Marginalia1555. August. (meanyng the wicked) you shall be as innocentes & not once touched: for the dregges of Gods wrath the bottome of all sorrowes, are reserued vnto thē in the end: but Gods household shal drinke the flower of the cup of his mercy. And therfore let vs say with Ezechias:Marginalia2. Para. 3. Play the mē and shrinke not: let vs comfort our selues, for the Lord is with vs our helper, and fighteth for vs. The Lord is (sayth hee) with you when you be with him, & when you seeke hym he wil be foūde of you: and agayn, when you forsake him he will forsake you.

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Wherfore we ought not to be dismayde or discourage our selues, but rather to be of good comfort: not to bee sad but mery: not sorrowfull, but ioyfull, in that God of his goodnes will vouchsafe to take vs as his beloued children, to subdue our sinneful lustes, our wretched flesh and bloud vnto his glory, the promotyng of his holy worde, and edifiyng of his Church. Marginalia2. Cor. 5.What if the earthly house of this our habitation (Paule meanyng the body) be destroyed? We know assuredly we shall haue a buildyng of GOD not made with handes, but euerlastyng in heauen, MarginaliaIoyes layd vp in Christ to mans sense inestimable.with such ioyes as fayth taketh not, hope toucheth not, nor charitie apprehendeth not. They passe all desires & wishes. Gotten they may be by Christ, estemed they can not be. Wherfore the more affliction and persecution the word of God bringeth the more felicitie and greater ioy abydeth in heauen. But the worldly peace, idle ease, wealthy pleasure, and this present and pleasaunt transitory lyfe and felicitie, which the vngodly foolishly imagine to procure vnto them selues by persecutyng, and thrustyng away the Gospell, shall turne vnto their owne trouble, MarginaliaSamuell prophesieth of the destruction of the persecutors.and at last vnto horrible destruction and mutations of Realmes and Countries, & after this life (if they repēt not) vnto their perpetuall infelicitie, perdition, & damnation. For they had rather with Naball and his temporall pleasures descend to the deuill, then with poore Christ and his bodily troubles, ascend vnto the kyngdome of God his father.Marginalia1 Reg. 25. But an vnwise man (sayth the Psalmist) comprehendeth them not, neither doth the foolish vnderstand them, that is, MarginaliaTo what end the persecutors do florish in this worlde.these bloudy persecutours growe vp and florishe like the flower and grasse in the field. But vnto this ende do they so florish, that they might be cut downe and cast into the fire for euer. For, as Iob sayth: MarginaliaIob. 21.Their ioy lasteth but the twinklyng of an eye, and death shall lye gnawyng vpon them as doth the flocke vpon the pasture:MarginaliaPsal 40. yea the cruell worme, late repentaunce (as S. Marke saythMarginaliaMar. 9.) shall lye gnawing, tormētyng, and accusing their wretched conscience for euermore.

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Let vs therfore (good Christians) be constant in obeying God rather then men. For although they slay our sinnefull bodies (yea rather our deadly enemyes) for Gods veritie: yet can they not do it, but by Gods sufferaunce and good will, to his prayse and honour, and to our eternall ioye and felicitie. MarginaliaThe bloud of Gods Martyrs preacheth with more fruite then did their mouthes.For our bloud shed for the Gospell, shall preache it with more fruite and greater furtheraunce, then dyd our mouthes, lyues, and writynges: as did the bloud of Abell, Steuen, with many other moe. What though they laugh Christ and his word to scorne which sit in the chayre of peruerse pestilent scorners? To whō as to the wise Gentiles of the worlde, the Gospell of Christ is but foolishnes, as it was to the Iewes a sclaunder and a stūblyng stone, whereat they now beyng fallen, haue prouoked the wrath and vēgeaunce of God vpon them.

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These are the dayes of vengeaunce (sayth LukeMarginaliaLuke. 2.) that all thynges written may bee fulfilled. And surely it shall be no lesse then a huge storme of euils that shall come vpon vs, because that MarginaliaGod loketh for repentance, and we waxe worse and worse.a long & a cursed obstinate maliciousnesse of vs, hath gone before crying in the eares of the Lord GOD of hostes, who so many tymes and so many wayes haue bene prouoked with the vnspeakeable richesse of his goodnesse, his pacience, and long sufferyng, to amendement, and haue neuerthelesse contemned the same, and proceeded forward to worse and worse, prouokyng and styrryng the presence of Gods maiestie vnto anger.

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Now therfore sayth GOD by the mouth of his Prophet: MarginaliaEsay 3.I will come vpon thee, and I will send my wrath vpon thee: vppon thee (I say) O England, and punishe thee accordyng to thy wayes and reward thee after all thyne abhominations. MarginaliaWickednes of England declared.Thou hast kyndled the fire of Gods wrath & hast styrred vp the coales. For thou wast once lightned and haddest tasted of the heauenly gift, and wast become partaker of the holy ghost, and haddest tasted of the good word of God: MarginaliaEsay 5.Yea, it is yet in thy mouth, sayth the Prophet. Alas O England, thou knewest thy Lorde and Maisters will, but diddest nothyng thereafter: Thou must therefore (sayth he) suffer many stripes, and many sharpe strokes, MarginaliaEngland worthely rebuked.and walke on in the glitteryng and whote flame of thyne owne fire, and in the coales that thou hast kyndled. This commeth to thee from my hand, sayth the Lord: namely: That thou shalt sleepe in sorrow, yea euen so thou shalt. The playne truth telleth the tale, the immutable iustice of the euerliuing God, and the ordinary course of his plagues from the begynnyng

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confirmeth the same. The ioy of our hart (sayth IeremyMarginaliaIeremy 5.) is gone, our glory is fallen away, our mery singyng is turned into mournyng, the garland of our head is fallen. MarginaliaHe bewayleth the state of Englande.Alas and weale away that euer we sinned so sore: Wo worth all abominations and wickednes: wo worth cloked hypocrisie: wo worth our carnall liberty: wo worth our most cursed Idolatry. For because of these thinges, sayth the Lord, ye shal perishe with sword, hunger, and pestilence.

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Wherfore, let all the wicked enemies of Christ, and all the vnbeleuer, looke to bee tormenced and vexed with al hellish furies, and cleane without hope at Gods accompting day, which know not God in Christ to bee their very righteousnes, their life, there onely saluation and alone Sauiour nor beleue not in him. They must, sayth S. Iohn,MarginaliaIohn. 8. needes abide and perish wyth theyr synnes in death and in eternall damnation. But we be the children of Saintes, as the elder Toby dyd aunswere, and looke for an other life, which God shall geue to al them which chaung not their fayth, nor shrynke not from him. MarginaliaComfort to the afflicted brethrenReioyce therfore ye Christian afflicted brethren, for they can not take our soules and bodies out of the handes of the almightye, whiche be kept as in the bosome of our most swete and louing father, MarginaliaMath. 10.and if wee abyde fast in Christ, and turne not away lyke weathercockes surely we shall lyue for euer, Christ affirmeth the same, saying: MarginaliaIohn. 10.My sheepe here my voice, I knowe then, they harken vnto me and to no straungers, and I geue them euerlastyng lyfe, for they shall not be lost, nor no man shall plucke thē out of my handes: no nor yet this flatteryng world with all his vayne pleasures nor any Tyranne w^t his great threates and stout brags can once moue them out of the way of eternall lyfe. What consolation and comfort may we haue more pleasaunt and effectuous then this (MarginaliaChrist himselfe suffereth in his members afflicted.God is on our side, and fighteth for vs: he suffereth, he smarteth, and is afflicted with vs. MarginaliaEsay. 5.As the world can doe nothing agaynst his might, neyther in taking away, or diminishing of his glory, nor puttyng hym from his celestiall throne: so can it not harme nor hurte anye one of his children without his good will. For MarginaliaEphe. 5.we are mēbers of his body, out of his flesh & of his bones, and as deare to hym as the apple of his eye.

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Let vs therefore with an earnest fayth, set fast hold and sure feeling vpon the promises of God in the Gospel, and let vs not be sundred from the same by any temptation, tribulation, or persecution. Let vs consider the verity of God to be inuinsible, inuiolable, and MarginaliaGods promise is immutable.immutable, Promising and geuyng vs his faythfull soldiours life eternall. It is he onely that hath deserued it for vs: it is his onely benefite & of his onely mere mercy, & vnto hym only must we render thākes. Let not therefore the vayne fantasies and dreames of men, the foolish gaudes  

and toyes of the world, nor the craftie delusions of the deuill, driue and separate vs from our hope of the crowne of righteousnes, that is layd vp in stoore for vs agaynst the last day. MarginaliaO mery last day.Oh that happy and merrye last day, I meane to the faythfull, when Christ by his couenaunt shall graunt and geue vnto them that ouercome and kepe hys wordes to the ende, that they may ascend and sit in seate with him, as he hath ascended and sitteth on throne with his father. The same body and soule that is nowe with Christ afflicted, shall then be with Christ glorified: Marginalia
2. Tim. 2.
Christes saintes be here in Butchers handes.now in the butchers handes as shepe appointed to dye, then sitting at gods table with Christ in his kyngdome, as Gods honorable and deare children: where wee shall haue MarginaliaPsal. 16.for earthly pouertye, heauenly riches, for hunger and thirst, saturitie of the pleasaunt presence of the glory of God, for sorowes troubles and colde yrons, celestiall ioyes, and the company of Angels, and for a bodily death, life eternall. Oh happy soules, oh precious death and euermore blessed: right deare in the eyes of God to you the spryng of the Lord shall euer bee florishyng.MarginaliaPrecious is the death of Gods Sayntes. Then (as sayth Esay): the redemed shal returne & come agayn into Sion praysing the Lord, and eternall mercyes shalbe ouer theyr heades: they shall obteyne myrth and solace: sorrow and woe shalbe vtterly vanquished: yea I am euen hee sayth the Lord, that in al thinges geueth you euerlasting cōsolation. To whom with the Father, and the holy Ghost, be glory and prayse for euer Amen.

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Robert Samuell.

The beliefe of the hart iustifieth, and the knowledge with the mouth maketh a man safe. Rom. 10.

Feare not the curse of men, be not afrayde of theyr blasphemyes and reuilynges, for wormes and mothes shall eate them vp like cloth and woll, but my righteousnes shall endure for euer, and my sauing health from generation to generation.Esay. 51.