Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 11 · Account 25 · Letter 6 – Letter 7
¶An other Letter of William Tyms, geuing thankes to his parishioners, for theyr charity shewed to his wife being brought to bed of a childe in his captiuity.
THe euerlasting peace of our deare Lord and only sauiour Iesus Christ,An other letter of W. Tyms to the faythfull brethren in his parish. with the sweete comfort of his holy & mighty spirite, to the encrease of your fayth, to the perfourmance of his will, and to your eternall cōfort in the euerlasting kingdome of heauen, be with you, my deare brethren and sisterne both now and euer, Amen.
My most deare brethren & sisterne in our Lord and sauior Iesus Christ, I hauehave me most hartely cōmended vntounto you, with harty thankes for all the great liberality that you hauehave shewed vntounto me, & specially now in this time of my necessity, whē that God hath sēt my poore wife a childe in my captiuity: which is no litle care to me, so to prouide, that I might keepe both the child & my wife from the Antichristian church: the which thing, I thanke my good god, through his most gracious prouidence, I hauehave yet done though it be (as you know) great charge, not to me, but to ye congregation of God: & it greueth me that I hauehave bene so chargeable to thē as I hauehave bene, & specially you my deare brethrē, I being so vnworthy a member as I hauehave bene, & also of so small acquintance: but such is the mercifull goodnes of God, so to moue your hartes with charity towards me. And as he hath moued your hartes so to doe, euen so I beseech God to geue you power to forsake & refuse al thinges the which be displeasant in his sight, & to do al things which be requisite to a Christiā: & send you grace to go forwardes in the same as you hauehave godly begon, neither fearing fire nor sword. And my most deare hartes, remember well the simple playne doctrine the which I hauehave taught you & also writtē vntounto you, which was ye trueth, & for a testimony of the same, I trust that you shall shortly heare, or els see that I wil seale the same with my bloud. And in the meane time I desire you al to remember me in your praiers, as I know you do, & as with Gods helpe, I will doe for you, that God for his deare sonne Christes sake, will so finish the dayes of our pilgrimage, that we may rest together with Abrahā, Isaac & Iacob, in the euerlasting kingdome of heauē: to the which I beseech the eternall God for his Christes sake to bring both you and all yours. Amen.
By me William Tyms.
¶An other Letter of William Tyms to his sister Colfoxe and Agnes Glascocke.
GRace & peace from God the father of al mercy,A letter of W. Tyms to his sisters in the Lord Colfoxe▪ & Glascocke. through the merites of our deare sauiour Iesus Christ be perceiued & felt in the harts of you my dearely beloued sisters in the Lord, by the mighty working of the holy Ghost the comforter, both now and euermore. Amen.
My most dear and entyrely beloued sisters in the Lord after my most harty commendatiōs, according to my most boūden duty, I do as I am accustomed, or at least boūd to doe: that is, I geue you warning of your enemies, which be the Papistes, and take good heed to them, for they serue a crafty mayster, yea, and as S. Peter saith, he slepeth not,1. Pet. 5. but goeth about like a roaring Lyon, seeking whō he may deuour.1. Pet. 4. For your old familiar frendes or worldly companions, when they see that you will not runne to the Idols Temple with them, it will seeme a straunge thing vntounto them, that ye runne not to the same excesse of ryot, as S. Peter sayth, and therfore they will speak euill of you, rayle on you, and persecute you.
But my deare sisters, let it not trouble you, for it is but to try you, and let it not seeme a straunge thing vntounto you. But when they doe so, remember wherefore it is, and for whose sake, euen because you wil not forsake God as they doe. For the hatred they beare you, is for the word of God, and then it is Gods cause, and I tell you hee will reuenge it. And therefore if ye bee rayled on and troubled for his sake, thinke your selues most happy.Rom. 1…. For if you suffer with the Patriarches, Prophetes, and Apostles, then shall you be sure to be partakers of the same ioy that they are in. Yea you hauehave heard by the worde of God howe cruelly the tyrauntes alwayes hauehave persecuted the true members of Christ, as he himselfe hath promised, that they shall do vntounto the end of the word.
By the way I will bring to your remembraunce the holy Martyr S. Stephen, who for fauouring,Stephen for the same Gospell put to death. maynteyning, and defending the same doctrine that we now suffer for, was called a blasphemer, and stoned to death at Ierusalem.Antipas. Iason. Act 7. Apoc. 2.3. 1. Thess. 2. Rom. 19. Act. 17. Iohn. 16. Act. 9. Phil. 2. Luke. 21. Iohn. 1.3. 1. Cor. 6. Math. 10. And Christes Apostles were diuerslye afflicted the world ouer, for the same by this viperous generation. Antipas the faythfull witnes of Christ was slayne at Pergamus. Iasan for receiuing of Paule and Silas with other disciples & teachers of the Gospel, was brought before the coūsell at Thessalonica, and accused for a seditious traytor agaynst Cesar. No maruell therefore though at this daye we be vexed on the same sort, mainteining the same cause, & fauoring the teachers therof. Is there any other reward folowing the true seruantes of God now, thē hath bene afore times? No surely, for so hath Christ promised. And if they hauehave persecuted him, needes must they persecute his members, if they hauehave called the mayster of the house Belzebub, so will they do his houshold: You shall be hated of all men (sayth Christ) for my names sake.
It is no new thing my deare hartes,Christ may as well be called an hereticke as these men. to see the true mē bers of Christ handled as in our dayes they be, as it is not vnknown to you how they be cruelly entreated, & blasphemed wtout any reasonable cause. For heretickes must they be taken, which folow not theyr traditions. And then they may as wel cal christ an heretick, for he neuer alowed their dirty ceremonyes. He neuer went a procession wt a Cope, Crosse, or Candlesticke. He neuer censed Image, nor sang Latine seruice. He neuer sate in confession. He neuer preached of Purgatory, nor of the popes pardōs. He neuer honored sayntes, nor prayd for the dead. He neuer said masse, mattins, nor euensong. He neuer cōmaunded to fast Fryday nor Uigil, Lent, nor Aduēt. He neuer halowed church nor chalice, ashes, nor palmes, candles, nor bels. He neuer made holy water nor holy bread: with such like. But suche dumbe ceremonies,Math. 16. Luke. 12. Deut. …. Apoc. 22. Psal. 6…. Gala. 4. not hauing the expresse cōmaūdement of God, he calleth the leauen of the Phariseis and dānable hypocrisy: admonishing his disciples to beware of thē. He curseth al those that addeth to his word such beggerly shadowes, wiping their names cleane out of the booke of life S. Paule sayth, they hauehave no portion with Christ, whiche. wrap themselues agayne with such yokes of bondage.
Therefore my deare hartes, seeing that our good God hath by the light of his holy word deliuered vsus frō al such darck, blind, dumbe, beggerly traditions of men, stand fast in the libertye wherewith Christ hath made you free,Gala. 5. and wrap not your selues againe in the yoke of bondage. But let vsus alwayes be ready, looking for the comming of oure Lord & sauior Iesus Christ, which, as S. Peter sayth, will come as a theefe in the night. And as our Captayne Chryst sayth: If the good man of the house knew what houre the theefe would come, …. Pet 3. …. …4.he would surely watche.
Therfore my deare harts, be of good comfort, although the worlde neuer rage so sore agaynst you. And for youre comfort make wel the great mercy of God, who according to his promise, for ye weaknes of our nature hath so asswaged the heate of the fire, that our deare brethren which are gone before vsus, to the sight of all men, hauehave found it rather to be ioy then payne. And thinke you surely that God wil be as mercifull vntounto you, as he hath bene vntounto them: and say with S. Paule: Who shall seperate vsus from the louelove of God? …shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, eyther hunger either nakednes, either perill, either sword▪ as it is written: for thy sake are we killed all the day long. &c.
Therfore my deare sisters, if to saue your liues, any dissembling Gospellers would hauehave you to go to the Idoles temple with them, say vntounto them: No for my maister christ sayth:… He that would saue his life, shall loose it. And in an other place to comfort vsus he sayth: There shall not one heare fal from your head, without it be your heauenly fathers will. And therfore say you that you will not be of that sorte, that be neither hot nor cold,… least God should spue you out of hys mouth. But make them this aunswere, saying. S. Paule sayth: Beare no straunge yoke with the vnbeleeuers. For what fellowship hath righteousnes with vnrighteousnes, what company hath light with darckenes, what concord hathe Christe wyth Beliall, either what part hath hee that beleueth, with an Infidell? How agreeth the temple of God with Images? And yee are the temple of God, as God sayth, I will dwell among them, walke among them and will be theyr God, and they shall be my people. Wherfore come out from among them, and seperate your selues (sayth the Lord) and touche no vncleane thing: so will I receaue you, and will be a father vntounto you, and ye shall be my sonnes and daughters, sayth the Lord.
Thus mine owne bowels in the Lord, as I began, so make I an end, bidding you beware of your enemies, and take vp your Crosse and follow your captayne Christe in at the narrow gate here by persecution, and then you shal be sure to raigne and reioyce with him in his euerlastyng kingdome, whiche hee himselfe hath purchased with hys owne most precious bloud: to whom with the father and the holye Ghost, be all honour both nowe and for euer. Amen.
By me William Tyms.