The Marrow of Ecclesiastical History, John Rogers
The Life of John Rogers, who died Ano Christi 1555.
JOhn Rogers was born in England, and brought up at the Universitie of Cambridg, His birth and education.where he profited very much in good learning, and from thence was chosen by the Merchant Adventurers to be their Chaplain at Antwerp, to whom hee preached many years,He goes to Antwerp. and there falling into acquaintance with Will Tindal, and Miles Coverdal (who were fled thither from persecution in England) he, by heir means, profited much in the knowledg of Jesus Christ,His conversion. and joyned with them in that painful and profitable work of Translating the Bible into English, and being much enlightened thereby in the saveing knowledge of Jesus Christ, he cast off the heavy yoake of Popery, perceiving it to be impure, and filthy Idolatry.
There he married a wife▪ and from thence he went to Wittenberg, His mariage. He goes to Wittenberg.where he much profited in learning, and grew so skilfull in the Dutch-tongue, that he was chosen pastor to a Congregation and discharged his office with diligence, and faithfulness for many years:His returm to England. But in King Edward's time, hee was sent for home by Bishop Ridley, and was made a Prebend of Pauls, and the Deane and Chapter chose him to read a Divinity Lecture in that Church, in which place hee preached faithfully till Queen Mart's dayes; And in the beginning of her Reign, in a Sermon at Paul's Cross, His zeale, and courage.he exhorted the people constantly to adhere to tha… Doctrine which they had been taught: and to beware of pestilent Poperie, Idolatrie, and superstition, for which he was called before the Lords of the Council, where he made a stout, wittie, and godly answer, yet withall carried himself so prudently, that for that time he was dismissed: But after the Queen's Proclamation against True Preaching came forth, he was again called (the Bishops thirsting for his blood) and committed Prisoner to his own house,His courage and constancy. whence he might have escaped; and had many motives, as his wife, and ten children, his friends in Germanie, where he could not want preferment, &c. But being once called to answer in Christ's Cause, he would not depart, though to the hazard of his life. From his owne house, he was removed by Bonner to Newgate amongst thieves, and murtherers for a great space.
At length he was againe carried before the Lords of the Councill, His usage before the Councell.where the Lord Chancellor [Steven Gardener] taunted, reviled, and checked him, not suffering him to speak his mind, and so remanded him to prison: whereupon he wrote thus: I was compelled to leave off what I would have most gladly spoken, and therefore I desire the most hearty, and unfeigned prayers of all Christs true members, the true imps of the true Catholique Church: that the Lord God of all consolation will now be my comfort, aid, strength, buckler, and shield: as also of all my brethren who are in the same case, and distresse; that I, and you all may despise all manner of threats, and cruelty, and even the bitter burning fire, and the dreadfull dart of death, and stick like true soldiers to our deare, and loving Captaine Christ, our onelyonly Redeemer, and Saviour▪ and the onelyonly true head of the Church; that doth all in us all; that we doe not traiterously run out of his tents, or rather out of the plaine field from him in the heat of the Battell: But that we may persevere in the fight (if he please not otherwise to deliver us) till we be most cruelly slaine of his enemies. For this I most heartily, and even with teares most instantly, and earnestly desire you all to pray: And if I dye, to be good to my poore, and most honest-wife, being a poore stranger, and to all my little soules, her, and my children, &c.
The next day he was brought before the Councell againe, and the third day also, where he met with the like usage, and when by no means they could remove him from his constancy, Steven Gardener read his sentence of condemnation,His condemnation. Degraded him, and so delivered him over to the secular power; Declaring that he was under the great curse, and that it was a vengeable dangerous matter to eat, or drink with him, or to give him any thing: for that all that did so should be partakers of the same curse.His speech upon i…. Then said Mr Rogers: Well my Lord, here I stand before God and you, and all this Honorable audience, and take him to witnesse, that I never wittingly, and willingly taught any false Doctrine, and therefore have I a good conscience before God and all good men. I am sure that you, and I shall come before a righteous Judge, before whom I shall be as good a man as you: and I nothing doubt but I shall be found then a true member of Jesus Christ, and everlastingly saved. And as for your false Church you needed not to have excommunicated me out of it, for I have not lived in it these twenty yeares, the Lord be thanked for it.
Then he desired that his wife (to whom he had been married eighteen years, and by whom he had ten children, and the being a stranger) might be admitted to come to him whil'd he lived:Gardners cruelty. But Steven Gardner, the then Lord Chancellor, would by no means suffer it.
Febr. 4th, Anno Christi 1555. He was warned suddenly by the keepers wife of Newgate to prepare himselfe for the fire, who then being sound asleep could scarce be awaked with much jogging:He is warned to pre…are for death. At length being awaked, and raised, he was bid to make hast: If it be so, said he, I need not tie my points, and so he was presently had away to Bonner to be degraded,He is degraded of whom he earnestly requested to be admitted to speak with his wife, but could not prevaile; From thence he was carried into Smithfield, where scarce being permitted to speak to the people, he briefly persuaded them to perseverance in that truth which he had taught them, which also he was now ready to seal with his blood. Then was a pardon profered to him if he would recant,…is constancy. but he utterly refused it. His wife, with nine small Children, and the tenth sucking at her brest came to him, but this sorrowfull sight nothing moved him, but in the flames he washed his hand and with wonderfull patience took his death,His Patience, and Martyrdom. all the people exceedingly rejoycing at his constancie, and praising God for it. He was the Proto-Martyr in Queen Marie's dayes.
The Sabbath before his death he drank to Mr Hooper, who lay in a chamber beneath him,… bidding the Messenger to commend him to him, and to tell him, That there was never little fellow that would better stick to a man, then he would to him; supposing they should be both burn'd together, although it happened otherwise.
During the time of his imprisonment strait search was made in his chamber for his writings, A speciall providence.and papers, yet nothing was found: But after his death his wife, and one of his sons going to his chamber to look after them, could find nothing, till being ready to depart, the boy espyed a black thing lying in a corner under a blind paire of staires, which indeed proved the book they looked for, containing a narration of his examination, and answers, whereunto were added these predictions. His prophesiesIf (said he) God look not mercifully upon England, the seeds of utter destruction are sown in it already by these hypocritical Tyrants, and Antichristian Prelats, double traytors to their native Countrey. And yet they speak of Mercy, of Blessing, of Unity, of the Catholike Church, &c. But this double dissimulation will be discovered one day, when the plague comes, which undoubtedly will fall upon those Crown-shorne Captains, and that shortly, what soever the godly, and the poore Realme suffer in the meane time by Gods permission, and will: For the dispersed English flock shall be brought againe unto their former state, or a better (I trust in the Lord God) then it was in innocent King Edwards days; and our bloody Babylonian Bishops, with their whole Crown shorne company shal b… brought to utter shame, rebuke, ruine, and destruction. For God cannot, and undoubtedly will not for ever suffer their abominable, lying, false Doctrine, their hypocrisy, bloodthirstinesse, whoredoms, idlenesse, their pestilent lives pamperd in all kinds of delights, their Thrasonical boasting pride, their malitious, envious, and poysonfull stomacks which they beare towards his poore afflicted flock. Some shall have their punishment here in this world, and they that escape here shall not escape everlasting damnation. This shall be your sawce, O yee wicked Papists, make yee merry as long as yee may.
Also an honest Printer being his prison fellow, Mr. Rogers said to him. Thou shalt live to see the alteration of Religion, and the Gospell to be freely preached againe, and therefore have me commended to my brethren, as well in exile, as others; and bid them be circumspect it displacing Papists, and putting good Ministers into the Churches, or else their end will be worse then ours.
Whilst he lay in the prison of Newgate (which was above a yeare) he was very merry,His cheerfulnes & charity. and earnest in all he went about: to the prisoners very charitable, and liberall; for whose sake he made an agreement with his fellows, that they should eat but one meale a day, yet paying for two, which overplus should be given to them that lacked on the other side of the prison.