Marginalia1558.dayes by Boners appointment, in settyng vp of stakes for the burnyng of poore Martyrs. Who when he saw þ^e stakes consume away so fast: yea sayd he, will not these stakes hold? I will haue a stake (I trow) that shall hold, and so prouided a bygge tree, and cuttyng of the toppe, set it in Smithfield. But thankes be to God, or euer the tree was all consumed, God turned the state of Religion, and he fell into an horrible discease, rottyng aliue aboue the grounde before he dyed. Read more of hym, pag. 1228. But because the story both of hym and of a number such other like, is to be foūd in sundry places of this history sufficiently before expressed it shall bee but a double laboure agayne to recapitulate the same.  

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaDeclaration of forreine examples.Wherfore, to passe ouer our owne domesticall examples of English persecutes plagued by gods hand (wherof this our present story doth abound) I will stretch my penne a little further to adioyne withall a few like examples in foreine countreys.

MarginaliaHofmeister sodēly stricken with death going to Ratisbone.HOfmeister the great archpapist, and chiefe masterpyller of the Popes falling Church, as he was in his iourney going toward the Councel of Ratisbone, to dispute against the defenders of Christes gospel, sodenly in his iourney, not farre from Vlmes, was preuented by the stroke of Gods hand, and there miserably dyed, with horrible roring & crying out. Ex Illyrico de vocabulo fidei.

[Back to Top]

What a pernitious & pestilent doctrine is this of the papistes, which leadeth men to seeke their saluation by merits and workes of the law, and not by faith onely in Christ the sonne of God, and to stay them selues by grace? MarginaliaWhat inconuenience commeth by the Popes desperate doctrine.And what inconuenience this doctrine of doubting and desperation bringeth men to at length if the plaine worde of God wyll not sufficiently admonishe vs, yet let vs be warned by examples of such as haue bene eyther teachers or folowers of this doctrine, and consider wel what end commonly it hath and doth bring men vnto. To recite all that may be sayd in this behalf, it were infinite. To note a few examples for admonitions sake, it shalbe requisite.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaThe Miserable ende of Guarlacus reader in Louane.In the Vniuersitie of Louane was one named Guarlacus  

a learned mā, brought vp in that schole, who at lēgth was reader of Diuinitie to the Monkes of S. Gertrudes order. Where after he had stoutly mainteyned the corrupt errors of such popish doctrine, at last fallyng sicke, when he perceyued no way with hym but death, he fel into a miserable agonie & perturbatiō of spirit, crying out of his sinnes, how wickedly he had lyued, and that he was not able to abyde the iudgement of God, and so casting out words of miserable desperation, said, his sinnes were greater then that he could be pardoned, and in that desperation wretchedly he ended his lyfe. Ex Epistola Claudij Senarclæi ad Bucerum ante histor. de morte Diazij.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaThe story of Arnoldus Bomelius student at Louane.An other like example we haue of Arnoldus Bomelius,  

a young man of the said Vniuersitie of Louane, wel cōmended for his fresh florishing wyt & ripenes of learning, who so long as he fauoured the cause of the Gospel, & tooke part with the same agaynst the enemies of the truth, he prospered and went wel forward, but after that he drue to the company of Tyleman, maister of the Popes Colledge in Louane, and framed hym selfe after the rule of his vnsauery doctrine, that is, to stand in feare and doubt of his iustification, and to worke his saluation by merits and deeds of þ^e law he began more & more to grow in doubtful dispayre & discomfort of mynd: MarginaliaNote what euill instruction and company doth.As the nature of that doctrine is, vtterly to plucke away a mans mynde from all certaintie and true libertie of spirite to a seruile doubtfulnes, ful of discomfort and bondage of soule.

[Back to Top]

Thus the yong man seduced & peruerted through this blynd doctrine of ignorance & dubitation, fel into a great agonie of mind, wandryng and wrastlyng in hymselfe a long space, tyl at lēgth being ouercome w^t dispayre, & not hauyng in þ^t popish doctrine wherwith to raise vp his soule, he wēt out of the citie on a tyme to walke, accompanied with three other students of þ^e same Vniuersitie, his special familiars. Who after their walke, as they returned home agayne, Arnoldus for weerynes (as it seemed) sate downe by a spring side to rest hym a whyle. The other supposing none other but that he for weerynes there rested to refresh hym selfe, went forward a litle past hym. MarginaliaAn horrible example of Arnoldus Bomelius which killed himselfe with his owne dagger.In the meane tyme, what doth Arnoldus but sodenly taketh out his daggar, & stroke hym selfe into the body.

[Back to Top]

His felowes seeing hym shrinkyng downe, and the foūtaine to be al colored with the bloud which issued out of the wound, came runnyng to hym to take hym vp, and so sear-

chyng his body where the wound should be, at length foūd what he had done, and howe he had stricken hym selfe with his daggar into the brest. Whereupon they tooke hym and brought hym into an house next at hand, and there exhorted hym, as wel as they could, to repent his fact: who then by outward gesture seemed to geue some shew of repentāce. Notwithstandyng the saide Arnoldus espying one of his frendes there busie about hym, to haue a knyfe hangyng at his gyrdle, violently plucked out the knife, and with maine force stabbed hym selfe to the hart.

[Back to Top]

By these Louanian examples, as we haue al to learne, no man to be so sure of his life, but that he alwayes needeth to craue and call vnto the Lord to blesse hym with his truth and grace: MarginaliaAdmonition to our Louanians.so especially would I wish our Englishe Louanians, which now make fortes in that Vniuersitie against the open truth of Christes gospel, to be wise in time, and not to spurne so against the pricke. Ne forte. &c.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaIacobus Latomus of Louane.Or if they thinke yet these examples not enough for sufficient admonition, let them ioyne hereto the remembrance also of Iacobus Latomus,  

a chiefe & principall captayne of the same Vniuersitie of Louane. Who after he had bene at Bruxels, and there thinkyng to do a great act agaynst Luther & his felowes, made an Oration before the Emperour, so foolishly and ridiculously, that he was laughed to scorne almost of the whole Court. MarginaliaIacobus Latomus an enemie to the Gospell, brought to madnes and desperation.Then returnyng frō thence to Louan agayn, in his publike lecture he fel in an open fury & madnes, vttering such words of desperatiō & blasphemous impietie, that the other Diuines which wer there, & namely Ruardus Anchusianus, were fayne to cary hym away as he was rauyng, & so shut hym into a close chamber. MarginaliaThe terrible wordes of Latomus in his desperation.From that tyme vnto his last breath, Latomus had neuer any thing els in his mouth, but that he was damned, & reiected of God, and that there was no hope of saluation for him, because that wittingly & against his knowledge he withstood the manifest truth of his word. Ex Epist. Senarclæi ante histor. de morte Diazij. Item, Ex Oratione Pauli Eberi in comitijs Witēbergæ habita.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaGods will in his worde to accept our fayth onely for iustification.Thus almighty God, not only by his word, but by examples also, diuers and sundry wise doth warne vs, first to seeke to know the perfect wyll and decree of the Lorde our God appoynted in his word. The perfect wil and ful testament of the Lord in his word is this, that he hath sent and geuen his onely sonne vnto vs, being fully contented to accept our fayth onely vpon hym for our perfect iustification and full satisfaction for all our transgressions: & this is called in Scripture Iusticia Dei. MarginaliaObedience to Gods will rewarded.To this wyl and righteousnes of God, they that humbly submyt them selues, finde peace and rest in their soules, that no man is able to expresse, and haue strength enough agaynst all the inuasions & tentations of Satan.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaDisobedience to Gods will punished.Contrarywise, they that wyll not yeelde their obedience vnto the wyll and ordinaunce of God expressed in his woorde, but wyll seeke their owne righteousnesse, which is of man, labouryng by their merites and satisfactions to serue and please God: these not onely doo finde with God no righteousnes at all, but in steede of his fauour, procure to them selues his horrible indignation, in steede of comfort, heape to them selues desperation, and in the ende what inconuenience they come to, by these aboue recited examples of Guarlacus, Bomelius, and Latomus, it is euident to see. MarginaliaThe chiefe fountayne of all mischiefe in the world.And out of this fountaine springeth not onely the punishmentes of these men, but also all other inconueniences whiche happen amongest men, where so euer this pernicious and erroneous doctrine of the Papistes taketh place.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaA Fryer of Munster stricken with lightning.A Dominicke Fryer of Mounster, as he was inueying in the Pulpite agaynste the Doctrine of the Gospell then springyng vp, was striken with a sodayne flashe of lightnyng, and so ended his lyfe. Ex Pantal. in 2. parte. Rerum memor.

MarginaliaA Taylors seruaunt in Lipsia.Manlius in his booke, De dictis Philippi. Melancth. maketh mention of a certaine Taylors seruaunt in Lypsia, who receiuyng first the Sacrament in both kyndes with the Gospellers, and afterward beyng perswaded by the papistes, receyued with thē vnder one kynde. Whereupon being admonished of his mayster to come to the Communion agayne in the Church of the Gospellers, he stoode a greate whyle and made no answeare. At last crying out vpon a sodaine, he ranne to the wyndow therby, and so cast hym selfe out and brake his necke.

[Back to Top]

In the same Manlius mention is also made of a certayne Gentleman of name and authoritie, but he nameth hym not, who hearyng these wordes in a song: Ein feste