Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Appendix · Sermon 1
A note of a certaine letter of Wil. Tymmes.
GRace, mercy, and peace, from God the father, through the mercies of his deare sonne Iesus Christ,Referre this to the page. 1898. our Lord and onelyonly Sauiour, with the comfort of his holy spirite, that as you hauehave full godly begun, euen so to continue to the end, to the glory of God and your euerlasting comfort, which thing to do I pray God to geue you grace, who is the geuer of all good and perfect gifts, to the glory of hys holy name, Amen.
My dere sisters, after most harty commendations vntounto you, and also most harty thankes geuing vntounto you for all the great kyndnesse that you hauehave always shewed vntounto me most vnworthy of the same. I certifie you that I am very glad to heare of your good health, which I pray God long to continue to his glory. And especially I doe much reioyce in your most godly constancie in the Gospell of Christ, which is the power of God vntounto saluation, vntounto so many as beleeue it. Therefore my deare hartes goe forward as you hauehave godly begunne, for the tyme will come that these cruell tyrants which now so cruelly persecuteth the true members of Christ, shall say for very anguish of mynde, These are they whom we sometyme had in derision and iested vppon.Wisedome 5. We fooles thought their lyfe to hauehave bene very madnesse, and their ende to hauehave bene without honour. But lo how they are counted among the children of God, and their portion is among the Saints, therefore we hauehave erred from the way of truth. The light of righteousnes hath not shined vntounto vsus, and the sonne of vnderstandyng rose not vponupon vsus. We hauehave weried our selues in the way of wickednesse and destruction. Tedious wayes hauehave we gone, but as for the way of the Lord we hauehave not knowen it. What good hath our pride done vntounto vsus, or what profit hath the pompe of riches brought vsus. All these things hath passed away as a shadow, or as a Messenger running before. As a sheepe that passeth ouer the waues of the water, which when it is gone, by the trace thereof cannot be found, neither the path in the flouds. &c. For as soone as we were borne, we began inordinately to drawe to our ende, and hauehave shewed no token of vertue, but are consumed in our owne wickednesse. Such wordes shall they that thus hauehave sinned, speake in the hell, &c. But the righteous shall lyue for euermore, their reward is also wt the Lord, and their remembraunce with the highest: therfore shall they receiue a glorious kingdome, and a beautifull crowne at the Lordes hand, for with his right hande shall he couer them, and with his holy arme shall he defend them, &c. The soules of the righteous are in the hāds of God,Wisedome. 4. and the paynes of death shall not touch them, but in the sight of the vnwyse they appeare to die, and their end is taken for very destruction, but they are in rest. And though they suffer payne before men,Hebr. 11. yet is their hope full of immortalitie. They are punished but in few thynges, neuerthelesse in many things shall they be wel rewarded: for God prooueth them and findeth them meete for hymselfe, yea as the golde in the fornace doth he try them, and receiueth them as a burnt offering: and when the tyme commeth, they shall be looked vppon, the righteous shall shine as the sparkes that runneth through the red bushe, they shall iudge the nations and hauehave dominion ouer the people, and their Lord shal raigne for euer. They that put their trust in hym shall vnderstand the truth, and such as be faithfull will agree vntounto hym in louelove, and he shall be a piller in the temple of God, and shall no more go out, and there shall be written vppon him the name of God. And they shall lye vnderunder the aultar (which is Christ) crying wt a lowd voyce, saying: How long tariest thou Lord, holy and true, to iudge and auenge our bloud on them yt dwell on the earth, and they shall hauehave long white garmentes geuen vntounto them, and it shall be sayd vntounto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, til the number of their fellowes and brethren of them that should bee killed as they were, were fulfilled. For as S. Iohn sayth, they are worthy that thus ouercommeth, to bee clothed in white aray, and their names shall not bee put out of the booke of lyfe, but shall be seperated from the Gotes and set on Christes right hand, hearing his sweet and comfortable voice, whē he shall say, Come ye blessed of my Father, and poss…sse the kingdome prepared for you from the beginnyng of the world: And the very redy way to obtaine the same, is as our maister Christ saith, to forsake our selues, takyng vp our crosse followyng our maister Christ, which for the ioy that was set before him, abode the crosse, and despised the shame, and is set downe on the throne of the right hand of God: therefore let vsus follow his example in sufferyng for his worde, seeyng that hee of his mercifull goodnesse suffered so muche for vsus when wee were his enemies, for it was our sinne that killed Christ, and by his death hath made vsus on lyue. Therefore with ioy seeing all these his merciful benefites purchased for vsus onelyonly by his death and bloudsheding: Let vsus with boldnesse confesse his holy word before this wicked generation, euen to death, and we be called thereto, and so be well assured that our lyues be not in the hands of men, but in Gods handes. Therefore my deare sisters, as you hauehave godly begun, so go forward euen through many tribulations, euen into the euerlasting kingdom of heauen. To the which God the father of all mercy for his deare sonne Christes sake, bring both you and all yours, Amen.
Yours to commaund, to my poore power. Wil. Tymmes.
Continue in prayer,
Aske in fayth,
And obtaine your desire,
Praying for you as I know that you do for me.