A Cloud of Witnesses, Part H · Section 18
Hullier.
Mr. Iohn Hullier, Fox, Vol 3. pag. 696.Conduct in Kings Colledge at Cambridge, suffered martyrdome at Cambridge, April 2. A. 1556.
In his Letter to the Christian Congegation. — It standeth now most in hand (O dear Christians) all them that look to be accounted of Christs flock at the great and terrible day, when a separation shall be made, &c. faithfully in this time of great afflictions, to hear our Master Christs voice, the onelyonly true Shepherd of our souls, who saith, Whosoev…r shall endure to the end shall be saved. Mat. 24.— In this time we must needs either shew that we be his faithful Souldiers,Ephes. 6. and continue in his battel to the end, putting on the armour of God, the buckler of Faith, the breast-plate of Love, the helmet of Hope and Salvation, and the Sword of his holy Word, with all instance of supplication and prayer, or else, if we do not work and labour with these, we are Apostates and false Souldiers, shrinking most unthankfully from our Gracious and Sovereign Lord and Captain Christ, and leaning to Belia… ;Luke 14. for he saith plainly, Whosoever beareth not my Cross, and followeth me, cannot be my Disciple, and,Mat. 6. No man can serve two Masters; for either he must hate the one and love the other, or else he shall lean to the one and despise the other. Elias also said unto the people,1 Kin. 18. Why halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him; or if Baal be he, follow him. — If Christ be that onelyonly good and true Shepherd, that gave his life for us, then let us, that bear his mark, and have our consciences sprinkled with his blood, follow altogether for our salvation his heavenly voice and calling, according to our profession and first promise. If we shall not, certainly (say what we can) though we bear the Name of Christ, we are none of his Sheep indeed; for he saith manifestly,Iohn 10. My sheep hear my voice and follow me: A stranger they will not follow, but will flee from him; for they know not the voice of a stranger. — The craft and wiliness of our subtile enemy is manifold and divers, and full of close windings: — At this present day if he cannot induce one throughly, as others do, to savour his devillish Religion, and of good will and free heart to help to uphold the same, yet he will inveigle him to resort to his wicked and whorish Schoolhouse, and to keep company with his Congregation there, and to hold his peace and say nothing, whatsoever he think, &c. by that subtile means flattering him, that he shall both save his life and also his goods, and live in quiet. But if we look well on Christs holy Will and Testament, we shall perceive that he came not to make any such peace upon Earth, nor that he gave any such peace to his Disciples, I leave peace with you (saith he) my peace I give you, Iohn 14.15, 16.not as the world giveth it, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled and fearful. These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye should have peace, in the world ye shall have affliction; Luke 14.but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. The Servant is not greater then his Lord and Master; if they have persecuted me, they shall also persecute you. If any man come to me and hateth not his father and mother, &c. yea and moreover his own life, it is not possible for him to be my Disciple. Blessed be ye, that now weep; for ye shall laugh: and woe be unto you that now laugh, for ye shall mourn and weep. Pag. 697.He that will find his life, shall lose it. Therefore the God of that true peace and comfort, preserve us that we never obey such a false Flatterer, who at length will pay us home once for all, bringing for temporal peace and quietness, everlasting trouble, &c. for these vain and transitory goods, extream loss of the eternal treasure and inheritance; for this mortal life, deprivation of the most joyful life immortal, and endless death most miserable, &c. — I judge it better to go to School with our Master Christ, and to be under his Ferula and Rod (although it seems sharp and grievous for a time) that at length we may be inheriters with him of everlasting joy, rather then to keep company with the Devils Scholars, the adulterous generation, in his School, that is all full of pleasure for a while, and at the end to be payed with the wages of continual burning in the most horrible Lake, which burneth evermore with fire and brimstone, &c. — What doth he else, I pray you, that resorteth to the Ministration and Service, that is most repugnant to Christs holy Testament, there keeping still silence, and nothing reproving the same, but in the face of the world by his very deed it self, declare himself to be of a false, fearful, dissembling, feigned, and unfaithful heart, discouraging, as much as lies in him, all the residues of Christs Host, and giving a manifest offence unto the weak, and also confirming, encouraging, and rejoycing the hearts of the adversaries in all their evil doing? by which he sheweth himself, neither to love God, whom he seeth to be dishonoured and blasphemed of an Antichristian Minister, nor yet his Neighbour, before whom he should rebuke the evil, according to the command, Thou shalt not hate thy Neighbour, Lev. 18. 2 Tim. 1.but reprove him, &c. — But God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and love. Be not ashamed to testifie our Lord, but suffer adversity with the Gospel, M…. 10. 1 Pet. 3.through the power of God, &c. Fear not them that kill the body, &c. Fear not, though they seem terrible unto you, neither be troubled, but sanctifie the Lord God in your hearts. OnelyOnly let your conversation be as becomes the Gospel, Phil. 1.&c. in nothing fearing your adversaries, which is to them a token of damnation, and to you of salvation, and that of God; for unto you it is given not onelyonly to believe in Christ, but to suffer for his sake. — In the Revelation it is written,Rev. 21. That the fearful shall have their part with the Unbelieving and Abominable, in the Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Matt. 7.— Wide is the gate and broad is the way which leadeth to destruction, and many there be that go in thereat; but strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. — Thus I wholly commit you to him,Pag. 698. and to the Word of his grace, which is able to build further, beseeching you most heartily to pray for me, that I may be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might, and stand perfect in all things, being alwayes prepared and ready, looking for the mercy of our Lord unto eternal rest, and I will pray for you, as I am most bound. So I trust he will graciously hear us for his promise sake in Christ.
Your Christian Brother, a Prisoner of the Lord, John Hullier.
In another Letter to the Congregation of Christs faithful followers. — Most dear Christians, having now the sweet comfort of Gods saving health, and being confirmed with his free Spirit, (be he onelyonly praised therefore) I am constrained in my conscience to admonish you, as ye tender the salvation of your souls, by all manner of means to separate your selves from the Antichristian Company, considering what is said in the Revelation, If any man worship the Beast and his Image, Revel. 14.and receive his mark in the forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured into the cup of his wrath, &c. — The Beast is none other, but the carnal and fleshly Kingdome of Antichrist. — What do they else but worship this Beast and his Image,2 Pet. 2. who after they had escaped from the filthiness of the world, through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, are yet again tangled therein, and overcome, using dissimulation for fear of their displeasure, doing one thing outwardly, and thinking inwardly another: So having them in reverence under a cloak and colour, to whom they ought not so much as to say,Ioh. Ep. 2. God speed; and adjoyning themselves to the Malignant Congregation, which they ought to abhor as a Den of Thieves and Murderers, and a Brothel-house of most blasphemous Fornicators. — But this feignedness and dissimulation, Christ and his Gospel will no wayes allow.Luke 9. — Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the S…n of man be ashamed, when he shall come in the glory of his Father, Mal. 1. Heb. 6. Luke 6.&c. Cursed be the dissemblers, &c. Ye were once enlightned, and tasted of the heavenly gift. — And no man that putteth his hand to the Plough and looketh back, is apt for the Kingdome of God. — They went out from us, 1 Iohn 2.but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, no doubt they would have continued with us. — Wherefore, good Christians, for Gods dear love, deceive not your selves through your own wisdome,1 Cor. 3. and through the wisdome of the world, which is foolishness before God; but certifie and stay your own consciences with the faithful Word of God,Psa. 145. Hebr. 3. &c. Though Gods mercy is over all his works, yet it doth not extend but onelyonly to them that hold fast the confidence and rejoycing of hope unto the end, not being weary of well doing, but rather every day waxing stronger and stronger in the inward man. In the Revelation, where it is entreated of the Beast and his Image,Revel. 13. it is said, Here is the sufferance of Saints, and here are they that keep the Commandments and Faith of Iesus Christ; intimating, that God doth use those wicked men as instruments for a time, to try the patience and faith of his peculiar people, &c. — Peradventure you will say, What shall we do? shall we cast our selves head-long to death? I say not so; but this I say, That we are all bound (if ever we look to receive salvation at Gods hands) in this case to be wholly obedient to his determinate counsel, &c. and then to cast all our care on him, who worketh all in all for the best unto them that love him. Now thus be commandeth, Come away from her my people, Revel. 18.that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. — Come out from among them,Pag. 699. and joyn not your selves to their unlawful Assemblies; yea, do not once shew your selves with the least part of your body to favour their wicked doings. — Now chuse you which way you will take, either the narrow, &c. or the broad way, &c. I for my part have now written this short Admonition to you of good will, (as God is my witness) to exhort you to that way, which at length you shall prove and find to be best; and I do not onelyonly write this, but I will (with the assistance of Gods grace) seal it with my blood.—