaseth and taketh truce for a time: euen so we by persecutions haue our harts opened that we may loke therein to see what fayth in Christ we haue, and what strength to withstand the enemyes, and to beare þ^e crosse, that if we be rich in these treasures, we might reioyce and valiantly go to battell: or if we want these things, with all speede to call and cry vpon him which geueth all good giftes to those that aske them. MarginaliaThe crosse tryeth the good people from the bad.Item, the crosse trieth the good people from the bad, the faithfull from the worldlings and hypocrites, and also clenseth and scoureth the faythfull hartes from all corruption and filthines both of the flesh and the spirite. And euen as yron, except it be oftē scoured, will soone waxe rusty: so except our sinfull harts and flesh be often scoured with the whetstone of the Crosse, they will soone corrupt and ouergrow with the rust of all filthynes and sinne. And therefore it is meete and good for vs (as the wise manMarginaliaSirach. 2. sayth) that as gold and siluer are tried in the fire, so should the harts of acceptable men be tried in the fornace of aduersitye. Abide the trial (deare frendes) that ye may obtaine þ^e crowne of life. Fight manfully in this the Lordes cause, that ye may obtaine a glorious victory here, and receiue a great reward in heauen hereafter. As ye are called Christians, and would be angry to be called Iewes or Turkes, so declare your christianity by folowing þ^e steps of Christ, whose name ye beare: suffer with him and for his gospels sake, rather then to denye him or to defile your fayth and conscience wyth false worshipping or Romish religion.

Take vp your crosse (my deare harts) now when it is offred you, and goe vp with Christ to Ierusalem amongst the Byshops, Priests, and rulers if God call you thereto, and they will anone send you to Caluary: from whence (dying in the cause of the gospel, wherin our good preachers and brethren haue geuen theyr lyues) your soules (I warrant you) through Christ Iesu, shall ascend to God that gaue them,MarginaliaPreach. 12. and the body shall come after at the last day, & so shall ye dwell with the Lord for euer in vnspeakeable ioy and blisse. O blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousnes sake, as Christes people in this Iewish England now doth, for theyrs is the kingdom of heauen. O my beloued, set your minds on this kingdome where Christ our head and king is, cōsidering that as the brute beast loketh downewards with the face towardes the earth, so mā is made contrarywise with his face loking vpward towardes the heauens, because his conuersatiō should be in heauen & heauenly things, and not vpon the earth and earthly thyngs, & S. Paule sayth: MarginaliaCol. 3.set your mind on things which are aboue, where Christ is. And againe he sayth: MarginaliaPhil. 3.our conuersation is in heauen, from whence we loke for our Sauiour, who will chaunge our vile bodyes, and make them like to his gloryous body. Oh the gloryous estate that we be called vnto. The lord preserue vs harmeles to his eternal kingdom through Christ Iesus our Lord, Amen.

MarginaliaThe second note.Persecution no straunge thing in the church.The second thing that I note in the foresaid words of Peter, is, that he calleth persecution no straunge thing. And truth it is: for which of the Prophets were not persecuted with Christ and his Apostles, and some of them in the end cruelly killed for the truthes sake? Caine killed Abel, Isaac was persecuted of Isma-

ell. Iacob was hated of Esau, Ioseph was prisoned and set in the stockes, the Prophet Esay was cut in two with a sawe. Marginalia3. Regum. 4. Regum.Ieremy was stoned, Micheas was buffeted and fed with bread and water, Helias was sore persecuted, Marginalia2. mac. 6. 7.Eleazer, and the woman with her vij. sonnes were cruelly killed. What Christ & the Apostles suffered, it is wel known. So that MarginaliaAct. 14.by many tribulatiōs (as Paul saith) we must enter into the kingdome of heauen. All the holy Prophets, Christ and His Apostles s[illegible text]ffered such afflictions, not for euell doing, but for preaching gods word, for rebuking the world of sinne, and for theyr faith in Iesus Christ. This is the ordinance of God (my frends) this is the high way to heauen, by corporall death to eternall life: as Christ sayth: MarginaliaIohn. 5.he that heareth my words and beleueth in him that sent me, hath eternall life, and shall not come into iudgement, but is escaped from death to life. Let vs neuer feare death, which is killed by Christ, but beleue in him and liue for euer, as Paul sayth: MarginaliaRoman. 8.There is no damnation to them that are in Christ Iesu, which walke not after the fleshe, but after the spirite. And agayne Paule sayth: Marginalia1. Cor. 15.Death where is thy sting? Hell where is thy victory? Thanks be to God which hath geuen vs victory through Iesu Christ. Besides this, MarginaliaExample of Gods Martyrs going before.ye haue seene and daily do see the bloud of your good preachers and brethren which hath bene shed in the gospels cause in this sinfull Sodome, this bloudy Ierusalem, this vnhappy city of London. Let not theyr bloud be forgotten, nor the bloud of your good bishop Ridley, who like a good shepeherd,MarginaliaIohn. 10. to your comfort and example, hath geuen his life for his shepe. S. Paule sayth: MarginaliaHeb. 13.remember them that haue spoken to you the word of God, and loke vpon the ende of theyr conuersation, and folow theyr fayth.

The deuill euer stirreth vp false teachers, as he hath done now ouer al England, as Marginalia2. Pet. 2. 1. Timo. 4. 2. Timo. 3. Iude. 1.Peter, Paule, and Iude prophesied it should be, to poyson and kill our soules with false doctryne. And where he fayleth of his purpose that way, MarginaliaExod. 10.then moueth he his mēbers to persecute the sely carcases of the Sainctes, because they will not deny nor dissemble theyr pure faith in our liuing Christ, and confesse a dead bready Christ, and honour the same as Christ God and man, contrary to gods commaundement.Marginalia1. Iohn. 5. This is the working of Sathan, who knowing his owne iust damnation,Marginalia2. Cor. 10. would all mankind to be pertakers with him of the same: such a mortall hatred beareth he against God and his people. MarginaliaMath. 4.MarginaliaWhen Sathan could not bring Christ to fall downe and worship him, he set the Pharisies to kill him.And therefore when this wycked tempter could not kill Christ with suttell tentation to fall downe and worship him, then he stirred vp his seruaunts the bishops and Parisees to kill his body, wherby notwithstanding the deuill lost his title and enterest which he had to mans soule, and man by hys precious passion and death was raunsomed from the deuill, death and hell, to immortality and life euerlastyng: and so when Sathan thought to haue woon all in killing of Christ, he lost all: and so shal he do in vs if we abide constant and strong in the fayth of our Lord and Sauiour Iesu Christ vnto the end. God graunt it, for hys mercyes sake in Christ. Blessed are all they that put theyr trust in hym, Amen.

Wherfore (my hartely beloued brethren and sisters) be of good comfort through Iesus Christ: for he that is in vs, is stronger thē he that is in the world. Therfore draw ye nere to God, and he will draw nere to you. Resist þ^e deuill and he will (as IamesMarginaliaIames. 2. sayth) flie frō you. Beware of the leuen of the Pharisees.MarginaliaMath. 16. Touch not pitch, least ye be defiled therewith. Eate no swines flesh, for it is agaynst the law: I meane, defile not your selues neither inwardly nor outwardly with this false and wicked religion of Antichrist: for it is nothing els but pitch, and swines flesh. Beware of the beasts marke lest ye drinke of the cup of gods wrath.MarginaliaApo. 13. 14. If God haue geuen you knowledge and fayth, dissemble not therwith. Deny not þ^e knowne verity before men, lest Christ deny you before his father. Come away from Babylon, as MarginaliaApo. 18.Iohn biddeth you, and touch no vncleane thing, but separate your selues from the company of the vngodly, as Marginalia2. Cor. 6.Paule cōmaundeth you. What so euer ye haue done amisse heretofore, now repent and amend, MarginaliaPsal. 129.for with the Lord there is mercy and plenteous redemption.

MarginaliaThe third note.The third thing and note which I gather out of the foresayd words of Peter, is this, that he saith: reioyce because ye are partakers of Christes passions. Our sufferings (my welbeloued) are Christes sufferings: and that iniury that is done to vs for his sake, he reckeneth it to be done to himself, as he sayd to Paule: MarginaliaAct. 9.Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Therfore we ought to MarginaliaCol. 1.reioyce in our sufferings, as Paule wryteth: which we suffer with Christ and one with an other, as Peter sayth, and so to fulfill that which is behind of the passions of Christ in our flesh: which Christ hath by hys passion, fully redeemed and saued vs in his owne person: howbeit his elect must suffer with him and for him vnto the worldes end, that he may be glorified in them, and they thereby corrected and clensed from sinne in this world, and be made more meete temples for the holy ghost, and also obtaine a MarginaliaMat. 5.great reward in heauē for theyr suffering for righteousnes sake, according to his promise. And therefore I say MarginaliaPhil. 3.(my brethren) reioyce in the Lord alwayes, and againe I say reioyce. Let vs reioyce in the MarginaliaGalat. 6.crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ, wherby the word is crucifyed to vs, and we to it.

And why should we so greatly reioyce in the crosse of Christ, which we now suffer? Because (sayth Peter) when his glory appeareth, we may be mery and glad. MarginaliaThe 4. note.And this is the fourth note that I gather out of his wordes aboue written: Wherein is set out the reward of suffering, not to be had in this world: but at his comyng to iudgement when we shall be raised againe, and then shall they that haue sowen in teares, reape in ioy, as Christ sayth: MarginaliaLuke. 6.Blessed are they that weepe here, for they shall laugh. Bleßed are ye when men hate you, and thrust you out of their company, railing on you, and abhorring your name as an euell thing for the sonne of mans sake, reioyce ye in that day & be glad, for your reward is great in heauē.

Wherfore (my dearely beloued) through hope of this heauenly ioy and reward, which he that can not lie hath promised (which ioy