Marginalia1556. Aprill.you, and send vs a ioyfull meetyng in the kyngdome of heauen: vnto the which God bryng you al, Amen. Thus now I take my leaue of you for euer in this world, except I be burned amongest you, which thyng is vncerteine vnto me as yet.  

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Tyms is saying that while he has been condemned to death he doesn't know the date when his execution will take place.

By me your poorest and most vnwor-
thy brother in CHRIST, W. Tyms
in Newgate the xij. day of Aprill, con-
demned to die for CHRISTES veritie.

¶ An other letter of William Tyms geuing thankes to his Parishners for their charity shewed to hys wyfe being brought to bed of a chylde in his captiuitie.  

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In a letter written on 7 September 1555, Tyms referred to his infant son Amos. This letter must have been written before that letter.

MarginaliaAn other letter of W. Tyms to the faithfull brethren in his parish.THe euerlasting peace of our deare Lorde and onely Sauiour IESVS CHRIST, wyth the swete cōfort of his holy & mighty spirite, to the increase of your faith, to the perfourmance of hys wyll, and to your eternall comfort in the euerlasting kingdome of heauen, be wyth you my deare brethren and sisterne both now and euer, Amen.

My most deare brethren and sisterne in our Lord and Sauiour IESVS CHRIST, I haue me most hartely cōmended vnto you, with harty thākes for all the great liberality that you haue shewed vnto me, and specially now in this tyme of myne necessity, when that God hath sent my poore wyfe a childe in my captiuitie: which is no litle care to me so to prouyde that I myght keepe both the child and my wife frō the Antichristian church: the which thing, I thancke my good God, through his most gracious prouidence I haue yet done, though it bee (as you know) great charge, not to me but to the congregation of God: and it greeueth me that I haue bene so chargeable to them as I haue bene, and specially you my deare brethren, I being so vnworthy a member as I haue bene, and also of so small acquayntaunce: but such is the mercifull goodnes of God, so to moue your hartes with charity towardes me. And as he hath moued your hartes so to do, euen so I besech God to geue you power to forsake and refuse all thinges the which be displeasant in his sight, and to do all things which be requisite to a christiā: and send you grace to go forwards in the same as you haue godly begon, neyther fearyng fyre nor sworde. And my most deare hartes, remember well the simple playne doctrine the which I haue taught you and also written vnto you, which was the truth, & for a testimony of the same, I trust that you shall shortly heare, or els see that I wil seale þ^e same with my bloud. And in the meane tyme I desyre you all to remēber me in your prayers as I know you do, & as with Gods helpe I will do for you, that God for his deare sonne CHRISTES sake wyll so finish the dayes of our pilgrimage, that we may rest together wyth Abraham, Isaac, and Iacob in the euerlasting kingdome of heauen: to the which I besech the eternall God for hys CHRISTES sake to bring both you and all yours, Amen.

By me William Tyms.

MarginaliaA letter of W. Tyms to his sisters in the Lord, Colfoxe & Glascocke.GRace and peace from God the father of all mercye, through the merites of our deare Sauiour IESVS CHRIST, be perceaued and felt in the hartes of you my dearly beloued Sisters in the Lord, by the mighty working of the holy Ghost the comforter, both nowe and euermore, Amen.

My most deare and entirely beloued Sisters in the Lord, after my most harty commendations, accordyng to my most bounden duty I do as I am accustomed, or at least bound to do: that is, I geue you warning of your enemies, which be the Papistes, and take good heede to them, for they serue a crafty master, yea and as saint Peter sayth,Marginalia1. Peter. 5. he sleepeth not, but goeth about like a roaring Liō seeking whom hee may deuour. For your olde familiar friendes or worldly companions, whē they see that you will not run to the Idols temple with thē, it wyll seeme a straunge thing vnto thē that ye runne not to the same excesse of ryot, as S. Peter saith,Marginalia1. Pet. 4. and therefore they wyll speake euyll of you, rayle on you, and persecute you.

But my deare Sisters, let it not trouble you, for it is but to try you, and let it not seeme a straunge thing vnto you. But when they do so, remember wherfore it is, and for whose sake, euen because you wyll not forsake God as they do. For the hatred they beare you is for the word of God, and then it is Gods cause, and I tell you he wyll reuenge it. And therefore if ye be rayled

on & troubled for his sake, thinke you selues most happy.MarginaliaRom. 12. For if you suffer with the Patriarches, Prophetes, and Apostels, then shall you be sure to bee partakers of the same ioy that they are in. Yea you haue heard by the word of God how cruelly the Tyrantes haue alwayes persecuted the true members of CHRIST, as he hym selfe hath promised that they shal do vnto the end of þ^e world.

By the way I will bring to your remembraunce the holy Martyr S. Steuen,MarginaliaStephen for the same Gospell put to death. who for fauouring, maintaining, and defending the same doctrine that we now suffer for, was called a blasphemer, and stoned to death at Ierusalem. MarginaliaAntipas. Iason. MarginaliaAct. 7. Apo. 2. Math. 2. 3. 1. Theßs. 2. Rom. 16. Act. 17. Iohn. 16. Act. 9. Phil. 2. Luke. 21. Iohn. 1. 3. 1. Cor. 6.And CHRISTES Apostles were diuersly afflicted the world ouer, for the same by this viperous generatiō. Antipas the faythfull witnes of CHRIST was slayne at Pergamus. Iason for receauing of Paule and Silas wyth other disciples and teachers of the Gospel, was brought before the Counsell at Thessalonica, and accused for a sedicious Traytor agaynst Cæsar. No maruell therefore though at this day we be vexed on the same sort, mayntayning the same cause, and fauouring the teachers thereof. Is there any other reward following the true Seruants of God now, then hath bene afore times? No surely, for so hath CHRIST promised. And if they haue persecuted him, needes must they persecute his mēbers: if they haue called the master of the house Belsebub, so wyll they do hys houshold: MarginaliaMath. 10.Ye shall bee hated of all men (sayth CHRIST) for my names sake.

It is no new thing my deare hartes, to see þ^e true mēbers of CHRIST handled as in our dayes they be, as it is now vnknowē to you how they be cruelly entreated, & blasphemed without any reasonable cause. For hereticks must they be taken, which followe not their traditions. MarginaliaChrist may as well be called an heretike as these men.And then they may as well call CHRIST an hereticke, for he neuer allowed their dirty ceremonies. He neuer wēt a procession with Cope, Crosse, nor Cādlesticke. He neuer sensed Images, nor sang latyn seruice. He neuer sat in cōfession. He neuer preached of Purgatory, nor of the Popes pardons. He neuer honored Saints, nor prayed for the dead. He neuer sayd Masse, Mattins, nor Euensong. He neuer commaunded to fast Friday, nor Vigil, Lent nor Aduent. He neuer hallowed church nor Chalice, Ashes nor Palmes, Candels nor Bels. Hee neuer made holy water, nor holy bread: with such lyke. MarginaliaMath. 16. Luke. 12. Deut. 4. Apoc. 22. Psal. 68. Galat. 4.But such dumme ceremonies, not hauyng the expresse commaundement of God, he calleth the leauen of the Phariseis and damnable hypocrisie: admonishing his disciples to beware of them. He curseth all those that addeth to his word such beggerly shadowes, wiping their names cleane out of the booke of lyfe. S. Paule saith, they haue no portion with CHRIST, which wrap them selues agayne with such yokes of bondage.

Therefore my deare hartes, seing that our good God hath by the light of his holy word deliuered vs from all such darke, blinde, dumme, beggerly traditions of men, stand fast in the liberty wherewith CHRIST hath made you free, MarginaliaGal. 5.and wrap not your selues againe in the yoke of bondage. But let vs alwayes be ready, lookyng for the comming of our Lord and Sauiour IESVS CHRIST, which, as S. Peter saith, Marginalia2. Pet. 3.wyll come as a theefe in the night. And as our captaine CHRIST saith: MarginaliaMath. 24.If the good man of the house knew what houre the theefe would come, he would surely watch.

Therefore my deare hartes, bee of good comfort, although the world rage neuer so sore against you. And for your comfort marke well the great mercy of God, who according to his promise, for the weakenes of our nature hath so asswaged the heate of the fire, that our deare brethren which are gone before vs, to the sight of all men, haue found it rather to be ioy then payne. And thyncke you surely that God wyll be as mercyfull vnto you, as he hath bene vnto them: and say with S. Paule: MarginaliaRom. 8.who shall separate vs from the loue of God: shall tribulation, or anguishe, or persecutiō, either hunger, either nakednes, either peril, either sword? as it is written: for thy sake are we killed all the day long. &c.

Therefore my deare Sisters, if to saue your lyues, any dissemblyng Gospellers would haue you to go to the Idols temple with them, say vnto them: No, for my Master CHRIST sayth: He that would saue his lyfe, shall lose it. MarginaliaMath. 10. And in another place to comfort vs he saith: There shall not one heare fall from your head, without it be your heauenly fathers will. And therefore say you that you will not be of that sorte, that be neither hot nor colde, lest God shoulde spue you out of his mouth. But make them this aunswer saying: S. Paule saith: Marginalia2. Cor. 6.Beare no straunge yoke with the vnbeleuers. For what fellowship hath righteousnes with vnrighteousnes, what company hath light with darkenes, what concord hath CHRIST wyth Belliall, either what part hath hee that beleueth, with an Infidell?