Marginalia1555. Decemb.and folow him: and in so doyng hee gaineth an hundreth fold more in this life (as our Sauiour sayd to Peter) and here after is assured of eternall life. Beholde I pray you, what he loseth, whiche in this lyfe receaueth an hundreth for one, with assuraūce of eternall life. O happy exchaūce. Perchaūce your outward man wil say: if I were sure of this great recōpence here, I could be glad to forsake all. MarginaliaHow a Christen man gayneth an hundreth folde in this lyfe.But where is this hundreth fold in this life to be found? Yes truely: for in stede of worldly riches which thou doest forsake, whiche be but temporall, thou has found the euerlastyng riches of heauē, which be glory, honour, and prayse, both before God, Aungels and men: and for an earthly habitation, hast an eternall mansion with Christ in heauen, for euen nowe thou art of the Citie and houshold of the Saints with God, as it is verified in the iiij. to the Philippians.MarginaliaPhil. 4.For worldly peace, which can last but a while, thou doest possesse the peace of God, which passeth all vnderstādyng: MarginaliaA comparison betwene the losse and the gaine that commeth by following of Christ.& for the losse of a few frēds thou art made a felowe of the innumerable cōpany of heauē, and a perpetuall frend of all those that haue dyed in the Lord frō the begynnyng of the world. Is not this more then an hundreth fold? Is not the peace of God which we in this world haue through faythfull imitation of Christ (which the world cā not take from vs) ten thousand fold more, MarginaliaPeace with God a thing incomparable.thē those thynges that most highly bee estemed in the worlde, without the peace of God? All the peace of the world is no peace, but mere anguishe and a gnawyng fury of hell. MarginaliaThe lacke of Gods peace a thing most miserable.As of late God hath set example before our eyes, to teach vs how horrible an euill it is to forsake the peace of Christes truth, which breedeth a worme in cōscience that neuer shall rest.

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O that we would way this with indifferēt  

ballāces. Thē should we not be dismayed of this troublous tyme, neither sorrow after a worldly manner, for the losse which we are now lyke to susteine, as the weake faythlesse personnes do, which loue their goodes, more then God, and the thyngs visible, aboue those whiche be inuisible: but rather would hartely reioyce and be thankefull, that it pleaseth God to call vs to be souldiours in his cause, agaynst the woorkes of hypocrisie, and to make vs like vnto our Sauiour Christ in sufferyng, whereby we may assure our selues of his eternall glory: For blessed are they sayth Christ, that suffer persecution for righteousnes sake. And as S. Paule witnesseth to Timothe:Marginalia2. Tim. 2. If we dye with Christ, we shall lyue with Christ: and if we deny him, he will deny vs.

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O that we would enter into the veile  

of Gods promises. Then should we with Saint Paule to the Phillippians,MarginaliaPhil. 3. reiecte all and counte all thynges but for drosse, so that we may gayne Christ. GOD whiche is the lightener of all darkenes and putter away of all blyndnes, annoynt our eyes with the true eyesalue, that we might behold his glory, and our eternall felicitie, which is hidden with Christ, and prepared for vs that do abyde in his Testament: for blessed is that seruaunt that whom the Maister when he commeth, as Christ sayd, doth finde faythfull. Let vs therfore watch, and pray one for an other, that we yeld not in any point of our Religion to the Antichrstian Sinagoge, and that we be not ouerthrowen of these temptations. Stand therefore and be no cowardes in the cause of your saluation: for his spirite that is in vs, is stronger then he whiche in the world doth now rage against vs. Let vs not put out the spirite of GOD from vs, by whose might we shall ouercome our enemyes, and thē death shal be as a great a gaine to vs as it was to the blessed Apostle S. Paule. MarginaliaHe exhorteth to be ioyfull in affliction.Why then do yee mourne? why do ye weepe? why be ye so carefull, as though God had forsaken you? he is neuer more present with vs, then when we be in trouble, if we do not forsake him. We are in his handes, and no body can doe vs any iniurie or wrong without his good will & pleasure. He hath cōmaunded his aūgels to keepe vs, that wee stōble not at a stone without his diuine prouidēce. The deuill can not hurt any of vs, and much lesse any of his ministers, without the good will of our eternall father.

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Therefore let vs be of good comforte, and continually geue thankes vnto God for our estate, what soeuer it be: MarginaliaTo be patient and not to murmure in afflictionsfor if we murmure against the same, we murmure against God, who sendeth the same. Which if we do, we kicke but against the pricke, and prouoke more the wrath of God agaynst vs: which by pacient sufferyng, otherwise would sooner be turned into our fauour through faythfull prayer.

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I beseech you with S. Paule, to geue your bodyes pure, and holy sacrifices vnto God. He hath geuē vs bodies to bestow vnto his glory, and not after our owne concupiscence. If many yeares GOD hath suffered vs to vse your bodyes, which be his temples, after the lust of the flesh, in vayne delightes, not according to his glory: is it not our duetie in the latter end of our life, the more willingly to yeld vnto Gods glory our bodies, with all that we haue, in demonstration of true repentaunce of that we haue euill spent before? Cannot the ensample of the blessed mā Iob horribly afflicted, cause

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vs to say? MarginaliaIob. 1.The Lord hath geuē it, the Lord hath taken it: blessed bee the name of the Lorde. Euen as it hath pleased the Lord, so is it come to passe. If we cast our whole care likewise vpon GOD, he will turne our miserie into felicitie, as well he did to Iob. God tēpteth vs now, as he did our father Abrahā,MarginaliaGene. 22. cōmaundyng him to slay his sonne Isaac in sacrifice to him: which Isaac by interpretation doth signifie myrth and ioy. Who by his obedience preserued Isaac vnto long lyfe, and offered in his stede a Ramme that was tyed by the hornes in the brambles. MarginaliaHow to Sacrifice our Isaac to God.Semblably we all are commaūded, to sacrifice vnto God our Isaac, which is our ioy and cōsolation: the whiche if we be ready to do, as Abraham was, our ioy shall not perish, but liue and be encreased, although our Ramme be sacrificed for our Isaac: which doth signifie that the pride and concupiscence of our flesh entāgled thorough sinne, with the cares of this stingyng world, must be mortified for the preseruation, and perfect augmentation of our myrth and ioy, which is sealed vp for vs in Christ.

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MarginaliaRemedies agaynst the temptations of the Deuill and the world.And to withstand these present temptations, wherewith all we are now encombred, ye can not haue a better remedy then to set before your eyes, how our Sauiour Christ ouercame them in the desert, and to follow his ensample: that if the deuil himselfe, or any other by him, willeth you to make stones bread, that is, to take such a worldly wise way that ye may haue your faire houses, landes, and goods to liue on stil, ye must say, that man liueth not onely by bread, but by euery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

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MarginaliaChristes temptations mistically applyed.Agayne, if the deuill counsailleth you, to cast your selues downe to the earth, as to reuoke your sincere belief, and Godly conuersation, and to bee conformable to the learned men of the world, pretendyng that God wilbe well enough content therewith: ye must aunswere that it is written, that a man shall not tempt his Lord God.

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Further, if the deuill offer you large promises of honor, dignitie and possessions, so that ye will worshyppe Idols in his Synagoge, ye must say: go behynd me Sathan, for it is otherwise written, that a man must worshyp his Lorde God and serue him onely.

Finally, if your mother, brother, sister, wife, childe, kinsman, or frend, doe seeke of you, to doe otherwayes then the word of GOD hath taught you, ye must say with Christ that they are your mothers, brothers, sisters, wiues children and kinsmen, whiche do the will of GOD the father. To the which will the Lord for his mercy, conforme vs all vnfaynedly to the ende, Amen.

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Your louyng and faythfull brother in Christ,
in captiuitie, Iohn Philpot. An. 1555.

MarginaliaAn other letter of Iohn Philpot to M. Harrington his frend.GEntle Maister Harrington, I can not tell what condigne  

thankes I may geue vnto God for you, in respect of that great gentlenesse and payne whiche you haue taken for the reliefe of me and of other our afflicted brethren in Christ. God be praysed for his mercy, whose louyng prouidence we haue sene towardes vs by such faythfull Stewardes as you haue bene towardes a great many. Blessed bee you of GOD for the louyng care whiche you haue taken for his poore flocke. God hath reserued your reward of thankes in heauen, and therfore I do not go about to render you any, lest I might seeme to iudge, that you looked for that here, which is reserued to a better place. I thanke God for that I haue founde by your faythfull and diligent industry, & God forgeue me my vnworthynes for so great benefites. God geue me grace to serue him faythfully, & to runne out my race with ioye. Glorious is the course of the Martyrs of Christ at this day. Neuer had the electes of God a better time for their glory thē this is. Now may they be assured vnder þ^e crosse, that they are Christs disciples for euer.

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Me thynke I see you desiryng to bee vnder the same. The fleshe draweth backe, but the spirite sayth, it must be brought whether it would not.MarginaliaIohn. 21. Here is the victory of the worlde: here is true fayth and euerlastyng glory. Who is he which desireth not to be found faithfull to his maister? And now is the tyme that euery faythfull seruaūt of Christ hath iust oportunitie to shew hymselfe a glorious souldiour in the Lordes sight. Now doe the Amalachites inuade the true Israelites, that the Israelites might with speede be glorified. I neede not, for want of vnderstandyng, to admonishe you hereof, but as a willyng souldiour in Christ, to exhorte you so to runne as you may get the victory, and that speedely, with vs. A man that is byd to a glorious feast, wisheth his frend to go with him & to be partaker therof. God doth call me most vnworthy, amōg other, to drinke of the bridecup of his sonne, whereby we shalbe made worthy (as many of our brethrē haue bene before vs) to sit at the right hand and at the left hand of Christ. O what vnspeakeable condition

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