MarginaliaAn. 1555. February.Proclamation: this long tyme of continuaunce in prison may be thought to be more then a sufficient punishmēt for such a fault.

Touching the charging of me with my religion, I say with S. Paul: MarginaliaAct. 24.This I confesse that after the way which they call heresie, so worship I the God of my forefathers, beleuing all thinges which are written in the law and the Prophetes, and haue hope towardes God. &c. MarginaliaA good testimony of a good conscience.And herein study I to haue alway a cleare conscience towardes God, and towardes men: so that God I call to witnesse, I haue a conscience. And this my conscience is not grounded vpon vaine phantasie, but vpon the infallible veritie of Gods worde, with the witnessing of his chosen church agreable vnto the same.

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It is an easie thing for them, which take Christ for their true Pastor, and be the very shepe of his pasture, to discerne the voice of their true shepheard, from the voyce of wolues, hirelinges, and straungers, for as much as Christ saieth: MarginaliaIohn. 10.My sheepe heare my voyce, yea and thereby they shall haue the gyft to know the ryght voyce of the true shepheard, and so to follow him, and to auoid the contrary, as he also sayeth: The shepe folow the shepheard, for they know his voyce. A stranger will they not follow, but will flie from him: for they know not the voyce of a straunger. Such inward inspiration doth the holy ghost put into the children of God, beyng in dede taught of God, but otherwyse vnable to vnderstand the true way of their saluation. And albeit that MarginaliaMath. 7.the Wolfe (as Christ saith) commeth in shepes clothing, yet he saith: MarginaliaHow the Wolfe is knowen from the true shepheard.by their fruites ye shall know them. For there bee certaine fruites whereby the Wolfe is bewrayed, notwithstanding that otherwyse in sondrye sortes of deuoute holynes in outward shew, he semeth neuer so simple a sheepe. That the Romish religion is rauening and woluish, it is apparant in 3. principall pointes.

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MarginaliaThe inconuenience of the Romishe religion, in three poyntes.First, it robbeth God of his due and onely honour.

Secondly, it taketh away the true comfort of consciēce in obscuring, or rather burying of Christ, and hys office of saluation.

Thirdly, it spoileth God of his true worship and seruice in spirit and truth, appointed in his prescript commaundements, and driueth men vnto that inconueniēce,, agaynst the which Christ with the Prophet Esay doth speake sharply: MarginaliaEsay. 26. Math. 25.This people honoureth me with theyr lips, but their hart is far from me. They worship me in vain, teaching the doctrine & preceptes of men. And in an other place: ye cast aside the commaundement of God to maintaine your owne traditiōs.

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Wherefore I in conscience, weying the Romish religion, and by indifferent discussing therof, finding the foundation vnstedfast, and the building therupon but vaine: and on the other side hauing my conscience framed after a right & vncorrupt religion, ratified and fully established by the word of God, and the consent of his true church. I neyther may, nor do entend by Gods gracious assistance, to be pulled one iot from the same, no though an angell out of heauē shoulde preach an other Gospell then that which I haue receyued of the Lord.

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And although that for lacke, either of such depe knowledge and profound iudgement, or of so expedite vtteryng of that I do know and iudge, as is required in an excellent clarke, I shal not be able sufficiently to answer, for the conuincing of the gainesayer: yet neuertheles this my protestation shal be of me premised, that for the respect of the groundes and causes before considered, albeit I cannot *Marginalia* Explicita Fides, is when a man hath to aunswer to euery point of his fayth by sufficient ground and learning. explicita fide, as they call it, conceiue all that is to bee conceiued, neither can discusse all that is to be discussed, nor can effectually expresse all that is to be expresed in the discourse of the doctrine of this most true religiō, whereunto I am professed: Yet do I bind my self as by my humble simplicity, so by my fidem *Marginalia* Implicita fides, is when a man without instruction in himselfe groundeth onely vpon the faith of the church, not able to render any reason of that which he beleueth. implicitā: that is, by fayth in generaltie (as they cal it) to wrap my beliefe in the credite of the same, that no authority of that Romish religion repugnant thereunto, shall by any means remoue me from the same, though it may hap that our aduersaries will labour to beguile vs with entisng wordes, and seke to spoyle vs through Philosophy and deceitful vanity after the traditions of men, and after the ordinances of the world, and not after Christ. &c.

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And thus much out of M. Sanders letter, so much as remained therof. The residue, because it was rent away, I could not adioine hereunto.  

Notwithstāding by this alredy expressed, it is sufficient to vnderstād how good was the cause and estate of thys blessed child of God, being prisoner for Christes cause. For þ^e defence wherof he wholy bestowed & resigned himself in such sort as he forbad his wife to sue for his deliuery & when other of his friends had by suite almost obtained it, he discouraged them, so that they did not follow their suite, as by this letter followyng it may appeare.

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GRace, mercy, and peace in Iesus Christ our Lord.

Entirely beloued wife, euen as vnto myne owne soule and body, so doe I dayly in my harty prayer wysh vnto you, for I do dayly, twyse at the least in thys sort remember you. And I do not doubt (deare wyfe) but that both I and you, as we be written in the booke of lyfe, so we shall together enioy the same euerlastingly, through the grace and mercy of God our deare father, in hys sonne our Christ. And for thys present lyfe, let vs wholy appoint our selues to the wil of our good God, to glorifie him eyther by lyfe or by death, & euen that same merciful Lord make vs worthy to honour hym eyther way as pleaseth hym Amen. I am merye, I thanke my God and my Christ, in whom and through whō I shall (I know) be able Marginalia1. Tim. 4.to fight a good fight, and finishe a good course, and then receiue the crowne which is layde vp in store for me, and all the true Soldiours of Christ. Wherefore wyfe let vs in the name of our God, fight lustely to ouercome the flesh, the deuill, and the world. What our harnesse and weapons be in thys kynde of fight, looke the. 6. vnto the Ephesians, and pray, pray, pray. MarginaliaM. Saunders woulde haue no suite made for hym.I woulde that you make no suite for me in any wyse. Thāke you know whom, for her most sweete and comfortable putting me in remembraunce of my iourney, whether I am passing. God sende vs all good speede, and a ioyfull meetinge. I haue to fewe such frendes to further me in that iourney, which is in deede the greatest frendship. The blessing of God be wyth you al. Amen.

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A prisoner in the Lord Laurence Saunders.

Thys hys constancie is sufficiently commended and declared by his valiant bucklyng with MarginaliaAntichrist and death two enemies.two mighty enemies, Antichrist and death. To neyther of these dyd he geue place: but by sufferyng their malice, got þ^e victory ouer them both. One of the conflictes which he had wyth Antichrist & hys members, I haue gathered out of a letter of his owne hand wrytyng. It was wyth Doct. Weston, a man whō though I should prayse, yet would all good and godly mē worthely disprayse. Of this þ^e said Laurence Saunders thus wryteth in a letter which he sent to one of hys frends, which wrote to hym to know what Doct. Weston did at the Marshalsey: wherunto he thus aunswereth.

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M. Weston came to conferre with M. Grimoald.MarginaliaThys Doct. Weston and M. Grimoald dyed both about the Coronation of Q. Elizabeth. What he hath concluded with him, I know not: I wysh it may be to Gods glory, Amen, Amē. M. Weston of hys gentlenes visited me, & offered me frendshyp in hys worldly wily sort. &c. I had not so much good maner, as to take it at hys hand: for I said, that I was well inough, and ready cherefully to abyde the extremitie, to keepe thereby a good cōscience. You be a sleepe, (sayd he. I would awake (quoth I) and doe not forget, Vigilate & orate. i.Watch and pray. MarginaliaThe Church goeth not alwayes by number.What church was there, said hee. 30. yeres past? What church was there, quoth I, in Helias tyme? Ioane of Kent, sayde he, was of your Church. No, quoth I, we dyd cōdemne her as an hereticke.   Who was of your Church, sayde he, 30. yeares past? Such quoth I, as that Romish Antichrist, and his rable haue reputed and condemned as heretickes. Wicklife sayd he, Thorpe, Oldcastle. &c.   Yea, quoth I, wyth many moe, as storyes doe tell.

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The B. of Rome hath, sayd he, long tyme played a part in your rayling Sermons: but now be ye sure he must play an other maner of part. The more pitie, quoth I, and yet some comfort is it to see how that the best learned, wysest, & holiest of you all, haue heretofore had hym to play a part likewyse in your Sermōs and MarginaliaWinchesters boke De Vera Obedientiawrytings, though now to please the world, you do turne wyth the weathercocke. Did you euer sayd he, heare me preach agaynst the Bishop of Rome( No (quoth I) for I neuer heard you preach. But I trow you haue bene no wiser then other. &c. with more about the Sacrament. Pray, pray. God keepe your family & blesse it.

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MarginaliaWhat a blessed taste M. Saunders had of Christes cōforts.What a blessed taste this good man had of Gods holy spirit, by diuers and sondry his letters may right well appeare to hym that is disposed to peruse the same: wherof certayne we haue here thought good, the Lord willing, to expresse, first beginnyng with that which he wrote out of the Marshalsey to D. Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer, prisoners for the lyke cause of Christ in Oxford.

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MarginaliaM. Saūders writeth to D. Cranmer Ridley, &c.IN my most humbly wyse I salute you most reuerend fathers in Christ Iesus our Lord. Immortall thankes & euerlastyng prayses be geuen vnto that our Father of mercies, MarginaliaColoss. 1.Whiche hath made vs meete to be partakers of the inheritaunce of Saintes in lyght, which hath deliuered vs frō the power of darknes, and hath translated vs into the king-

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