The spirit of the martyrs revived in a brief compendious collection of the most remarkable passages and living testimonies of the true church, seed of God, and faithful martyrs in all ages: contained in several ecclesiastical histories & chronological accounts of the succession of the true church from the creation, the times of the fathers, patriarchs, prophets, Christ and the Apostles.

A Letter of Robert Smith's to his Wife in Meetre.

* 1.1 THe God that giveth Life and Light, and leadeth into rest, That breaketh bonds, and bringeth out the Poor that are opprest, And keepeth mercy for the Meek, his treasure and his store Encrease thy Life in perfect Love, both now and evermore; That as thou hast begun to ground in Faith and fervent Love, Thou mayst be made a mighty Mount that never may remove, That thine ensample may be shewed among all thine encrease, That they may live and learn the like, and pass their time in peace, Thy Salutations that were sent, I heartily retain, And send thee seventy times as much to thee and thine again; And for because I know the Gold that thou dost most desire, I send thee here a paper full, is fined in the Fire, In hope thou wilt accept it well, although it be but small, Because I have none other good to make amends withall; For all thy free and friendly facts which thy good will hath wrought, I send thee surely for a shift the thing that cost me nought; Abstain from all ungodliness, in dread direct your dayes, Possess not sin in any wise, beware of wicked wayes Hold fast your Faith unfeignedly, build as you have begun, And arm your self in perfect Faith to do as you have done, Lest that the wicked make a mock that you have took in hand, In leaving of the perfect Rock to build upon the Sand; Beware these filthy Pharisees, their building is in Blood, Eat not with them in any wise, their Leaven is not good, Their Salt is all unsavory, and under good intents They maintain all their knavery, and murther Innocents; They seek to set in Christs seat, and put him out of place, And make all means that may be made, his doings to deface; They keep him down with Bills and Bats that made the blind to see; They make a God for Mice and Rat•••••• and say the same is he; They shew like Sheep, and sweat like wolves, their baits be all for Blood, They kill and slay the simple Souls, and rob them of their good; The dark illusions of the Devil hath dimmed so their Eyes, That they cannot abide the Truth to stir in any wise; And if you keep the perfect path, (as I have hope you do) You shall be sure to have such shame, as they can put you to, For all that lead a goodly life shall surely suffer loss, And eke the World will seek their shame, and make them kiss 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Cross;

Ye shall be kild saith Christ your sorrows shall not cease, And yet in your afflictions, I am your perfect peace; For in the World you shall have w••, because you are unknown, And for because you hate the World, the World will love his own. Be fervent therefore to the death against all their Decrees, And God shall surely fight for thee against thine Enemies: Commit thy cause unto the Lord, revenge not any evil And thou shalt see the wicked want, when thou shalt have thy will, For all afflictions that may fall, that they can say or do, They are not sure of the Wealth we shall attain unto; For I have seen the sinners spread their branches like a bay, And yet ere one could turn his head were withered clean away; Beware that money make you not in riches to arise Against the goodness of the Lord, among the worldly wise; For many mischiefs it hath made, that may not be exprest, And many evils it hath begun, which may not be redrest; For money maketh many one, in riches to rebel; And he that maketh Gold a God, he hath a Soul to sell; It maketh Kings to kill and slay, and waste their wits in War, In leaving of the Wolf at home, to hunt the Fox afar: And where they should see Justice done, and set their Realm in rest, By money they be made a mean, to see the poor opprest; It maketh Lords obey the Laws that they d•• ill and nought; It maketh Bishops suck the Bl••ol, that God hath dearly bought; And where they should be faithful Friends, and Fathers to the Flock, By money they do turn about even like a Weather-Cock: The Priest doth make a money mean, to have again his whores, To p••t away h•••• wedd••d Wife and Children out of doores: It h••ldeth back the Husband man, which may not be forborn, And will not suffer him to sow and cast abroad his Corn; In like case▪ it doth let again, when that the Seed they sow, It choake••h up the Corn again, so that it cannot grow; The H••sband he would have a Wife, with Nobles new and old, The wife would have the Husband hangd, that she might have his Gold. It ••a••eth M••rthers many a one, and beareth much with Blood; Th•• Child would see the Parents slain to seize upon their good: And though it be a blessed thing, created in the kind, It is a ••••••••ss••ry evil annexed to the mind; For who 〈◊〉〈◊〉 playeth with the pitch, his fingers are defild, And he that waketh Gold a God, shall surely be beguild: Be friendly to the Fatherless, and all that are opprest, Assist ••hem alwayes out of hand, and see them set at rest; In all your doings, and your deeds, let mercy still remain; For with the measure that you meet, shall ye be met again; Be alwayes lowly in your life, let love enjoy her own, The highest Trees are seldom sure, and soonest overthrown. The Lyons lack and suffer sore in Hunger and in Thurst, And they that do oppress the poor continue still accurst;

The Bee is but a little Beast in body and in sight, And yet she bringeth more encrease then either Crow or Kite; Therefore beware in any wise keep well your watch alway, Be sure of Oyl within your Lamp, let not your light decay; For death dispiseth them that lack, and hateth them that have, And treadeth down the rich and poor, together in the grave. Exhort your Children to be chaste, rebuke them for their ill, And let not them in any wise be wedded to their will; Laught not with them, but keep them low, shew them no merry cheer; Least thou do weep with them also, but bring them up in fear, And let your light and living shine, that ye be not suspect To have the same within your self, for which they are correct; Be meek and modest in a mean, let all your deeds be done, That they which are without the Law may see how right you run; Keep well the member in your Mouth, your Tongue see that you tame, For out of little sparks of Fire proceedeth out a flame; And as the poyson doth express the nature of the Toad, Even so the Tongue doth manifest the Heart that feareth God, For therewith bless we God above, and therewith Curse we men, And thereby Murders do arise through Women now and then; And seeing God hath given a Tongue, and put it under power, The surest way is for to set a hatch before the door; For God hath set you in a seat of double low degree, First unto God, and then to man a subject for to be; I write not that I see in you those things to be suspect, But only set before your Face how sin should be correct; For flesh and Blood I know you are, as other Women be, And if ye dwell in Flesh and Blood, there is infirmity; Receive a Warning willingly, that to thy teeth is told, Account the gift of greater price then if he gave thee Gold; A wise man, saith Solomon, a warning will imbrace, A Fool will sooner (as he saith) be smitten on the Face; And as your members must be dead from all things that are vain, Even so by Baptism you are born to live with Christ again; Thus farewel free and faithful Friend, the Lord that is above Encrease in thee a perfect faith, and lead thee in his Love; And as I pray with perfect Love, and pour out bitter tears For you and all that are at large abroad among the bryars, Even so I pray thee to prefer my person and my bonds Unto the Everlasting God, that hath me in his Hands, That I may pass out of this Pound wherein I am opprest, Inclosed in a clod of Clay that here can have no rest; That as he hath begun in me his mercies many one, I may attain to overtake my Brethren that be gone, That when that death shall do his worst, where he shall point a place, I may be able like a man, to look him in the Face, For though he catch away my Clo••k, my body into dust, Yet am I sure to save a Soul when death hath done his worst;

And though I leave a little dust dissolved, without blood I shall receive it safe again when God shall see it good; For my Redeemer I am sure doth live for evermore, And sitteth high upon the Heavens for whom I hunger sore, Even as the Deer, with deadly wounds, escaped from the spoile, Doth haste by all the means he may to seek unto the soile, Of whom I hope to have a Crown that always shall ••emain, And eke enjoy a perfect peace for all my wo and pain; The God that giveth all encrease, and seeketh still to save, Abound in thee that perfect peace which I do hope to have; And I beseech the living God to hold thee in his Hands, And wish thee even withal my heart the blessing of my bands, Which I esteem of higher price then Pearl or precious Stone, And shall endure for evermore when earthly things are gone; For though the Fire do consume our Treasure and our Store, Yet shall the goodness of the Lord endure for evermore; And where thou art a Friend to him that is to me full dear, The God of might make thee amends when all men shall appear That hath shewed Mercy to the meek, and rid them out of pain. And thus the Lord possess thy Spirit till we do meet again. If thou wilt have a Recompence Abide still in obedience.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Verses con∣taining good Ex∣hortations, written by R. Smith.