Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Appendix · Letter 3
*The second Epistle of Iohn Alcock.
MY Brethren of Hadley, note well what S. Paul said in the x. chap. to the Corinth. Brethren I would you should not be ignoraunt of this,A letter. that our fathers were all vnderunder the cloud, and all passed through the Sea,1. Cor. 10. and were baptised vnderunder Moyses, in the cloud and in the sea, & dyd all eate one spirituall meate, and dronke of one spirituall drinke, They dronke of that spiritual rocke that foloweth them, which rocke was Christ: neuerthelesse in manye of them had God no delight, for they were ouer smittē in the wildernesse. These are examples vntounto vsus, tha… we should not lust after euill thinges as they lusted, that is to say: we should stand forth to defend the verity of God, which we do right well, alas, were it not for losse of goodes, we do so much lust after them, that we will rather say, there is no God,Lusters after euill thinges. then we will professe his word to be truth to the losing of our goodes. And our Sauiour Christ sayth, he that is not content to forsake Father and Mother, Wife, and children, house and lande, corne and cattell, yea, and hys owne life for my truthes sake, is not meete for me.Marke. 10. And if we bee not for our Lorde God, then we muste needes be meete for the Deuill, and we must needes be seruauntes to one of them. If we bee not ashamed of the Gospell of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ, but earnestly confesse it, to the vttermost of our power, thē are we sure to be confessed of our Lord and Sauior Iesus Christ, and that before ye Angels in heauen to be his seruants.Confession of the Gospell. Luke. 12. But if we will so lust to keepe our goodes, and rather deny hym then to loose our goodes, then doth it folow whose seruantes we are. Therefore my deare brethren of Hadley, beware that you doe not consent to any thing agaynst your conscience. For if you do, beware of Gods great wrath. I exhort you therfore (my beloued brethren in the Lord, and Sauior Iesus Christ) to stand fast in your profession, and become not manifest runne awayes from the truth of our Lord God, but stick earnestly to it, and doubt not but our Lord God wil be vntounto you a strong defence and refuge in the needfull time. Bow downe thine eare O Lorde (sayth Dauid) and heare me, for I am poore and in misery. Bee mercifull vntounto me O Lord, for I will call dayly vpō thee:Inuocation and prayer. Psalme. 86. comfort the soule of thy seruaunt, for vntounto thee O Lord do I lift vp my soule. For thou Lord art good and gracious, and of great mercy, vntounto all thē that call vponupon thee. Geue eare Lorde vntounto my prayer, and ponder the voyce of my humble petition. All nations whom thou hast made, shall come and worship thee, O Lord, & shall glorify thy name. For thou art great, and doest wonderfull things: thou art God alone, Teach me thy wayes Oh Lord, and I will walke in thy truth: O knit my hart vntounto thee, that I may feare thy name. I will thanke thee O my God with all my hart, and will prayse thy name for euer. O you Christen people of Hadley, comfort your selues one another, in these notable psalmes of dauid, & the whole bible.Psalmes of Dauid are comfortable. The Bible is a iewell. Embrace ye notable iewell of our Lord God the bible, & endeuor your selues to walke the way that it doth teach you.
My good brethren: we as helpers, sayth S. Paule doe exhort you that ye receiue not the grace of God in vayne. For behold, now is the accepted time, now is the daye of saluation. Let vsus beware that we take sure hold while we hauehave time, for time will away. While wee hauehave the lighte walke in it, least when ye would desire it,2. Cor. 6. ye can not hauehave it. Understand the light to be the knowledge of Christe, & to obey, that is to hauehave the light. For that cause came our Sauiour Iesus Christe, to make himselfe knowne vntounto those that did receiue him.Iohn. 12. He gaue power to be ye sonnes of God, and so to bee made inheritours of his kingdome, which shal neuer hauehave end: who would not be glad to become the kinges sonne,Iohn. 1. that he therby might be partaker of the kingdome that neuer shall hauehave end? O vayne man what art thou that will refuse euerlasting life for a day or two, or an hower? thou canst not tell howe short.Vanitie of this lyfe. Open thine eies, & see thine owne cōfort & refuge to christ. O flie & refuse this worldly wisedōe:Worldly wisedome. for worldly wisedom doth shut out the wisedome of God. For the word of the crosse is foolishnesse vntounto them that perish: but vntounto vsus whiche are saued, it is the power of God. For it is written:1. Cor. 1. I will destroy the wisedome of the wise, and will cast away the vnderstanding of the prudent. Where are the wise? where are the Scribes? where are the disputers of this worlde? hath not god made the wisedom of this world foolishnes? For in so muche, as the worlde by the wisedome thereof, knew not God in his wisedome: it pleased God through foolishnesse of preaching to saue them that beleue. For the Iewes require tokens, and the Greekes aske after wysedome: but we preach Christ crucified, sayth S. Paule, to the Iewes an occasion of falling: and vntounto the Greekes (a people that are wise in theyr owne conceites) to them is the preaching of Christ crucified foolishnesse. But vntounto them that are called both Iewes and Greekes, we preach Christ the power of God and the wisedome of God. For the foolishnes of God is wiser then men, and the weaknes of God is stronger then men. Brethren looke vponupon your calling, how that not many wise men after the fleshe, not many mighty, not many of high degree, are called. But that which is foolish before the world, hath God chosen, that he might confound the wise: and that which is despised before the worlde hath he chosen, and that whiche is nothing, that he might destroy that which is ought, that no flesh should reioyce. Of the same are ye also in Christe Iesu, whiche is made of God vntounto vsus wisedome & righteousnes, and sanctifying and redemption, according as it is written: he that reioyseth should reioyce in the Lorde, that your fayth should not stand in the wisedome of men, but in the power of God. We speake of this wisedome among them that are perfecte, not the wisedome of thys world, nor the rulers of this world, which go to nought, but we speake of the wisedome of God, which the carnall man doth not vnderstand. The naturall man perceiueth nothing of the spirite of God. It is foolishnes with hym. But God hath opened it to vsus, by his spirite. For the spirite searcheth out all thinges. Wherefore my deare Brethren, trye your selues well, whether ye hauehave the spirite of Christ or no.Spirite of Christ. If you hauehave the spirite of Christ, then are ye dead concerning sinne: but ye are aliue vntounto god, through Iesus Christ. If this spirite dwell in you, then will ye increase and go forward in your profession, & not feare what flesh may do vntounto the carkasse. Therefore, stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free,Galat. 5. and bee not wrapped vp agayne in the yoake of bondage, that is to say: to go from God by wicked life, or serue God an other way then he hath commaunded in his holy word. I truste you go forward my deare Brethren and Sisterne in your promise that you made to your Lorde God in your baptisme: I pray God open vntounto you the knowledge of hym selfe, and lighten the eyes of your vnderstanding, that ye may know what is the hope of your calling, and what the riches of his glorious inheritaunce is vponupon the Sayntes. For ye are the chosen generation,1. Pet. 2. the kingly Priesthoode, that holy nation, that peculiar people, that should shewe the vertues of him which hath called you out of darcknes into his maruellous light, that is to say, to feare God and to worke righteousnesse, and so to receiue the end of your fayth, the saluation of your soules. This is a true saying: if we be dead with Christ, we shall liue with him also. If we be patient,…. Tim. 2. we shall also reigne with him. If we denye him, he also shall denye vsus. If we beleue not, yet he abydeth faythfull, he can not deny himselfe. The very God of peace sanctify you throughout, and I pray God that your whole spirit,1. Thess. 5. soule, and bodyes be kept blameles vntounto the cōming of our Lord Iesus. Faythfull is he that hath called you, which will also do it. Brethren, pray for vsus, and great all the brethren among you.
By me your brother in the Lord and Sauiour Christ, Iohn Alcocke Prisoner in the Lorde, at Newgate.