Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 11 · Account 25 · Letter 11
Iohn Hullyer being of long time prisonner, and nowe openly iudged to die for the testimony of the Lord Iesus, wisheth hartely to the whole cōgregation of God, the strength of his holy spirit, to their euerlasting health both of body and soule.
I Nowe (most deare Christians) hauing the sweete comfort of Gods sauing health,…. Apoc. 14. and being confirmed wt hys free spirit (be he only praised therefore) am constrayned in my conscience, thinkyng it my verye duetie to admonishe you, as ye tender the saluation of your soules, by al maner of meanes to separate youre selues from the companie of the Popes hirelings, considering what is sayd in the Reuelation of S. Iohn, by the Aungell of God, touching all men. The woordes be these: If any man worship the Beast and his Image, and receiue his marke in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drinke the wine of the wrathe of God, whiche is powred into the cuppe of his wrathe, and hee shall be punished with fire and brimstone before the holye Angels and before the Lambe, …and the smoke of their torment ascendeth vp euermore. Marke well heere good Christians, who is this beast, and worshippers, that shalbe partakers of that vnspeakeable torment. This beast is none other but the carnal & fleshly kingdome of Antichrist, the Pope with his rabble of false Prophets and Ministers, as it is most manifest: which to maintaine theyr high titles, worldly promotions and dignities, do with much cruelty daily more and more setforth and establish theyr owne traditions, decrees, decretalles, contrary to Gods holy ordinaunces, statutes, lawes, and commaundements, and wholy repugnante to his sincere and pure religion and true woorshipping.
Nowe what doe they els but worshyp this Beast and his Image, who after they had once already escaped from the filthinesse of the world, through the knowledge of the Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christ,1 Pet 2. are yet agayne tangled therin and ouercome, vsing dissimulation vnfaithfully, for feare of theyr displeasure, doing one thing outwardly, and thinking inwardly an other: so hauing them in reuerence vnderunder a cloke and colour,…. 3. to whō they ought not so much as to say God speede: and adioyning themselues to ye malignant congregation,… 16. whych they oughte to abhorre as a den of theeues and murtherers, and as the Brothel house of moste blasphemous fornicators: whose voyces beynge contrary to Christes voyce, if they were of his flocke, they would not knowe, but would flee from them: as he hymselfe being the good shepeheard of our soules doth full wel in his holy gospel testify.…. 10. …. 16. Againe, what do they els I pray you, but receiue the Beastes marke in theyr forheads and in theyr handes, whych doe beare a faire face and countenaunce outwardly in supporting them as other do, being ashamed onelyonly to confesse Christe and hys holy Gospell? But thys fainednesse and dissimulation, Christe and hys Gospel will in no wise allowe.…. 9. Of whome it is sayd: Who soeuer shall be ashamed of mee and of my woordes in thys adulterous and sinfull generation, of him also shall the sonne of man be ashamed, when he shal come in the glory of his father with his holy Angels. Therefore sayeth almighty God by hys Prophet Malachie:… Curssed be the dissemblers. Yee were once lyghtened, and tasted of the heauenlye gifte, and were become partakers of the holy Ghost, and tasted of the word of God, and of the power of the worlde to come. And oure Sauiour Christ sayth: No man that putteth hys hande to the ploughe, …and looketh backe, is apte for the kingdome of GOD. Therefor S. Iohn the Apostle vseth this for a manyfest token, that the backsliding from ye true preachers of Gods woord declareth euidently, that they be not of the number of them. For, sayeth he: They went out from vsus, but they were not of vsus: Ephe 4.for if they had bene of vsus, no doubt, they woulde hauehave continued wyth vsus. Surely, so long as we vse dissimulation, and to play on both hādes, we are not in the light. For what soeuer is manifest, the same is light, as the elect vessell of God S. Paule witnesseth.
Wherfore (good Christians) for Gods most dear louelove, deceiue not your selues through your own wisedom, and through the wisedome of the worlde, which is foolishnesse before God,1. Cor. 3. but certifye and stay your owne conscience wt the sure truth and faithfull woord of God, and with the infallible testimonies of holy scripture.Psal. 3. Heb. 3. For although Gods mercy is ouer all his woorkes, yet it doth not extende but onelyonly to them that holde fast the confidence and reioysing of hope vntounto the ende, not being weary in well doing, but rather waxing eueryevery day stronger and stronger in the inward man. Therfore in the Reuelation of S. Iohn,2. Cor. 4. Gods mercy to whom it belongeth. wher it is entreated of the Beast and his image, it is also sayde: Heere is the sufferance of Saintes, and heere are they that keepe the commaundements, and the faith of Iesus Christ. Where by almighty God doth shewe plainely, that he doth vse those wicked men as instruments for a time, to try the pacience and faith of his peculiar people, wythout the performance whereof, we can hauehave no part among the liuing, but as it is sayd in the same Reuelation: The fearfull shall hauehave theyr parte in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, whyche is the second death.
But peraduenture ye will obiect & say vntounto me:Obiection aunswered. what shall we do? Shal we cast our selues headlong to death? I say not so. But thys I say, that we are all bounde (if euer we looke to receiue saluation at Gods hande) in thys case wholy to be obedient to hys determinate counsell & foreknowledge,1. Cor 1…. Rom. 18. expressed by the gift of the spirit in holy scripture: and then to cast all our care vponupon him, who worketh all in all for the best, vntounto them that louelove him: and thus he geueth commaundement, saying:Apoc. 18. Come awaye from her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sinnes, and that ye receue not of her plagues. Nowe, who hearing this terrible voyce of God, which must needes be fulfilled, will not wyth all speede and diligence applye him selfe to doe thereafter, except such as will presumptuously tempt him? And as touching such, the Wise man sayeth:Eccle. 3. Hee that loueth pearill and daunger, shall pearish therein. But they that be of the Faith of Abraham, euen as he did, so will they in all assayes and trials be obedient to the heauenly voyce, how soeuer it semeth contrary to their owne naturall wil and carnal reason, according to the sure worde of faith, which saith:Psal. 36. Hope thou in the Lorde and keepe his way: holde thee stil in the Lord, and abide patiently vponupon him. Let not thy ielousie moue thee also to doe euill. Come out from among them,2. Cor. 6. and ioyne not your selues to your vnlawfull assemblies: yea, do not once shew your selues with the least part of your body,The body must adioyne with the spirite in seruing God. to fauour theyr wicked doinges, but glorifye God (as moste right is) so well in your whole bodye outwardlye, as inwardly in your spirite, or els you can doe neither of both well: for your body doth belong to God, so well as youre spirite. At the dreadfull day of iudgement, we shall all receiue the workes of our bodies, according to that we hauehave done, whether it be good or bad.
Therefore what soeuer we doe, we may not bryng the spirite in bondage to the body, but contrariwise we must subdue the body and the will of the flesh to the spirit, that the spirite maye freely accomplishe the will of God in all things: for otherwise we shall neuer be partakers of hys promise, with the true childrē of Abraham. For as s. Paul sayeth: They which are the children of the flesh, are not the children of God. If we shall liue according to the flesh, we shall dye. For to be carnally mineded▪ is death: but to be spiritually mineded, is life and peace, because that the fleshly mineded is enmitie to God: for it is not obedient to the lawe of God, neyther canne be. So then they that are in the flesh, can not please God. Nowe chuse you which way you will take, either the narow way that leadeth vntounto life, which Christ hymself and hys faithfull followers hauehave gone throughe before: or else the broad path way that leadeth to destruction, which the wicked worldlinges take theyr pleasure in for a while.Fythfull admonitions. I for my part hauehave now wryttē thys short admonition vntounto you of good will (as God be my witnesse) to exhort you to that way, which at length you your selues shuld prooue and finde to be best, yea and reioyce thereof. And I do not onelyonly wryte thys, but I will also (wyth the assistaunce of Gods grace) ratifie and confirme, and Seale the same wyth the effusion of my bloude, when the full tyme shall be expired that hee hath appoynted: whych (so farre soorth as I maye iudge) must needes be within these few daies. Therefore I nowe bidde you all moste heartely farewell in the Lorde, whose grace bee wyth youre spirite. Amen. Watch and pray, watch and pray, pray, pray. So be it.
Iohn Hullier.
Besides these letters, the said Iohn Hullier leaft also a godly prayer, whiche if any be disposed to peruse, it is extant in the old booke of Acts, to be found, pag. 1515.