Marginalia1555. March.by charitie. And see that ye continually geue your selues vnto al maner of good workes:MarginaliaIames 2. Gala. 5. Tit. 2. amongest the which, the chiefest are to bee obedient to the Magistrates,MarginaliaRom. 13. sith they are the ordinaunce of GOD, whether they be good or euill, vnles they commaunde Idolatry and vngodlynes, that is to say, thynges contrary vnto true Religion. For then ought we to say with Peter: MarginaliaActes. 5.We ought more to obey God then man. But in any wise we must beware of tumult, insurrection, rebellion, or resistaunce.

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MarginaliaEphe. 6.The weapon of a Christian in this matter, ought to be the sword of the spirite, whiche is Gods word and prayer, coupled with humilitie and due submission, and with readynes of hart, rather to dye then to do any vngodlynesse. Christ also doth teach vs, MarginaliaIohn. 19.that all power is of God, yea, euē the power of the wicked, which MarginaliaIob. 34.God causeth often tymes to raigne for our sinnes, and disobedience towardes him and his word. MarginaliaRom. 14.Whosoeuer then doth resiste any power, doth resist the ordinaunce of God, and so purchase to him selfe vtter destruction and vndoyng.

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We must also by all meanes, be promoters of vnitie, peace and concorde. Marginalia1. Pet. 2.We must honour and reuerence Princes, and all that bee in authoritie, and pray for them and be diligent to set forth their profite and commoditie.

Secondly, MarginaliaEphe. 6. 1. Timo. 5.we must obey our Parentes, or them that be in their rowmes, & be carefull for our housholdes, that they be prouided for & fed, not onely with bodely foode, but much rather with spirituall foode, which is the word of God.

Thirdly, we must serue our neighbours by all meanes we can, remembryng well the saying of Christ: MarginaliaMath. 7. Marginalia1. Tim. 2.Whatsoeuer ye would that men should do vnto you, do ye likewise vnto thē, for this is the law and the Prophetes.

Fourthly, we must diligently exercise the necessarye worke of MarginaliaPraying for all estates.prayer for all estates: knowyng that God therfore hath so much commaunded it, and hath made so great promises vnto it, and doth so well accept it. After these workes we must learne to know the Crosse, and MarginaliaMath. 5. MarginaliaForbearing our aduersaryes.what affection and mynde we must beare towardes our aduersaryes and enemies, what soeuer they be, to suffer all aduersities and euils paciently,MarginaliaPatience in suffering aduersitie and trouble. to pray for them that hurt, persecute, and trouble vs: and by thus vsing our selues, we shall obtaine an hope and certaintie of our vocation, that we be the elect children of God.

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Marginalia2. Pet. 1.And thus, I commende you brethren vnto God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build further, and MarginaliaActes. 20.geue you an inheritaunce among all them, which are sanctified: beseechyng you to helpe M. Saūders  

& me your late Pastours,MarginaliaThis letter was written the yeare before in the moneth of Iune. and all them that bee in bondes for the Gospels sake, with your prayers to God for vs, that MarginaliaRom. 15.we may be deliuered from all them that beleue not, and from vnreasonable and froward men, and that MarginaliaColos. 4.this our imprisonment and affliction may be to the glory and profite of our Christian brethren in the world, and that MarginaliaPhilip. 1.Christ may be magnified in our bodyes, whether it be by death or by life. Amen.

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Salute frō me all þ^e faythfull brethren: and because I write not seuerall Letters to them, let them either read or heare these my Letters. The grace of our Lord be with you all. Amen. The xxviij. of Iune,  

by the vnprofitable seruaūt of Iesus Christ, and now also his prisoner. George Marsh.

MarginaliaActes. 2.
Saue your selues from thys vntoward generation.
Pray, pray, pray. Neuer more neede.

MarginaliaAn other godly letter of G. Marsh to them of Manchester.GRace be with you, and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord Iesus Christ, Amen.

After salutations in Christ to you, with thankes for your frendly remembraunces of me, desiryng and wishyng vnto you, not onely in my letters, but also in my daily prayers, such consolation in spirite, and taste of heauenly treasures, that ye may thereby continually worke in fayth, labour in loue, perseuer in hope, and be pacient in all your tribulations and persecutions, euen vnto the end and glorious commyng of Christ:MarginaliaColos. 2. Phil. 2. 1. Pet. 3. these shall bee earnestly to exhorte and beseeche you in Christ, as ye haue receaued the Lorde Iesus, euen so to walke, rooted in hym, and MarginaliaMath. 10. Luke. 11. MarginaliaAduersaries not to be feared.not to bee afrayde of any terrour of your aduersaries, be they neuer so many and mightie, and you on the other side neuer so fewe & weake: for the battayle is the Lordes, And as in tymes past, GOD was with Abraham, Moses, Isaac, Dauid the Machabes and other, and fought for them, and deliuered all their enemies into their handes, MarginaliaGods helpe alwayes ready with his seruauntes.euen so hath he promised to be with vs also, vnto the worldes ende, and so to assiste, strengthen, and helpe vs, that no man shall be able to withstand vs. MarginaliaIosua. 2.For as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee (sayth God) and will neuer leaue thee nor forsake thee. Be strong and bold: neither feare nor dread: for the Lord thy God is with thee, whether soeuer thou goest. Now MarginaliaRom. 8.if God be on our side, who can be agaynst vs?

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In this our spirituall warfare, is no man ouercome, vnles MarginaliaSpirituall cowardlines.he trayterously leaue & forsake hys captaine, either cowardly cast away hys weapons, or willingly yeld himselfe to his enemies, either fearefully turne his backe and flye. Be strong therfore in the Lord (deare brethren) and in the power of hys myght, and put on all the MarginaliaEphe. 6.armour of God, that ye may be able to stād stedfast against the Marginalia2. Cor. 11. 12. Actes. 21.crafty assaultes of the deuil.

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Now, what weapons ye must fight withall, learne of Saint Paule, a champion both much exercised, and also most valiaunt and inuincible. For we must thinke none other, but that MarginaliaA Christian mans lyfe is a perpetuall warfare.the lyfe of man is a perpetuall warfare vpon earth, as the examples of all Godly men, throughout all ages do declare. The valiaunt warriour Saint Paule, beyng deliuered from the handes of the vngodly, MarginaliaThe manifold deliueraunces of S. Paul, be examples for our comfort.and that so many tymes, and also from so many extreme perils and daūgers of death (as he his owne selfe doth witnesse) is fayne to committe him selfe in the end to the rough waters of the Sea: where he was in great perill and ieoperdye of his owne life: yet was God alwayes (to the great comfort of all that heare of it) most ready to comfort and succour him, and gloriously deliuered him out of all his troubles:MarginaliaActes. 18. so that no man that did inuade him, could do him any harme, & in the end he was cōpelled to say: Marginalia2. Tim. 4.I haue finished my course: the tyme of my departyng is at hand: MarginaliaPhil. 1.I long to be loosed, & to be with Christ, which is best of all, most hartely desiryng death.

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MarginaliaRom. 15.These thynges bee written for our learnyng and comfort, and be to vs a sure obligation, that if we submitte our selues to God and hys holy word, no man shalbe able to hurt vs, and that hee will deliuer vs from all troubles, yea euen from death also, vntill such tyme as we couet and desire to dye. MarginaliaHeb. 12. MarginaliaPersecution foloweth Christian godlines.Let vs therefore runne with patience vnto the battaile that is set before vs, and looke vnto Iesus the Captaine and finisher of our fayth, and after his example, for the rewardes sake that is set out vnto vs, patiētly beare the cros & despise the shame. Marginalia2. Tim. 3.For all that will liue godly in Christ Iesu, shall suffer persecution.

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MarginaliaMath. 3. 4. MarginaliaWhere Christ is Sathan there is alwayes readye.Christe was no sooner Baptised and declared to the world to be the sonne of GOD, but Sathan was by and by ready to tempt him: whiche thyng we must looke for also: yea, the more we shall encrease in fayth and vertuous lyuing, the more strongly will Sathan assault vs: whom we must learne after the example of Christ, to fight against, and ouercome with the holy and sacred Scriptures and word of God (whiche are our MarginaliaEphe. 6.heauenly armour) and sword of the spirite. And let the fastyng of Christ,MarginaliaMath. 4. MarginaliaThe fast of Christ, is to vs example of sober lyuing. while he was tempted in the wildernes, be vnto vs an example of sober lyuing, not for the space of fortie dayes (as the Papistes do fondly fansie of their owne braynes) but as long as we are in the wildernes of this wretched lyfe, assaulted of Sathan, Marginalia1. Pet. 5.who like a roaryng Lion walketh about, and ceaseth not, seekyng our vtter destruction.

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Neither can the seruauntes of God at any tyme come and stand before God, that is, lead a godly lyfe, and walke innocently before God. MarginaliaIob. 1. 2. MarginaliaWhen the seruantes of God stand before hym Sathan commeth also.But Sathan commeth also among them, that is, he dayly accuseth, findeth fault, vexeth, persecuteth and troubleth the godly: for it is the nature and propertie of the deuill alwayes to hurt, and do mischief, vnlesse he be forbidden of God: for vnles God do permit him, he can do nothyng at all, not so much as MarginaliaMath. 8.enter into a filthy hogge: but we are more of price then many hogges before God, if we cleaue vnto his sonne by fayth.

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Let vs therfore knowyng Sathans deceites and rancor, walke the more warely, and take vnto vs the MarginaliaEphe. 6. MarginaliaThe shield of fayth.shielde of fayth, wherewith we may be able to quench and ouercome all the firie and deadly dartes of the wicked. Let vs take to vs the MarginaliaThe helmet of saluation.helmet of saluation, and MarginaliaThe sword of the spirite.sword of the spirite, which is the worde of God, and learne to vse the same accordyng to the example of our graund Captaine Christ. Let vs fast and pray continually. For this frantike kynde of deuils goeth not out otherwise (as Christ doth teach vsMarginaliaMath. 4. Math. 17.) but by faythfull prayer and fastyng, which is true abstinence and sobernes of liuyng, if we vse the same accordyng to the doctrine of the Gospell and word of God.MarginaliaPrayer and fasting. Fastyng is acceptable to God, if it be done without hypocrisie, that is to say: if we vse it to this entent, MarginaliaTrue fast what it is.that thereby this mortall body and disobedient carcase may be tamed & brought vnder the subiectiō of the spirite: MarginaliaHow to fast without hypocrisie.and agayne, if we fast to this intēt, that we may spare wherewith to helpe & succour our poore neady brethren.

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This fast do the true Christians vse all the dayes of their lyfe, MarginaliaAbuse of fasting among christians.although among the common sorte of people remayneth yet still that superstitious kynde of fastyng, which God so earnestly reproueth by his Prophet Esay.MarginaliaEsay. 58. For as for true chastenyng of the body, and abstaining frō vice, with shewyng mercy towardes our needy neighbours, we will neither vnderstand nor heare of, but still thinke with the Iewes, MarginaliaThe Iewish maner of fasting reproued.that we do God a great pleasure whē we fast, and that we thē fast, when we absteine frō one thing, and fill our bellyes

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