[Page] [Page] SO oftas I cal to mind the dreadful, & feareful say­ings of god: that he whi­che laieth hold vpon the plough, and looketh back again, is not meete for the kyngdome of heauen. And on the other syde, to remember the comfortable words of our sauiour Christ, to all those that forsaking them selues, do fo­lowe him, I can not but meruel at thee, and lament thy case. That thou, which some tyme wast the liuely member of Christ: but now the defourmed impe of the diuel, some time the beutiful temple of God: but now the stincking & fil­thy kenell of Sathan, some tyme the vnspotted spouse of Christe, but nowe the vnshamefast para­mour of Antichrist, sometyme my faithful brother: but now a straū ­ger and Apostata yea some tyme a stout christen souldier: but now a cowardly runawaye. So ofte as I consider the threatninges & pro­mises of god to al those that faith fully loue him: I can not but speak to the, yea, rather cry out vpō the, thou sede of Sathā, & not of Iuda [Page] whom the deuill hathe deceiued, the worlde hath begiled, and de­sire of life hath subuerted & made the of a Christiā, aninfidel. wher­fore hast thou taken vpon the, the testamēt of the lord in thi mouth? wherefore hast thou hitherto yel­ded thi body to the fire, and blo­di handes of cruel tirauntes? wher fore haste thou instructed other to be strong in Christ, when thou thy selfe dost nowe so horribly abuse the testament and law of the lord: when thou thy selfe preachedst (not to steale) yet most abhomina­bly stealest (not from men) but frō God, and as a most hainous sacre­leger, robbest, Christ thi Lorde, of his right, of his members, thy bo­dy and thy soule▪ when thou thy selfe dost rather chose to liue mi­serably (with shame) to the world then to dye, and gloriouslye with honour to taigne with Christ, In whom? euen in death, theris life. And when I say thou thy selfe art most weke, thou oughtest, to shew thy selfe moost stronge. For the strength of a forte, is not knowne [Page] before the assaulte, but thou yel­dest thy holde, before any battry be made.

Oh wretched and vnhappi man what art thou but dust and ashes? And wilte thou resist thy maker that formed the, & fashioned the, wilt thou nowe forsake him that called the frō costome gathering, among the Romish antichtistians to be an imbassadour and messen­ger of his eternall worde, he that first framed the: and since thi cre­ation, and birth preserued the: no rished the: and kepte the: yea, & in spired the with the spirit of kno­ledge: (I cannot say of grace) shal he not possesse the? Darest thou deliuer vp thy selfe to another, being not thine owne, but his? How canst, thou hauinge knowledge, or how darest thou neglect the law of the lord: & folow the vaine tradi­cions of men? And where as thou hast bene a publicke professour of his name, becom now a defacer of his glorye. I will thou refuse the true GOD: and worshippe the inuencio of manne, The golden [Page] Calfe, the whoore of Babilon, the Romish religion, the abominable idol, the most wicked masse: wylt thou torment againe, rent & teare the most precious bodi, of our Sa­uiour Christ, with thy bodily and fleshly teeth? without the brea­king wherof vpon the crosse, our sinful sinnes could els nowaies be redemed. wilt thou take vpon the to offer vp ani sacrifice vnto God for our synnes? Consydering that Christ offred vp him self (as Paul saith) vpon the crosse a lyuely sa­crifice once for al.

Can neyther the punisment of the Israelites (which for their ido latrye so oft they receaued) moue the, neyther the terrible threate­ninges of the auncient prophetes, stirrethee, nor the cursses of gods owne mouth, feare the to honour any other god then hym? VVylte thou so regarde him, that spared not his deare and only sonne for the, so deminishing, yea, vtterlye extinguishing his glori, that thou wilt attribute the praise & honour to idols, which haue mouthes. & [Page] speake not, eyes, and se not, eates and yet heare not: which shal pe­rish with them that made them? what saith the prophet Barucke, wher he reciteth the epistel of Ie­remi, writtē to the captiue Iewes? Did he not forewarne them, that in Babilon thei should se gods of gold, siluer, wood, & stone, borne vpon mens shulders, to cast a fear before the heathen, but be not ye afraide of them (saieth Ieremie) nor do as other do. But when you se other worship them, saye you in your hartes: it is thou (O Lord) that oughtest only to be worship­ped: for as for the timber of those gods, the Carpenter framed them and polyshed them, yea, gylded be they, and laid ouer with siluer, and vayne thynges: and can not speake. He sheweth moreouer, the abuse of their deckings, how the priests toke of their ornamēts, and appareled their women withall. Howe one holdeth a Septer, another a sworde in hys hande, and yet can they iudge in no mat­ter, nor defend them selues, much [Page] Iesse any other, from either batte [...] or murther, nor yet from gnawing of woormes, nor anye other euyll thing. These, & such lyke words, speaketh Ieremy vnto them, wher by he proueth them butvain thin­ges, and no gods. And at last he cō cludeth thus: Confounded be thei that worship thē. They wer war­ned by Ieremye, and thou as Iere­my, hast warned other, & art war­ned thy selfe, by many scriptures, in many places.

God saieth: he is a gelious god, which wil haue al honour, glorye, and worship geuen to him onlye. And Christ saith in the fourth of Luke to Sathan, whiche tempted him: euen to the same Sathan, the same Belsabub, the same dyueil, whyche hath preuayled againste thee. It is written (saieth he) thou shalt honour the Lorde thy God, and him onelie shalt thou serue. These and such like do prohibite thee and al Christians to worship anie other God then whiche was before all worldes: and laied the foundations bothe of heauen and [Page] earth. And wilt thou honour a de­testable idol, inuented by Romish Popes, & the abominable colledge of craftie Cardinals? Christ offred him selfe vp once for al, and wylte thou offer him vp againe dayly at thy pleasure? But thou wilt saye▪ thou dost it for a good entent. Oh sincke of sinne, Oh child of perdi­cion: Doest thou dreame therein a good entent, wher thy conscience beareth the witnes, the promis of gods wrath toward the? How did Saule: who for that he dysobeied the word of god for a good entēt, was throwen frō his worldli & tem poral kingdome? Shalt thou then, that dost so deface gods honor, & robbe him of his right: inherit the eternal and heauenly kingdome? wilt thou for a good entent pluk Christe oute of heauen, and make hys deathe voyde, and deface the tryumphe of hys crosse, offeryng hym vp daylye? VVylte thou ey­ther for feare of death, or hope of life, deny and refusethi God, who enriched thi pouerti, healed thine infirmitie, & yelded to this victori, [Page] if thou couldest haue kept it? Doth thou not consider that the thryde of lyfe, hangeth vpon hym that made the: who can (as his wyll is) either twine it hard, to last the lō ­ger, or vntwine it againe to breake it the sooner? Doest thou not re­member the saying of Dauid a notable king, which teacheth thee a myserable wretche, in hys, ciiii. Psalme, wher he sayth: whē thou takest away thy spirite (O Lorde) from men, they dye, and ar turned againe to their dust, but whē thou lettest thy breath go fourth, they shalbe made, & thou shalt renew the face of the earth?

Remember the saying of Christ in his Gospel, who soeuer seeketh to saue hys lyfe, shall loose it, but whosoeuer wil lese it for mi sake, shal find it. And in another place: whosoeuer loueth father or mo­ther aboue me: is not mete for me. For he that wyll be my dysciple, must for sake Father and Mother, and him selfe, & take vp his crosse and folow me. VVhat crosse? the crosse of infamy, & shame, of mi­sery [Page] and pouerty, of affliction & persecution for hys names sake.

Let the oft faliing of those heauenly showres pearce thy stonye hart. Let the two edged sword of gods holy word, shere a sōder the sewed together sino wes of world ly respectes, euen to the very ma­ri of thi carnal hart, that thou maiest once againe forsake thy self, & embrace Christ. And like as good subiectes wil not refuse to hasard al in the defence of hys earthly & temporall gouernour: So flye not lyke a white hewred milke soppe from thy standynge, wherein thy chief captaine Christ hath set the in a rai of this life, Viriliter age cō fortetur cortuum, & sustine Dominum. Fight manfullye, come lyfe, come death, the quarel is gods, & vndoubtedly the victorye is ours. But thou wilt say: I wil not break vnitye. what, not the vnitie of Sa­than and his members? Not the vnitie of darknes, the agreement of Antichrist and hys adhearentes? Nay, thou deceiuest thy self with fond imaginations of suche an v­nitie [Page] as is amonge the enemyes of Christ. were not the false prophe­tes in an vnitie? were not Iosephs brethren, and Iacobs sonnes in an vnitie? wer not the heathen, as the Amelechites, the Feresites and Ie­busites in an vniti? I kepe no order but rather looke to mi matter. wer not the Scribes and Phariyses in an vnitie? Doth not king Dauid te­stefie: Conuenerunt in vnū, aduer­sus Dominum? Yea, theeues and murtherers conspyratours, haue theyr vnitie.

But marke my frende (ye frend) if thou be not Gods enemy. Ther is no vnitye, but wher Christ knit­teth the knotte among such as be hys. Yea, be you wel assured, that where his truthe is resident, the [...] it is verefyed that he sayeth: Non veni mittere pacem in terram, sed gladium. That is, Christe came to set one against another: the sonne against the father, the daughter a­gainst the mother. Deceiue not thi selfe therfore with the glysteryng and gloryous name of vnitye. For Antichrist hath his vnitie, yet not [Page] in deede, but in name. The agree­ment of euery man, is not an vniti, but a conspiracie.

Thou hast heard some threate­ninges, some curses, and some ad­monishions oute of the Scripture, to those that loue themselues a­boue Christ. Thou hast heard al­so, the sharpe and byting wordes, to those that denye him for loue of life. Saieth he not, that he that denieth me before men, I wyl de­nie hym, before my father in hea­uen? And to the same effecte wry­teth Sainte Paule. Hebru. vi. It is impossyble (saieth he) that they which be once lightned and haue tested of the heauenly gyfte, and be partakers of the holy gost, and haue tasted of the good worde of God, if they fal and slide away, it is impossible that they shuld be renewed againe by repentaunce, crucifiynge againe to them selues the sōne of God, and making him a mocking stocke. And again (sai­eth he) if we shal willinglie sinne, after we haue receined the know­ledge of the truthe, there is no [Page] oblation left for sinne, but the terrible expectation of iudgement, & fire which shal deuour the aduer­saries. Thus S. Paule writeth, and this thou readest. And dost thou not quake and tremble? well, yf these terrible & thundring threat ninges cannot stur thee, to cleaue vnto Christ & forsake the worlde: yet let the swete consolaciōs and promises of the scriptures, let the example of Christ & his Apostles, holi Martirs and Confessours, en­courage the to take faster hold by Christ. Harken what he saith: blessed are you when men reuile you & persecute you for my sake, Re­ioyce, & be glad, for great is your reward in heauen. For so persecuted thei the prophets before you. Heare what Esay saith: Feare not the cursse of men, be not afraid of theyr blasphem [...]es & reuylynges, for wormes and mothes shal eate them vp like clothe & wol, but my rightousnes shal endure for euer, and my sauing health, from gene­ration to generation. VVhat art thou then (saith he) that featest a [Page] mortal man, the chylde of a man that fadeth away as doth the flo­wer, and forgettest the Lord that made the, that spread out the heauens, and laid the foundations of the earth. I am the Lord thy God that maketh the sea to tage, and to be styl, who is the lord of hosts. I shal put my word in thy mouth, and defend the, with the turning of a hand. And our sauiour Christ saith to his disciples: They shall accuse you, and brynge you be­fote the princes and rulers, for mi names sake. And some of you thei shal persecute & kil, but feare you not (saith he) neither care you not what you shal say, for it is mi spirit that speaketh in you, the hand of the highest fhal defēd you, for the heates of your head are nom­bred, and none of them shall pea­rish. I haue layed vp treasure for you (saith he) wher no theefe can steale, nor moth corrupt, and happye are you, if you endure to the end. Feare not them (saith Christ) that haue power ouer the bodi only, but feare him that hath power [Page] both ouer the bodi and soule. The world loueth her owne, and if ye wer of the world, the world wold loue you, but you ar mine, therfore the worlde doth hate you. Lette these and suche like consolacions, out of the Sctyptures, strengthen you to Godward. Let not the en­samples of holy men & wemen, go out of your minde, as Daniel, & the teast of the prophetes, of the thre Childrē, of Eleazarus that constāt father, of the vii. of the Machabes Children, of Peter, Paule, Steuen, & other Apostles and holi Martirs in the beginning of the church. As of good Simeō Archbishop of Seloma, and zetrophone, with infy­nite other vnder Sapores the king of the Persians and Indians, who cōtempned al tormentes deuysed by the tiraunts, for theyr Sauiours sake. Returne, returne, againe into Christes watre, & as becommeth a faithful watriour, put on that ar­mour that S. Paule teacheth to be moste necessatye for a Christian man. And aboue all thynges take to you the shyelde of faythe.

[Page] And be ye prouoked by Christes owne example to withstande the deuil, to forsake the world, and to be come a true and faithful mem­ber of his mistical body, who spa­red not his own body for our sins. Thro we doune thy selfe with the feare of his thretned vengeaunce for this so great & heinous offēce of Apostacy, and cōfort yout selfe on the other part with the mercy, bloud and promises of him that is ready to turne to you, when soe­uer thou tourne to him. Disdaine not to com again with the lost son seinge you haue so wandred with him. Be not ashamed to tourne a­gain with him frō the swil of straū gers, to the delicates of the moste bening and louing father, Ackno­ledginge, that you haue sinned a­gainst heauen and earth. Againste heauen by stainynge his glorious name, and caused his most cinsere and pure worde to be euill spoken of, through you. Against earth, by offending your so many weak brethren, to whom you haue bene a stomblinge blocke throughe your sodaine slidinge.

[Page] Be not ashamed to come againe with Marye, and to wepe bitterly with Peter, not only with sheding of teares out of your bodely eyes: but also powring out the streames of your heart, to wash awaye out of the sight of God, the filth and mire of your offensiue fal. Be not ashamed to saye with the Publi­cane: Lord be merciful to me a sinner. Remember the hortible history of Iulien of old, and the lamen­table case of Fraunces Spira of late, whose case (me thyncketh) should be yet so grene in your re­membraūce, that being a thing of our time, you should fear the like inconuenience, seing that you are fallen into the like offēce. Last of al, let the liuely remembraunce of the last day be alwaies afore your eyes, remembring the terrour that suche shalbe in at that time, with the tunnagates and fugetiues frō Christ, which setting more by the worlde, then by heauen, more by their life, thē b [...] him that gaue thē their life, did shrink, yea did clean sal away from him that neuer for­soke [Page] them. And contrary wise the inestimable ioyes prepared for thē that feared no parel, nor dreading death, haue manfully fought, and victoriouslye triūphed oueral po­wer of darknes, ouer hel, death, & damnation, through their most re­doubted captain Christ, who now stretcheth out his armes to receiue you, ready to fal vpon your necke and kisse you, and last of al to feast you with the deinties & delicates of his own precious bloud, which vndoutedly, if it might stād wyth his determinate purpose, he wold not let to shed againe, rather then you should be lost. To whō with the father and the holy ghost, be honoure, prayse and glorye euerlasting ly. Amen.

I Haue here sent you good sister Katetine, a booke: which although it be not outwardly trimmed with gold, yet inwardli it is more worth thē precious stones. It is the boke (deare Sister) of the Lawe of the Lorde. It is his testament and last will, which he bequethed vnto vs wretches, whiche shall leade you to the path of eternall ioye. And if you with a good mynde read it, and with an ernest desire folowe it, it shal bring you to an immortal and euerlasting life. It will teache you to liue and learne you to dye. It shal winne you more, then you should haue gained by the posse­ssion of your woful fathers landes For as if God had prospered him [Page] you should haue inherited his lā ­des: so if you appli diligently this boke, seking to direct your life af­ter it, you shalbe an inheritour of sutche riches, as neither the coue­tous shal withdtaw from you, ne­ther the theife shal steale, neither yet the mothes corrupte. Desire with Dauid (good sister) to vnderstād the law of the lotd your god. Liue stil to dye, that you by death maye purchase eternall life. And trust not that the tēdernes of your age, shal lēgthen your life: For as­sone (if God cal) goth the yong as the olde. And laboure alwaye to learne to die. Deny the world, de­fie the deuil, and dispisethe flesh and delight your selfe only in the Lord. Be penitent for your sinnes and yet dispaire not: Be strong in saith, and yet presume not: and desire with S. Paull, to bee dissol­ued, and to be with Christe, with whom, euen in death ther is life.

Be like the good seruaut, and euen at midnight be wakig: Least when death commeth and steale vppon you like a these in the nighte, you [Page] be with the deuils seruaunt found sleping: and least for lacke of oyle ye bee founde like the fiue folishe wemen, and like him that had not on the wedding garment, and thē you be cast out from the Mariage. Reioyce in Christ, as I trust ye do. And seinge ye haue the name of a Christian, as nere as ye can, folow the steppes of your master Christ, and take vp your crosse, lay your sinnes on his backe, and alwaies imbrace him. And as touching my death, reioice as I do (good sister) that I shalbe deliuered of this corruption, and put on vncorruption. For I am assured, that I shall for losing of a mortal life, winne an immortal life. The which I praye God graunt you, sende you of his grace to liue in his feare, and to die in the true Christian saith. Frō the which in gods name I exhorte you that ye neuer swar ue, neither for hope of life, ner fear of death For if ye wil deny his truth, to lēg then your life: God wil deny you, and yet shorten your daies, And if ye wil cleaue to him, he wil pro­long [Page] your daies, to your comforte and his glory. To the which glo­ry, God bringe me nowe, and you hereafter, whan it shal please god to cal you. Far well good sister and put your onlye trustin God, who onely must helpe you. Amen.