An Comfortable Exhortation, Title page
An confortable exhortation: of oure mooſte holy Chriſten faith / and her frutes Writtē (vntounto the Chriſtē bretherne in Scotlāde) after the poore worde of God.
Oure glory
❀ At Pariſhe▪ M.d.xxxv.
Ihon Ihon ſone an humile profeſſor of holy diuinite / do grete you all / with grace and peace / in the lorde
The eternal faueour of almygty God be vith you / ſtrēgth you / and kepe you / accordinge to his godly pleaſure that ye be founde without any ſpot / at the comminge of the lorde / when he ſhall rewarde eueryevery man after his deades
Belowed brethren I gyue laude ād thākes vntounto my God / for he hath made you rych in all godly virtue / for youre faith groweth excedingly / and eueryche one of you floweth ower in lowe to warde a nother amōge youre ſylfes and to warde al mē. God hath bleſſed you / with all maner of ſpiritual bleſſinges / in heuēly thinges / by Chriſte / accordinge as he hath choſen you in hym thorow lowe / before ye fundation of the worlde was layd. And he hath ordeyned you to be holy / ād without blame in his ſight / and hath choſen you before vntounto hym ſylfe / to be heyres of his eternal glory thorow Ieſus Chriſt / by whom ye hauehave redemption / that is to ſaye / forgeuinge of ſynnes. And he hath openned vntounto you / the miſtery of his wil. And hath ſealed you with ye ſprite of promes / which is the erneſt of youre enheritance / to redeme the poſſeſſion purchaſſed vntounto the laude of his glory. Wherfore I gyue thankes vntounto my God / and prayes for you with gladnes / becauſe of the felliſhippe which ye hauehave in the Goſpel from the firſt daye vntounto now. And I am ſure certifieth of this / that he which begāne an good worke in you / ſhal performe it vntounto the daye of Ieſus Chriſt / as it becommeth me to iudge of you all. Thankes be vntounto God beloweth brethern / ye neade nor to be teach it of any mā for that oyntment which ye hauehave receawith theachit you all thynges. Nor withſtōdinge I wil not be negligent to put you in remembraunce of youre dutie / thought ye knowe it youre ſylfes / and are alſo ſtabiliſſhed in the preſent trueth. For I thynk it mete as longe as I am in this tabernacle to ſtere you vppe by puttynge… on in remēbraunce / for as moch as i am ſure howe that the tyme is at honde / that i muſt put of this my tabernacle I wil enfoarce therfore / that on eueryevery ſyde ye myght hauehave wherwith to ſtere vppe the remembraunce of this thinges after my departynge. The good that i mo do vntounto you / i wil not prolonge / when i am preſent with you / i wil exhort you by worde (yee by the worde of God) as my deare bretherne in the lorde. When i am abſent by writtinge vntounto a proſperous iorney (by the will of God) fortune me to come vntounto you / ād hauehave cōſolacion to gyther with you thorow ye cō mē faith / which both ye &… hauehave. Be not diſpleaſed of my hōmelynes (dearly beloweth) for lowe cauſeth me to iudge of you euen as my ſylfe / i do vntounto you as i wolde ye did vntounto me / for i am yours / and ye are myne / and ve all are Chriſtis / and Chriſt is Gods ſo ve are Gods aune poſſeſſion. Sen ye are of God / yee / ye wil gladly heare Gods worde. And that cauſeth me to writ… the boldly are / for in my writtinge and ſayenge both preſent and abſent / ye ſhal nor fynde the worde of man / but the very true worde of God. And aboue in you ſome what i truſt and reioyce / ād that cauſeth me to writ this litle treatyſe rather vntounto you / then to any other. And euer i wil exhort you / as my well beloweth brethern in the lorde / beſechynge you to receaue it with pacience. And thought my knowdledge a greith not well to ſoch an office / yet after the grace geuen vntounto me of God / i hauehave obeyit. In the which ye that are of faith / ſhall feale hys mighty powere / thought ye fynde no worldly viſdome / for ye preachinge off ye croſſe is to them that periſſhe / foliſſhnes. But vntounto you which are ſaued / it is the powere off God / whois grace remane euer with you and make you ſtronge in his inuincible trueth. Amen