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To the trew of Christes Gospell
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Genre
Letter Pamphlet
Date
1554
Full Title
A letter to the trew professors of Christes Gospell / inhabitinge in the Parishe off Allhallowis / in Bredstrete in London / made by Thomas Sampson / sometyme their Pastore.
Source
STC 21683
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Sample 1
The original format is octavo.
The original contains first paragraphas are introduced by decorated initial,contains elements such as change of font,contains comments and references,
The grace a~d fauour of God / our heauenly father / pourchased vnto vs / by the blody death of Christ our Sauiour / befelte and encreased in all your conscienes / too your euerlasting consolation.
THe viole~ce of this agedothe not suffer me / my most
louinge brethren / to come as
I wolde do vnto you / and by
talke & brotherly co~ferringe /
to putte you in mynde of the
Gospel of Jesus Christe / which amongeste
woothers farre more worthie / euen I by
Gods grace preached amo~g you. I therfore
haue thought nedeful by these letters / now
to do thesame / nowe I saye when thoughe
the peruerse frowardnes of men / the trew
preaching of Christes Gospel is bannished
and mans doctrine is taughte with lyes &
fables: And thoughe some perchaunce will
thinke that thys longeth not to me / but too
hym that is youre Pastore to doo / yet for
as muche as once I was your pastore / I ca~not
A ij.
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but testefye / that some pece of pastorallcure dothe yet reste in my harte towardes
you. The whiche in dede dothe muche perswade
me / as the presente necessitie also semeth
no les to require / to make a longe & a
large treatise / by whiche ye mighte haue an
whole armour againste all the assaultes off
false Prophetes. But whe~ I consider / how
truly / and that with much dilige~ce ye haue
ben taughte / and therewith thinkinge / that
ye are not forgetfull hearers of the worde / I
thinke that amonge you it shall suffice / if I
do but name those greatest euelles / whiche
nowe are poured forthe out of pulpittes amonge
you / and therewith put you in mynd
of the truthe / contrary to these lyes / which
once you both herde and recyeued / desiring
you to abide in thesame. This will I do
shortly / as I haue but littell / and thesame
vnapte tyme to do it / yet truly I trust to do
it / as let Gods worde therin trye it. If first
ye will suffer me to tell you / that throughe
these fals Prophetes / the castell of youre
healthe / the saluacion of your soules is assalted /
whome if ye suffer too be with you
if ye yelde vp your selfes to the beleuinge &
folowing of their doctrine / then knowe ye
that as by blynde lears ye be ledde / so you
wyth them then beynge blynded / shal wyth
them fall in to the pitte of pardicio~, which
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is prepared aswell for the falsely seduced /as for the false seducer. Of thys I coulde
be content to speake the lesse / but that I se
that whylest of to many / and that Londyners /
these beastes befolowed. Ye haue euen
drawen and pulled vpon your heades those
abhominacions / whiche if but reason had
ruled / shoulde not haue bene admitted before
that by lawes they had ben thrust vnto
you / that I speake not / what trew Christianitie
shoulde haue moued you too haue
done.
Oh London / London / is this the Gospelling
fruicte / to be the firste / that withoute a
lawe shouldest bannish trew preaching out
of the / too be the fyrste that againste lawes
shalt admitte that massinge Idolatrie / to be
the firste that shall geue the example of sto~bling
to all Englande / which shouldest yet
haue bene the fyrst in constancy / in humble /
sayeng for the continuinge of the truthe in
the / in quiet and paciente suffringe for the
truths sake euen deathe / if by the rulers it
had bene offered the. That grounde arte
thou / whyche not in persecucion / but before
persecucio~ commeth dost go backe / a grou~d
thou arte reserued for the Lordes wofull
cures / to whose iudgement London I leue
the.
Seing in Lo~do~ these euels are receiued / as
A iij.
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it is nowe meete for vigilante Pastors toowatche ouer their flocke / to chase the wolf
awaye / les at the Lordes hande they doo
heare the name of hierlinges / so nowe is it
hygh tyme for you my louinge brethre~ / and
all them that be the chyldre~ of God to take
heede whose voyce ye do heare / too beware
of the leauen of papisticall Phariseis / and
to kepe your selfes vndefiled from all their
abhominacions. The greatest of whiche
now I will resite amonges all their abhominacions /
one of the principall is their doctrine
of transsubstanciatio~ / the very pryde
of papistrie / and the horrible offence / euen
of the Turckes and Heathen. That a popish
priest / by his hussing and bussinge / and
mumblinge vp of the woordes of Christe /
more lyke a Coniuror then a Christian /
shoulde worke that miraculous alteracion
and chaunginge of the substaunce of breade
and wyne / into the substaunce of the bodye
and bloude of Christe / whiche then is to be
taken / as Christ hym selfe God and man / &
so to be adored. But you knowe my dere
brethren / that there is no suche miracle too
be beleued without the certayne doctrine of
Gods worde to warant the same / which the
papistes can neuer showe / & therfore their
miracle is not to be beleued / Christ in Instituting
the Supper / me~t not to leaue there
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hys body and bloud really and substanciallyas the papistes do teache: For Christe in the
substaunce of hys body / was then to be crucified/
he was to dye / he was to ryse agayn /
he was to ascende / and he was / and in thesame
yet now is / to appeare before the glorious
God / our Bishop / aduocate / & mediator /
there so to remayne vntill the laste
daye / as the schriptures do teache. In the
Supper he instituted a commemoration
of the breaking of hys body / and sheddinge
of hys bloud / to be done and made of them
that do eate that breade / and drynke of that
cuppe / accordinge to hys institution: which
he called his body and bloude / for that it is
to the receauers a seale and confirmacion
of Christes body broke~ / and Christes bloud
shedde for them / that the profite and commoditie
thereof is theirs / which there do
partake by fayth. And so these woordes:
This is my body, and this is my bloud, are
to be vnderstand / and not as the transsubsta~ciators /
literallye enforce them. For their vnderstanding /
them is bothe co~trary to Christus
meaninge / and also to the office of hys
body / besydes that it is agaynst the nature
of hys very body. And that thesame phrase
of speakinge is thus to be vnderstanded / as
I haue sayde: The like phrases in like matters
in the scriptures dothe sufficie~tly teche
A iiij.
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vs. As whereof circumcision / the LORDdothe saye: This is my couenaunt, where it
was but the seale or the couenau~t / as Paul
calleth it. In the same sorte it is sayde: This
is the pasouer. This cuppe is the new Testament
in my bloud. Christ is the rocke.
And in lyke maner are these to be vndersta~ded.
So that if the aduersaries will geue
the / geue the holy Ghoste leaue to expound
hym self / then these woordes. Thys is my
body? Thys is my bloud? are figuratiuely
to be vnderstanded. As the leke Phariseis
are / and so serue they not all for their monstruus
transsubstanciation. The second abhominacion
is their sacrifice of the masse.
In whiche too let many thinges passe / as
the straungenes of the tounge / the Iewesh
apparel, the fonde noddes, crosses, beckes &
duckes. Thre euels moste notable and to a
Christian conscience intollerable are there.
Firste their wicked sacrifice / whiche their
masseboke testefieth / to be Propiciatorie / to
take awaye the synnes of all those / be they
dead or liuing / for whom thei do say masse:
Yea / profitable and a vaile able for warres /
peace / wether / sickenes / for murrain of beastes /
and for whatsoeuer ye lust to bye their
appliecacion. Oh shameful blasphemie. As
concerninge the sacrifice Propiciatorie for
synne / ye must hold the anker of your faith
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that this sacrifice Christ him self once offeredfor all in his own bloudy death. He was
the priest & the sacrifice / the offerer and the
thing offered / & by his own bloudy offering
purified he in the shedding of his bloude all
hys fro~ synne. By it purchased he eternall
sanctificacion & saluacion for the~ that shalbe
saued: & by it finished he for euer / the ful propiciacion
for synnes: for sayeng these wordes
it is fynished or consummate / he yelded
vp the ghoste. Detestable therfore is the papisticall
sacrifice & ingerous to the bloudy
death of Christ.
Christ instituted this supper to be a sacrament
to vs / and not that of it a priest should
make a propiciatory sacrifice for synne: In
the eating & drinking of it / that we should declare
the Lordes death / offeringe the sacrifice
of thankes therefore and therefore is it
called of the fathers a sacrifice of thankes
and not leauinge any more sacrifice propyciatorie
for synne too anye prieste too offer:
That we eatynge and drinkynge / according
too hys institucion / shoulde by fayth applie
vnto oure consciences / the benefite of hys
deathe and passion / and not geuinge power
too any prieste by messing too applie the benefite
of hys death / to whome and to what
he lysteth.
A v.
7
Christ ordeined hys Supper neither forthe dead / whiche haue no vse of eating and
drinking with vs in the congregacion: nor
yet for beastes / wether/ nor war / for which
Christ did not dye: but for hys church liui~g
vpon thys earth / that nedeth hys worde / &
nedeth hys Sacrame~ts / for the co~firminge
of their fayth.
Thus plainly / ye se one mischeuous
misuse in this masse. The seconde euell is /
that the bread and cuppe which the Lorde
instituted too be receaued of the faythefull
with thankes geuinge In their masse they
do abuse / and make of it an Idol / holding it
vp for the people / not onely to gaze vppon /
but to geue vnto it that honor / whiche is
dewe vnto God alone: And so bothe make
of it an Idol / and of the people grosse Idolators /
and transgressers of Gods commaundement.
The fylthines of which Idolatrie /
I know you do se so plaine / that I nede not
wish many woordes to impugum it / for a
Christian conscience can not but abhorre it.
The thirde euel is that in their masse / that
that is eaten and drounken is done & deuoured
of the priest all alone / with quartering
and soppinge / with lickinge and suppinge /
with washing and wyping / and such prety
trickes of their owne inuenting. Christe in
hys institucion apoynteth thys supper too
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be selebrate of the whole co~gregacio~. Takeye, and drynk ye all of this sayeth he: This
do ye in remembraunce of me. For so oft
as ye eate this bread / and drinke of this cup
ye shew the Lordes death tyll he commeth.
Christ and Paule speaketh not to the priest
alone / but too the whole congregacion / too
obserue thys ordinaunce of eating and drinkinge
at the Lordes supper: Whereby ye
maye playnely se how contrary thys doyng
of our popishe massers is in this also to the
Institucion of Christe. And too be shorte in
thys their whole masse is nought / els but
an horrible prophanacio~ of the Lordes supper:
Wherefore as a moste iniurius blasphemye /
too the bloude of Christe / as a moste
grosse Idolatrie / as a moste wicked prophanacion
of Christes institucion / of all Christians
is this masse to be eschewed and abhorred.
Out of his mischeuous Idol the masse /
form they vnto the people / a new founde sacrament
of their owne inuentinge: deliuering
to the people as they saye through the
miracle of their transsubstanciatio~ a body /
in which body / because also there is bloude
therefore / they do not minister their consecrated
cup accordingly / for feare of spilling
and yet they geue drinke too their houseled
to washe doune the cromes withall. Oh
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theues where learne ye too minister suche asacrament. Where haue ye your ground in
the scripture for this / your vnholsome housell.
Who can with a good consci~ce receyue
suche a new found Popish sacramente at a
papistes hande / seynge also it is thereto off
them vsed / to put Christes true institucion
out of hys trew vse. Whose appointed ordinaunce
is that the bread of thankesgeuing /
and the cuppe of thankesgeuing shoulde be
eaten and droncken of the congregacion / as
before I sayd.
Thys their newe founde Sacrament
they hange vppe in the pit / they carrye abrode
in processio~s to be adored / with many
such mischiefs of their owne inuentinge /
whiche to reken vp / all were an endles labour.
I leaue them therfore euer listeninge
when I may heare them defende these their
abhominacions by the written woorde off
God / but this as they neuer yet coulde do /
so shall they neuer be able to do it / and therfore
of all Christians are they with their
euasyons to be forsaken.
In the doctrine of Iustificacion they
wander enwrapped in laberin these mextricable.
They erre in extenuating synne
bothe originall and actuall / in not vndersta~dinge
the lawe / the force of it I meane nor
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the ende of it / in makynge a Iustification /partly of Christes grace / partelye of mans
free wil / good mocyons and good worckes /
and herein they so enwrappe theym selfes
with their termes of the fyrst grace / the seconde
grace / grace presidente / grace concomitatinge /
grace folowinge / with merite of
congruence / and merite of condignitie / that
neither vnderstande thee trewe iustificacion /
neither canne other men vnderstande
what they do meane by their Iustificatio~:
But their doctrine is too bringe men into
a continuall doubtynge of saluacion / and
leadeth them cleane from that free Iustificacion /
whiche we haue in Iesus Christe.
But you my brethren haue out of the scriptures
receyued / and I truste by the practyses
of youre owne conscyences haue tasted.
That by nature ye are the chyldren
of wrath of your selfs: as of your selfs
that ye are but suche a lompe of synne / that
in you dwelleth no good thynge. For
whyche the lawe iustely condempneth you
as gilty of Goddes curse and wrathe / and
so dryueth you too Christe. By whose
grace ye be frely iustified.
By whose blouddesheddynge / onely
and alone / the attonemente is nowe made
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betwene God and you / whiche youbeleuing are made the heires of blessinge /
of whiche your consciences by fayth beinge
assured by the worke of Gods spirite / ye be
at peace with God / because ye do feale euen
in your hartes by liuelye perswasion off
fayth / that Christ hath loued you / and geuen
hym self for you / for whose onely sake
ye are iustefied and saued: Which you thus
felinge / are ledde by thesame spirite that
worketh thys in you too render vnto God
the sacrifice of your body / in liuing & doing
those workes / which in hys sight are acceptable /
and that in a fredom and libertie off
the spirite / I meane no fleshely libertie, but
that libertie of the spiritie / by whiche we
darre drawe nye vnto the seate of Goddes
grace, calling hym: Abba father / that libertie
that subdueth the libertie of the fleshe /
and maketh it captiue & bonde too serue the
spirite. In which you also walkinge / when
ye haue done all that ye can do / yf ye coulde
do all that is commaunded you too do / yet
seinge all mans righteousnes is but as a defyled
clothe / ye seke not thereby the perimplishment
of your Iustificacion. Which is
all redy fully geuen you in Christes Iesus /
ye loke not to the merite of your good workes:
but on your part knowing your owne
want and imperfection / yea / and synne eue~
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in the best ye do / ye saye: we are vnprofitableseruauntes commending all your doinges
to the grace of God thorowe Christe /
that by hym they maye be made pure: on
Godes parte considering / that the good ye
do / is the worke of his spirite in you / which
worketh in all men / bothe to will & to do /
ye do geue vnto hym the glory / seyng by his
grace onely / ye are that good that ye are.
Neuertheles / yet this also ye knowe that
the Lord / whiche through Christe hath accepted
you vnto his grace / doth of thesame
grace in Christe / accept these youre workes
into hys fauour / as iust perfect and good.
Whiche though they be the woorkes of hys
spirite in you / yet is he content to haue the~
called and estemed as yours / and as youres
dothe he of hys owne fre grace reward the~
bothe in this lyfe, and in the lyfe to come.
In this that I haue thus spoken / you se
the force of synne originall and actuall / the
force and ende of the lawe / the power of
mans free will / the trew iustification / ma~s
regeneracion / and the life / fruictes & perfection
of Gods regenerate chylde: By which
ye may the more easely perceaue how farre
the papistes wander from the truthe of iustification /
by which they drawe men into
a desperate douting of saluacion / whyche
who so liketh / let them taste therof. Here is
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occasion also geuen me to warne you of allthose meanes that they haue taught too be
meritorius to deserue Gods grace / as workes
of superrogacio~ / workes done of a good
entent / fishfastes / vowes / pylgrimages / pardons /
and suche like Popish trashe / which
though as yet perchau~ce they dare not teache /
yet haue they taught / and will hereafter
teache it. But against all such / I acco~pt
you sufficiently armed / if ye holde fast thys
that our onely merite available before god /
is the merite of Christ / whiche he frely geueth /
and God for his onely sake frelye imputeth
to all trew beleuers / which is vnto
them full perfyt / and sufficient merit / righteousnes /
sanctification / & saluacion. They
teache also inuocacion of sainctes / to make
them mediators / if not too God for vs, yet
vnto Christe to speake the better for vs.
The scripture teacheth playn / that betwen
God and man / there is but one mediator /
the man Iesus Christ / who therfore became
man / that for men he alone should make intercessio~ /
as for mans rede~pcion he alone did
dye. Wherefore euen he also teacheth me~ to
call vpo~ the father in hys name / promising
to suche that they shall be harde.
Prayer abuse they not onely in a strau~ge
tonge / contrary to the doctrine of Paule /
whiche will haue all thinges done in the co~gregacion /
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to the edifyeng thereof : in supersticiousnumbring of a certayne number of
Psalmes / or Pater nosters / of whiche because
the people shalbe sure / they teache the~
the vse of beades / contrarye vnto whiche
Christ our Sauiour taught / condemninge
it as a phariseicall supersticion / when for
their much clatering sake / they thinke them
selfes to be hard: But also they teache and
defend prayeng for the dead / to be charitable
and propiciatory.
Where as yet the scripture teacheth / that
they that dye in the Lorde / are in solace and
blessednes. As then they nede not our prayers /
so our prayers can adde noughte vnto
their blessednes: And on the contrary parte
they that dye wickedlye / haue no remedye
euerlastingly: So that on all partes / thys
kynde of prayer is in vayne. The mother
being in moste blessed saftie / and with these
the tyme of health & grace beinge past / theyr
curious charitie therfore / and their peuishe
propiciatorye prayer hath no ground in the
scriptures. But through this they haue picked
the purse of many a poore man / for on
thys vnhappye ground buylde they chantries /
trentalles vniuersaries / diriges / purgatory /
pardons for soules departed / and a
pece of their expiatory sacrifice / with many
suche proper deuises.
B
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Auriculer confessio~ they teache / in whichthey enforce a numbring of synnes / whiche
is nought / els but the tyra~ny of their kingdome /
and as they vse it a killing of Christia~
consciences, and hath no grou~de of the scriptures.
In an anguishe and dute of conscie~ce
it is both good / necessary / and comfortable /
for a man to counsail with sum suche learned
elder / in whose lippes bothe lye the law
of truthe. Agayne / if the trew ecclesiasticall
discipline were vsed / a pece of it oughte too
be / that the man restored / shoulde of hys
faulte make an open confession before the
congregacion / to declare publicquely hys repentaunce.
Yea / and a minister may vppon
iust grou~de examine any / of whom he hath
cure / of such a faute / as he seeth him worth
to be reproued for: But this is so farre fro~
their eareshrifte / that a man most blynde /
maye easely iudge thereof. But the rable of
their errors are to many now to recite / as
of the authoritie of the churche / of the not
erring of the churche / of discipline / of theyr
fyue new enuented sacrament / of voues / of
choyse of meates / of images / and such lyke.
Against all / whiche that ye maye be armed
my deare brethren / I require you not onely
to call to minde the doctrine of the truthe
receyued. But also that for the triall of the~
ye do abyde in the worde of the truthe / Godes
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worde I meane. And because / here theyhaue also an error / I will but recite it / and
so make an ende.
Their error is / that Gods writte~ worde
is not a sufficiente doctrine vnto saluacion /
but say they the voyce of the church / tradicions /
and counsayles are to be harde of necessitie.
As for tradicions / there is no tradicion
of any matter of faithe to be receyued /
other then is in the scriptures expressed.
Likewise doctors and counsailles / with the
consent and custome of the churche / are so
farre to be harde in matters of faithe / as
they do agre with the writen scripture: for
it is the touche stone to trye them all by / &
that in suche sorte / that if they saye not / according
to this woorde / then as there is no
light in them / so are they not to be folowed.
As for tradicions / customes / and by and for
the order of the churche ceremonies receyued
and vsed / which be no matters of faith;
they may be admitted and altered at the discrecion
of theym that haue the rule of the
church vnder Christ / according to the necessite
of the tyme / and the disposition of the
people / so that in them be nothinge elles but
trew edifying to vnfayned Godlynes. And
suche are of the people with humblines too
be receyued. But for the ful triall of suche /
Yea / and for the full and perfect institucion
B ij.
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of all men / in suche thinges as concerningsaluacion / God hath lefte vnto his church
and people hys written worde. In whiche
though all thinges that God mighte haue
caused to be written / be not writte~. Yet in it
so much is written / as sufficeth to teache vs
that Iesus Christ is the sonne of God / and
also that we beleuing / might haue lyfe euerlastinge /
as Ihon dothe witnes / by whiche
we learne / that the written worde of God.
is a sufficie~t doctrine to instruct vs in that
fayth / whiche bringeth to lyfe euerlastinge.
It is that sufficient doctrine that can alone
make men learned vnto saluacion, by the
fayth which is in Christ Iesus / it alone sufficeth
to make the ma~ of God perfectly enstructed
too all that is good / as witnesseth
Paule. Therefore vnto the scriptures do
Christe sende the Phariseis, Abraham too
Moyses and the Prophetes / Peter also to
thesame worde of the Prophetes / as to the
doctrine that sufficeth to enstructe vs too
saluacion. The knowledge of whiche worde
whosoeuer goeth aboute to take from the
people by putting it into a straunge langage
to the ende that the more safely / our popish
marchau~tes maye kepe their marte of falshead
and Popery / he robbeth the people of
their meane to saluacion / he openith a dore
for theues and murtherers / to deuoure the
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flocke of Christ / and if at the worldes ha~de /he sustayneth not the iudgement of a thefe,
yet at Godes hande shall he be sure to haue
the iudgement of a soule murtherer.
Thus briefly I haue put you in mynd
my deare brethren of the principall errors of
the aduersaries / and of the truthe contrary
to them / not so copiously as the matter deserueth /
but shortly measuring the neade of
your knowledge / for I haue not to do now
with the ignorant / but with you / of whom
by the tyme and kynde of your teachinge / I
iudge that ye be able not onely too iudge off
the truthe / but too be brotherly ensctructors
of other in thesame. And thus I haue done
furst to exorte you constantly to abide in the
truthe receyued. Call to youre mynde that
God of his great mercy and goodnes hathe
long ben in planting / sowing / and watering
of you / as it were to make you a garden off
pleasure vnto hym selfe. These sedes of lyfe
the deuel by hys doctors will now go about
to picke out of your hartes. But if in thys
Gospelling adge / ye haue bene worthy hearers
of the Gospel, if with the worde herde
with youre eares / the Lordes sprite hathe
touched your hartes to beleue the worde of
truthe preached / as he hath done to so many
as haue vnfaynedly desired it / if ye be the
shepe / which haue rightely herde the shepeherdes
B iij.
19
voyce / then surely the straungerssupplanting voice shall ye not heare / but ye
shall flee frome suche hurelinges / as frome
theues / robbers and murtherers. Hereby
verely shall ye be knowen what ground ye
are / fruteful / or vnfruteful constant / or seruers
of the tyme: Good Gospel hearers be
not suche as will be tost aboute with euery
wynde / they be no suche grounde as wil be
dried vp with euery blast of bourning heate /
but they abide in Godes truthe / serchinge
and learninge thesame in hys holy scriptures /
and that with suche faithfull diligence
and constante obedience / that if an aungell
from heauen shal preache an other Gospel /
they holde hym accursed: Yea / and thoughe
there be many counterfaicie Christians /
that fall awaye frome the Lordes truthe /
yet abide they whith Christe and saye: Thou
haste the wordes of euerlasting lyfe: Consider
my deare brethren / that we too heare
alone / but to kepe Christes woorde maketh
a man happie. And in kepinge the principall
parte is too perseuer in the doctrine off
truthe / thys maketh Christes disciples / this
maketh you free / yea / thys is it / that maketh
a man safe / for he that perseuereth too
the ende / shalbe saued.
Thys also haue I written too exorte
you / to kepe your selfes vndefiled frome all
20
Popishe leauen / yf ye do fall from the Gospell /and embrace Poperie / ye fall frome
truthe to lyes / frome the woorde of lighte
and lyfe / to darkenes and death / frome saluacion
to dampnacion / from God too the
deuell. Ye are then they / into whome the
euell sprete reentreth with seue~ worse then
hym selfe / ye are then the folishe buylders
whiche suffer the vnrecouerable ruin. And
as then with that filth that is in Popery /
ye be defyled with it: so of the dampnacion
whiche is due to suche abhominacion / ye
shall be partakers of it. But if ye thinke
that ye can bothe embrace Popery and the
Gospel / ye do disceaue your selfes / for you
can not bothe holde the taste off Christes
deathe in your consciences / and alowe also
that masse / whiche is the defacer of Christes
deathe / you can not embrace the righte
vse of the Lordes supper / and also vse and
partake the horrible prophanacion of thesame:
Ye can not by faythe apprehende
free iustificacion / and yet seke by your righteousnes
and merites too be saued: you can
not accepte Godes written woorde / as the
sufficient doctrine of saluacion: and alsoo
take mans doctrine and tradicions / as necessarie
to the same / and so forthe of the rest.
This can ye not do bothe / they are so contrarie.
B iiij.
21
But if ye coulde do it / yet may ye not do it / for God will none of your ma~geled seruice /
for as there is no co~uenie~ce betwene Christe
and Beliall / so men must not halte on both
sydes in Godes seruice / but eyther say that
God is God / or els that Baal is god. God
neuer allowed that seruice of the Samaritaines /
whiche both serued their Idols / and
worshipped the lyuing God. But if ye be
turned to the Lord / then all straunge Gods
muste ye cleane forsake. The Lorde is God
alone / alone therfore according to hys worde
will he be serued. God is ouer ma~ a gelious
God / wherefore he will haue whole man
wholy to be hys alone / as our fyrst comma~dement
teacheth vs. Agayne / if you thinke
that in your hartes ye will serue the Lord /
but yet ye will be and may be present in parson
at their Idolatrie. For your hart shalbe
in heaue~. This is but a fleshly policie / which
fayleth as many as trust vnto it. How can
you / too whome Christes deathe is deere:
abyde to se that whorish thefe / that stealeth
from Christe the glory of his death. Howe
can ye / which haue ben and are ready to receaue
with thankefulnes the Lordes supper
according to Christes institucion / abide to se
the horrible prophanacion thereof? And so
forth of the rest. But if your conscie~ce were
suche that ye coulde thus do / yet knowe ye
22
thys / that it is againste your Christian profession.For we are taughte / that too beleue
with the hart / & to confesse with the mouth
maketh a man safe. Bothe hartes belefe / &
mouthes confessio~ must go together / whiche
dothe not so in you / when inwardly ye are
Gospelers / & outwardly dessemblers with
papistes. Ye are bought with a pryce sayeth
Paule glorify now God in your body and
in your sprite, whiche are Gods. Seinge
both body and sprite are Goddes / not onelye
by creacion / but bought also by redempcio~ /
euen in the price of Christes bloude / ye can
not with a dissembling prete~ce / couple your
bodies with papistes / for then ye do not glorifie
God in your bodies. We rede not that
any chylde of God / vsed euer iustlye anye
suche dissimulacion. Daniel vsed none such
and therfore was he sone accused of not adoring
the kyng / Beland the Dragon. The
thre chyldren / whether they came by co~pulsion /
or came of their owne mynde / where
the Idol was / dissembled not / for forth with
they were accused as transgressors of the
kynges commaundement. Eleazarus wold
not dissemble / eating euen of lawful fleshe.
These men glorified God in body & sprite /
these men beleued in hart / & confessed with
the mouth / & so must you do / without any
other muysinge / yf ye will do the office off
B v.
23
Christians. And this to do not onely theprofession of Christianitie enforceth / but
Christian cheritie also. Our doinges must
be without offence geuinge: But by thys
dissembling a double stomble blocke is geue~
whiche euen in thinges indifferent is to be
auoyded. For what though a Christian may
eate frely of meates offered vnto Idols / yet
if thereby an Idolater / whose conscience in
hys supersticion / shoulde be confirmed therby /
it were better neuer to eate fleshe. And
what though al thinges be clean to the clean
to be eaten on all dayes with thankes geuing /
yet better it is not to eate flesh / nor to
drinke wyne: then too offende thereby thy
weake brother: If this be to be obserued in
thinges indifferente / howe muche more in
thinges which are absolutely euell / must ye
take heede that neither ye geue occasion off
concerninge the conscience of an Idolatrie /
nor yet of offending the weke to draw them
to the leeke euell with you: bothe whiche ye
do / when bothe a papist and a weke brother
seeth you as mingrels myngling your selfs
with the Papistes in their Idolatrie. As
muche might I speake / howe that all thynges
that ye do in the congregacion muste be
done to edifyeng. But of this to haue full
instruccion. I referre you to the mynde off
mayster Caluine / lately tra~slated & printed
24
in English. Thus now I ende wishing youall well in the Lorde. Abide in hys truthe /
kepe your selfes vndefiled. Offer youre
selfes hu~bly to suffer all violence of blouddye
lawes for the truthes sake / kepe safe
your conscie~ces / thoughe the sworde taketh
your lyues from you / suffer & beare withal
humblenes and quiet obedience. Humble
your selfes in vnfayned repentaunce before
the Lorde / in the horrible plague of Popery /
that of hys mercy he maye be moued
to ende these dayes of delusion / and let
your prayers alwayes ascend vp
before the Lord / begginge of
hym suche 'thynges' as
ye nede. In which
I besech you
to praye
also
for me.
Youre louinge
frend and orator. Thomas
Sampson.
The grace of our LORD Iesus
Christ be with you all.
AMEN.