d whosoeuer doth
not beare his crosse and comme after me / can not be my
disciple. They truly which haue beene content to beare this ioke
of the lords / haue neither lost themselues / yea thoughe they
haue beene slayne of persequatours / nor yet their familie /
which they dyd leaue in trobles and penurie of thinges. For by
teachinge of experience and witnessing of histories / we haue
lerned / that Godd by such miracles as haue beene done at the
graues of martirs hathe witnessed / that they which wer killed /
wer not loste but saued, that they wer not deade but lyuing.
Furthermore we can not say nay but that Godd hathe blessed the
families of such slayne martirs / and that he hath moued the
hartes of goode men which haue receyued thos abiects and
miserable persons into their custodie / so that they wanted
nothinge. Besids this the godly do knowe that in this world they
must honger / and that they must be exercised with diuers
aduersities / that they may be made like vnto the image of
Christ who was himself in all pointes tempted for vs /

[[Heb. 4.]]

lyke as we are / but yet without synne. But now this remaynith
as yet to be discussed / which theis men do take as for an
oracle / and most euident truithe.

[[Wether it sufficith to kepe faith in the harte, and not
confesse it with mouthe.]]

That it is sufficient if a man do keape the true faithe in his
harte / and that ther is no farther neade of outward
confession / through which thow shuldest be drowned in the deape
of afflictions. Yf it doth suffice to beleaue in harte / and the
confession with the mowthe seme not necessarie / wherfor I praye
you Hath the lorde sayed? Euery one which confessithe me before
Men. &c. Beholde he saythe before Men. But faith which stickith
still in the harte is not brought forth before men. Yea it is
not to be called a confession / when faith doth lurcke in the
hart. For Confession doth properly bringe forth that which dyd
lye hidden wythin. The Apostle therfor taking from vs all doubt
in this controuersie.

[[Rom. 10.]]

The worde (sayth he) is nyghe the / euen in thy mouthe / and in
thy harte. This same is the worde of faythe / whiche we preache.
For if thow knowledg with thy mouth that Iesus is the lorde /
and beleaue in thy harte that God raysed hym vpp from deathe
thow shalt be safe. For to beleaue with the harte iustifieth /
and to knowledge with the mowthe maketh a man safe. what canst
thow desire to be more play