MarginaliaAn. 1555. December.deede, to the glory of God & our euerlasting saluation, Amē.

Iohn Philpot prisoner in the
Kynges Benche for the testi-
mony of the truth. 1555.

MarginaliaAn other letter of M. Philpot to Iohn Careles.MY dearely beloued brother Careles, I haue receiued your louyng Letters full of loue and compassion, in so much that they made my hard hart to weepe, to see you so carefull for one that hath bene so vnprofitable a member as I haue bene & am in Christes church. God make me worthy of that I am called vnto, & I pray you cease not to pray for me, but cease to weepe for him who hath not deserued such gētle teares: and prayse GOD with me, for that I now approch to the cōpany of them, whose wāt you may worthely lament: God geue your pitifull hart his inward consolation. In deede my deare Careles, I am in this world in hell, & in the shadow of death: but he that hath brought me for my desertes downe vnto hell, shal shortly lift me vp to heauen, where I shal looke continually for your cōming and others my faithfull brethrē in the Kings Bench. And though I tell you that I am in hell in the iudgement of this world, yet assuredly I feele in the same, MarginaliaExperience of the Lordes comfort in trouble.the consolation of heauē, I prayse God: and this lothsome & horrible prison is as pleasaūt to me, as the walke in the garden of the Kynges Bench.

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You know brother Careles, that the way to heauen out of this life, is very narrow, and we must striue to enter in at a narrow gate. If GOD do mitigate the ouglenes of myne imprisonmēt, what wil he do in the rage of the fire whereunto I am appointed? MarginaliaExample of Christes comfort to be taken by M. Philpot.And this hath happened vnto me that I might be hereafter an ensample of cōfort, if the like happen vnto you or to any other of my deare brethrē with you in these cruell dayes, in the which the deuill so rageth at the faythfull flocke of Christ, but in vayne (I trust) agaynst any of vs, who bee perswaded that neither life neither death is able to separate vs from the loue of Christes Gospel, which is Gods high treasure cōmitted to our brittle vessels to glorifie vs by the same. God of his mercy make vs faythfull stewardes to the end, & geue vs grace to feare nothing whatsoeuer in his good pleasure we shall suffer for the same. That I haue not written vnto you erst,  

the cause is our strait   keepyng and the want of light by night, for the day serueth vs but a while in our darke closet. This is the first letter that I haue written since I came to prison,   besides the reporte of mine examinations, and I am fayne to scrible it out in hast.

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Commend me to all our faythfull brethrē, and byd them with a good courage looke for their redemption, and frame themselues to be harty souldiours in Christ. They haue takē his prest money  

a great while, and now let them shew them selues ready to serue him faythfully, and not to fly out of the Lordes campe into the world, as many do. Let them remēber that in the ApocalipsMarginaliaApoc. 21.the feareful be excluded the kingdome. Let vs be of good cheare for our Lord ouercame the world, that we should do the like. Blessed is the seruaunt whom whē the Lord commeth, he findeth watchyng. O let vs watch and pray earnestly one for an other, that we be not led into tēptation. Be ioyfull vnder the crosse, and prayse the Lord continually, for this is the whole burnt sacrifice which the Lord chiefly delighteth in. Commende me to my father Hunt, and desire him to loue and continue in the vnitie of Christes true Church, which he hath begon, and then shall he make me more & more to ioy vnder my cross with him. Tell my brother Clements that he hath cōforted me much by his louing token in significatiō of an vnfained vnitie with vs:   let him encrease my ioy vnto the end perfectly. The Lord of peace be with you all. Salute all my louing frēds, M. Meryng, M. Crooch, with the rest, & specially M. Marshal & his wife, with great thākes for his kindnes shewed vnto me. Fare wel my deare Careles: I haue dalied with the deuil a while, but now I am ouer the shooes:   God send me well out.

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Out of the Colehouse by your
brother Iohn Philpot.

MarginaliaAn other letter of M. Philpot to the same partye.THe God of all comfort, and the father of our Lord Iesus Christ, send vnto thee my deare brother Careles, the inward consolation of his holy spirite, in all the malicious assaultes & troubelous temptations of our common aduersarie the Deuill, Amen.

That GOD geueth you so contrite a hart for your sinnes, I can not but reioyce to beholde the liuely marke of the children of God, whose propertie is to thinke more lowly and vily of them selues, then of any other, and often tymes

MarginaliaTo this letter Careles maketh very godly aunswere, which you shall see after in his story.do set their sinnes before them, that they might the more be styrred to bryng forth the fruites of repentaunce, and learne to mourne in this worlde, that in an other they might the more be styrred to bryng forth the fruites of repentaunce, & learne to mourne in this world, that in an other they might be glad and reioyce. Such a broken hart is a pleasaunt sacrifice vnto God: O that I had the lyke contrite hart. God mollifie my stony hart, which lamēteth not in such wise my former detestable iniquities. Praysed be God that he hath geuen you this sorrowfull hart in respect of righteousnes, & I pray you let me be partaker of these Godly sorrowes for sinne, which be þ^e testimony of the presence of the holy ghost. Did not the sword of sorrow pearce the hart of the elect and blessed mother of our Lord? Did not Peter weepe bitterly for his sinnes, which was so beloued of Christ? did not Mary Magdalen wash the feete of our sauiour with her teares, & receiued therewithall remission of her seuenfold sinnes.

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Be of good comfort therfore myne own deare hart, in this thy sorrow, for it is the earnest peny of eternall consolation. In thy sorrow laugh, for the spirite of God is with thee. MarginaliaMath. 15.Blessed bee they (sayth Christ) that mourne: for they shall be comforted. They went forth & wept sayth the Prophet:MarginaliaPsal. 125. such shall come agayne, hauing their gripes ful of gladnes. And although a sorrowfull hart in consideration of his sinne, be an acceptable Sacrifice before God,MarginaliaPsal. 51. whereby we are stirred vp to more thākfulnes vnto God, knowyng that much is forgeuē vs that we might loue the more:MarginaliaLuke. 7. yet the mā of God must keepe a measure in the same, lest he be swallowed vp by to much sorrow.MarginaliaSorow in a Christian man ought to be moderate. S. Paul would not the ThessaloniāsMarginalia1. Thes. 4. to be sory as other mē which haue no hope. Such a sorrow is not cōmendable, but worketh dānation,Marginalia2. Cor. 7. & is farre fro the childrē of God, who are cōtinually sorrowfull in God whē they looke vpō their owne vnworthynes, with hope of forgiuenes. For God to this ende by his spirite setteth the sinnes of his elect still before thē, that where they perceiue sinne to aboūde, there they might be assured that grace shall superabound:MarginaliaRom. 5. & bringeth thē downe vnto hell, that he might lift them vp with greater ioy vnto heauen. Wherfore, myne owne bowels in Christ, as long as you are not voyde altogether of hope, be not dismayd through your pensiue hart for your sinnes, how huge so euer they haue bene, for God is able to forgeue more then you are able to sinne: yea, & he will forgeue him which with hope is sory for his sinnes.

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But know brother, that as oft as we doe go about, by the helpe of Gods spirite, to do that is good, MarginaliaSathans practise to bring the godly repentance of a sinner to desperation.the euill spirite Sathan layeth hard wayt to turne the good vnto euill, and goeth aboute to mixe the detestable darnell  

of desperation with the godly sorrow of a pure penitent hart. You be not ignoraunt of his malicious subteltie, and how that continually he assaulteth that good which the grace of GOD planteth. I see the battell betwixt you and him, but the victory is yours, yea and that dayly: For you haue layd hold vppon the anker of saluation, which is hope in Christ, the whiche will not suffer you to be made ashamed.

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Be not discomforted that you haue this conflict: but be glad that God hath geuē you the same to try your fayth, and that you might appeare dayly worthy of þ^e kingdome of god, for the which you striue. God beholdeth your striuyng fayth agaynst Sathan, & is pleased with your mighty resistaunce. The spirite which is in you, is mightyer then all the aduersaries power. Tēpt he may, and lying awayt at your heeles, geue you a fall vnwares: but ouercome hee shall not: yea he can not, for you are sealed vp already with a liuely faith to be the child of God for euer: & whom God hath once sealed for his owne, him he neuer vtterly forsaketh. The iust falleth, vij. tymes, but he riseth agayne. MarginaliaGods children fall. The deuils children lye still.It is mans frailtie to fall, but it is the propertie of the Deuils child to lye still.

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This strife agaynst sinne is a sufficiēt testimony that you are the child of God,MarginaliaLuke 11. for if you were not, you should feele no such malice as he now troubleth you withall.MarginaliaStrife agaynst sinne is a token of Gods childe.When this strong Goliah hath the hold, all thyngs be in peace which he possesseth, & because he hath you not, he will not suffer you vnassaulted. But stand fast, & hold out the buckler of fayth, & with the sword of gods promises smite him on the scalpe, that hee may receiue a deadly wound, and neuer bee able to stand agaynst you any more. S. IamesMarginaliaIames 4.telleth you that he is but a coward, saying: Resist the deuill and he will flye away. It is the will of God that hee should thus long tempt you & not go away as yet, or els he had done with you long ere this. He knoweth already that he shall receiue the foyle at your handes, and encrease the crowne of your glory: for he that ouercommeth shall be crowned. Therfore glory in your temptations since they shall turne to your felicitie. Be not afrayde of your continuall assaultes: which be occasions of your dayly victory. The word of God abydeth for euer.MarginaliaEzech. 31.In what houre soeuer a sinner repenteth him of his sinnes, they be forgeuen. Who can lay any thyng to the charge of Gods elect: Do you not perceiue the manifest tokens of your elec-

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