MarginaliaThe tyme of tribulation better for a Christian then the tyme if ioy.MarginaliaAn. 1555. December.then may they be weake where Christe is? We haue more to be glad, touchyng our selues, of this tyme, then we haue had of any time before, in the which we haue so ready a way to goe vnto God, and so good occasion to shewe our duetie in gloryfying his holy name. For if we be imprisoned in this cause, we are blessed. If we loose al that we haue, we are blessed a hundred folde. If we dye, we are blessed eternally: so that in suffering of persecutions all is full of blessinges. Be blessed therefore (O elect Lady) of God, with þ^e blessed of God, and flee (as you do) the concupiscence of the worlde. Embrace that whiche is perfect, and ioyfully looke for the commyng and crosse of our Lorde Iesus Christ. &c. Thus desiring God to preserue you to his true peace, and to geue you victorie of that temptation which nowe is come to trye our faith. Christ be with you and blesse you both in body and soule: and my prayer shal folow you where soeuer you goe, as I desire that you maye be with me. The laste Weeke I sent your beneficence to Oxford:  

I could not before haue a cōuenient messenger. As soone as I haue word, you shalbe satisfied of your request. Loue me as you doo, & the God of loue be with you. The. xx. day of August.

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By yours with all his power, in the
Lord, Iohn Philpot.

MarginaliaAn other letter of M. Philpot to the same LadyTHe mercy of God the father, and the consolation of the holy ghost thorow Iesus Christ, be with you & strēgth you my deare mother and sister in the Lord, in these daungerous dayes, to the crowne of eternal glorye which is nowe offered to al faithful souldiers in the Gospel. Amen.

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As your good Ladyship dooth desire to heare from me, so am I desirous to write, as your gentlenes and dayly goodnes byndeth me. But Satan of late hath letted me, who enuying all good exercises whiche I haue had and receyued by myne easie imprisonment in tymes paste, hath brought me out of the Kinges Benche, into the Bishop of Londons Colehouse, a darke and a vgly prison, as any is about London (but my darke bodye of sinne hath well deserued the same, and the Lorde nowe hath brought me into outwarde darkenes, that I might the more be lightened by hym, as he is most present with his children in the middest of darknes) where I can not be suffred to haue any candle light, neither ynke, nor paper, but by stealth, wherefore I can not write to you as I would, neither as my duetie is. As Christ my maister was sente from Annas to Caiphas, so am I sente from Winchester Dioces to London. I trust to make a speedy end of my course: God geue me grace & pacience to be a faithful folower of my maister. I haue bene already this seuennight in his Colehouse, and haue of late bene foure tymes called to myne answeare, but hitherto not called to iudgement, which I do dayly looke for, but I feare they wyll prolong me and trie me by strait  

imprisonment a while, in the which Gods wyll be done.

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Pray (deare Lady) that my faith faint not, which I praise God, is presently more liuely with me then it hath bene in tymes past. MarginaliaExperience of Christ, comforting his saintes in their persecution.I taste and feele the faithfulnes of God in his promise, who hath promised to be with his in their trouble and to deliuer them. I thanke the Lord, I am not alone, but haue sixe other faithful companions: who in our darknes do chearfully sing Hymnes and prayses vnto God for his great goodnes. We are so ioyful, that I wishe you part of my ioy. For you that are so careful of my bodyly reliefe, how can I but wish you spiritual consolation aud that abūdantly? Let not, deare hart, my straite imprisonment any thing moleste you: for it hath added and dayly doth, vnto my ioy: but rather be glad and thankfull vnto God with me, that it hath pleased hym to make me moste wretched sinner, worthy to suffer any thing for his sake. Hitherto we haue not resisted vnto bloud. God make vs neuer to count our bloud more precious in our eyes then his truth.

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Ah my deare sister, I thanke you againe for your last letter you sent me: it is a singular comfort vnto me, as oft as I reade the same. I haue it in my bosome, and wyl cary the same, euen to the stake with me, in witnes that Christ hath so cōstant and faithful a Lady in England. God succour & keepe that spirite in you, for it is the very spirite of adoption of the childe of God. Suche cheareful and holy spirites vnder the crosse be acceptable sacrifices in the sight of god: for Christ came to cast fire into the earth and looketh that it shoulde be kindled. Be you feruent in spirite in our Christes cause, as you haue begō, for that is the principal spirit wherwithal Dauid desired to be confirmed. O how I do reioyce your Ladyship to goe arme in arme with me vnto Christ, or rather before me. I can not but ioy of such a worshipful felow. Me thinketh I see you to mourne, & desire to be loosed out

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of the earthly and fraile habitacle  

of this body. O howe amiable and pleasant is it to dwell in the Lords tabernacle? Our Christe and his heauenly company looke for vs: let vs hast and runne therto, for behold the Lord is ready to embrace vs. Myne owne bowels in the Lorde, be meery in the Lord with your afflicted brother, who dayly offereth your merctful almes: which most vnworthyly I do receyue styll of you, vnto the Lorde.   But nowe deare mother, you neede not to burden so muche your selfe (as my last letters did signifie) for that my chargeable imprisonment is cut of, and a litle nowe serueth me:   wherefore I pray you send no more vntyl I send to you, for I haue sufficient and abounde. Gods peace be with you for euer. Out of my Lorde of Londons Colehouse, the last of October.

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Your owne, Iohn Philpot.

MarginaliaAn other letter of Master Philpot.I Can not but ioy with you, my harty beloued in Christ, of the fall of Senacherib,  

MarginaliaBy this Senacharib, hee meaneth the death of the Byshop of Winchester. since it is to the glorye of God, and to the consolation of his Churche, to see the fall of their enemies before their face, accordyng as it is written: The iust shall reioyce when he seeth the vengeaunce of the wicked. God make this your ioy perfite: for as concernyng my self, I coūt not to see those good dayes wherof you haue a glimmeryng in this lyfe. For although the Cokatrice   be dead, yet his pestilent chickens, with the whoore of Babylon yet lyueth. But a great hope there is of their shorte confusion, because God doth not prosper their doynges accordyng to their expectation. Most happyest shal he be, whom the lord shall most soonest take out of this life, that he may not see the plagues, which the manifest periurie, and the manifolde idolatrie and detestable dissimulation, and that of such as do know the truth, do threaten to come.

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The Lord is iust, & all vnrighteousnes displeaseth hym, & eyther here or els in an other worlde he will punish this grosse infidelity of þ^e world: but his elect, & such as he loueth, will he punish here, that they should not bee cōdēned hereafter with the worlde eternally, wee haue nothyng so much to reioyce in, as in the crosse of Iesu Christ, & in that wee are partakers of his afflictions, whiche be the earnest penny of that eternall kingdome, whiche he vpon the crosse for vs hath purchased. For as Paule his faythfull witnes sayth: If we suffer wyth hym, wee shall raygne with him. If we dye with him, we shall lyue with him.

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Wherfore, mine own deare bowels, prayse God with me most intirely, that it hath pleased him now mercifully to visit the sinnes of my youth, and my huge vnthankefulnes, and by the same doth geue me such consolation, that he assureth me of his great goodnes and mercye, and turneth hys fatherly castigation into my crowne of glory. O good God, what am I on whom he should shew this great mercy? To hym that is immortall, inuisible, and onely wise, be all honor, prayse and glory therfore, Amen.

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MarginaliaHe expresseth the great ioy which Gods prisoners feele in their sufferinges.This is the day that the Lorde hath made, let vs reioyce and be glad in the same. This is the way, though it be narrow, which is full of the peace of God, and leadeth to eternal blisse, O how my hart leapeth for ioy, that I am so neare the apprehension therof. God forgiue me mine vnthankefulnes, and vnworthynes of so great glorye. The swordes whiche pearced Maries hart in the passion of our Sauiour, which dayly also go through your faythfull hart, be more glorious, and to be desired then the golden Scepters of this worlde. O blessed be they that mourne in thys world to Godward, for they shall eternally bee comforted. God make my stony hart to mourne more then it doth. I haue so much ioy of the reward that is prepared for me most wretched sinner that though I bee in a place of darkenes and mournyng, yet I can not lament, but both night & day am so ioyfull, as though I were vnder no Crosse at all: MarginaliaIohn Philpot neuer so mery in all his lyfe before.yea in all the dayes of my lyfe I was neuer so meery, the name of the Lorde be praysed therfore for euer and euer, and he pardō myne vnthankfulnes. Our enemies do freate, fume, and gnash theyr teeth to see and heare that we, vnder this greuous affliction in the world, can be so mery. We are of them counted as desperate persones for the certayne hope and feelyng whiche we haue of our euerlastyng saluation: and it is no maruell, for the worldly man can not perceiue the things of God, it is mere foolishnes and abomination to them.

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Be thankefull vnto our God myne owne deare helper, for his wonderous working in his chosen people. Pray instantly that this ioy be neuer taken from vs, for it passeth al the delightes of this world. This is the peace of God which surmounteth all vnderstandyng: this peace the more his chosen be afflicted, the more they feele, and therfore can not faint,

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