MarginaliaAnno. 1556. Ianuary.Turkes, so declare your christianitie by folowyng the steps of Christe, whose name ye beare: suffer with hym and for his Gospels sake, rather then to denie hym or to defile your faithe and conscience with false worshipping of Romish religion.

Take vp your crosse (my deare hartes) now when it is offered you, and go vp with Christ to Ierusalem amongst the Bishops, Priestes, and Rulers if God call you thereto, and they will anone sende you to Caluerye: from whence (diyng in the cause of the Gospell, wherein our good Preachers and Brethren haue geuen their liues) your soules (I warrant you) through Christ Iesu, shall ascende to God that gaue them,MarginaliaPreach. 12. and the bodie shall come after at the laste daie, and so shall ye dwell with the Lorde for euer in vnspeakeable ioye and blisse. O blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousnes sake, as Christes people in this Iewishe England now doth, for theirs is the kingdome of heauen. O my beloued, set your mindes on this kingdome where Christe our head and kyng is, consideryng that as the brute beaste looketh dounewardes with the face towardes the earth, so man is made contrariwise with his face lookyng vpwarde towardes the heauens, because his conuersation should be in heauen & heauenly thyngs, and not vp? the earth and earthly things, and S. Paule saith: MarginaliaColos. 3.set your mindes on thinges which are aboue, where Christ is. And againe he saieth: MarginaliaPhilip. 3.our conuersation is in heauen, from whence wee loke for our Sauiour, who wil chaunge our vile bodies, and make them like to his glorious body. Oh the glorious estate that we be called vnto. The Lorde preserue vs harmeles to his eternall kingdome through Christe Iesus our Lorde, Amen.

Marginalia
The second note.
Persecution no straunge thing in the church.The second thing that I note in the foresaid wordes of Peter, is that he calleth persecution no strange thing. And trueth it is: for whiche of the Prophetes were not persecuted with Christ and his Apostles, and some of them in the ende cruelly killed for the truthes sake? Caine killed Abell, Isaac was persecuted of Ismaell, Iacob was hated of Esau, Iosephe was prisoned and set in the Stockes, the Prophet Esay was cut in twoo with a Sawe,Marginalia3. Regum. 4. Regum.Ieremie was stoned, Micheas was buffeted and fed with bread and water, Helias was sore persecuted, Marginalia2. Mac. 6. 7.Eleazer, and the woman with her vij. sonnes were cruelly killed. What Christe and the Apostles suffered it is well knowne. So that MarginaliaAct. 14.by manie tribulations (as Paule saith) we must enter into the kingdome of Heauen. All the holy Prophetes, Christe and his Apostles suffered suche afflictions, not for euell doyng, but for preachyng Gods worde, for rebukyng the world of sinne, and for their faith in Iesus Christe. This is the ordinaunce of God (my frendes) this is the high waie to Heauen, by corporall death to eternall life: as Christe saith: MarginaliaIohn. 5.he that heareth my words and beleueth in hym that sent me, hath eternall life, and shall not come into iudgemente, but is escaped from death to life. Let vs neuer feare death, which is killed by Christ, but beleue in hym and liue for euer, as Paul saith: MarginaliaRoman. 8.There is no d?nation to them that are in Christ Iesu, which walke not after the fleshe, but after the spirite. And again Paul saith: Marginalia1. Cor. 15.Death where is thy sting? Hell where is thy victorie? Thankes be to God which hath giuen vs victorie through Iesu Christe. Besides this, MarginaliaExample of Gods Martyrs goyng before.ye haue seene and dailie doe see the bloud of your good Preachers and brethren whiche hath been shed in the gospels cause in this sinfull Sodome, this bloudy Ierusalem, this vnhappy citie of L?don. Let not their bloud be forgotten, nor the bloud of your good bishop Ridley, who like a good shepherd,MarginaliaIohn. 10. to your comfort and example, hath geuen his life for his sheepe S. Paule saith: MarginaliaHeb. 13.remember them that haue spoken to you the word of God, and loke vpon the ende of their conuersation, and folow their faith.

The Deuil euer stirreth vp false teachers, as hee hath done nowe ouer all Englande, as Marginalia2. Pet. 2. 1. Timoth. 4. 2. Timoth. 3. Iude. 1.Peter, Paule and Iude prophesied it should bee, to poyson and kill our soules with the false doctrine. And where he faileth of his purpose that way, MarginaliaExod. 10.then moueth he his members to persecute the selie carcases of the Saintes, because they will not denye nor dissemble their pure faithe in our liuyng Christe, and confesse a dead breadie Christe, and honour the same as Christe God and man, contrarie to Gods commaundement.Marginalia1. Iohn. 5. This is the workyng of Sathan, who knowyng his owne iuste damnation,Marginalia2. Cor. 10. woulde all mankinde to bee partakers with hym of the same: suche a mortall hatred beareth

he against GGD and his people. MarginaliaMath. 4.MarginaliaWhen Sathan could not bring Christ to fall downe and worship him, he set the Pharisies to kill hym.And therefore when this wicked tempter coulde not kill Christ with subtell tentation to fall downe and worship hym, then hee stirred vp his Seruantes the Bishops and Pharisies to kill his bodie, whereby notwithstandyng the Deuill lost his title and interest whiche he had to mans soule, and man by hys precious passion and death was raunsomed from the Deuill, death and Hell, to immortalitie and life euerlastyng: and so when Sathan thought to haue won al in killyng of Christ, he lost all: and so shall he doe in vs if wee abyde constaunt and stronge in the faithe of our Lorde and Sauiour Iesu Christe vnto the ende. God graunt it, for his mercies sake in Christ. Blessed are all they that put their trust in hym, Amen.

Wherfore (my hartelie beloued Brethren and Sisters( bee of good comfort through Iesus Christe: for hee that is in vs, is stronger then hee that is in the worlde. Therefore drawe ye nere to God, and hee will drawe nere to you. Resiste the Deuill and hee will (as IamesMarginaliaIames. 2. saith) flie from you. Beware of the leuen of the Pharisies.MarginaliaMath. 16. Touche not Pitche, least ye be defiled therwith. Eate no Swines fleshe, for it is against the law: I meane, defile not your selues neither inwardlye nor outwardly with this false and wicked Religion of Antichrist: for it is nothyng els but Pitche, and Swines fleshe. Beware of the beastes marke leste ye drinke of the cuppe of Gods wrath.MarginaliaApoc. 13. 14. If GOD haue geuen you knowledge and faithe, dissemble not therewith. Denie not the knowne veritie before menne, leste Christe denie you before his Father. Come awaie from Babylon, as MarginaliaApo. 18.Iohn biddeth you, and touche no vncleane thing, but separate your selues from the companie of the vngodly, as Marginalia2. Cor. 6.Paule commaundeth you. What so euer ye haue done amisse heretofore, now repent and amend, MarginaliaPsalm. 129.for with the Lord there is mercie and plenteous redemption.

MarginaliaThe third note.The thirde thing and note whiche I gather out of the foresaid woordes of Peter, is this, that he saieth: Reioyce because ye are partakers of Christes Passions. Our sufferinges (my welbeloued) are Christes sufferinges: and that iniurie that is done to vs for hys sake, he reckeneth it to be done to hymselfe, as he saied to Paule: MarginaliaAct. 9.Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou mee? Therefore we ought to MarginaliaCol. 1.reioyce in our sufferinges, as Paule writeth: whiche wee suffer with Christe and one with an other, as Peter saieth, and so to fulfill that which is behind of the Passions of Christ in our flesh: whiche Christ hath by his Passion, fully redeemed and saued vs in his owne person: howbeit his elect muste suffer with hym and for hym vnto the worldes ende, that he maie be glorified in them, and they thereby corrected and clensed from sinne in this worlde, and bee made more meete temples for the holie ghoste, and also obtaine a MarginaliaMat. 5.greate rewarde in heauen for their sufferyng for righteousnes sake, accordyng to his promise. And therefore I saie MarginaliaPhil. 3.(my brethren) reioyce in the Lorde alwaies, and againe I saie reioyce. Let vs reioyce in the MarginaliaGalat. 6.crosse of our Lorde Iesus Christ, wherby the world is crucified to vs, and we to it.

MarginaliaThe fowerth note.And why should wee so greatly reioyce in the crosse of Christe, whiche we nowe suffer? Because (sayth Peter) when hys glory appeareth, wee maie be merie and glad. And this is the fourth note that I gather out of his woordes aboue written: Wherein is set out the rewarde of sufferyng, not to be had in this worlde: but at his commyng to iudgement when we shall bee raised againe, and then shall they that haue sowen in teares, reape in ioye, as Christe saithe: MarginaliaLuke. 6.Blessed are they that weepe here, for they shall laugh. Blessed are ye when menne hate you, and thruste you out of their companie, railyng on you, and abhorryng your name as an euill thyng for the sonne of mans sake, reioyce ye in that day and bee gladde, for your rewarde is greate in Heauen.

Wherfore (my dearely beloued) through hope of this heauenly ioy and rewarde, whiche hee that can not lye hath promised (whiche ioy is so great that no eare hath heard, no eye hath seene, nor the hart can thinke, where we shall dwell for euer in the heauenly City, the celestiall Ierusalem, in the presence of God the Father, and Iesus Christe our Mediatour, as Paule saith, and in the companie of innumerable Angels, and with the spirites and soules of all faithfull and iust men) reioyce & be glad: & seing ye be called to so great glory, see that ye make your election and vocation sure by good woorkes, Marginalia* 1. Cor. 2. Marginalia* Heb. 2.and specially by sufferyng aduersitie for the Gospels sake: for it is geuen vs of God (saieth Paule) not