Marginalia* Implicita fides, is whē a man without instruction in hymselfe groundeth onely vpon the fayth of the Church, not able to render any reason of that which he beleueth. to I am professed: Yet do I bind my selfe as by my humble simplicity, so by my fidem * implicitam: that is, by faith in generalty (as they call it) to wrap my beliefe in the credit of the same, that no authority of that romish religion repugnant thereunto, shall by any meanes remoue me from the same, though it may hap that our aduersaries will labour to beguile vs with entising wordes, and seeke to spoyle vs through Philosophy and deceitfull vanity after the traditions of men, and after the ordinances of the world, and not after Christ, &c.

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And thus much out of M. Sanders letter, so much as remained thereof. The residue, because it was rent away, I could not adioine hereunto.  

Notwithstāding by this already expressed, it is sufficient to vnderstand how good was þ^e cause & estate of this blessed child of god, being prisoner for Christes cause. For þ^e defence wherof he wholy bestowed & resigned himself in such sort as he forbad his wife to sue for his deliuery, & whē other of his friends had by suite almost obtained it, he discouraged them, so that they did not folow their suite, as by this letter following may appeare. MarginaliaAnn. 1555. February.

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GRace, mercy, and peace in Iesus Christ our Lord.

Entirely beloued wife, euen as vnto mine owne soule and body, so do I dayly in my harty prayer wish vnto you, for I doo dayly, twise at the least in this sort remember you. And I do not doubt (deare wife) but that both I and you, as we be written in the booke of life, so we shall together enioy the same euerlastingly, through the grace and mercy of God our deare father, in hys sonne our Christ. And for this present life, let vs wholy appoynt our selues to the will of our good God, to glorifie him either by life or by death, and euen that same mercifull Lord make vs worthy to honour him either way as pleaseth him Amen. I am mery, I thanke my God and my Christ, in whome and through whome I shall (I knowe) be able to fight a good fight, and finishe a good course, and then receiue the crowne which is layde vp in store for me, Marginalia1. Tim. 4.and all the true Soldiours of Christ. Wherefore wife, let vs in the name of our God, fight lustely to ouercome the flesh, the deuil and the world. What our harnesse and weapons be in this kind of fight, looke the 6. vnto the Ephesians, and pray, pray, pray. I would that you make no suite MarginaliaM, Saunders would haue no suite made for him.for me in any wise. Thanke you knowe whome, for her most sweete and comfortable putting me in remembrance of my iourney whether I am passing. God send vs all good speede, and a ioyfull meeting. I haue too fewe suche frends to further me in that iourney, which is in deede the greatest friendship. The blessing of God be with you all, Amen.

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A prisoner in the Lord Laurence Saunders.

This his constancie is sufficiently commended and declared by his valiant buckling with MarginaliaAntichrist and death two enemies.two mighty enemies, Antichrist and death. To neither of these did he geue place: but by suffering their malice, got þ^e victory ouer them both. One of the conflictes which he had with Antichrist & hys members, I haue gathered out of a letter of his own handwriting. It was with Doctour Weston, a man, whome though I should prayse, yet would all good and godly mē worthely disprayse. Of this the said Laurence Saunders thus writeth in a letter which he sent to one of his frends, which wrote to him to knowe what Doct. Weston dyd at the Marshalsey: whereunto he thus aunswereth.

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MarginaliaThis Doct. Weston and M. Grimoald dyed both about the Coronation of Q. Elizabeth.  

M. Weston came to conferre with M. Grimoald. What he hath cōcluded with him, I know not: I wish it may be to Gods glory, Amen, Amen. M. Weston of his gentlenes visited me, & offred me frendship in his worldly wily sort, &c. I had not so much good maner, as to take it at his hād: for I said, that I was well inough, and ready cherefully to abide the extremity, to keepe thereby a good cōscience. You be a sleepe in sin (said he). I would awake (quoth I) and do not forget Vigilate & orate. i. Watch & pray. MarginaliaThe church goeth not alwayes by number.What church was there, said he 30. yeres past? What church was there, quoth I, in Helias time? Ioane of Kent, sayd he, was of your Church. No, quoth I, we did cōdemne her as an heretick.  

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Who was of your Church, sayd he 30. yeares past? Such (quoth I) as that Romish Antichrist, and his rabble haue reputed and condemned as heretickes, Wicklife, sayd he, Thorpe, Oldcastle, &c.  

Yea, quoth I, with many moe, as storeys do tell.

The B. of Rome hath, sayd he, long tyme played a part in your rayling sermons: but now be ye sure he must play another maner of part. The more pitie, quoth I, and yet some cōfort it is to see how that the best learned, wisest, & holiest of you all, haue heeretofore had him to play a part likewise in your sermōs & MarginaliaWinchesters booke De Vera Obedientia.writings, though now to please the world, you do turne with the weathercocke. Did you euer said he, heare me preach against the Bishop of Rome? No (quoth I) for I neuer heard you preach. But I trowe you haue ben no wiser then other, &c. with more about the Sacrament. Pray, pray. God keepe your family & blesse it.

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What a blessed taste thys good man had of Gods holy

spirit, MarginaliaWhat a blessed taste of M. Sanders had of christes comforts:by diuers and sondry his letters may right wel appeare to him that is disposed to peruse the same: whereof certayne we haue here thought good, the Lord willing, to expresse, first beginning with that whiche he wrote out of the Marshalsey to D. Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer, prisoners for the like cause of Christ in Oxford.

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MarginaliaM. Saunders writeth to D. Cranmer, Ridley, &c.IN my most humble wise I salute you most reuerend fathers in Christ Iesus our Lord, Immortall thanks and euerlasting prayses be geuen vnto that our father of mercies, Whiche hath made vs meete to be pertakers of the inheritaunce of Saintes in light, whiche hath deliuered vs from the power of darckenes, and hath translated vs into the kingdome of his beloued Sonne, by whome we haue redemption through his bloud. &c. MarginaliaColoss. 1.O most happy estate, that in an vnspeakable wise our life is hid with Christ in God: But whensoeuer Christ which is our life shall shew himselfe, then shall we also appeare with him in glory. MarginaliaColoss. 3.In þ^e meane season as our sight is but in a glasse, Marginalia1. Cor. 53.  

euen in a darcke speaking, so wee walke in fayth, not after outward appearaunce, the which fayth although for want of outward appearaunce, reason reputeth but as vaine, yea the chosen of God do know the effect thereof, to bring a more substanciall taste and liuely fruition of very felicitie and perfect blessednes, then reason can reach or sences receaue. By this fayth we haue in our profession all good thinges. Yea euen them whiche the eye hath not seene, and the eare hath not heard, neither hath entred the hart of man. &c.MarginaliaEsay. 54. 1. Cor. 2. Then if hereby we doe enioy all good thinges, it followeth that we must needes possesse, haue and enioy you most reuerend Fathers, who be no small part of our ioy and good thinges geuen vs of God.

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We heretofore haue had the fruition of you by bodily presence to our inexplicable benefite, praysed be that oure gracious God therfore. And nowe in spirite we haue the experience of vnspeakeable cōfort, by your reuerēt fatherhoodes for þ^t in this so glorious sort, ye become a towne set vpon a hill, a candle vpon a candlestick, MarginaliaMath. 5.a specktacle vnto þ^e world both to the Angels & vnto men. So þ^t, as we to our great cōfort do feele, you also may assuredly say with saint Paule, Marginalia1. Cor. 4. Phil. 1.þ^t the things which happē vnto vs, do chance vnto þ^e great furtherance of the Gospell, so þ^t our bonds in christ are manifest, not onely throughout all the iudgement hall, but in all wholl Europa, in so much that many of the brethren in the Lord, being incouraged through our bondes, dare more boldy speake the word without feare. And here in as you haue with s. Paule greatly to reioyce, so we doe reioyce with you, and we do in deed with you geue thāks for this worthy excellēt fauour of our God, towards you, that christ is thus magnified in you, yea and hereafter shal be magnified in your bodies, MarginaliaPhil. 1. Phil. 1.whether it be through life or death. Of which thing truely wee are assured in our prayers for you, and ministring of the spirite. And although for your owne partes Christ is vnto you life, and death aduantage, and that your desire is (as in deede it were better for you) to be loosed, and to be w^t Christ; yet for the Church of Christ were it much more necessary, that ye shuld abide in the fleshe. Yea that mercifull God, euen for his Christes sake graunt that ye may abide and continue for the furtheraunce of the Churche and reioysing of fayth, that the reioysing therof may be the more aboundant through Iesus Christ by your restoring, Amen, Amen.

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But if it seeme better otherwise vnto the diuine wisedome þ^t by speedy death he hath appoynted you to glorifie him, þ^e Lords wil be done. Yea euen as we do reioyce both on your behalfes, & also on our own, that God is magnified by life, and shuld be more aboundantly glad for the continuance thereof: so we shall no lesse reioyce to haue þ^e same wrought by death. We shall geue thankes for this honour geuen vnto you, reioysing that ye are accounted worthye to suffer for the name of Christ, and that it is geuen to you of God, not onely that ye shoulde beleue in him, but also that ye should suffer for his sake. And herein we shal haue to reioyce in the behalfe of the Churche of Christ, whose faith may be the faster fixed vpon Gods veritie, being confirmed with three such worthy witnesses. Oh thankes be to God for this his vnspeakeable gift.

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And now most reuerend Fathers, that you may vnderstand the trueth of vs and our estate howe we stand in the lord, I do assure your reuerences, partly by þ^t I perceaue by such of our brethren as be here in bondes w^t me, partly by that I heare of them which be in other places, & partly by that inward experiēce which I most vnworthy wretch haue of Gods good comfort (more aboundance whereof I knowe there is in others) you may be assured (I say) by Gods grace, that you shall not be frustrate of your hope of

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