Marginalia1556. Aprill.conscience beareth me record: and therfore in any case take good heede that you do not that thing whiche your owne conscience doth condemne. Therefore come out of Sodome and goe to heauenward with the seruauntes and martyrs of God, least you be partakers of the vengeance of God that is cōmyng vpon this wicked nation, from the which the Lord our God defende you, and sende vs a ioyfull meeting in the kingdome of heauen: vnto the which God bring you al, Amē. Thus now I take my leaue of you for euer in this world, except I be burned amongest you, which thing is vncertaine vnto me, as yet.  

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Tyms is saying that while he has been condemned to death he doesn't know the date when his execution will take place.

By me your poorest and most vnwor-
thy brother inChriste, W. Tyms, in
Newgate, the. 12. day of April, con-
demned to dye for Christes veritie.

¶ An other Letter of William Tyms, geuyng thankes to his parishners, for their charitie shewed to his wyfe being brought to bed of a chylde in his captiuitie.  

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In a letter written on 7 September 1555, Tyms referred to his infant son Amos. This letter must have been written before that letter.

MarginaliaAn other letter of W. Tyms to the faythfull brethren in his parish.THe euerlastyng peace of our deare Lord and only Saueour Iesus Christ, with the sweete comfort of his holy & mighty spirite, to the increase of your faith, to the perfourmance of his wyl, and to your eternal comfort in the euerlastyng kyngdome of heauen, be with you, my deare brethren and sisterne both now and euer, Amen.

My most deare brethren & sisterne in our Lord and saueour Iesus Christ. I haue me most hartily cōmended vnto you, with harty thankes for all the great liberalitie that you haue shewed vnto me, & specially now in thys tyme of my necessitie, whē that God hath sent my poore wife a child in my captiuitie: which is no litle care to me, so to prouide, that I might keepe both the chyld & my wife from the Antichristian church: the which thing, I thanke my good god, thorow his most gracious prouidēce, I haue yet don, though it be (as you know) great charge, not to me, but to the congregation of God: and it greeueth me that I haue bene so chargeable to them as I haue ben, & specially you my deare brethren, I being so vnworthy a member as I haue bene, & also of so smal acquaintāce: but such is the mercyful goodnes of God, so to moue your hartes with charitie towards me. And as he hath moued your harts so to do, euē so I beseech God to geue you power to forsake & refuse all thynges the which be displeasant in his sight, & to doo al things which be requisite to a Christian: & send you grace to go forwards in the same as you haue godly begon, neither fearing fire nor sword. And my most deare harts, remember wel the simple plaine doctrine the which I haue taught you & also writtē vnto you, which was the truth, & for a testimonie of þ^e same, I trust that you shall shortly heare, or els see that I wyll seale the same with my bloud. And in the meanetime I desire you al to remember me in your prayers as I know you doo, & as with Gods helpe, I wyl doo for you, that God for his deare sonne Christes sake, wyl so finish the dayes of our pilgrimage, that we may rest together with Abraham, Isaac, & Iacob, in the euerlasting kingdome of heauen: to the which I beseeche the eternall God for his Christes sake to bring both you and al yours. Amen.

By me William Tyms.

MarginaliaA letter of W. Tyms to his sisters in the Lord Colfoxe, and Glacocke.GRace & peace from God the father of all mercye, through the merites of our deare saueour Iesus Christe be perceyued & fealt in the harts of you my dearly beloued sisters in the Lorde, by the mighty working of the holy Ghost the comforter, both now and euermore. Amen.

My most deare and entirely beloued sisters in the Lord after my most harty commendations, accordyng to my most boūden duetie, I do as I am accustomed, or at least boūd to do: that is, I geue you warnyng of your enimies which be þ^e Papistes, and take good heede to them, for they serue a craftye maister, yea, and as Saint Peter saith,Marginalia1. Peter 5. he sleepeth not, but goeth about like a roaryng Lion seeking whom he may deuoure. For your old familiar frendes or worldly companions, when they see that you wyll not runne to the Idols Temple with them, Marginalia1. Peter 4.it wyll seeme a straunge thyng vnto them, that ye runne not to the same excesse of ryot, as saint Peter saith, and therfore they wyll speake euyl of you, rayle on you, and persecute you.

But my deare sisters, let it not trouble you, for it is but to trye you, and let it not seeme a straunge thing vnto you. But when they doo so, remember wherefore it is, and for whose sake, euen because you wyl not forsake God as they doo. For the hatred they beare you, is for the word of God, and then it is Gods cause, and I tell you he wyll reuenge

it. And therefore if ye be rayled on and troubled for his sake, thinke your selues most happy.MarginaliaRom. 12. For if you suffer with the Patriarches, Prophetes, and Apostles, then shall you be sure to be partakers of the same ioy that they are in. Yea you haue heard by the word of God how cruelly the tyrants alwayes haue persecuted þ^e true mēbers of Christ, as he hym selfe hath promised, that they shall doo vnto þ^e end of the worlde.

By the waye I wyll bring to your remembraunce the holy martyr S. Steuen,MarginaliaStephen for the same gospell put to death. who for fauouryng, mainteynyng, and defending the same doctrine that we nowe suffer for, was called a blasphemer, and stoned to death at Ierusalem. MarginaliaAntipas. Iason. MarginaliaAct. 7. Apoc. 2. Math. 2. 3. 1. Theßs. 2. Rom. 16. Act. 17. Iohn. 16. Act. 9. Phil. 2. Luke. 21. Iohn. 1. 3. 1. Cor. 6.And Christes Apostles were diuersly afflicted the world ouer, for the same by this viperous generation. Antipas the faithful witnes of Christ was slaine at Pergamus. Iason for receiuyng of Paul and Silas with other disciples & teachers of the Gospel, was brought before the counsaile at Thessalonica, and accused for a seditious traytor against Cæsar. No marueile therfore though at this day we be vexed on the same sort, mainteinyng the same cause, and fauouring the teachers therof. Is there any other rewarde following the true seruauntes of God now then hath bene afore tymes? No surely, for so hath Christe promised. And if they haue persecuted hym, needes must they persecute his members, if they haue called the maister of the house Belsebub, so wyl they doo his houshold: MarginaliaMath. 10.Ye shal be hated of all men (saith Christ) for my names sake.

It is no new thing, my deare harts, to see the true members of Christ handled as in our dayes they be, as it is not vnknowen to you how they be cruelly entreated, þ^e blasphemed without any reasonable cause. For heretikes must they be taken, which folowe not their traditions. MarginaliaChrist may as wel be called an hereticke as these men.And then they may as wel cal Christ an heretike, for he neuer allowed their dirty ceremonies. He neuer wēt a procession with Cope, Crosse, nor Candlesticke. He neuer censed Image, nor sang Latine seruice. He neuer sate in confession. He neuer preached of Purgatory, nor of the Popes pardons. He neuer honored saints, nor prayed for the dead. He neuer said Masse, Mattins, nor euensong. He neuer cōmaunded to fast Fryday nor Vigil, Lent, nor Aduent. He neuer halowed church nor chalice, ashes nor Palmes, candles nor bels. He neuer made holy water nor holy bread: with such like. MarginaliaMath. 16. Luke. 12. Deut. 4. Apoc. 22. Psal. 68. Gala. 4.But suche dumbe ceremonies, not hauyng the expresse cōmaundement of God, he calleth the leauen of the Phariseis and damnable hypocrisie: admonishing his disciples to beware of them. He curseth al those that addeth to his word such beggerly shadowes, wipyng their names cleane out of the booke of lyfe. S. Paul saith, they haue no portion with Christ, whiche wrap them selues againe with such yokes of bondage.

Therefore my deare hartes, seeing that our good God hath by the light of his holy word deliuered vs from al such darke, blynde, dumbe, beggerly traditions of men, stand fast in the libertie wherewith Christ hath made you free, MarginaliaGala. 5.and wrap not your selues againe in the yoke of bondage. But let vs alwayes be ready, looking for the commyng of our lord & Sauiour Iesus Christ, which, as S. Peter saith, Marginalia2. Pet. 3.wyl come as a thiefe in the night. And as our Captaine Christ saith: MarginaliaMath. 24.If the good man of the house knewe what houre the thiefe would come, he would surely watch.

Therfore my deare harts, be of good comfort, although the world rage neuer so sore against you. And for your comfort marke well the great mercy of God, who according to his promise, for the weakenes of our nature hath so asswaged the heate of the fire, that our deare brethren whiche are gon before vs, to þ^e sight of al men, haue founde it rather to be ioy then payne. And thinke you surely that God wyl be as mercyful vnto you, as he hath ben vnto them: and say with S. Paul: MarginaliaRom. 8.Who shal separate vs from the loue of God? shal tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, either hunger, either nakednes, either peril, either sword? as it is written: for thy sake are we kylled al the day long. &c.

Therfore my deare sisters, if to saue your liues, any dissembling Gospellers woulde haue you to goe to the Idoles temple with them, say vnto them: No, for my master Christ saith: He that would saue his life, shall loose it. MarginaliaMath. 10.And in an other place to comfort vs he saith: There shal not one heare fal from your head, without it be your heauēly fathers wil. And therefore say you that you wyl not be of that sort, that be neither hot nor cold, least God should spue you out of his mouth. But make them this answeare, saying: S. Paul saith: Marginalia2. Cor. 6.Beare no straunge yoke with the vnbeleuers. For what felowship hath righteousnes with vnrighteousnes, what cōpany hath light with darkenes, what concord hath Christe with Bellial, either what part hath he that beleueth, with an Infidel? How agreeth the temple of God with Images? And ye are þ^e tēple of God, as God saith: I wil dwel among thē, walke among thē, & wyllbe their God, & they shall be my people. Wherefore come out frō among thē, & separate