Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 12 · Account 29 · Letter 2
A godly Letter of Richard Woodman written to a Christian woman Mistres Robertes of Hawkhurst.
GRace, mercy, and peace from God the father, and from hys sonne our alone Sauiour Iesus Christe, by the operation and working of the holy Ghost, be multiplied plenteously vponupon you (deare sister Robertes) that you may the more ioyfully beare the crosse of Christ that ye are vnderunder, vntounto the end, to your onelyonly, cō fort and consolation, and to all our brethren and sisters that are round about you, both now and euer. Amen.
In my most humble wise I commend me vntounto you, and to al our brethren and sisters in those parties, that louelove our Lorde vnfaynedly, certifying you that I and all my brethren with me,Phil. 2. are mery and ioyfull, we prayse God therfore, looking daily to be dissolued frō these our mortall bodyes, according to the good pleasure of our heauenly father: praysing God also for your cōstancy, and gentle beneuolence,Math. 24. that you hauehave shewed vntounto Gods electe people, in this troublesome time of persecution: which may be a sure pledge and token of Gods good will and fauour towardes you, and to all other that heare thereof. For blessed are the mercifull, for they shall obteine mercy.Math. 5. Wherfore the fruites declare alway what the tree is. For a good man or woman, out of the good treasure of theyr hartes bring forth good thinges.
Wherfore deare Sister, it is not as many affirme in these dayes (the more it is to be lamented) that say God asketh,God asketh more thē the hart onelyonly. Iames. 2. but a mās hart: which is the greatest iniury that can be deuised agaynst god and his word. For S. Iames sayth: Shew me thy faith by the deeds, and I will shew thee my fayth by my deedes, saying: the deuilles hauehave fayth, and tremble for feare, & yet shalbe but deuils still, because theyr minds were neuer to do good.Phil. 2▪ Let vsus not therfore be like them, but let our fayth be made manifest to the whole world by our deedes: and in the middest of a crooked and peruerse nation, as S. Paule sayth, let your light shine as in a darcke place.
Oh deare hartes, nowe is the Gospell of God ouerwhelmed with many blacke and troublesome cloudes of persecution, for the which cause very few go about to hauehave their eies made clere by the true light of the Gospell, for feare of loosing of their treasures of this world which are but vayne, and shall perish.
Let not vsus therfore be like vntounto them which light their candle and put it vnderunder a bushell: but let vsus set our candle vponupon a cā dlesticke, that it may geue light vntounto all thē that are in the house:Math. 5. that is to saye, let all the people of the housholde of God see our good workes, in suffering all thinges patiently that shalbe layde vponupon vsus for the Gospels sake, if it be death it selfe. For Christ dyed for vsus, leauing vsus an example, that we should follow his steps, and as he hath geuen his life for vsus, so ought we to geue our liues for the defence of the Gospell, to the comfort of our brethren.
How is it then that some will say, that theyr fayth is good, & yet they do all the deedes of Antichrist the deuill,Rom. 10. Confessing with the mouth and beleeuing in hart, must goe together. and be not ashamed to alledge certayne Scriptures to maynteine their wickednesse? Saynt Paule sayth: To beleue with the hart iustifieth, & to confesse with the mouth maketh a man safe. Oh good GOD: here maye all menne see that no man or woman can hauehave a true faith,Anno 1557. August. vnlesse they hauehave deedes also: and he that doubteth, is like the waues of the Sea tossed about of the winde, and can looke for no good thing at the Lordes handes. Maye not a man iudge all such to be like those whiche Saynt Iohn speaketh of, that be neyther hoate nor colde,Apoc. 1. and therfore God will (he sayth) spue them out of his mouth? If we iudge euill of such, hauehave not they geuen vsus occasion?Math. 18. Had it not bene better for them to hauehave had a myll stone tyed about theyr necks, and to hauehave bene cast into the Sea, then they should geue such offences to Gods elect people in cō demning them as they doe,Apoc. 13. in going to the sinagogue of Sathan, and there to receiue the marke of the beast, in that they see and heare God blasphemed there, and hold their peace? Doth not that declare to the whole world, that they allow theyr doinges to be good?Sclaunderers of the Gospell. and these do not only defile themselues, but also be an occasion to confirme the Papistes in theyr Papistry, and so be an occasion of our weake brothers falling, the which will be all required at theyr handes: which will be to heauy a burden for them to beare,Luke. 12. if they repent it not with speed. For they that know theyr Maysters will & doe it not, shalbe beaten with many stripes Oh, do not we perceiue that now is the acceptable time that Christe speaketh of yea euen now is the axe put to the roots of the trees, so that eueryevery tree that bringeth not forth good fruites now,Math. 3. must be hewed downe and cast into the fire.
Now is the Lord come with his fanne in his hand, to trie the wheate from the chaffe. The wheat he will gather into his barne, and the chaffe hee willl burne as is aforesayde. Nowe is the time come,Math. 25. that we muste goe meete the bridgrome with oyle in our Lampes. We are also bidden to the feast: let vsus make no excuses. Yea, our Maister hath deliuered his talentes vntounto vsus: God geue vsus grace to occupy them well, that at his comming he may receiue his owne with vauntage. Yea nowe is the Lorde come to see if there be any fruit vponupon his trees, so that if the Lord come & find none, he will serue vsus as he did the wilde figge trees, that is, neuer fruit shall grow on him more.Luke. 13. Also, if we goe to meete the bridegrome without oyle in our lāpes, & should go to buy: the doubt is, we should be serued as was the foolishe virgins: that was, God sayd to thē depart,Luke. 14. I know you not. Or if we should make excuses to come to the feast, other shalbe biddē in our roomes. If we occupy not our talentes wel,Math. 25. they shalbe taken away from vsus & geuen to other, and all such vnprofitable seruantes shalbe cast into prison in hell, whe…e shalbe weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Oh good God what a sort of feareful sayinges are here conteined? what christian hart will not harken diligently hereto? Oh, may not all people well perceiue nowe that this is the time that our Mayster Christ speaketh of,Math. 10. that the father should be agaynst the sonne, and the sonne agaynste the father, and one brother agaynst another: that the brother shal deliuer the brother to death: yea and that the wicked shall say all maner of wicked sayinges agaynst vsus for his names sake?Math. 5. the which I hauehave well found by experience I prayse God therefore, that hath geuen mee strength to beare it. For I thinke there canne no euill bee deuised but it hath bene imagined agaynst me,Richard Woodman v…xed of his own friends. & that of my familiar frendes, as Dauid said: but I prayse my Lord God, they are not able to proue any of their sayinges true, but that they go about to finde fault in thē that God hath chosen, because they thēselues list not to take vp their crosse and folow Christ, & therfore they spake euil of the thing that they know not: the which shall geue account for it before him that is ready to iudge both the quicke and the dead.
Iohn. 10.But my trust is, that al the people of God wilbe ruled by the counsell of S. Iohn, saying: My sheepe will heare my voyce, straū gers the will not heare: meaning thereby that ye shoulde not beleue straungers, counting them straungers that go about to subuert the Gospell. Wherfore marke well what they be, and try thē well or euer you geue credite to thē, according to S. Iohns coū sell in his Epistle,1. Iohn. 4. saying: Beleue not eueryevery spirit, but trie the spirites whether they be of God or not: meaning thereby that they that be not of God, wil speake good of none but of them that be as they be. Wherefore (deare sister) be of good cheare, & geue no credite to such people, what so euer ye heare them say. For I hauehave no mistrust, by Gods help, but that all the world shal see & know that my bloud shal not be deare in mine owne sight, whensoeuer it shall please God to geue my aduersaries leaue to shedde it. I doe earnestly beleue that God which hath begon this good worke in me, will performe it to the end, as he hath geuen me grace & wil alway, to beare this easy yoke and light burden: the which I hauehave alwayes found, I prayse my Lord God.
For when I hauehave bene in prison, wearing other while boltes other while shackles,The manifold troubles which Woodman hath passed through. other while lying on the bare groūd, some time sitting in the stockes, sometime bound with cordes, that al my bodye hath bene swollen, much like to bee ouercome for the payne that hath bene in my flesh, sometime fayne to lye without in the woodes & fieldes, wandring to and fro, few I say, that durst to keepe my company for feare of the rulers, sometime brought before the Iustices, Shiriffes, Lordes, Doctours, and Bishoppes sometime called dogge, sometime deuill, hereticke, whoremonger, traytor, theefe, deceiuer with diuers other such like: yea & euen they that did eat of my bread, that should hauehave bene most my f…endes by nature, hauehave betrayed me. Yet for all this I prayse my Lord God that hath separated me from my mothers wombe,Woodma… comforte… in his tro…bles. all this that hath happened to me hath bene easy, light and most delectable & ioyful of any treasure that euer I possessed: for I praise God they are not able to proue one iote or title of their sayinges true. But that way that they call heresy, I serue my Lord God, and at all times before whomesoeuer I hauehave bene brought, God hath geuen me mouth and wisedome, where agaynst all my aduersaries hauehave not bene able to resist, I prayse God therfore.
Wherfore deare sister, be of good cōfort, with all your brethren and sisters, and take no thought what you shall saye,Luke. 21. Math. 10. Experienc… of the Lor… to keepe promise with his people. 1. Cor. 13. for it shall be geuen you the same houre, according to the promises, as I hauehave alwayes found, and as you and all other of Gods elect shall well finde when the time is full come And whereas I and manye other hauehave hoped, that this persecution woulde hauehave bene at an end ere this time: now I perceiue, God will hauehave a further triall to roote out all dissēblers, that no man should reioice in himselfe: but he that reioyceth, shall reioyce of God.
Wherfore if prophecy should fayle, and toungs should cease, yet louelove must endure. For feare hath paynefulnesse, but a perfecte louelove casteth out all feare: which louelove I hauehave no mistrust but God hath poured it vpō you so aboūdantly, that nothing in the world shalbe able to seprate you from God. Neither high nor low, riche nor poore, life nor death, shalbe able to put you from Christ: but by him I trust you shall enter into new Hierusalem, there to liue for euer, beholding the glory of God with the same eyes that you now hauehave, and all other faythfull people that cōtinue to the end. Geue all honour and glory to God the father, God the sonne, & God the holy Ghost, three persons and one God, to be honoured now and euer. Amen.
After these examinations thus had and commensed betwene Richard Woodman and ye Bishops, he was (as is afore told) iudged by sentence of cōdēnation, and so depriued of his life: with whom also was burned 9. other, to wit, fiue men and foure women, which were takē not past two or three dayes before theyr iudgement. The names of all which being also before expressed, here agayne folow in this order. Richard Woodman, George Steuēs, William Maynard, Alexander Hosman his seruant, Thomasine a Wood his mayde, Margerye Moris, Iames Moris her sonne, Denis Burgis, Ashdownes wife, Groues wife.
These persons here aboue named, and blessed martyrs, were put to death at Lewes, the xxij. of Iune▪
¶The burning of x. Martyrs at Lewes.
Rom. 8. The Martyrdome of 10. godly Martyrs of Christ at Lewes. An. 1557. Iune. 22.Of the which number the viij. last were apprehend (as is sayd) either the same daye, or the second or third day before, and so with the sayd Woodman and Steuēs were together committed to the fire:Certayne Iustices charged for burning of Christes people without any lawfull warrant: o… writte. in which space no writ could come downe from London to the Iustices, for theyr burning. Wherfore what is to be said to such Iustices, or what reckoning they wil make to God and to the lawes of this Realme, I referre that to them that hauehave to do in the matter. The like whereof is to be found also of other Iustices, who without any lawfull writte of discharge, or order of law, hauehave vnlawfully and disorderly burnt the seruantes of Christ (whhose bloud the lawe both may and also ought to reuenge:Anno 1557. Iune.) especially at Salisbury, and also at Canterbury, and Garnesey. But concerning these matters though mans law do wincke, or rather sleep at them, yet they shall be sure Gods law wil find such murderers out at length. I pray God the doers may repent betime.
¶One Ambrose dyed in Maydstone prison.
AFter these x. aboue named burnt at Lewes, aboute the same time and monethmonth,Ambrose …. one Ambrose dyed in Maydstone prison, who els should hauehave bene burned in the like cause and quarell, as the other were.
The condemnation and Martyrdome of Richard Lush.
IN the Registers of Gilbert Bishop of Bathe & Welles, I finde a certificate made to K. Philip and Q. Mary of one Richard Lush,… there condemned & geuen to the secular power to be burned for the cause of heresy, whose affirmations in the sayde certificate he expressed in tenour and effect, as foloweth.
FIrst, for denying the verity of the body & bloud of christ in the Sacrament of the Aultar.… articles.
2 Item, for denying auricular confessiō to be made to the Priest.
3 Item, for affirming onelyonly to be three sacramēts, to wit, of baptisme, of the supper, and of matrimony.
4 Item, for refusing to call the Lordes Supper by the name of the Sacrament of the aulter.
5 Item, for denying Purgatory, and that prayer & almes profite not the dead.
6 Item, that Images are not to be suffered in the church and that all that kneele to Images at the Church, be Idolators.
7 Item, that they which were burnt of late for religiō, died Gods seruants and good Martyrs.
8 Item, for condemning the single life of Priestes, and other votaries.
9. Item, for denying the vniuersall and catholicke church (meaning belike the Church of Rome.)
…For these assertions, as there are expressed, he was cō demned, and committed to the Sheriffes, and also a certificat directed by the Bishop aforesayd, to the king and Q. Whereby we hauehave apparantly to vnderstand, that the said Richard Lush, thus condemned by Bishop Borne, was there burnt and executed, vnlesse peraduenture in ye mean season he dyed or was made away in the prison: wherof I hauehave no certeinty to expresse.