[Sidenote: Master. More.] In my moste hartye wyse I recommende me vn to you, & sende you by thys brynger the wrytynge agayne whyche I receyued from you. Wherof I haue bene offered a cople of copyes mo, in the meane whyle, as late as ye wote well yt was. [Sidenote: Fryth.] ¶ Deare bretherne consyder these wordes & prepare you fo the crosse that Christe shall laye vpon you, as ye haue ofte bene counselled. For even as whan the wolue [Sidenote: 1. Pet. 2.] howleth the shepe hadde neade to gather [Sidenote: Luc. 22.] them selues to their shepharde, to be delyuered from the assaulte of the blodye beaste, lykewyse hadde you neade to flye vnto the shepharde of your soules Christe Iesus, and to sell your cootes and bye hys spirituall sworde [Sidenote: Ephe. 6.] (whiche is the worde of God) to defende and delyuer you in thys present necessyte. For now is the tyme that Christ tolde vs of, [Sidenote: Mat. 10.] Math. 10. that he was come (by hys worde) to sette varyaunce betwene the sonne and hys father, betwene the doughter and her mother, betwene the doughter in lawe & her mother in lawe, [Sidenote: Mich. 3.] and that a mans owne housholde shalbe hys enemyes. But be not dysmayed nor thynke it no wonder, for Christ chose .12. and one of them betrayed hys master. [Sidenote: Ioan. 6.] And we that are hys dyscyples may loke for no better than he hadde hym selfe: [Sidenote: Mat. 10.] For the scoler is not a boue hys master. Saynt Paul protesteth that he was in [Sidenote: 2. Cor. 11.] parell amonge the false bretherne, and surely I suppose that we are in no lesse Ieopardye. For yf it be so that hys mastershype receyved one copye and hadde acople of copyes mo offered in the meanewhyle, then may ye be sure that there are many false bretherne which pretende to haue knowlege, and in dede be but pyke thākes, prouydynge for their belye. Prepare ye therfore clokes, for the wether wexeth clowdye, and rayne is lyke to folowe. I meane not false excuses and forswerynge of your selfes: but that ye loke substancyally vpon Goddes worde, that you may be able to answere their sotle obectyons. And rather chose māfully to dye for Christe and hys worde, than cowardly to denye hym, for this vayne and transytory lyfe, consyderyng that they haue no further power but ouer this corruptible bodye, which yf they put it not to deathe, muste yet at the length peryshe of yt selfe. [Sidenote: 2. Cor. 10.] But I truste the Lorde shall not suffer you to be tēpted a boue that you may beare, but accordynge to the spirite that he shall poure vpon you, shall he also sende you the scourge, ād make hym that hath receyued more of the spyryte, to suffer more, ād hym that receyueth lesse therof, to suffer accordynge to hys talent. I thought it necessarye fyrst to admonyshe you of thys matter, and now I wyll recyte more of master Mores boke. [Sidenote: More.] ❧ Whereby men may see how greadely these newe named bretherne wryte it out, and secretely spreade it a brode.