MarginaliaAnno. 1556. Ianuary.onely to beleue in Christ, but also to suffer for his sake.Marginalia2. Peter 1. MarginaliaPhillip. 1. Iohn. 14.Continue in prayer, and praie for mee that I may ende my course with ioy. Haue brotherly loue amongst your selues, whiche is a token that ye be Christes disciples. Edfie and comforte one an other in the woorde of the Lorde, and the God of peace and loue bee with you alwaies, Amen For your liberalitie and kindnes shewed vpon the prisoners and afflicted people of God in thys tyme of persecution, the Lorde will rewarde you when he commeth to reward euerie manne accordyng to their deedes, and will not leaue a cuppe of cold water bestowed vpon his faithful people, vnrewarded.MarginaliaMath. 10.God make you riche in al grace, that ye alwaies hauing sufficient may bee riche vnto all manner of good woorkes.Marginalia2. Corin. 8.The grace of our Lorde Iesus Christe, the loue of GOD, and the felowshippe of the holy ghoste bee with you alwaies, Amen,

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Your brother now in bondes for the
Gospell, Thomas Whittell.

MarginaliaAn other letter of Thomas Whittell.THe same faith for the which Abraham was accounted iust and Mary blessed, whereby also all iuste men liue, the Lord God our louing father encrease and stablishe in you and me, to the obtainyng of eternal life in our alone and swete Sauiour Iesus Christe, Amen.

I can not worthelie and sufficientlie praise GOD (my hartely beloued brother) for the cōsolation and ioy that I receiued by reason of your louing letters, repentyng me muche that I being so long so neare you, did not enterprise to stirre vppe familiaritie and communication betweene vs by writing, to mutuall consolation in Christe. For what is there vppon earth wherein to reioyse (where all thinges are transitorie and vaine, yea man him selfe, respecting this life) but, as Dauid saith, MarginaliaPsalme. 16.the Sainctes that dwell vpon the earth, and suche as excell in vertue? But here now I consider, that if the fellowship, loue, and ioy of faithfull men and children of GOD being as we now be in double bondage, the bodie within clay walles, and the soule within these frayle earthlie bodies, be so greate and comfortable: how vnspeakeable will those ioyes bee, MarginaliaThe societie of Sainctes.when we shall bee deliuered from all corruption into the glorious libertie of the sonnes of God? Where we shal be present together continually in our glorified bodies, beholdyng the face of our father presently (whom now we see but in the glasse of faith) with his deare sonne Christ our redeemer and brother, and the blessed companie of Aungels and all faithfull saued soules.

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Of the incomparable good thinges and heauenly treasures laid vp for vs in heauen by Christe Iesu. For the obtainyng whereof, we ought to set light by all temporall greefes and transitorie afflictions so muche the more, in that our good GOD is faithfull and will not suffer vs to be tempted aboue our strength, and that namely in the ende of our life, when the tree where it falleth, lieth still, as the preacher saith:MarginaliaEccle. 11.whē euerie one, causa sua dormit & causa sua resurget:  

for els before the ende he suffereth his sometime to fall, but not finallye to perishe:MarginaliaGods sainctes suffered sometimes to fall, but not finally to perishe.as Peter sinked vpō the Sea, but yet was not drouned, and sinned greuously vpon the land through infirmitie deniyng his Maister, but yet founde mercie: for the righteous falleth oftentimes. And Christes holy Apostles are taught to say, remitte nobis debita nostra.   Yea though the righteous fall, saith Dauid, he shall not be cast awaie, for the Lorde vpholdeth hym with his hand. Oh the bottomles mercie of GOD towardes vs miserable sinners. He vouchsafe to plant in my hart true repentaunce and faithe, to the obtainyng of remission of all my sinnes in the merices of God and merites of Christ his sonne, and thereto I praie you say, Amen.

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Oh my hartely beloued, it greueth me to see the spoile and hauocke that Saul maketh with the congregation of Christ: but what remedie? This is Gods will and ordinaunce, that his people shal here both be punished in the flesh, and tried in their faith, as it is written: Many are the troubles of the righteous, but the Lord deliuereth them out of all: for by a strait path and narrow dore must wee enter. Whether? Into the ioyfull kingdome of heauen: therefore blessed are you, and other that suffer persecution for Christes sake, for the possessing of the same. Praie for me and my felowes (good brother) that we may fight a good fight, that we maie keepe the faithe, and ende our course with ioyfull gladnes, for now the time of our deliueraunce is at hand. The Lord guide, defend, and kepe vs and you, & all his people in our iorney, that we may

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safely through a short death, passe to that lōg lasting life.

Farewell my deare and louing brother and fellowe souldiour in Christ: farewell (I saie) in him: who receiue our soules in peace when thei shall depart from these tabernacles, and he graunt vs a ioyfull resurrection, and a merie meeting at the last daie, and continuall dwelling together in this eternall heauenlie kingdome, through Iesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

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Yours with my poore praier, other pleasure can
I do you none, Thomas Whittell Minister.

MarginaliaAn other letter of Thomas Whittel to certaine of his friendes.MY deare and welbeloued brethren in Christe, M. Filles & Cutbert, I wish you all welfare of soule and body. MarginaliaWelfare of soule.Welfare to the soule, is repentance of sinne, faithfull affiance in Christ Iesus, & a godly life. MarginaliaWelfare of body.Welfare to the body, is the health of the same, with al necessary thinges for this bodely life. The soule of man is immortall, and therefore ought to be well kept, lest immortality to ioy, should turne to immortalitie of sorow. As for the body, be it neuer so wel kept and much made of, yet shortly by nature will it perishe and decaye. But those that are engraffed and incorporated into Christe by true faith, feelyng the motion of Gods holy spirite, as a pledge of their election and enheritaunce, excityng and stirring them, not onely to seeke heauenly thinges, but also to hate vice, and embrace vertue, will not only doe those thinges, but also if neede require, MarginaliaMath. 26. Mark. 14.will gladly take vp their crosse & folow their Captaine, their king, and their Sauiour Iesus Christ (as his pore afflicted church of Englande nowe doth) against that false and Antichristian doctrine and religion now vsed, and specially that blasphemous Masse, wherin Christes Supper and holye ordinaunce is altogether peruerted and abused contrary to his institution,MarginaliaLuke. 22. and to PaulesMarginalia2. Cor. 11. procedings: so that, that which they haue in their Masse, is neither Sacramēt of Christ, nor yet sacrifice for sinne,MarginaliaNo sacrifice in the Masse is to to be made for sinne. as the Priestes falsely pretende. It is a Sacrament, that is, as S. Augustine saith, a visible signe of inuisible grace, when it is ministred to the communicantes accordyng to Christes example, and as it was of late yeares in this realm. And as for sacrifice, there is none to be made now for sinne: MarginaliaHeb. 9. 10.for Christe with one sacrifice hath perfited for euer those that are sanctified.

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Beware of false Religion, and mens vaine traditions, and serue God with reuerence and godly feare, accordyng to the doctrine of his Gospell, whereto cleaue ye that ye may bee blessed, MarginaliaLuke. 11.though of wicked men ye bee hated and accursed. Rather drinke of the cup of Christ with his Churche, MarginaliaApocalip. 18.then of the cup of that rosecoloured whore of Babilon, which is full of abominations. Rather striue ye to go to heauen by the path which is strait to flesh and bloud, with the little flocke, then to go the wide waie, folowing the enticementes of the world and the flesh, whiche leadeth to damnation. Like as MarginaliaPeter. 4. 3.Christ suffered in the fleshe, saithe S. Peter, so arme ye your selues with the same mind: for Christ suffered for vs, leuyng vs example to folow his footesteppes. Blessed are they that suffer for his sake, great is their rewarde in heauen. MarginaliaApocalip. 2. 3.He that ouercommeth (saith S. Iohn,) shall eate of the tree of life: he shal haue a croune of life, and not be hurt of þ^e second death: he shalbe clothed w^t white aray, & not be put out of þ^e boke of life: Yea I will confesse his name saith Christ, before my father, & before his Angels, & he shalbe a piller in the house of god, and sit with mee on my seate. And thus I bid you farewell, myne owne Brethren and deare Fellowes in Christe. Whose grace and peace be alwaie with you, Amen.

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This world I do forsake: To Christ I me betake, And for his Gospel sake, Paciently death I take.

My body to the duste, Now to returne it must: My soule I know ful wel, with my god it shal dwel.

Thomas Whittell.

MarginaliaAn other letter of Thomas Whittell to a godly woman.OH my deare and louyng sister in Christe, bee not dismayde in this storme of persecution, for Paule calleth the Gospel the word of the Crosse, because it is neuer truly taught, but the crosse and cruell persecution immediately and necessarily doth follow the same, and therfore it is a manifest token of Gods truth, and hath here bene here and is still abroad, and that is a cause of the rage & cruelty of Sathan against Christe and his members, whiche

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