MarginaliaAnno. 1555. October.pose is to beare the Beastes marke,Marginalia
To beare the beastes marke, what it is.
Apocalip. 13. 14. 20.I will tell thee, and committe the iudgemente of myne interpretation, as in all other thynges, to the Spirituall manne. I suppose he beareth the Beaste of Babilons marke in his foreheade, whiche is not ashamed of the Beastes waies, but will professe them openly to sette foorthe his master the beast Abaddon. And likewise he beareth his marke in his hande, that will, and doeth practise the woorkes of the Beast with his power and hande. And likewise I will not let to tell thee, what I thinke to be signed in the foreheade for the seruaunt of God, whereof Iohn also speaketh, reckening vp many thousands so to haue been signed of euery tribe. I suppose he is signed in the forhead, for the seruaunt of GOD, whom God hath appointed of his infinite goodnesse, & hath giuen hym grace and strengthe, stoutly to confesse hym, & his truthe before the worlde. And to haue grace and strength to confesse Christ, and the doctrine of the crosse, and to lament and mourne for the abominatiōs of Antichriste, I suppose is to bee signed with Tau, whereof Ezechiel the Prophet doeth speake. Thus I suppose these Prophesies are spiritually to bee vnderstanded: and to looke for other corporall markes, to be seen in mennes forheades, or in their hands, is nothing els but to loke that there should come some brute beast out of Babilon, or some Elephant, Leopard, Lyon, or Camell, or some other suche monstrous Beast with. x. hornes, that should do all the wonderfull thynges spoken in Iohn: and yet of a Beast speaketh Iohn, but I vnderstande hym so to be called, not for that he shall be any suche brute Beast, but for that he is, and shall bee the child of perdition, whiche for his crueltie and beastly maners, is well called a Beast.

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MarginaliaThe literall taking of the scripture, made the Iewes infidels.The carnall Iewes knewe there was a promise made, that Helias should come before Christ the Messias the annointed of God, to prepare his waies: they knewe also there was a promise of Messias, that he should come, and be a kyng, and raigne in the house of Dauid for euermore, but they vnderstoode all so grosly and so carnally, that they neither knewe Helias, nor Messias when they came, for they looked for Helias to come doune from heauen in his owne persone, and for Messias to come and raigne in worldly pompe, power, riches, and glory, when as the prophesies of bothe wer spiritually to haue been vnderstanded: of Helias that he should come, not in persone, but in spirit, that is, one whiche should be indued with the spirite, and giftes of grace of Helias, whiche was in deede Ihon Baptiste, as Christ hym self did declare to his Apostles. And of Messias raigne, all the Prophetes were to bee vnderstanded of the raigne of his spirituall kyngdome, ouer the house of Iacob, and the true Israelites for euermore. And so by that their grosse, and carnall vnderstandyng, they mistoke bothe Helias, and the true messias, and when they came, knewe neither of them both. So likewise I feare me (naie it is certaine) the worlde that wanteth the lighte of the spirite of GOD (for the worlde is not able to receiue hym, saieth Ihon) neither doeth, nor shall knowe the Beaste, nor his markes, though he rage cruelly, and liue neuer so beastly, MarginaliaThe Popes marked men.and though his marked men be in nomber like the sande of the sea. The Lorde therefore vouchsafe to open the eyes of the blinde, with the light of grace, that they may see and perceiue, and vnderstande the wordes of God after the mynde of his spirite, Amen.

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MarginaliaCarnall obiectiōs answered.Here remaineth twoo obiections, whiche maie seem waightie, and the which maie peraduenture moue many, not to followe the former councel. The former reason is: A man will saie, Oh sir it is no small matter ye speake of, to depart from a mannes owne natiue countrey into a straunge realme. Many men haue so greate lettes,  

as howe is it possible that they can, or may doe so? Some haue landes and possessions, whiche they can not cary with them: some haue father, mother, wife, children, and kinsfolke, from whom to depart is as hard a thing (and all one almost) as to suffer death, and to goe to a straunge countrey, that thou knowest not, neither the maner of the people, nor how thou maiest awaie either with the people, or with the countrey. Or what a hard thyng is it to liue amōg a straunge people, whose tongue thou doest not vnderstande. &c.

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I graunt here thou maiest heape a nūber of worldly incommodities, whiche are surely very like to ensue the departure out of a mannes owne natiue countrey, I meane out of the whole realme, into a straūge land: but what of all these, and a thousande moe of the like

sorte? I will set vnto them one saying of our Sauiour Christ, whiche vnto the faithfull child of God, & to the true christian, is able to counteruaile all these, yea and to waie them doune. Christ our sauiour saieth in Luke: If any come to me, and doe not hate his father and mother (he meaneth, and will not in his cause forsake his father and mother) his wife, children, and brethren, yea and his life too, he cānot be my disciple: and whosoeuer doeth not beare his crosse and come after me, he cā not bee my disciple. And in the same place he declareth by ij. parables, one of a builder, and the other of a king that is a warrier, that euery man that will not in Christes cause, forsake all that euer he hath, he can not bee his disciple. Looke the place who will: the matter is so plainly set forth, that no gloses, nor clokyng of cōsciēce to the manne of God, can serue to the contrary. Many places there be for the same purpose, for the imbrasyng of Christes crosse, when Christ and his cause laieth it vpon our backe: but this is so plaine, that I nede here to rehearse no more.

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MarginaliaAn other worldly obiection answered.The latter reason and obiectiō wherof I spake before, is of more force, & includeth a necessitie, which, after the common saiyng, hath no lawe, and therfore it is more hard to shape for it a good answer. This maie be obiected of some: Alas sir I graunt al these thinges do greue me, & because I vnderstande thei doe not agree with Gods worde, whiche is the rule of my conscience, I loth either to loke on thē, or to heare thē. But sir (alas) I am an impotent man, an aged man, a sicke man a lame man, or I haue so many smal infantes & a lame wife, whiche all liueth by my labor, & by my prouisiō: if I leaue thē, thei shal sterue, and I am not able to cary them with me, suche is my state. Alas sir, what shall I doe? And these causes maie chaunce to some menne of God, whereby either it shalbe for thē vtterly impossible to depart the countrey, or els in departyng, thei shalbe inforced to forsake suche in extreme necessities, of whō both God & nature hath committed vnto thē the care.

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Alas what coūcel is here to be giuen? O lamentable state. O sorowfull hart þ^t neither can depart, & without extreme daunger & perill, is not able to tary still. And these are thei whō our sauior Christ saw before should be, and called them in his prophesie of the latter tyme, great bealied or trauelling women, & women that giue after thei bee brought to bed, their small babes sucke. The state of suche as are not able to fly the infectiō of the pestiferous plague of Antichristes abominations, Christ lamenting, and not cursyng, saith: Wo be to the great bealied and trauelling women, & women that giue sucke in those daies. For these alas my harte mourneth þ^e more, the lesse I am able to giue any cōfortable coūcell but this: that alwaies, as thei loke for euerlasting life, thei abide still in the confession of his truth, whatsoeuer shall befall, & for the reste to put their trust now wholy in God, whiche is able to saue them against all apparance: MarginaliaA lessō to trust to þ^e Lord, who is al wayes a help in extremite of neede.and cōmonly in extremities, whē al worldly comfort faileth, & the danger is at highest, then vnto his he is wont, after his accustomed mercy, to be moste ready for to put his helping hand. Daniel God suffred to bee cast into the denne of Lions, and the iij. children into the hot burnyng fornace, and yet he saued thē all. Paule was plucked out of the mouthe of the Lion (as he saieth of hym selfe) and in Asia he was brought in suche trouble, that he loked for no other thyng, but for present death, and yet he that raiseth the dead to life againe, did bryng hym out of all his troubles, & taught him and al other that be in troubles for Christes cause, not to trust to them selues, but in almightie God.

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Of Gods gracious aide in extreme perilles toward them that put their trust in hym, all Scripture is full both olde and newe. MarginaliaExample of gods redy help in extreme perils.What daungers were the Patriarkes often brought vnto, as Abraham, Isaac, and Iacob, but of all other Ioseph, & how mercifully were thei deliuered again? In what perils was Moises whē he was fain to flie for the sauegard of his life? And whē was he sent again to deliuer the Israelites frō the seruile bondage? Not before they were brought into extreme miserie. And when did the Lorde mightely deliuer his people from Pharao his sworde? Not before they were brought in suche straites, that they were so cōpassed on euery side (the maine sea on the one side, and the maine hoste on the other) that they could loke for none other (yea what did thei els in deede loke for?) but either to haue bene drouned in the sea or els to haue fallen on the edge of Pharao his sword. These iudges, whiche wrought moste wonderfull thinges in

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