A Comfortable Epistle to Gods Faithful People in England, Chapter 1
THOMAS BECON.
❧ A confortable Epistle / too Goddes faythfull people in Englande / wherein is declared the cause of takynge awaye the true Christen religion from them / & howe it maye be recouered and obtayned agayne / newly made by Thomas Becon.
Abacuk. 2.
Thoughe the Lorde tarye / yet wayte thou for hym / for he will vndoubtedly come / yea / and that oute of hande.
Imprynted at Strasburgh in Elsas, at the signe of the goldē Bibel in the monethmonth of August. In the yeare of the LORDE M. D. LIIII.
The Epistle. ¶ The fyrst Chapter.
TO the faythfull Christians / wheresoeuer they be dispersed thorowoute the realme of Englande / Thomas Becon wis…heth / grace / mercy and peace from God the father / with perfect knowlege of hys dearly beloued sonne Iesu Christ our Lorde / and alone sauyour thorow the halowinge of the holy Ghoste / vntounto the true and vnfayned obedience off Gods moste blessed will / with an earnest fayth in the merciful promises of God / and assured hope of obtayninge thesame / vntounto euerlastinge lyfe. AMEN.
IT greatly reioyceth me (mos…e deare brethren) to heare of thys youre constancye and stedfastnes in beleuing & confessing the glorious Gospell of our sauiour Iesus Christe (whiche as the apostle Rom. 1.sayth / is the power of God to saue so many as beleue) namely in these perillous and troublesome dayes / wherin we se so many sturte backe and runne awaye from the cō fession of Gods trueth (whiche whan the weather was calme / they semed constantly to professe) and folowe the fonde fantasyes of menne / that speake not Gods worde, but theyr owne drowsy dreames and idle imagi nacions brought into the church of Christ by suttle sathan and hys marked marchaū te… / vntounto the great disturbaunce of the Chri sten common wealth / so that / if it were possible / the very electe and chosen people off God / thorow theyr …ugsing might be seduced Mat. 24.and led from the waye of truthe. As ye hauehave godly begonne / so manfully go forthe vntounto the ende / that ye maye receaue a full ioye and a perfect reward of the Lord your God in that daye / whan he gloriously shal apeare and rendre to eueryevery one accordinge to hys dedes / that is to saye / prayse / honor / and immortalite to them / which continew in good doyng and seke eternall lyfe. But vntounto them that are rebellious and disobey the trueth and folowe iniquitie / shal come indignaciō / and wrath / tribulacion and anguishe. But be it knowen vntounto you deare brethren / that this thing that hath happened vntounto vsus in thys realme of Englande / Roma. 2.I meane the takynge awaye of Gods true religion / and the thrusting in of pa…istrye in the steade therof / vntounto the greate & vnspeakable sorowe of all true Christen hartes / ought not to seme vntounto you newe straunge and vnloked for / but rather suche a thynge as hath hytherto many tymes bene declared vntounto you by the preachers / and ye your selfs godly cōsydering the corrupt maners and vnluckye chaunces of thys realme / did ryghte well the same aforesee and greately lament. For diuers signes had we longe before / besydes the godly admonicions of the faythfull preachers / whiche playnly declared vntounto vsus an vtter subuersyon of the true Christen religiō to be at hande / except it were preuented by has…ye and hartye repentaunce. What shall I speake of that godly and mighty prince Edward / duke of Somerset / whiche in the tyme of his Pro The … of Somersettectorship dyd so banyshe Idolatrye out of this our realme / and bring in agayn Gods true religiō / that it was wōder so weyghty a matter to be brought to passe in so … a tyme? Was not the vngentle handlyng of hym / and the vnrighteous thrustinge hym out of office / and afterward the cruel mur thering of hym / a man / yea / a myrrour off true innocencye and Christen pacience / an euident token of Gods anger agaynste vsus? The sudden takynge awaye of those mo…e goodly & verteous yonge Impes / the duke of Suffolke and hys brother / by the sweating The … of … and his brother.syckenesse / was it not also a manifes… token of Gods heauy displeasure towarde duplicate page duplicate page vsus? The death of those two most worthy & godly learned men / I speake of M. Paulus M. Paulus Fagius. D Martine Bucer.Fagius / & of D. Martine Bucer / was it not a sure Prognostication / some greate mishappe / concerning Christen religion to be at hāde? But as I may passe ouer many other / & at the laste come vntounto that / whiche is moste lamentable / and can neuer be remembred of any true English harte / without large teares / I meane the death of oure most godly Prince and Christen kyng Edwarde the. VI. that true Iosias / that earnest Rynge Edvvarde the ….destroyer of false religion / that feruent setter vp of Gods true honor / that mooste bounteous Patrone of the godly learned / that moste worthy mayntayner of good let ters and vertue / and that perfecte & liuelye myrrour of true nobili…e and syncere godlines: was not the takyng away of hi (alace for sorow) asure signe and an euident tokē that some great euel hāged ouer this realm of England? Who considering these thynges (as I may speake nothing of the wicked Grosse gospelers.nes of those mē / which made the worde of God a cloke of their naughtines / of their insatiable couetousnes / of their intollerable pryde, of their volupteous & wanton lyuing. &c.) perceaued not a shepwracke of the Christen religion too be at hande / as it is (alace for pytie) come to passe at thys daye? All good men feared the decaye of Goddes true honoure in thys realme / that we feared / that hathe chaunced / howe coulde it otherwise come to passe? Gods blessing was offered vntounto vsus▪ but we thorow our wicked and vnthankefull lyfe refused it. Shal not therfore blessing be taken away / & cursinge come in the place therof? as it is written / he wolde not hauehave the blessing / it shal therfore Psal. 109.be farre from hym.