Marginalia1555. Aprill.do confesse it: but the Lorde who worketh all thynges for the best to them that loue hym, would not there leaue me, but dyd take my deare and beloued wyfe frō me: whose death was a painefull crosse to my flesh.

MarginaliaG. Marsh Curate to Laurence Saunders.Also I thought my selfe now of late well placed vnder my most louyng and most gentell Maister Laurence Saunders in the Cure of Langhton. But the Lord of his greate mercy would not suffer me there long to cōtinue (although for the small tyme I was in his vineyard, I was not all an idle workeman). But he hath prouided me (I perceiue it) to tast of a farre other cuppe, for by violence hath hee yet once agayne driuen me out of that glorious Babylon, that I should not tast to much of her wanton pleasures, but with his most dearely beloued disciples to haue my inward reioycing in the crosse of his sonne Iesus Christ: MarginaliaThe glory of the Church standeth not in outward shewes.the glory of whose Churche I see it well, standeth not in the harmonious sounde of Belles and Organes, nor yet in the glistring of Mitors and Copes, neither in the shynyng of gilte Images and lightes (as the blynd Papistes do iudge it) but in continuall labours and dayly afflictions for his name sake.

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God at this present here in England hath his fanne in his hand, and after his great haruest, whereinto these yeares past hee hath sent his labourers, is nowe siftyng the corne from the chaffe and purgyng his floore, and ready to gather the wheat into his garnar and to burne the chaffe with vnquenchable fire.

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Take heede and beware of the leuē of the Scribes and of the Saduces, I meane the erroneous doctrine of the papistes, which with their gloses depraue the Scriptures. For as the Apostle Saint Peter doth teach vs: There shalbe false teachers amōgst vs, which priuely shal bryng in dānable, sectes: And sayth, that many shall follow their damnable wayes, by whō the way of truth shall be euil spokē of: & that through couetousnes they shall with fayned wordes make marchaundise of vs.  

And Christ earnestly warneth vs, to beware of false Prophetes, whiche come to vs in sheepes clothyng, but inwardly are rauenyng Wolues: by theyr fruites ye shall know them. The fruites of the Prophetes is their doctrine,   In this place are all we Christians taught that we shoulde try the Preachers, and other that come vnder colour to set forth true Religion vnto vs, accordyng to the saying of Sainte Paule: Try all thynges and chose that which is good.   Also the Euāgelist Saint Iohn sayth: Beleue not euery spirite, but proue the spirites whether they be of God or not, for many false Prophetes (saith he) are gone out into the world.   Therfore if thou wilt know the true prophetes from the false, trye their doctrine at the true touchestone, whiche is the word of God: and as the godly Thessalonians did,   search ye the Scriptures, whether those thynges whiche be preached vnto you be euē so or not: for els by the outward conuersatiō of them ye may easely be deceaued. Desunt fortassis aliqua.

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MarginaliaA letter of G. Marsh to men of Langhton.GRace  

be vnto you, and peace be multiplyed in the knowledge of Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

I thought it my duety to write vnto you, my beloued in the Lord at Langhton, to stirre vp your myndes & to call to your remembraunce the wordes whiche haue bene told you before, and to exhort you (as that good man & full of the holy Ghost MarginaliaActes. 11.Barnabas did the Antiochians) that with purpose of hart ye continually cleaue vnto the Lord, & that ye stand fast, and be not moued away from the hope of the Gospell, wherof (God be thanked) ye haue had plenteous preaching vnto you by your late pastor Maister Saunders,  

and other faythfull ministers of Iesus Christ, which now, when persecution ariseth because of the worde, MarginaliaLuke. 8. Rom. 1.do not fall away lyke shrinkyng children, and forsake the truth, being ashamed of the Gospell wherof they haue bene preachers, but are willyng and ready for your sakes (which are Christes misticall body) to forsake not onely the chiefe and principall delites of this lyfe (I do meane their natiue countreys, frendes, lyuyngs. &c.) but also to fulfil their ministery vnto þ^e vtmost, that is to witte, with their paynefull imprisonmentes and bloudshedynges (if neede shall require) to confirme and seale Christes Gospell, wherof they haue bene Ministers: and (as S. Paule sayth) MarginaliaActes. 12.they are ready not onely to be cast into prison, but also to be killed for the name of the Lord Iesu.

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Whether these, beyng that good MarginaliaMath. 5.salte of the earth, that is, true ministers of Gods word, by whose doctrine (beyng receaued through fayth) men are made sauorie vnto God, and MarginaliaTrue salt discerned from the corrupt and vnsauory salt.which them selues lose not their saltnes now when they be proued with the boysterous stormes of aduersitie and persecution: or others beyng that vnsauery salt which hath lost his saltnes that is to wit, those vngodly ministers, whiche doe fall frō the worde of GOD vnto þ^e dreames and tradi-

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tions of Antichrist: whether of these, I say, bee more to be credited and beleued, let all men iudge.

Wherfore my dearely beloued, MarginaliaIames. 1.receiue the worde of God with mekenes, that is graffed in you, whiche is able to saue your soules: And see that ye be not forgetfull hearers, deceiuyng your selues with Sophistry, but doers of the worde, whom MarginaliaMath. 7.Christ doth lyken to a wise man, which buildeth hys house on a rocke, that when the great rayne descendeth, and the floudes come and beate vppon that house, it fall not, because it was grounded vppon a rocke: this is to witte, that when Sathan, with all his legion of deuils with all theyr subtile suggestions, & the world with al the mighty Princes therof, with theyr crafty councels doe MarginaliaPsalme. 2.furiously rage agaynst vs, wee faynt not, but abyde constant in the truth, beyng grounded vpon a most sure rocke which is Christ, & the doctrine of the Gospell, agaynst whiche MarginaliaMath. 16.the gates of hell (that is, the power of Sathan) can not preuayle.

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And be ye folowers of Christ and the Apostles, and receiue the worde in much affliction (as the godly Marginalia1. Thes. 1.Thessalonians did): for the true folowers of Christ and the Apostles, MarginaliaTrue receauers of the worde, who they be.be they whiche receiue the worde of God. They onely receiue the Word of God, which both beleue it, & also frame their lyues after it, & be ready to suffer all maner of aduersity for the name of the Lord, as Christ & all the Apostles did, and as Marginalia2. Tim. 3.all that will lyue godly in Christ Iesu must doe: for their is none other way into the kyngdome of heauen, but MarginaliaActes. 14. Math. 5.through much tribulation. And if we suffer any thyng for þ^e kyngdome of heauens sake, and for righteousnes sake, we haue the Prophetes, Christ, the Apostles and Martyrs for an ensample to cōfort vs: for they dyd al enter into the kyngdome of heauen at the MarginaliaMath. 7.strait gate & narow way that leadeth vnto lyfe, which few do fynd. MarginaliaMarke. 8.And vnles we will be content to deny our owne selues, and take vp the crosse of Christ and follow him,MarginaliaMortification and bearing of the Crosse, necessary for all them that will raygne wyth Christ. we can not be his disciples. For if wee deny to suffer with Christ and his Saintes, it is an euident argument, that we shall neuer raigne with him.

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And agayne, if wee can fynde in our hartes patiently to suffer persecutions and tribulations, it is a sure token of the ryghteous iudgement of God, that we are coūted worthy of the kyngdome of God, for the whiche we also suffer. Marginalia2. Thes. 1.It is verily (sayth the Apostle) a righteous thyng with God, to recompence tribulation to them that trouble vs, and rest to vs that be troubled. For after this lyfe, þ^e godly beyng deliuered frō their tribulations & paines shall haue a most quiet and ioyfull rest, where as the wicked and vngodly, contrariwise shal be tormented for euermore with intollerable and vnspeakable paines, as Christe by the MarginaliaLuke 16parable of the rich glutton and wretched Lazarus, doth plainly declare and teach. These ought wee to haue before our eyes alwayes, that in tyme of aduersity and persecution (wherof MarginaliaHeb. 12.al that will be the childrē of God, shalbe partakers, and wherwith it hath pleased god to put some of vs in vre all ready) wee may stand stedfast in the Lord, and endure euen vnto the end, that we may bee saued.Marginalia1. Tim. 2. For vnles we lyke good warriours of Iesus Christ, will endeuour our selues to please him who hath chosen vs to be souldiours, and fight the good fight of fayth euen vnto the ende, we shall not obteyne that crowne of righteousnes, whiche the Lord that is a righteous iudge, shall geue to all them that loue his commyng.

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Let vs therfore receiue with mekenes the worde that is graffed in vs,MarginaliaIohn. 2. which is able to saue our soules, and ground our selues on the sure rocke Christ. For (as the Apostle sayth) Marginalia1. Cor. 3.other foundation can no man lay, besides that which is layd already, which is Iesus Christ. If any man build on this foundatiō gold, siluer, precious stones, timber, hay, stubble, euery mās worke shall appeare, for the day shal declare it, & it shalbe shewed in the fire. And the fire shall try euery mans worke what it is. If any mans worke that hee hath builded vppon abyde, hee shall receiue a reward: if any mans worke burne, he shall suffer losse, but he shalbe safe himselfe: neuerthelesse yet as it were through fire.

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MarginaliaFier in scripture, what it signifieth.By fire here doth the Apostle vnderstand persecution and trouble for they which do truely preach and professe þ^e word of God, whiche is called the word of the crosse, shalbe rayled vpon, abhorred, hated, thrust out of the company, persecuted and tryed in the fornace of aduersitye, as gold and siluer are tryed in the fire.

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Marginalia1. Cor. 3. MarginaliaMath. 5. Luke. 6. Math. 3. Psalme. 1.By gold, siluer, & precious stones, he vnderstādeth them that in the middes of persecution abide stedfast in the word. By tymber, hay, and stubble, are ment such, as in tyme of persecution do fall away from the truth. And when Christ doth purge his flooer with the winde of aduersity, these scatter away from the face of the earth like light chaffe which shalbe burned with vnquencheable fire. MarginaliaThe place of S. Paul 1. Cor. 3. expounded.If they then which do beleue, do in tyme of persecution stand stedfastly in þ^e truth the builder (I do meane the preacher of the woorde) shall receiue a reward, and the worke shalbe preserued and saued: but if so be that they go backe and swarue, when persecution

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