Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol. 2, part 1] with an vniuersall history of the same, wherein is set forth at large the whole race and course of the Church, from the primitiue age to these latter tymes of ours, with the bloudy times, horrible troubles, and great persecutions agaynst the true martyrs of Christ, sought and wrought as well by heathen emperours, as nowe lately practised by Romish prelates, especially in this realme of England and Scotland. Newly reuised and recognised, partly also augmented, and now the fourth time agayne published and recommended to the studious reader, by the author (through the helpe of Christ our Lord) Iohn Foxe, which desireth thee good reader to helpe him with thy prayer.

Another notable and woorthy letter of Maister William Tyndall sent to the sayd Iohn Frith, vnder the name of Iacob.

¶The grace of our Sauiour Iesus, his pacience, meekenesse, hum∣blenesse, circumspection, and wisedome, be with your hart, Amen.

DErely beloued brother Iacob, mine harts desire in our Saui∣our Iesus is,* 1.1 that you arme your selfe with pacience, and bee cold, sober, wyse and circumspect, and that you keepe you alowe by the ground, auoiding hie questions that passe the common ca∣pacitie. But expound the law truly, and open the vayle of Moses to condemne all flesh,* 1.2 & proue all men sinners, & all deedes vnder the law, before mercy haue taken away the cōdemnatiō therof, to be sinne and damnable: and then as a faythfull minister, set a∣broche the mercy of our Lord Iesus,* 1.3 and let the wounded cō∣sciences drinke of the water of him. And then shall your prea∣ching be with power, & not as the doctrine of the hypocrites: and the spirite of God shall worke with you, and all cōsciēces shall beare record vnto you, and feele that it is so. And all do∣ctrine that casteth a miste on those two, to shadow and hide them I meane the law of God and mercy of Christ, that resist you withall your power. Sacramentes without signification, refuse. If they put significations to them, receiue them, if you see it may helpe, though it be not necessary.

Of the presence of Christes body in the Sacrament, med∣dle as little as you can,* 1.4 that there appeare no diuision among vs. Barnes will be whote agaynst you. The Saxons be sore on the affirmatiue, whether constant or obstinate, I omitte it to God. Phillip Melancthon is sayd to be with the French kyng. There be in Antwerpe that say, they saw him come into Paris with an C. and L. horses, and that they spake with him. If the Frenchmē receiue the word of God, he will plant the * 1.5 affirma∣tiue in thē. George Ioy would haue put forth a Treatise of the matter, but I haue stopt him as yet, what he wil do if he get mo¦ney, I wot not. I beleue he would make many reasons little seruing to the purpose. My mynd is, that nothyng be put forth till we heare how you shall haue sped. I would haue the right vse preached, and the presence to be an indifferent thyng, till the matter might be reasoned in peace at laysure, of both par∣ties. If you be required, shew the phrases of the Scripture, and let them talke what they will. For as to beleue that God is e∣uery where, hurteth no man that worshippeth him no where but within in the hart, in spirite and veritie:* 1.6 euen so to beleue that the body of Christ is euery where (though it cannot be•• proued) hurteth no man that worshyppeth hym no where saue in the faith of his Gospell. You perceiue my mynde: howbeit if God shewe you otherwise, it is free for you to doe as he moueth you.

I gessed long agoe, that God would send a dasing into the head of the spiritualitie,* 1.7 to catche them selues in their owne subtletie, and I trust it is come to passe. And now me thinketh I smell a counsaile to be taken, litle for their profites in tyme to come. But you must vnderstand, that it is not of a pure hart and for loue of the truth, but to aduenge them selues, and to eate the whores fleshe, and to sucke the mary of her bones. Wherefore cleaue fast to the rocke of the helpe of God, and commit the ende of all thynges to him: and if God shall call you, that you may then vse the wisedome of the worldly, as farre as you perceiue the glory of God may come thereof, re∣fuse it not: and euer among, thrust in, that the Scripture may be in the mother toung, and learnyng set vp in the Vniuersi∣ties. But and if ought be required contrary to the glory of God and his Christ, then stand fast, and commit your selfe to God, and be not ouercome of mens persuasions, whiche happely shall say: we see no other way to bryng in the truth.

Brother Iacob, beloued in my hart, there lyueth not in whom I haue so good hope and trust, and in whom myne hart reioyseth and my soule comforteth her selfe, as in you:* 1.8 not the thousand part so much for your learnyng, and what other gifts els you haue, as that you will creepe allow by the ground, and walke in those thynges that the conscience may feele, and not in the imaginations of the brayne: in feare and not in bold∣nesse: in open necessary thynges, and not to pronounce or de∣fine of hyd secretes, or thynges that neither helpe or hynder whether they be so or no in vnitie and not in seditious opini∣ons: in so much that if you be sure you know, yet in thynges that may abide laysure, you will deferre, or say (till other agree with you••) me thinke the text requireth this sense or vnderstā∣dyng: Yea and that if you be sure that your part be good, and an other hold the contrary, yet if it be a thyng that maketh no matter, you will laugh and let it passe, and referre the thyng to other men, and sticke you stifly and stubburnely in earnest and necessary thynges. And I trust you bee perswaded euen so of me. For I call GOD to recorde agaynst the day we shall ap∣peare before our Lord Iesus,* 1.9 to geue a reckenyng of our do∣ynges, that I neuer altered one syllable of Gods word agaynst my conscience, nor would this day if all that is in the earth, whether it be pleasure, honour or riches, might be geuen me. Moreouer I take God to recorde to my conscience: that I de∣sire of God to my selfe in this world, no more then that with∣out which I can not keepe his lawes.

Finally, if there were in me any gift that could helpe at hād, and ayde you if neede required: I promise you I would not be farre of, and commit the ende to God: my soule is not faynt, though my body be wery. But God hath made me euill fauou∣red in this world, and without grace in the sight of mē, speach¦lesse and rude, dull and slow wytted: your part shalbe to sup∣ply that lacketh in me, remembryng, that as lowlynesse of hart shall make you hygh with GOD, euen so meekenesse of wordes shall make you sinke into the hartes of men. Na∣ture geueth age authoritie, but meekenesse is the glory of

youth, and geueth them honour. Aboundance of loue maketh me exceede in babling.* 1.10

Syr, as concerning Purgatory, and many other things, if you be demaunded, you may say, if you erre, the spiritualtie hath so led you, and that they haue taught you to beleeue as you do. For they preached you all such things out of Gods word, and alled∣ged a thousand textes, by reason of which textes you beleeued as they taught you.* 1.11 But now you finde thē lyers, and that the textes meane no suche things, and therefore you can beleeue them no longer, but are as you were before they taught you, and beleeue no such thing: howbeit you are ready to beleeue, if they haue any other way to prooue it, for without proofe you can not beleeue them, when you haue found them with so many lies, &c. If you perceyue wherein we may helpe, other in being still, or doyng somewhat, let vs haue word, and I will do mine vttermost.

My Lord of London hath a seruaunt called Iohn Tisen with a red beard, and a blacke reddish head, and was once my scholler, he was seene in Antwerpe, but came not among the Englishmen: whether he is gone an Ambassadour secret, I wot not.

The mighty God of Iacob be with you to supplant his ene∣mies, and geue you the fauour of Ioseph: and the wisedome, and the spirit of Stephen be with your hart and with your mouth,* 1.12 and teach your lippes what they shall say, and how to aunswere to all things. He is our God if we despaire in our selues, and trust in hym: and his is the glory, Amen.

William Tyndall. ¶I hope our redemption is nygh.

¶This letter was written an. 1533. in the moneth of Ianuary. Which letter although it do pretend the name of Iacob, yet vnderstand (good Reader) that it was written in very deede to Iohn Frith, as is aboue tolde thee. For the more proofe and euidence whereof, read Frithes booke of the Sacramente, and there thou shalte finde a certayne place of this Epistle repeated word for word, beginning thus: I call God to record, against the day we shall ap∣peare before our Lorde Iesus to geue a reckening of oure doings, that I neuer altered one sillable of Gods word a∣gainst my conscience, &c. Which Epistle Iohn Frith hym∣selfe witnesseth that he receaued from Tyndall, as in hys testimonie aboue appeareth.

Notes

• * 1.1

  An other letter of W. Tindal.
• * 1.2

  High ques∣tions to be auoyded.
• * 1.3

  All deedes be∣fore they be ius∣tified by faith are sinne. Preaching the lawe of God & mercy of Christ. Sacraments without signifi∣cations to be re∣fused.
• * 1.4

  M. Tindall here beareth with tyme.
• * 1.5

  By the affir∣matiue he mea∣neth the opiniō which M. Lu∣ther and the Saxons do hold•• of the sacramēt. M. Tindall a∣gaine beareth with tyme.
• * 1.6

  Vbiquitie cānot be proued.
• * 1.7

  Eating the Whores fleshe, is to spoyle the Popes Church onely for the pray and spoile thereof.

  Worldly wise∣dome so farre as it may serue to Gods glory may be vsed.
• * 1.8

  Low walking▪
• * 1.9

  The vpright handling in the translation of M. Tindall.
• * 1.10

  A low hart ma∣keth a man high with God. Authority is the glory of age.
• * 1.11

  Meeknes is the glory of youth.
• * 1.12

  Purgatory hath no proofe by Scripture.