MarginaliaAn. 1556. Aprill.S. Peter sayth: Marginalia1. Pet. 3.Feare not though they seeme terrible vnto you, neither bee troubled, but sanctifie the Lord GOD in your hartes. MarginaliaPhil. 1.Onely (sayth S. Paul) let your cōuersation be as it becommeth the Gospell of CHRIST. Continue in one spirite, and in one soule, labouring as we doe, to maintayne the fayth of the Gospell, and in nothing fearing your aduersaries: which is to them a token of damnation, and to you of saluation, and that of God: for vnto you it is geuen, that not only ye should beleue in Christ, but also suffer for his sake. Wherfore let vs be right wel assured, that we shall yelde a most straight reckening and accompt, if we transgresse the said most wholsome precepts geuen vs of our maister Christ and of his Apostles, and now in this troublesome time wherin the Gospel is persecuted, shew our selues feareful souldiours: as it is manifestly declared in the Reuelation of S. Iohn, where it is written: MarginaliaApoc. 21.that the fearefull shal haue their part with the vnbeleuyng, and abominable, in the lake that burneth with fire & brimstone, which is the second death. Agayne, it is written in the same booke for our warnyng: MarginaliaApoc. 3.Because thou art betwixt both, and neither colde not hote, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Now therfore good Christians, these true testimonies of Gods liuely word deepely considered and wayed, let vs chiefly stand in awe of his most terrible iudgements, and be not as they that presumptuously tempt hym. MarginaliaEsay. 8.Let him alway be our feare and dread. He now chasteneth, hee now nurtereth vs for our profite, MarginaliaProuer. 3.delightyng in vs euen as a louyng father in his beloued child, to make vs perfect, MarginaliaHeb. 12.and to haue vs to be partakers of his holynes. He now iudgeth vs, not vtterly takyng away his euerlastyng loue and mercy from vs, as he doth from the malignaunt and wicked, Marginalia1. Cor. 11. 2. Reg. 7.that we should not be condemned with the wicked world: but if we now refuse hys most louyng chastisyng, and folow the world, we must needes haue our portion with the world. MarginaliaMath. 7.Wyde is the gate and broad is the way which leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. But straite is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth vnto lyfe, and few there be that fynd it. Oh how much better is it to go this narrow way with the people of God, then to enioy the pleasures of sinne for a tyme? In consideration wherof: let vs without any more slackyng and further delayes in this great warnyng by Gods louyng visitation, submit our selues betyme vnder his mighty hand, Marginalia1. Pet. 5.that he may exalte vs whē the tyme is come. And thus I wholy commit you to him, and to the worde of his grace, which is able to build further, besechyng you most hartly to pray for me, that I may be strong through the power of his might, and stand perfect in all thynges, beyng alwayes prepared and ready, lookyng for the mercy of our Lord vnto eternall rest, and I will pray for you as I am most bound. So I trust he will graciously heare vs for his promise sake made vnto all faithfull in his dearely beloued sonne CHRIST our alone Sauiour, whose grace be with your spirite, most deare Christians, for euer. So be it.

By your Christian brother Iohn Hullyer
a prisoner of the Lord.

¶ Iohn Hullier being of long time prisoner, & now openly iudged to die for the testimony of the Lord IESVS, wisheth hartely to the whole cōgregation of God, the strēgth of his holy spirite, to their euerlasting helth both of body and soule.  

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This letter was first printed in Rerum, pp. 538-40. It was reprinted in 1563, Letters of the Martyrs (pp. 523-26) and all subsequent editions of the Acts and Monuments. Several copies of thisletter survive in Foxe's papers: BL, Harley 416, fos. 17v-18v and ECL 262, fos. 111r-113r.

MarginaliaAn other letter of Ioh. Hullier to the congregation of Christes faithfull followers.I Now (most deare Christians) hauing the swete comfort of Gods sauing health, and being confirmed with his free spirite (be he onely praysed therfore) am constrayned in my cōscience, thinking it my very duty to admonish you, as ye tender the saluation of your soules, by all maner of meanes to seperate your selues from the company of the Popes hirelinges, considering what is sayd in the Reuelation of S. Iohn, by the Aungell of God, touching all men. The wordes be these: MarginaliaApoc. 14.If anye man worshyp the Beast and his image, and receiue his marke in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drinke the wyne of the wrath of God, which is poured into the cup of his wrath, and he shall bee punished with fire and brymstone before the holy Aungels and before the Lambe, and the smoke of their torment ascendeth vp euermore. Marke well here good Christians, who is this Beast, & worshippers, that shal be partakers of that vnspeakable torment. MarginaliaHe exhorteth the faithfull to separate themselues from the Popes marked ministers.This Beast is none other but the carnall and fleshly kingdome of Antichrist, the Pope with hys rable of false Prophets and Ministers, as it is most manifest: which to maintaine their high titles, worldly promotions and dignities, doe with much cruelty dayly more and more set forth and establish their own traditions, decrees, decretals, contrary to Gods holy ordinances, statutes, lawes, and commaundements, and wholy repug-

nant to his sincere and pure religiō & true worshipping.

Now what doe they els but worship this Beast and his Image, who after they had once already escaped frō the filthines of the world, through the knowledge of the Lord and Sauiour IESVS CHRIST, Marginalia2. Pet. 2.are yet againe tangled therein and ouercome, vsing dissimulation vnfaythfully, for feare of their displeasure, doing one thing outwardly, and thinking inwardly an other: so hauing thē in reuerence vnder a cloke and coulour, to whom they ought not so much as to say God speede: and adioyning them selues to the malignant congregation, which they ought to abhorre as a den of theeues and murtherers,MarginaliaIohn. 3. MarginaliaIohn. 10. Eze. 16. and as the brothell house of most blasphemous fornicators: whose voyces being contrary to CHRISTES voyce, if they were of his flocke, they woulde not knowe, but would flee from them: MarginaliaIohn. 10.as he hymselfe being the good shepeheard of our soules doth full well in his holy Gospell testify. MarginaliaAgaynst desembling bearers with the Papistes.Agayn, what do they els I pray you, but receiue the Beastes marke in their foreheads and in theyr hands, which do beare a faire face and countenance outwardly in supporting them as other do, being ashamed openly to confesse CHRIST and his holy Gospell? But this fainednes and dissimulation, CHRIST and his Gospell will in no wise allow. Of whom it is sayd: MarginaliaMark. 18. Luke. 9.whosoeuer shall be ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinfull generation, of him also shall the sonne of man be ashamed, when he shall come in the glory of his father with his holy Aungels. Therefore saith almighty God by his Prophet Malachy: MarginaliaMala. 1.Cursed be the dissemblers. MarginaliaHeb. 6.Ye were once lightned and tasted of the heauenly gifte, and were become partakers of the holy Ghost, and tasted of the word of God, and of the power of the world to come. And our Sauiour CHRIST sayth: MarginaliaLuke. 6.No man that putteth his hand to the plough, and looketh backe, is apt for the kingdome of God. Therefore S. IohnMarginalia1. Iohn. 2. the Apostle vseth this for a manifest token, that the backsliding from the true teachers of Gods word, declareth euidently that they be not of the number of them. For, saith he: they went out from vs, but they were not of vs: for if they had bene of vs, no doubt, they would haue continued with vs. Surely, so longe as we vse dissimulation, and to play on both hands, we are not in the light. For whatsoeuer is manifest, the same is light, as the elect vessell of God S. PauleMarginaliaEphe. 4. wytnesseth.

Wherefore (good Christians) for Gods most deare loue, deceiue not your selues through your own wisdome and through the wysdome of the world, which is folishnes before God, Marginalia1. Cor. 3.but certify and stay your own cōscience with the sure truth and faithfull word of God, and wyth the infallible testimonies of holy scripture. MarginaliaPsal. 3.For although Gods mercy is ouer all his workes: yet it doth not extend, but onely to them that MarginaliaHeb. 3.hold fast the confidence and reioycing of hope vnto the end, not being weery in well doing, Marginalia2. Cor. 4.but rather waxing euery day stronger & stronger in the inward man. MarginaliaGods mercy to whom it belongeth.Therefore in the Reuelation of saint Iohn, where it is entreated of the Beast & his Image, it is also sayd: Here is the sufferance of Saintes, and here are they that keepe the commaūdements, and the faith of IESVS CHRIST. Whereby almighty God doth shew plainly that he doth vse those wicked men as instruments for a tyme, to trye the patience and faith of his peculiar people, without the performance wherof we can haue no part among the liuing, but as it is sayd in the same Reuelation: the fearful shall haue their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brymstone, which is the second death.

But peraduenture ye will obiect and say vnto me: what shall we do? Shall we cast our selues headlong to death? MarginaliaObiection answered.I say not so. But this I say, that we are al bound (if euer we looke to receiue saluation at Gods hand) in this case wholy to be obedient to his determinate counsell and foreknowledge, Marginalia1. Cor. 12.expressed by the gift of the spirite in holy Scripture: and then to cast all our care vppon hym, MarginaliaRom. 18.who worketh all in all for the best vnto them that loue hym: and thus he geueth commaundement saying: MarginaliaApoc. 18.Come away frō her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sinnes and that ye receiue not of her plagues. Now who hearing this terrible voyce of God, which must needes be fulfilled, will not with all spede and diligence apply him selfe to do thereafter, except such as will presumpteously tempt hym? And as touchyng such, the wise man sayth: MarginaliaEccle. 3.He that loueth perill and daunger shall perish therin. But they that be of the fayth of Abraham, euen as he dyd, so will they in all assayes and trials be obediēt to the heauenly voyce, how soeuer it semeth contrary to their owne natural will and carnall reason, accordyng to the sure word of faith which sayth: MarginaliaPsal. 36.Hope thou in the Lord and keepe his way: hold thee still in the Lord and abyde patiently vpon hym. Let not thy ielousy moue thee also to do euill. Marginalia2. Cor. 6.Come out from among them,