satisfaction to the Father, and ye yourselves confess that no man else doth satisfy for the offence; to whom then shall we ascribe this honour of satisfying for our sins? Alas, what a gross error are you in! O blind guides, what way will ye lead the people of God? Unhappy is the flock that is under your keeping! And happy is the man whom thou, Lord God, instructest, and teachest him out of thy law, Psal. xciv. It is time, Lord, to lay to thine hand, for they have wasted away thy law, Psal. cxix.

This article, that Christ's death only is the satisfaction to the Father, for all the sins of the world, is plain, manifest, and approved throughout all the Holy Scripture, the whole sentences whereof are here too long to rehearse; but the text is open and evident, though sometimes it use one vocable and sometimes another. For to this article pertain all those Scriptures that report Him to be the pacifier and reconciler of the Father's wrath; the Cleanser, the Purifier, the Maker of atonement or agreement; the Obtainer of grace, the Sacrifice and Oblation for our sins, &c. The Father of heaven himself doth testify that it is his Son Jesus Christ, in whom or by whom he is pleased and content, Matt. iii. xvii. Who taketh away the sin of the world, but He? John i. In whom are we complete, and have all heavenly and necessary things pertaining to salvation, but in Him? Col. ii. I pass over the Scriptures, Isa. liii. Hos. xiii. 1 Pet. i. ii. 1 John i.—iii. Rev. i. Heb. i. v. vii. ix. x. Tit. ii. Col. i. ii. Ì Tim. i. ii. 1 Cor. i. 2 Cor. v. Rom. iii. v.

Conclusion, addressed, To all true Christian readers.

Faint not thou in faith, dear reader, neither wax cold in love and charity, though the enemies of God's word be gathered together, and grown into such swarms. Be thou strong in the Lord and the power of his might. And let it not discourage thee that the said word is so little in the estimation of the world; so greatly despised, so sorely persecuted, so wickedly perverted, wrested, and belied, so unthankfully received, so shamefully denied, and so slothfully followed."

Arm, thyself, therefore, with the comfortable ensamples of the Scripture. And, as touching those Nimrods that persecute God's word, hunting it out of every corner, whetting their swords and bending their bows against it; be

thou sure that the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, shall do with them as he ever was wont to do with tyrants in times past. Thou seest throughout the histories of the Holy Bible, that like as he turneth some of their hearts from cruelty to meekness, even so, with death, with fire, with water, and with such other his plagues, destroyeth he them that will needs despise his warnings; yea, breaketh their bows in pieces and killeth them with their own swords. As for Jannes and Jambres, those wicked sorcerers and covetous chaplains, that teach contrary to God's word, and dissuade the great men of the world from it, their own wresting and belying of it must needs confound them. For though there are many that resist the truth, yet when it is uttered and cometh to light, their madness, as St. Paul saith, shall be manifest unto all men. And as Moses's rod devoured their rods in the king's presence, so likewise the same places of Scripture that they allege for their wicked purpose, shall destroy their false doctrine in the face of the world. Yea, even as little honesty as the papistry hath gotten by wresting of Thou art Peter, &c. so small profit are they like to have for belying of other texts. Neither is it to be feared, but God will do for one part of his word as much as for another, when he seeth his time.

Concerning those that for no commandment nor promise of God, for no ensample, warning, or exhortation will be counselled, but still blaspheme his holy word through their ungodly conversation, let not that withdraw thee from the way of righteousness: Love not thou Christ the worse, though Judas be a traitor. Set not thou the less by his wholesome doctrine, though dogs turn to their vomit, and though swine wallow in their mire again.

I know, gentle reader, that to all true Christian hearts it is a great temptation to see God's holy word either persecuted, belied, or unthankfully received. But first remember thyself well by the practice of all histories, when was it without persecution? When was there not one tyrant or other that exercised all his power, strength, understanding, and counsel against it? When were the children of Israel without some bloody Edomites, Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Philistines, or other?

Secondly, When was not God's word belied, perverted, or evil spoken of by one false prophet or other? Were there not heretics and flattering chaplains in all ages, that withdrew men from the truth, and misreported the straight

ways of the Lord? Thirdly, When were there not some multitudes that, pretending a love toward Christ's word, did but follow him for their own bellies' sake? When was the seed of Christ's word sown, but some part of it fell upon the stony ground where it withered, and among the thorns that choked it up?

Wherefore seeing thou art compassed about with so great a number of witnesses, that is to say, with the ensamples of so many godly and holy men; which not only did choose rather to suffer adversity with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; but also eschewed false doctrine, and brought forth always good works in their living; follow thou the same trade; follow thou them, I say, as thou seest they followed Christ, and no farther. And as touching any manner of doctrine, believe no man without God's word, according as Jerome counselleth thee. For certain it is, that like as many times thou shalt espy even great faults in the conversation of God's elect, so readest thou of very few teachers, since the apostles' time, which have not erred, and that grossly in sundry things.

Wherefore, whomsoever thou hearest teach, preach, or write, or whose books soever thou readest, try them by God's word, whether they are agreeable thereto or no. When thou knowest them, I say, and art certain and sure, by Christ's doctrine, that they are false, seditious, or abominable, then hold them accursed, avoid them utterly, eschew them in any wise, and give over thyself to the wholesome hearing and reading of the Scripture, but so that thou art sober and discreet in the knowledge and use thereof. And that, in confessing the true faith and belief of Christ, thy heart, mouth, and deeds go together, and that thou consent to none opinion contrary to the same; that God may have the praise, and thy neighbour be edified in all thy conversation. So doing, thou shalt not only stop the mouth of evil speakers, but also allure and provoke other men to be fruitfully given to faith and good works, and to help, with such their unfeigned faith and godly living, that the tabernacle of God may be set up again. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all. Amen.

JAMES III.-If ye have bitter zeal, and there be contentions in your hearts, make no boast, neither be liars against the truth.

Preface to certain most godly, fruitful, and comfortable Letters of such true Saints and holy Martyrs of God, as in the late bloody persecution here within this realm, gave their lives for the defence of Christ's holy gospel. Written in the time of the affliction and cruel imprison

ment.

Miles Coverdale unto the Christian Reader, most heartily wisheth the continual increase of heavenly taste and spiritual sweetness, in the same assured salvation which cometh only through Jesus Christ.

THE more nigh that men's words and works approach unto the most wholesome sayings and fruitful doings of the old ancient saints and chosen children of God, who loved not only to hear his word, but also to live thereafter, the more worthy are they to be esteemed, embraced, and followed. And therefore, as we hear and read of many godly, both men and women, whose conversation in old time was beautified with singular gifts of the Holy Ghost, according as the apostle describeth them in the eleventh chapter to the Hebrews, so have we just cause to rejoice, that we have been familiar and acquainted with some of those, who walked in the trace of their footsteps. For the which cause it doth us good to read and hear, not the lying legends of feigned, false, counterfeited, and popish canonized saints, neither the trifling toys and forged fables of corrupted writers: but such true, holy, and approved histories, monuments, orations, epistles, and letters, as do set forth unto us the blessed behaviour of God's dear servants. It doth us good, I say, by such comfortable remembrance, conceived by their notable writings, to be conversant with them, at the least in spirit.

St. Jerome, writing to one Nitia, and having occasion to speak of letters or epistles, makes mention of a certain author named Terpilius, whose words, saith he, are these; "A letter or epistle is the thing alone that maketh men present which are absent." For among those that are absent, what is so present, as to hear and talk with those whom thou lovest? Also that noble clerk Erasmus Roterodame, commending the book of the epistles or letters which St. Augustine did write, saith thus; "By some of Augustine's books, we may perceive what manner of man he was, being an infant in Christ. By other some, we may know

what manner of man he was, being a young man, and what he was being an old man. But by this only book, meaning the book of the epistles or letters, thou shalt know whole Augustine altogether." And why doth St. Jerome or Erasmus say thus? No doubt, even because that in such writings, as in a clear glass, we may see and behold, not only what plentiful furniture and store of heavenly grace, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, faith, love, hope, zeal, patience, meekness, obedience, with the worthy fruits thereof, Almighty God had bestowed upon the same his most dear children; but also what a fatherly care he ever had unto them, how his mighty hand defended them; how his providence kept watch and ward over them; how his loving eye looked unto them; how his gracious ear heard their prayers; how he was always mindful of them, never forgat them, neither failed them, nor forsook them; how the arms of his mercy were stretched out to embrace them, whensoever they faithfully turned unto him; how valiant also and strong in spirit, how joyful under the cross, how quiet and cheerful in trouble he made them. What victory of their enemies, what deliverance out of bonds and captivity, what health from sickness, what recovery from plagues, what plenty from scarceness; what help at all need and necessity he bestowed on them.

By such like monuments also and writings, it is manifest and plain, how the same dear children of God, in their time behaved themselves, as well towards him as also towards their friends and foes; yea, what the very thoughts of their hearts were when they prayed, as their manner was incessantly to do, when they confessed their sins, and complained unto God; when they gave thanks; when they were persecuted and troubled; when they were by the hand of God visited; when they felt, not only the horror of death, the grief of sin, and the burden of God's displeasure by reason of the same, but also the sweet taste of his great mercy and eternal comfort through Jesus Christ, in their conscience. Of the which things, like as we may evidently perceive rich and plentiful experience in the heavenly treasury of that most excellent book, which we commonly call David's Psalter; so hath not God, now in our days, left himself without witnesses, Yea, no more than he did in other ages before us; but of his abundant goodness, even when the late persecution was most cruel, and enemies' rage most extreme, he hath raised up such