Our lorde Iesus Christ hath forsayed that ther shuld be persequutions / and cheifly in the later tymes / through which sum shuld be despolied of their goodes / sum also thrown out of their dwellinges / and other shuld be shut vpp in prisõ / agayn that other shuld be fried in the fire and put to other punishmentes / and executed with infamus deathes / And that for the lord Christe himself / and for the doctrine / and confessiõ of the truith of the gospell. The same lord did then also forsaye / that not a few shuld fall from the truithe known. All which thinges truly we haue herd and seene fulfilled / not in this tyme only / but in tymes long passed. For ther are sum which at this daye do openly / and that without shame / curs and bydd adew to the truith of the gospell / which with demas do embrace this present worlde. There are other / and not afew / which do themselues also denie the truith known / and yet wyll not be accompted to be forsakers of it. Thy do stayne themselues with dyuers glosses and colours that they might not be known of the godly and more simple sorte of men. One faynith that he doth not go out of Egipt and Babilon / bicause he may wynne many vnto Christe: when as in the meane tyume he doth both withdrawe himself from Christ / and doth cõfirme manye that be weaker men in the filthes of babilon so that they do not at ony tyme thincke ernestly of true repentaunce. Other do fantisie that ther is no neade opẽly to cõfes religion / but that the inward beleif of the hart doth suffice: And if it be of vrgẽt necessite to confes ony thinge openly / yet that the confession sufficith which is made amonge the brithern which are well known and companions in Religion: Neither that the confession amonge the aduersaires is straitly required / which shall put them in daũger of lyfe. And therfore thou shalt finde sum men of exercise which cã conningly dispute of papisticall ceremonies and make meruailus interpretacions of theim / laboring by all meanes to proue that the godly by the partaking of them neither are defiled / nor yet that the religiõ of the gospell is denied. Thus wittye and subtill doth that trembling feare / and gret desire of this world make them. Truly when the tyme serued that they might lyue without daũger in rest and quiet at ease / they then wold neuer haue thought / no not so mutch as dreamed ony of this matier / Yea of theis thinges they wold haue bẽ loth but euẽ to haue spokẽ / as thinges playne cõtrary to simplicitie / and true religion. But now when the lord hath sent amonge them the fire of persequution or rather of probatiõ / and they do se that either they must flye out of their countrie / or that they must put ther lyfe in extreme ieoperdie / and yet haue no will to leaue either ease or their riches / or to committ themselues to daũgers / they turn themselues into all formes / and craftyly creping backe by clokinge and dissemblinge they do seeke wayes / by which they may slypp awaie out of the conflict.