Marginalia1556. Aprill.cidences. I sayd vnto him, it was a mad accidence without substaūce: for you say there is neither bread nor wine, and then there is nothing to *Marginalia* How can corruption be referred to accidences whē by all Philosophy generation & corruption belong only to þ^e predicamēt of substance? corrupt: with many such like Argumentes.

Therefore beware of them, for they go about to deceiue you with such arguments. Say not but ye be warned, and a great deale the more worthy of your damnation if they deceiue you, because you haue had so much warning. Repent you betimes of your sinful lyues, and amende, and then no doubt but God will either turne their hartes, or els take them away, or els hee will geue vs that, that he promised to his Disciples, if we bee contented to take the same reward that they had. And if we disdayne the one, let vs not looke for the other. For hee that wyll be his fathers heyre, must bee contented to receiue his fathers correction. For S. Paule saith in the. xij. to the Romaines: If we be not vnder correction, whereof all are partakers, then are we bastards, and not sonnes. And you know what belongeth to a bastard: he shall not be his fathers heyre. And if we remember our selues well how negligent we haue bene to keepe our fathers commaundemēt, we shall finde our selues worthy to bee corrected at hys hand. If we refuse his correction, he will refuse vs to be his sonnes. I pray you looke what he promised to his Disciples, and I pray you also looke how willingly they receiued it. And so must we do if we wyll be partakers with them. First let vs see what CHRIST promised to his Disciples. Looke in the. x. of S. Mathew, and there shall you see these wordes: MarginaliaMath. 10.Behold, I send you forth as Sheepe among wolues. Be wyse therfore as serpents, and innocent as doues. Beware of mē, for they shall deliuer you vp to the Counsels, and shal scourge you in their Synagoges: ye shall be brought before the head Rulers and Kinges for my names sake. But when they put you vp, take you no thought, how or what ye shall speake, for it shall be geuen you in the same houre what ye shall speake. For it is not you that speake, but the spirite of my father which speaketh in you. &c. Read the whole chapter, for it is very comfortable to a Christian man: and marke it well, and you shall finde what wee ought to do in the tyme of persecution. Also looke in the second Epistle of S. Paule to the Corinthians, and the. 4. chapter. He sayth: Marginalia2. Cor. 4.For we which lyue, are alwayes deliuered vnto death for IESVS sake, that the lyfe also of IESVS might appeare in our mortall flesh. Thus you heare that S. Paule doth boast of persecution: euen so should wee, for it is the way to bryng vs to rest.

Therfore let vs striue to enter in at the narrow gate, and let vs remember the saying of S. Paule in the. xxi. chapter of the Actes of the Apostles,MarginaliaAct. 21. when hee was going to Ierusalem. Whē he was in þ^e house of Phillip the Euangelist, there came in a Prophet, and toke of his girdle, and bound hys handes and his feete, saying: thus shall they do with the man that oweth thys gyrdle when he commeth to Ierusalem. When the Disciples hearde that, they would haue perswaded him that he should not go thether. Here you shall see what aunswere thys Pastor made them: he was a faithfull Shepheard: VVhat doe ye, weping & breaking of my hart? I am not ready to be bound only, but also to dye at Hierusalem for the name of the Lord IESVS.

Yet I thinke there bee some that will say that I needed not to haue bene taken, if I would haue kept me out of the way. But I say vnto you, that the shrinking away of so many of our Shepheardes as bee gone, maketh so many of the flocke to scatter: which wyll bee required at their handes, of þ^e Master of the shepe. What shall he say to thē at the day of accompt, when they shall come to receaue their wages? He shall say to thē: depart from me ye wicked hyrelings, for when ye saw the wolfe come, ye ran away and left my sheepe in the wyldernes. MarginaliaA note for thē which shronke away hauing cure.If you had bene good shepheardes, ye woulde rather haue lost your lyues, then haue lost one sheepe committed to your charge through your fault. And I pray you, what case be the sheepe in when their shepheard runneth away frō them? I neede not to tel you, you know the daunger that followeth so well.

Therfore let vs pray to God to send vs faithfull shepheards, & also obediēt sheepe, that wil not heare a straūgers voice. I would all men would marke well the saying of S. Paul in the viij. to the Rom. where he saith in these wordes. MarginaliaRom. 8.VVho shall separate vs from the loue of God? Shall tribulatiō, or anguish, or persecution, either nakednes, either perill, either sword? As it is written: For thy sake are we killed all day long, and are counted as shepe appoynted to be slayne: neuertheles we ouercome strongly through his helpe that loued vs. Yea, I am sure that neither death, neither lyfe, neither Aungels, neither rule, neither power, neither thinges present, neither thinges to come, neither height, neither depth, neither any other creature, shalbe able

to separate vs from the loue of God: & so forth. Also, he saith in an other place: Marginalia2. Tim. 3.All that will lyue godly in CHRIST IESVS, must suffer persecution. Thus I proue it to be our heauenly fathers rod: therfore let vs thankefully receaue it like obedient children, and then our father will loue vs.

Yet heare what S. Peter saith in his first Epistle, and the iiij. chap. Marginalia1. Pet. 4.Dearely beloued (saith hee) be not troubled in this heate which is now come among you to try you, as though some straunge thyng had happened vnto you: but reioyce in as much as ye are partakers of CHRISTES paßions,that when his glory appeareth, you may be mery and glad. If ye be railed on for the name of CHRIST, happy are ye: for the spirit of glory, and the spirite of God resteth vpō you. On their part he is euill spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. Here S. Peter sayth it is no straunge thyng: and that I haue partly proued before, because we haue nothing els promised vs in this world.

Therfore, let vs call on God for grace. Be ye sure that they can do nothyng to vs till God permit it. As for ensample: looke in the Marginalia1. Regum. 19.first booke of Kynges the xix. chap. there you shal see how Saul persecuted Dauid, purposyng to kill him: but his labour was in vaine.

Also in Marginalia3. Regum. 19.þ^e 3. booke of Kinges þ^e xix. chap. Iesabell threatned and sware to slea Elyas, but the Lord preserued hym. Also in the MarginaliaIob. 2.second chapter of Iob, you see that Satan could doe nothing to Iob tyll God suffered hym, neither exercise his cruelnes any farther then God had appointed hym. The godly woman Susanna, MarginaliaDan. 8.in the. viij. of Daniell, thorow the false accusation of the wicked Iudges, was euen at a poynt to dye, yet God wonderfully deliuered her. These haue I written to put you in remembrance that man can do no more then is the will of God: therefore let vs not resist his will but referre all to hym: and let vs be doing that thing that God hath commaūded vs in his holy word.

Deare brethren, for the bloud of CHRIST, MarginaliaExhortation not to refuse Christes crosse.refuse not the crosse of CHRIST, but remember the saying of the godly man Dauid in hys. 119. Psalme, where he sayth: MarginaliaPsal. 119.It is good for me that I haue bene n trouble, that I may learne thy statutes. In the same place he sayth: before I was in trouble, I went wrong, but now I haue kept thy word. Euen so it is in trouble wyth vs: MarginaliaGods word neuer so swete as in trouble.for the word of God was neuer so sweete and cōfortable as it is now that we be in trouble. Also Saint Paule sayth in the. v. chapter to the Romaynes: MarginaliaRom. 5.we reioice in tribulation: for we know that tribulation bringeth pacience, patience bringeth experience, experience bringeth hope, and hope maketh not ashamed.

Also, I pray you remember the saying of S. Paule in the second to Timothe and the first chapiter, where he sayth: Marginalia2. Tim. 1.Be not ashamed to testify the Lord, neyther bee ashamed of me. Euē so say I vnto you deare brethrē: Be not ashamed of my prisonment, neither sory, but reioyce with me that it hath pleased God of his goodnes to call me to such a dignitie as this shalbe vnto me, if I may haue his grace to lose my life (which I regard as most vile) for his name sake: for then I shalbe sure to find it agayne with aduauntage. Therfore I desire you all that you wil pray with me vnto almighty God, that he of his mercyfull goodnes will send me his grace and strength, that I may cōtinue vnto the end: as I will pray for you, þ^t God will preserue you frō all the wicked wayes of Antichrist, and strengthen and comfort you, if it bee his good pleasure that you shall suffer any thing for his names sake: as he hath faithfully promised to do. MarginaliaExperience of Gods comfort in imprisonment to be noted.And I certifie you that if all men knew the comfort they should receaue at the hand of God, beyng in prison, I thinke there would come mo to prison then there do. For surely we find such comfort at the hand of God since we haue bene in prison, that we had rather dye then to be abroad to see the Idolatrie that is committed among them that be abroad: beside the seekyng one of an others bloud, with other wickednes to much. God send men more grace. But I trust amongest you there be none such: and if there be, repent and amend, lest it be verified on you that is spoken by the Prophet Ierem. ij. chap. where he saith: MarginaliaIerem. 2.My people hath committed two great euils. They haue forsaken me the fountaine of the liuyng waters, and digged thē pittes: pittes (I say) that are broken, & cā hold no water. Also in the vij. he saith: MarginaliaIerem. 7.Take hede: ye trust in counsells that begile you and do you no good. In the xxiij. he sayth: MarginaliaIerem. 23.Here not the wordes of the Prophetes that preach their owne dreames. Good brethren beware of those false Prophetes that I haue giuen you warnyng of.

Dearely beloued, here I make an end at this time, desiring the same health both of body and soule, vnto you all, that I would haue my selfe: and I end with the same that S. Peter saith in his first Epistle and the v. chapter: