but wyll better allowe that moste wicked mūming that you nowe haue. MarginaliaChurche seruice.Those whatsoeuer they be, except they doe repent and allowe the Gospell of Iesus Christ, they shal neuer come into that kyngdome, that Christe hath prepared for those that be his. Wherfore my dearly beloued brethrē of Hadley, remembre you well what you haue beene taught heretofore of the Lorde Gods true and symple Prophetes, MarginaliaTrue Prophetes. that onely did wyshe your helth and consolation.
[Back to Top]Do not my good brethren, I praye you, forget the comfortable woorde of our Lorde and sauiour Iesus Christ. MarginaliaMath. xi.Come vnto me all you þt are troubled and loden, with the daūgers that ye are in these stormy daies, & hear my wordes and beleue them, and you shal see the vnspeakable comfort that you shall receiue. MarginaliaPsal. 23The Lorde is my Shepehearde, sayde the Prophet Dauid, so that I can want nothyng. He feadeth his shepe in grene pastures, and leadeth them vnto cleare and holsome waters of comfort. I am that good Shepeheard sayeth our Sauiour Iesus Christe: MarginaliaIohn. 10.for I geue my lyfe for my shepe, and I knowe my shepe, and my shepe knowe me: but my shepe will not knowe an hirelyng. for he careth not but only for his God the belly, and so seketh the destruction of their soules. Therfore beware of MarginaliaHyrelingshirelyngs, you that count your selues the shepe of Iesus Christe. Be sure that ye know his voyce and obey it, and be not deceyued through straunge voices, but go frō them, and earnestlye abyde by your profession that you haue made in your baptisme, & shrink not from it. For if you dooe, you shall declare your selues to be MarginaliaA vayne people.a vayne people, and without vnderstanding. And for this cause dothe God plague his people, and suffreth thē to be deceiued with false Prophetes and wicked men. I praye you note what the MarginaliaEsay. 1.Prophet Esay sayeth to þe people of those days, because they wer slipping from the Lord their God, which had done so maruelous workes for them, as you well do knowe in the histories of the Bible. Heare O heauen (saith he) and herken thou earth. for the Lorde hath spoken. I haue noryshed & brought vp chyldren, but the haue done wyckedlye against me. The Oxe hath knowen his awner, & the asse his maisters cribbe. but Israel hathe receiued no knowledge. My people hath no vnderstanding. Alas for this sinful nation, a people of great iniquitie, a froward generation, vnnatural children. They haue forsaken the lord, they haue prouoked his wrathe and are gone backwarde. Harken also what the MarginaliaIerem. 2.Prophet Hieremie sayeth. Be astonied ye heauens, be afrayed and ashamed at suche a thyng, sayth the Lorde. for my people hath done twoo euils. They haue forsaken me, the wel of the waters of lyfe, and digged them brokē pyttes that can holde no water. Is Israel a bond seruaunt or oneof the housholde of the Lorde? Why then
[Back to Top]is he so spoyled? Why then doe they roare and crie vpon him as Lyon? Vnderstande those thynges nowe in these dayes that the Prophet spake of them, O my brethrē of Hadley. Why commeth this plague vpon vs, that we haue nowe in these dayes and other tymes? Herken what the Prophetes saye: commeth not this vpon thee, because thou hast forsaken the lorde thy God? Thyne owne wyckednesse shall reproue thee, and thy turning awaye shall condemne thee, that thou mayest knowe and vnderstand, MarginaliaAn euill and hurtful thyng.how euil & hurteful a thing it is, that thou hast forsaken the Lorde thy God, and not feared hym, sayeth the Lorde God of hostes, the holy one of Israel, that is to saye: he that maketh Israel holy. And vnderstand by MarginaliaIsraelIsrael, the chyldren of God, and those thynges that were spoken to the carnall Israel, are spoken vnto vs, that are or should be the spirituall Israel. Grace be with you all, Amen.
[Back to Top]Your, Iohn Alcock prysoner for Gods
worde, in Newgate at London.
MarginaliaA letter.MY brethren of Hadley, note well what saint Paule sayd in the. x. chap. to the Corinthians. Marginalia1. Cor. 10. Brethren, I would you shoulde not be ignoraunt of this, that our fathers were all vnder the cloude, and all passed through the sea, and were baptised vnder Moyses, in the cloude and in the sea, and did all eate one spirituall meate, and dronke of one spirituall drynke. They dronke of that spirituall rocke that followeth them, whiche rocke was Christe: neuerthelesse in many of them hadde God no delyght. for they were ouer smytten in the wyldernesse. These are examples vnto vs, that we should not lust after euyll thinges as they lusted, MarginaliaLusters after euill thynges. that is to saye: we should stande forth to defende the veritie of God, whiche we doe ryght well, alas, were it not for losse of goodes. we do so muche luste after them, that we wyll rather saye, there is no God, then we wyll professe his worde to be truthe to the losyng of our goodes. And our sauiour Christe sayeth: MarginaliaMark. x.he that is not content to forsake father and mother, wyfe and chyldren, house & land, corne and cattell, yea, and his owne lyfe for my truthes sake, is not mete for me. And if we be not for our Lorde God, then we must nedes be mete for the Deuill, and we must nedes be seruauntes by one of them. If we be not ashamed of the Gospell of our Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christe, but MarginaliaConfession of the Gospell. Luc. 12.earnestly confesse it, to the vttermost of our power, then are we sure to bee confessed of our Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christe, and that before the Aungels in heauen to be his seruauntes. But if we wyll so lust to
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