An account of a disputation at Oxford, anno dom. 1554 with A treatise of…

But you will say, That so to do is perilous, you shall by that means lose your Liberty, your Lands, your Goods, your Friends, your Name, your Life, &c. and so shall your Children be left in miserable state, &c. To this I answer, my good Brethren, That you have professed in Baptism to fight under the Standard of your Captain Christ, and will you now for perils sake leave the Lord? You made a solemn Vow that you would forsake the World and will you be forsworn, and run to embrace it now? You swore and promised to leave all and follow Christ and will you now leave him for your Father, your Mother, your Children, your Lands, your Life, &c. He that hateth not these, saith Christ, is not worthy of me. He that forsaketh not these, and himself also, and thereto taketh not up his Cross and follow me, the same shall be none of my Disciples, saith Christ: Therefore, either bid Christ adieu, be forsworn, and run to the Devil quick, or else say as a Christian should say—That Wife, Children, Goods, Life, &c. is not so dear unto you in respect of Christ, who is your Portion and Inheritance. Let the Worldlings which have no hope of Eternal Life fear perils and loss of Goods, Lands, Life, &c. here is not our home; we are here but Pilgrims and Strangers. This Life is but ⟨p. 10⟩the Desert and Wilderness to the Land of Rest. We look for a City whose Workman is God himself. We are now dwellers in the Tents of Kedar. We are now ¹in Warfare, in Travel, and Labour, whereto we were born, as the Birds to fly. We sorrow and sigh, desiring the Dissolution of our Bodies, and the putting off of our Corruption, that we might put on Incorruption. The way we walk is strait and narrow, and therefore not easy to our Enemy the Flesh corrupted: But yet we must walk on, for if we hearken to our Enemy we shall be served not friendly. Let them walk the wide way that are ruled by their Enemies; let us be ruled by our Friends, and walk the strait way, whose end is weal, as the other is woe. The time of our suffering is but short, as the time of their ease is not long; but the time of our rejoicing shall be endless, as the time of their Torments shall be ever and intolerable. Our Breakfast is sharp, but our Supper is sweet. The Affliction of this Life may not be compared in any part to the Glory that shall be revealed unto us. This is certain, if we suffer with Christ, we shall reign with him;

But you will say, That so to do is perilous, you shall by that means lose your Liberty, your Lands, your Goods, your Friends, your Name, your Life, &c. and so shall your Children be left in miserable state, &c. To this I answer, my good Brethren, That you have professed in Baptism to fight under the Standard of your Captain Christ, and will you now for perils sake leave the Lord? You made a solemn Vow that you would forsake the World and will you be forsworn, and run to embrace it now? You swore and promised to leave all and follow Christ and will you now leave him for your Father, your Mother, your Children, your Lands, your Life, &c. He that hateth not these, saith Christ, is not worthy of me. He that forsaketh not these, and himself also, and thereto taketh not up his Cross and follow me, the same shall be none of my Disciples, saith Christ: Therefore, either bid Christ adieu, be forsworn, and run to the Devil quick, or else say as a Christian should say—That Wife, Children, Goods, Life, &c. is not so dear unto you in respect of Christ, who is your Portion and Inheritance. Let the Worldlings which have no hope of Eternal Life fear perils and loss of Goods, Lands, Life, &c. here is not our home; we are here but Pilgrims and Strangers. This Life is but