Marginalia1556. Ianuary.is so great that no eare hath heard, no eye hath sene, nor the hart cā thinke, Marginalia* 1. Cor. 2. Marginalia* Heb. 12.where we shall dwell for euer in the heauenly city, the celestiall Ierusalem, in the presence of God the father, & Iesus Christ our Mediatour, as Paule sayth, and in the company of innumerable Angels, and with the spirites and soules of all faithfull and iust men) reioyce and be glad: and seing ye be called to so great glory, see that ye make your election and vocation sure by good workes, and specially by suffering aduersity for the gospels sake: for it is geuen vs of God (sayth Paule) not only to beleue in Christ, but also to suffer for hys sake. Continue in prayer, and pray for me that I may end my course with ioy. Haue brotherly loue amongst your selues, which is a token that ye be Christes disciples. Edfie and comfort one an other in the word of the Lord, and the god of peace and loue be with you alwayes, Amen. Marginalia2. Peter. 1. MarginaliaPhil. 1. Iohn. 14.For your liberality and kindnes shewed vpon the prysoners and afflicted people of God in this time of persecution, the Lord will reward you when he commeth to reward euery man according to their dedes, and will not leaue a cup of cold water bestowed vpon his faithful people,Marginalia1. Math. 10. 2. Cor. 8. vnrewarded. God make you rich in all grace, that ye alwayes hauing sufficient, may be rich vnto all manner of good workes. The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ, the loue of God, and the felowship of the holy ghost be with you alwayes, Amen.

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Your brother now in bondes for the
gospell, Thomas Whittel.

MarginaliaAnother letter of Thomas Whittell.THe same faith for the which Abraham was accounted iust and Mary blessed, whereby also all iust men liue, the Lord God our louing father encrease and stablish in you and me, to the obtaining of eternall life in our alone and swete Sauiour IESVS CHRIST, Amen.

I can not worthely and sufficiently prayse God (my hartely beloued brother) for the consolation and ioy that I receyued by reason of your louing letters, repenting me much that I being so long so neare you, did not enterpryse to stirre vp familiarity and communication betwene vs by wryting, to mutuall consolation in Christ. For what is there vpon earth wherein to reioyse (where all things are transitory and vayne, yea man him selfe, respecting this lyfe) but, as Dauid sayth, MarginaliaPsalm. 16.the Saintes that dwell vpon the earth, and such as excell in vertue? But here now I consider, that if the fellowship, loue, and ioy of faithfull mē and children of god being as we now be in double bondage, the body within clay walles, and the soule within these frayle earthly bodies, be so great and comfortable: how vnspeakeble will those ioyes be, when we shall be deliuered from all corruption into the glorious liberty of the sonnes of God?MarginaliaThe societie of Sainctes. Where we shall be present together continually in our glorified bodyes, beholding the face of our father presently (whom now wee see but in the glasse of fayth) with his deare sonne CHRIST our redeemer and brother, and the blessed company of Aungels and all faythfull saued soules?

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Oh the incomperable good things and heauenly treasures layd vp for vs in heauen by CHRIST IESV. For the obtayning whereof, we ought to set light by all temporall greefes and transitory afflictions so much the more, in that our good God is faythfull and will not suffer vs to be tempted aboue our strēgth, and that namely in the end of our lyfe, when the tree where it falleth, lyeth still, as the preacher sayth: MarginaliaEccle. 11.when euery one, causa sua dormit & causa sua resurget:  

for els before the end he suffereth his sometyme to fall, but not finally to perish: as Peter sincked vpon the sea, but yet was not drowned, and sinned greuously vpon the land through infirmity denying his Master, but yet found mercy: for the righteous faileth oftentymes. And CHRISTES holy Apostels are taught to say, remitte nobis debita nostra.  

Latin/Greek Translations     Close

Thomas Whittell, citing St. Matthew 6, 12.

Foxe text Latin

remitte nobis debita nostra

Foxe text translation

Not translated.

Translation (Wade 2003)

Release us from our dues.

Actual text of St. Matthew, 6. 12. (Vulgate)

et dimitte nobis debita nostra.

[Accurate citation, except fordimitteforremitte.]

MarginaliaGods saintes suffered sometimes to fall, but not finally to perish. Yea though the righteous fall, sayth Dauid, hee shall not bee cast away for the Lord vpholdeth hym with his hand. Oh the bottomles mercy of god towards vs miserable sinners. He vouchsafe to plant in my hart true repentance and fayth, to the obtaining of remission of all my sinnes in the merices of God and merites of CHRIST his sonne, and thereto I pray you say, Amen.

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Oh my hartely beloued, it greeueth me to see þ^e spoile & hauocke that Saule maketh with the congregation of CHRIST: but what remedy? This is Gods will & ordinance, that his people shall here both be punished in the flesh, & tryed in their fayth, as it is written: Many are the troubles of the righteous, but the Lord deliuereth thē out of all: for by a strait path & narow dore must we enter. Whether? Into þ^e ioyfull kingdome of heauen: therefore blessed are you, & other that suffer persecutiō for CHRISTES sake, for the possessing of þ^e same. Pray for me & my felowes (good brother) that we may fyght a good fyght, that we may

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kepe the fayth, and end our course with ioyfull gladnes, for now the tyme of our deliueraunce is at hand. The Lord guyde, defend, and kepe vs and you, and all hys people in our iourney, that we may safely through a short death, passe to that long lasting lyfe.

Farewell my deare and louing brother and fellowe souldiour in CHRIST: farwell (I say) in him: who receiue our soules in peace when they shal depart from these tabernacles, and he graunt vs a ioyfull resurrection, and a mery meeting at the last day, and continuall dwelling together in his eternall heauenly kingdome, through IESVS CHRIST our Lord, Amen.

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Yours with my pore prayer, other pleasure can I
do you none, Thomas Whittell Minister.

MarginaliaAn other letter of Thomas Whittell to certeine of hys friendes.MY deare and welbeloued brethren in CHRIST, M. Filles and Cutbert, I wish you all welfare of soule and body. MarginaliaWelfare of soule.Welfare to the soule, is repentaunce of sinne, faithfull affiance in CHRIST IESVS, and a godly life. MarginaliaWelfare of body.Welfare to the body, is the health of the same, with all necessary thinges for this bodely life. The soule of man is immortall, and therfore ought to be wel kept, lest immortalitie to ioy, should turne to immortalitie of sorow. As for the body, be it neuer so well kept and much made of, yet shortely by nature will it perish and decay. But those that are engraffed & incorporated into CHRIST by true faith, feelyng the motion of Gods holy spirite, as a pledge of their election and enheritaunce, excityng and stirryng them, not onely to seeke heauenly thyngs, but also to hate vice, & embrace vertue, will not onely do those thinges, but also if neede require, MarginaliaMat. 26. Mar. 14.will gladly take vp their crosse and folow their Captaine, their kyng, and their Sauiour IESVS CHRIST (as hys poore afflicted Church of England now doth) agaynst that false and Antichristian doctrine and Religion now vsed, and specially that blasphemous Masse, wherein CHRISTES Supper and holy ordinaunce is altogether peruerted and abused contrary to hys institution,MarginaliaLuc. 22. and to PaulesMarginalia2. Cor. 11. procedyngs: so that, that which they haue in their Masse is neither Sacrament of CHRIST, nor yet sacrifice for sinne,MarginaliaNo sacrifice in the masse is to to be made for sinne. as the Priestes falsely pretend. It is a Sacrament, that is, as S. Augustine saith, a visible signe of inuisible grace, when it is ministred to the communicantes accordyng to CHRISTES exāple, and as it was of late yeares in this realme. And as for sacrifice, there is none to be made now for sinne: MarginaliaHeb. 9. 10.for CHRIST with one sacrifice hath perfited for euer those that are sanctified.

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Beware of false Religion and mens vayne traditiōs, and serue God with reuerēce and godly feare, accordyng to the doctrine of his Gospell, whereto cleaue ye that ye may be blessed, MarginaliaLuke. 11.though of wicked mē ye be hated and accursed. Rather drinke of the cup of CHRIST with hys Church, MarginaliaApo. 18.then of the cup of that rosecoloured whore of Babylon, which is full of abominations. Rather striue ye to go to heauē by the path which is strait to flesh and bloud, with the litle flocke, then to go the wyde way, folowyng the enticementes of the world and þ^e flesh, which leadeth to damnation. Lyke as MarginaliaPet. 4. 3.CHRIST suffered in the flesh, sayth S. Peter, so arme ye your selues with the same mind: for CHRIST suffered for vs, leuyng vs example to folow his footesteppes. Blessed are they that suffer for his sake, great is their reward in heauen. MarginaliaApo. 2. 3.He that ouercommeth (sayth S. Iohn,) shall eate of the tree of lyfe: he shall haue a crowne of lyfe, and not be hurt of the second death: he shalbe clothed with white aray, and not be put out of the booke of lyfe: Yea I will confesse his name sayth CHRIST, before my father, and before hys Aungels, and he shalbe a piller in þ^e house of God, and sit with me on my seate. And thus I byd you farewell, myne owne brethren and deare felowes in CHRIST. Whose grace and peace be alway with you, Amen.

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This world I do forsake:
To Christ I me betake,
And for his Gospell sake,
Paitently death I take.

My body to the dust
Now to returne it must:
My soule I know full well,
VVwith my God it shall dwell.

Thomas Whittell.

MarginaliaAn other letter of Tho. Whittell to a godly woman.OH my deare and louing sister in CHRIST, be not dismayde in this storme of persecution, for Paule calleth the Gospel the word of the crosse, because it is neuer truly taught, but the crosse and cruell persecution immedi-