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.

The Substance of an Epistle written by Robert Smith to the Persecuted Flock of Christ.

To all which Love God unfainedly, and intend to lead a godly life, accor∣ding to his Gospel, and to persevere in his Truth unto the end, Grace and Peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Be not afraid, most dearly beloved in our Saviour Jesus Christ, at these most perilous dayes, wherein by the suffering of God, the Prince of Darkness is broken loose, and rageth in his members a∣gainst the Elect of God withal cruelty, to set up again the Kingdom of Anti-christ, against whom see that ye be strong in faith to resist his most devilish Doctrines with the pure Gospel of God, arming your selves with patience, to abide whatsoever shall be laid to your charge for the Truths sake, knowing that thereunto you are called, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him: Oh, how happy are ye that in the sight of God are counted worthy to suffer for the Testimony of Christ, quit therefore your selves (O my loving Brethren) and rejoyce in him for whom ye suffer, for unto you do remain the unspeakable Joyes, which neither the Eye hath seen, nor the Ear hath heard, nei••••••r the heart of man is able to comprehend in any wise: Be not ••••••raid of the bodily Death, for your names are written in the Book of Life; and the Prophets do record, that in the sight of the ••••••d pretious is the Death of his

Saints; Watch therefore and pray that ye be not prevented in the day of Temptation; now cometh the day of your Tryal, wherein the Waters rage, and the Stormy Winds blow; now shall it appear whether you have builded upon the fleeting Sand, or upon the un∣movable Rock Christ, which is the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles, whereon every House that is builded groweth into an holy Temple of the Lord, by the mighty working of the holy Ghost, now approacheth the day of your Battel, wherein it is required that you shew yourselves the valiant Souldiers of Christ Jesus, with the Armour of God, that ye may be able to stand fast against all the crafty assaults of the Devil; Christ is your Captain, an•• you are his Souldiers, whose Cognisance is the Cross to the which he willingly humbled himself, even unto the Death, and thereby spoiled his Enemies, and now triumpheth he over them in the glory of his Fa∣ther, making intercession for them that do here remain to suffer the A••••lictions that are to be fulfilled in his mysti••al Body; it behoveth therefore every one that will be accounted his Schollor, to take up his o••n Cross, and follow him, as y••u have him for Example; and ••ssure you that he being on your side, nothing shall be able to prevail against you, and that he will be with you even to the Worlds ••nd; you have his promise in the 28th of Matthew; he will go forth with his Host as a Conqueror to make a Conquest; he is the man that si••••eth on the white Horse crowned with Immortality, and ye Bre∣thren are his Fellowship, whereof he is the Head; he hath your hearts in his hand, as a bow bent after his godly will, he shall direct the same according to the riches of his glory, into all spiritual and heavenly Cogitation; he is faithfull and will not suffer you to be further ass••••••ced then he will give you strength to overcome, and in the most danger he will make a way that you may be able to bear it. Shrink not therefore, dear ••earts, when ye shall be called to answer for the hope that is in you, for ••eb••••e the Comforter, even the Spirit of Truth which was sent from the Heavens to teach us; he shall speak in us, he shall strengthen us; what is he then that shall be able to confound us? Nay, what Tyrant is he that now boasteth himself of his strength to do mischief, whom the Lord shall not with his Spirit, by the Mo••th of his Servants strike down to Hell-fire; yea suddainly will the Lord bring down the glory of the Proud Philistians by the hands of his Servant David; their strength is in Shield and Spear, but our help is in the Name of the Lord, which made both Heaven and Earth; he is our Buckler, and our Wall, a strong Tower of defence; he is our God, and we are his People; he shall bring the counsels of the ungodly to nought, he shall take them in their own Net, he shall destroy them in their own Inventions, the Right Hand of the Lord shall work this Wonder; his Power is known amongst the Children of men; their Fathers have felt it, and are confounde•• in like manner shall they know that there is no counsel against the Lord, when their secrets are opened to the whole World, and are found to be against the Living God, work they never so craftily, buil•• ••hey never so strongly, yet down

shall their Babel fall, and the Builders themselves shall then be scat∣tred upon the face of the Earth as Accursed of God; the Just shall see this, and be glad, and praise the Name of the Lord, that so Marvelously hath dealt with his Servants, as to bring their Enemies under their feet; then shall the fearfull Seed of Cain Tremble and Quake; then shall the mocking Ishm••elites be cast out of the Door; then shall the Proud Nemborth see his labour lost; then shall the Beast of Babylon be trodden under foot; then shall the Scribes and Pharisees for madness fret and rage; then shall their painted Wis∣dom be known for extream folly; then shall the bloody Dragon be void of his prey; then shall the Whore of Babylon receive double Vengence; then shall they scratch their Crowns, for the fall of their Mistress Harlot, whom they now serve for filthy lucre, when no man shall buy their Wares any more; then shall the Popish Priesthood cry, Weal away, with care, even when the Lord shall help his Servants, which day is not far off, the day wherein the Kingdom of Anti-christ shall have an end, and never raise any more; in the mean time, abide in certain and sure hope cleaving unto the promises of God, which in their own time shall be fulfilled. What better Quarrel can you have to give your lives for, then the Truth it self? That man that giveth his life for the Truth, taketh the readiest way to life; he that hath the Popes curse for the Truth, is sure of Christs Blessing. Well then, my Brethren, what shall now let but that you go forwards as ye have begun? Nay, rather run with the Runners, that ye may obtain the appointed glory; hold on the right way, look not back, have the Eye of your heart fixed upon God, and so run that you may get hold of it; cast away all your Worldly Pelf, and Worldly respects, as the favour of Friends, the fear of men sen∣sual Aff••ction, respect of Person, Honour, Praise, Shame, Rebuke, Wealth, Poverty, Riches, Lands, Possessions, carnal Fathers and Mothers, Wife and Children, with the love of your own selves and in respect of that Heavenly treasure you look for, let all these be de∣nied and utterly refused of you, so that in no condition they do abate your zeal, or quench your Love towards God; in this case make no account of them, but rather repute them as vile in comparison of Everlasting life; away with them as Thorns that cheak the Heavenly Seed of the Gospel, where they be suffered to grow; they are bur∣thens of the Flesh, which encumber the Soul, exch••••ge th•••• there∣fore, I beseech you, for advantage; doth not he gain that findeth Hea∣venly and immortal treasure, for Earthly and corruptible Riches; looseth that man any thing which of his carnal Father and Mother is forsaken, when therefore he is received of God the Father to be his Child and Heir in Christ Heavenly for Earthly, for Mortal Immortal, for transistory things permanant is great gains to a Chri∣stian Conscience.

Therefore as I began, I exhort you in the Lord not to be afraid; shrink not my Brethren, mistrust not God, be of good comfort, rejoyce in the Lord, hold fast your Faith, and continue to the end; deny the World, and take up the Cross, and follow him which is

your Lead man, and is gone before; if you suffer with him you shall reign with him? What way can you glorifie the Name of your Heavenly Father better, then by suffering death for his Sons sake? What a Spectacle shall it be to the World to behold so godly a fellow∣ship as you Servants of God, in so just a Quarrel as the Gospel of Christ is, with so pure a Conscience, so strong a Faith, and so lively a hope, to offer your selves to suffer most cruel Torments at the hands of Gods Enenies, and so to end your daies in Peace to receive in the resurrection of the Righteous life Everlasting.

Be strong therefore in your Battel, the Lord God is on your side, and his Truth is your cause, and against you be none but the Enemies of the Cross of Christ, as the Serpent and his Seed, the Dragon with his Tail, the marked man of the Beast, the Off-pring of the Pharisees, the Congregation Malignant, the Generation of Vipers and Murtherers, as their Father the Devil hath been from the beginning. To conclude such are they as the Lord God hath alwayes abhorred, and in all Ages resisted and overthrown, God from whom nothing is hid, knoweth what they are, he that searcheth the hearts of men, he hath found out them to be crafty, subtle, full of Poyson, Proud, Disdainfull, Stiff-necked, Devourers, Ravenours, and Barkers against the Truth, filthy and shameless; and therefore doth the Spirit of God by the Mouthes of his holy Prophets and Apostles call them by the names of Foxes, Serpents, Cockatrices, Lyons, Leopards, Bulls, Bears, Wolves, Dogs, Swine, Beasts, teaching us thereby to understand that their natural inclination is to deceive, poyson and destroy as much as in them lyeth, the faithfull and Elect of God; but the Lord with his right Arm shall defend his little Flock against the whole rabbler∣ment of these Worldlings, which have conspired against him; he hath numbered all the hairs of his Childens Heads, so that not one of them shall perish without his Fatherly will; he keepeth the Spar∣rows, much more will he preserve them whom he hath purchased with the Blood of the Immaculate Lamb; he will keep them until the hour appointed wherein the Name of God shall be glorified in his Saints; in the mean time, let them work their wills, let them Envy, let them Malign, let them Blasphem, let them Curse, Ban, Betray, Whip, Scourge, Hang and Burn; for by this means God will try his Elect, as Gold in the Furnance, and by these Fruits shall they also bring themselves to be known what they be, for all their Sheep skins; for as he that in suffering patiently for the Gospel of God, is thereby known to be of Christ, even so also is the Persecutor of him known to be a member of Anti-christ: Besides this, their extream cruelty shall be a means the sooner to provoke God to take pity upon his Servants, and to destroy them that so Tyranniously entreat his People, as we may learn by the Histories as well in the Bondage of Israel under Pharaoh in Eygpt, as also in the miserable Captivity of Judas in Babylon, where when the People of God were in most ex∣tream thraldom, then did the Lord streath forth his mighty Power to deliver his Servants, though God for a time suffered them to be

exalted in their own pride, yet shall they not escape his Ven∣geance.

To conclude, my Brethren, I commit you to God and the Power of his Word, which is able to establish you in all Truth, his Spirit be with you, and work alway, that ye may be mindfull of your duties towards him, whose ye are both Body and Soul, whom see that ye Love, Serve, Dread, and Obey, above all worldly Powers, and for nothing under the Heavens defile your Conscience before God; dissemble not with his Word, God will not be mocked? Nay, they that dissemble with him deceive themselves, such shall the Lord deny, and cast out at the last day; such I say as bear two faces in one hood; such as play on both hands; such as deny the known Truth; such as obstinately rebel against him; all such with their partakers shall the Lord destroy; God defend you from all such, and make you perfect unto the end, your Sorrow shall be turned into Joy.

This aforesaid Robert Smith, the valiant and constant Martyr of Christ, thus replenished, as you have read, with the fortitude of Gods Spirit, was condemned at London by Bishop Bonner the 12th day of the Moneth called July, and suffered Death at Uxbridge the Eighth day of the Moneth called August, Anno 1555.